Rocky

1 hour ago, dkarateka7 said:

Thank you for taking the time to read the Word of God the Father has inspired me to write,   I pray:  He sent his Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.   

Your premise, that what you wrote was specifically the Word of God and was inspired by God the Father, is not provable.

You COULD rephrase your comment to simply call on readers to accept your encouragement absent the arrogant claim that you spoke/wrote God's thoughts.

You could alternatively rephrase your comment as an "I" statement to indicate YOU are/were inspired to write what you wrote, and leave it up to readers to assess the degree of providence the statement might have.

46 minutes ago, Charity said:

 

Yes, I also see that Genesis 3 is a story and a lot more than just that one chapter as well.  What I still wonder about is how the man-made story called the "red thread" of the messiah was kept going through all the years of the OT writings.  Any comments or suggestions?

Somehow people were convinced (hoodwinked?) into accepting vague claims as god-breathed, IMO. There may have been [edit: likely was SOME] some divine inspiration, but I no longer believe that holy men wrote what God told them to write, verbatim.

Religion, is generally about finding ways to get humans to act in concert as groups to do what some faction wanted them to do or believe.

21 hours ago, Charity said:

What was God's reason for letting Lucifer remain free?  The bible doesn't give one, but here's the thing. 

It is a STORY.

8 hours ago, Charity said:

According to Genesis 1-3, God creates a paradise and many different kinds of awesome life and everything is perfect.  What a great God He is. Then everything is corrupted because of one single act of two humans (one who was deceived and the other who followed suit).  All mankind has now become evil and worthy of death and is therefore in need of redemption.  Now there are wars, murders, rapes, natural disasters, genocides, dreadful diseases and disorders of mind and body, hatred, lusts, etc. - SO MUCH pain and suffering century after century which God knew would happen because of Adam and Eve's disobedience.  Why was such a cruel and severe punishment so necessary?  

All of this is explained away by saying “a loving God gave Adam and Eve free will,” so everything is their fault – not God’s.  I now call that statement into question because God was GOD and so much GREATER than them:

- God was incapable of doing evil, but Adam and Eve were created capable of doing evil.

- God had foreknowledge of all that would happen if sin entered the world, but Adam and Eve were only told of “their death.”   

Who was in a greater and more powerful position to have the responsibility of the whole world placed on their shoulders – God or Adam and Eve?  Yet God placed it on humans.  I used to think this was how highly God thought of the perfect man He created, and they just went and blew it.  Now, I’m thinking they were doomed from the beginning to fail.

As Nathan sort of reflected, this is all about the Judeo-Christian creation myth. Frankly, I very much appreciate your reinterpretation of it, Charity.

There's so much more knowledge and wisdom available to humans. To me, it's only natural and reasonable that people are considering legitimate philosophical questions trying to figure out the meaning of life according to dominant religions... of which Christianity is only one of the dominant ones.  

29 minutes ago, Junior Corps Surviver said:

Forgive me if this has already been discussed but i was talking to a friend from Junior Corps and she reminded me that I had said that this motorcycle was the frist time I thought TWi was being shady. It was either at The Rock or Corps Week. They had us all "give" (no pressure or anything lol) so we could buy a "surprise" gift of a motorcycle for VPW with a side car for his wife. I remember feeling ressured and lied to. How on earth was this going to be a surprise? With all the money we give, we have to give more so he can have a fancy bike? i brought it up at a Junior Corps meeting and was yelled at and sent to bed. Loudly being reproved for being right is a terrible way to raise a child.      

tragic.

2 hours ago, Junior Corps Surviver said:

This post got me thinking about something that's baffled me for decades. I often think about TWi when Chritians are so strongly pro-life. Other than The Way, are there any fundamentalist groups who are openly pro choice?  

This is not a post meant to debate abortion. 

At the risk of veering off into a political debate (but hoping not to do so), I understand TWI/Wierwille to have developed a position that was much more about the morality of ministry leaders justifying adultery and providing an escape clause, as it were, when a pregnancy occurred outside of a normal marriage.

 

3 hours ago, OldSkool said:

No it's not. You're the moderator, and you have a very nasty unchristian bias, and you allowed this post to stay in about the way for some time. There is no other side around here anymore but a push towards writing memoirs and ted talks. That some found redeeming value in those things is awesome. However, others, like myself, returned to Jesus Christ and found a great relationship that the way international and others would love to hide. So it's clear to me that when a moderator leaves an anti-Christian post in the about the way section, then there's a problem and this is no longer an objective website and no longer does it serve its stated purpose. 

 

Jesus Christ and most anything Christian is not welcome here, and therefore I'm unwelcome here. 

But on the other hand, let a Christian post pop up in about the way, and It's immediately moved. 

I received a notification that something I said on this thread was somehow considered controversial.

However, I'm NOT finding anything on this thread I said that could be controversial.

Nevertheless, I am NOT a moderator. I don't "move" or delete" anything.

Also, Go Dbacks! :)

Further, regardless of my beliefs regarding Jesus Christ or God, even if I profess unbelief, I don't get your point. OldSkool. Please clarify

1 hour ago, cman said:

great observation, I agree, but am not familiar with "personal prophesy" = is that a thing?

I would suggest asking JALvis, but he's no longer available for consultation. 

3 hours ago, Nathan_Jr said:

*Hello, Irony.

On 3/23/2024 at 5:22 PM, Charity said:

I'm wondering what your purpose was for your post and sharing the video.

Great question, Charity. I would HOPE. I would also HOPE our new good friend Righteous Rider isn't/wasn't trying to set GSC readers up for a Viral Mimetic Infection. 

I just found THIS 14 year old video on YouTube. Not quite four minutes into this video, Ms Benscoter related how she believes it works. She shared what Viral Mimetic Infection made her vulnerable as a 17 year old to love bombing by Moonies. She became a Moonie.

Can you think of any (viral mimetic infection) VMI-like phrases that Wierwille used in his Pflap class to HOOK us?

1 hour ago, Nathan_Jr said:

Mmmph

Please explain. 

10 hours ago, Charity said:

I wonder how they get away with it.

Peer pressure most likely. Belonging is not unique to cultic or religious organizations.

Although the importance of social relationships, cultural identity, and — especially for indigenous people — place have long been apparent in research across multiple disciplines (e.g., Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Cacioppo, & Hawkley, 2003; Carter et al., 2017; Maslow, 1954; Rouchy, 2002; Vaillant, 2012), the year 2020 — with massive bushfires in Australia and elsewhere destroying ancient lands, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., amongst other events — brought the importance of belonging to the forefront of public attention. Belonging can be defined as a subjective feeling that one is an integral part of their surrounding systems, including family, friends, school, work environments, communities, cultural groups, and physical places (Hagerty et al., 1992). Most people have a deep need to feel a sense of belonging, characterized as a positive but often fluid and ephemeral connection with other people, places, or experiences (Allen, 2020a).

7 hours ago, RighteousRider said:

EVER WONDER WHAT GOD REALLY THINKS OF YOU?

 

Not lately. 

19 hours ago, OldSkool said:

My work on GSC is complete. Thank you for giving me a place to vent and I wouldnt be where I am now if it wasnt for my time here. Some of you  if not all may think im crazy. I was crazy and this isnt the same. I thought I was crazy in the beginning too...its fine.

 

https://www.eyesupandopen.org/index.php/articles-from-various-authors/my-testimony-expanded-version

God bless you OldSkool. I wish you prosperity in your heart and soul and family relationships. I also hope you never fret about whether anyone thinks you're crazy. We all have stories. I can see a long life and many adventurous stories for you in the years to come.   

9 hours ago, chockfull said:

For me it was partially self delusion.  I traded free will and compliance for an emotional sense of security, belonging, and purpose.

That's it in a nutshell. 

3 hours ago, chockfull said:

https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/s/q202RXmiNV

So they are starting out younger and younger targeting the kids.  Here’s the Mormons with a Stake President writing letters to 11 year olds.

The next generation is where the cult interest is.

Ugh!

7 hours ago, modcat5 said:

If you cannot distinguish between these statements, STAY OFF ALL THREADS. 

YIKES! 

I'm wondering if what you and he might be thinking of is AWE.

Dacher Keltner, an academic, recently published (in 2023) a book on AWE.

3 hours ago, Raf said:

Well, What you said did a very poor job of reflecting your overall intelligence.

Seriously, Raf? Can you not, detached from emotional noise, just give him an I statement. As in... I don't grasp what you're getting at. Why would you need to assess his "overall intelligence?" Sheesh.

2 hours ago, RighteousRider said:

I felt like the cabin was filled with the presence of God.

I appreciate the difference of using an I statement. It still doesn't tell me what the author subjectively experienced. 

And, I'm still curious. If you don't know the answer, I'm okay with that.   Still curious, but I know I can only ask for clarification, not demand it. 

Thank you for posting that beautiful visual and auditory feast of awe.

Today's new (to me) book, is AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life.

There were times in my young adulthood (50 or so years ago) and during my early life in twi, when I experienced everyday wonder. Of course, at that time, I attributed it all to God, as defined by Victor Wierwille.

Anyway, in this book, I am encouraged to look for, seek out, awe in my everyday life. Beauty in cultural expression is one place to find it.

I was touched with a sense of awe listening to that choir.

No doubt, you and your fellow choir members singing that beautiful piece with a deep sense of love and awe will touch all of those who get to hear you.  

On 2/26/2024 at 8:56 PM, Rocky said:

I figure we'll learn more about SrAirman Bushnell in the days to come. However, high-control group is a significant indicator of cults, according to Steven Hassan. There's no indication thus far that Bushnell's decision was based on anything other than his own personal conviction about the war.

NYTimes has this (apparently a gift article, because I could read it even though I don't subscribe to NYT)

This report doesn't spell out Community of Jesus as a cult, but it seems to examine well, the young Mr Bushnell's mental approach. He rejected a good bit of his cult upbringing. He went to mental health therapy and encouraged a female friend with whom he apparently grew up to do the same.

He had deep empathetic tendencies (which is a good thing). He WILL not immediately be forgotten, as this kind of sacrifice does get cited in news stories after the fact.

My heart aches for him as I envision the ongoing good he could do by choosing to survive.

Various aspects of growing up in a cult are apparent for those with experience to recognize it. Notably for me, that he was apparently neither taught nor had modeled for him by elders ways to cope with difficult ethical and moral dilemmas.

10 minutes ago, chockfull said:

Labeling questions as hatred.

Or as personal attacks.

On 2/27/2024 at 1:21 AM, RighteousRider said:

And as he lay there, the cabin was filled with the presence of God.

A quite vague claim. Before I'd accept this (unverifiable) claim, I'd want more of an explanation/description of what he meant by "the cabin was filled with the presence of God."

3 hours ago, waysider said:

I'm not sure if  he really believed this or was pandering to his fan base. We'll never know for sure.

THIS was a review of Undertow, Charlene's memoir.

From her perspective, she apparently believed he believed it.