Rocky

I don't think you get the point. What's the difference between judgment and discernment? It appears that both words imply that you're right and those you judge are wrong. Am I wrong on that? I can't prove you wrong or right. But if you are able to put aside your ego and be still inside, you might discern/judge differently than you have heretofore. Maybe.

There will also be people who will refuse to agree with your understanding of something in the Bible that you emphatically hold true but may indeed be your misunderstanding. Just sayin'. Pride goes before the fall. See Proverbs 16.

Okay... but just in case you may have missed it, there's Matthew 7:1 1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

"Trust me you have to change your attitude to one of meekness and obedience like Moses and become humble to God's word if you want his blessings." What about Matthew 5:44-45? 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Trust me, Waxit, you may or may not have the final word on what pleases God and what doesn't.

Am I understanding your intent Waxit to be that if anyone disagrees with your understanding, they somehow aren't "in fellowship" with God? Or some variation on that theme? Or perhaps you meant to ask which part of any of them does anyone understand differently than you?

In case anyone gets confused, Donnie here is Don Wierwille, not Fugit who was referenced in the previous quoted paragraph.

But instead of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow congregants — Fink in her Paradise Valley synagogue, Lucero in her Catholic parish in Glendale — the women, and millions of others, now worship via television, YouTube, Facebook or Zoom. For people of all faiths, prayer has taken on a new solitude. ---- This time I am suggesting alternatives.

That's certainly one option, but not necessarily the only one. I "said what I meant, and meant (only) what I said." I've been reading up on the history of pandemics, notably the 1918 Spanish Flu. Anyone not living under a rock knows by now of the concept/practice awkwardly titled social distancing. I wanted to get more understanding than simply accepting what we're hearing on broadcast news, or in print journalism.

Except that most of the time, people who took the PFLAP class and clung to him and his organization did so primarily because of the illusion that he projected and the fact that they (we) wanted to BELONG to a social CULTure that had such noble ideas and "practices."

Nevertheless, keeping physical distance (6 feet) from each other is the MOST important thing we can all do to limit the reach of the virus in this pandemic.

excellent point. We here at GSC are kinda close socially, but not physically.

"Wade would have been 30 or 31 years old..." Not necessarily to split hairs, but I don't think Wade wrote the things on his website recently. My guess is that he may have been four or five years older in 1970... 50 years ago. But yes, he clearly was his own man. So arguments can be made either way on the question of whether he's got another offshoot. I lean toward that Wade's ministry is not one.

Interesting website, including the page "About the Wades." He doesn't get into why he parted ways, which fits with what he calls his ministry these days, Positive Word Ministries Inc. Wade does, however, use TWI jargon to some degree. "In 1965 Peter Wade went to the United States to attend a three-month Summer School at The Way Biblical Research Center, which was then a non-denominational teaching organization. “His abilities, depth of perception, and conviction were immediately noticeable. Upon his return to Australia and the pastoring of a pioneering work at Taperoo, South Australia, he put into practice all the principles he had been taught and mightily convinced the believers of the fullness of Christ’s work and the accuracy of God’s Word.”" He's also on YouTube

Wouldn't that be wonderful. Yet, 45+ years hence, it's not likely. There's so much I know now that I'd love to ask my parents about from the 50s, 60s, 70s... but my parents have both passed as have my two younger siblings. Sigh. But we do have this record (GSC and several first hand accounts of things) from which we can draw reasonable inferences. And now that we're in our 60s and older, we can and must make those inferences. To that end, we tell our stories. Stories being the most human things we can pass along to our progeny. Thanks for yours my GSC friends.

Good point. Thanks.

Check your private messages.

By Reese Frederickson, Pine County Attorney The naïve part of me believes that once evil is locked away, closure and healing can begin. But, reality is complicated, and the scars from years of trauma remain even after achieving justice. Reality delivered a blow last week when I learned that Jessanna “Jess” Schlinsky took her own life. She was 32 years old. We sent the monster who had sexually abused her for all her teenage years to prison three years ago. Although the crimes were in the past and her abuser will spend many more years in prison, the suffering loomed large for Jess every day. It ultimately proved insurmountable. Jess, along with Lindsay Tornambe, bravely exposed cult leader and traumatizing narcissist Victor Barnard for the years of childhood sexual abuse suffered at his hands. Jess and Lindsay grew up in Barnard’s cult that was located on an isolated camp in Pine County. When Jess and Lindsay were 12 and 13 years old, respectively, Barnard separated them from their parents, forced them to reside in a remote spot of the camp, and began raping them. The sexual abuse and Barnard’s control of their daily lives continued for the next nine to ten years until the women escaped the cult. Jess and Lindsay’s quest for justice took many years. Barnard was eventually charged, caught hiding in Brazil and extradited to Pine County in 2016. As county attorney, the case was my responsibility to prosecute. (continued at the link above, worth the time to read)

That's true regardless.

Reporter's notebook: Death of a maiden By Tom Lyden Published 2 days ago [March 9, 2020] Victor Barnard FOX 9 (FOX 9) - If you do this job long enough you may be lucky enough to encounter people who are extraordinarily kind, fiercely courageous and incredibly wise. Sometimes, although rarely, they are the same person. Jess S*******-********* was that person for me. Six years ago, she and her childhood friend, Lindsay T*******, bravely came forward to tell me the story of cult leader Victor Barnard and his River Road Fellowship. Their willingness to share their painful story of life in a religious cult and of their rape by its leader, led to 52 criminal charges against Barnard for sexual assault, an international manhunt leading to his capture in Brazil, and eventually, his conviction and sentence to 24 years in prison. That was the part of the story the world got to see. But the scars of living in a religious cult, one in which the people you love may also be enablers of your rapist, can run tragically deep. Those scars never really heal. Jess would be the first to say that if she was still here. Last week, Jess took her life. She was 31.

Or that twi is inherently Christian?

Know what I mean, Vern? I wish that your exhortation, Twinky, was realistic... but I can't see it falling anywhere but on deaf ears at least in NK, OH. Just today, I read a review a friend on Goodreads.com posted about James Baldwin's play The Amen Corner. From the review, I'm hoping to borrow a copy of The Amen Corner from one of the local public library's near me.

Indeed, I didn't realize the crucial nature of the social connections twi provided at that time. Reconnecting with old friends and family is a wonderful thing and a great first step (when available) for finding "one's own tribe." Thanks T-Bone.

Even when faced with immensely challenging situations.