Grace Valerie Claire

On 4/10/2019 at 8:26 AM, Infoabsorption said:

DWBH, the more I read about VPW, the more I realize that he was a scam artist as well as a lunatic. There was nothing that he came up with that was his own material. It was all stolen from others. I can't believe there are still people who think he was a great teacher. 

Info, I remember when I first read, "JCOPS." What a book; I knew VPW had nothing to do with it.  It was light years ahead of the usual TWI drivel.  The usual TWI book was poorly-written, and dry as He-l.

3 minutes ago, WayKid2019 said:

Hey Leah,

I was friends with your sister growing up, and we may have met once or twice. As evidenced by my username, I grew up in TWI too and my husband’s parents are still Way Corps. We left TWI recently, and though your experience growing up at TWI’s HQ and enduring the devastating things that your family went through are much more intense than anything I was subjected to, I understand the position of being an adult with a family and working through all of the pain, hatred and identity issues that accompany leaving The Way. If you need to talk, I can add you on Facebook ❤️

Dear Kid; wow!!  Great post!!  

8 hours ago, outandabout said:

I always like it when Children of The Way come here and post.  I wish they did more often. Always interesting.

Outie, I agree!!  I think their posts are among the most interesting posts here at the GSC.

12 hours ago, skyrider said:

Hey, you cult-parents and rah-rah splinter group parents............listen to your grown children.

• Stop and think about those early years of parenting and why you wanted kids.
• Remember all the pain-staking hours you went thru to protect them?
• The hundreds/thousands of hours you poured over them with love?
• For most all, the "cult-standards" soon became your "family-standards," right?
• The wooden spoon....silence at open meetings.....confining, suffocating, overbearing.
• Meetings, meetings and more meetings.......where kids (under 12) were isolated from parents.
• Then, at age 12.....it was thrust upon them to partake of these classes and heed its direction.
• All of this was unnatural to a child's world......reaching out to explore the wonders of life.

Here at GSC.......for several years now, the second generation of twi-cultees have been speaking out.  The hurt, anguish, depression and damage has taken its toll on the identity formation and psyche of many......especially those trapped at HQ. 

Invariably, it was/is the most sycophant, zealot "leaders" who disregarded their children's needs.....and ran roughshod over their wellbeing.  Blinded by cult-obedience, the corps leadership was constantly attending classes, meetings, set-up meetings, after-glow meetings, confrontation meetings, etc......all efforts of twi-servitude, not God.  The crazies were off the rails......and the whole damn train went crashing into the ravine.

Years of wierwille's teachings on "Us versus Them" [even church leadership were seed of the serpent].....stay with the twi-household or you're outside God's protection.......cop-outs, lose your rewards, ....then martindale's greasespot by midnight, homo-purge, other purges, cross bridge to promised land, the prevailing word.......everything on the conditional relationship of strict obedience to cult-doctrine!!

Add, the backdrop hysteria of Geer's poop paper......firings, secrecy, exodus, insinuations, innuendo, infighting, splinter groups......no wonder the youth caught in this crossfire at hq went running for the hills (colleges and elsewhere) to escape the bullets.

Splinter groups who strictly adhere to wierwille-doctrine and practice?  REALLY?? 

• My brother-in-law........NONE of their kids want anything to do with his splinter group.
• Yet, the parents trudge on like it's their duty to "stand for truth" and make others miserable.....
• Where is the LOVE?

For God's sake, parents..............LISTEN to your grown children.

Listen with your heart.

 

Sky, another great post!!  I can't believe I used to envy kids raised in "the Word".  Until I came to the GSC, I had no idea how hard it was for many TWI kids to grow-up, especially those whose parents were in top leadeship positions.  Wow, how could I have been so wrong!!  God bless those kids who were able to walk away from TWI, and lead independent lives.

On 3/27/2019 at 7:06 AM, Raf said:

There is nothing to critically assess.

In 19 days I will announce something. Hopefully something awesome, but maybe less than awesome.

 

Raf, it better not be my weight!!  Just kidding; I can't wait to hear your, hopefully good, news!

6 minutes ago, Rocky said:

A message that has been said more than once and will likely be necessary again sometime.

For the record, I have a belief system, but I don't need to label it... other than Deist. I still tell people IRL that I'm Christian, but I'm not really dogmatic in that regard. I do, however, zealously cleave to knowledge and understanding I have gained, especially as a result of experience (i.e. school of VERY hard knocks in some instances) and an attitude and desire for lifelong learning.

I mention this now because a new member mentioned sometimes believing she's atheist and at other times agnostic. As far as I'm concerned, that's perfectly fine. 

Also, some people may wonder about why us old-timers still frequent GSC. Well, unless we were born in a twi family, we were drawn to twi in large part because it gave us a sense of belonging... for whatever reason. Well, setting aside how much I think I know about anything, I enjoy drawing insights into group behaviors (aka psychoanalyzing the groups). And that has opened doors for me other than regarding twi. That's basically how and why I started getting published in local newspaper editorial pages more than 25 years ago. Not that my insights are always "the" right ones, but that they have at least some legitimacy.

To Leah, I would say now that I think there's probably a great deal that you have going on that you don't struggle with. But I'm glad you are able to recognize the opportunity and need for working on or dealing with those things about which you do struggle now.

I can only imagine the intensity of the psychic damage from having grown up in the situation you did. Many of us know how intense your father is or at least was.

In addition to what I said last night, I want to emphasize the deep admiration I have for the course you have been choosing and are now on. I hope you're able to make music out of the rocks in the creek over which the water of your life is now passing.    And can dance (now or eventually) to that music.  
 

Rocky, 

10 hours ago, BecomingMe said:

DWBH, what can I say? Thank you SO much for the love and your comments. I can’t quite find the words to tell you all how much I appreciate being welcome here.

To answer a couple comments - I have 4 therapists and am on a battery of meds. I’ve been doing this latest round of hard work with said therapists for a year and a half. I think what has discouraged me is how deep the injuries go into my subconscious mind. But I am and will continue working. Being ME here is a big step I’ve wanted to take for years.

Thanks again for the comfort <3

 

Me, Welcome!!  I am so happy that you are getting help for your promlems!!  For me, admitting that I needed help was a giant step.  I also see a therapist, who mointers my medications. Some days are great; some days aren't.  But nowdays, I know I have choices; I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not.  What a relief!!  

1 minute ago, Raf said:

I can only imagine the courage it takes to come forward. Welcome, Leah.

Raf, I agree!!  Leah has perhaps more courage than most of us; she certainly has more than me!!  

26 minutes ago, DontWorryBeHappy said:

Hi Leah!

Don’t you dare quit! You ARE on the right path. It’s right because YOU are choosing it. YOU are determining who YOU are! That is the single most difficult task of human development, and at the same time, the most rewarding and fulfilling. That’s why I said, “don’t you dare quit”. You will make it to your authentic YOU if you just keep on going. Damn the hurt, the pain, the fear, the shame, the guilt, and the weariness. Just keep on keepin’ on!

According to the 8 stages of human development, the 4th One is “identity formation”. Usually, according to the data, it occurs between the ages of 20-32. It follows adolescence, (12-19), and it is THE critical stage of human development. 

Observe the usual activities people in the age range 20-32 are engaged in these days in our frenetic culture.....college, trade school, the military, all crucial development tools which help one to self-determine her/his occupation, basic philosophy of life, and accepting who you have decided to be. For most of us here, those were the very years we got involved with TWIt. The TWIt cult stunted our development at the most critical stage. Dictor paul’s psychiatric dysfunctions and perversions, along with the Nazi-like authoritarianism and militarism of his corpse program produced what I term, a forced adolescence upon all wayfers, because the way took over determining our identities with it’s cult indoctrination and a rigid military-like discipline in order to “be the best” according to what the cult determined was “best”, period.

But, the incredible cognitive dissonance we all experienced between what wierwille said and what wierwille DID became too much for us to bear, eventually driving our “authentic” selves back to the surface from under the smothering mind control and extreme peer pressure from the cult, and, avouding a psychological breakdown, we summoned enough personal courage to get the hell out of Dodge and retake control of our own, authentic lives....lives WE choose and people WE choose to be with.

That’s where the anxiety and depression become an issue. There is so much cognitive dissonance that it usually requires professional help from a licensed counselor in order to sort it all out. It is, unfortunately, a necessity for most, because we have no sense of ourselves outside the complete dominance of the cult in every part of our minds and bodies. Our personal human development was detoured by a destructive religious cult, but by the strength of will and reason, WE now get to determine who and what we are according to OUR standards, beliefs, and desires. This takes time and a bunch of getting used to, but the end of adaptation is FREEDOM, liberty, and confidence that you can do it again as often as necessary.

As you can see, I too can ramble! LOL. But more importantly, I want to strongly encourage you to keep on going! YOU ARE on the right path for YOU. We’ve all been at multiple crossroads in our lives, and we are here to help, to listen, to encourage, to inspire, and to hug whenever you need help along your journey to self-actualization. A cool glass of water and a cold, juicy peach on a hot day, passed on to a fellow traveller with love, unspoken understanding, and a joyful smile to help you hang in there baby!! That’s the GSC.

As you said, by the grace of God, you have a full life! A loving partner, 2 lovely babies, a good career doing something YOU love because YOU love it and trained for it. YOU did all that! YOU! And YOU will conquer the current difficulties with the help of others also traveling the freedom road to self-identification and rewarding fulfillment......you’ll see REAL fruit of the spirit in your life and you will be happy and at peace. Don’t you dare quit! We love YOU because of who and what YOU are. You belong. You are free to be you. Just do it! We’ll help in any way we can. Peace.

DWBH, 

3 hours ago, BecomingMe said:

Well, I only feel comfortable speaking for myself, and I’m not so great. Working on it, though.

I have a life that is full and that I’m really grateful for - two little girls, a husband (also a former Way kid), a career that I love in education. Now if I can work out really detaching the old way programming from my head, I’ll be all right...

Leah, I have never met you, but if I could make a suggestion; if you need help for your pain, you might need professional help- a therapist.  He, or she might be able to prescribe medication.  I know you are young, but even the young have problems.  God-bless you, and I will pray for you.

13 minutes ago, BecomingMe said:

Hey, all. It’s been awhile since I’ve stepped into the diner. I’m outing myself today because it’s too painful to keep my silence anymore, and I’m struggling right now.

My name is Leah - I’m LCM’s oldest child. I don’t know what to do next...I feel like I need to speak, but I don’t know what to say. I’m just so tired of hurting.

Penworthy, it’s lovely to “see” you here. I so appreciate your compassion...

Leah, hello!  How are you kids these days? 

3 hours ago, DukieLuv504Boy said:

So much pain so much hurt this is insane bros 

Boy, what are you saying??  

6 hours ago, WordWolf said:

That's fairly common in twi and in ex-twi communities, though.  You might hear criticisms of people who volunteer and help others, but exhortations to help them are not nearly as common.  They exist, but not in every group, and not all the time.    The rank-and-file may already have more impressive track records on that sort of thing.

When I was in college, I was in a service organization, and logged some 40 hours of community service, etc per semester (sometimes more.)  After a few years of me doing that, the ex-twi group at the time discussed, at the leadership level, the idea that it's good to do that sort of thing. Shocking for all the twi-trained people.  For me, the mention from a local leader that this sort of thing was good was in the "and the water was actually wet?" category.   I agreed, mentioned I had a few YEARS of experience with that sort of thing, and offered to advise them and pass information if he needed any.  He was polite, but his face was easy to read. You'd think I was offering to perform a necessary surgery for him in a garage or something.  The idea that I might have actually gotten experience and training they lacked and needed, and got it from a secular source, that was either shocking, repugnant, or shockingly repugnant. 

WW, I think your post shows offers good insight into the heart of TWI; it claimed to be a Godly organization, but it wasn't.  Years ago, I felt TWi wanted all of my money, and time. When I finally made this break through in my head, I realized I was right; and eventually left.

1 hour ago, Rocky said:

Unless one is prone to being triggered by cult related behavior. 

Following along without being able to critical assess the situation isn't always a good thing.

Rocky, that's true, but I think Raf is having a little fun.  These days that is important, all things considered.  I find myself needing a little harmless fun these days 

1 hour ago, Allan said:

Not only not very interesting but listening to the sis-in-law Mary Strickland sharing about 'happy endings' and remembering when we left twi her words to us "your neighbours now know what horrible people you are" (after a letter she wrote us was sent to them) and 'prophesying "our kids would grow up to be homos" because we were leaving twi...smacks of hypocrisy. We got our happy ending, wonder about hers ? 

Allan, she did what??!!  You and your wife made the right decision for you.  Perhaps she was jealous of you; you had the moxie to leave, and she didn't.  I wonder how her life turned-out; she sounds like an unhappy person.

35 minutes ago, Rocky said:

If only we knew what we were counting down to, very fine people might be compelled to carry the torch in your stead, Raf.

Raf, this better be good, or else!! Just kidding Raf; I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

23 minutes ago, WordWolf said:

If they recruit outsiders, they introduce outside ideas. If they introduce outside ideas, they can't control what people think.  If they can't control what people think, they can't convince them to consistently hand over 10% of their income.

In other words, yes, they want to do their thing- and that includes the money- and remain free of variables they can't control.

WW, bingo!!  

On 10/11/2018 at 3:12 PM, Taxidev said:

The isolationism changed to exclusivity.  Either you're part of the club, or you're not.  And if you're not, then you aren't welcome at anything they do.

Taxi, I understand what you said, but that seems rather unchristian to me.  I know when I used to attend Church in Bethesda, I always felt that I was an important part of the congregation.  People were encouraged to bring their friends, and families to services, and get togethers.  But, I am not a member of the R&R group, nor will I be.  Perhaps I am more missing something, but it sounds to me, as if the group isn't interested in outsiders.  They want to do their thing, and not be bothered by outside influences.

On 2/21/2019 at 7:02 AM, LivingLife said:

I was only involved in TWI from 2009-2017 and have heard vague rumors that VPW did not believe the Holocaust happened. Does anyone know if that is true? Was he also anti-Semitic? I was Jewish before believing in Jesus so I find it very offensive and if it’s true and I had known, I never would have gotten involved with TWI in the first place and could have avoided all the grief from them from those 8 years of my life. 

Life, I was involved in TWI from 1978-1988; if I had known 40 years ago what I now know about TWI, I would never have gotten involved.

On 11/20/2017 at 7:06 AM, Twinky said:

So this infamous cult leader has finally died, in prison.  No loss to society.

Any thoughts, anyone?

What happened to his followers?  Were any imprisoned?  Released?  Gone on to be helpful, or horrible, members of society?

Twinky, I know one of the women died of Cancer, a few years ago.  Another woman was finally released after spending almost 48(?) years in prison. I have read a few books about Manson, and his followers; what a sick guy!!

On 11/20/2017 at 10:00 AM, DontWorryBeHappy said:

I heard they all took some Bible class in 1970 and now run some cult in OH some where. One of them is Roy Moore's Campaign Chairman!

DWBH, LMAO!!

On 1/15/2019 at 10:22 PM, Rocky said:

I recently discovered this article that relates to cult brain. It describes a scenario much like Wierwille in the PFLAP class instructs students to reject anything other than what lines up with his fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible.

Of course, many of us on GSC have discussed "waybrain" over the last nearly two decades.

... religious fundamentalism—which refers to the belief in the absolute authority of a religious text or leaders—is almost never good for an individual. This is primarily because fundamentalism discourages any logical reasoning or scientific evidence that challenges its scripture, making it inherently maladaptive.

-----

The single most important thing I may have learned over the last 32 years is that God is bigger than any notion of humankind, written or imagined.

How does this relate to Wierwillism? Well, the cranky old potentate(s) [Either Wierwille or Martindale, those were the only two I interacted with] of TWI was never allowed for discussion or disagreement. It was ALWAYS their way or the highway. As I can see now, that puts God into a very small box and twi followers into even smaller boxes.

It's increasingly obvious that religious fundamentalism is having a profound negative impact on society. But I won't get into that in detail here.
 

Rocky, yes!!  Thanks for the post.

6 minutes ago, waysider said:

And, at least with boot camp, you know it won't last forever.

Way, true.  But I would never want to do it again; once was enough to last a lifetime.

4 hours ago, WordWolf said:

Leaf blowers cost money!    You students were expendable. 

You can tell how meaningless the classes were based on how casually twi arranged for people to skip them.   It was more important to pull the students- who paid tuition- and get them to do manual labor-  for which they were unpaid.   I just can't get over how shameless that was

5 hours ago, skyrider said:

In October/November 1978.........was when Camp Gunnison and L.E.A.D. were going thru major construction phases.  I was in my first few months of in-residence and I couldn't help but see these guys......electricians, plumbers, carpenters, roofers and flooring workers being sent out on working assignments.  Announcements of their being shipped out were made at lunch or supper time.....and off they went.

For me, having two years of college under my belt before I dropped out to go WOW/Corps........I knew full-well the rigors of classes, studying and cramming for tests, grade point average (gpa) and working toward a Business Administration degree.  I'm not quite sure what I expected to find when going to The Way College of Emporia Kansas........but THIS was certainly not it!  The academic "curriculum" at Emporia was an absolute joke.  Elder corps were faculty teachers in most cases......and work assignments were PRIORITY over the classes where trustees gave consent.

And, when wierwille came to Emporia......every aspect on campus changed to accommodate the mogfot.  To spiff up the place, 12 people with push brooms cleaned the circle drive before his arrival.  Good Grief.....anybody ever hear of a leaf blower?  What an absolute waste and exploitation of manpower.

When martindale boasted about meticulous lawn mowing.........I couldn't help but think of growing up on a wheat farm and driving tractors at age ten, while the corps director lectured us on straight lines and attention to detail.

This work/study corps program.........was a dismal failure on all fronts.  I nearly left before Christmas 1978 several times.  I had a car parked in the back lot and about $6,000 in my bank account at the time.  What a different life I would have seen........had I left when I saw all of those red flags.

Sigh.

 

Sky, I remember November, and December of 1978; I was a Wow stuggling to support myself.  I also saw a lot of Red Flags in TWI, especially on the field.  However, as much as I hated my WOW year, I am so glad I stuck it out.  Years later when I joined the Navy, I knew I could endure a lot of Bullsh--, because I had as a WOW.  My WOW year was horrible, but it did prepare me for the Bullsh-- I had to deal with in the Navy.  God does work miracles when we allow him too.