Charity

God must have been very p$ssed with someone or something to have killed so many that time. Then there will be the 7 plagues in Revelation to look forward to - thank goodness though for the gathering together which will save Christians from this specific wrath of God - oh wait - there will be no rapture.

I appreciate how he shows the destructiveness of the false rapture doctrine. What is bothersome to me, though, is how he condemns the unjust killings from 2 wars (one that is currently ongoing and a nuclear one happening quite possibly in the future) yet he has no problem with the 70 000 Israelites he mentions who were killed by God with a plague nor with the last war he says is certain to happen. As he puts it, “God’s fiery judgment at the end of time – it is a heavenly fire, not an earthly one. At that day, the last day, the end of time, there will be no survivors (which he states 4 times).” Although he uses the bible to preach that there be peace, not war, in the world today, he is very political against Zionism.

Home The Way International About The Way Ask the Greasespot Cafe WHAT IS THIS PLACE? I find it very difficult to know that this thread even exists for someone new to GSC. I've been here for a while now and never even paid attention to the "Ask the Greasepot Cafe" link that shows under "About the Way." I went straight to "About the Way" from day one. I didn't know about until penworks' post of today. Is it not possible to have a sub forum called "Ask About the Way" with a description similar to "If you have a question about The Way International, past present or future, this is the place to ask?"

I really appreciate your post penworks, especially your last paragraph. It would be nice if it could remain available to see and read instead of it being replaced by the next thread that is created on this forum.

I'm not sure who "their" is referring to above but what I was referring to was a new additional forum that would reach out to new twi's followers who are having doubts about twi's present-day doctrines/dogmas and practices. As well as being able to search through the hundreds of threads in "About the Way" for topics of interest, a new and fresh forum would be another option for them to come and discuss specific matters. An inviting description of the forum would explain this. What do you think?

From Canada: The above map was not a google map. The following is (love the brackets!) https://www.google.com/search?q=google+maps+gulf+of+mexico&client=firefox-b-d&sca_esv=a38431949a6ac76a&sxsrf=AHTn8zqRmiJhYlCGrPV_nNpJCJ3Am5j8lw%3A1739308929712&ei=gb-rZ6aDK86F0PEP_qWE0AM&ved=0ahUKEwjmx6PXxryLAxXOAjQIHf4SAToQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=google+maps+gulf+of+mexico&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiGmdvb2dsZSBtYXBzIGd1bGYgb2YgbWV4aWNvMgQQABgDMgQQABgDMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIGEAAYFhgeMgsQABiABBiGAxiKBTILEAAYgAQYhgMYigUyCxAAGIAEGIYDGIoFMgUQABjvBTIIEAAYgAQYogRIjyBQ4AdYiR5wAXgBkAEAmAGuAaAB4guqAQM1Ljm4AQPIAQD4AQGYAg-gAvoNwgIKEAAYsAMY1gQYR8ICDRAAGLADGNYEGEcYyQPCAg4QABiABBiwAxiSAxiKBcICCxAAGIAEGJECGIoFwgIFEAAYgATCAggQABiiBBiJBZgDAIgGAZAGCpIHBDIuMTOgB7JV&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

I looked at 5 and they all had Gulf of Mexico https://www.mapsofworld.com/north-america/

Hi Rocky, I would never want anything purged from GSC so I need help understanding what you mean. Thanks!

I agree. It was after studying tithing in the bible for myself and knowing vpw's "Christians Should be Prosperous" book wasn't accurate, as well as being reproved by my country coordinator for thinking I knew more than vpw when I went to talk to him about it, that I left twi for good after 11 years. It was both the tithing doctrine itself and the cc's arrogant and belittling attitude towards me that showed it was loyalty to wierwille that really mattered. I think it's the cognitive dissonance that results from believing a doctrine and seeing the opposite behavior of the one teaching it that can lead someone to question the teacher and their words. That's what led to the deconstruction of my belief in the bible.

Excellent posts although they seem to be about twi from the past. What do we know about twi in the present - what is taught in their classes now, how are their programs being run today? IOW, are they still following many of the old twi's footsteps? (When I looked on The Way International Bookstore, they still sell books about vpw which paint him in a "good light" such as Born Again to Serve, Faithful Bridge Builders Of The Way and Life Lines.) But for the most part, it's hard to know what twi is really like unless GSC becomes more inviting to their current members. Maybe creating a new forum aimed at The Way International Today might attract new members. It would not have the same purpose as the current About the Way forum which has mainly focused on the problems of the past. The threads instead could be about asking questions and inviting discussions about topics of interest on twi's website today (e.g., Way magazine articles, ROA 2025, books, etc). To avoid a repeat of the incessant arguing that went on in the past with posters like Mike, it would be more aimed at helping current members work through their beliefs and concerns using critical thinking. Such a forum may never take off, but it might be worth a try. Yes/no?

Here's an explanation from "Got Questions" that I have not heard before - What is the unpardonable sin / unforgivable sin? "The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, specific as it was to the Pharisees’ situation, cannot be duplicated today. Jesus Christ is not on earth, and no one can personally see Jesus perform a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit. The only unpardonable sin today is that of continued unbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in his rejection of Christ." If one accepts this answer, it puts an end to all the guessing and doctrinal teachings which are out there. OTOH, promoting that there's an actual possibility of committing an ill-defined unforgivable sin (perhaps even unknowingly) is definitely an effective fear tactic imo.

Practicing mindfulness has helped me get through some challenging times. It's nice to hear that a word from your past is being applied in a way and among people that allows you to feel safe. I wonder if HQ patted themselves on the back for using "tough love" (my phrase) to successfully get the results they were demanding of everyone. The fact that twi is still pushing the law of believing makes it most likely they are putting the same pressure on their "volunteers" out on the field today to get such results as well.

I appreciate your point. Bart Ehrman's book Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says about the End would obviously give more details about how Revelation is not about future events than he does in the podcast I watched with Dan McClellan "Ehrmageddon!" with Bart Ehrman. Many (if not most) Christians, however, do not believe in the preterist point of view. Will Brook's (known on GSC as OldSkool) book The Everlasting Gospel: The Little Book of Revelation Chapter 10 certainly does not. So the bloodiest war of them that is about to happen soon (according to end time "prophets") still lives in the minds of misled people. That is what I consider to be so sad. Even if one believes in Preterism, the historical events of the massacre in 70 AD is still tied directly to God as shown by Jesus' prophesying that it would happen. My point is that all religious wars and acts of violence (past, present and future) which are considered justified because of some god's (including Yahweh's) will and purpose are plain and simply evil.

My understanding and experience is that it does not. Do you think it is impossible to have mercy and empathy without a spiritual realm?

So the Preterist interpretation of the bible comes down to a horrible, horrible war between Rome and the Jews resulting in the destruction of the temple. The promised land, Canaan, was acquired through wars. The future events in Revelation are about the bloodiest war of all. War is always the idea of humans. And like The Iliad, gods are thrown into the mix to justify them. The bible is no different. So f...ing sad.

Does the Donate Page's "Irish Eyes" have anything to do with this song - great lyrics and good for an Irish jig. Irish Eyes

Then, there's also the Love Train

"Showing mercy" has been emphasized in the news in the past week and this recent video by Dan shines light on what it means biblically. Another option, humanism, also promotes showing mercy and having empathy. Either way, they are what the world needs now (along with love) .

I have just found this thread and am aware that it mentions another thread ("Another STFI split...an offshoot of an offshoot") as well as there being an earlier thread by this name as well. I look forward to reading up on this topic here on GSC. Thank you in advance to all who contributed.

I recently watched "'We Are The World' Documentary ‘The Greatest Night In Pop’" on Netflix which is about how this song came together in 1985 and how it helped to raise more than $60 million for African famine relief. This purpose was the thread that ran through the documentary. Every story of humanitarian aid can be an inspiration for others to do the same. Thanks for sharing the above in your post.

Good logical questions, Twinky. The idea of God being willing to punish people though is pretty established in the bible, so maybe that concept is why some Christian leaders feel justified in applying it to God for not sending rain during the LA fires (as posited in the video above). Examples of God's punishment in the bible would be the poisonous snakes that bit and killed many Israelites for complaining about God, and the 70,000 who died by plague because David conducted a census. And there are also examples of God causing destruction and death on whole groups of people at one time, including innocent children, like sin and death being passed on to all mankind because of one man's disobedience; like all those who died in Noah's flood, in Sodom and Gomorrah, and in Jericho; and all who suffered and died from the plagues of Egypt, etc.; and in Revelation, you have the events of the Great Tribulation happening to everyone who have not accepted Jesus. (It's interesting though that when it came to the fall of Lucifer and his gang of angels, God chose to let them hang around instead of wiping them all out at once.)

I agree! Does anyone know if GSC becomes permanently inactive whether the site with all its threads will still be available to read?

I envy you Nathan. I can't wait for the day that I am far enough removed emotionally from all this trash that I can relax and simply laugh at it all.