WordWolf

I'm sure OldSkool already knows this, but in case any of you want a reminder.... The occult stuff of vpw began pretty early in pfal (and TWLiL). vpw invented those 2 rich businessmen, and their claim to success was that they locked themselves away each day, sat in silence, and THOUGHT about prosperity, and it happened. There were never names nor specifics because these men were made up to "support" vpw's claims. Quotes to the Bible were light, because forcing a connection was tenuous at best, and there was no real connection between the verses and vpw's claims. Then there was the "traveling salesman" who vpw "counseled" because the man was dwelling on a possible crash while driving. Again, vpw invented him to support his "believing in reverse" thing. Finally, there was the woman who murdered her son. She dwelt on her fears, and those fears jumped up and killed her son. vpw didn't counsel her to stop before it was too late- because she was imaginary and she was there to reinforce how fear can hurt and kill by making things happen. Satanist Anton LaVey would have agreed with vpw about thinking to change things. He said that magic was meant to make reality conform to will. That sounds like it's right out of pfal (except for the word "magic.")

"Wait, so you're just gonna take all the work we've done for the last year and toss us aside?" "That one I can tell you. Yes." "Well, this is all very upsetting." "I'm sorry to hear that. As you know, the primary focus of the United States military is people's feelings." "Wait, if that's sarcasm, please save it for our enemies!"

"There's a baby in there!" Oh, yeah-THAT'S where I put it." "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow..." "What happened?" "I tried to let go of anger, and threw a rock into my foot." "Then, he got more angry and kicked the rock with his other foot." "What?! And what happened to you?!" "Oh, I laughed so hard, I burst a blood vessel in my nose! It's fine!"

Is it "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"?

vpw worked for the Evangelical and Reformed Church. It's interesting that- although they had colleges and institutions of learning- that vpw didn't go to any of those for any level of his education. Ok, according to TWLiL, vpw said that in 1957, Uncle Harry proposed changing the farm to a new headquarters, and that work began on that in 1959, and they moved in Feb 1961. (For reasons never explained, Mrs W said they moved in the middle of a big snowstorm, which I think is wildly impractical.) vpw said he had a BOD meeting for his congregation, and the president thought vpw should move things to Troy rather than out on a farm- probably because that's where the congregation was (Troy.) In 1961, meetings were in the house's basement since that's what was completed and could hold a meeting at the time. Let's see. Graduated Lakeland College 1937 (Bachelors). Graduated Princeton Theological Seminary 1941 (Masters.) He did "trial sermons" in Payne Ohio for the ERC, 1941. According to his memorial, in 1941 July he began work with his first pastorate, and received his ordination July 29, 1941. This conflicts with TWLiL, where he started his first pastorate anywhere in 1944 in Van Wert, and stayed there until 1957. According to TWLiL and other sources, he did a radio show in the 1940s and other side jobs not related to his pastorate all through the 1940s and 1950s. In 1952/1953, he encountered/plagiarized Leonard's class and Stiles' book, and peddled both as his own work. vpw's overseas tour was supposedly 1955-1956. In 1957. supposedly, he returned to Van Wert, and cut all ties with the ERC. In 1957, the ERC as a body merged with the Congregational Christian Churches to form the United Church of Christ. I don't think it's a coincidence that this was the time vpw jumped ship. The church was going to undergo changes, he'd already sponged some long trip from SOMEBODY, and he had a class and book to sell. He tried to keep his congregation, and tried to move things permanently to the farm. Strictly speaking, I've never seen an ordination certificate. I think he got SOMETHING, but probably used the easiest path to get it. He found a pretext to be called "Dr", so getting "Reverend" would have been easier. Heck, we can get that now easily enough if we don't sweat the source. I think that it was true that vpw preached/ did sermons, usually ripping something off of someone else's work. That's been his M.O. all along. So, I think he applied based on his paperwork, showed up, and did the "trial sermons". I think they took him on as a probationary pastor, then made it permanent some time later. I think his story about teaching for a month on tithing was complete fiction- since it would have interfered with getting placed as a permanent pastor. He didn't spend the work to get a pastorate just to have to start all over. He was smart enough not to rock the boat when he could be replaced so quickly and easily. Later, it was easy to lie about that with no consequences, and we got all the versions of the story about how he rocked the boat the first month and fixated on tithing. It makes sense, and matches the evidence.

lcm got the idea for "athletes of the spirit" in college, where the expression was already in use in Christian organizations. It came up again after college because Glenn Clark, one of the people vpw plagiarized, and his "camps furthest out" (ripped off for camps, and other outdoorsy stuff) included "athletes of the spirit" also. (None of those words are uncommon in usage in the English language.) When lcm saw the John Travolta film "Staying Alive", he got the idea to do the 2-hour production that greatly resembled some of the dance scenes in the movie. There is no need to look further for the inspiration.

We're still around. The short of it was, the Politics section was making the GSC no longer worth maintaining for the staff. Since the Politics section was NOT necessary for the GSC (and wasn't even a thing for several years until 9/11 happened) the staff decided to jettison all the politics and keep EVERYTHING else. (It was more work to moderate the Politics than all the rest put together, and it was a stressful, thankless job.) So, you're free to post anything you could before- so long as it is NOT political.

| I was talking to my favorite aunt." "Aunt Felda right?" "Yeah." "Did she ever figure what that thing on her knee was?" "Turned out to be a chocolate chip." "That makes sense, she does love to bake." "She does, you are a thoroughbred!" "You're an adult who can't get by without an allowance from his parents. Women don't want that." "What are you saying? That you're giving up on me? What kind of father gives up on his son?" "I have six children, five of whom are married and self-sufficient. I don't think I'm the problem."

There were probably a few, but this isn't any of them.

That's it.

Philosophy didn't "resolve" this- because philosophy NEVER "resolves" anything. It's entirely about the journey, and reaching the destination/RESOLVING something is antithetical to it. I confirmed that when taking a Philosophy class alongside a friend. He came to conclusions. He saw me write " off-the-cuff" quickly and write that we can't come to a definite conclusion. He spent over an hour on his work, I spent several minutes, and I got a higher grade. (He asked to study with me after that.)

The phrasing was memorable. "...she had a need. And the need was, 'they might as well be red drapes.'" Only in twi can the definition of a "need" include "they might as well" in it.

"Heck, now I'm having a son. I'll have to teach him how to play sports, and watch sports, and-and-and-and-and..." "He just ran out of "Man Things", he's in trouble." "My mother's texting you? "Yeah, we've been talking a lot lately." "Why? Is she sick of talking to the Magic Mirror on the wall?" "No, I think she's lonely. She's been reaching out." "Wake up. It's time." "Oh. Did your water break?" "No." "Are you feeling any contractions?" "No." "Wait. Well, where are you going?" "To the hospital. Today's my due date, and this crap needs to end now."

Ok, has this thread gone as far as it can go and still actually say something, or is it down to ONLY insults and catcalling?

That's it.

"Remember when you were young. and you shone like the sun?"

In fairness, that was a bit too short....

""Yeah, it’s weirdly quiet. Nobody’s in the street." "Huh, that’s strange." "You thinking what I’m thinking?" "They cut that meteorite open and unleashed a space plague." "Exactly." "Let me just lock up here." "Okay, so what do we do?" "Uh, well, if this is a worst case scenario and we’re the last two people alive we’re gonna have to rebuild civilization." "Do you have any special skills?" "I can draw. How about you?" "I can play clarinet." "I didn’t know that." "Yeah. Ten years. Ah." "You know, it, uh, might also be up to us to repopulate the earth." "I’m okay with that." "So shall we?" "Wait here. I’m gonna brush my teeth."

"When I left my home and my family I was no more than a boy. In the company of strangers In the quiet of a railway station Running scared. Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters Where the ragged people go Looking for the places only they would know."

"Remember when you were young"

Total disinterest? So, if the US wins the US-England match this week, you don't mind if I celebrate in the thread?

Prepositions are the trickiest thing to learn in any language. They're trickier when someone's misusing them.

"Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again. " "You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd kill you. " "That's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?"

“No man can REALLY say that Jesus is Lord, but by holy spirit.” That's pfal, not Bible. When you add "really", you add a word, and no longer have...? Also, saying "by holy spirit" means "by speaking in tongues". you're changing what the Bible said. When you change the words, you no longer have..... So, if that has nothing to do with s.i.t. (which it doesn't, that was vpw's unsupported claim,) then what does it mean that "No man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit"? It's still taking about making Jesus your Lord/setting forth that Jesus is your Lord. What does it mean that he's your lord? It means he's your sovereign, and you have sworn fealty to him. He commands, you obey. (Yes, as your sovereign, he has responsibilities, also, so this goes both ways in a formal relationship.) So, how does 'by the Holy Spirit" figure in? In the more obvious manner. Matthew 13. "3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." ======================= John 12: 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. -------------------------------- Once you look at it without trying to shoehorn vpw's error-ridden doctrines into the verses where they do not appear, they make a lot more sense.

"It says here to 'Leave no stone unturned.' " "Now we got a lot of family coming in tomorrow. I'm gonna need everyone's help. Think of this as one of your comic book movies. There's a bunch of superheroes, each with a different task." "Oh, like the new Avengers." "Which one was that?" "The one you slept through last weekend." "Ah. That was a good nap." "I think it's more like, uh,... like Lord of the Rings, and you're the Fellowship. Someone's gotta go to Gondor, someone's gotta go to Mordor, someone's gotta hold off the Demon of Shadow and Flame." "You mean the Balrog?" "I mean my mother." "You're probably wondering why I put you through this." "You mean the last two minutes or the last twenty years?" "Hey, watcha doing?" "Improving our wedding photos." "Oh, that's nice. Wait, I'm still in them, right?" "Of course. And not only you. I've added some guests who couldn't be there." "Who's that next to my father?" "The Wright brothers." "And why are they at our wedding?" "Orville, because I admire him; Wilbur, because he was Orville's plus-one."