outandabout

I remember in residence sometimes we sat and listened to detailed info about the Wierwille family and their history and blah de blah. I was wondering what the heck that had to do with God's Word. Were we about God and His Word or about the Wierwilles? Why were they so special? Didn't we all matter? Aren't we all members of the body of Christ? What a bunch of huey!

WOW - taking the place of the absent Christ!!! Makes me think of the original lie -- Ye shall be as gods. Thank God I don't have to take his place. What a burden. We can't do that! Ridiculous. Haven't thought that way in so long it's hard to believe I ever did.

said so well - truth intertwined with non-truth.. Thus the cognitive dissonance that I experience to this day when trying to sort it all out. I can't explain it to people. If it were something totally off the wall, like we thought we were lizard people from Planet X it would be easier to disavow.

I just wish I'd left sooner.

Thanks for sharing, Becoming Me. It must have been hard growing up that way. God loves us for our "authentic selves". Took me awhile to "become myself" after leaving TWI. But I didn't grow up in it, so it was more like a reclamation. Don't know if you have read The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse but that's a good one.

Becoming Me, I would love to hear your story about growing up in TWI, rambling or otherwise.

$68 million!!$ How utterly totally SELFISH.

TWI isn't a tree. It's a pyramid.

Was that during the big thunderstorm? I thought it was because the devil was so ....ed off at the caliber of the ordainees.

With all that rainbow stuff, these days it would be viewed as something pro-gay.

I heard a couple of times that when some people heard that teaching, they were afraid they had committed the unforgiveable sin and had become seed. So they discontinued it.

Too bad they don't cover TWI. But it's so inconsequential now that there's not much to cover. More Ex-TWIs than current "members". Can't say "members" can we. No members in the Way, only the BOD. But as a non-member you must commit your mind, your soul, your life. But you're not a member!

I like to listen to different Bible teachers on You-tube and read books about the Bible from different scholars. There are many many people who have studied the Bible for years and have a lot to share. It now amazes me that I accepted one class as the final say on God's Word. We were programmed that we were not to consider any teachings from any other source other than VP or PFAL or the higher-ups in TWI. Blows my mind now that I look back on it. We were led to think that we were so special and we had the Truth, unlike all the other schlubs in the body of Christ who didn't have the knowledge that WE had. Oh yes, we were SO special. And I would like to add that sometimes these Bible teachers don't agree. Does that mean I have to close myself off? The worst that can happen is I have to know I don't know about something.

I got to the point where I hated that phrase. It made me feel guilty that I was never doing enough to "Move the Word".