outandabout

If I want a lot of Bible verses I’ll just go read the Bible thank you. 

This

I copied the emotion graph and wanted to comment on how it made me aware of the wide range of emotions we as humans are capable of.  A little off topic but looking at it reminds me that we were taught not to feel them. I’m so glad I can claim my humanity and not feel condemnation that I am being earthly and leaning on sense knowledge when I feel what I feel.  
 

On 12/22/2022 at 6:11 PM, Bolshevik said:

 

Ask Mike to point to what color he feels?

I’m triggered.  

On 11/17/2022 at 1:56 PM, Twinky said:

Thought some of you might enjoy (?) this book review of a recently released book by an escaping Sea Org scientologist.  I think some of us can so relate to what he felt when he left - hiding in doorways.  (It's a free article, and you don't need to "register" to read it.)

‘At 52, I abandoned everything, every friend, every family member’: the top official who escaped Scientology | Scientology | The Guardian

Yes, I have it on Kindle to read.  Also saw him on Leah Remini's series.  I'm fascinated with Scientology because it has so many parallels to TWI.  Their doctrine is totally different but their methods in how they are organized and how they treat people are similar.  

They’ll never live it down. 

On 10/22/2022 at 7:48 AM, waysider said:

Of course, but when new students are present we have to act excited.

"If I act excited, I'll be excited." 

That also includes fake laughing at the stupid jokes.

On 9/11/2022 at 6:46 AM, chockfull said:

John Schoenheit word study on adultery that was a simple research piece was used to confront immoral behavior in the BOD.

Instead of receiving the reproof, as Vic manner was he excommunicated the messenger sent.

Same ministry. Same pattern.  Different faces wielding the power.

I was aware of all the bruhaha surrounding that paper.  People even got in trouble is if it was mailed to them. I read it.  It was simply a well done logical research paper.  Those who overreacted were incriminating themselves.

On 9/11/2022 at 6:53 AM, chockfull said:

One of the saddest things I experienced running these PFAL classes for people was the grads who served.  They were kind of a running dialogue going along with the quirks of the class.  They had all sat through it many times to the point of having it all memorized.  Then they would interject pre scripted comments in places.  It was so bizarre.  
 

What it reminded me of was this group in college that used to go to Rocky Horror Picture Show and dress up and counter dialogue and wear rain gear and throw water on each other:

Peoples behavior patterns fascinate me.

i remember how we had to laugh at the jokes.  Jokes we'd heard over and over and weren't that funny to begin with.

Actually it was more than 10% or God wouldn't spit in our direction.

On 3/24/2022 at 12:07 PM, OldSkool said:

 

Well, the dissent had been building for years. Most of the way corps who left would not have had the guts to bail on their own. I did that in 2008 and was happy with obscurity! Most way corps still crave a lectern and some people to admire them and that they can boss around. The exodus actually started with an advanced class grad who mailed an anon. letter to Rosie the RIveter enumerating many typical grievances. Same ole same ole: STS sucks, way mag sucks, everyone is micromanaged, etc. However, Rosie's goofy a$$ thought the letter came from one of her very loyal cabinet men that I won't name. She put him through holy heck for no reason at all. Raked this man over the coals really bad. Other letters followed from a group of way corps and I guess the damn of dissent broke from there. So as time went Rosie, Rupp, and the gang started calling in corps who had signed the subsequent letter(s) of dissent, of course seperated married couples from one another, and interrogated them. They marked and avoided a bunch of corps during this time, which again, was extremely stupid for them since they don't have that many corps to go around any more. A lot of your average followers of course followed their favorite way corps over to revival and restoration. I went to a couple fellowships over in Indy at the urging of a former friend. They were typical twig fellowship formats from the days of old with more room for people to express themselves and such, but same doctrinal package that wierwille pieced together. Same errors, etc. I never went back and that was at least four years ago.

As to what took them so long? Most didn't have the guts to push the envelope on their own but when others started doing it the whole gang jumped in when they felt safe that they could remain relevant to somebody. That's my opinion, but Im pretty sure it's fact based on a broad scale.

 

Thanks for the back-story.  Reminds me of Lynne, Dubofsky etc. and the 26 (?) page letter except like 20 years or so later.  They also tried to fix it from within and were ousted.

Just saw a movie which I accessed through Youtube called "Holy Hell."  I think you have to pay for it, but it also is about a cult and people in it and people that left it.  Just one of many many stories of cult members and how they left.  Now that I'm out of TWI, I can see so many similarities among ex-TWI and other ex-cult members.  Leah Remani's series on Scientology is also excellent.  And documentaries about Heaven's Gate.  on and on.  We are not alone.

On 3/21/2022 at 1:41 PM, Twinky said:

T-Bone, what a lot of pseudo-scientific gobbledegook.  Some kids are just bloody naughty teenagers.  Because they're just bloody naughty.  Bored and won't find anything to do.  (You can tell I'm heavy on the compassion this evening!)

 

We here are all victims of TWI.  And Craig is, too, grown man that he is.  Some of us have had it hard with years of WC training and indoctrination.  He's had all that, same as us, and in addition has been personally groomed by VPW himself.  Whatever psychological problems some of us here have had, Craig has probably had in spades.  He was groomed by VPW from quite an early age, early 20s or such like.  And later, the other trustees, and CG in particular, beat up on him.

Having said that, nobody here has 'fessed up to assaulting (raping) other people' spouses, and I don't know that any of us has delivered such excoriating face-meltings, physical and mental abuse, or widespread slander.  But then, nobody else has been Prez either.  

I'm not excusing him, not in the slightest.  He stuffed up my head and my life and I feel like I wasted a good 20 years post-TWI because of him.  My life has never got back to what it might have been, and never will.

 

I wonder if he has ever sought any help from professional therapists to deal with his mental health issues.  He'd probably deny any MH issues, but it'd be astonishing if he didn't have some.  I could almost feel sorry for him.  But I absolutely don't want ever to see him or hear him: no, not never ever again. 

Well.  Exception.  A heartfelt apology.  I might be willing to hear that.

Reminds me of when I left TWI and was in the process of what I call my self-deprogramming, I would hear Craig's voice in my head.  When I would think an anti-way thought, there was Craig in my head yelling the opposite.  Eventually the yelling went away.

As for Revival and Restoration - What took them so long?

Yes he was a good man. Sorry to hear this.

What is to become of the millions TWI has upon it inevitable demise?

Yes do tell!

I've read it.  Was very interesting, a good read.  

Looks like the guy in the forefront is nodding off.

We were taught that "in Christ" meant "in fellowship".  Therefore  the verse "there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus" became conditional.  The implication was that if you weren't "in fellowship" you were under condemnation.  I was always asking God's forgiveness for sins real or imagined in order to assure I was in the magical state of "in fellowship".

Love those vending machines in the background!  Insert believing, out pops whatever you want.

Read Kris Skedgell's book "Losing the Way"  if there is any doubt about what VPW was up to with women in The Way.  That along with all the testimonies of woman after woman....

Eighth Corps Coordinator at Emporia.  His wife Karen posted it on Facebook.  They were married at the Corps Weddings and had four sons.