OldSkool

Dating in the way invites all sorts of "oversight" from whatever coordinator is closest. Obviously, dating an unbeliever is out of the question. And of course advanced class grads are told to only date/marry other advanced class grads. Of course the lower caste person would hold the higher caste person back "spiritually." Way corps can only marry way corps, and dating non-way corps would bring serious rebuke if anything serious developed from the date. It's all a hot mess, and another in-road where heavy handed leadership can micromanage people's lives. And of course pairing up people who are on the same level provides entrance into either way disciple or the way corps, so it's not like there isn't a serious advantage to the way international for enforcing this practice.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the collective wisdom of the Board of Dummies. Actually, that's concept thrown about amongst those goons is laughable.

Perhaps it was said to be bad because world wisdom should keep people from getting sucked in by an abusive cult.

Just a random thought, or few. What about all that time between Adam and Moses, where there was no scripture (aka Holy Writings)? What was the basis for all things spiritually energized during that time period? The stars? Was there a burning bush prophesied in the stars? or is that knowledge lost?

I still pop in from time to time, but the past several months I have hardly though about TWI. I am pretty much free of them, and subsequently GSC just doesn't come to mind that often.

Not one person who I know in my post TWI life knows I was part of the way international. And I won't tell anyone either.

What a horrible thing to say to someone. But at least you don't have to wake up and lie to yourselves about the way international.

I know, newsflash right?... There is NOTHING charitable about the way international, except what you can give to them. <_<

When I was around there were limbs that were full time because they counted people who were no longer with the ministry as being active.

I agree. I had that notion shoveled on me in copious quantities by offshoots. "Forgive the way, VPW, and anyone else that wronged me. Do it for my own good." I haven't forgiven those who wronged me in TWI. Does that mean I am bitter? Nope. Really, I hardly think about them anymore, I've moved on. But I have a sense of an unsettled account between me and them. That's something the Lord will have to judge, since they aren't about to ask for my forgiveness. Should they ask, I would gladly give it. No doubt I could have done things better with them as well. Should I go ask them for forgiveness? It'll never happen. I'm willing to take it to the righteous judge.

Especially if the conversation is with an offshoot leader trying to get you on board their organization to move their work based on VPW.

My last time in placements, there were a lot of people who had refused their assignments for one reason or another. Rosie was freakin PEEVED. I thought it was funny. I had one foot out the door, and was one of the assignment rejectors myself. I paid hell for rejecting that assignment for many months prior to placements, but that is another story. The placements process is a joke. At HQ we would do a "informal meeting," where we would basically surprise attack the individual and endeavor to find out anything we could about what they were thinking, their needs, etc. Then we would schedule formal placement interviews. The interviews were very superficial. With HQ staff it was basically who was coming, and who was going. Interviewing way corps was more in-depth, but still artificial. It was artificial because the corps are expected to go wherever, and do whatever is needed. Anything beyond that was damage control to keep another escapee from leaving the farm. Corps who were burnt out bad enough were usually assigned something along what they requested to placate them. Corps who could be burned a little further, and served their purpose, were told to stay put another year. Corps who were out of favor were assigned whatever the hell Rosie saw fit to dole out as a punitive assignment. Note: Field and staff assignments are handled the same way, during the same meetings. So we would gather all this information and turn it all in. Placements would be preceded by several pre-placements meetings. It was mostly redundant and editorial. We would read all the assignments in our area, check for accuracy, put in for staff requests for vacant slots, etc. Meanwhile, in between meetings, my director would schedule meetings with me and basically tell me what I needed to staff my areas. He slashed needed positions, but never made any concession in production demands. By the time I got to placements I had been told what I needed, and it was a matter of finding a candidate to fill the slots. Candidate, because nothing final happens in placements, only recommendations from the cabinet. Rosalie has the final say and will change whatever she sees fit on a whim, and you can just deal with the consequence. She cares nothing of that. Anyway, placements is one giant exercise in futility. TWI has shrunk substantially, and honestly, you could train three monkeys to shuffle people around, and staff whatever is needed. But, we would drag it out over four days of drudgery. Basically, we read thorough information that hads been sorted several ways, and "recommend" available people for positions. Most times, because there were so few people left, the same person would be recommended for multiple positions. Rosalie makes the final call if there is no concession reached between cabinet members. Meetings would adjourn in the afternoons to make phone calls, meet with each other to negotiate, etc. By the time it's all said and done, the cabinet are administrative assistants for the directors, and amongst them donna and rosalie make the final say. Even though donna is on the cabinet, she is really Rosalie's secret adviser. Field way corps positions really get buffaloed. You would get your interview, make your requests, and if the request was not what was wanted, you could bet your bottom dollar the request would never make it to HQ for consideration. I know a lot of people who fought for years to be reassigned someplace where they would have a better go of things. There were the very few limb and region guys who were honest, and would do what they could to represent people, but it was all futile. What Chock said is true. What's best for the ministry is best for you. I remember that topic being explicitly taught at a corps morning teaching by a former VP. He gave the anecdote of himself being assigned to work the fields at HQ years ago. He grudgingly accepted the assignment, and then shared how much he learned in retrospect of God's abundance, and blah, blah, blah. The translation was plain. If you don't like your assignment, renew your mind, and deal with it. If you keep the rose colored glasses on long enough, then you too will like what you didn't like years later, in hindsight. :smilie_kool_aid:/>

VA,LA,OH,CO. Of those four states I had 18 different addresses.

I was courted by two offshoots as I exited TWI. This is exactly what I was told and how they operated. <_<

From having participating in two consecutive years of placements meetings, I can say that it's what Rosalie and Donna want. No revelation needed.

I'm not bitter. Just here to tell my story, as boring as it may be. I do have high hopes that by exposing all that I am able concerning modern day TWI, that some poor unsuspecting soul is warned before being ensnared, or some ensnared soul regains their sight and frees themselves from an abusive cult. I'm willing to explain that to Christ, and if I am wrong then I can learn what's right.

I think you are on to something.

To make matters worse, it was the start of months of fighting and harassment. I didn't get back in line, I fought them tooth and nail. In the old days, the would have just booted me. But Rosalie is so afraid of being sued that they won't do that anymore, unless there are extreme circumstances. What I went through, instead of the bum's rush, was a steady, sustained effort to beat me into submission or make me snap so they could fire me. With each attack I resisted, another would follow - sometimes subtle, most times more intense than the last. Vice Prez. even caught me by surprise one morning and invited himself to my house for an impromptu meeting with me and my wife. At that meeting he tried very hard to pit my wife against me. That didn't work either, but I was appalled at just how devilish the attempt was. I allowed the harassment to continue, documenting each time it happened, until I had a nice journal of evidence. Then I set a meeting with the lapdog VP and told them I was being harassed and this was my first step in notifying him that I was filing a harassment complaint against him and Rosalie.It all came to a grinding halt, grudgingly I might add. I had every intentions of filing a lawsuit against them if it continued, and I had a nice start with what I had documented. The Allen lawsuit has made them a toothless lion. Their lawyers have made them come up with a harassment policy and add it to their staff handbook. I simply used their system of redress that they have grudgingly been made to follow. Chockfull is right. If you are afraid of them, and most are, then you will fall back in line with their insanity and run that much faster to seek their approval. In the end all a person becomes is enslaved to an abusive cult, run by abusive people. They crossed the line with me, and instead of cowering, I fought back. It was a twisted chess match, and what they really wanted was for me to snap so they could bum rush me and have it stand in court. Too bad I'm not as stupid as they thought and managed to turn it on them. I am sure that my reputation amongst TWI has been trampled, and that the whispers of me and my family are completely slanderous. No matter. I have a good life now and am very happy with the direction I am headed. I don't even tell people I was involved with TWI, but only that I worked for a non-profit for a short while. :excl:

The band is Living Color and the singer is Corey Glover.

Interesting point. I have an anecdote that illustrates the validity of what you are saying. At HQ, department coordinators were responsible to have job descriptions on file for every position in their department, including their own position. When Rosalie first decided to come after me, when I was on the cabinet, I was attacked by proxy through one of the VP's. Basically, there was a long standing agreement for a department in my area to avoid the auditorium during advanced class sessions. This agreement predated me by at least a decade. I show up to work on a Monday morning only to find myself in a heated confrontation with the proxy VP. I was told I was out to lunch spiritually because I did not organize people from that department and go to the PWA while class was in session to handle some minor clean up from a storm. Nevermind the cleanup was behind the auditorium and out of sight of the class. Not one to back down, I asked VP how I was supposed to know I should violate this long standing, unwritten policy. He stated it was part of my job as cabinet to be "on top of things." I then asked him for my job description as cabinet, since they were required to keep descriptions for all their positions. I was told there were no job descriptions for cabinet positions and I was supposed to do what was needed. No matter that I was explicitly supposed to keep people away from the auditorium during sessions. Basically, I was told there was no job description and my job was to smooch bootie. They keep the job purposefully vague so that on a whim Rosalie can arbitrarily pounce on whoever gets out of line, for whatever fabricated reason she can dream up at the time. I can only imagine how much worse it is for the officer/director positions that report directly to her.

I took GREAT pleasure in chucking ALL of my TWI paraphernalia.

At the cabinet meeting where she had the region coordinators dialed in to announce the split in director/officer functions, Rosie allowed a question and answer session. The question that were asked showed that most of the "top" leadership had no idea what she was doing, or how directors and officers function.

I started seeing it little by little when I was at HQ, but not fully until I was out a couple of years. Rosalie has essentially morphed a cult into a religion. It still functions a cult, but not to the same degree that it once did before the Allen lawsuit. TWI has become a preservation society, cloaked in pseudo corporate legitimacy.

It's def. ironic. On the other hand, the only think more boring than a Sunday teaching service is TWI's corporate laundry. At least with Craig you had some excitement and scandal. With Rosalie, all you get is granny trying to steer a 501c3 that doesn't actually contribute anything charitable to society.

Good points. I think it's funny she announced term limits on the BOD/officer positions and applies them to everyone but herself. What's it been now? 13, 14 years or so that she has been at the helm? That's not counting the time when she was the power behind the throne.