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Picking up here re: some emptiness... Any thoughts??- So here's my story- old friends, Branch coordinators (w/ twi and w/ Chris Geer) who left town around '93, have returned, and have finally moved out of Chris Geer mode (and into Gerald Wren's sphere apparently). They had married my h and me in '86; us believers here were a very close knit bunch until things began to fall apart a few years later. Several other folks who moved away (geographically or from my fellowship group) are back too and are joining the above folks around GW. One of them connected w/ me, and invited me to fellowship

Well. Gerald Wren and wife made their way to Bloomington IN a few months ago. Got invited to listen to a phone hook-up on Weds... Reading DWBH's thoughts here again clarified things for me; nope, not going to fellowship w/ those folks, even though I would really like to reconnect with old friends that have moved back to town, or who are emerging from Cris Geer land and coming into GW's ministry apparently. Altho Who Knows what things may have changed in GW's thinking since 2016 when DWBH last posted I think? Still don't feel led to join old friends around him. Anyway, thank you for being

Soon enough in the organic processing of healing, naming, finding true safety and Godliness.

Damn, still need to let that sink in further... You are CORRECT I believe. Best logical explanation for ALL of the abuse, narcissism, tunnel vision, and total disregard for the destructive consequences of his actions- that hurt us young ppl he supposedly sacrificed so much for in the All Noble Mission of W O W... Well, just feel like puking it all up which I will soon. Thank you WW.

Perhaps extreme denial also resulted in him being delusional, and believing himself to be persecuted when way corps folks did not revolve their vocations or vacations around his programs...

Whoa HO! T-Bone!! HI HO Silver!! Excellent info re: counterfactual thinking, etc, AND Hell yeah!! re: below. Rippin'!!! Ripping up the enslavement, conscience-dulling strategies, idolatrous holds, etc. You have inspired me to come up with my own "Ride em cowgirl" scenario. It's wrong to not get angry at the stuff VPW did! Putting my conscience on the back burner is wrong on my part! It is a sin of omission! I don't know - is there such a thing as hijacking someone's moral compass? Agreed re: sin of omission, thank you; something to be repented of. And also go

Hey, catching up here, and wondering about something that is healing and fun to envision, I think with some Reality to it anyway - how a small but effective #MeToo movement might have influenced twi starting at corps week/ROA in '80? I can envision myself having recently been seduced by Pa#l Virgil#o, hearing him be excused by vpw from the front stage during the public confrontation at that big top corpse meeting. (Hence this thread.) Huh! So at that point, I could have sought and kept seeking doctrinal and emotional support from ppl like the two women leaders (one a limb leader, the

Oh yes, I am getting very good professional support Grace, thanks. So glad you are doing well too!

I appreciate your coming alongside Grace and sharing. <3 Am very glad you are recovering, and YES, it is a LIFETIME process for many of us. Often only those who have experienced it can truly understand, eh? Best to you!

Hey, am trying to post this in a relevant recovery thread... So! Review- What is it that attracts some ppl to the claims of a cult leader especially in uncertain times? And what are some better paths? My thoughts for starters: 1) Do NOT Look for safety in an uncertain world without tools to discern con artist leaders with their abusive practices. Recommended: GET TOOLS! Look Only to God, or do what grounds You if you need that. 2) Do NOT Latch on to the idealistic idea that ONE human leader or system (theology, culture, political group, denomination, etc) can have THE corn

INteresting, I agree T-bone, and Yes! Twinky.

Wow, JJ, well done! I so ID with the highlighted sections above!! Pretty amazing what we can endure sometimes... So glad you have reconnected well with families, and thank you for processing/telling your amazing Life Story here!

Last post for now! Re: the fear factor for some who stayed in twi into the 2000's (that I know of), and another contrasting person: I may have shared before... When I visited HQ in '09 and had my car tires about 3 inches onto the property, the Security guy told me to leave. I engaged him a little, told him I just wanted to pray there for a bit as I had not been back in 21 years. Got no where of course. Then I asked "What if I don't leave?" The paranoia was very apparent- his eyes just kind of glazed over and he appeared to dissociate; the terror of not doing his job well enough? Outer da

Food for thought? Hope of interest to some... Am processing a little/lot more, heh heh: from an article based on the book ‘Terror, Love and Brainwashing: Attachment in Cults and Totalitarian Systems’ by Alexandra Stein © 2016 (She quotes other authors from time to time); "There are five features of a totalist system I had identified based on Arendt and Lifton’s work." - 1) "... the leader is both charismatic and authoritarian. ... "Not all leaders want to get rich, gain sexual favours, or grab political power. But all want utter control over others." [Yep] 2a) "‘In the centre sits t

Ah, gotcha T-bone, Rocky, and Galene And thank you waysider for the colorful table-stabilizing idea! Seriously, I suppose some ppl who have never known any Bible whatsoever would benefit from learning about Romans 10:9-10 e.g., SITing, and various other Bible verses. Maybe they could benefit from some truths, and then SPLIT! when the pressure starts being applied. (I know about a friend's son who was being pressured to give up his epilepsy medications and save $$ for their foundational class, and who finally stopped attending local fellowships...) So I will resist the temptation to respo