krys

How long has Bernard been hiding, or running?

Me too. We might even experience a little "big bang". Please don't stay away too long....I worry.

Hi Rascal...That was some night when she was born! I may remember that event as long as I live just because it was so unusual. There aren't many who can say they were born in a chat room.

I'm doing fairly well myself.

I can see that happening because things change over time. Where I lived at the Time I got in, things in my area were really good and most of us had little contact with anyone at the top. As time went on and upper leadership changed and some folks were nagged to death and they left. Eventually quite a few left around the P of t P..then more with the loyalty oath....

I remember there was a definition they put out themselves.I'm not sure I will quote it perfectly but it was something along the lines of *we are a research, teaching and fellowship ministry*. There were other qualifiers in there about people * availing themselves freely* and other statements that looked good. Does anyone have that definition?

I don't think this is true except under certain situations but if we permit ourselves to go down that road we are doomed. Those items made from oil products....petrochemicals....are very valuable. If we burn it all up for heat for our dwellings, or transportation to get from point A to point B will very sorry and, I'm afraid up the creek with no paddle in sight.

Hi Mr. Linder! Have a nice day!

I watched this afternoon and my stomach turned. I recall some posters (long ago) who spoke of similar things even with this particular individual, and while watching the show, the father was presented as being responsible although not to blame.

Those of us who were involved with the main organization - twi - were also "responsible" for things we permitted and or encouraged or even enforced among our families. The brilliant light of the show seemed to mark all of us as "responsible". Of course there is only so much time on one TV program, and I am glad that a magnifying glass was focused on this for informational purposes. But it would have been good to also show a bright light on how the subtle brainwashing into this cult mentality is - - for the same informational purposes.

Right on, Rocky!

Twinky - - when the pubs got really busy they would have their patrons keep track if their own tabs and they would settle up at the end of the evening. They were keeping track of, or "minding" their own P ints and Quarts.

And another thing......mind your peas and q's.

When we got suckered into twi the whole culture of the times was different. In general, people were more trustworthy, so that when a promise like what twi made we expected it would be fulfilled. It was beyond our belief that we could be duped. Today, that's not the case. The culture of the times today is not one of general trust. People are much more cautious so I doubt anything like twi tried to project on us, would't have the same effect on the populace.

It is very good to read your font once again in here. I do wish the circumstances were a whole lot better. Waybrother will have to answer one day to aother power if he doesn't hear the wisdom being told to him now.

I wish you did not have to endure this.

Excie - - - God has always known!

When she discussed the Parkinson's Disease, I believe his wife also said his sobriety was intact.

Personally - - I wish that so much of this was not released via the press to the general public. The family and closest friends have asked for privacy but it seems the Press thinks they're giving privacy when they don't interview the family! All these interviews playing so often over the airwaves must be tearing those family and friends to shreds. I know that this is a free country.....but I also know that my liberties end where yours begin.....at least that's what I was taught in civics class.

I'm very glad that folks are becoming more aware mental illnesses and what some of them entail. But I wish these discussions were separated out in the "distance" of time.

And that's why they are where they are today - sitting in a cornfield of mediocrity. The same group that touted their superiority over "the world" in all areas who never made room for real talent when it presented itself. They gave the opportunities to oversee things based on position or what Corps you were in, not who had the ability.

[snip]

From where I sit, mediocrity is at least one step above where that cornfield cult is at this time.

George, I wish I'd said that!

I know about insurance vs believing...however......IIRC in the early 80's there was a time when they did have insurance...at ROA. I know this as a friend of mine, who was Family Corps took a bad misstep coming out of her RV and broke her ankle. It was repaired during a short hospitalization and she remained in a wheelchair and/or on crutches for quite some time.

When she returned home she had to hire help for numerous things among them house cleaning. Whatever was needed to repair the ankle and take care of her in general including this house cleaning and other general chores was covered by insurance which they purchased. It was excellent "top of the line" insurance.

I know what they say about insurance....but I can't imagine that that is what they practice. I understand that it costs money to purchase it but if they don't have it, and someone sues them, they leave themselves open to lose so much. I can't believe that they don't have some stop-gap measure in there as a hedge against that.

I remember that there was a time when 2 men from twi - - whether still associated with them, or having left the group....I don't remember....but they did contact Princeton some way or other and eventually found themselves in the basement (?) archives and they located his name on a roster...or somehow associated to show that he genuinely did attend there.

You know....Princeton University is not the same thing as Princeton Theological Seminary. The latter is very well known, and I wonder if somebody says "Princeton" if somebody's brain just inserts theological seminary where it doesn't belong. (?)

I guess if you don't have a really good truthful story to tell your congregation audience....you have to make something up that you think will grab their attention!

The original intent of this discussion is not only to illustrate how Way events were often staged but to explore personal reactions to realizing you were an unwitting participant to the staging.<br style="color: rgb(28, 40, 55); font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: rgb(250, 251, 252);"><br style="color: rgb(28, 40, 55); font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: rgb(250, 251, 252);">In other words, how did you feel when you discovered or suspected you were being used to further a scam and that you were behaving in a manner that wasn't representative of the real you?

I felt sick to my stomach! And I was angrier than I had ever been in my life before the "revelation" or after. I also felt stupid for not having seen it sooner, because once I realized it was happening, I went back over the years of devoted service and that was all I saw....I had been used.....and in some cases.....manipulated into doing something that was against my nature.

Yes I understand where you're going with this. From time to time I was coached at crew meetings before the class actually ran to laugh at the jokes and sigh or feign excitement at other times. It was for the benefit if the students. Some of them thought the class was so "religious" that they were reluctant to react in those manners and we were told that by our example we could show them how religious we were NOT.

They seem dorky because they were dorky! We didn't see them as such at the time because we were immersed in them and could not see past the dork in front of our eyes.

I know some of the Beatles lyrics aren't cool by today's standards, but I'm probably going to sing or hum along anyway just because they still remain one of my favorite easy listening or background music sources when I'm not listening to classical music.

Some people are really really sick. As long as they are unwilling to acknowledge it, there is no way to help them.

Broken arrow, I agree with your thoughts. Young children do best when they have boundaries they know they may not cross. That means they have a safe defined area in which to "play". We weren't children, but we felt "safe" as long as we stayed within the boundaries they set for us. Most of us, though, eventually grew to the point that we no longer needed nor wanted the boundaries and eventually found our way out..