Kindness was so much a part of the con that I have been unable to accept kindness at face value. Just today at church a friend said, "Oh I'll bet it was so hard to be around such awful people all the time!" My response was, "Actually, most of the people were decent and sweet on the surface. It was so much the sweetness of sheep in wolf's clothing that it scares the crap out of me when people are nice to me even now."
I just got back from the Doctrinal forum and want to add this:
Not until I found true kindness...you know...the fruit of the spirit...did I begin to heal from the false kindness of twi...and other influences in my life.
I now attend a church where true kindness lives. It's changing my life, but it's slow going.
One big difference between true kindness and false kindness is that true kindness attaches no expectations.
I am not speaking of true kindness. Yes, actions speak louder than words.
All:
I mean well, if someone here says they were sexually abused by the Vickster. And it becomes part of the conversations.
Then, someone comes on and says, "VP took me on a ride on his motor cycle -- I never saw him do anything mean so I do not believes it.
Well, along with the lies. The so "called" acts of kindness I believe were part of the picture of deceit.
I will eat cereal with a smiling face telling me it is healthy even though it is NOT healthy. Because the lie is presented with certain stage props.
I think a lot of the corrupt people showed "kindness" to get what they wanted. As a Con tells a lonely older woman she is beautiful -- he knows she has not heard it in a while. This act is to use her.
To SEE real kindness would be godly. So, perhaps more defined, where the things we saw and heard paraded as "kindness" when they were ploys.
The 4th corps woman I cannot stomach -- well, she had someone come over to ask for help/direction. She cried with them. This endeared her to them. When they left she said she did not feel anything at all and could care less. She said the "holy spirit" gave her the tears when she needed them. Then, she began to speak badly about the person.
It was all-fake. Fake. Fake Fake. Like when Harry met Sally -- the fake orgasm -- that fake.
I will FAKE caring so I get what I want -- your respect and you to follow me.
I think a lot of what people hold on to is not even real.
Now, was I nice to people - yes and some were nice to me. But the inner circle, the elite, the trusted ones, the initiated -- they were schooled in FAKE. Fake caring. Fake leadership. FAKE examples.
Gee, how about a BIG leader with a recognizable name? Some people on here still think he walks on water, can you say cocaine addict?
Guess where you abundant sharing went? Up his nose as he taught you how to stand. As he prayed for you and passed the horn of plenty. He even reprooved you and made you feel badly when you questioned him....
Fake.
So, when a person says, "Gee, he took me into his recreation room and stuck his hand under my dress when I was 18." (Which happened to my WOW sister, via him) The deceived responds, "He was always nice to me. He seemed like a great example. Do you have proof? Did he hold a gun to your head? HE seemed great to me, he once gave me $5.00 when I was out of gas."
Gee, part of the con.
OR when someone gets on here and claims their impressive record because they have a handful of recognizable names once told that person they were a great believer. When the list of leaders given have a legacy of FAKE. All that prooves to me is, boy where they deceived or they would not be dropping that name.
I think that the so-called "kindness" was nothing but part of the window dressing.
Then, once that leader/leaders were followed "we" were sized up. Can we let this one into the inner circle? OR should we just placate them and create a "yes man."
The circle of "yes men" really just padded the safety of the inner circle.
If lowly "leaves" (regular believers) come around the great leaders, well who better to insulate them then people who think they are great. Then, the next layer is those that were initiated. Blowing weed with a leader, sleeping with them, sharing them... Getting drunk. Renting a room to bang one while they tell the believers who drove 14 hours there was something heavy and spiritual they had to take care of.
But if you didn't show up at the meeting you were a terrible believer and lucky the devil didn't splatter your head on the hiway!
The yes men didn't know. They were so happy to be able to drop names that made THEM feel special… The “leaves” (regular believers) were kept from knowing due to the layers. But the ones they tried to initiate -- we knew. We fought back and were killed in battle -- killed to keep the secrets. KILLED
Then, some of the initiated actually ENJOYED it. They were privileged to get on bended knee and service HOW@RD, then thought it an honor to go service another when How@rd was done. They are known in regular life as wh@res, call girls or sluts. In TWI they were called "Reverend"
Those who enjoyed it became recruiters and would bring more sheep (leaves) to the King of crap to see if they could get initiated. Now, I do hold THEM responsible. And yet, some who knew them, were related to them or WERE them (recruiters) get on here and act as though the women who say they were abused are lying because THEY liked it so much. Or the relatives cannot fathom anyone not liking it because after all, their cousin was excited about being chosen.
Others, who only saw their smiling leader pass the horn of plenty, want to see the blue dress to believe they have been deceived. Yet, the guy was snorting your money.
I think all of the so-called acts of kindness were just paint to hide the truth of what they really intended to do.
So if a "yes man" was nice to you, he was probably trying to be kind. If a regular believer was kind it was kindness, IMO. But if the initiated ones were smiling at you, you better believe they were sizing you up to figure out how to use you.
Many who were in the Way in early times experienced some gooness and kindness. But as the Way grew into a big organization, it became what most big organizations become. It became all about numbers, and who could kiss someone's a** bigger and better to climb to the top. They would step on anyone in their way to get the power over someone else and make money at it. We joined a boat club and were stunned to find the people there more forgiving, more kind, and more lovng than those we knew in the Way=go figure? So we woke up and left TWI for good. Never looked back.
Sometimes, I think people may feel that the sexual abuse that took place was always a violent rape. I have no doubt that this took place. But there were times when women were "courted." Invited to have lunch, come over and watch some TV. Fun, alone times where nothing sexual happened, just one on one time with the current leadership. And during those one on one times, the leadership would ask about your life, and teach you things, and make you feel special. Make you feel like they loved you with the love of God. You trusted him. It happened so slowly. Like that analogy of a frog in a frying pan. So, by the time the sexual abuse did happen, you thought something was wrong, but it was just "wrong thinking" on your part, because how could this leader who loves God and cares about you do something so selfish?
Yes, I believe some men in leadership positions knew exactly what they were doing, and how to get what they wanted. An evil game. And kindness was part of the con.
The circle of "yes men" really just padded the safety of the inner circle.
If lowly "leaves" (regular believers) come around the great leaders, well who better to insulate them then people who think they are great. Then, the next layer is those that were initiated.
Gee.........reminds me of the Athletes of the Spirit Production.
As one who has suffered at the hands of TWI leadership,
I have to say that I never experienced kindness at the hands of TWI leadership
Ever
Period
But That said
I cannot In good conscience declare that others did not, nor can I in good conscience declare that if they did it was all false kindness.
The Holy Spirit works in all -God speaks to all his children whether they listen and respond or not.
I think a blanket statement that all kindness at the hands of the "inner circle" dwellers of TWI is a sham is just as harmful and just as wrong as the blanket statements that because kindness was recieved by some the evil didn't happen or if it did it was somehow the victims fault.
Extreme positions of any kind lead to fanaticism
and fanaticism precludes reasonable examination of facts on a case by case basis
You are entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. Just as you do with me.
Were you ever invited to a drinking party, a sex party with no rules, watch a leader reem someone for missing a meeting then KNOW he just balled your corps sister and lied to all the believers to do so? On an on...
Nothing will convince me otherwise, but as I said you can think whatever you want to think. That is the beauty of having left I can finally SAY what I say , and think what I want. And so can you.
I do understand what you are saying. But I really do believe that the fully initiated no longer wanted kindness to work through them. They became self serving and they placed themselves above reproach.
The Way International's leadership held parties where you could be "with" anyone and drink or smoke anything and it was okay. This inner circle sinned and believed that they lived above the word of God.
It was described to me as a higher plane and only people who "could handle it" were invited to partake. Anyone who objected or reproved their behavior was considered someone who "stumbled" at their freedom in their walk with Christ. Therefore, there was no way to correct them, they exalted themselves as gods deciding what was right and what was wrong. (Genesis 3:5).
I do not believe kindness existed in this kind of soil. All I saw was the fruitless trees. In a mean scary forest that belonged in the bad part of the Wizard of Oz.
I know people that got prayed for and healed by an inner circle -- I believe that was God's love despite the TWI leader.
Heck, I LOVED a an early corps couple and thought them to be my dear friends. Loved them. I was probably a yes-man at that time. Anything they taught I gobbled it as I wanted GOD!!! Now, some how God did love me in that storm. Later I found out that this same man I adored had hit on EX when she was 18. And he went to the wild parties. And all the "keep it in your pants" exhortations were bullsh!t. The "lead by example" was a joke.
As I got closer to these people they WOULD laugh at the little stary eyed believer. All I saw was lies, hypocrasy and FAKE FAKE FAKE crap.
As the one FEMALE Reverend lay in bed with a guy she picked up at a bar the night before. She told him she was a reverend. Then laughed and laughed about it. This guy looked so confused. He was picked up by a drunk woman who bopped his lights out, then talked about how whe was a leader in a God group.
Sickening.
It was all a joke to the REAL inner-circle. I was a joke, most of us were jokes. The joke was on us and to them the joke was us. We would try to love people with the love of Christ and they would be laughing at our efforts.
If one did not SEE it, it was hard to believe it was happening. But it was.
We were in a cult. Not a group that went bad. We were in a cult just like Koresh, Jim Jones or that weirdo in California who went to find the mother ship.
In some weird way many of us still think we are BETTER than they are/were. That is what keeps us trying to justify things.
"I wasn't that stupid." "I saw great things and had great times." (if they were with the inner circle they were fabricated)
Because if we ever really see that we were in a full-on cult we have to re-exam everything... Even the good-times. And that hurts like he!l. IMO
I don`t believe that genuine Christians could act this way.
I think that people believed that their knowledge and formulas would make them spiritual..ie Christian.
Being *of the spirit* isn`t a way you act, it is something that you are inside.
The kindness exhibited by these type of folks had strings attached, therefor it wasn`t genuine.
The kindness of many of the rank and file believer was many times came from genuine caring, selfless motives, these folks were those that were genuinely *of the spirit*
I think it is the difference between being *of the flesh* or *of the spirit*
Thanks. We were in a cult. I think it really hit me yesterday. I found myself tip toeing around trying not to disturb the wasps and then I thought, "I don't care."
I know what I know.
I saw what I saw.
We were in a cult. WE were in a cult. we WERE in a cult. We were in a CULT.
I think a blanket statement that all kindness at the hands of the "inner circle" dwellers of TWI is a sham is just as harmful and just as wrong as the blanket statements that because kindness was recieved by some the evil didn't happen or if it did it was somehow the victims fault.
Extreme positions of any kind lead to fanaticism
and fanaticism precludes reasonable examination of facts on a case by case basis
TL, I think this should be engraved on a brass plaque and hung over the entrance to the About the Way forum.
If you do not know who the inner-circle was then how would you guys know who was and was not genuinely kind?
I think rotten fruit comes from a rotten tree.
You can eat from which ever garden you choose to eat from.
I am not here to change your mind. I am here to express my mind because I am sick of tiptoeing around knowing what I know because it may offend someone who loved VPW or LCM or whomever.
These were some horrid people who practice horrible things and used people terribly. The ones I know in the inner-circle were mean-spirited and very harmful.
If you found kindness in them -- you can believe it was genuine. This is America and we are no longer in a cult. Think what you want. I do not think they had a kind bone in their bodies.
I think they were masters at being fake and using people. Jsut like any other leader in any other cult.
I guess I wasn`t thinking of kindness in them, the inner sanctum per se.... I guess I was thinking more of myself and people that I knew on the local level.
I guess that I was thinking that we were the decent people that the evil hid behind....shrug.
I wasn`t denying anything that you were saying Dot, thank you for giving me the final piece of the puzzle that I needed to understand.
my very first Way meeting was an opening night of the class.....Donna (interim corps) kissed me as I walked in the door....Dennis was also very kind (apprentice corps)....i believe they were genuine and neither made it to the higher ranks, as a matter of fact, they were not to be seen in later years.
I think a lot of good people with good intentions got fooled into promoting a very strong corporate push.
I never felt kindness from any "recognized" leadership....it was more like strongarm coaching tactics....which can also be a "hook" to some of us mortal humans.
Wait...I get it....more bells, whistles, and sirens!!!!!
Even if OUR kindness was genuine, it still WAS a part of the *con* because unbeknownst to us, it was our decency that allowed the evil to masquerade as a Christian ministry. :blink:
Wait...I get it....more bells, whistles, and sirens!!!!!
Even if OUR kindness was genuine, it still WAS a part of the *con* because unbeknownst to us, it was our decency that allowed the evil to masquerade as a Christian ministry. :blink:
YEP!
and sometimes I do believe they knew it all along , and we didnt and that is the creepy part that is difficult to shake.
Recommended Posts
CoolWaters
Kindness was so much a part of the con that I have been unable to accept kindness at face value. Just today at church a friend said, "Oh I'll bet it was so hard to be around such awful people all the time!" My response was, "Actually, most of the people were decent and sweet on the surface. It was so much the sweetness of sheep in wolf's clothing that it scares the crap out of me when people are nice to me even now."
Link to comment
Share on other sites
potato
same here. nice people make me want to run away fast.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
CoolWaters
I just got back from the Doctrinal forum and want to add this:
Not until I found true kindness...you know...the fruit of the spirit...did I begin to heal from the false kindness of twi...and other influences in my life.
I now attend a church where true kindness lives. It's changing my life, but it's slow going.
One big difference between true kindness and false kindness is that true kindness attaches no expectations.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kit Sober
kindness is from the Lord. See Ephesians 2:7 "his" is in italics and the "his" is unnecessary because kindness is only from the Lord.
If someone happens to do kindness, then the Holy Spirit will be there.
It is not kind to tell someone something saccharine sweet and then stab them in the back.
It is not kind to tell someone something that is cruel even if you smile at the same time.
There can be no kindness without the Holy Spirit.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dot Matrix
Kit
I am not speaking of true kindness. Yes, actions speak louder than words.
All:
I mean well, if someone here says they were sexually abused by the Vickster. And it becomes part of the conversations.
Then, someone comes on and says, "VP took me on a ride on his motor cycle -- I never saw him do anything mean so I do not believes it.
Well, along with the lies. The so "called" acts of kindness I believe were part of the picture of deceit.
I will eat cereal with a smiling face telling me it is healthy even though it is NOT healthy. Because the lie is presented with certain stage props.
I think a lot of the corrupt people showed "kindness" to get what they wanted. As a Con tells a lonely older woman she is beautiful -- he knows she has not heard it in a while. This act is to use her.
To SEE real kindness would be godly. So, perhaps more defined, where the things we saw and heard paraded as "kindness" when they were ploys.
The 4th corps woman I cannot stomach -- well, she had someone come over to ask for help/direction. She cried with them. This endeared her to them. When they left she said she did not feel anything at all and could care less. She said the "holy spirit" gave her the tears when she needed them. Then, she began to speak badly about the person.
It was all-fake. Fake. Fake Fake. Like when Harry met Sally -- the fake orgasm -- that fake.
I will FAKE caring so I get what I want -- your respect and you to follow me.
I think a lot of what people hold on to is not even real.
Now, was I nice to people - yes and some were nice to me. But the inner circle, the elite, the trusted ones, the initiated -- they were schooled in FAKE. Fake caring. Fake leadership. FAKE examples.
Gee, how about a BIG leader with a recognizable name? Some people on here still think he walks on water, can you say cocaine addict?
Guess where you abundant sharing went? Up his nose as he taught you how to stand. As he prayed for you and passed the horn of plenty. He even reprooved you and made you feel badly when you questioned him....
Fake.
So, when a person says, "Gee, he took me into his recreation room and stuck his hand under my dress when I was 18." (Which happened to my WOW sister, via him) The deceived responds, "He was always nice to me. He seemed like a great example. Do you have proof? Did he hold a gun to your head? HE seemed great to me, he once gave me $5.00 when I was out of gas."
Gee, part of the con.
OR when someone gets on here and claims their impressive record because they have a handful of recognizable names once told that person they were a great believer. When the list of leaders given have a legacy of FAKE. All that prooves to me is, boy where they deceived or they would not be dropping that name.
I think that the so-called "kindness" was nothing but part of the window dressing.
Then, once that leader/leaders were followed "we" were sized up. Can we let this one into the inner circle? OR should we just placate them and create a "yes man."
The circle of "yes men" really just padded the safety of the inner circle.
If lowly "leaves" (regular believers) come around the great leaders, well who better to insulate them then people who think they are great. Then, the next layer is those that were initiated. Blowing weed with a leader, sleeping with them, sharing them... Getting drunk. Renting a room to bang one while they tell the believers who drove 14 hours there was something heavy and spiritual they had to take care of.
But if you didn't show up at the meeting you were a terrible believer and lucky the devil didn't splatter your head on the hiway!
The yes men didn't know. They were so happy to be able to drop names that made THEM feel special… The “leaves” (regular believers) were kept from knowing due to the layers. But the ones they tried to initiate -- we knew. We fought back and were killed in battle -- killed to keep the secrets. KILLED
Then, some of the initiated actually ENJOYED it. They were privileged to get on bended knee and service HOW@RD, then thought it an honor to go service another when How@rd was done. They are known in regular life as wh@res, call girls or sluts. In TWI they were called "Reverend"
Those who enjoyed it became recruiters and would bring more sheep (leaves) to the King of crap to see if they could get initiated. Now, I do hold THEM responsible. And yet, some who knew them, were related to them or WERE them (recruiters) get on here and act as though the women who say they were abused are lying because THEY liked it so much. Or the relatives cannot fathom anyone not liking it because after all, their cousin was excited about being chosen.
Others, who only saw their smiling leader pass the horn of plenty, want to see the blue dress to believe they have been deceived. Yet, the guy was snorting your money.
I think all of the so-called acts of kindness were just paint to hide the truth of what they really intended to do.
So if a "yes man" was nice to you, he was probably trying to be kind. If a regular believer was kind it was kindness, IMO. But if the initiated ones were smiling at you, you better believe they were sizing you up to figure out how to use you.
IMO
Edited by Dot MatrixLink to comment
Share on other sites
Kit Sober
Dear Dot.
I thought that's what you meant. I just wanted to speak up for the kind kind of kindness, which is true, not counterfeit kindness.
Some of that was there; however, vpw and his mantle of filth made the Holy Spirit unwelcome there and destroyed true kindness wherever he could.
I thank God He is truly Just and a Righteous Judge, and I also look forward to justice being meted out to vpw who imho made merchandise of our souls.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
polar bear
Many who were in the Way in early times experienced some gooness and kindness. But as the Way grew into a big organization, it became what most big organizations become. It became all about numbers, and who could kiss someone's a** bigger and better to climb to the top. They would step on anyone in their way to get the power over someone else and make money at it. We joined a boat club and were stunned to find the people there more forgiving, more kind, and more lovng than those we knew in the Way=go figure? So we woke up and left TWI for good. Never looked back.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
rascal
Oh my gosh Dot...
Thank you for that peak into the inner workings of twi.
I had heard rumors of drugs, rumors of sex, I guess in my mind I wanted to still believe it was isolated instances....sigh
The way you describe the hierchy, the yes men, the inner sanctum, who was able to spiritually *handle* this stuff.
Gosh, and we stupid leaves believed that the purity of their hearts and motives matched our own.
The counterfit is so cunning.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sunesis
Awesome post Dot - that was one of the best summations of the inner circle I've read in a long time.
Thanks for sharing that.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
VeganXTC
Thanks Dot, for starting this thread.
Sometimes, I think people may feel that the sexual abuse that took place was always a violent rape. I have no doubt that this took place. But there were times when women were "courted." Invited to have lunch, come over and watch some TV. Fun, alone times where nothing sexual happened, just one on one time with the current leadership. And during those one on one times, the leadership would ask about your life, and teach you things, and make you feel special. Make you feel like they loved you with the love of God. You trusted him. It happened so slowly. Like that analogy of a frog in a frying pan. So, by the time the sexual abuse did happen, you thought something was wrong, but it was just "wrong thinking" on your part, because how could this leader who loves God and cares about you do something so selfish?
Yes, I believe some men in leadership positions knew exactly what they were doing, and how to get what they wanted. An evil game. And kindness was part of the con.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Belle
Great post, Dot! And, Vegan, so true. They had "grooming" down to an art, didn't they?
Link to comment
Share on other sites
skyrider
Gee.........reminds me of the Athletes of the Spirit Production.
All the fawning......and encircling their leader.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
templelady
As one who has suffered at the hands of TWI leadership,
I have to say that I never experienced kindness at the hands of TWI leadership
Ever
Period
But That said
I cannot In good conscience declare that others did not, nor can I in good conscience declare that if they did it was all false kindness.
The Holy Spirit works in all -God speaks to all his children whether they listen and respond or not.
I think a blanket statement that all kindness at the hands of the "inner circle" dwellers of TWI is a sham is just as harmful and just as wrong as the blanket statements that because kindness was recieved by some the evil didn't happen or if it did it was somehow the victims fault.
Extreme positions of any kind lead to fanaticism
and fanaticism precludes reasonable examination of facts on a case by case basis
Edited by templeladyLink to comment
Share on other sites
Dot Matrix
Temple
You are entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. Just as you do with me.
Were you ever invited to a drinking party, a sex party with no rules, watch a leader reem someone for missing a meeting then KNOW he just balled your corps sister and lied to all the believers to do so? On an on...
Nothing will convince me otherwise, but as I said you can think whatever you want to think. That is the beauty of having left I can finally SAY what I say , and think what I want. And so can you.
Peace. Thanks for your view point.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dot Matrix
BTW
I do understand what you are saying. But I really do believe that the fully initiated no longer wanted kindness to work through them. They became self serving and they placed themselves above reproach.
The Way International's leadership held parties where you could be "with" anyone and drink or smoke anything and it was okay. This inner circle sinned and believed that they lived above the word of God.
It was described to me as a higher plane and only people who "could handle it" were invited to partake. Anyone who objected or reproved their behavior was considered someone who "stumbled" at their freedom in their walk with Christ. Therefore, there was no way to correct them, they exalted themselves as gods deciding what was right and what was wrong. (Genesis 3:5).
I do not believe kindness existed in this kind of soil. All I saw was the fruitless trees. In a mean scary forest that belonged in the bad part of the Wizard of Oz.
I know people that got prayed for and healed by an inner circle -- I believe that was God's love despite the TWI leader.
Heck, I LOVED a an early corps couple and thought them to be my dear friends. Loved them. I was probably a yes-man at that time. Anything they taught I gobbled it as I wanted GOD!!! Now, some how God did love me in that storm. Later I found out that this same man I adored had hit on EX when she was 18. And he went to the wild parties. And all the "keep it in your pants" exhortations were bullsh!t. The "lead by example" was a joke.
As I got closer to these people they WOULD laugh at the little stary eyed believer. All I saw was lies, hypocrasy and FAKE FAKE FAKE crap.
As the one FEMALE Reverend lay in bed with a guy she picked up at a bar the night before. She told him she was a reverend. Then laughed and laughed about it. This guy looked so confused. He was picked up by a drunk woman who bopped his lights out, then talked about how whe was a leader in a God group.
Sickening.
It was all a joke to the REAL inner-circle. I was a joke, most of us were jokes. The joke was on us and to them the joke was us. We would try to love people with the love of Christ and they would be laughing at our efforts.
If one did not SEE it, it was hard to believe it was happening. But it was.
We were in a cult. Not a group that went bad. We were in a cult just like Koresh, Jim Jones or that weirdo in California who went to find the mother ship.
In some weird way many of us still think we are BETTER than they are/were. That is what keeps us trying to justify things.
"I wasn't that stupid." "I saw great things and had great times." (if they were with the inner circle they were fabricated)
Because if we ever really see that we were in a full-on cult we have to re-exam everything... Even the good-times. And that hurts like he!l. IMO
Edited by Dot MatrixLink to comment
Share on other sites
rascal
I don`t believe that genuine Christians could act this way.
I think that people believed that their knowledge and formulas would make them spiritual..ie Christian.
Being *of the spirit* isn`t a way you act, it is something that you are inside.
The kindness exhibited by these type of folks had strings attached, therefor it wasn`t genuine.
The kindness of many of the rank and file believer was many times came from genuine caring, selfless motives, these folks were those that were genuinely *of the spirit*
I think it is the difference between being *of the flesh* or *of the spirit*
Edited by rascalLink to comment
Share on other sites
Dot Matrix
Sunesis
Rascal
Polar
Sky Rider
Kit
Vegan
Belle
Thanks. We were in a cult. I think it really hit me yesterday. I found myself tip toeing around trying not to disturb the wasps and then I thought, "I don't care."
I know what I know.
I saw what I saw.
We were in a cult. WE were in a cult. we WERE in a cult. We were in a CULT.
It was bad.
Edited by Dot MatrixLink to comment
Share on other sites
Linda Z
TempleLady said:
TL, I think this should be engraved on a brass plaque and hung over the entrance to the About the Way forum.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dot Matrix
Kit:
I love this
quote]I also look forward to justice being meted out to vpw who imho made merchandise of our souls.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dot Matrix
If you do not know who the inner-circle was then how would you guys know who was and was not genuinely kind?
I think rotten fruit comes from a rotten tree.
You can eat from which ever garden you choose to eat from.
I am not here to change your mind. I am here to express my mind because I am sick of tiptoeing around knowing what I know because it may offend someone who loved VPW or LCM or whomever.
These were some horrid people who practice horrible things and used people terribly. The ones I know in the inner-circle were mean-spirited and very harmful.
If you found kindness in them -- you can believe it was genuine. This is America and we are no longer in a cult. Think what you want. I do not think they had a kind bone in their bodies.
I think they were masters at being fake and using people. Jsut like any other leader in any other cult.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
rascal
I guess I wasn`t thinking of kindness in them, the inner sanctum per se.... I guess I was thinking more of myself and people that I knew on the local level.
I guess that I was thinking that we were the decent people that the evil hid behind....shrug.
I wasn`t denying anything that you were saying Dot, thank you for giving me the final piece of the puzzle that I needed to understand.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
frickafrack
my very first Way meeting was an opening night of the class.....Donna (interim corps) kissed me as I walked in the door....Dennis was also very kind (apprentice corps)....i believe they were genuine and neither made it to the higher ranks, as a matter of fact, they were not to be seen in later years.
I think a lot of good people with good intentions got fooled into promoting a very strong corporate push.
I never felt kindness from any "recognized" leadership....it was more like strongarm coaching tactics....which can also be a "hook" to some of us mortal humans.
Donna and Dennis were good souls...i believe
Link to comment
Share on other sites
rascal
Wait...I get it....more bells, whistles, and sirens!!!!!
Even if OUR kindness was genuine, it still WAS a part of the *con* because unbeknownst to us, it was our decency that allowed the evil to masquerade as a Christian ministry. :blink:
Edited by rascalLink to comment
Share on other sites
pond
YEP!
and sometimes I do believe they knew it all along , and we didnt and that is the creepy part that is difficult to shake.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.