Psychic Sisters in Emporia Advanced Class 1986

[Eagle]

In Advanced Class 1986 in Emporia, a young woman that was speaking behind a curtain (or at least I think it was that...no kidding...) spoke of being involved with her sister and over 50 others on a trip to Europe for psychic healing. They came back and were witnessed to by someone from TWI. At that point the two sisters, especially one, was beaten and harrassed by demons (pulling of hair, dragged across the floor, actual red welts on her body) when they were contemplating accepting Jesus Christ. They both finally did, the demon activity stopped, and they tried to get hold of the other 50 or so in the psychic healing group that had gone to Europe years before. It turned out all others had died of some disease with the exception of these two sisters, who accepted Christ.

Can anyone tell me if:

1) You remember this story...

2) Believe the story...

3) Know the person(s) who actually experienced this haunting, of sorts. I know of someone that had a similar experience, but credibility is important. She hid behind a curtain then. Is she free to reveal who she was? Just curious.

Eagle

Edited January 23, 2008 by Eagle

[George Aar]

I'd haveta answer "no" to all three.

There has never been a single case of any sort of paranormal activity of any kind that has had anything even approaching definitive proof. It's always anecdotal at best. And, more often, PROVEN definitively to be false. Yet, these minor inconveniences will never dissuade the true believer. People LOVE to believe in tinkerbells and ghosts. There's no talking them out of it, I guess...

[WordWolf]

It's completely new to me.

Offhand, I'm slower to believe this one than, say, Raphael Gasson's personal accounts in

"the Challenging Counterfeit", since I'm able to contextualize his claims in a non-contradictory

framework.

Or, to put it differently,

I can buy a spiritualist leaving spiritualism for Christ would be harassed by demons

that would try to possess him, involuntarily doing what they did before.

I can't buy 48 people being given diseases by demons.

Not without a whole additional framework I see no reason to add-

except "I want to believe them", of course.

Your Mileage May Vary.

[mstar1]

I do remember hearing the story, ( I heard it second hand in 1979)but Im with Geo. on the believing it part, even when I had my full Way blinders on it sounded outlandish and concocted.

It seems strange now that for an outfit supposedly dedicated to"Truth"(hahaha) how many talltales and just complete BS became part of wayculture..

Why was she behind a curtain?--was this for dramatic effect?

[2fortheroad]

Actually it reminds me of the story that was told in the Advanced Class about the group that went to the Philippines for psychic surgery, and were cured of their ailments, but (dramatic drum roll please)...within a year they all died, except the one person who refused the "surgery".

TWI were the masters of unverifiable "true" stories. What about LCM's claim at the Rock one year that "we have the only documented case of a person being completely healed of AIDS"?

And we all knew better than to ask who, what, where, when, etc...Never ask to see the documentation...and definitely pay no attention to the man or woman behind the curtain.

[coolchef]

i heard it gunnison

i didn't believe it then and i don't now

bull crap!

[TheHighWay]

TWI were the masters of unverifiable "true" stories.

Ain't that the truth!!!

Remember, it was said of VP that he was a master of the obvious. Back then I thought that was so profound. Today, I would say "DUH!!!".

Edited January 23, 2008 by TheHighWay

[TrustAndObey]

Actually it reminds me of the story that was told in the Advanced Class about the group that went to the Philippines for psychic surgery, and were cured of their ailments, but (dramatic drum roll please)...within a year they all died, except the one person who refused the "surgery".

TWI were the masters of unverifiable "true" stories. What about LCM's claim at the Rock one year that "we have the only documented case of a person being completely healed of AIDS"?

And we all knew better than to ask who, what, where, when, etc...Never ask to see the documentation...and definitely pay no attention to the man or woman behind the curtain.

Yup, remember this story told a number of times.. On one occasion they did give the person's name at a Corps meeting, but I never took the time to check it out and ask the person, and didn't really care since I'd heard these things all my life growing up around different groups that claimed to cast spirits out. And mostly growing up I learned to see how fake much of those accounts were seeing the first hand meetings, but on the other hand, seeing many true occurances, makes you realize there really is something out there that's evil. Enough that some in my family have been scared into submissino due to their workings.

[excathedra]

sounds familiar

but that could be my familiar (familia ?) spirit

[waysider]

I heard different versions of this same story on numerous occasions.

I think the first time I heard it was from people who had taken the AC in 1971 or 1972.

The next time I heard it was at AC '73.

I don't recall if it was taught from the pulpit or covered in our twigs.

I also heard a version of it when my (now ex) wife returned from the class at Emporia in '77 or '78.

If I recall, I think there may be an account similar to this in one of the "spirit" books that TWI promoted for AC grads.

(ie: Challenging Counterfeit or one along those lines.)

I've heard different variations such as, "all lived except ----" and "all died except-----"

Why was VPW so consumed with devil spirits and the paranormal?

I thought he was the guy who was supposed to be showing us how to live "the more abundant life", no?

[cheranne]

I heard different versions of this same story on numerous occasions.

I think the first time I heard it was from people who had taken the AC in 1971 or 1972.

The next time I heard it was at AC '73.

I don't recall if it was taught from the pulpit or covered in our twigs.

I also heard a version of it when my (now ex) wife returned from the class at Emporia in '77 or '78.

If I recall, I think there may be an account similar to this in one of the "spirit" books that TWI promoted for AC grads.

(ie: Challenging Counterfeit or one along those lines.)

I've heard different variations such as, "all lived except ----" and "all died except-----"

Why was VPW so consumed with devil spirits and the paranormal?

I thought he was the guy who was supposed to be showing us how to live "the more abundant life", no?

sounds like the great and powerful oz was asleep at the wheel! oh,yeah it was the little guy behind the curtain with the boom box.

[DogLover]

Actually it reminds me of the story that was told in the Advanced Class about the group that went to the Philippines for psychic surgery, and were cured of their ailments, but (dramatic drum roll please)...within a year they all died, except the one person who refused the "surgery".

The young woman that happened to talked to the 11th/13th Corps at Emporia during the Advanced Class for the in-residence Corps in 1982-83 in the spring. I was there, I heard her, and I believed her. I believe she was either in the 11th or 12th Corps, but I'm not sure on that one ... but I AM sure I heard her live testimony and I did, and do, believe her.

[Ham]

I heard the story. It *seemed* to bolster the vicster's claims about the debil spurt kingdom, at least as he understood it.

So, in a cultish kinda sense, yes, I believed it at the time.

But what I NEVER heard.. was the RECORDED audio tape of a certain "lightbearer"'s interview with .. Swatratra. In fact, I never heard of this until Greasespot. Mabye even the old vicster himself knew it was just too ridiculous for the "ordinary" believer to swallow..

I know of some people who claim they woke up from a dead sleep with a devil trying to squeeze the life out of them or something like that.

The only thing I can think is.. reality is harder for some to accept..

I've had some "weird" things happen in life too.. but the interpretation of the said events is really only up to me..

Edited January 24, 2008 by Mr. Hammeroni

[2fortheroad]

Why was VPW so consumed with devil spirits and the paranormal?

I thought he was the guy who was supposed to be showing us how to live "the more abundant life", no?

Good question, waysider! The more than abundant life was completely lost in the focus of the many and varied ways the devil was out to get us at all times.

It started with vpw and then lcm elevated it to an art form. We spent more time in twi looking for debbil spurts behind every tree, bush, and knick knack, than we ever did living abundantly. We had to learn their names, their characteristics, travel by twos for "protection", get permission to leave the state, etc, etc...to keep the "adversary" off our back.

I'm not one to quote Bible verses these days, but these just seem to apply:

1Jo 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.

If only we could have had an Advanced Class that focused on learning how to really believe and apply those concepts!

Didn't mean to derail the thread...back to the topic at hand!

[Ham]

why WAS vic so "mesmerized" or fixated by the paranormal?

Forming a Cult 101: choose and define an "enemy"..

[Nottawayfer]

TWI were the masters of unverifiable "true" stories. What about LCM's claim at the Rock one year that "we have the only documented case of a person being completely healed of AIDS"?

I remembered hearing him say that they guy with AIDS had to constantly believe or he would get sick again. Is that how the ONE TRUE GOD OF TWI heals? I wonder if the man born blind who was healed by Jesus had to believe every day to keep his sight once he was healed. TWI always taught that healing was a gift. I think if God gives a gift, he doesn't take it back. Like anything taught in TWI, their doctrine is full of holes.

My inlaws went to the Phillipines for psychic surgery. I think psychic surgery is slight of hand and a bunch of BS.

[pond]

It again takes the focus off Jesus Christ and His story, and puts the magic powers into a human or the way ministry. I think it is dangerous ground to be playing in.

the sadest part for me was watching folks live life waiting for the thing to happen. and I know getting shot down in their mind thinking God must not love them as much as the next guy maybe if they take a class or run antoher pfal class it will be better then..

for some it turned into decades of waiting for life to get better living in misery and secrets and with a simmering resentment and dobt towards God and His son Jesus .