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skyrider
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This is absolutely born out in their maxim that you cannot be a good leader until you know how to be a good follower... the way corps was about training people to be good followers. Then they hand-picked the ones they wanted to be leadership. Anyone who went through the training knew from very early on who was on the fast track to leadership, and who wasn't. And it didn't always have to do with who had the right heart, talent, or people skills!!!

Highway........of course, it's born out of some aspect of some truth, somewhere. :wink2:

This "follow" stuff.........reminds me of that movie Multiplicity with Michael Keaton. Trying to make a copy, from a copy, from a copy........and what do you get? A dysfunctional, spasmic moron who can't tie his shoes.

And then geer.......took his "corps program" to gartmore, and some of us have heard THOSE RESULTS.

:biglaugh:

Edited by skyrider
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From where I sit today, I do NOT believe that the corps program was ever intended to be "A lifetime of Christian service".........but rather, it was "a wierwille-indoctrination of twi service" with snippets of scripture to cloak the self-serving agendas.

I do believe the Corps was intended to be a lifetime of Christian service along with a proviso that Christian service was defined the twi way, i.e, move the Word, move the word, preach the Word, preach the word etc. It was assumed that the corps volunteer was fully persuaded to this end. The understanding that the Word as was taught in twi was the best interpretation of the word of God on the planet and thus the corps volunteer was totally committed to this and was expected to perform a lifetime of Christian service affiliated with twi on those terms. However it is reasonable to assume that if the word changed over the years, i.e., doctrinal changes, advancing legalisms, burdensome rules and regulations, etc.; the volunteer was in a position to make a re-assessment which many have done.

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...and isn't it ironic that wierwille himself was never a follower. He bucked the system wherever he went. He was a maverick in his own denomination and argued with those "over him" in the hierarchy. wierwille finally decided to become the self proclaimed mog and call all the shots...Where was the chain of command in HIS life?...Who did he ever follow or listen to?...but suddenly he expects everyone to get in lockstep and march to his commands. With his phoney credentials and his stolen "research", he sets himself up as king of the cornfield...taking every shortcut he could, never proving that he could follow orders, he became the chief order giver...PATOOIE!

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Yes, we will rule the world!!!!

The fourth Reich!!!!!

Mit diesem Korps-Ring werde ich uber die Leute herrschen... Der ganze Hagel-Arzt Wierwille

bridal_20071025_bridalring_banner.jpg

Literal translation according to usage:

With this Corps ring I will rule the people...All hail Doctor Wierwille

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Did he really use the word freedom?

of religion even?

Yes... "Freely Avail" was in the twi definition for years. The door always was open to leave, and many chose that.

I will never forget the day Craig dismissed the entire 6th corps on Sunday March 6, 1976. However almost everyone was able to choose to recommit themselves to the corps commitment if they so chose. (I wasn't, but that was another story). Many didn't, perhaps close to 100 people left on March 8 if memory serves. This is not slavery, this is freedom of religion. The freedom to choose one's religion. Thank God we haven't seen military totalitarianism in this country.

Edited by oldiesman
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Yah, sky. I always get a bad taste in my brain about the John Mark the Quitter rap.

Doubting Thomas was the first "aha" moment for me. Yeah, that Thomas. Show me the marks, then I'll believe.

Truth be told, per the records, all the disciples doubted, all mourned Christ's death, no one was clearly expecting His resurrection which occured completely outside human intervention or expectation. Thomas is the one who voiced it, but Mary looked right at Jesus outside the tomb and didn't recognize Him immediately. She was visiting the tomb of a dead man and found Him alive. (hard to even write that and not consider what it must have been like for her. It's still the essence of everything a Christian believes and comes to know).

But once they heard He was alive, they all ran. They were human, people, but ones who once they knew, they knew. It changed them forever to the end 2000 years later I'm pondering their lives and what happened.

That's change.

Life is a span of time. Life has seasons, change. We act and react within the timeline, do and don't do, choose and avoid, get caught up in some things, swim against the tide with others.

I suspect that's why Jesus Christ is viewed as the standard bearer for forgiveness and the expression of how God works.

In the Big Picture, none of this really matters. In the end, not a one of us will be able to say we havent doubted, reconsidered, changed, been right and wrong, had questions, wished something was different, fought the good fight for a bad cause and vice versa. Dont like something today? Stick around, itll change. Everything does. The things that are constant that intersect or are a part of my life are few and far between and very recognizable.

Edited by socks
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The door of freedom of religion was not open oldiesman.

You either believe what they teach or you are wrong.

And way people were not allowed to fellowship with the 'unbelievers'.

That is not freedom of religion.

That is a hate group.

Edited by cman
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Cman, a principle among many Christian groups is not to be yoked with unbelievers. So if one chooses to abide by those principles, one does. If one doesn't , one leaves the group. That is what freedom of religion is all about. That is not hate. If it is, can you explain these scriptures:

2Cr 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

2Cr 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

2Cr 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2Cr 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,

2Cr 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

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Cman, a principle among many Christian groups is not to be yoked with unbelievers. So if one chooses to abide by those principles, one does. If one doesn't , one leaves the group. That is what freedom of religion is all about. That is not hate. If it is, can you explain these scriptures:

2Cr 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

2Cr 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

2Cr 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2Cr 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,

2Cr 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Hiya, Oldies

I took the liberty of bolding "unequally" in your post.

(That's the word you omitted.)

So now about this "unequal yoking" business------What do you suppose determines when "yoking" crosses the line and becomes "unequal yoking"?

Come to think of it, what the heck is "yoking" anyhow?

Did it mean the same thing back then as it does today?

Questions, Questions, Questions.

Do you suppose Paul might have been addressing a specific situation that was taking place at that point in time?

Do you suppose our situation today replicates that particular one?

And heck fire, was an "unbeliever" the same thing as what we call an "unbeliever" today?

Be honest with yourself.

You and I both know this section of scripture was used to instruct us that we were not to have associations or relationships with non-TWI people. Simple as that. They(unbelievers) were inferior to us because WE were the chosen ones.(cough, cough, cough) Cut them off before it's too late. They'll drag you back into the dismal abyss we call "the world".

They will be your downfall. They will cause you to return to your old ways like a dog returns to its vomit.

It a simple case of "private interpretation". VPW twisted privately interpreted this scripture to say you should cut off your non-TWI associations.

That's a fact, Jack!

But on second thought,maybe that's OK because his teaching on "private interpretation" is, itself, based on "private interpretation".

And that's no "yoke"!

Edited by waysider
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Yes... "Freely Avail" was in the twi definition for years. The door always was open to leave, and many chose that.

I will never forget the day Craig dismissed the entire 6th corps on Sunday March 6, 1976. However almost everyone was able to choose to recommit themselves to the corps commitment if they so chose. (I wasn't, but that was another story). Many didn't, perhaps close to 100 people left on March 8 if memory serves. This is not slavery, this is freedom of religion. The freedom to choose one's religion. Thank God we haven't seen military totalitarianism in this country.

Holy Crud!

Don't know how I missed this one.

This dismissing of the entire corps thing must have been what inspired the dismissing of the entire Fellow Laborers program.

The time frame is pretty close. Maybe just a bit later.

Except, if I remember correctly, it wasn't an "opportunity to recommit".

It was a mandate to "do as we say or you're toast!"

----------------

"This is not slavery"--OM

Yeah, you're right, it's psychological manipulation.

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the volunteer was in a position to make a re-assessment which many have done.

but oldies, when i was IN, to make a reassessment was like turning your back on god

it may seem like it was "black and white" but it wasn't in my day

there was so much peer pressure etc.

you just didn't love god enough if you didn't do what was expected of you

okay it may not have been written on a posterboard

but

but it was obvious by what wierwille and martindale said.....

surely you must know what i'm talking about

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but oldies, when i was IN, to make a reassessment was like turning your back on god

it may seem like it was "black and white" but it wasn't in my day

there was so much peer pressure etc.

you just didn't love god enough if you didn't do what was expected of you

okay it may not have been written on a posterboard

but

but it was obvious by what wierwille and martindale said.....

surely you must know what i'm talking about

I believe he knows what you are talking about, excie.

He chooses not to believe it because to do so would mean he was scammed like the rest of us.

(And that's a tough pill to swallow.)

Edited by waysider
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Yeah, you're right, it's psychological manipulation.

Which could be called 'mental slavery'...you do after all have a choice, just not any really good ones...run away and die or stay and get beaten while you work your fingers to the bone to make the master happy. Hmmm, sounds a lot like slavery to me. Of course we wouldn't really die, we are after all here talking, but it was as has been said a thousand times before...what we were led to believe.

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I do believe the Corps was intended to be a lifetime of Christian service along with a proviso that Christian service was defined the twi way, i.e, move the Word, move the word, preach the Word, preach the word etc. It was assumed that the corps volunteer was fully persuaded to this end. The understanding that the Word as was taught in twi was the best interpretation of the word of God on the planet and thus the corps volunteer was totally committed to this and was expected to perform a lifetime of Christian service affiliated with twi on those terms.

BACK THEN........in the 70s/early 80s........those general concepts of "move the word, preach the word" ran the spectrum from "leading one to the new birth" to "leading as a trustee in twi." BACK THEN........there was a research department in twi with some quality individuals and many of us truly believed that twi was forthright with a genuine concern for teaching right doctrine AND right practice........not junk like "follow your father in the word."

However it is reasonable to assume that if the word changed over the years, i.e., doctrinal changes, advancing legalisms, burdensome rules and regulations, etc.; the volunteer was in a position to make a re-assessment which many have done.

Doctrinal changes??.........by 1978, the advanced class began to eliminated all the extra teachings, videos, audios, of various men/women who walked by revelation, cast out demons, how God worked specifically in phenomenon.....and then, EVERYTHING WAS IN-HOUSE TWI STUFF (vpw, vpw, vpw). Yeah, twi doctrine.......believed that twi was the one and only True Zion, fortified to stand, wall went up, isolation increased.....all church leaders were seed men.

Advancing legalisms........by 1983, the push for "athlete of the spirit" terminology was on. Competitive nature was growing stronger in twi, more scrutiny, more confrontational, evaluations and more paperwork, reporting back, chain of command, big limb homes, twi leaders were less approachable.........etc. etc.

Power-grab years...........I don't like that water-down phrase "the fog years." :blink:

Burdensome rules and regulations.......by 1992, after lcm had spent a couple of years to "circle the wagons"......the geer-is-possessed-teachings subsided, genuine suspicion began, homo purge, reporting back, etc. Then, when all the corps were, by revelation from God (to lcm), to be FULL-TIME............twi owned you and dictated your lifestyle and life decisions..............everything from pregnancy to pets to your kid's karate lessons.

But yeah, oldies.......By then, any corps left were re-assessing their affiliation with twi.

:asdf:

Edited by skyrider
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skyrider: BACK THEN........in the 70s/early 80s........those general concepts of "move the word, preach the word" ran the spectrum from "leading one to the new birth" to "leading as a trustee in twi." BACK THEN........there was a research department in twi with some quality individuals and many of us truly believed that twi was forthright with a genuine concern for teaching right doctrine AND right practice........not junk like "follow your father in the word."

Just to clarify a little: Yes, there was a research dept. back then (through 1988 or 89) with dedicated people who were sincere (as we know that's no guarantee for truth) but what you call "junk like 'follow your father in the word'" was still also very much at the forefront of belief for at least some of the first few corps (like me) who were still delusional about him. Back then, for me, vpw was still the MOG for this day and time. And what he said the Word said took priority over anything different that might have turned up in research, and it did...but that's another story...

edited by penworks for spelling :-)

Edited by penworks
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Our 'father in the word' what a joke.

Material he didn't even have to claim as 'from the father.

As he always said.

He didn't have anything but what others had done.

I had great respect for the corps in the early 80's.

Misplaced as it was, they were for the most part good people.

Corrupted by a 'commitment'.

Which was contrived and abused by others.

When it's a personal commitment.

Not one to some organization or person.

And I'd like to say a commitment that hasn't been altered by men.

But has changed and progressed for most I think.

Edited by cman
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Hiya, Oldies

I took the liberty of bolding "unequally" in your post.

(That's the word you omitted.)

So now about this "unequal yoking" business------What do you suppose determines when "yoking" crosses the line and becomes "unequal yoking"?

Come to think of it, what the heck is "yoking" anyhow?

Did it mean the same thing back then as it does today?

Questions, Questions, Questions.

Do you suppose Paul might have been addressing a specific situation that was taking place at that point in time?

Do you suppose our situation today replicates that particular one?

And heck fire, was an "unbeliever" the same thing as what we call an "unbeliever" today?

Be honest with yourself.

You and I both know this section of scripture was used to instruct us that we were not to have associations or relationships with non-TWI people. Simple as that. They(unbelievers) were inferior to us because WE were the chosen ones.(cough, cough, cough) Cut them off before it's too late. They'll drag you back into the dismal abyss we call "the world".

They will be your downfall. They will cause you to return to your old ways like a dog returns to its vomit.

It a simple case of "private interpretation". VPW twisted privately interpreted this scripture to say you should cut off your non-TWI associations.

That's a fact, Jack!

But on second thought,maybe that's OK because his teaching on "private interpretation" is, itself, based on "private interpretation".

And that's no "yoke"!

I might tend to agree with you if twi wasn't the only group who practiced these scriptures in some form or another, but there are many other religious groups who do. Orthodox Jews, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Amish, just to name a few off the top of my head. Our country prides itself on freedom of religion and twi was/is a part of that.

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but oldies, when i was IN, to make a reassessment was like turning your back on god

it may seem like it was "black and white" but it wasn't in my day

there was so much peer pressure etc.

you just didn't love god enough if you didn't do what was expected of you

okay it may not have been written on a posterboard

but

but it was obvious by what wierwille and martindale said.....

surely you must know what i'm talking about

Ex,

I do know how you feel having experienced the same feeling. But it was essentially up to the individual believer to decide for themselves whether they could love God outside of twi, and whether God loved them outside of twi. I think that takes one's own personal fellowship with God and Christ along with active faith to overcome that type of peer pressure. I guess I learned this principle early, since during my twi stint, I was "in and out" several times. However I do think that that fear is not all that uncommon with many serious religions.

In retrospect I also would note that the ministry position in 1989 according to Craig's Loyalty Letter of 1989, stated plainly that it was possible to put God first outside of the way and walk in mutual love, respect, like mindedness, and one accord. In other words, exiting twi was not turning your back on God. And remember, this was when thousands of believers left the ministry at one time. There was no mistake about this and lots of folks believed they were still walking with God while exiting twi. Here is an excerpt:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

God first, but you must decide with whom you want to work and fellowship. To stand with God means to do His Word and will. That includes walking with mutual love and respect and like-mindedness and one accord. Each of us must decide with whom we want to do that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edited by oldiesman
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