I was never close to Wierwille but the branch and limb coordinators I was around always seemed to need someone to rake their yard, do their laundry, clean their house, polish their car, watch their children, refinish their furniture or build an addition to their house in the guise of "fellowship".
Back in the day, when eyebrows were raised about VPW's material excesses (ie: hot motorcycles, classic cars, jets, vacation property, expensive hunting and fishing gear, etc.), people were prone to rationalize it by saying VP was under great pressure because of the "greatness of his mission" and he needed these things to relax so he could continue to stay receptive to "revelation". There's even a section in one of the classes that talks about how important it is for a MOG to find ways to relax. So, how far do such privileges extend? Do they extend to the MOG's family members? How about his cronies? How would their use of these things heighten any supposed ability of the MOG to "move The Word" ? Let me take a wild guess. It must have "relaxed" him to know he could use ABS to provide his kids and buddies with hot cars, and such, to use.------------- Sounds like plain old fashioned exploitation and opportunism to me.
I'm just sayin'
Consider this: many religious denominations accept donations of material items from their membership. If you go into old churches, of any particular denomination, you likely will see that most of the stained glass windows were donations from people, as are other works of art. Many times, autos are donated by followers who own car dealerships. In other cases, retreat houses, camps, and other properties are donated by members of the church.
In most cases, the ownership of the property does not fall to the MOG in question, but remains with the church group. When it is used by the MOG of the group, it is being used exactly as it was intended to be used at the time of the donation.
Where I have a problem with it is when donations are solicited for one purpose and then are diverted for another use. For example, if you look at PTL and the luxury that Jim and Tammy Faye had, most of the donations were solicited based on a stated goal of evangelisation, not with the goal of building a palace for Jim and Tammy Faye.
I think that is the biggest issue: not the properties themselves, but the fact that the funds solicited and used were solicited not to provide those properties but to "move the word."
I post the above because I feel that the properties (motorcycle, motorhome, clothes, houses, etc.) were not the fault, but rather the deception used in gathering the funds for the properties.
One important question, though, how many meals did the Vicster actually pay for? Vice how many meals were paid for by his "hosts?" How many bottles of Drambuie?
The dude solicits funds (ABS) under false pretenses (W.O.W.) and uses the dough to score some hot motor-scooters and some slammin' classic cars. That's bad enough. But,then, he turns around and says,"Here, sonny boy, take the keys to the ragtop and spin around town. Chicks dig that kinda stuff, even the married ones" So, now you've got a MOG privilege, "once removed".
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Ham
Yeah.. the privileges seemed extended to family members, friends.. but I understand that the sub-ordinates sometimes got "hand me downs".
it is documented here somewhere that they had a pecking order as far as passing women along..
vic, then uncle howie, then.. whoever..
I hope they didn't do that among family members. It would be kinda sick.. but I have at least one suspicion..
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RumRunner
Oh.. you mean like the Kennedy brothers and Marylin Monroe...
Always nice to be above the law and treat women like cheap sexual property - so thoughtful of them
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Ham
Yep..
wrapping paper
in the gutter
Moving slowly as the wind on the sea,
(Faces calling, waves moving)
In your picture on a wall of a house of old times.
(Can you hear me) Can you hear me
(Can you hear me) Wandering sadly?
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Ham
why don't they read the next verse..
heh
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Tzaia
Stop it!
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Ham
Yes, Mam.. ..
:)
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mstar1
Did you mention the army of slaves?
I was never close to Wierwille but the branch and limb coordinators I was around always seemed to need someone to rake their yard, do their laundry, clean their house, polish their car, watch their children, refinish their furniture or build an addition to their house in the guise of "fellowship".
Apparently any honest work tainted their purity
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frank123lol
Ah yes,The new cars,motorcycles,motorhomes,best clothes,best resturants
Yes he(vic)and the rest of his inner group really did live on a needs basis.
His needs for him and his own.
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markomalley
Consider this: many religious denominations accept donations of material items from their membership. If you go into old churches, of any particular denomination, you likely will see that most of the stained glass windows were donations from people, as are other works of art. Many times, autos are donated by followers who own car dealerships. In other cases, retreat houses, camps, and other properties are donated by members of the church.
In most cases, the ownership of the property does not fall to the MOG in question, but remains with the church group. When it is used by the MOG of the group, it is being used exactly as it was intended to be used at the time of the donation.
Where I have a problem with it is when donations are solicited for one purpose and then are diverted for another use. For example, if you look at PTL and the luxury that Jim and Tammy Faye had, most of the donations were solicited based on a stated goal of evangelisation, not with the goal of building a palace for Jim and Tammy Faye.
I think that is the biggest issue: not the properties themselves, but the fact that the funds solicited and used were solicited not to provide those properties but to "move the word."
I post the above because I feel that the properties (motorcycle, motorhome, clothes, houses, etc.) were not the fault, but rather the deception used in gathering the funds for the properties.
One important question, though, how many meals did the Vicster actually pay for? Vice how many meals were paid for by his "hosts?" How many bottles of Drambuie?
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waysider
So here's the thing.
The dude solicits funds (ABS) under false pretenses (W.O.W.) and uses the dough to score some hot motor-scooters and some slammin' classic cars. That's bad enough. But,then, he turns around and says,"Here, sonny boy, take the keys to the ragtop and spin around town. Chicks dig that kinda stuff, even the married ones" So, now you've got a MOG privilege, "once removed".
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Ham
ah yes..
hmm.
"and don't bring her back empty boy.."
good grief..
especially when you have free gas..
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