The WC program divisive? Depends on your point of view. These people gave their lives (and I knew a few who quit college, didn't get married, and gave up lucrative careers) to serve God (VPW) and move the word (push PFAL and other classes) on the masses of humanity who were not smart enough or spiritual enough to get with the program. In return, they expected to be treated like some sort of royal caste. Failure to do the will of your local WC person(s) was the divisive part. Failure to bend to the whims of your local and visiting WC was divisive. Failure to acknowledge their superiority in every category of life was divisive if that's what they thought.
I knew a lot of nice corp people, and a few that weren't. There were some who could manage without having people at their beck and call, but most were led to believe that was the proper way to use those of us who weren't corp. In my area everyone groaned when they were told that the goal was to replace all branch and twig leaders with corp grads. People were not happy about that. I don't know of anyone who actually left because of that, but they weren't happy with the idea.
These people gave their lives (and I knew a few who quit college, didn't get married, and gave up lucrative careers) to serve God (VPW) and move the word (push PFAL and other classes) on the masses of humanity who were not smart enough or spiritual enough to get with the program. In return, they expected to be treated like some sort of royal caste. Failure to do the will of your local WC person(s) was the divisive part. Failure to bend to the whims of your local and visiting WC was divisive. Failure to acknowledge their superiority in every category of life was divisive if that's what they thought.
Yeah. We gave up a lot. I didn't need to be treated like royal caste. In fact in most cases I would have settled for mutual respect, which seldom happened. People over me were harsh / abusive. People in our fellowships were unhappy, complaining, wanting someone to tell them what to do. When we'd just teach and expect them to run their own lives they'd complain. And they all knew better than us. It's amazing how much lecturing I'd take from all sides. The lecturing of the people was on how the ministry was supposed to be, which I had zero input on as it's run autocratically. The lecturing of our leaders was on "moving the Word". We never had time for normal stuff like jobs, family. It was largely all volunteer effort. Nobody anywhere ever thanked us. Nobody cared. I started to see that people around us - neighbors, co-workers, Christians in the community all acted a h3ll of a lot more Chistian towardd us than people in the ministry. The fruit of people started to show for what is was - a coerced bribery. Bondage. Slavery to traditions, positions. Lack of Word lived. Now I can find more Christian fruit on the block I live on than I saw in the last 5 years I was in TWI.
You see the Corps ceased to be "It Is Written", and drifted towards "It Is Position". Who said something was infinitely more important than the truth of what was said. People stopped quoting chapter and verse, and instead quoted "so and so said". Maybe it was always that way, or maybe it changed. Either way the cruelty of religion and politics always brings out the worst in humanity.
I knew a lot of nice corp people, and a few that weren't. There were some who could manage without having people at their beck and call, but most were led to believe that was the proper way to use those of us who weren't corp. In my area everyone groaned when they were told that the goal was to replace all branch and twig leaders with corp grads. People were not happy about that. I don't know of anyone who actually left because of that, but they weren't happy with the idea.
I met good and bad. And there were those that were good or bad to me but different to others. I never needed anyone doing much of anything for me. But it's amazing how much of an attitude we'd see when we'd have expectations that if people are using our home for their church they leave it like they found it. People would trash our home, break our stuff, steal our stuff, lie about it. We'd just eat it all the time because what are you going to do? People would blame us for stuff other leaders did to them we didn't know about. Of course in addition to working a job and volunteering a second job I needed to be omniscient too.
It's just a system that uses people. If people are paying $$$ every month they deserve to have the utilization of a church. Not send all the money in to have some fat cats on a farm acting like hot shots. There is very little value add there.
Was the Corps divisive? Sure. There are no degrees of saved or ranks in the body of Christ. But I didn't go in for that. I went in to take my commitment to God to a new level. To serve more. To help more people. But with the hierarchy and the system in place, it uses people. People serve the system. And that happens regardless of any one individual's motivation. It's like Paul said of the legalists in Jerusalem - "they seemed to be somewhat, but they added nothing to me". We're all equal in God's eyes. F the labels.
Chockfull - I met a number of wonderful WC, who were just like you. It was the few that I described that left the bad taste. It was all around a thankless organization that we belonged to that insisted that we be thankful for being in that situation.
You see the Corps ceased to be "It Is Written", and drifted towards "It Is Position". Who said something was infinitely more important than the truth of what was said. People stopped quoting chapter and verse, and instead quoted "so and so said". Maybe it was always that way, or maybe it changed. Either way the cruelty of religion and politics always brings out the worst in humanity.
Twi's corps training indoctrination had little to do with "It Is Written"......far too often, the corps program utilized selective verses and teachings to drive their agendas. A regimented, lock-step mentality was incorporated that trumped all teachings of Christ-in uniqueness and individuality. The "members in particular in the One Body" was a relative non-issue.....the operation of the "revelation and power manifestations" were of less concern than my two years as a WOW Ambassador......the mog-idolary was promoted heavily by the corps coordinators on campus.
The corps motto may have been "It Is Written"......but the reality? "It Is Wierwille"
"Divisive" is an opinion of others or self that depends on the perspective and intentions of the person who calls others "divisive." IMO all such OPINIONS of others may be considered individually as to whether or not the one who accuses others of being "divisive" is in fact not simply being divisive themselves.
And "Unified" and "Divided" are two opposite state of affairs that on their own, depending on one's perspective, may either be a good or a bad state of affairs.
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Tzaia
The WC program divisive? Depends on your point of view. These people gave their lives (and I knew a few who quit college, didn't get married, and gave up lucrative careers) to serve God (VPW) and move the word (push PFAL and other classes) on the masses of humanity who were not smart enough or spiritual enough to get with the program. In return, they expected to be treated like some sort of royal caste. Failure to do the will of your local WC person(s) was the divisive part. Failure to bend to the whims of your local and visiting WC was divisive. Failure to acknowledge their superiority in every category of life was divisive if that's what they thought.
I knew a lot of nice corp people, and a few that weren't. There were some who could manage without having people at their beck and call, but most were led to believe that was the proper way to use those of us who weren't corp. In my area everyone groaned when they were told that the goal was to replace all branch and twig leaders with corp grads. People were not happy about that. I don't know of anyone who actually left because of that, but they weren't happy with the idea.
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chockfull
Yeah. We gave up a lot. I didn't need to be treated like royal caste. In fact in most cases I would have settled for mutual respect, which seldom happened. People over me were harsh / abusive. People in our fellowships were unhappy, complaining, wanting someone to tell them what to do. When we'd just teach and expect them to run their own lives they'd complain. And they all knew better than us. It's amazing how much lecturing I'd take from all sides. The lecturing of the people was on how the ministry was supposed to be, which I had zero input on as it's run autocratically. The lecturing of our leaders was on "moving the Word". We never had time for normal stuff like jobs, family. It was largely all volunteer effort. Nobody anywhere ever thanked us. Nobody cared. I started to see that people around us - neighbors, co-workers, Christians in the community all acted a h3ll of a lot more Chistian towardd us than people in the ministry. The fruit of people started to show for what is was - a coerced bribery. Bondage. Slavery to traditions, positions. Lack of Word lived. Now I can find more Christian fruit on the block I live on than I saw in the last 5 years I was in TWI.
You see the Corps ceased to be "It Is Written", and drifted towards "It Is Position". Who said something was infinitely more important than the truth of what was said. People stopped quoting chapter and verse, and instead quoted "so and so said". Maybe it was always that way, or maybe it changed. Either way the cruelty of religion and politics always brings out the worst in humanity.
I met good and bad. And there were those that were good or bad to me but different to others. I never needed anyone doing much of anything for me. But it's amazing how much of an attitude we'd see when we'd have expectations that if people are using our home for their church they leave it like they found it. People would trash our home, break our stuff, steal our stuff, lie about it. We'd just eat it all the time because what are you going to do? People would blame us for stuff other leaders did to them we didn't know about. Of course in addition to working a job and volunteering a second job I needed to be omniscient too.
It's just a system that uses people. If people are paying $$$ every month they deserve to have the utilization of a church. Not send all the money in to have some fat cats on a farm acting like hot shots. There is very little value add there.
Was the Corps divisive? Sure. There are no degrees of saved or ranks in the body of Christ. But I didn't go in for that. I went in to take my commitment to God to a new level. To serve more. To help more people. But with the hierarchy and the system in place, it uses people. People serve the system. And that happens regardless of any one individual's motivation. It's like Paul said of the legalists in Jerusalem - "they seemed to be somewhat, but they added nothing to me". We're all equal in God's eyes. F the labels.
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Tzaia
Chockfull - I met a number of wonderful WC, who were just like you. It was the few that I described that left the bad taste. It was all around a thankless organization that we belonged to that insisted that we be thankful for being in that situation.
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skyrider
Twi's corps training indoctrination had little to do with "It Is Written"......far too often, the corps program utilized selective verses and teachings to drive their agendas. A regimented, lock-step mentality was incorporated that trumped all teachings of Christ-in uniqueness and individuality. The "members in particular in the One Body" was a relative non-issue.....the operation of the "revelation and power manifestations" were of less concern than my two years as a WOW Ambassador......the mog-idolary was promoted heavily by the corps coordinators on campus.
The corps motto may have been "It Is Written"......but the reality? "It Is Wierwille"
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JeffSjo
TWO-CENTS ALERT.
"Divided" is a state of affairs.
"Divisive" is an opinion of others or self that depends on the perspective and intentions of the person who calls others "divisive." IMO all such OPINIONS of others may be considered individually as to whether or not the one who accuses others of being "divisive" is in fact not simply being divisive themselves.
And "Unified" and "Divided" are two opposite state of affairs that on their own, depending on one's perspective, may either be a good or a bad state of affairs.
Does this make sense?
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