The End of The Road

[skyrider]

Reflection upon life's experiences in relationship to one's learning curve is an amazing and humbling exercise. How often we here the old adage -- "Had I known then what I know now..."

In 1975, when I encouraged my college friend to take PFAL, he sat thru the first two sessions UNTIL his parents intervened and flatly stated that TWI WAS A CULT. He promptly dismissed himself from pfal....and we agreed to disagree about twi.

"Had I known then what I know now....."

Yet, I was walking into the unknown, away from family and friends.....towards a "spiritual calling" and dismissing every warning sign (five-senses logic) on this new road. After all, walking by the five-senses was contrary to obeying God.....or so, as wierwille had twisted the scriptures to say in pfal. Really? How many scriptures could he have spotlighted to show how one ADHERES to what's happening around him/her to move spiritually? The book of Ruth?

"Had I known then what I know now....."

The Corps Indoctrination was the Brownshirt Blitzkreig......corps were never to ask, but jump to the commanding orders. Oh yeah.....that's spurtial, alright. NOT. Yet, all the numbnutz "leaders" before us....all the way back to the first corps are jumping too. Ummm.....don't the scriptures clearly specify that each one of us will give our OWN account before the Father?

"Had I known then what I know now....."

By 1978, I was having glimpses of breaking free from this indoctrination, from following this Cult Road. I saw a few brave men speaking out against the wierwille-idolatry. The 4th Corps Limb coordinator exited twi. A 6th Corps Region guy had moved back into the professional/business world. Some corps were going back to college and/or pinpointing their career paths. Could someone be spiritual, be corps AND pursue their own passions....I wondered? Couldn't we live for God and be UNIQUE as well? Isn't this groupthink "like-mindedness" alot like the Jim Jones' fiasco?

"Had I known then what I know now....."

Wierwille, was becoming more confrontational and more unglued. Three major episodes, which I've detailed on GS several times, gave me undeniable proof that wierwille was NOT the man he purported to be. He was a different man than his "stage persona." In closed-corps meetings, his true colors were showing as he yelled, cursed, and had his hissy-fits before stomping out. When he couldn't win the debate on merit, he quickly moved to intimidate his foe. I vowed to God that....WIERWILLE WAS NOT MY TUPOS, MY IMPRINT, OF SPIRITUAL INTEGRITY.

"Had I known then what I know now....."

When wierwille died....it wasn't long before Geer came riding in on his white horse to usurp the kingdom and garner the peasants. Same tripe, same manipulation.....calling us "back to the Word" or we ain't spiritual. Yeah, yeah.....heard that before, a few thousand times. No thanks. I ain't going your way, down your Gartmore Gullywash. By putting more distance and skeptism between me and twi.....I had reached the end of those "just trust me" teachings. A few years to confirm WHAT I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BACK IN 1975 and.....I had reached my destination.

THE END OF THE ROAD

:B)

[waysider]

You don't have to look any farther than facebook to find people still entrenched in that cliche-filled gibberish and TWI think. I don't know if they are doing it to proselytize new recruits or maintain a numbing level of self-delusion. I have my own theory on that matter.

[skyrider]

You don't have to look any farther than facebook to find people still entrenched in that cliche-filled gibberish and TWI think. I don't know if they are doing it to proselytize new recruits or maintain a numbing level of self-delusion. I have my own theory on that matter.

Amazing, isn't it?

Those who left twi during the "1988 exodus"....and are STILL entrenched in pfal-speak? After some 23 years "out"......and they gawk and talk like they're "in?" What could possibly be the theories?

1) A sense of "being there" when things were hot?

2) No other fabric in life to cling to?

3) Proselytizing....so they don't lose rewards?

4) To hang with the "in crowd" you gotta do xyz?

5) Indoctrinated....pure and simple?

6) Other?

[waysider]

6) Other?

7) Keep trying to convince themselves and each other that there really is a Santa Claus.

[frank123lol]

Yeah,If they try hard enough maybe they will get that "feeling" back again.

You have to move on in life.You have to grow up.I amsupposed to know "better" now.

[waysider]

[frank123lol]

Lol.

[OperaBuff]

This brings to mind the Conybeare and Howson translation of I Thessalonians, which I recently read for the first time. It's magnificent.

I Thessalonians 4: 9-12

"Concerning brotherly love it is needless that I should write to you; for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another; as you show by your deeds towards all the brethren throughout the whole of Macedonia. I exhort you only, brethren, to abound still more. Seek peaceful quietness, and give yourselves to the concerns of your private life; let this be your ambition. Work with your own hands (as I commanded you), for your own support; that the seemly order of your lives may be manifest to those without the church, and that you may need no help from others."

On the subject of our love for each other as Christian brothers and sisters, being encouraged by God to seek peaceful quietness. Being encouraged to give ourselves to the concerns of our private lives, to let this be our ambition. How profoundly and powerfully true this is. And how funny it is to know this, and then see that it is the exact opposite of the experiences so many have had with The Way International, which wanted absolute control over its followers' private lives and concerns.

[outandabout]

EVERYTHING in that verse is the OPPOSITE of TWI. Geeze, don't they read the Bible?

How about the verse that says leaders are supposed to be EXAMPLES and not OVERLOARDS? I guess they didn't read that one either!