Dumb reasons people got the boot.

[socks]

Top 10 Dumb Reasons:

1. That poor soul who fell asleep during a VPW teaching and got the boot-ski, and quick. That was back in the 70's, forget the year. VPW was so distraught by seeing this guy nodding out that he was in tears with his son Don W. I was surprised he didn't see the rest of us, it wasn't that uncommon- "Don...they don't care...they don't care!...." It was weird. I think this turned out to be during a period when he was dealing with the illnesses that would ultimately claim his life, can't swear to it but I think he was in pain that night as it was later explained. If he'd managed all of that better he wouldn't have been doing what he was doing.

2. There were a couple others later who got booted for nodding out during a life changing teaching I heard over the years - lots of "copy cat" revelation went around It seemed like it was almost a right of passage for some of the hardy, stalwart "men of God" whose very footsteps caused the devil to shake in fear. But who couldn't deal with the fact that their verbal screeds could put a meth addict to sleep.

3. Limb boss's for goofing off and screwing around with women in their state - there was a guy whose reign of terror went on right under VPW's nose, who just couldn't bring himself to believe what he was hearing. Until it finally got through to LCM who, believe it not, finally took action and came down and they traveled around the state for special Corps meetings so they could explain how this guy had done "so much to move the Word" and needed to "take time" with his family. Boo hoo hoo. It was the biggest pile of b--sh-t most of us had heard to that point. Not all of us knew the extent of what had been going on but many were victims of this guy's insanity and had communicated to both VPW and LCM their concerns. Well, I had with VPW. That didn't get me any brownie points that year and actually ws part of what to a "demotion", which was fine with me - then when my replacement imploded the Limb Boss guy had the unmitigated gall to ask me to "show him the ropes and help him get it together". Apparently the poor soul didn't know how to properly do what he was told - I thought it was hilarious that I was asked out of desperation to step in. I had other things to do.

Come to think of it he didn't actually get "kicked out" totally - probably would have been the best thing fro him though.

4. I'm sure there's more.....within these kinds of stories there are threads of realities that represent the demise of the Way Nash.

[waysider]

I have to say it was a bit disapointing. When I saw there were 46 responses, I thought I was in for a lively and intelligent discussion about the topic. I think when a thread gets inundated with a lot of confusing posts that seem to be inside jokes only two understand, everyone else gives up on it.

The thread stops being interesting. Too much to weed through.

Please accept my apology. Sometimes things that seem clear to me are really.....ummm...not so clear.

[100% Free]

Please accept my apology. Sometimes things that seem clear to me are really.....ummm...not so clear.

Certainly, and thanks. Hope you have a nice rest of the weekend. :)

[frank123lol]

5. When you are told you are not welcome if you buy a house because it is against policy.

6.When the area leader says he can't work with you anymore??

[rascal]

7. When one is suspected of homo/lesbian.

I knew two different women booted for being suspected lesbians. Don`t let the fact that they were married mothers of

multiple children, deceive you when genuine spiritual suspicion by a leader is involved

8. Being possessed.

Usually it was because you had the unmitigated gaul to defend yourself when under attack from a leader.

8. Wouldn`t swear a loyalty oath.

[100% Free]

There was someone who got the boot for not renewing a Way mag subscription.

[HAPe4me]

well, I was never booted/marked, whatever. I abruptly stopped going, without hesitation when my best friends Bob and Robin were given 24 hours to leave Emporia when they objected to covering up the sexcapades. or maybe it was Craig's ultimatum of getting on your knees before him (male or female alike).

I could not leave THIS story untold however:

Another friend and his wife in MO were asked to no longer come to fellowship because after 25 years of going to TWI he was still unable to believe for healing for his degenerative eye disease. He was told that coming to TWI functions was a bad witness to the newcomers. Way to go Mr. MO Limb Leader, you made a real foot of yourself.

[Thomas Loy Bumgarner]

I bet the Missouri Limb leader would not dared to threaten Wierwille of excommunication/disfellowship/marked and avoided because of his eye problems , huh, unsure, wacko, blink. emoticons won't follow my comments.

Edited December 5, 2011 by Thomas Loy Bumgarner

[100% Free]

This person was not given the boot,but after fufilling all the requirements to go to the advanced class and being accepted- the limbcwordz (wimpy man, viscious wife) decided he should not be allowed to go because he had not believed to be healed from his stuttering problem. He left shortly after that.

[outandabout]

This is dumbfounding. No wonder TWI is a mere shadow of its former self. Looks like THEY are the greasespots. TWI deserves what it gets.

[Ham]

Waysider and Ham, your posts are tough for me to follow.

sowie..

it's hard to follow myself sometimes..

If I did not leave "graciously".. I would have been gone within ninety days, at least..

because of what. Because my then wife could be possibly considered a nutcas

and only by suspicion.

weird, huh?

[waysider]

"Suspicion" is the 10^th manifestation.

"The manifestation of suspicion is your God given ability, etc, etc, etc, yada, yada....."

[OldSkool]

I dunno getting kicked out of TWI is definitely a move that will improve one's life in the long run.

[Ham]

Even on mere suspicion of nuttiness..

[Grace Valerie Claire]

On 12/2/2011 at 7:00 PM, GeorgeStGeorge said:

That wasn't the only reason, by the way. In general, it was my failure to kowtow when told things that didn't make any sense. For example, I owned a house, free and clear, about five miles from where I worked. I had a Twig leader (not the same one) who had fellowship in his home, about 35 miles away. The Limb and Branch leaders kept trying to get me to sell my house to move closer to Twig. No, thanks!

George

George, Smart man!

[Grace Valerie Claire]

On 12/7/2011 at 10:30 AM, outandabout said:

This is dumbfounding. No wonder TWI is a mere shadow of its former self. Looks like THEY are the greasespots. TWI deserves what it gets.

Out, we have a winner!  TWI does deserve what it gets.

[Grace Valerie Claire]

On 12/5/2011 at 3:58 PM, Thomas Loy Bumgarner said:

I bet the Missouri Limb leader would not dared to threaten Wierwille of excommunication/disfellowship/marked and avoided because of his eye problems , huh, unsure, wacko, blink. emoticons won't follow my comments.

Thomas, 

[Watered Garden]

Being diagnosed with diabetes put me under suspicion. Having a son with multiple mental/emotional problems who was acting out because he didn't know how else to get help was another. The only solution the men of God of that place and time could come up with was to beat him, to death if necessary.

I am still amazed that a so-called Christian organization fails to even attempt to help or even pray for those who are ill, those who are having problems with children or marriage or anything else. I thank God that the standard I try to live up to is that of a loving, compassionate, forgiving, merciful Savior instead of a suspicious, legalistic, hardhearted bunch of nincompoops like TWI.

Sadly, there are more than a few organized "churches" that spread similar doctrine, blaming the patient for their illness, recommending torment for a disobedient child, commanding wives to enslave themselves to their husbands.  I found one that does not. Thank God for that!

[Grace Valerie Claire]

23 minutes ago, Watered Garden said:

Being diagnosed with diabetes put me under suspicion. Having a son with multiple mental/emotional problems who was acting out because he didn't know how else to get help was another. The only solution the men of God of that place and time could come up with was to beat him, to death if necessary.

I am still amazed that a so-called Christian organization fails to even attempt to help or even pray for those who are ill, those who are having problems with children or marriage or anything else. I thank God that the standard I try to live up to is that of a loving, compassionate, forgiving, merciful Savior instead of a suspicious, legalistic, hardhearted bunch of nincompoops like TWI.

Sadly, there are more than a few organized "churches" that spread similar doctrine, blaming the patient for their illness, recommending torment for a disobedient child, commanding wives to enslave themselves to their husbands.  I found one that does not. Thank God for that!

WG, bingo!!

[Thomas Loy Bumgarner]

Something similar was said last night on A&E's Leah Remni and Aftermath of Scientology

[Twinky]

Here's a hilarious story.

Years after I got (very nastily) kicked out of TWI I started attending a twig-type thing, a splinter, in the town where I now live.  (I was very damaged; I needed the "comfort" of a twig - yeah, yeah, I know, don't go on at me about it.)  The splinter couple had been helpful to me in my recovery.  The wife was lovely and compassionate; the so-called Rev husband wanted things done his way, and liked to be "looked up to."  He liked me because I was (ex) WC.  I was suspicious of him and his egotism.  However it was a nice group of people, a dozen inc kids on a good day, albeit most were the (wife's) relatives. He decided to "ordain" his sister in law (nice person, had very little idea about anything non-PFAL and hadn't even read most of the Bible. 

Mr Egotistical called a huge meeting to ordain Ms SiL and even got a person coming from the US.  I went to the meeting but wouldn't go along further with this charade, and refused to sign the card that wished Ms SiL well as a "Rev."  At the break half way through, he asked me to leave (or maybe I chose to go) - anyway I left.  When I called at his home next day to collect my dishes from the communal meal, he was livid, changing colour as he spat abuse at me, and told me never to darken his door again.  I left, laughing my head off.

Mr Egotistical got his revenge by sending a foul email abusing me to everyone in his email address book.  I mean, every single address.  Along with the Sales office for some business he'd once had contact with - the shop down the road, the gas board, the water board, the city council, the irrelevant this, the irrelevant that - his mailing list included a lot of the leaders at CFFM, all his twig and an adjacent one in another city, and so on.  And me.  And then he blocked me so that I couldn't respond.  No specifics in his email, of course, just abuse and allegations about my insubordination.

Got his come-uppance when many of those leaders jumped on him, berated him for his attitude, and his own twig turned on him.  (I know, because I was copied in on some replies to him.)  As for unrelated people or businesses that he'd emailed, they must have thought they were dealing with a right nutter and quite likely refused to deal with him any more, or were very cautious in their dealings.  As for his twig members, they just carried on being social with me whenever we bumped into each other.

 

I found the whole thing hilarious and it really sealed for me how ridiculous TWI and its splinters really was.

I had also, by this time, been regularly attending a normal church for many months, where the people were kind, loving, and genuinely supportive.

 

And I attended Mr Egotistical's funeral a couple of years later.

Edited September 7, 2017 by Twinky
Why not?

[T-Bone]

Wow Twinky – what a story – I appreciate you sharing that…it’s just crazy how he went off on the deep end to mark and avoid you over something like that…having met you at the Texas BBQ a few years ago and knowing what a sweet person you are – I’m just blown away by him throwing a massive fit over you not recognizing his ordination of someone! I mean...what the he11 !?!?!

 

How loving and forgiving you were to attend his funeral a couple of years later….you’re still a sweet person

Love and peace

T-Bone

 

Edited September 7, 2017 by T-Bone
clarity

[WordWolf]

I've often said that the splinter groups have served a valuable purpose as "airlocks." Just as a person returning from deep underwater needs to spend some time in differing pressure environments before reaching the surface (their body needs to adjust to different pressure environments), people leaving twi need time to spend in differing pressure environments before fully escaping (their mind needs to adjust to different pressure environments.)  

So, part of it is being enough like the imagined "good old days" of twi, while a person looks around and sees that the rest of the world and the rest of Christianity really is no worse than twi and is usually better.  Once that's sunk in, then the splinter needs to turn up the heat and do something stupid so the person gets sick and tired of being sick and tired, and jumps ship completely from twi and ex-twi.   Then they can go do something else- alone, with other Christians, with non-Christians. etc. 

So, as we see, the pinhead who tried to bully Twinky while having a meltdown served a vital function- he drove off "his congregation" and they went out into the world just as Twinky did, and for much the same reasons.  He didn't MEAN it that way, but it worked out that way. (He meant it to her for evil...)

[T-Bone]

3 hours ago, WordWolf said:

I've often said that the splinter groups have served a valuable purpose as "airlocks." Just as a person returning from deep underwater needs to spend some time in differing pressure environments before reaching the surface (their body needs to adjust to different pressure environments), people leaving twi need time to spend in differing pressure environments before fully escaping (their mind needs to adjust to different pressure environments.)  

(SNIP)...

an excellent point WordWolf and I will testify to that from my own experience...having left in '86 in the aftermath of PoP - it was a GRADUAL distancing of myself from TWI. At first resigning from my corps assignment post of area coordinator - but still visiting all the Twigs in my area...and as the old intellectual gears continued to engage full throttle - I would feel somewhat awkward if I dared to share any of the new found stuff from my studies - instead I would start slacking off going to these Twigs...

I'm not really of the leader or management type...didn't want to start my own thing...didn't want to lead a rebellion against the "evil empire" or anything -  and at that point I didn't even see TWI as the evil empire - i was just trying to sort out what the  hell happened...how did we get to that point...how not to make the same mistakes again ...but for the moment - it was a matter of survival - I was just trying to figure out where I was since I came to the surface from a sunken ship.

It was all new to me - adapting to a new intellectual environment - and one of my own choosing.

Edited September 7, 2017 by T-Bone
2nd attempt to catch that train of thought

[skyrider]

3 hours ago, WordWolf said:

I've often said that the splinter groups have served a valuable purpose as "airlocks." Just as a person returning from deep underwater needs to spend some time in differing pressure environments before reaching the surface (their body needs to adjust to different pressure environments), people leaving twi need time to spend in differing pressure environments before fully escaping (their mind needs to adjust to different pressure environments.)  

So, part of it is being enough like the imagined "good old days" of twi, while a person looks around and sees that the rest of the world and the rest of Christianity really is no worse than twi and is usually better.  Once that's sunk in, then the splinter needs to turn up the heat and do something stupid so the person gets sick and tired of being sick and tired, and jumps ship completely from twi and ex-twi.   Then they can go do something else- alone, with other Christians, with non-Christians. etc. 

So, as we see, the pinhead who tried to bully Twinky while having a meltdown served a vital function- he drove off "his congregation" and they went out into the world just as Twinky did, and for much the same reasons.  He didn't MEAN it that way, but it worked out that way. (He meant it to her for evil...)

WordWolf........regarding splinter groups serving a valuable purpose as "airlocks"......

I used to think that as well.........but not anymore.  My brother-in-law is on splinter group payroll [over 20 years]........and STILL holds to wierwille adulation and doctrine.  How many of these guys are sucking the oxygen of the wierwille cult to keep the schlubs tossing their money into a cult-lite hole?  20 YEARS???!!!

And then...............how many "followers" stay stuck in a splinter group in a deceived snare? 

Maybe, it's just me.......but when I exited twi, I did NOT need "airlocks" or "counsel" to depressurize........I just needed to ESCAPE AND BREATHE FRESH AIR.