Never. Feel. Guilty.

[skyrider]

Having spent 24 years in twi, I have often re-assessed my reasons for leaving. Last night, in a long conversation

with another ex-follower, I held to my conviction that I've "never felt guilty" for walking away.

Why should I continue to allow twi leadership to control my life?

* Clearly, the scriptures admonish me to discern evil and forsake it.

* Clearly, twi had lauded their way as the pathway of righteousness.

* Clearly, their legalism was fear-driven and vain traditions of man.

* Clearly, their agendas were devised and structured to maximize control of others.

* Clearly, bait-and-switch methods had hooked and netted me at my peril.

When the scales fell from my eyes, I realized in crystal-clear clarity that LEAVING was my only true option.

There was NO WAY that I could remain in twi and live in their hypocrisy. My rule of conduct, my code of honor

would NOT let me, willingly, succomb to conscious deception and deceiving others. I took responsibility to

assert myself to a higher path of living.

Nor could I stomach the thought of twi using me as a "corps poster" of discipline. For the record, that strong

inner-drive of passion and discipline came FROM MY FARM BACKGROUND. I had daily chores at the age of 10....to help

with the livestock and farming. We had nearly 2,600 acres of wheat and corn and 40 acres of alfalfa. Every summer,

one of the challenging tasks was moving irrigation pipe across the alfalfa fields to insure 3 cuttings, and in some

exceptional years a 4th cutting. Then, came the bailing and stacking the bales for sale and livestock use.

In twi, I was trying to justify and uphold the unjustifiable. The corps program rewarded obedience and followship,

NOT LEADERSHIP. Wierwille's brand placated the bullies, the boisterous and pompous, in the name of spiritual maturity.

The corps was made in wierwille's image. All of wierwille's bravado pales into obscurity when spiritual stalwarts like

the Apostle Paul, Barnabus, Timothy, etc. are elucidated in following in the steps of Jesus Christ. The comparison to

wierwille shouldn't even be in the same paragraph or chapter, let alone the same sentence.

Yet, in conversing with my friend, I had to realize that I've dismantled this wierwille-idolatry structure a thousand

times over thru the years. Whether the discussion turns to his pfal class, the convenient snowstorm revelations, the

India itinerary, the plagairisms, the clumsy research, or Red-Thread ripoff from Oral Roberts....makes no difference.

None of twi's salient points of wierwille's legacy holds water, for me, anymore. Therefore, I have very little emotion

left for wierwille's portrayal and betrayal.

Although twi's LAST, GRASPING EFFORT to a departing follower is "you'll be a greasespot by midnight".......for me, it never

worked. I had reached the conclusion that if THIS is what staying IN twi is like, then I'll gladly take my chances away

from this prison. And in defiant declaration, I'd say to myself that "I'd rather die trying to climb outta this hole than

to rot in it."

And, with each passing year.....I am vindicated.

Twi has become the embodiment of vain repetition, the traditions of man, the emptyness of vain worship. Those who feed off

(salaried) their vainglory are BECOMING more than those who put money into the horns-of-plenty. The hollow auditorium is

a structure where hollow platitudes fall on deaf ears. The vast majority of empty seats is a declaration of dissent. Yet,

the rigid ideology of twi refuses to turn from their evil ways.

All of us have to live with our choices....and I'm so thankful I've made mine.

Having left twi's "way"......

Never. Feel. Guilty.

.

Edited August 19, 2012 by skyrider

[waysider]

When I left for good, I felt tremendously guilty for having forsaken "the one true household". After finding GSC and finally coming to an understanding of what really took place, I felt kind of foolish for ever feeling guilty. (But, it was a good kind of foolish.)

For goodness sakes, it was just a a 2 bit cult. Nothing "special" about it at all. There's no reason to ever feel guilty about walking away from a cult. If anything, maybe people who DON'T walk away should feel guilty for enabling the furtherance of the sham.

[OldSkool]

If anything, maybe people who DON'T walk away should feel guilty for enabling the furtherance of the sham.

That's what took some time for me to understand. By staying with them and "volunteering" my time and resources I was enabling them to do the same harm to others as they had done to me.

[Steve Lortz]

That's what took some time for me to understand. By staying with them and "volunteering" my time and resources I was enabling them to do the same harm to others as they had done to me.

Skyrider, waysider, OldSkool, you are all RIGHT!

In Philippians 3:19, Paul wrote about those who were enemies of the cross of Christ, whose example we should not follow, that their end is destruction (loss, waste, ruin), their God is their belly, they glory in their shame, and they mind earthly things.

There is a figure of speech in that verse; the last thing is put first and the first thing put last; that is, the process begins by thinking about fleshly desires instead of spiritual objectives, by becoming proud of things they ought to be ashamed of, by serving their own appetites the way they should serve God, and as a result, all their efforts are worthless and come to nothing.

This is a description of what happened with Wierwille and his organization.

A true reason for guilt is staying in when you know better, not for leaving!

Love,

Steve

[Steve Lortz]

When the scales fell from my eyes, I realized in crystal-clear clarity that LEAVING was my only true option.

There was NO WAY that I could remain in twi and live in their hypocrisy. My rule of conduct, my code of honor

would NOT let me, willingly, succomb to conscious deception and deceiving others. I took responsibility to

assert myself to a higher path of living.

That's why you became free, skyrider, because you accepted responsibility. And I think it was the Lord who took the scales from your eyes in His time. I believe that's what He did with me.

Love,

Steve

[Steve Lortz]

I felt kind of foolish for ever feeling guilty. (But, it was a good kind of foolish.)

Love,

Steve