But then, there were those who left the cult in the early 70s.......45 years ago.
And, those who left in the mass exodus around 1987.......30 years ago.
Yeah, of course.......I wish that I would have left years earlier.
But then, I wouldn't have seen firsthand how decrepit and demented wierwille's organization/doctrine would falter. With martindale at the helm, we were oblivious of what would lie beyond the fog. Yet, even after all of this......rivenbark had NO ANSWERS either. The blind were (and are) leading the blind.
And, STILL it got worse. The R&R group of corps exited LAST YEAR.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Greasespot Café stands as a living, breathing testament of personal stories withstanding, enduring and escaping cult indoctrination.
How long will people keep coming forward to tell their stories?
So, knowing what you knew when you were at that Adv Class - did you take the opportunity to tell those present that you were leaving, and explain at length WHY you were leaving?
Twinky.......as you know, I gave a detailed account of my growing ire and dissent of twi's heavy-handedness and mandates in that thread "Insanity on Steroids." Like Penworks and her book "Undertow".......chronicling my thoughts and actions, and how they evolved over time is a challenging task. To my regret, I had always thought twi would move beyond wierwille and its leaders would rise up to walk in love, light and circumspectly. My optimism was ill-placed.
At the local level (on the field)......we were seeing and living a different reality than headquarters. Looking back, it's now easy to see..........that I had been moving closer to the exit doors since 1994. To me, life was much bigger than twi's box.......and Christianity was far bigger than any one group or denomination.
Looking back, I still laugh thinking that...... at our Limb meetings in 1994 and 1995, we eliminated the meeting/ushers/stringchairs and went to the lake. We had two ski boats. We played sand volleyball and games all afternoon.....and had a campfire with s'mores for the kids. Some camped overnight. We had loads of fun.
The cult is a dichotomy............
......when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging
......how to best help others out of a hole that they don't realize they're in
3. An illumination of all things that were hidden from those out in the ether, the regular attendees of their local fellowship.
Like me. You all have floored me with your firsthand sharings of the evils of TWI.
Yes - What was hidden from the local fellowships was the dark underbelly of the beast. I mentioned on another thread how TWI has two faces...
...there is the pristine Christian-like appearance to the general TWI audience ...
... then there is something like on the order of a wicked-stepmother-out-of-a-Disney-movie aspect of TWI, where the way corps ...are really the stepchildren (“fathered” by the wonderfully charming “apostle” of plagiarism...or maybe it’s more like being misled to think we are following in the steps of the school of the prophets of the Old Testament or even like the disciples of the Lord Jesus when he walked the earth...yes perhaps priding ourselves on having a child-like faith can be a treacherous journey) ...
the way corps suffered abuses and exploitation to keep the cult machinations operational...we thought we were giving our all for God and the one true ministry...
...but I think all the hype, all the bull$hit, all the intimidation, all the monotonous and often mindless tasks heaped on the way corps just isn’t enough to keep folks on the unfulfilling hamster wheel indefinitely.
What was hidden from the local fellowships was the dark underbelly of the beast.
That's because there was a concerted effort to conceal the inner workings. It didn't simply go unnoticed. As you said, it was purposely hidden. Hidden with threats of expulsion for thinking evil thoughts of your brother or sister, threats of retaliation for exposing the nefarious actions of leadership, threats of the devil consuming you if you should dare to ever venture outside the wall of protection. And perhaps the worst of all, threats of God refusing to "spit in your direction" if you should be so bold as to withhold your *abundant sharing.
Better watch out! You'll be a grease-spot in the road by midnight.
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skyrider
20 years is a lifetime ago......
Yeah, of course.......I wish that I would have left years earlier.
But then, I wouldn't have seen firsthand how decrepit and demented wierwille's organization/doctrine would falter. With martindale at the helm, we were oblivious of what would lie beyond the fog. Yet, even after all of this......rivenbark had NO ANSWERS either. The blind were (and are) leading the blind.
And, STILL it got worse. The R&R group of corps exited LAST YEAR.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Greasespot Café stands as a living, breathing testament of personal stories withstanding, enduring and escaping cult indoctrination.
How long will people keep coming forward to tell their stories?
How long will there be a need for this site?
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Twinky
So, knowing what you knew when you were at that Adv Class - did you take the opportunity to tell those present that you were leaving, and explain at length WHY you were leaving?
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skyrider
Twinky.......as you know, I gave a detailed account of my growing ire and dissent of twi's heavy-handedness and mandates in that thread "Insanity on Steroids." Like Penworks and her book "Undertow".......chronicling my thoughts and actions, and how they evolved over time is a challenging task. To my regret, I had always thought twi would move beyond wierwille and its leaders would rise up to walk in love, light and circumspectly. My optimism was ill-placed.
At the local level (on the field)......we were seeing and living a different reality than headquarters. Looking back, it's now easy to see..........that I had been moving closer to the exit doors since 1994. To me, life was much bigger than twi's box.......and Christianity was far bigger than any one group or denomination.
Looking back, I still laugh thinking that...... at our Limb meetings in 1994 and 1995, we eliminated the meeting/ushers/stringchairs and went to the lake. We had two ski boats. We played sand volleyball and games all afternoon.....and had a campfire with s'mores for the kids. Some camped overnight. We had loads of fun.
The cult is a dichotomy............
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T-Bone
I think Grease Spot often has a twofold attraction to new folks:
1. Some experiences they read about deeply resonate with them too – it strikes a nerve and it won’t quit vibrating!
2. The seemingly endless possibilities and options for those who dare to think – and live – outside the cult-box.
...as long as there are cults around there will always be a need for a website like this!
Edited by T-Bonelet freedom ring !!!
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Grace Valerie Claire
Sky, I think you ate a living saint! I could not have put up with all the Bullshzt TWI gave you, and your family. Thank you for your posts!
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Taxidev
I would add a third:
3. An illumination of all things that were hidden from those out in the ether, the regular attendees of their local fellowship.
Like me. You all have floored me with your firsthand sharings of the evils of TWI.
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T-Bone
Yes - What was hidden from the local fellowships was the dark underbelly of the beast. I mentioned on another thread how TWI has two faces...
...there is the pristine Christian-like appearance to the general TWI audience ...
... then there is something like on the order of a wicked-stepmother-out-of-a-Disney-movie aspect of TWI, where the way corps ...are really the stepchildren (“fathered” by the wonderfully charming “apostle” of plagiarism...or maybe it’s more like being misled to think we are following in the steps of the school of the prophets of the Old Testament or even like the disciples of the Lord Jesus when he walked the earth...yes perhaps priding ourselves on having a child-like faith can be a treacherous journey) ...
the way corps suffered abuses and exploitation to keep the cult machinations operational...we thought we were giving our all for God and the one true ministry...
...but I think all the hype, all the bull$hit, all the intimidation, all the monotonous and often mindless tasks heaped on the way corps just isn’t enough to keep folks on the unfulfilling hamster wheel indefinitely.
Edited by T-BoneClarity and formatting
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waysider
That's because there was a concerted effort to conceal the inner workings. It didn't simply go unnoticed. As you said, it was purposely hidden. Hidden with threats of expulsion for thinking evil thoughts of your brother or sister, threats of retaliation for exposing the nefarious actions of leadership, threats of the devil consuming you if you should dare to ever venture outside the wall of protection. And perhaps the worst of all, threats of God refusing to "spit in your direction" if you should be so bold as to withhold your *abundant sharing.
Better watch out! You'll be a grease-spot in the road by midnight.
*Way-speak for obligatory tithe.
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