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Craig Has His Own Offshoot Going On


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8 minutes ago, Rocky said:

1) He wants people to follow him, believe in him. The people following him, my guess would be, left twi when he did, or some time there after becoming disillusioned with a twi without him. Just a guess.

2) Those who follow him likely do not view him as a predator, disgraced or otherwise.

Fair guess. 

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1 hour ago, Stayed Too Long said:

BecomingMe said most, if not all of Craig’s followers, are ex-Way folks. That seems so crazy to me, as Craig probably M&A’ed many of them. Why would he want to associate with anyone who would be a grease spot by midnight? And why would the ex-Way people want to be associated with a disgraced preditor?
But, since Craig is now included in the grease spot crowd, is it possible he realized he was spewing nothing but BS, and only wanted to instill fear in people if they were contemplating leaving?
He must have to wrestle in his mind with all the lies he has told and the lives he has ruined. 

[Ok, take it as a given that lcm has not matured past his twi experiences fundamentally, and some other people have not, as well. 

So, why does he do it?  He wants and expects an audience if he teaches, and his self-esteem is attached to it, as well.   So, he's going to keep speaking and teaching as long as he can find a medium in which to do so. 

Why is anyone reading/listening to his stuff?    They haven't grown up, either. They spent their lives in a holding pattern, circling and want a return to what they think of as "normalcy." One version of that would be listening to lcm.  

I don't think that's MANY people, but there's a small subset of ex-twi to whom that applies. After all, there was a tiny handful who worshipped vpw and his stuff as if he wrote a new, improved Bible.  Again, this is self-correcting over the long run because almost none of their kids would consider following lockstep like this, when other options are so easy to find.

There's still plenty of ex-twi who associate with each other, but most of them won't follow lcm like this.   And many of them are associating with each other AND OTHER CHRISTIANS.    So, even ex-twi groups often differ from twi in fundamental ways like respecting fellow Christians.

 

No, I don't think lcm has addressed his mistakes nor the lives he messed up, and I don't think he ever will.]

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2 hours ago, Stayed Too Long said:

BecomingMe said most, if not all of Craig’s followers, are ex-Way folks. That seems so crazy to me, as Craig probably M&A’ed many of them. Why would he want to associate with anyone who would be a grease spot by midnight? And why would the ex-Way people want to be associated with a disgraced preditor?
But, since Craig is now included in the grease spot crowd, is it possible he realized he was spewing nothing but BS, and only wanted to instill fear in people if they were contemplating leaving?
He must have to wrestle in his mind with all the lies he has told and the lives he has ruined. 

Good questions...and I don't have any answers.

who knows what really motivates a person.

Why would he want to associate with anyone who would be a grease spot by midnight? Makes you wonder why anyone starts an offshoot of TWI. Maybe wierwille’s ideology is so virulent it really screws up one’s perspective. LCM might think everyone is a grease spot who doesn’t follow him. So, Grease Spotters are grease spots…TWI-followers are grease spots…R and R group are grease spots.

 

And why would the ex-Way people want to be associated with a disgraced preditor?  who knows what spiritual-sounding-bull$hit he tells his group…with the power of the microphone he can spin something any way he wants…On a smaller scale I’ve witnessed the “magic” of spiritual-sounding-bull$hit work many times during my TWI involvement…one time this way corps branch coordinator squelched complaints over his dishonest business practices by doing several teachings on murmuring.

 

But, since Craig is now included in the grease spot crowd, is it possible he realized he was spewing nothing but BS, and only wanted to instill fear in people if they were contemplating leaving?  Can malignant narcissism be taught or caught? I don’t know…but LCM was wierwille’s top student…and if one is delusional maybe they don’t realize they’re spewing out bull$hit.

 

He must have to wrestle in his mind with all the lies he has told and the lives he has ruined. You’re assuming he has a conscience like you or me.

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On 2/20/2022 at 3:39 AM, Bolshevik said:

LCM is saying SIT is a precursor to the renewed mind.  I don't remember that before.

[While it is BS,  it's not really ORIGINAL BS.  In twi, the "Keys to Walking By the Spirit" included one that claimed that "Speaking in tongues daily is requisite to revelation." In other words, if you want revelation from God Almighty, you need to SIT first.  The only explanation I ever heard of that was that, if you want God to speak to you, you should be speaking to Him.  

It's so obviously BS I wouldn't know where to start.  People speak to God all the time, using a regular voice.  People pray to God all the time, using a regular voice.  People get revelation all the time, some of whom NEVER SIT.    So, other than "that's what this group teaches," there's no reason to believe it.  If you're going to follow lcm BLINDLY like he insisted on once, you'll swallow all of this nonsense without questioning it. 

There's always someone willing to go off a cliff with little justification.] 

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3 hours ago, WordWolf said:

[While it is BS,  it's not really ORIGINAL BS.  In twi, the "Keys to Walking By the Spirit" included one that claimed that "Speaking in tongues daily is requisite to revelation." In other words, if you want revelation from God Almighty, you need to SIT first.  The only explanation I ever heard of that was that, if you want God to speak to you, you should be speaking to Him.  

It's so obviously BS I wouldn't know where to start.  People speak to God all the time, using a regular voice.  People pray to God all the time, using a regular voice.  People get revelation all the time, some of whom NEVER SIT.    So, other than "that's what this group teaches," there's no reason to believe it.  If you're going to follow lcm BLINDLY like he insisted on once, you'll swallow all of this nonsense without questioning it. 

There's always someone willing to go off a cliff with little justification.] 

II Corinthians 4:16 is the claimed proof text. HOWEVER, speaking in tongues as a prerequisite to revelation is not the context or meaning. A real non sequitur proof.  Pure, hot, steamy bullsh¡t.

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self his being renewed day by day."

 

343395FC-D7D5-436A-9BFE-BA27371B646F.jpeg

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2 hours ago, WordWolf said:

Since nobody said so outright, I'll say it so it's clear.... She's as welcome here as anyone else. Her posts are welcome, and if we can help her in some manner, we would like to.

I can't (and don't try to) speak for BecomingMe, but I hope I conveyed that very message to her in person when we met in 2021... and previously, online.

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On 8/31/2022 at 3:37 PM, Stayed Too Long said:

I am skeptical of BecomingMe being Craig’s oldest kid. Why has she waited this long to present herself to contribute to this site? Do not know if it is possible to vetify her idemtity? In the past GSC was able to verify that The Way actually posted here in response to a  post from JP Wierwille. 

This isn't her first post; she posted a year or two ago and shared her heart then.

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On 9/1/2022 at 2:25 AM, Nathan_Jr said:

II Corinthians 4:16 is the claimed proof text. HOWEVER, speaking in tongues as a prerequisite to revelation is not the context or meaning. A real non sequitur proof.  Pure, hot, steamy bullsh¡t.

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self his being renewed day by day."

 

343395FC-D7D5-436A-9BFE-BA27371B646F.jpeg

I've noticed that the "proof-text" verses for the supposed keys to walking by the spirit usually didn't have anything to do with what they were supposedly proving. 

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On 8/27/2022 at 2:13 PM, BecomingMe said:

Hi, friends! Sorry I'm late to the party. I step in and out of cult world, because it's just too heavy sometimes. I'm Craig's oldest kid and wanted to jump on this thread to help out if I can...

Annio, I think the website you're writing about is at biblebookprofiler.com. That's not him, though. So the things written about depression and anxiety and suicidal thoughts -- which I can't imagine him ever admitting to -- and the personality tests are not him. It's some other guy that happens to have posted dad's stuff on his site.

Dad is actually doing these "teachings" currently, and most (if not all?) of his followers are ex-Way people. This frustrates me to no end. How many people will he hurt and mislead in his lifetime?

As to the question of his mental health and where he went astray -- out of respect and love for my grandmother, who is still living, I won't give details here. But parts of his childhood were intensely traumatic. This might sound odd, but, as far as I can have compassion for him, I believe he was born a gentle soul and is rather fragile. Hence all the bluster and anger and defensiveness (and face meltings). I don't write this to excuse his behavior, but I find that understanding him helps me, at least. He was primed to need a daddy figure, and he got one in Wierwille.

He has seen a counselor. Briefly, in 2000, maybe for about a year. I also saw this counselor, and he helped me immensely in a time of deep depression. I think he was hardly able to scratch the surface with dad. Dad attended out of obligation at the time.

What else...? If you have questions, I'll answer them if I can <3

Thank you for posting BM.   I'd like to follow this thread if it gets more activity and questions, and likely ask a question or two myself.

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There's a lot to respond to here, and I probably will repeat others / miss stuff...

One thought that comes up from several is basically the idea that he should be respected, or that he helped some people, or that he wasn't all "that" bad. I definitely respect each individual's personal experiences and opinions. AND his overall presence in the world, in my opinion, has been a net negative. He was a victim of VPW's, yes. And he was also a villain/perpetrator/predator to many, many others.

I know this is harsh, and I hope I don’t offend anyone too deeply, but he doesn’t deserve anyone’s admiration or respect. He was/is a cult leader that took advantage of people over and over again. Did he do some good? Yes. But it’s overshadowed by the — at best — delusional decisions he made about people’s lives, livelihoods, families, social lives, personal wellbeing, their bodies, their choices…the list goes on and on. I think of all the points here this is the hot-button one for me, so my personal experience perhaps clouds my judgement. But I also think my personal experience informs my judgement here in a way others don’t have access to — meaning, I know what kind of a person he was/is.

WordWolf, you mentioned that those listening to him now are probably over 50 and are responsible for their own thoughts and beliefs. Thank you for that perspective; you’re right, I think (hope?), although I do think brainwashing is real and more powerful than popular opinion sees it as.

Another question that comes up is whether he really believes his stuff or is just a con man. He believes it wholeheartedly. Always has, and I think always will. I think that in itself is a “reason” he continues on with teaching. He believes it’s God’s will.

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Stayed Too Long, I do understand your skepticism, and I’m grateful to Rocky for speaking up on my behalf. I welcome private messages from anyone who is still skeptical.

You asked why I’ve waited so long to speak up. For years, I was so afraid to. Dad’s perspective on the internet and sites like Greasespot being fiery darts lodged itself in my brain and was hard to fight for awhile. After that, I was afraid news of my writing here would get back to my mom, with whom I still have a relationship I would like to maintain. Another factor you may not have considered is that this is my family being written about, so it feels pretty personal. But the basic answer here is trauma. I’ve grappled with one traumatic memory after another, one trauma reaction after another. So it’s taken me a minute to be ready to show up.

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On 9/1/2022 at 12:13 AM, WordWolf said:

Since nobody said so outright, I'll say it so it's clear.... She's as welcome here as anyone else. Her posts are welcome, and if we can help her in some manner, we would like to.

WordWolf, I appreciate it very much. And Rocky, you've made that so clear by your compassion and kindness. :)

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On 9/6/2022 at 10:20 AM, oldiesman said:

Thank you for posting BM.   I'd like to follow this thread if it gets more activity and questions, and likely ask a question or two myself.

Oldiesman, ask away. I'm curious what people want to know, what it will jog in my memory. PM or here is fine.

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It's one thing to get out of the way, and that's not easy, and another thing to get the way out of ourselves, a lot harder, I believe. As you know well, BecomingMe.

It took me quite a few years of attacking this way thing in my head, before I think it was finally done. Looking at it now and from the past, I was battling myself, not someone else or some kind of god or devil. A lot of people helped, whether they know it or not. Mostly people from Greasespot, but others as well.

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9 hours ago, BecomingMe said:

WordWolf, you mentioned that those listening to him now are probably over 50 and are responsible for their own thoughts and beliefs. Thank you for that perspective; you’re right, I think (hope?), although I do think brainwashing is real and more powerful than popular opinion sees it as.

I continue to learn and experience "sunesis" (running together of rivers, or something like that, but can also be described, IMO as connecting the dots). Recently, I recognized this:
 

Talk about emotional projection! Do a GSC site search for hypnosis. The subject has come up before. But several threads/comments (well before Skyrider spelled it out this week on a thread about Wierwille's PFLAP (1967 filmed class)) cited the advanced class on what I refer to as PFLAP. In THAT class, so much verbal sleight of hand to make everyone afraid of it because of devil spirits. Well, hypnosis is MUCH less complicated than Wierwille led us to believe.

From wikipedia:

Quote

 

Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI),[2] reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.[3]

There are competing theories explaining hypnosis and related phenomena.

 

Now, according to such an explanation, it seems apparent that Wierwille used theatrics to induce a form of hypnosis in the "foundational" PFLAP class.

 

Quote

 

Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control is a 2004 popular science book explaining mind control, which is also known as brainwashing, thought reform and coercive persuasion, by neuroscientist and physiologist Kathleen Taylor. It explains the neurological basis for reasoning and cognition in the brain, and proposes that the self is changeable, and describes the physiology of neurological pathways. It reviews case studies including Patty Hearst, the Manson Family, and the mass murder/suicide of members of Peoples Temple at Jonestown, and compares the techniques of influence used by cults to those of totalitarian and communist societies. It lays out a model FACET – Freedom, Agency, Complexity, Ends-not-means, and Thinking – which she believes can be used to negate the influence of brainwashing techniques.

Taylor provides background on the development of the term brainwashing, from its use in 1950 by journalist Edward Hunter and its later usage as applied to the spheres of cults, marketing, influence, thought reform, torture, and reeducation.[1][2][3] She references psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton's work Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism as a resource throughout the book.[1][2] Lifton based his research on interviews he conducted with prisoners of war who had been subjected to indoctrination and torture during the Korean War.[2] Taylor argues that the term brainwashing is useful when used to refer to a more coercive form of persuasion.[4]

 

Clearly, what we experienced in PFLAP wasn't overtly coercive (at least at first). We were left with the impression that we still had agency.

But did we have a version of agency with significant constraints?

Quote

 

 Irresistible force, or its effect; any force or power, physical or moral, which compels to act or to forbear action; compulsion; coercion; restraint.

noun Specifically Repression of emotion, or of the expression of one's thoughts and feelings; hence, embarrassment: as, he spoke with constraint.

 

Anyway, I should probably stop there. :wink2:

Edited by Rocky
add a link to definition of sunesis.
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14 hours ago, cman said:

It's one thing to get out of the way, and that's not easy, and another thing to get the way out of ourselves, a lot harder, I believe. As you know well, BecomingMe.

It took me quite a few years of attacking this way thing in my head, before I think it was finally done. Looking at it now and from the past, I was battling myself, not someone else or some kind of god or devil. A lot of people helped, whether they know it or not. Mostly people from Greasespot, but others as well.

YES, cman!!!!! I totally agree. And when I thought I had worked out most of the "doctrinal" stuff, there was a whole layer of psychological bull$!*% left along with a thick layer of trauma reactions. I'm trying to come to peace with the idea that I may never be done.

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23 hours ago, BecomingMe said:

There's a lot to respond to here, and I probably will repeat others / miss stuff...

One thought that comes up from several is basically the idea that he should be respected, or that he helped some people, or that he wasn't all "that" bad. I definitely respect each individual's personal experiences and opinions. AND his overall presence in the world, in my opinion, has been a net negative. He was a victim of VPW's, yes. And he was also a villain/perpetrator/predator to many, many others.

I know this is harsh, and I hope I don’t offend anyone too deeply, but he doesn’t deserve anyone’s admiration or respect. He was/is a cult leader that took advantage of people over and over again. Did he do some good? Yes. But it’s overshadowed by the — at best — delusional decisions he made about people’s lives, livelihoods, families, social lives, personal wellbeing, their bodies, their choices…the list goes on and on. I think of all the points here this is the hot-button one for me, so my personal experience perhaps clouds my judgement. But I also think my personal experience informs my judgement here in a way others don’t have access to — meaning, I know what kind of a person he was/is.

WordWolf, you mentioned that those listening to him now are probably over 50 and are responsible for their own thoughts and beliefs. Thank you for that perspective; you’re right, I think (hope?), although I do think brainwashing is real and more powerful than popular opinion sees it as.

Another question that comes up is whether he really believes his stuff or is just a con man. He believes it wholeheartedly. Always has, and I think always will. I think that in itself is a “reason” he continues on with teaching. He believes it’s God’s will.

 

Thank you BecomingMe for your courage and honesty.  Your willingness to address these issues openly (imo) is a testimony to your mental strength and stamina to acquire personal autonomy of your authentic self.  Good for you!  Never give up, never give in.

Like many others who went thru the gauntlet of twi, some have endured great tragedies of family separation and estrangement.  You are not alone.  I hear you.  I, too, went thru a valley of emotional stress and trauma after my deprogramming episode in 1981.  Wierwille fanned the flames of this episode by giving me FALSE PROPHECY.....stating, face-to-face with me, that "Your parents will be dead in five years for having done this to you."

Still, to this day.....I find it alarming how few understand the depths of the wierwille/pfal mystique.  One of the many things that those *deprogrammers* brought to my attention was Robert Jay Lifton's book --Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.  Well, now.... it seems apparent to me that the charismatic wierwille, cunning, deceiving, lazy and a malignant narcissist, displayed an uncanny grasp on how to indoctrinate people.  Immersed in that environment for nearly five decades, Craig had his conscience seared with a hot iron and cannot recover his moral, psychological compass to generate compassion and empathy for others (like so many other top-tier corps leaders).  He is stuck on the hamster-wheel.

One of the things that I've found very helpful is writing and posting my thoughts.  Thru the years, posting on GSC has been like "running a clear, mountain stream thru a muddy creek."  It washes away the filth and disease.  Thus, I hope you BecomingMe continue to voice you thoughts, opinions and critical thinking via posts here or elsewhere.  

If there is anything that I could possibly ever do for you, please send me a private message.  You are such an inspiration to us all.  Take care.

 

 

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5 hours ago, BecomingMe said:

YES, cman!!!!! I totally agree. And when I thought I had worked out most of the "doctrinal" stuff, there was a whole layer of psychological bull$!*% left along with a thick layer of trauma reactions. I'm trying to come to peace with the idea that I may never be done.

Some of us realize the same thing... but we weren't necessarily raised in a home with such an intense parent. Thankfully, you have a community here who can support your journey. :love3:

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1 hour ago, Rocky said:

Some of us realize the same thing... but we weren't necessarily raised in a home with such an intense parent. Thankfully, you have a community here who can support your journey. :love3:

Rocky, was just going to say the same thing.

It's hard for those of us who were young adults to cope with the aftermath of being in TWI, particularly if they've been in residence.  It's especially hard for anyone raised from a young age, or born into, TWI, whether or not they've been in rez.  And it must be especially, especially, hard for anyone raised in the M'dale household, where it was permanent and involuntary in-rez.  (It was hard enough for those in the Wierwille household.)

It's good that you can still talk to your mom, though they may be strained conversations at times.  (She gets her own share of beating here.)  Are you welcome on grounds in Ohio, or do you not want to visit there ever again?  I'm truly sorry that you have this family rupture to deal with along with all the other Wayfer problems, but you're wise to keep out of your dad's orbit.

You know the adage: "The truth will set you free."  There is much truth here and it's to be hoped that these truths will unbind your heart, soul and mind, and set you free from the constraints put upon you.  Much peace to you.

 

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