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The good things TWI did for us.


themex
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Mr. Lingowitz may have been asking ME the question, Raf, but thanks for your answer.

No, I have not been stalking you. Undershepharding the younger corps maybe. But I get such a tickle out of TJ's comment to you about fishing I cannot cease from this sin, if it be sin!!!

Mis ovarios me duele!!

Edited by tomtuttle1
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Well then Tom, iif it is a sin, may our Hevenny Father forgive you. And hey, cantcha just see him standing there with his hands on his hips like that? I forgot the cowboy hat and the freshly starched "dungarees" and plaid snap shirt...

And thank you Raf...

And so, this :offtopic: thing has been an interruption of the thread of TheMex. And so, withour further rambling, I will also say El Mex, that I also learned to try and read the Word of God with out a careless attitude. That was a good thing. Also, and I was just talking about this this morning with my eighteen year old son about the part of PFAL which was to me and still is rather cool. And that is the part about "punctuation being devoid of authority", and how with a simple comma, a whole new doctrine can be derived from the same verse of scripture. For instance, when Jesus was on the cross and said to the other dying man to his side;

"Verily I say unto you today shalt thou be with me in paradise"

And as you know, with the commas, it reads this way;

"Verily I say unto you, today, shalt thou be with me in paradise"

Which many ministers have read it this way and then taught that when you die, you go straight to heaven like the way Jesus promised the guy next to him on the cross. But when you take the commas out, which were not there in the first place, it just reads nice and simply, and fits with other verses that speak of "the dead knowing nothing", and that "there is no wisdom nor knowledge nor device in the grave withersoever thou goest"-Ecc 9:10

And so, by the way, I am not trying to get you or anyone else here to agree with this, or even like it. I am just telling you that this is something that I liked and enjoyed that I learned in The Way, as per your question in the thread topic.

On the same subject of punctuation, there is also the verse in Acts where Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem and God didn't want him to go, and finally the believers, without any punctuation said;

"And when Paul would not be persuaded, we ceased (stopped) saying the will of the Lord be done"

Without the commas, the verse is clear as a bell, and is the culmination of the scripture buildup prior to it. God did everything to get Paul to turn back, but nope. He wanted to go, did so, and ended up in prison for the rest of his days, and his ministry was curtailed greatly, and the churches in gentile land began to fall apart and head back into idolatry.

But with the commas, the very insidious doctrine that "God puts His people through trials and tribulations so why bother asking for help?" can be, in a very weak manner, substantiated by reading it like this;

"And when Paul would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, the will of the lord be done"

In other words; "Oh Paul we don't want you to go there, but the Lord does, so, go out and do the will of the Lord".

And now, many may think that VP was taking too much latitude by saying that people have read it that way to prove that God puts us through trials and tribs as he did the apostle Paul, and I actually wondered if ministers had actually done this when I heard this teaching. But I just figured that since I had never been around any particular Christian doctrine, and VP had been a church minister before, that this was something he'd heard over the years, and so I believed him. But, and get this:

One time I was flying from Anchorage to Juneau, and ended up sitting next to a guy who was some sort of a Christian Church minister here in Juneau. This was back in the 1982, and I had my bible out and was reading it as we flew down from Anchortown. And so, we got to talking, and I must have brought up the belief (currently a belief I still hold) that God does not hurt us or test us to teach us a lesson. He disagreed, but, I showed him the verse that says that "God cannot be tempted with sin, neither tempteth he any man..."

And amazingly, he came back with this; "Well, God tempted the Apostle Paul, and he was a prayerful man!" And I asked; "What do you mean; God tempted the Apostle Paul?" And he asked for my bible and opened it to Acts, and read that record about Paul going to Jerusalem, and when he read that verse, very clearly punctuated the place where the commas are, saying;

"And when Paul would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, the will of the lord be done",

and declared that this was proof that God was behind Paul's imprisonment, even though Paul was a prayerful man. And there it was, just as I'd been told about the manner in which people utilize this verse to prove that God is weird and mysterious and puts us through trying times, sickness, and death. And so, I just had the grandest time pointing out to this man that there were no comma's or punctuation in the Greek from whence it came, and, he ended up, after initial shock, very very delighted by it. He went on to say, that; "If what I had showed him was true, then this would make a major change in the way he thought about God and healing, and that it would be very exciting to teach it to his congregation.

And so ElMex, this is something that for me, one of the good things The Way did for me, teaching me that. There may very well be someone else who reads this post and says; "Oh, you are just suffering from "Waybrain" Juanny, or; "So, maybe that is true, but you could have learned it in any number of churches", or "Wierwille stole that information!" or any number of things. But, it is in The Way where I learned it, and at that time in my life, these were great things to learn...

Edited by Jonny Lingo
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And so ElMex, this is something that for me, one of the good things The Way did for me, teaching me that. There may very well be someone else who reads this post and says; "Oh, you are just suffering from "Waybrain" Juanny, or; "So, maybe that is true, but you could have learned it in any number of churches", or "Wierwille stole that information!" or any number of things. But, it is in The Way where I learned it, and at that time in my life, these were great things to learn...

I agree. The Way was made and is made of our dreams and our love for God and our commitment to Him. No just upon bad things. Sex abuse by LCM and VPW. If one of those or somebody else try to or "do" my wife I do not blow my head of I blow the head of that man. President of TWI, reverend or whatever.

They always teach us to identify truth from error. :angry:

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wow what a ?

what good did the way ministry do for me?

twenty years after being marked and avoided it still is truth.

the word of God is true.

how I learned this as a fact of life was NOT through classes or sermons.

although at the time I couldnt live without. them.

it was by being truthful one day, and going on regardless of what a leader said.

God stood by me.

Still does I think.

I learned and believe we are in a battle for life.

does it do me any good?

I do not know because it is so heavy in my life style now.

I believe I live within a world full of evil and good and choices.

God loves me. and I have no clue how to live without him anymore.

What good does it do me? I cant even answer that question anymore.

it felt good when I had my friends and peers to 'fellowship with , now few and far between share my spiritual side of inner thought.

christians frighten me the most. I trust very little only God and day by day .

I do say what if I never knew what I know or is it just I believe it and am in denial ?

Is it a good thing I still pray God please help me ?

I do not know but it is what twi did for me.

I do wonder but here I sit twenty years after leaving and still trying to understand God and life.

I have no idea how peo0ple without this influence live . I never could shake the idea that God first is a life style. so I do not know if it would be better without it or not.

and no my life has not always been "good". I have had moments of being clear but for the most part I go back to what I learned as truth that God almighty will just have to save me once again.

my son says I have a crutch. maybe so but today that crutch has been the only good thing in my life many many times.

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The first two years were nice, then I began to feel some legalism. It progressed to the point of breaking twelve years later when I left. I had twelve years experience in TWI.

They did teach me better than any other church or ministry how to study the Bible, at least according to their specifications. That fascination stuck with me throughout the years. I too it to new levels after I left and discarded their boundaries.

For being able to research the Word as I have I credit TWI with getting me started, but not crediting them with helping me to find the conclusions based on research. They were too restrictive.

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George Harrison maintained until the day that he died that his drug use was a good thing, and was of great benefit to him.

I too remember many good times when I was stoned, drunk, or under the influence of some substance or another. I had a lot of good friends during those times, no one can tell me otherwise. The so-called harmful effects of drug use should not overshadow the good that it did for me.

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I never could shake the idea that God first is a life style. so I do not know if it would be better without it or not.

and no my life has not always been "good". I have had moments of being clear but for the most part I go back to what I learned as truth that God almighty will just have to save me once again.

my son says I have a crutch. maybe so but today that crutch has been the only good thing in my life many many times.

I just noticed this. Very well put about being a life style. As opposed to just words anyway. And as far as crutches go, well, if faith in God is a crutch, we'd sure be hobbling without Him.

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I got a lot of good out the 15 years I spent with TWI...

1. The Bible was brought to life for me and although I'm no longer in any way associated with the Way, I still love the Bible and continue to seek a more accurate understanding each day.

2. The basic principles of "working the Word" are procedures for Bible study that are generally recognized everywhere. They were presented to me (I hesitate to say "us" since everyone seems to have had different experiences) in easily digested, bite sized doses.

3. I met some of the most wonderful people with pure hearts who were the REAL DEAL that I'll remember, revere, respect and love all my life...such as the new member here who was my very first TC and got me through my first PFAL class in Houston. :wave:

4. As a TC myself, I learned how to conduct a meeting, keep people entertained and interested for an hour or so, helping them learn something and staying lively no matter how ill prepared and/or tired or rushed I was. This has served me well as Scoutmaster and in other endeavors.

5. I learned how to not snore while catching a few zzz's in a long and boring meeting in a crowded hall with stale air.

6. I learned to choose my words a little more carefully.

7. I learned to never trust a preacher with a boner.

I have to quote one of my bestsest GS buds who says "It was the best thing I ever did and it was the worst thing I ever did".

That is the most appropriate comment I ever heard or could ever think of.

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What a great topic! I always thought that this site was a tad negative so it is wonderful to see our time in “The Minstry” in a positive light. I learned a whole lot of useful things from my sojourn at The Way. Here is a list not in any particular order:

Overcame a deep involvement with spiritualism

Learned how to read the bible for myself

How to love myself and accept love from others

Saw God bring wonderful things to pass in my and other’s lives

Met some really great people (who I miss to this day)

Got over my fear of public speaking

Learned the difference from being religious and living in a godly manner

Saw in a practical way how to bless others

Learned some skills that I would have never picked up elsewhere:

Sign language

Hunting

How to effectively witness

Roofing and other household construction tasks

To be quite honest with you a part of me does pine for the days of long ago when the fellowship was sweet and God was a very real part of my life. However the last year I was “in” the micro-management of my life by leadership was overbearing. I think the only reason I stayed was because I remembered all of the wonderful things of the previous years.

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Ok JL - Not everyone was in the thick of it. It was possible for good things to happen to one person while bad - awful - was happening to others. I know Ron and I know that he is in no way intending to whitewash the bad things that happened to people.

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Some people call me and optimist - others say that I'm still naiive. I choose to believe that through all of this - the good the absolutely awful and the ugly, that God took care of many of us.

All tht happened to me has informed my decisions on how I raise my kids, has changed how I deal with other Christians. It has certainlygiven me strength of character. Maybe all this happened not because of TWI but in spite of it.

I just can't seem to make myself take God out of the equation entirely.

I entered TWI searching for God.

I stayed because I thought He was there.

I left when I realized He wasn't. (granted it took over 10 years)

Do we all have cosimc telescopes that can read the mind of God to tell us that things might not have been worse for many had they not endured the crap of TWI?

Look I Hate TWI as much as the next person - but I still had good times while I was "in" Mostly I met a bunch of great people - many of which are on GS. Does it make me evil in some way because I made friends and learned some valuable lessons? Like what NOT to do ever again?

I'm not trying to negate the awful things that happened. I just don't understand why it is has to be an all or nothing thing. Maybe like for some was tolerable in TWI, for others it was H#LL! Everyone who is out now has a choice - become a slave to TWI forever by getting bitter - or take back their lives.

DISCLAIMER:

Now for those who are still "in" and are reading this. This is NO EXCUSE for you to say that things are alright in TWI. There is no way that you cna count your blessings while ignoring the murder and defiling of your brothers and sisters. Many of us (Me included) lived our lives back in TWI days not knowing what was befalling our brethren. You do not have the same luxury of ignorance. If you have read the posts on this site you know that your are in bed with a bunch of snakes. You now have to make the choice -

Edited by doojable
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doojable, I know your point you are driving home and yes I did meet great people and I met some real jerks, just like in life.

Were the people that became close friends, good people? Yes sir ree. Did I have some fun while in twi? Yes sir ree (at the time). We were all there for one reason IMO. To love God and to learn his Word, live his Word and go teach it the way twi wanted us to. Well as I have found the twi doctrine sucked the head honcho's sucked. So did I have good times? Not looking back on it now.

Yep I believe a lot what was taught at twi was truth. Just now I still have a tough time figuring out what was the truth since they took scripture and twisted it so bad so they could have their own edification and screw everyone else. It was devilish then, now and from day one IMO.

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  • 2 weeks later...
It was much later that I discovered that I had been

lied to many, many times,

and the good in my life was purchased with destruction

in the lives of my sisters in Christ.

Now I better understand the sex problem of VPW and LCM, the soap opera topic help me to better understand. It is difficult to digest all the truth of the facts, when I read about the sue several years ago I did not understand all the problem. In some form I missed the details.

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We all did mex.... we were never allowed to speak to anyone who had been hurt because they were forced out of twi ........

We were taught that anyone who spoke against the ministry had been possessed .... We were fooled :(

As hard as it is to come to grips with, it is better to know the truth than live a lie.

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