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So, I’ve lurked here for a long time, and now with my heart pounding, have created an account and am saying hello. I’ve been out of TWI for over 10 years; it took me almost 10 before that to work my way out. I grew up in twi, birth to twenties. Now I’m working my way through diagnoses of PTSD, anxiety, and depression, all after I thought I’d dealt with the big stuff. I hope you all are faring better, but I’m guessing maybe not if you’re here. A book that is really helping me understand all this is “Combatting Cult Mind Control” by Steven Hassan. If you’re looking for a sometimes distressing but very revealing read, it’s excellent and totally relevant. Happy to be here and hope to “meet” some of you soon. :-)

Thanks, everyone, for the welcome. I find that through these difficulties, others’ compassion is pure gold. I love that several of you are here to help the rest of us - thank you! Taxidev and Waysider, I would say I’m atheist when I’m angry and agnostic when I’m calm. It’s wonderful that so many perspectives are represented here. That’s how we learn, right? I’m finding lately that some of the things I still struggle with have so much to do with cult practices - “us vs. them” being one of them. It seems to me that served the purpose of keeping people trapped. At the same time, I do believe the people that promoted these ideas - the leaders of the 90s, at least, were true believers. I’ve run into people who assume/believe they all had nefarious intentions, but in knowing some of them, they believed the, um, stuff they were spreading. Doesn’t really make me any less angry, but...perhaps slightly more compassionate. T-Bone, I’ve read Undertow and really loved it. I think Penworks was both direct and compassionate in her telling, and I so appreciated that. Pretty much every person who has been a major influence in my early life is or was in twi. There’s so much of the love I’ve experienced mixed in with basically abuse and violation, and that’s incredibly difficult to separate. Anyway, I tend to ramble, so, thank you all for welcoming me. :-)

Hello! I've been out of twi proper for about 25 years or so, with twi splinter groups being a few more years of personal history after that. I'm doing great, thanks. We're free to answer your questions. Keep in mind the answers will be a mixed bag. There's no mandatory POV here. So, the answers will range from erudite to frivolous, from deep to flighty, from casual to scientific, from reverent to blasphemous. After twi, the chance to hear from all sides should be a welcome surprise! Why would we stick around after getting on with our lives? Actually, I heard this one IN twi, but it made the rounds long before twi. In was probably published first in 1900 (it may have been published before that, however.) The Bridge Builder By Will Allen Dromgoole An old man going a lone highway, Came, at the evening cold and gray, To a chasm vast and deep and wide. Through which was flowing a sullen tide The old man crossed in the twilight dim, The sullen stream had no fear for him; But he turned when safe on the other side And built a bridge to span the tide. “Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near, “You are wasting your strength with building here; Your journey will end with the ending day, You never again will pass this way; You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide, Why build this bridge at evening tide?” The builder lifted his old gray head; “Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said, “There followed after me to-day A youth whose feet must pass this way. This chasm that has been as naught to me To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be; He, too, must cross in the twilight dim; Good friend, I am building this bridge for him.”

Welcome, and enjoy the eye opening discussions here. One of the most relevant insights that helped me is the understanding that the body of Christ isn't exclusive to any one religious group. In fact, it may not even include everyone from a particular group. Rather, I'm finding it includes some people from every group, and some who have no group at all. Whereas the perspective of TWI was "Us vs. Them", it actually is "Us AND Them". When I realized - fortunately before becoming completely entrenched with them - that they didn't have all the answers, I began speaking with other Christians, reading works from other Christians, and listening to teachings from other Christians. And then I found GSC. It was exciting to combine what the folks here have to share with what those other folks have to share. I'm sure you'll find some really interesting topics here, if you haven't already. Please don't hesitate to share your views, and your questions. T

I'm an old timer too. I come frequently and read the posts. I post infrequently but I'm here watching for those who seem to want help escaping from the cult. We are a solid, sane group of individuals. We are quite varied in our pursuits, but generally our love of God and obedience to the example of Jesus Christ unites us. Welcome. BecomingMe.

Hi BecomingMe, Rest assured, it DOES get better. Some of us old timers still hang out here even though we're doing fine these days.

Welcome to Grease Spot, Becoming ! Hassan’s book is great...another great one (- which you’ve probably heard of since you say you’ve lurked here for awhile - ) is Penworks’ Undertow I’ve found many of her experiences very relatable... ...as is Grease Spot - a great process of give and take goes on here...I left TWI in ‘86 - though a long time ago, I still want to share my experience as well as hear what others have to say...I think the insight, empathy, healing, encouragement, etc. that happens here goes along the lines of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts .

Whether you see 2 or lots of individual ones really isn't so much the point. God says things in so many ways, and the repeats, I think, are just so those who seek Him will always find something that they grasp. Much like all the different forms of Dispensations and Covenant theology.. I don't think any of them or any of us have a corner on understanding the depth of God's plan. But I think we can all agree, God has a plan yes? To me, it's just sad that many think God has different plans that cause division in the end. The us vs them mentality. The church is divided. Jews are divided. God's people are divided. Not because of God, but because we put doctrine where it doesn't belong. God gave it to guide us to Him and to Christ. Not to divide ourselves. We have all been called to function as priests, all been called to serve(minister). The covenants are God's promises we can depend upon. Christ being one of them, the law the other. To squabble over whether that includes God's covenant given to Abraham, to Adam, to David, to Noah, to Jacob, to Moses, makes little difference to me. And you say you see yourself as Abraham's seed in a different sense, would you care to elaborate?