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I don't share that wish with you. Though I regret some of my choices and some of what I did after leaving twi, I am who I am now because of those mistakes. That sentiment does not negate the notion that cults make merchandise of their followers/members. I am tremendously thankful that I figured out that I needed to leave and actually did. And that the ensuing years have represented growth and development of insight I wouldn't have had otherwise.

In the 1980s as I was leaving the Way International, I wrote an article titled, THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST - Contrasting the Lordship of Imperfect Man. Below is one of the paragraphs from the article that I wrote. The partial sentence, "the denominaiton I used to associate with" refers to the Way Internaitonal. There should not be a single doctrine which magnifies some at the expense of others. Only God the Father and his Son Jesus are to be exalted. Yet today we have false doctrines such as the pope being the Vicar of Christ, or that by our minds renewed to God's word we take the place of the absent Christ, as was taught in the denomination I used to associate with. He is surely not absent nor is anyone, regardless of which denomination he heads, be it big or small, the head of the body of believers. The only head of the body of believers is seated at God’s right hand in the heavenlies, the Lord Jesus Christ. It seems the Church, as made up of all believers in Jesus Christ regardless of denominational affiliation, is continually in jeopardy of making its leaders as lords and even worse, mediators between God and men, when in fact, there is but one God and one mediator, the man Christ Jesus (see 1 Timothy 2:5). 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; KJV

I just wish I'd left sooner.

Hey.........take this class, it will change your life! At the end of pfal class.......you need to be sure to sit in the next pfal class that's available. No one gets the depth of it the first time. And then, ........ the Renewed Mind class will be running in a couple of months, followed by Dealing with the Adversary class........and Christian, Family and Sex will be running in July, just before we go to the Rock of Ages. You are now qualified to take your place on the class crew treadmill to help others......i.e. helping others means to get them to take class after class, too. So, you faithfully witness, sign up friends and family and neighbors.........little do you realize, at first, that false teachers using feigned words covet your involvement, because YOU are the targeted product. They want YOU to become the walking, talking billboard of their classes, events, camps, and advanced class specials. These false teachers (cult leaders) want you to follow them in their "pernicious ways" [II Peter 2:1-3]........loss, ruinous, destructive ways. Loss of money. Loss of family ties. Sabotaging marriages and careers........for the sake of zealously moving the cult's classes and agenda. Up your commitment and go WOW or Way Corps.......i.e. putting yourself in a position to "lead others." LOL As you keep co-joining in THEIR agenda, you become complicit in their pernicious, evil ways. If you were paying attention........you will have noticed that the cult hierarchy has dropped the advanced class cliché of reaching spiritual maturity. See.....EVEN AFTER the advanced class, you're not really that "advanced." Same deal with WOW....or the Way Corps. Once you "graduate" from the corps, you start at the bottom rung of "a lifetime of twi-servitude" and are often kicked around in a menial job at twi-hq. Like a cog on a big wheel, you may be on top for a short period of time.....only to find tremendous stress when you're on the bottom, again. You're "free".......as long as you stay committed to twi-servitude. The dirty little secret is that once you start connecting these dots, they VERBALLY ABUSE you with fear! In closed meetings, the cult uses words like "cop-out, possessed, worldly, lost his salt, loss of rewards, greasespot by midnight." How did it turn so ugly? Or, was it always ugly.....and masked to look good? Now, not only do they threaten you with words, they institute the practice of ex-communication. After 15-20 years of institutionalized indoctrination, one is more likely to succumb to cult obedience than to dissent. It's a matter of social psychology, not spirituality. How did it all get so crazy? How did you get trapped in the hall-of-horrors at this amusement park? Simple: False teachers used fabricated classes to indoctrinate the unsuspecting.......and coveted your involvement to make merchandise of you. How could you NOT suspect that splinter groups will do the same....... .

Isn’t it great when that lightbulb goes on over your head!

I hear you. Wish I’d never been involved.

Speaking of Viktor Frankl ... I recently returned from paying my respects at Auschwitz and Birkenau, which is in Poland. All day we walked through the former physical location of hell on earth. Being there, I felt an even deeper shame that I ever considered Wierwille "the man of God." He not only denied the Holocaust but sold the book, The Myth of the Six Million. When I'm ready, I'll be writing about this on my own website. From the book's description on Amazon, "Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory-known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")-holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful."

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!

20 years is a lifetime ago...... 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? How long will there be a need for this site?

Yes, after decades of being in the Way, it was so important that we finally realized God is at work outside of "the ministry" and was much bigger than and cannot be contained in the little box the Way put Him in. You would think it was obvious, but it actually was a conclusion we had to come to before we could even consider leaving.

I don’t believe there was ever a moment of real Christian service in his life or in that of the BOTS. The R&R group have the same “DNA” as their “father in the word”. Countless lives destroyed by their so called “ministries”.

Thanks JayDee........yeah, me too. There is something really insidious about a cult leader who pontificated from afar........seducing others to his evil ways and raking in the money. No transparency of manner of life, the finances, or documented history. Even his India trip and those damn snow stories were all fabrications of a demented, deceptive agenda.....which opens skepticism of all things wierwille AND his glassy-eyed brownshirts. After all this, anyone who follows the newest splinter group, R&R...........has institutionalized imprinted in their brain cells.

All I ever wanted was to get to know God and become a better man. Little did I know about the depth and depravity of vpw and his henchmen. Great post skyrider.

So as an individual functioning, you would not tend to notice in what area your talents are showing results? Or are you saying this is a Zen kind of thing? Just stay your mind on stringing those chairs, and people walking by will know you're a pastor? People with talent who brag about it are intolerable in any field, sport, group, or sense. Those with talent who display humility are usually universally loved.

You know, for a guy who liked to rail against private interpretation, VPW was quite an expert at doing it himself.

For me, understanding quantum physics explains the genuine science behind the ability of the Risen Christ to be anywhere and everywhere He wants to be whenever He wants. No problem for me understanding that “miracles, signs, and wonders” are indeed “available” in the physical universe without any need to break or supercede “natural law”. E=MC2 is both a natural and spiritual truth. I am one who chooses to believe that God is as omni- as She chooses to be with absolutely NO limitations. That’s just me.

For the first few years of GSC, some people wondered whether Vic was a good man gone wrong... THIS analysis (presented by Skyrider) is legitimate and cuts through the bull$hit to demonstrate the motivation and intent from the very beginning. When Vic demonized church leaders, was he employing psychological projection? Sure seems like it. The CULT BLOB! I love that expression. It's so apt. "Everyone is selling soap..." i.e. the Amway pyramid scheme. Also quite apt. Was Wierwille a malignant narcissist? Thanks Skyrider for continuing to ponder, reflect and share you comments the situation.

Exactly................"people wouldn't stick." This is well documented in Mrs. W's book as she details a list in 1958, 1959 and 1960 of wierwille's pfal classes in various cities. When you consider the hundreds of people who sat thru his classes each year (1957-1967)........the question becomes, "What happened to all these people who, having heard these truths taught live by Dr. Wierwille (cough, cough), were supposed to commit their lives, effort and money toward word-over-the-world twi servitude?" Apparently, they didn't see -- 1) power or 2) abundant living.........as highlighted in its promotion. So......when vpw films the class in 1967, what does he do? He adds and augments certain preemptive strikes against the denominational churches. Wierwille not only wants his new students to sit thru his series of classes, but to stick with him. He demonizes church elders and their motives.......to guilt and shame anyone who, having taken pfal, would even think of going back to their church. With each passing year, the rhetoric escalates.........until vpw and others were teaching that denominational church hierarchy have the seed of the serpent. Egads! The level of hyperbole and accusations was absurd. Then, once you attend the "advanced class".......you hear about the Illuminati, the Thirteenth Tribe, Marxist Minstrels, None Dare Call It Conspiracy, Seed of the Serpent, etc......you're indoctrinated into the inner sanctum and servitude. Add......a year or two of going WOW, or Corps Training and you become absorbed into the cult blob. Leaders over leaders over leaders......each following orders of next higher (or lower) unit. As a leaf on a mighty tree (LOL).....you give respect to the twig leader, branch, limb, and trunk leader. Seems like more and more.......you are getting closer and closer to the dirt. Then, work on staff AT THE ROOT.........now, you've gone underground. Wowsers!!! It seems clear to me that wierwille took stock of all those pfal students LEAVING HIM IN THE 60s.............and struck out on a subterfuge agenda. What was this new hidden objective? To entrap new students into his organization by destroying their old support systems of family, religion and community........and erect a new system, a spiritual family that replaced their "earthly family." In essence: A Cult. Wierwille needed to separate these young students from their support systems for longer and longer periods of time. Not just a three week class.......else, they go back to friends, family and work/education. Start summer camps......like the churches do, but for the purposes of building an *us versus them* mentality. Later, add WOW program......and then, the corps program. The youth are malleable and fall prey to indoctrination. The corps program was a multiplier in wierwille's climb to power: 1) Isolation of these "training centers" gave twi the availability, time and power over the individual without outside interference, and 2) Conformity to be obedient and follow "elder" corps established a pecking order that permeated the campus and fed the egos of even the most inept "elder" corps. In the end..........it all came tumbling down. Lots of reasons, I suppose......but the youth grew up and real life responsibilities, decisions and motivations were staring them in the face. Who has the means to give "volunteer services" to twi for a lifetime? Why? Why is this opportunistic cult hoarding millions? Where is this power and abundance that wierwille taught? Everyone is selling soap........and it's all being washed down the drain. The whole damn thing was a scam........as wierwille took every opportunity to advance himself into the spotlight. It's a scam...........and that's why "people don't stick." .