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My question was rhetorical, but the resources Rocky shared in response are excellent. For some of us, those resources and books came out YEARS after we left, after our own moral compasses pointed us toward the exit signs.

Was in church on Sunday. Our sermon series is about our identity as Christians. The curate, Ben, gave a talk was about being salt and light. Little bit different idea of "salt" but completely acceptable. Then he turned to a discussion of "light" and hiding candlesticks under bowls, cities on hills, etc - y'all know the passage. And then he said: "You are all lightbearers. Bearers of the light!" Lightbearers!!! Not a word commonly used by people. Never encountered it in ordinary conversation. Maybe the Olympics talks about that, but the expression is usually "torch bearer." I quite enjoyed Lightbearers apart from the hitchhiking. A nice, enjoyable, two week release from the stifling prison and rigid discipline of being at HQ. Stayed with, met, hung out with, some really nice people. Witnessed to some nice people - and some less nice ones. Overall, no regrets. I could even say, I have happy memories. Got back after one such expedition to have the whole group of us bollocksed for not being good enough. We deserved being kicked out, etc, etc due to our lack of believing. (Nothing about HQ's own lack of preparation or knowledge of the area!!) Our punishment: to be sent out again a month or so later, with the admonition that those who didn't get a class together needn't bother coming back as they would be thrown out anyway. No pressure, then. (All teams succeeded this time, in a different city.) Lightbearers! Ben, if you knew what you'd evoked, brought back, you'd've found a different word! But I'm willing to reclaim it and use it so that the ugly connotations get expunged.

How many would want to follow along with such a group? How many would want to follow along with any other such group that exercises such apparent "undue influence" which is inherently deceptive? Is this simply an example and an instance of something inherent in humanity and/or human nature because "we" (humans/humanity) crave something in particular that this deluded NPD "minister" promised? Is this an instance of... I propose answers to these questions may be alluded to, if not explicitly articulated in the writings of Steven Hassan, who has researched the phenomenon for nearly 50 years? I don't know. But I wonder about it a lot. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/steven-a-hassan-phd Hassan's books include: Freedom of Mind Combating Cult Control Releasing the Bonds The Bite Model THE BITE MODEL OF AUTHORITARIAN CONTROL: UNDUE INFLUENCE, THOUGHT REFORM, BRAINWASHING, MIND CONTROL, TRAFFICKING AND THE LAW Hassan also wrote a book explaining cult influence in a particular political figure in America today The common thread in all of his writing is undue influence. He's not anti-religion. He's not inherently political. But he does have insight related to understanding what Victor Wierwille tapped into in order to capture or corral tens of thousands of us to follow his teaching. What I suspect these Way Corps letters can provide to us now in retrospect is how Victor's emotional condition when he wrote those letters bely his underlying psychological vulnerability was perhaps one key to enable many of us to escape what we had not yet recognized as Victor's undue influence over us.

It reads like a script to a Mr. Show skit. Jesus the Christ himself is showing how a passage in JCING works and fits (like a glove?) with a passage in RTHST?!?! WITAF! Did JC pull these books from his saddle bags? I mean wha... how... But it's not satire. This is dead serious delusion.

I love reading all the threads from the aughts. So much meat. I’ve read this thread a few times over the years but never noticed this post, or just don’t remember it: I initially thought it was satire or parody, and I thought, “Wow! This guy’s goood.” Then I continued down the thread and realized this guy is dead serious!

Oh, sure. It's a cult. But, it's the BEST cult. Am I right or what? Good, better, best Never let it rest. Until your good is better And your cult is the best

https://www.cultfacts.com/cults/the-way-international First 2 paragraphs are much as twi might describe itself. Third paragraph: They also adopted a hierarchical educational structure which many say is used to exercise excessive control over its members. "The Foundational Class on Power for Abundant Living," serves as an entry point into a system that encourages participants to climb a ladder of increasing commitment and involvement, a structure often compared to pyramid schemes [not unlike Scientology]. Members who commit to the Way have reported severe sleep deprivation, isolation from families, and other forms of control from church leaders, which have led them to drop out of school, quit taking medicine, or prepare for a prophesized nuclear holocaust. Some of their worst abuses started to come to light after former members launched lawsuits against the organization. In addition to concerns about psychological manipulation and financial control, former members testified about a widespread coordination of up to fifty leaders[aka conspiracy] to assist in and coverup the sexual abuse of female members at the hands of the presidents and high-ranking leaders. Court documents and media sources reported that girls as young as thirteen are shown pornography and trained in how to provide sexual gratification while being taught that a woman's purpose is to give sexual pleasure to men. Victims revealed how leaders used the guilt of disobeying God and fears of death to coerce them into submission. Meanwhile other trusted leaders told them how privileged they were to be able to satisfy such great men of God. At it's peak, The Way was considered the second largest cult in America, with up to 40,000 members. While membership declined significantly in the 1990s, the organization still exists today, remaining curiously quiet about their abusive history.

Practicing mindfulness has helped me get through some challenging times. It's nice to hear that a word from your past is being applied in a way and among people that allows you to feel safe. I wonder if HQ patted themselves on the back for using "tough love" (my phrase) to successfully get the results they were demanding of everyone. The fact that twi is still pushing the law of believing makes it most likely they are putting the same pressure on their "volunteers" out on the field today to get such results as well.

Trigger words, phrases, situations. Once you learn to recognize them, they get easier to deal with.

Oh man, if this is a 'golden oldies' thread, I'm all in!

Just a little tune to sing to the kiddos in your life.

For many people, recovery is an on-going process. Think in terms of something like weight loss. You don't reach your target weight and suddenly abandon the effort. I think there's a bit of a parallel in the comparison, but maybe that's just me.