JustThinking

Eagle, I've seen the same thing. It's also noteworthy that there has not been one complaint about her on this board that I have seen. And there are enough people who aren't shy that it probably would have come up by now. JT

Oak: "But looking back I marvel at how we took a simple procedure and turned it into the Allied landings on D-Day." ROTFLMAO! Sooooooo true! Don't spend any time on real issues but we can't have an audio glitch. JT

So if they come back and get kicked out again are they "repossessed?" ;-)

THW, I remember the infamous "Craig screwed up" meeting. Another thing we were told was that it was time to move on and forgive him. Huh? We hadn't even dealt with what was goind on and where he was at but it was already time to forgive him? They couldn't run past that one fast enough. JT

Jim, Yes! And the silly-bus too! My count is 20 but my dog's is 140. ;-)

WTH, I didn't know that. Thank you. JT

Many, many people have alluded to Rosie and Donna being...um...good buddies. Does anyone really have first-hand knowledge of this? It is a serious accusation (to TWIers) to make.

Wayfer, I was on the field and we NEVER heard anything about the Peeler lawsuit or any other except the Allens. The party line was that settling with the Allens was a VICTORY for TWI that would let them get back to "moving the verd."

Chas, After the forehead was booted, the corps started "teaching" his class instead of the tapes. Ironically, they actually even pretended that it was the plan all along. What BS! Essentially, they sat behind a desk and read the silly-bus to the new students. No, really. How sad is that? Another good TWI drinking game would have been to watch new students on a closed-circuit tv and down a shot every time two or more yawned at once. If you did it every time just one yawned, you would have died of alcohol poisoning. I sat through a few of those "classes" and they were PAINFUL! Arrgghhhh..... You should have seen the teens doodling in the back. :-) And the old grads drooling in the front. Actually, the front seats were best because no one could see that your eyes were closed. (Free hint to lurking innies)

I was NEVER asked IF I wanted to get out of debt. I was only ever asked what my plan was to get out of debt. It was presented as a requirement to remain as a TC. Period.

I agree with the following points Abigail posted: 1. The hypocrisy 3. The bad advice and counselling 4. The rules against seeking advice and counselling elsewhere 9. I no longer had any friends in TWI or out of TWI and life was becoming quite lonely ================ Like Abi and others, it took more than one thing to leave something that had taken up almost my entire adult life. If I had to pick ONE thing it would be this: I no longer felt my involvement and life in TWI meant anything. No value at all. I saw myself and everyone around me having no positive impact in anyone's life, especially my own. When I did make a difference, it either had nothing to do with TWI or, at times, was despite them. When I finally faded into the woodwork, it was pretty much a non-event. I just got to sleep in on Sunday. That was about it. I have said it many ways that TWI are dead men walking. There is no life there at all. The scandals and ridiculously poor management have sapped the heart and soul of even the most committed followers. At the end of WWII in Berlin, one could witness an awesome and terrifying meltdown of the last Nazi followers. Some woke up. Some just cried. Some saved their last bullet for themselves. And a few lived to rebuild their country. My goal is to be the latter, living a healthy, normal life. I couldn't see that happening in what the Way had become. It is impossible for even marginally sane people to ignore it's no longer hidden corruption. Craig Martindale proclaimed the 90s as the "Decade of Victory." What a joke. My Bible says in Proverbs 13:12 that "hope deferred maketh the heart sick." In my opinion, this is what killed TWI today. Vainly trying to pretend that everything in the Land of the Prevailing Word is great when the house is burning to the ground. And even innies see it. IMO, no place was this more noticeable than witnessing. Outreach became the last, great delusion of the Way International. False and hopelessly unrealistic approaches to outreach failed and everyone knew it. There was a never ending string of "Outreach Plans." Yet another doomed push by the Wayfer Germans facing the Russian front of reality. There was nothing there that people wanted any more. It hadn't even been any fun in years. And new people had the internet to quickly see through the lies. If only the corpse could come up with just the right slick plan, the tide would change. Sadly, there are still a few privates on the lines thinking that victory is just around the corner. My prayer for them is that they will listen to reason and come home. If history is any guage, a few of them will die there thinking that they stayed true to a just cause. Steve!, Sorry for the long answer.

Sky, Thank you for the clarification. I actually tried to avoid reading into it either way. Some things I did learn from TWI: 1. How to coordinate a meeting. (I know, start the "stringing chairs" jokes) Seriously, as a young person I had many opportunities to take on responsibility that I would probably not have gotten otherwise. 2. Public speaking experience. It is useful in many professions. Maybe not the best training in the world but more than many people get. 3. A chance (there, I said it!) to meet people from around the world. Our AC had people from outside the U.S. that were great to encounter. JT

To avoid giving TWI too much credit, I think it's useful to distinguish between the benefits one gained from people IN TWI versus the organization itself. Many wonderful people helped me in ways that had nothing to do with anything the financially fraudulent, fanny-chasing farmers in New Knoxville.

12 staffers 5 corps 5-10 corps hangers-on? Do they need a ranch? Wouldn't a big farm house work just fine? And they'd have a place for all of the manure generated. ;-)

Daddy, AMEN! Sitting in a Branch meeting listening to a cheap, tinny speaker attached to a phone while standing up and applauding someone you couldn't see? A home meeting with a collection of rag-tag tired old grads? Pretty depressing.

WTH, Minor typo in the spelling of Syrus' name in your quote. It is Publius. Another good one of his that applies here: Maxim 305: "Powerful indeed is the empire of habit" A lesson VP knew too well.

(Having left less than two years ago...) When I was still there, TWI had NO life at all. How could they? After you have enough "new" people horrified by the screaming forehead, lawsuits, old leaders that "disappear" overnight and constant turmoil, how do you stay "up?" You can't. Unless you are delusional, one can't help but notice that the place is getting smaller and smaller and smaller...

Daddy, You got it. Pwetty Impwessive, ain't it?

OM, I agree with your contention about retention. However, some might call it indoctrination more than teaching. He did teach his doctrine, no doubt about it. The format though of exhausting repitition without objective consideration makes it of lower quality at best, imo. Not picking a fight, just offering a different perspective without regard to whether one agrees with the doctrine or not.

Despite the small numbers, both staffers are still needed. ;-) Seriously, does anyone know how many staffers are left? And wouldn't those five also be working? As a general comment, I wouldn't argue that the value of a program should be determined by the number of participants. However, one could argue that the cost to maintain it should be based on it's value. Of course, when has that influenced TWI's financial decisions?

Rascal, "Anyway, even after leaving it took many years for me to throw off the *student* mindset...to dare to speak up when necessary....to believe that I had the right to make decisions regarding myself and family.....to trust myself.....lol NOW they can`t shut me up ;-) From a lot of posts, it sounds like you weren't alone. Even many of the so-called "teachers" were really just bound, gagged and told to repeat what was passed down. Must not make them feel like much of a "teacher." Not sure if "repeater" is a gift ministry or not. Glad you found your voice!

Exie, great point! CW, I think the translation according to usage is "I am in control and that will never change." - From I Victor Chapter 1, verse 1. (From the Geek translation) No group I have ever worked with in any way had WayFerLand's bizarre view of the all-knowing teacher. This is a case of "no, it's not you. It's them."

Someone plagiarizing TWI? Oh, the irony! LOL! JT

Exie, :-P Well, I dated a corps woman at one point. Does that count? Any other comments wouldn't make the PG rating here. ;-) I bow in your awesome super duper dog soldier presence, oh great MOGETTE. So where is MY head at?! I'll go back in residue to do a check up from the neck up or whatever it is that you do there.

LOY broken down: Look Out Youngins'! Loony Ousted Yokel (sp?) Likes Ohio, Yessir. (Not!) Left Oklahoma Young Loud, Ornery Yeller