Ham

well.. I suppose I have a good number of unresolved issues with these buffoons.. but I've come to terms with the thought they may NEVER be resolved. I can live with that. Partly because I think I understand their nature. Now, when the third generation picks up the ball, ignoring practically everything that came of vic's handiwork, it's a whole different story.

I always wondered why they didn't include a book or syllabus or any *real* kind of documentation with that class.. now we know

I don't think he was exactly a good surgeon either. *holds rusty pocket knife* "now hold still.. this won't hurt a bit.."

I remember this vividly.. one of my friends explaining to his dad that he was righteous.. basically that it didn't make a heck of a lot of difference what the "old man" did.. and some pretty nasty stuff at that. The dad countered.. "it sounds like you are using the bible to go to hell.." the reaction? "Rowwwwwer, hisssssss...."

It's like the old story.. the little girl who had a curl, right in the middle of her forhead. When she was good, she was very good.. but when she was bad she was horrid..

I kinda am of the opinion that "righteous is, righteous does". But this "scientifically precise" scriptural dividing of body/soul spirit, old man/new man.. standing/state..isn't it kind of, well, unusual? You'd think that one would want wholeness. To unify their being. Not divide it off into "good guy, bad guy.." Doesn't it merely give the "bad guy" a supposed righteous reason to roam free? The good guy covers his back. "don't touch MY righteousness". No matter how people may scripturally justify this.. it still looks convoluted to me..

The fact vic could speak something that sounded like Swahili or something really doesn't impress me any more. The mere fact that we needed practice sessions would suggest to me that the experience was largely contrived. I read der vey living in lust before I took pfal.. I remembered vic's description of how when it "really came" it was like fire.. so fluent, speaking in more than one tongue.. and by session twelve, he seemed to have enough trouble spitting out a half dozen words or so. I thought.. what's THIS? What happened to the fire, and fluency I read about.. It seemed so contrived at the time. The coordinator prancing about, tears in his eyes over the "greatness" of it all.. I went along with the "gag".. by session twelve there didn't seem to be any turning back. all that teaching.. how vic's version of sit was "proof beyond a shadow of a doubt" of supposedly what is the "new birth".. I think we were slowly trained to scam ourselves.. I heard an old branch coordinator call people "low maintenance believers". Just hold our own leash, keep speaking in tongues hours on end, when in "twig" listen to what the voice of God (the ramblings of another "low maintenence believer"), keep yourself convinced that you've got the greatest goods since the earth cooled, keep putting fifteen percent or so in the horn.. show up to meetings five minutes early.. run classes.. keep trying to rake people in.. So, I cast my vote once more, if that's legal here Bow.. "no, I do not think he was born again". At least by vic's requirements. Or definition. I just don't think someone could experience something supposedly so significant, and just go back to living life worse than before. I asked the same thing of a friend I knew back then.. "if you're so this and that.. how comes ya don't live any better than that bum down the street.." The answer? "Don't you DARE touch MY righteousnesss.." sheesh.. I'm not touching it, you're doing it to youself.. providing you have it to begin with. :)

I thought the little sign said "dang, you'da better know a little geometry or something".. :)

I wonder if they asked for the key back..

Like they say in some bars.. "last call for alcohol"..

friend.. I think we always knew.. one way or another.. Now.. why can't we just have a party.. the whole problem.. if I went back to 1961.. I'd probably still be a five year old snot nosed kid.. I dunno.. if I'd want to take what I know now to back then.. they'd probably be carving my brain up trying to figure me out..

yep.. I remember flipping the one little chart which showed the little sin which he apparently forgot.. :)

the way he describes this little incident from an omniscient point of view suggests the former..

I might give him the backhand of a glove.

And.. SUPPOSING the account happened, not necessarily the way the vicster remembered it.. who can really say the guy wasn't FAKING? I can think of several motives.. or maybe he was just jeering him.. maybe the alleged rejoicing crowd that came to the station was just rejoicing to see the vicster leave town..

It would make more sense to hoist the name of P.T. Barnum on one's banner.. by his own admission, he was only arrogant and self-serving. at least he was honest about his scams, for the most part.. and still made a fortune.

I wonder if they've written a mission statement yet. I'll volunteer: "Fearlessly building agression in *believers* since 1942.."

maybe the vicster had a tough time distinguishing between the two.

I have seen people do some pretty foolhardy crap while they ignored fear. From what I've read, practically the whole lead experience seems to me to have been an exercise in foolhardiness.. Have to hitchike there.. no money, except for an emergency fiver or so that you'd BETTER come back with.. get hurt? Lose a few toes? Well.. it had to because of FEAR.. pretty much absolved the people supposedly running the thing from responsibility.. Get gored at rodeo school? Same as above. I think the "lack of fear" teaching wasn't primarily about lack of fear.. maybe it was to find out who could REALLY be aggressive..

from the Wikipdedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Beter among many of his claims: He seemed to have a pretty good start, being an attourney and all.. presidential advisor of sorts.. maybe he just "went a little funny" in the head..

What if the people running the place get more than a little "wacky"? Some of the same people on "staff" bought into vic's assertions that the u.s. was going to be taken over in 1976.. it was almost hysteria.. they probably STILL think that if it wasn't for vic's "greatness" that it would have happened.. then there was what.. 79 some kinda takeover or something.. people hoarding food, gasoline.. ammunition.. and his "greatness" saved us once again.. I would imagine at least ONE of them sat and listened with "ears of believing" as loy described how the pope was arming himself to the teeth, buying an aircraft carrier, and setting on a new inquisition, this time, in the west.. When I ask about qualifications, I think I have good reason. If their "experience" is corps training.. being around the "master".. I better not say. I wonder if they'll roust the trainees up to have little emergency meetings in the middle of the night.. where the world's coming to an end, if they don't muster up enough believing or something.. people crying.. dogs barking.. It's part of the "corps" experience ya know..

Well.. I did hear the vicster claim "the moon turning into blood" was because secretely, the russians ("reds") were going to put a military base there. If I remember correctly, the vicster said that the russians had some kind of missle base in guyana, and that OUR people went in, took it out, then staged the Jonestown suicide supposedly to cover their tracks.. God forbid that one should think the mind of leader of a "religious group" just might go a little "wacky"..

Beatles White Album, second disk..

well.. I offered him another one. You know, two for the price of one.. still waiting..

At this point, I don't believe that the said funeral occured, or the said minister existed. Nor that there was this particular woman with this particular son. Nor that there was the same street, with the perhaps three houses .. or the road, where the fictitious apparent "believed for " car came barrelling down to bring the demise to a fictitious boy, all due to the unbelief of the fictional mother.. No more than I believe the story of him going to some Jain convention in india, or receiving the keys to the city.. or that the vicster really invented the hookshot, the McDonald's concept, or got a legitimate doctorate..