skyrider

Yes, a short leash.......to do the bod's bidding. Are the region coordinators within the twi-prez's inner circle? Seems so. Are they given perks and favors?.....as well as given free passes on certain mandates? Yeppers. One has to remember that many have given testimony of Mrs. Moneyhands (wife of region guy) "counseling" some corps girls on Mr. Martindale's sexual predation back in the 80s/90s. As region coordinators, the Moneyhands knew about the abortions, the sexcapades, the unbridled lust on the twi motorcoaches. When martindale's sh!t hit the fan in 2000......seven or eight region couples and a couple of ex-trunk coordinators scampered for the darkness. Ain't hard to wonder, is it?......knowing that two lawsuits were slapped down at that time! It is my personal belief that *most* region coordinators KNEW "where the bodies were buried" and with martindale's THUD.....they didn't want to be implicated. Hell, I knew plenty of Limb guys and clergy that knew NONE of this stuff that was later posted on GS....

Yes, this is true. And.....there is a high degree of certainty, with WayGB monitoring this site, that Rosalie and controllers KNOW who has these "back door mortgages" as I like to refer to them.

What Ham said......vow of poverty, no "worldly distractions," of sorts. What Waysider said....a nomadic lifestyle and "no roots" but twi. What Chockfull said...people that are poor are easily controlled. What Oldskool said....another policy to grow the organization, twi always first.

Remember some of twi's propaganda? 1) The True Household of God 2) WOW Brothers & Sisters 3) Spirit is thicker than blood 4) Uncle Harry 5) Uncle Howard & Auntie Em (post-fog years) And, how did all that turn out when we raised our questions? Forget the agape love......what about even "brotherly love?" Some household, right? Yelling confrontation, back-stabbing accusations, top-down command center, intimidators promoted to upper authority, mark/avoid policies, monitoring of ex-communication, etc... For those of us who stayed to "rebuild twi" after the Geer power grab.... Martindale started slipping in the ole "Uncle Howard and Auntie Em" jargon. Afterall, wierwille used this stuff in reference to his brother....why wouldn't it work for Martindale? Ummmm......not so much. I, for one, despised the bold-faced terminology. How gullible did he think we were? This kind of stuff is so utterly repugnant..... And now, the government starts this "Federal Family" jargon..... Click Here

And.....why should we be surprised that there are absent-headed twi-ers?

EXACTLY. Christ is the Head. Besides, isn't a body without a head.........a corpse?

Re-searching the material that twi has previously published has ALWAYS been their standard m.o. In 1978, three 8th corps guys were heavily confronted for their research project/paper that did NOT align with pfal theology. Yes, by 1978.......some corps were upsetting wierwille's apple cart and challenging the "man of God" on his research. Nevermind "current" twi-policy......anyone who was paying attention KNOWS that you cannot improve on the pfal material. That stuff was handed down from the Mountain and breathed from the mouth of God......donchaknow.

Thanks penworks. So.....THAT explains why Earl was missing from the 1971 way corps picture. He was attending college and slipped into the first corps program a year late. How convenient........ Exceptions, exceptions, exceptions......and wierwille boasted about COMMITMENTS! Just when I think that I've heard everything there is to know about twi-hypocrisy.....ANOTHER LAYER SURFACES.

No....it does NOT add up. Why would Del & Nancy go to the trouble of gathering the "group" together, and a photographer.......when ONE was missing? We're talking about EIGHT people with Del & Nancy.......EIGHT, and only seven show up. And, one doesn't show up......and that's on Bo's website as THE FIRST CORPS PICTURE? Knowing Bo......I would think he would have detailed the fact that Earl was not present for this picture. Just seems to me......surely, if Earl was missing in action, they could have rescheduled the picture to be taken on ANOTHER DAY?

DWBH......there's something about this Earl Burton "issue" that doesn't make any sense, imo. The discrepancies are: 1) How is it that Del & Nancy would schedule a picture of the First Corps knowing that Earl would be missing? 2) Why wouldn't this picture be mandatory for Earl to attend? 3) Besides, Wierwille was a stickler on "documenting twi-history"....look at how he documented his India itinerary. Where is Earl? 4) Why would Bo's website give reference to the August 1971 "First Corps Picture" and NOT reference Earl Burton as missing from the picture? IMO.....I speculate that Earl did NOT start with the first corps, but was allowed to "slip in the back door" at a later day. Perhaps, when Glenda Sue bolted......Earl was standing in the wings ready and willing to be "trained?" And perhaps, another ECU man would bolster the credibility of the corps program and minimize the damage of another defection? Something doesn't "smell right".......???

DWBH......thanks for the history behind glenda sue. She was always spoken in hush-hush circles and all. Even back in the "good ole days" twi was WHITEWASHING their history and programs. And, yes....she was ahead of her time by splitting out early. If wierwille/twi had to LIE about the zero corps and first corps.......THE WHOLE CORPS PROGRAM IS SUSPECT TO WHITEWASHING THEIR ERRORS, THEIR INDOCTRINATION AND SCAM. No way did I sign up to be "made in the image of wierwille." /barf

Hi DontWorry......good to see ya. Mike Smith was first corps....not Earl. First Corps Picture ..

IMO.....wierwille and co. could have addressed these issues and alleviated the financial burdens placed on International Corps. But again, a narcissist isn't really all that good in identifying concerns, nor has compassion on others. In 1982.....after Geer was ordained and sent to Europe, he quickly started implementing policy changes for the international corps and believers. In short, he explicitly informed F1nnegan, the Worldwide Outreach Coordinator, that European corps and believers would, henceforth, attend the ROA every third year. On one hand, I see the expenses-argument. On the other hand, I see the Geer power-grab. Fast forward four more years.....to 1986......and look how Geer marshalled his "back to the Word and Wierwille" mantra via his poop paper. Many threads here at GS detail point-by-point how Geer pulled it off.

waysider....Johnny T was not in the "zero corps." He was given special distinction by wierwille for his passionate commitment to "Wierwille's Ministry" and received "Recognized Corps 1" status with his marriage to Naomi. I seem to remember a Glenda Sue ?? as being in the "zero corps."

All those cult semantics seems surreal nowadays....... Yeah....the real First Corps are those who'd been sucking on the teat of the twi-cow for decades and faithfully worshipped at the altar of wierwille. Were there any who'd "hazarded their lives for the gospel's sake"? Nevermind. I spent hours and hours on end escorting Mrs. Wierwille during main events....so I think I'm qualified, more than most, to share my observations. In public, the woman was gracious and air-brushed for every picture.....BUT in private, she could confront with the best of them. Never was I allowed to have her wait on me for a bathroom break. She got what she wanted, when she wanted it. Oh, the memories...... Besides....she didn't NEED to be "first corps"....she was the "FIRST" Lady.

In my corps experience.....wierwille addressed this "Zero Corps" issue on 3 or 4 nightowl sharings to cover his tracks of failure. Of course, he pointed his finger as THEIR failure, THEIR fault.......it's the people and THEIR lack of commitment. In hindsight, I see how wierwille picked the right moment, after months of indoctrination, and used a disdaining term [Zero corps] to shift the focus FROM HIMSELF. The man knew how to manipulate! A narcissist is incapable of introspection....and, wierwille had to put "corps directors and/or corps coordinators" in place to move the corps-indoctrination forward. Wierwille, in full sunlight, day after day....could not mask the intentions and individual overthrows that wierwille was demanding. I certainly didn't go corps to be "made in the image of wierwille."

Call me cynical.....but I've often thought that wierwille, the marketing guru, latched onto the name "Rock of Ages" to draw in the "Rock-n-Roll" youth. Remember, he chose that verse in Corinthians....."addicted to the ministry of the saints" as the theme verse for the first roa. But.....was wierwille's roa REALLY about the Lord Jesus, the rock of ages?

Some people are opportunists.....like some twi-offshoot leaders. Some people are enablers.........knowingly or unknowingly. Some people have/had no life outside of the cult.....feeds their psyche.

For years, early August signaled the pilgrimage to western Ohio for the ROA to the faithful in The Way. Green bumper stickers, camping in tent city, cold communal showering, Beautiful Ohio wake-up call, hugs and kisses from way-faring friends, no worries, no equity, no kids.......just "living the word" twi-style. The 1986 ROA was the last of the big events as thousands and thousands exited twi after Cgeer's pop paper. All future roa's until 1995 were simply on life support. IMO....from 1978-1986, each rock of ages was plagued by arrogance and twi bureaucracy. Adding Corps Week burdened the field corps who, many, had children in tow. The Rome City campus became a drop-off station for a week-long children's camp. With each passing year, it seemed like wierwille and co. had no clue how to handle to the volume of people, the kids or the teens. IMO....the roa ceased being "fun" after 1981. Some of us were mandated to wear a dark suit for the evening meeting in the Big Top. How ridiculous!! It was a pain in the a$$ to be sure my suits (and me)looked nice and fresh in this hot, humid cornfield. Funny, how some nostalgia kicks in on those 1972-1977 roa's......but dismisses the creeping dictates of religious bureaucracy. Sure, wierwille had all the frills of air-conditioning backrooms and fans under the podium.....BUT DIDN'T THE GUY REALIZE HOW THE REST OF US MUST HAVE FELT? The rainstorms, the lightning strikes, the mud, and wet tents.....REMEMBER? No more Rock for me.......but I like Rollin' along. :)

Okay. Waysider won the No-Sh!t-Sherlock-Award.....and free drinks for a year here at Greasespot Cafe. Compliments of the Establishment.

Exactly. The unbelievers provided no help......EXCEPT massive rental agreements of semi-trailer freezer units, refrigerator units, extra forklifts, some 45 golf carts, the big-top tent, porta-johns, sysco food distribution daily, etc. In 1995, when martindale ordered all the corps to be full-time or dropped....hpounded the last nail in the roa coffin. From that point on, ALL corps were put on twi's payroll which meant that some 650 corps (and families) were traveling to Ohio EVERY YEAR ON TWI'S DIME. All expenses, all travel expenses, (motel, food, gas, etc) was expense incurred to "put on the roa." The corps was the backbone of the roa workload. There was NO coincidence that the roa was cancelled thereafter!!!......with corps on payroll, twi CANCELLED the roa. No roa in 1996. And......you thought the roa was about the people coming "home."

Years ago, I predicted that she would hold twi-president title until 80, or beyond. She clawed her way to the top......and not about to let it slip away easily.

Once you're indoctrinated with the wierwille perspective of "the word".....the smoke-n-mirrors magic of believing and the us-versus-them mentality....you find yourself standing in twi's pasture, in twi's bullpookie. After taking adv. class --- you must stand WITH the ministry that taught you vp's word. After corps graduation --- you must stay salted WITH twi or receive "dropped" status. After ordination ---- you must stand WITH the man of God and twi or they yank clergy status and report it.

Kinda like that song......"if you're going thru hell, keep on going....before the Devil even knows you're there." .

Welcome to the club.