skyrider

Absolutely. From where I sit.....everything taught in twi/offshoots is suspect and based on the model of "prosperity believing." And, in retrosect of how petty and insignificant, to set the foundation of believing on this woman finding and rejoicing over her 10-pieces of silver thingy. What adolescent gerrymandering to set a foundation for believing! Might I suggest.........Read Hebrews 11 to more fully see those who walked by faith.

In 2003, 2004........JAL was still trying to sign up people for Momentus. Is sales promotion addictive? If it ain't pfal, ces, momentus, sat testing, etc.....JAL just can't seem to resist being a constant prickster and promotion-ater. One of my friends phoned me about JAL's persistence to sign him up. At the time, I told my friend to adamantly refuse and tell JAL to back off.

Yeah, John.....you and some 60+ offshoot guys carry the water of this pfal-craft. Just like your man, vpw.....you are cut from the same rag-tag cloth. Wierwille claimed the same of Rev. Leonard's Gifts of the Holy Spirit class in 1953.....and YET, veepee needed to rush home and teach his "own" version, as well. Everyone has a psalm, a doctrine.....a right version to follow. Some who attended your meetings in Indianapolis told me of your life and confessions. Uugh. Even your Emporia days were filled with the same sins as your idol, veepee. Same rhetoric, same hypocrisy....If you are not the lead dog, the view NEVER changes. And......a 24-hour foundational class. How original. ...12 sessions, 2 hours per session ...long enough for indoctrination and persuation ...short enough to entice How many of the other offshoot groups have a 24-hour class??? Same gimmicks, same slogans, same con ---- all around the U.S. these days spawned from wierwille who stole from Rev. Leonard.

During my twi-tenure and post-twi study.....I have come to realize that wierwille was the "alpha and omega" of his organization. Wierwille's Law, or law of believing, embraced whatever was in the advancement of a wierwille-pyramid theology. All the trappings of idolatry are present to those who stand back and put it to the test of scripture. To "alpha" his mogness, wierwille claims he audibly heard from God. Wierwille "omegas" his life's work by stating, "I wish I were the man I know to be." What an epitaph! I wish.... I were.... I know. The service he rendered was self-serving narcissism. He was a legend of biblical proportions in his own mind....and all who ate fully at his table. In pfal....his teachings had a sinister way of stripping the individual of identity, worth, family, and inject pseudo-christian concepts and laws. Twig "families" became the essence of togetherness and "standing on the word." The more one became isolated from family and past relationships, the more one accepted the dependency of this new cult order. Wayspeak was the new language of spiritual acceptance. Holidays were shunned and ridiculed in teaching the more and perfect way. Of course, Halloween was unmasked in all its evil, but Christmas was pagan, too, donchaknow? Rather than focusing on common ground areas of agreement, twi's teachings reveled in stirring up strife and division!! In systematic manipulation, as if we were marching to a silent drumbeat or stirred to action by subliminal messaging......more and more were attending the annual Rock of Ages and/or going WOW. Each commitment reinforced "the buyer" of his product or was it all self-induced to claim access to peer pressure and group involvement? No matter. The results were the same as twi continued to grow and dominate our lives. By far, imo......the most captivating episode of twi was the corps indoctrination. Silly me, I actually thought that going to Emporia would garner spiritual growth to help others. What the heck did I know...being 21 and naive? Ha. I didn't expect to subject my life to an isolated camp of wierwillism. With information overload and 3 months of rehashed pfal, welcome to Emporia. The "us versus them" was not only directed at unbelievers, but non-corps as well. In retrospect, I see how they laced vanity with elitism. In the corps, wierwille's suggestions were NOT merely suggestions, they were commandments! After all, the guy was not only the man of God, but a general of sorts. I really never took that corps analogy to mean equivalent to marine corps....but, behind closed doors, it is amazing how one can be manipulated and exploited to do whatever. The double standards reeked of unfairly partial in terms of gender or good-looking, etc. And, why do the girls most often ride the motorcoach with wierwille to other campuses? Stop it, I told myself. You are supposed to render prayers and double-honor to those who serve in leadership. The perfect storm was created.....the DTA classs deemed me as a front to the devil, others could also be tools, and the mog was infallible. By 1977, 1978....some corps and brave souls were exiting twi, but only a small trickle. Most corps and advanced class grads were corraled by an invisible fence, a doctrine that underpinned its cohesiveness...."The Word is the Ministry and the Ministry is the Word." Wierwille stated his law many times over. The teachings of The Way were synonymous with The Word; thus, standing with twi was standing for God. If you left twi, you left God. Simple, right? In a world of smoke and mirrors and motorcoaches....the inner circle guarding wierwille's image of idolatry, allowed few to peer into the secret world of lockboxes and lust. So many things could be stated......but, wierwille's death in 1985 brought an end to the stanglehold and the chains were broken. Wierwille's law of believing could not save him. With one glass eye and his world unraveling, cancer claimed another life. And still, Howard and Don addressed the corps and staff with lies about vpw's death. With cancer as a devil spirit in wierwille's adv class teachings, the curtain was pulled back for all to see. Even Geer, in his poop paper was covering over the sins and death of wierwille. Do twi offshoots continue to praise the name of wierwille? Yeah. Do wierwille followers still cleave to their pfal series of books? Probably. Did wierwille's self-righteous "law of believing" triumph over God's laws of sin, adultery, pride, works of the flesh, etc? Nope. It has been a long, strange journey back to my homeland, my family, my true self and my Lord....but I made it. And yet, I know that others didn't fare as well. Some still struggle with accounts of rape, abortion, divorce, abandonment, isolation and even death. I can easily count 15-20 close friends of mine who died prematurely. For some, it will continue to be a life of regrets, and hardship, and misery. These past 10 years I've come to Greasespot for mainly one purpose.....TO EXPOSE TWI. Thank you, Paw for keeping the doors open here at The Cafe for all these years. There is no way to fathom how many lives you've helped as the rippling reaches around the world. Even Peter Wade from Australia, a man who is mentioned in the pfal class, sends his regards to your efforts. Awesome, man. Journey on. You are all welcome at my campfire. .

So.........exwayvision it is. Dang.......I got to thinking this morning that maybe twopillars.com would be a neat name since some posters here have done great damage to twi's structure. Twi's "house of lords" has fallen down upon them. Jdg 16:29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. Jdg 16:30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with [all his] might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that [were] therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than [they] which he slew in his life.

Yeah......wierwille's ministry was fathered with lies. He claimed that God spoke to him audibly and answered with snow. Not only did wierwille contradict his accounting of this event, but he also claimed it was pitch-black outside in the middle of the day. One has to remember his lies to retell them the same way over and over, whereas the truth of a situation is not easily forgotten. Wierwille's "black-snow" revelation is all one needs to know about the con man. He lied to jump start his meager preacher position. In starting with a lie....how could he possibly be standing for God and truth? Same goes for his India itinerary......here at GS, we've uncovered wierwille's claims and the "open doors to speak for God." The thread on Dr. I.S. Williams details how wierwille latched onto his coattails to speak to govt officials and at the Jains convention. Once again, wierwille catapulted his lies to facilitate leaving the Van Wert Church in 1957. The information is here at GS that exposes wierwille and "the company store."

For those who patronized GS thru the years, the new site could be... thecafe.com 1) Who could forget the long standing "THE" thread 2) Anyone who hangs here....knows it as "the cafe" 3) The name scoffs at twi's exclusive rights to "The" way. :)

Once again......I'm late coming to the party. WOW, I should have clued in when Dot talked about walking hand in hand with Groucho on another thread. Duh! But hey, better late than not knowing at all. CONGRATULATIONS......love you both. May the joy of togetherness be yours throughout the years that follow. (((hugs to you)))

Yeah....even to have this conversation 1) ...it's a ploy 2) ...don't get blindsided 3) ...take support with you ......precludes that twi was/is a strange, disruptive, cult-like organization. Un-frikken-believable that, to this day, the "us versus them" mentality comes to the forefront of decision-making. Even as far back as I can remember of my way days......wierwille instilled this chasm. Heck, inrez corps were WARNED before going home for Christmas to not allow their parents and loved ones to sway them away from the word. And yeah, the DTA class was specific in labeling "others" and "yourself" as FRONTS OF THE ADVERSARY. Watch out, don't get possessed.....the twi mantra has polarized and poisoned families and relationships. They no longer can control you or manipulate you in any way. They've been unmasked for about 25 years now.

What brought us together? TWI.....and who founded, twi? Wierwille.....and what spurred wierwille? And I said, "Lord, to know that this is true, I'd like to see it snow." And I opened my eyes, and it was pitch-black, almost pitch-black outside, and the snow was falling so thick. I have never seen it fall that thick since that day." BlackSnow.com

Maybe, its just me......but I seriously doubt that anyone will blindside you. Of course, there may be some glares and smugness from the upper/inner circle....and feigning to "welcome you." At the end of the day, if you go......you retain and strengthen your relationship with a loved one. Plus, you overcame the temptation of allowing them (ie Rosie's gang) to rob you of this joyous occasion. But, they too, will justify it as a "win situation" knowing that the wedding was on their turf and they held to standards not wanting the ministry to be blamed. No confrontation....no public display of contention....no relinquishing the high ground. Cunning and conniving twi leadership have been playing this game a long time.

I agree with bowtwi.......and mstar.

I agree. Perhaps, rather than a cafe or diner or tavern..... Consider that everyone is traveling down the road of life at their own choosing, their own pace. Some decide to stop and check out historical sites, monuments, gravesites in their travels. Others choose to spark old friendships on their journey. And then, motorists everywhere are simply heading down the road for entertainment, sporting events, church, political events, hobbies and the spontaneity of life and living. Maybe ----- RealityRoad.com (if available) "Reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or may be thought to be.[1] In its widest definition, reality includes everything that is and has being, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible." One person's "reality" of twi, as he perceived/perceives it, was/is his world. He may have continued embracing his "reality" or when presented with alternative viewpoints and information, change his thinking to what actually exists. That has certainly been observed here at GS. .

Or......to tie twi experience with the new site... Way2Go.com ---- double meaning, like putting distance between twi and oneself or high-fiving someone for a good performance and victorious outcome. Way2Simple.com -- moving from "way doctrine" to simplicity. As one unravels twi corruption and systems of error, the simple things in life come back into focus again.

With each passing year, the diversity grew more and more at GS. Makes me think that the new site should be titled something that encompasses a broad spectrum of experience, learning and wisdom......kinda like wayfaring strangers conversing around a campfire or a tavern (haha).... Campfire Comaraderie... The Winds of Time Tavern... Surviving My Way Daze... Instead of using "The Way"......it's "My Way Daze" to incorporate personal experience of twi with coming to grips with the shock and aftermath of what happened. .

Back in the days of 1981-85 and thereabouts......The Way Credit Union did offer loans. Years before the debt-doctrine mandates hit and before twi's leadership saw how this would impact the mobility of corps assignments, many staffers at hq took out loans/mortgages for their homes. I believe that loans were given to those CU members in the surrounding area as well. My wife and I were members, but didn't take out a loan. Not sure what happened during those turbulent "fog years" (1986-1990). When debt came upon martindale's radar in 1992/93......the loans to members were discontinued, but the credit union remained open for members/staff. When all corps went full-time staff in 1995, applications were sent out for all corps to become members so twi could direct deposit their paychecks into The Way Credit Union. There was strong encouragement to sign up, but corps could provide their OWN personal bank or credit union information. I chose to have twi send my paycheck to me or my personal banking account. In retrospect, I see how twi wanted to become the one-shop, all-in-one financial entity for every twi follower......and with their prying eyes, and controlling ways, it just didn't seem like the way to conduct my affairs, no?

Well....finally, it's nice to know that someone else had those thoughts too.

Yeah.....and many more nagging thoughts that were running through my mind. What if I stay on this train till the end? What then? What's at the end? What will another 20 years of "commitment to twi" accomplish? What will I have accomplished except being just a willing passenger on a mystery train ride? What about my parents and family and loved ones? Does my blind allegiance to twi dictate me to turn my back on scripture to love others? How can this ride possibly be God's will when it violates my conscience and isolates my soul?

What a long, strange journey it has been. In retrospect, there were many "lines in the sand" drawn by wierwille, geer, martindale, region coordinators, etc. that confronted my conscience and vows to force a decision. Even as early as 1977, 1978, 1979 -- wierwille was making statements and decisions that didn't fit with scripture, nor advance my walking with the Lord, imo. Some corps left inresidency at the Christmas break......some staff packed their bags after confrontation.......some left in the middle of the night.....and some slowly drifted away by projecting more commitments to career, family, etc. Just seemed like twi was structured to stay on the wierwille-laden tracks and, the further it traveled, this train was taking me toward isolation and a barren wilderness. When should I jump? When was the best time to get off this "mystery train?" Where was a soft spot to land? Are any of my "friends" going to jump with me? What will we find after jumping as the train chugs away? One of my neighbors took pfal in the '70s and sat thru the class twice. She also went to the rock of ages that year. She enjoyed her short stint in twi and has fond memories of the people and the things she learned. BUT SHE LEFT TWI and simply moved on with her life. No ripples of emotion, no hesitation, no stress......no problem. All of us have our stories of exiting twi......and jumping to freedom. :) With twi, you were either "with them or against them"......either "on the train" or not! Wierwille structured it that way and, in hindsight, I see it as intense indoctrination more than a spiritual movement of "It Is Written" (cough, cough). Happy Trails.......as I make my journey back to my homeland, my family, my true self, and my Lord.

Yeah.....everything Belle said. This place has been a Godsend. I can't imagine what my journey from cultdom to FREEDOM would have been like without all the wonderful patrons here at The Cafe. Breakfast -- Lunch -- Dinner -- Foodfights and all....its been my mainstay thru the years. Thank you all.

And......anyone with the brains to refute twi's threats and intimidation ...can get on the internet and check out websites like GS ...can go to friend-tracker forum and start verifying ...can get in touch with ex-twier friends who left decades ago ...can get out of twi by taking baby-steps to the exit doors Indoctrination into a cult can be unraveled......thread by thread. Merry Christmas all. :)

You mean, other that THAT did you enjoy the way.....So_crates?

Wierwille's stories.........ever notice the same pattern over and over? 1) Audible voice from God..... 2) Pitch-black snowstorm...... 3) Betting at a race track.... 4) Black heart--white heart... 5) Fortune teller closes tent. 6) India itinerary accounts... No witnesses, no one around to refute his (fabricated) stories. HOW CONVENIENT.... Even if one were to accept wierwille's premise that God was working in him.....all of these "stories" are framed in the years 1941-1957. Yet, when wierwille was, later, supposedly more spiritually intuned to walk with God, where are the signs, miracles and wonders from 1957 - 1977 ..?? By 1957.....wierwille was 40 years old. And, if wierwille's ministry was the greatest unfoldment of truth since the first century church(es) period......WHY DIDN'T GOD CONTINUE TO VALIDATE HIS PRESENCE WITH SIGNS, MIRACLES AND WONDERS FOR "HIS MAN, WIERWILLE.?" Where's the Holy Spirit's markings (signs, miracles and wonders) of wierwille walking with God?

Kinder, gentler??......are we still talking about a "spiritual movement that claims to speak for God" or is this spiritual correctness just religious veneer in today's world? Kinder, gentler??......chapter and verse please. How far the "spiritual" have fallen.....

Exactly. And.....along with the wierwille-doctrine deception, was/is an INNER CIRCLE OF ENABLERS....ie C*mmins, T*wnsend, Martindale, Geer, Rivenbark, etc who ran cover for the con. The wierwille betrayal continues to this very day......in another generation of vipers.