skyrider

And, where the Spirit of the Lord isn't.........there is bondage servitude. :o

My involvement in twi, and specifically the way corps program, was a laborious trek of cult-inflicted rules and regs being added each month, each year. The corps "commitment" was the most burdensome, because I'd ventured into twi's most sacred stronghold of cultdom and mystique......and was subjected to its indoctrination of twi-servitude. The corps program was a multiplier of complexities, burdens, mind-games, buzzspeak, peer pressure, isolation, competitiveness, and psychology. With each passing year, the elder corps were tagged with the responsibility of "training" the younger corps. Much like an MLM analogy.....it paid rich dividends [status and seniority] to those who got in at the beginning stages. Hefty premiums were granted in spirituality if one had been in Way Corps 1....or 2....or 3....or 4....or even 5. The Sixth Corps [or sick corps] had the dubious distinction of all being thrown out and had to grovel to get back in. These complexities and burdens were synonymous to taking a month-long mountain trek with a heavy backpack. After a grueling day, the leaders order the young hiker to gather firewood, fix supper, clean up, and pitch tents before dark. Oh, and be sure to be the first up in the morning to start the fire and get breakfast ready. And further, the elder hikers decide its best for the younger hiker to carry more items, more weight.....because its good training, etc. So, while the elders seem to enjoy this jaunt along the mountain trails and the social life around the campfire at night......the young hikers are carrying the heavy loads and tasked with all the duties. The corps became the grunt workers when the elders were nearby.......or the house servants of the manor. THEN......when one unravels the lies and mystique of wierwille, FREEDOM IS BUT ONE STEP AWAY. Happy Independence Day......to every former cult member of twi. Enjoy the liberty. II Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Yep, exactly. My wife had collected those little, pocket-sized pamphlets since around 1970.....seems like we had, at one time, about 60-70 of them. They were like the "teenage version" of the retemory packets that were designed to carry around with you throughout the day. Perhaps, used as a witnessing tool......as well. But when you think about it......all this morphing from cornfield preacher, to small-makeshift BRC "research center" to audio versions of pfal class and later, huge reel-to-reel players to lug around for classes.....it took wierwille FOREVER AND A DAY to mount any appearance of legitimacy. So, from (supposedly) 1942 to 1974, twi FINALLY puts together an orange, a blue, a green, and brown book series to add to the perception that twi's word is on fire and turning the world upside down??? And, shortly before vpee's death.....the red book came out. Wonder why the color "red?" :biglaugh:/>/> .

Yeah.....and as wierwille taught these "literal translations according to usage" the last few years of his tenure, corps coordinators and leadership acted like it was preserving the tablets in the arc of the covenant. And, this "holy skrit" would also be available to University of Life members in the near future. Ironic, ain't it? Wierwille makes a big deal of (supposedly) trashing some 3,000 commentaries and "devoted his life" to getting to the Scriptures, and only the Scriptures. Then.......... he spends his last years of dedicated devotion to establishing The Wierwille Commentary of certain books [Romans & others?] to engrave his legacy. Why does the saying "a dog returning to his vomit" seem so appropriate about now? .

Yeah.....all those stupid, pathetic songs during corps indoctrination "Roll Away"......every burden of my heart, roll way. And.....TWI was the one putting burdens on my heart. Were these ridiculous, childish songs to get us to obey? Were they simply put in as "filler time" while leader caught his breathe? Were twi leaders that brain-dead to not SEE the stupidity and inference the songs had? The twisting perversions in twi, and corps training, were contradicting one another. Wierwille taught that no biblical student can privately interpret scripture.....then vpee DOES it. Wierwille taught that physical body the VEHICLE to speak God's Word.....then CHAIN SMOKES. Wierwille taught not to be a stumbling block to others......then teaches crass sex class. Indoctrination information overload....... Keep them busy, keep them jumping, keep them from connecting the dots. If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bu11chit.

Father Abraham, he had two sons.... Two sons had Father Abraham..... They didn't laugh, NO.... They didn't cry, NO... Wasn't this song about someone with epileptic sons....or such? Yeah, real spurtual there, twi..... Do you even realize how freakin' absurd it was for us to flail around and sing THAT song??? :anim-smile:/>/>

Yeah....and on staff at hq, the head table guy asked Walter Cvmmins to lead the song, My Hat it has Three Corners......with actions and antics, of course. Plus....all those corps meetings or nightowls where we sat on the floor/ground cross-legged for a couple of hours listening to the teacher. We were treated like first-graders.....and afterwards, we got our cookies and milk. Dorky, dumbed-down dependency.....

Perhaps......it would be just as fair to say that THOSE WHO LEFT TWI shortly after pfal and discarded twi's mog-doctrine and "law of believing" brouhaha.... were in a better position to follow Christianity that those who were transformed into wierwille ideologues and such. :o

classic? pfal sodomization?

In that "2014 Extravaganza" thread.....the S.O.W.E.R. event seemed so dorky. The role playing of importance, the ad-lib citing of wierwille one-liners, the proclamation and promotion of this dinky Extravaganza.......etc., etc. Perhaps, it's just me......but when I look back at all the dorky things we did in twi, and the corps, I shake my head in (almost) disbelief. Oh, the gullibility of my youth. There seems to be NOTHING LIKE RELIGION to keep one stuck in a rut as generation upon generation passes. BUT THEN.....I see lots of past things that "seem" dorky: 1) Clothes we wore in the early 70's. 2) Old sci-fi movies that once seemed so "cutting edge." 3) Songs that repeat the same line...."I wanna hold your hand" [beatles] 4) Etc. Some things appear dorky or bizarre in terms of land phones, computers the size of a big room, donky-kong, pac-man, etc......but are in the realm of technology advances and such. Sure, some of that seems like an eye-roller....but it's not something that I'd classify as dorky. Of course, there are some things in the past that certainly appreciate in value ....... Harleys, muscle cars, relics, etc.

Oftentimes....if someone dropped out, it was deemed the FAULT of the class instructor. Where did he miss the spiritual revie that this student left? See......the twi-doctrine was that "the ministry BE NOT BLAMED." How freakin' convenient and nice cover for the mog-doctrine of pfal..!!!

Oh.....there were students left behind alright. Just that....they didn't show up for the next session, that's all. How many times have we heard or witnessed, in our experiences of the drop-off rate before session 12? What was it? 60%? On average, the start of class of 10 students yields 4 who actually "graduate" to go on. Then.....of the 4 students who "go on" another 2 quit twi activities after a couple of months. Yet, the soldiering marches on.....recruiting daily for more sign-ups. See, it was simply retentive statistics.......a numbers game, if you will. The PERCEPTION was.......the committed stayed faithful to twi. That was the public relations doctrine. In reality, those who exited had numerous reasons for leaving....of which, deception and exploitation were duly noted. .

The PERCEPTION of pfal was stacked.....in wierwille's favor. * ...for months, some of the sign-ups were "building expectations" of what this class would be. * ...WOW ambassadors were excited to run the class, because it proclaimed THEIR success. * ...the class instructor coached the grads to act excited, applaud and laugh at vpee's jokes. * ...twi claimed that ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED by the end of the class. * ...oftentimes, there were more GRADS in the pfal class, than new students. * ...if everyone else is SO EXCITED about this, then what am I missing? * ...no one gets missed. Everyone manifests power from on high. * ...peer pressure, as the 12th session arrived. No utterance is gibberish. And.....to those who had doubts, well you just need to sit thru the class AGAIN. See, it's a lot of information and you learn more every time you sit thru pfal. Be patient. You get to sit in subsequent foundational classes.....free. Learning is an exciting adventure, isn't it? The indoctrination process has begun. You sign up for the next class to "fill in the blanks" where you still have doubts. You cannot help but doubt yourself.......others seem to "get it." Sure, there are nuggets of truth plagiarized from other men's works......but THE WHOLE PACKAGE? Masterfully put together? Wierwille had employed the art of marketing.....PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING. Having seven students sit in a quiet setting to hear the pfal class was not nearly as effective as bolstering support with ten grads who are actively coached to respond. And, let's not forget about the assigned-undershepherder.....the one who, most likely, signed the person up for the class and is responsible to monitor their progress and alleviate their doubts [ie...help recruit them]. MLM 101

Yeah.......just what I was thinking too, before reading your post. And yet.....a "research guy" does not fit the profile of a cult leader or spin-off guy. Geer and a couple of dozen region leaders secured the loyalties of the followers/underlings in THEIR area.....while walter was peddling his research skill set. Knowing what I know TODAY.....it is so strange to see what I viewed as "top leadership of yesteryear" [ie Walter Cvmmins] in the midst of an ordination ceremony....AND THE NEWLY-ORDAINED goes into this dorky "turn the world upside down" gobble-barf of the plaugh class.

The corps BECAME the brown shirts.....er, the enforcers of twi-mandates. The corps BECAME the indentured servants of the ruling, self-entitled class. The corps BECAME the workers and herders of the hireling wierwille. No wonder the scriptures WARN of seducers and deceivers.

Let My People Go.......and Moses carried the Lord's command to Pharaoh. Time and time again, the Pharaoh refused to hearken.....and the plagues ensued upon the land. The Lord backed up His commands with strength and consequences. The Lord was NOT to be dismissed or denied. Yeah.....I suppose, a couple of years from now, when someone is reading this thread they might be scratching their heads and thinking, "What?" "In hopes of viral pressure on Nigerian authorities to try to recover the girls, campaigns have started on the White House website, on Change.org and on Facebook to demand: “Bring Back Our Girls.” All this may or may not help, but it’s worth trying." --- The New York Times; May 3, 2014 Hence, the activist and toothless campaign.....#BringBackOurGirls

The simple truths in Psalms 1 were like rivers of water to a barren soul. When I read scripture that said......"those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled" and many other truths, my burdens in life were uplifted. Whether it was Psalms, Proverbs, Romans or Ephesians....my heart and soul craved to know my God. For me, twi was not about being broken or "finding a home"....it was simply an assignment of ambassadorship to carry forth the message of a loving Father to His children. The WOWs in my college town were guiding lights as I maneuvered thru a vast array of challenges and transitions that year. And, I will forever be thankful for their year of commitment and service to help others. I recently re-read that thread twi I, twi II, twi III -- from Waydale......and the perspective of those who experienced twi during the earlier years, the way east and the way west was, again, enlightening. To see how they viewed their involvement before the way tree jargon or ramping up of corps grads speaks volumes that I relate to. It never was about dr. wierwille or twi's hq or ANY OF THAT.....it was about holy spirit within and the believers living it. Seemingly, those of the far fringes of outreach.......Heefner, Doop, Fugit and others were on the cutting edge of a spiritual movement. But with each passing year, wierwille was centralizing control and power and the free spirit of involvement was snuffed out like a candle in the wind. Sure, the numbers continued to amass for the next ten years.....but the incorporation of twi only added more concrete and buildings; and less and less of the spirit of a Living God.

In discussing Blind Loyalty on another thread.......all the dots connect back to wierwille. Yes, I know.....that when pointed out, most here would acknowledge that WIERWILLE was #1 promoter-in-chief of this blind loyalty doctrine, but at the same time.....wierwille seems to be right there, hiding in the shadows, and removed from scrutiny. Wierwille's FRONT MEN seemed to take the arrows, yet wierwille was far removed from the scene. His public persona and in-house pr-propaganda was mesmerizing the thousands who pilgrimaged to the roa each year. He "walked by revelation." He could do no wrong. Even to consider such a thought.....was TO THINK EVIL. Yet, the early corps saw examples of a far different wierwille. He would be brash, nasty and cruel to make a point. That whole incident in Karl Kahler's book, The Cult That Snapped regarding the colon cleanse shows deep insight into the mind of wierwille .....Click Here The years went by and the marching orders of the faithful were blindly obeyed? And destruction ensued.... * The Zero Corps * Sandra Ann Sullivan * Ken Barden * Gary Dunoff * The L.E.A.D. accident * Research MUST agree with pfal * Corps/clergy CANNOT graciously exit twi * Manipulation/Coercion/Exploitation Martindale, Geer, Lynn, and scores of other splinter group leaders were in the minor leagues compared to wierwille. HE was the one who demanded "blind loyalty".....to jump and not question. HE was the one to set the corps program on its "two-fold the child of hell" foundation. HE was the one to personally and viciously destroy a number of lives. Those who've followed in vpee's steps are pikers.

Geer, Martindale, T0wnsend, Lynn, etc.......were ALL "stupid enough" to think that they could re-package the wierwille-mogship and expect to see spiritual business as usual. Notable leaders, corps, and clergy had been leaving wierwille since 1975....[ie Peter J. W@de]. Limb coordinator, 4th corps, John Cl@y left in 1978.....Mike Sm!th, 1st Corps was dissenting from wierwille's "blind loyalty oath" and headed to Alaska shortly after 1981. The number of men thru the years......Gerald W., Wayne M., Richard T., etc. moved on. We were NOT living in a time capsule.......WE WERE ALL GETTING OLDER, AND WISER. Many refused to follow Geer because of his demeanor and abrasive substance.....no thanks. Many refused to follow lcm or twi's doctrines any longer.....enough was enough. During vpee's era.....he had NO PEERS. He was the grand poppa....Mog #1 and ONLY. But really.....there's a HUGE difference between wierwille's "success" with 20 year olds [Zero Corps] and geer/lcm trying to coerce a bunch of 40 year olds who had plenty of years in the trenches. Heck, it seems fairly plain that many region guys were "building their own groups and loyalties" as wierwille was stepping down in 1982. Ever notice how many of these guys STAYED PUT in the SAME REGION where they had built inroads to relationships and loyalties?.....[ie Doug Se_d] IMO, the gig was up in 1982 or so......and the "movement" was coming to a stop. And, the biggest "activists" were on someone's payroll.....or planned to be.

When all this *selection for the president-elect* was swirling...... ONE of the behind-the-scenes considerations was THE WIFE, also. From what I heard, wierwille was very concerned with the public appearances and presentations of the next "first lady of the way." Women like Joyce C. and Barbara G. didn't seem to have the full package that wierwille expected in the next prez & wife. But, hey......didn't it all come down by revelation.

lcm ----- #1 groveler geer ---- #2 groveler johnie t. #3 groveler john lynn #4 groveler etc,. etc. That "blind loyalty" oath has been discussed here several times.....and viewed differently by those corps and staff to which the letter was addressed. If I recall correctly, martindale bluntly stated the terms and conditions as "to who do you stand with?" For two years, there were limb and region coordinators corresponding with geer and/or distancing themselves from twi and building splinter groups. For two years.....these guys were on twi payroll. At the Indiana limb home, R. W@tkins was not even subtle about his allegiance to geer. The gartmore stuff was right near the photocopy machine and ALL the pfal material was stored away in the attic. Also, W@tkins had a couple of staffers (on twi payroll) at his disposal.....and they helped him with his private boat. It was all surreal as they collected their bi-monthly twi-paychecks and backstabbed twi-trustees in word and deed. Thus......after two years, I believe that martindale had had his fill and drew the line in the sand. Anywho.....in full disclosure, the BLIND LOYALTY was packaged and sold by the wierwille-corps indoctrination.

From indentured servitude......every which way AWAY FROM TWI is UP.

Well....when I think about all those hours spent listening to wierwille in nightowls, meetings, and 'sharing his heart'.....most all of it was just common, everyday stuff. No biggie. No revelation. No grand plan. No secrets to the universe. Sure, wierwille sprinkled in some scripture and all......but really, he was nothing special. My grandfathers had the SAME insight.....SIMILAR stories. And, about every farmer in our county could spend hours giving you the ins-and-outs about farming, weather, seasons, livestock, harvesting, family matters, etc. Of course, wierwille knew how to embellish a story, and add dramatic flavor and all. But he was the average rural preacher.... nothing more. Having an entourage of yes-men fronting his entrance, and a valet/bodyguard might have made him look like a Michael Bloomberg billionaire......but really, if wierwille would have not added all the fanfare to his posturing and mystique, he was just average. That's all.

waysider.....I would agree with that assessment. But....this article is actually addressing the over-bearing, growing concern to involve authorities and/or impose legal and punitive action for neglect. Of course, there is room for debate on these issues.....but long gone are the days when kids would head to the neighborhood pool and be gone till supper.

Isn't THIS what twi was promoting at the Rome City campus on monitoring others' kids? Remember when every adult was to carry a wooden spoon.....and HAD THE AUTHORITY to swat any kid that needed it. The leaders had taught the doctrine and given the responsibility to every adult to monitor each and every kid on campus. Today, with iphones and video cameras.....everything is being reported. Click -- Stop helicopter-parenting