shortfuse

Think I'm just going to sit back, relax and let it happen. Even with all my family entanglements, I'm reaching the limits of my caring.

Was thinking how great it would be to just dissolve the whole thing and put the funds towards some kind of trust that helped cult survivors.

Thinking about the end of The Way over the weekend. It really seems to be in its last throws. It's hard if not impossible to recruit new staffers for HQ. There are fewer and fewer taking the classes. The advanced class is poorly attended, without the grads who retake it again and again, it would be hard to justify at all. Without a steady stream of new advanced class grads, there is no one to be Way Disciples or go in the Way Corps. I think in the not too distant future, these programs will start shutting down. The Way Corps program will end (or be put on hold), the Way Disciple program will follow shortly after. How many more years before they have to close up shop all together? All of this leads me to wonder: Does Rosalie have an exit strategy? She must right? Any speculation on what it might involve?

Word? Is that where the SOWERS guy is coming from? Vic prophesied he would be the third president and so he is? Carrying on what they think is a legitimate heir to the way? Also, if that was so important to him, why leave Don hanging like that?

The alcohol is an interesting point. Coupled with what DWBH said about AA providing a template for twigs, it leads me to another thought. Did Vic ever attend AA for his chronic drinking? That would be an interesting twist.

Kind of ironic how TWI bashed AA. I don't know if Vic did but the Craiggers sure did.

Wow. That's kind of amazing. When I left the Way Corps, I told all of the fellowship coordinators about my decision to do so, but left my reasons private unless someone asked for specifics. Some did, some didn't. Anyway, I'll always remember one response from a guy who was incredulous about my choice. He said, "What? Did you find out the dead are alive, or Jesus Christ really is God or something?" He just couldn't believe I would leave a group that had "the truth" like TWI. Really nice guy too, I'm still super fond of him. But that certainty about way doctrine was just so valuable to him.

Gotcha. Thanks.

What are the sources for these early Wierwille family accounts and community impression of the family and of Vic? Just curious.

*double post deleted*

The original premise of the thread was that TWI's doctrine on the nature of God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit served to isolate way followers from the rest of Christianity. (Indeed, some people would not even consider TWI Christian because of this doctrine.) The payoff to followers while inside the group was a feeling of superiority over the rest of the Christian (we sometimes added "so called") world. We understood something about the nature of God that eluded almost everyone else. They were ignorant and/or deceived. Let's be honest with ourselves about the appeal of that insider knowledge. It feels good. It allows you to over look other less appealing aspects of participation. When people eventually decide to leave TWI, and most do, if they have internalized this idea that Jesus Christ is not God, it is difficult if not impossible to find somewhere they feel they can belong. They cannot find a "church home" they feel comfortable in. Is the Trinity a better explanation of the nature of God? I don't know. But choosing to believe or at least allow the possibility of a trinitarian God opens up many more possibilities for fulfilling Christian fellowship and experience.

Yes, THIS.

Found this review this morning: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2016/03/hulu_s_the_path_reviewed.html Author compares to Scientology, probably never heard of TWI.

Still ruminating on this. It seems to be one of the hardest things for anyone retaining Christian beliefs after TWI. There's almost no where to go and be a part of a church community where they are not also trinitarian. Personally, if I still believed, I'm way more interested in the actual church culture - what are the people like - than the specific doctrinal stances. I know some others though who are currently struggling with this. The sense that you don't belong anywhere because everyone else is trinitarian.

Just put some coins in the offering plate. Let us know how the fundraiser progresses.

Yay! They're hashtaging. #wayproductions #waycorps #STSTWI

Then there was the trap that the the boredom was your fault. If you aren't excited, you are passionate for the truth. And if you aren't passionate for the truth, it's your job to get that way. Any boredom is a failure on your part :)

Dang, man, that's some heavy -ish. You know from my POV, The Way wasn't really destroyed with VPW because, although I grew up in the way at the end of his life, I was in the Corps as an adult under LCM and later Rosalie. It was alive still in as much as it was still actively scarring those of us who were still around. Anyway, this idea of destroying The Way is interesting to me because looking back from my perspective, Craig seemed to be doing that almost on purpose. I can definitely see the point you are making too. But with the craiggers, all that dumb purging stuff he did, all the mark and avoid, and putting ALL the Corps on the payroll. These things seemed so self evidently "bad for business". Looking back it makes me think maybe Craig was doing it intentionally. Do you agree and if so, do you think Vic appointed him for this purpose intentionally as well?

Fire up a thread in the proper forum. I'm interested.

Damn it, man!

This thread triggered some Way Productions related PTSD. I hope you can hear Mike Martins voice in the following lines too: "I'm tapped in tight right to the root you can tell that I am 'cause I bare much fruit?"

Awesome filter-dodging dis. I would just add "sideways". You get the idea, MRAP, :wave:/>.

Jesus, dude, really? No one here is compelled to provide verifying personal information. You know how internet forums work right? You don't have to believe any of this, think what ever you want. This thread poses a false dichotomy. It's not either/or. To me that seems self evident. I could give you personal examples of both, but what is the point?

Yeah, it's both. I can even see LCM as a victim to some extent. It's like the abused/abuser cycle though. The victims of oppression are in turn oppressors given the opportunity.

I don't know if it is proper, but I'm always like "what's up, BISH?"