shortfuse

Funny, had a flash back. Went to HQ for an event and people came back with a new adjective: MAGNIFICENT. You know who was dropping that majestic modifier likea mofo. I gotta admit though. It was a pretty Mag-friggin-ificent time. * edited to mask expletives

Yeah, jargon is certainly a big part of what I was thinking of. That's really interesting that Way Pub censored "fantastic". Craiggers pointed out years ago that references to idolatry and paganism are everywhere, citing days of the week, months, etc, certainly in a lot of word origins. Puts a lot off limits if you think about it. I used to cringe when he would say "by Jove", (well, I would cringe on a lot more than that) like, "doesn't he know where 'Jove' comes from?!" Wishing you, no wait scratch that, Believing with you for... a happy birthday... no, I mean... blessed birthday! Sure love ya! Oh, and Merry Christmas! I wonder if the cliche jargon is just a symptom of the cult or if it is an actual tool. Seems like the latter to me. A few more Wayfer adjectives I loathe. Variegated Multifarious (Okay, we get it, you have a Thesaurus.) Adverbs: Aboundingly Prevailingly (Actually, might want to get that Thesaurus back out)

Awesome. Like some kind of Wayspeak Ninja! I did something similar on my way out of the Way Corps. Oh, just noticed the age of this thread. Seems we deal with a lot of the same crap.

I have a long standing disdain for the cliches in any form. While in the Way I was aware of a great many cliches expressions people seemed to like latching onto - definitions, expressions, turns of phrase. I would habitually stop myself when I found myself speaking in Way jargon and would restate my point in a different, fresh fashion if possible. I was really bothered by RFR's teaching to the corps about communication. I can't remember what it was called (which makes me feel good - so many Way things I wish I could forget), but the point of it was to teach the corps how to write way magazine articles. Among other things, she specifically instructed us to use "familiar" terminiology and word definitions so as to be comforting to the minds of the reader or listener. We were specifically discouraged from using words that were new to describe concepts - stick to the simplest term that works and stick to the familiar definitions and phrases. I disliked it then, but I didn't see it as mechanism of control until later. What's wrong with cliches, you say? For one thing, THEY"RE BORING! But more to my point, they give you a shortcut to a generalized answer, and get you to stop thinking, stop questioning, stop looking for a better more precise way to describe your thoughts and observations. Way and cultists elsewhere, favor a limited range of cliches with which to address most aspects of life. There are words, thoughts, and ideas they will NEVER get to because the stop at the cliche. Looking back, I think this is a tool of control, knowingly wielded by Rosalie, LCM, VPW. I don't know about the rest of the current BOD. I think are just as manipulated and mush minded as anybody they try to control. But I think Rosalie gets what she is doing. Doesn't matter. I think cliches are boring at best, sinister tools of control at worst. What do you think?

LOL! That's exactly what it was! Not a bad thing mind you, but not worth being elevated to more than that.

Felt exactly this way.

My $.02 on the original question without having really digested all the discussion that followed. My parents used to have mad file cabinets full of way stuff growing up. At some point they had this archive of like every letter VPW had written the Corps or something. I just happened upon it poking around these documents. One made an impression on me, but I haven't seen the hard copy since (this is maybe 20 years ago now). It was a letter from VPW to the Way Corps household, and he was apologizing to the whole corps household in really vague terms for letting them down and hurting their hearts. That's about as specific as I remember but it was like a one page letter to the whole corps. Wierd thing is, I've never heard any of the old timers here validate this story - after all this time, I wonder if I imagined it. (Shrug.) As for the current BOD, I have suggested that an apology was in order. John Rupp told me he didn't think it was biblical. Did Paul apologize for going to Jerusalem? Are there any examples of men of god asking for forgiveness of their flock? Just seems like common sense, common decency to me.

Think there's a pill you can take for that.

Tell me more about the punishment assignments. I didn't know the Mona Vie jokers got punished.

Yup, I was a mini wow that year. We were "believing" to go to California. Naturally, we went to Wisconsin.

These f*ckers are so f*cking clueless. It's not the lack financial compensation keeping people from coming on staff. The word is out. Being on staff SUCKS! Duh! How could you not know that??!! Gosh, let's flog the cabinet and the field leadership to get more applicants. Ha! What's more, I know for a fact they turned away more than a few of the crazy F*ers who wanted to come on staff in the first place. Dumb mother f*ckers. Also, it's not cussing if I use an asterisk. F*ckers.

No take over. They expect to inherit it one day. Hypothetically, yes. Realistically, not a chance. A reorg is supposed to be coming. A more contemporary corporate structure with the executive officers responsible for operations, and a board of directors to whom they are accountable. Rosalie will step out of president role, but retain the helm as chairman of the board. A figure head - guessing Rico or John - will take the president's role. They are the ones who will one day inherit the ministry and they will keep things from changing.

Wait a minute. You were on staff and had to be on WIC?

I hear you, but at the same time i think a lot of those encouraging "speaking up" are privately hoping someone actually will. They lack the courage to stand up and hope someone else will do the job. Sadly when someone does speak up, and they are ostrasized, these same people praying for a reformer label the whistle blower a cop out. Excellent analysis as usual.

I would be reluctant to use the word cult. To me it is too loaded of a term for most contexts (and to be perfectly honest I am still embarrassed by it). I tell people we were very involved in a church we thought was good, but overtime came to realize how legalistic, controlling and abusive it was. We stayed in against our better judgement but eventually severed ties. It has caused me to re-evaluate many, many premises I have held particularly in regards to religion. I have struggled with the word "cult" in general (although I can think of no better word to describe TWI) because it can be so broadly applied. There are well accepted groups like alcoholics anonymous and denominations like the Catholics (okay Roman Catholics, wayfers) that fit many criteria for the label. Ultimately I decided the label "cult" was not worth using in most cases. Maybe there could be good cults, I don't know. The point for me was that it was an abusive system and that regardless of benefit some may have found there, it was harmful for me and my family. Hence the getting the F out. I have since met a number of people who have gone through painful separations from unhealthy church involvement. They can relate rather well to our situation but don't consider themselves former cultists.

That was an EPIC FAIL. First big shot at being "in charge". What a mess. That's hilarious though that Hope, AR was a recurring breakdown spot. I thought we'd never get out of that place.

I agree completely. I think she knows exactly what she is doing too. The others are extremely self-deluded.

This is a good assessment. I was not aware of the extent of group one until near the end of my time "in". I had felt alone and conflicted in my dissent. I was validated initially upon realizing that seemingly everyone agreed with me in someway - everyone had gripes, serious complaints with The Way, if you talked in confidence. What amazed me was just how many of them that were equally conflicted, and how almost everyone was afraid to speak up. Either rationalized it away as being an "insignificant matter" to be yielded on or waiting for their big opportunity to change things. I would agree other posters that this is not a Way Corps only phenomenon but it certainly is pronounced there. It seems tragic that all these people who want change, but are afraid to speak up, are actually in the strongest position to get it by virtue of their majority. But they don't realize it. And so their fear keeps them in check. I am not many years removed from their ranks. Glad to no longer be counted among them.

A couple years ago, I was told that international work represented 80-90% of the ministry work, most of this being in Africa, and most of that in Congo. In this case it was brought up as reason why TWI was dragging it's feet on common sense (in the U.S anyway) tech upgrades. "We don't want to rush into CD's and DVD's; the Africans are still using cassette and VHS. We need to take into consideration the needs of the *whole* ministry." The last time I talked to some Africans they were desperate for some help - still doing "branches" of hundreds of fellowships and fellowships of 50+ people. No internationals are allowed in the Corps, supposedly because of the war on terror. Personally I think it is because the Way Corps no longer even has the pretense of being an educational institution. Point is, they can't get student visas if they aren't real students! Also, they wanted an outreach program in Africa, but all they had available was Way Disciple. You have to have had the "new" advanced class to be eligible. This disqualified almost everyone there. It was a once in a lifetime trip to come to the "old" Advanced Class. Sorry that one doesn't count anymore. Oh well, I guess there's nothing we can do, eh Jean-Yves? Dumbass. Way to take into consideration the needs of the whole ministry. Dead on.

This verse about rebellion is one I learned to use against myself in-residence. (I was of a rebellious age and temperament.) It was followed closely by the Old Testament injunction, "Suffer not a witch to live...". Which is to say my attitude was some how worthy of death. This combination of verses kept me in line when I reached an early "F-this" point in the training. Thankfully they never fully beat the rebellion out of me. fuc kers

Looking through the corps friend finder forum here, was just wondering how many from my group are even left. I know there's at least a couple. It made me wonder, how many of the corps classes are empty today, that is no one left "standing". I know the "zero corps" and the first corps (if you don't count the honorary members) are vacant. Anyone know of any other abandon way corps classes? Any Permanent Records people past or present out there?

Well, yeah. When in-residence we had it drilled into us that we should be willing to "change ANYTHING and EVERYTHING about ourselves" to... fill in the blank - "move the word", "be a good minister of Jesus Christ", whatever. I tried hard to change or repress so many things about myself from my sense of humor to my style of dress to my interests and aspirations. When the scandals with the Craiggers broke in 2000, that woke me up to the kind of people I had been enduring so much inner conflict to please. I started letting my real self come back to the surface. It took another five years before I had gained enough confidence to start fighting back, and three more to get out of TWI with my family intact. About two years out and I am still sorting through the process of being who I really am and want to be, and mapping out what I want out of life and going for it.

You know one way I heard it told was that the errant statements were left in on purpose, to show the progression of the ministry and how "we change when we learn better." The contradictions should be viewed as historical information, and we should always resolve conflict by siting the most current teaching. The "present truth" is accurate teaching. I agree it is not changed to avoid admitting mistakes. (One admission after all opens the door to countless other admissions that are in order.) I also think the contradictions are left on purpose to retain a certain ambiguity and deny-ability. Aside from the topics already mentioned - can you lose rewards or can't you? is the judgement for reward and punishment or reward only? Is debt always wrong or is it sometimes acceptable? What is god's view premarital and extramarital sex? Just a few moving targets that come to mind. The answer depends on the time and the teacher. Written and verbal teaching present another gap in consistency. It is fascinating to hear some of these accounts though of attempts at homogenizing the message behind the scenes.

Learned behavior assumed to be proof of the supernatural. I've thought it would be interesting to study this by observing and recording the words/phrases heard in manifestations in fellowship. I bet you each language is well under 100 words. A lot of it seems to be imitations of other languages or other peoples SIT-ing.

This sounds like text book M1ke And3rson.