doojable

You didn't take the easy way out... Your turn, George.

Here's a song I loved to dance to: INXS - "Need You Tonight"

"Got a good reason"

Let them eat cake... Killer Queen - by Queen

Put it under the candle.

Bump

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Der victoid knew how he (pilfered) obtained the that class - he attended the class, taught it, and appropriated it as his very own. By filming that class he insured that ONLY he was THE TEACHER.

All of the above.. ALL of it. (Well I don't agree with Oldies's assessment.) Stephanie - you need to know what TWI is about. Be aware that if you start right out calling it a cult, your friend will be convinced to drop you - they'll tell her that she is "unequally yoked to an unbeliever." The more you know the more you will be able to help her. Most likely she is looking for answers about God. The more she learns the more she'll feel like she needs to learn - and there's the hook.' One more class... One more program... One more meeting after one more thing that will bring her closer to Gawd... At least until she's so far away from the truth that she doesn't recognize the truth when she hears it.

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Stephanie - you can certainly ask her what she is into. You can ask her why she keeps saying that it's not a baby yet. It's not pushing someone out of a religious belief to ask them to explain why their views on something have changed - or at least appear to have changed. I'd ask her how she feels about all this. TWI is in the habit of telling folks to ignore their feelings - but in not so many words. I'd try to spend time with her. Love her. Let her know you'll be a friend that sticks close - no matter what. (I wouldn't join twi to stay close tho...) Be gentle and loving. If she's your friend, she'll know when you're being genuine. If she makes mistakes, just help her get past them. Her being in a twig might (might) lead to you getting your feelings hurt. Try to remain calm and don't let your emotions say the wrong thing. Don't talk while you're in the heat of anger or fear or sadness. Let her know you're comfortable "just being" with her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13ylGN5StFw

More John Mayer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YfYBudVXXw...feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLW6G6LYLt4&feature=user

John Mayer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjf36Rg5w6Q Jimi Hendrix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwbdSxS89v8...feature=related

Personally, I think this discussion of guest speakers is pointless. Just another rabbit hole to run down...but since the dogs are loose anyway... Once the speakers had spoken and recorded, their services were no longer required. Their words were safely tucked away in the "vault of truth" (ummm errrrr BRC) and now were part of all that vp had known and put together. For the record, I don't recall him saying outright that he had cornered the market on truth - per say... What I heard was, "We don't know all the truth, but we know Him who is Truth." (Yea right... <_< ) But if you were in any meeting where that was said, the feeling of "... and we're better than anyone at knowing Him," was almost palpable.

Happy Birthday, Tonto!

Ask Oldies (or Mike), penworks, but I think the line you just set apart in bold are Mike's words.

My3Cents - I've been going through a "mindfulness" excercise lately. I didn't know that's what it was called though. I googled as you suggested and found this video:

I tend to disagree with you OM- because no matter what was said officially, there were many more things whispered and taught even by der victoid himself that seemed to say that vp was right- until he decided he wasn't right - and he never said he wasn't right. I recall in Adv CL '79 vp saying talking about Bullinger and saying something to the effect of, "I know he was a Trinitarian - but I just know he wasn't one by the end of his life. He couldn't have been! With what he knew... I just know..." Vp wasn't claiming revelation, but he was claiming that surely someone like Bulinger, that he had put forth as an authority (and had plagiarized freely,) must have come to the same conclusion he did regarding the Trinity. And think about it... Isn't "Best" - "Better than the rest"? Which would be code for "Only."

IMO that video goes way, WAY beyond the religion/atheist thing. I don't mean to minimize your point Garth, but that was abuse - plain and simple. verbal, emotional and possibly even physical abuse. To see one person do that to another is awful. To see a mother treat her son that way is horrifying and disgusting.

When I was in-rez you could smoke as long as your tuition was paid up. If you were behind, you were expected to quit and use the money you'd spend on cigs towards your training... "What kind of training?!' "Aaaarmmmeeee... Spurt-ull training Sir!"

We did "bar witnessing" here in the early '80's. We weren't supposed to go over the two drink limit. There was a two-drink limit but no limit on doobies...

Ham, that's why I started the thread the way I did: The very fact that a gun needs to be shown points to a desperate need to control circumstances. A "guard the party line at any and all costs" kind of mentality. Just think about how many moral filters have been breached to get to this kind of thought. Of course, there's religious extremism in play here, so it's not surprising. But, just what is being protected? and who? and who will really stand to gain the most in the end? Rhetorical questions really, but worth asking. Bully mentality...

Okay, it seems I derailed my own thread. Regarding the clergy meeting, I know only what I've read here at GSC. I never meant to allow the focus to go there. I'm having a hard time putting my thoughts into words regarding this subject. I have no doubt that there are those there are some dangerous people at HQ with the potential to use a firearm and do some real damage. The gray area for me is the relatively sane people that know better and yet still choose to use a gun for the purpose of intimidation and manipulation. I guess I'm trying to say that a threat is only as good as the promise to follow through on it. Do you think that the black cloud of bad publicity is enough to stay someone's hand? Perhaps it just depends on the situation and the people involved.