T-Bone

oh, this is interesting... ...parts of the PFAL book are almost an exact replica of Bullinger's "How to Enjoy the Bible".

being in the hood

the new sheriff was apprehensive about the town's policy on profiling

I'm never going back to that Twig ever again !

field-testing a prototype of the GoPro

that was the deal, pal You give me the funny papers...then you can look at the want ads all you want

I’m not a fan of Bullinger’s theology - if you reread my post and click on the Biblical criticism link - you’ll get an idea of the thing I thought he was pretty good at -the text , the original languages/syntax and literary forms - but I think maybe he was so hyper focused on details - it was one of those can’t see the forest for the trees thing - he couldn’t see the bigger picture - a systematic theology

My wife and I have had our home invaded by multilevel marketers a few times by Saladmaster , Shaklee , and Amway!...We didn’t get involved in any of them – why should we were in “the best” MLM 1. Someone invited this guy to our Twig because he said he’d like to hear about “The Word” and feed a delicious homecooked meal for the fellowship. Ba-da-boom – Saladmaster ! When this guy heard my wife and I had a side gig of new construction cleanup – he said he had so many business connections in town – we’d be set for life! 2. Same Twig – different day – a Twig coordinator from another town comes over with tripod easel and charts to show us how “Shaklee is so of God” his exact words. 3. Different state – invited a work associate - another security tech and his wife over to our apartment for dinner – figured I’d witness to both of them then... At work he came across as a bubba – kinda mumbled when he talked – seemed like a good old boy – we called him Junior…anyway after dinner he goes out to his car and retrieves a tripod easel and charts – uh oh number 1…then comes uh oh number 2 - as he launches into his spiel, his whole demeanor does an amazing transformation – he is articulate – refined even – telling us how excited he was that next year “come July One” he will be able to retire from the security company – thank you Amway!

An online definition of dilettante is a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge; synonyms are dabbler, tinkerer, trifler, dallier, amateur, nonprofessional, non-specialist, layman…I would definitely consider wierwille a dilettante. And according to that definition I would also categorize myself as one – on Grease Spot I’ve never put on airs about systematic theology, hermeneutics and such – that stuff is just an enjoyable hobby to me…realistically though among participants in any pursuit there’s going to be degrees of competency depending on each person’s skillset…what does it say about wierwille when there’s someone like me - being just a Bible study bug with no formal education in systematic theology, hermeneutics and such – and yet I can easily shoot holes in wierwille’s ideology? Now I think E.W. Bullinger is in a different class. I wouldn’t call him an amateur. I have some of his works and still appreciate his stuff for the detailed critical analysis of the Scriptures ( see Biblical criticism ) – BUT – in my opinion where Bullinger tended to get off track was invariably holding to the plenary verbal inspiration theory – how some scholars assume the Scriptures were written - the theory speculates that God’s inspiration extends to ALL of Scripture – WHICH INCLUDES when the writers recorded any historical, physical science and life science details…That’s where Bullinger and I part company…Wikipedia says “He was a member of the Universal Zetetic Society, a group dedicated to believing and promoting the idea that the earth is flat, and on 7 March 1905, he chaired a meeting in Exeter Hall, London, in which the flat earth theory was expounded.” I think Bullinger had a genuine love for the Scriptures – but perhaps with his dogmatic approach he’d wind up shooting himself in the foot – like coming up with 4 crucified with Jesus Christ and being so keen on dispensationalism…That’s one of the many reasons why I don’t subscribe to the Bible being the inerrant word of God. Another interesting sidenote on Bullinger - Wikipedia also says Bullinger's views were often unique and sometimes controversial. He is so closely tied to what is now called ultradispensationalism that it is sometimes referred to as Bullingerism. Noted dispensationalist Harry A. Ironside (1876–1951) declared Bullingerism an "absolutely Satanic perversion of the truth." How’s that for peer review! In my opinion Bullinger may have been a misguided scholar – but wierwille was simply a hack! ~ ~ ~ Also check out some relevant links: H.A. Ironside Bible Reasons: covenant theology vs dispensationalism 3 reasons the Bible is not the inerrant word of God

On the menu of one of those fancy schmancy local baristas: iced coffee from the crevasse-of-the-day

with a pair of these Audio/Video Juxtapositionizers inserted under your eyelids you'll be able to SEE the sounds of silence.

YES, YES, YES, YES, YES WordWolf and Rocky !!!!! wierwille’s abundant sharing mantra was one of the core elements in his switcheroo. It is no secret that wierwille was heavily influenced by E.W. Kenyon…after all they say plagiarism is the highest form of piracy …Here’s some noteworthy excerpts from Wikipedia about Kenyon and prosperity theology, the power of believing, and positive confessions: E. W. Kenyon, a Baptist minister and adherent of the Higher Life movement, is credited with introducing mind-power teachings into early Pentecostalism. In the 1890s, Kenyon attended Emerson College of Oratory where he was exposed to the New Thought movement. Kenyon later became connected with well-known Pentecostal leaders and wrote about supernatural revelation and positive declarations. His writing influenced leaders of the nascent prosperity movement during the post-war American healing revival. Kenyon and later leaders in the prosperity movement have denied that he was influenced by the New Thought movement. Anthropologist Simon Coleman argues that there are "obvious parallels" between Kenyon's teachings and New Thought. Kenyon taught that Christ's substitutionary atonement secured for believers a right to divine healing. This was attained through positive, faith-filled speech; the spoken word of God allowed believers to appropriate the same spiritual power that God used to create the world and attain the provisions promised in Christ's death and resurrection. Prayer was understood to be a binding, legal act. Rather than asking, Kenyon taught believers to demand healing since they were already legally entitled to receive it. Kenyon's blend of evangelical religion and mind-power beliefs—what he termed "overcoming faith"—resonated with a small but influential segment of the Pentecostal movement. Prosperity theology teaches that Christians are entitled to well-being and, because spiritual and physical realities are seen as one inseparable reality, interprets well-being as physical health and economic prosperity. Teachers of the doctrine focus on personal empowerment, promoting a positive view of the spirit and body. They maintain that Christians have been given power over creation because they are made in the image of God and teach that positive confession allows Christians to exercise dominion over their souls and material objects around them. Leaders of the movement view the atonement as providing for the alleviation of sickness, poverty, and spiritual corruption; poverty and illness are cast as curses which can be broken by faith and righteous actions… …Wealth is interpreted in prosperity theology as a blessing from God, obtained through a spiritual law of positive confession, visualization, and donations. Believers may see this process in almost mechanical terms. Kenneth Copeland, an American author and televangelist, argues that prosperity is governed by laws, while other teachers portray the process formulaically… …The prosperity theology teaching of positive confession stems from its proponents' view of scripture. The Bible is seen as a faith contract between God and believers; God is understood to be faithful and just, so believers must fulfill their end of the contract to receive God's promises. This leads to a belief in positive confession: the doctrine that believers may claim whatever they desire from God, simply by speaking it. Prosperity theology teaches that the Bible has promised prosperity for believers, so positive confession means that believers are speaking in faith what God has already spoken about them. Positive confession is practiced to bring about what is already believed-in; faith itself is a confession, and speaking it brings it into reality. The teaching often depends on non-traditional interpretations of Bible verses, the Book of Malachi often being given special attention. While Christians have generally celebrated Malachi for its passages about the Messiah, teachers of prosperity theology usually draw attention to its descriptions of physical wealth. Frequently quoted verses include: Malachi 3:10: "'Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.'" John 10:10: "'I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.'" Philippians 4:19: "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." 3 John 1:2: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Prosperity theology casts itself as the reclamation of true doctrine and thus part of a path to Christian dominion over secular society. It contends that God's promises of prosperity and victory to Israel in the Old Testament apply to New-Covenant Christians today, and that faith and holy actions release this prosperity… …Prosperity-theology advocates also argue that biblical promises of blessings awaiting the poor have been unnecessarily spiritualized, and should be understood literally End of excerpts From: Wikipedia – prosperity theology ~ ~ ~ ~ As a Christian I think one of the most alarming aspects of wierwille’s switcheroo is that it is conducive to idolatry. What is idolatry? One simple definition I found online – idolatry is extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone. I can make anything or anyone an idol…That’s what I call an extremely flexible sin! Very adaptive…I like that in a sin. Something that will fit in nicely – even with my unique lifestyle…I know what you’re thinking “what the hell does he do all day?” … I’m busy making golden idols …just kidding…I only do that part time now. But never on a Sunday – hey, I’ve got principles! Here's another passage about a switcheroo: They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Romans 1:25 Do you remember some of the definitions of “switcheroo”? Deceptive swap, change, variation, or reversal…note the word “exchanged” in Rom. 1:25 NIV “Worshipped” and “served” also jump out in that passage. Which ties into this passage: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. I Timothy 6:10 Anything you cherish…anything you love – you will guard carefully – because you treasure it: 19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6: 19-24 What is it to SERVE money? When we perform services or duties to it – when we do WHATEVER it takes to get it – it’s like money is the master – the boss – it has the power to put the kibosh on any qualms we might have about doing something morally questionable! Money has become our master, our idol…we just love it – we’ll do anything for it - no questions asked! In TWI I never thought of myself as a materialistic person – but it was hard not to get caught up in the wishful thinking of being affluent as I did VOLUNTEER work for a money-grubbing ministry that is big on the prosperity theology...and we were all considered a soft-sell sales force anyway, peddling classes on the Bible in a warm market – friends, relatives, neighbors, work associates, etc. And I was a reluctant salesman to boot – partly because I wasn't completely sold on this prosperity theology myself. It's difficult to be enthused about promoting the more than abundant life as defined by TWI when all too often my wife and I were just barely getting by ourselves - working our secular jobs, faithfully giving more than 10 percent of our income – sometimes that even meant skimping on cost of living expenses. And besides that, we were also sponsoring people in the way corps program, running fellowships, classes, advances, coffee houses, and getting around town hauling folks to and from classes, events, big meetings by driving clunkers (vehicles in bad condition because we were usually too financially strapped to do something about it) ...you name it – we did it – and without the financial support of TWI. Why there was a time in my life when I would have probably given anything to have a million dollars! And that’s a whole other unhealthy aspect of the prosperity theology - how it metastasized into TWI’s money-grubbing mentality – which leads followers into a blind alley of materialism – that’s the real issue Jesus was addressing in Matthew 6: 19 – 24. He talked about a very unusual predicament – what if the light within you is darkness. That is certainly ironic. I used to understand this passage as referring to someone who is stubborn and closeminded thinking that they are enlightened but in fact are still in the dark. While that may be one way to interpret it - the context seems to suggest the problem is not with one having weird views of the Bible – but of how one views material possessions. Note the unavoidable choice between two alternatives in each passage: treasures on earth or treasures in heaven – healthy eyes or unhealthy eyes – serving God or serving money. What is critical is making the right choice – a good decision. Good decisions hinge on mental clarity - a state of psychological well-being in which we can use our cognitive skills to function in society and meet the demands of everyday life. Jesus used an analogy of the human eyes to teach about spiritual sight. What we find in this passage is a lesson showing how critical our outlook on life is as well as our motives in determining the health-status of our spiritual sight. With our eyes we navigate our way – but Jesus was not referring to the eyes as being the SOURCE of light for our body – but rather that the eyes ALLOW the light to come in – becoming as it were a lamp to the body – for our body depends on that visual information for guidance. The iris of the human eye is similar to the adjustable aperture on a camera lens – it functions to control the amount of light that is allowed to pass through the lens. There are several diseases that can affect the proper functioning of the iris as well as simple blunt trauma to the eye. Jesus contrasted healthy with unhealthy spiritual eyes. And he makes the point that the health of spiritual sight could be threatened by one’s attitude toward material possessions. Jesus does not deny the reality or value of earthly things, but he does refute the permanence of earthly things. With a gaze firmly fixed on earthly things it’s conceivable a materialistic cult-leader could shoot back at Jesus “I can see just fine. Are YOU blind? Look at all the abundance that God has showered upon this ministry.” Jesus’ comment defines their plight - if that is how they “see” things - then indeed they are in great darkness…which makes me want to ask anyone in TWI reading this post – why should you trust the “spiritual insight” of The Way International? They are blind leading the blind Matthew 15:14 . wierwille’s money-grubbing attitude has ALWAYS been in play…Jimmy Doop was part of The Way West back in the "glory days" of TWI talked about wierwille’s plan to take over the states’ rights in 1971, of all the fellowships, and he was going to control all of the states and their MONEY - read it in his own words here > Jimmy Doop's post September 8th, 2005 I think one of the dangers of buying in to any of wierwille’s portfolio of switcheroos are the hidden costs. “The saying, "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is" can often apply to shopping deals laced with hidden costs. Take discount airlines, for example. The airfare is advertised for hundreds of dollars less than the major competitors, but when travelers go to book their trip, they're suddenly hit with extraneous fees for selecting a seat, bringing a carry-on suitcase, and in-flight refreshments – even water!...When making the commitment to buy a home, it's important to consider the hidden costs. Application fees, inspection fees, closing costs – when added up, these costs can drive the final price up by thousands of dollars.” From an August 2016 article by Philadelphia Federal Credit Union: WHAT ARE HIDDEN COSTS? What are some of the hidden costs of TWI-involvement? Did it cost you a marriage? Did it drive a wedge in any family relationships because they didn’t stand with the ministry? Did your network of non-TWI-friends become far less important to you than TWI’s agenda? Were any personal preferences, priorities, dreams, goals, ambitions sidetracked by the demands of your TWI-responsibilities? For instance, did you put off college or graduate school? Did it cost you any career advancements or any business opportunities? Me? I like to keep things simple – what is the real cost of buying into a harmful and controlling cult? Your soul…but others may differ…I know there’s some folks who probably believe there’s been a fair exchange of goods and services during their TWI involvement. wierwille was a phony-buckeroo with the mostest switcheroos!

Interesting point, Nathan! Sometimes I wonder if there’s a part of my mind that is almost like a vacuum or a void – it wants to be filled with something…I was definitely in a search mode when I came across TWI…I let wierwille’s bull$hit fill that void for a while. Speaking of defining bull$hit – I read something interesting by Harry G. Frankfurt - he is professor emeritus of philosophy at Princeton University, where he taught from 1990 until 2002 – he has also taught at Yale University, Rockefeller University, and Ohio State University: “It does seem that bull$hitting involves a kind of bluff. It is closer to bluffing, surely, than telling a lie…Lying and bluffing are both modes of misrepresentation or deception. Now the concept most central to the distinctive nature of a lie is that of falsity…Bluffing too, is typically devoted to conveying something false…the essence of bull$hit is not that it is false but that it is phony. In order to appreciate this distinction, one must recognize that a fake or phony need not be in any respect (apart from authenticity itself) inferior to the real thing. What is not genuine need not also be defective in some other way. What is wrong with a counterfeit is not what it is like, but how it was made” From On Bull$hit When Frankfurt said what is wrong with a counterfeit is not what it is like, but how it was made – that got me thinking - one of the most revealing characteristics of wierwille’s bull$hit is the shoddy workmanship. Under scrutiny it does not hold up well. I like to think I've matured in my cognitive skills...for me now, there's nothing more satisfying than ruminating over well-made bull$hit.

A recent complaint at the Cable Leader Company: “This is the second time you guys sent the wrong cable. I ordered 4,000 feet of Cat6 and you sent us Cat5.”

New for 2022: Hubcap Drones with Homing Feature A lost hubcap will be a thing of the past!

From the person who has let verbosity get the best of him comes a thread so unoriginal that the bulk of it is not even old news but is way past that - bordering on the historical sleep-inducing effectiveness of sleep aids like ZzzZZZzzz zzzZZZ Quil , Fentanyl-and-All, Darvon-and-On, Huff-N-Glue-How-Bout-U, Sniff-N-Paint-Dignified-It-Ain’t, and of course PFAL and PFAL Today in any dosage. Are you still there, Grease Spotter? Good! I know I have at least one fan out there… anyway …this is just another thread on the con artist wierwille. His con game was dishonest tricks to gain the victim's confidence…Thinking about his tactics a funny word kept coming to mind – “switcheroo”. I looked into its origin, and this is what I found: The "old switcheroo": Where did the "-eroo" suffix come from? Michael Quinion, Ologies and Isms: Word Beginnings and endings (2002) has this entry for the suffix -eroo: -eroo Also -aroo, -aroonie, and -eroonie. An informal and often humorous intensifier of nouns {A fanciful formation of uncertain origin} This ending is most common in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. It appeared in the U.S. in the 1930s, but its origin is not known. It may be that it was influenced by the older buckaroo, a cowboy, which derives from Spanish vaquero; its acceptance in Australia and New Zealand may have been helped by the model of kangaroo, wallaroo, and other words. It sometimes implies something sizeable, overwhelming, remarkable, or unexpected. Among the words that Quinion cites as examples of -eroo/-aroo/-aroonie constructions are boozeroo, jackaroo, flopperoo, smackeroo, and smackeroonie. From: English Stack Exchange: where did eroo suffix come from in the world “switcheroo”? Besides liking the sound of it – I was especially drawn to the above sentence “It sometimes implies something sizeable, overwhelming, remarkable, or unexpected.” That seems like an apt description of wierwille’s con game. So, without further ado or a don’t let’s get to it. 1. “Switcheroo” a definition First, a definition of switcheroo along with typical usages from the internet: Switcheroo - slang - a surprising, unexpected, or deceptive swap, change, variation, or reversal. “I'll distract the guards while you make a switcheroo with the fake diamond.” “The politician had been campaigning for months against the legislation, only to pull the old switcheroo and start putting her support behind it at the last minute.” “Wait a minute, you're Lisa, not Linda! Ah, you've pulled the ol' switcheroo on Grandpa.” from: Idioms The Free Dictionary In my opinion, a concise version of wierwille’s switcheroo strategy is on page 23 & 24 of The Bible Tells Me So, in the chapter Are You Limiting God? wierwille says: ".. . We frequently limit God in ourselves by our wrong believing, by accepting the knowledge that comes to us through our senses. Our reason says, 'That just cannot be,' and so we confess the negative, when all the time His spirit within us is crying out, 'Sufficiency in everything.' We have been so schooled to revere the knowledge that comes to us through our five senses that we fail to recognize the knowledge that comes from the higher realm, the spiritual where the Word of God, and not reason, has first place. Both realms or worlds are here: the natural world is factual; the spiritual world is true. As there are four kingdoms in this world, and one supersedes the other: the plant kingdom, animal kingdom, kingdom of man and the Kingdom of God; so, there is a natural world and a supernatural or spiritual world. The natural world and everything in it comes to the mind through or by way of the natural senses. The truths of the spiritual world are absolutely not dependent upon the senses, but rather on the spirit from God in man." End of excerpt * * * * * * 2. perception For a lie to work it usually must have some truth or fact to it. wierwille said “The natural world and everything in it comes to the mind through or by way of the natural senses. The truths of the spiritual world are absolutely not dependent upon the senses, but rather on the spirit from God in man." I would agree that the natural world and everything in it comes to the mind by way of the 5 senses BUT I would also include the truths of the spiritual world too. Why? Because I can use my eyes and read John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. I can use my ears and mouth to follow what someone says about Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. And why limit myself? I can investigate, read, or discuss metaphysics outside of my Christian perspective. But that’s just me – I love exploring! Alas, back then the befuddlement of wierwille’s fundamentalism did a number on my curiosity. I should have challenged his idea. Where in the Bible does it indicate the truths of the spiritual world are absolutely not dependent upon the senses? I would venture to say there are some noteworthy metaphysical experiences recorded in the Bible that have vivid elements of physicality: Moses and the burning bush , Paul’s conversion , Peter understood the vision of unclean animals to mean he should go to a Gentile’s home , and Paul's mind-blowing experience that 5-senses-wise he couldn’t make heads or tails of the experience so he puts it as Paul’s “whether in the body or out of the body” caught up to the 3rd heaven , and of course John writing of the sights, sounds and feelings of being in the Spirit – supernaturally transported out of the material world . Our brains have no direct contact with the outside world. Our only information about what is going on outside of our bodies comes to us from our five senses. Perception in psychology is defined as the analysis of sensory information within the brain. Through perception we obtain a description of our surroundings, and our minds must then process what the descriptions mean. we usually assume that our perceptions are reality…well…it is our own interpretation of reality anyway. As a survivor of a harmful and controlling cult that indoctrinated me to an extreme degree, I now believe it’s important to respect the perceptions of others – they might be more accurate than mine on some things or might add more details or different perspectives from their own experiences. And that’s the challenge of being an adult in a free world – I can use my ever-developing cognitive skills to figure out what’s what, consider all the options I am aware of as well as the counsel of others and then choose the best course of action. You see for 12 years the TWI-mindset had whittled away at my self-confidence and bull$hit detector. I learned to only trust other people and other information to the degree it all lined up with what wierwille taught in PFAL. When I left TWI in ’86, it took real courage to admit I was deceived and was wrong on a lot of things! Sometimes it’s advantageous to seek out validation from experts or at least from other credible people who are outside of our circle of friends or whatever group we’re in. The argumentative atmosphere of Grease Spot Café is great in that regard – since it’s often given to expressing divergent or opposite views. From what I’ve read online, some experts think our beliefs are somewhat like a software program always running in the background as we take in information and examine its source – checking for compatibility or conflicts with our existing beliefs. Our beliefs help form and/or modify a mental model for understanding the world, our self, and others. And our beliefs - along with experience, observations, and reason even attempt to predict the future…To summarize – for better or worse our beliefs help us make sense of the world and help us navigate in it. …My own somewhat sarcastic reinterpretation of wierwille’s maxim “believing equals receiving” is believing equals perceiving…You see what you want to see. Bertrand Russell once said, “believing is the most mental thing we do”. It has also been said that our thoughts, feelings, actions, and reactions, respond not to the world as it actually is ( for we never know reality directly) but to the world as we believe it to be. Our beliefs tell us who we think we are and mark our place in the world. Our beliefs are essentially an ongoing personal narrative that anchors us to various places, situations, and events across our lifetime. Our memories are a composite of objective reality and subjective reality – what is actually there and what we perceive to be there. see objective vs subjective reality and take the test inside the link...also another good read is Blog musings on the nature of reality and Quora: What is the difference between objective reality and subjective reality? Are they both reality? and Mental Health at Home: perceived vs objective reality * * * * * * 3. Sidestepping reality wierwille had a knack for sidestepping any real issues folks might have had with his extraordinary claims and empty promises of success. With the unnerving tenacity of an old dentist drill wierwille repeated over and over and over and over again that we should not go by our five senses or worldly logic…he made it sound like that was part of our Christian duty in the spiritual battle... When I first got involved with TWI, being young and naïve I bought into all that – wierwille’s biblical sounding ideas provided a means to easily rationalize away logic or reality…I think “successful” con artists have a real knack for embedding the process of self-deception in devoted followers. Thinking back on my TWI-daze, wierwille and other upper leadership seemed to have had an endless number of pat answers for why I was not "manifesting the more than abundant life" – that’s code for “the idealized lifestyle of a Way-believer”. Many other TWI-leaders following the example of the big dog cult-leaders would often say things to build hype for some program, class or simply to encourage behavior and attitudes that were acceptable to the group. It all depended on how imaginative TWI-leadership could be and how proficient they were at pronouncing their supposedly spiritually-informed and biblically sounding diagnosis of my “dilemma”, using pretentious ministry jargon …more nonsense to sidestep reality…more switcheroos. The ideology of PFAL is nothing more than the old wierwille switcheroo…a clever swapping – an especially surprising and deceptive exchange – to defer to wierwille’s interpretation of the Bible, facts, and even his intuition - which is basically however he felt about the subject...and for goodness sakes if you're going to quote wierwille make sure you get the context right when an where he said it. You gotta understand how the double-standard works with hypocrites. If he’s talking in an open meeting, or speaking in a class like PFAL – it’s all prim and proper. But in a meeting with the way corps and he’s showing his favorite porn video – to uhm...to prepare us for counseling porn stars I guess – then that's okay too - cuz he loves us and wants the best for us - after all anything done in the love of God is okay. wierwille discouraged people from using their five senses, logic, emotions, gut-feelings, instincts, intuition and basically whatever you want to call the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. In place of all that wierwille suggested we use “The Word” and “walk by the spirit”. Oddly enough this amounted to employing our five senses to take in TWI teachings and classes – all variations on PFAL themes of course…and read, watch and listen to only TWI-approved material, and use TWI-“logic” (cognitive dissonance) to analyze anything or to make decisions and determine priorities…We were to practice TWI-cultured-imagination and TWI learned behavior to further absorb, imitate and reinforce PFAL…and ultimately so that we continued to lallygag in wierwille ideology. …oh, here’s a good one on learned behavior – imagine this – you’re a TWI-branch leader and you’ve momentarily stepped out of an intense meeting to gather your thoughts. The meeting is about some major snafu by several of the class crew at a PFAL class that’s now up to session 10. When you reenter the room, it’s escalated to a lot of loud arguing and blaming…But you’re cool, calm, and collected – you’re the branch leader for Pete’s sake - so you just say “alright, who’s speaking in tongues here?” and schwoooom !!!!!! the room goes silent…this really happened ! when I was a WOW – I was in a branch of 7 WOW families in D.C. and we sure were a noisy bunch! Fortunately, our branch leader knew how to whip us into shape. PFAL is a class in which wierwille’s skewed interpretation of the Bible becomes “The Word” and ideally YOUR ONLY rule for faith and practice…On the difference between instincts and learned behavior and being manipulated by unscrupulous people see some interesting hyperlinks in section # 7 Instincts, learned behavior, perception, switcheroos, and other control tactics If you really think about it - wierwille’s plethora of pontification in the chapter Are You Limiting God? is an affront to any Christian and any serious student of the Bible. How does one hear about…learn about…read about what God is like? How does one discover the life of Jesus Christ and what it means to them personally? How does one explore the power of prayer? How does one investigate the risks of temptations and the dangers of unrepentant sin? Do you think the five senses and cognitive skills are involved in any of that searching? Would you check out books besides the Bible to search for some answers? Would you check out other religions and various philosophies for what they say about metaphysical things? Would you talk with others – maybe even debate with others to unpack those subjects? Or do you prefer having all the work done for you? If so - you probably think PFAL is just peachy keen…that’s okay – you’ll get a chance to express yourself following the brief instructions in section # 7 extra credit. * * * * * * 4. Theory and practice In most systems of learning there’s a combination of theory and practice . Most subjects consist of theory as well as a practical part, but I think when it comes to subjects that are vocational in nature (such as a medical degree or a technical degree) there needs to be some learning through first hand practice…Do you remember how practical the benefits of PFAL were said to be? Makes life meaningful…Enables you to separate truth from error…increases prosperity…develops more harmony in the home…disciplines the mind by believing…who wouldn’t want that stuff? But be honest – how much of PFAL lived up to the hype? TWI heavily promoted the law of believing – which in my opinion must be the ultimate theory of impracticality. It’s been discussed many times on Grease Spot…but for brief review here - it’s the idea that one can influence the outcome of specific events by doing something that has no bearing on the circumstances or similarly that personal thoughts can influence the external world without acting on them. By far the most cunning method for dealing with “unsatisfied customers” is to use the old-tried-and-true-blame-it-on-their-lack-of-believing-ploy. Something I learned from more seasoned TWI-leaders was that if you can’t nail "delinquent" believers on anything else – the simplest and surest method of disarming someone is to call their believing into question. Since the essential qualities of the law of believing were so nebulous – there was ample room for debate anyway. Believing is something so amorphous – it’s almost magical. see also: Harvard Law Today: From the Dean - Theory and Practice, at the Same Time PDF on relationship between theory and practice the difference between theory and practice * * * * * * 5. Magical thinking A concise definition of magical thinking is given in an article by James R. Beck, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and a professor and the chair of the counseling department at Denver Seminary – in the book Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology and Counseling, 2nd Edition published by Baker Academic , on page 708: "Magical thinking is present when a person views an internal thought as having external significance and power. A thought, although private and unobservable, becomes a substitute for action. The logic of magical thinking says that thoughts are powerful, and therefore thinking certain thoughts will cause various consequences to occur in the outside world. Magical thinking is not confined by normal barriers between thought and actions, between private thinking and public knowledge, between what is internal and what is external. Nor is it limited by the logical connections that normal thinking posits between ideas. The best-known example of magical thinking is the young child who, when angry, will close his or her eyes with the thought of making the disciplining parent disappear. The logic in this childish behavior is: If I can’t see, I can’t be seen. Magical thinking is common and considered normal in young children…Magical thinking is considered pathological when it persists beyond the age of its normal occurrence…Primary process thought patterns, including magical thinking, are thought to dominate the unconscious thought of neurotics…Obsessive-compulsives also indulge in magical thinking when they feel their thoughts can cause harm to others. The defense mechanism of undoing is predicated on magical thoughts, since wishing something makes it so…For example, the child who first hits an adult and then kisses the same person is convinced that the second behavior will undo the first; hence it is magical thinking." One common definition of magical thinking is “the belief that unrelated events are causally connected despite the absence of any plausible causal link between them, particularly as a result of supernatural effects.” from: Wiki – magical thinking In PFAL the law of believing is described as a power that works for saint and sinner alike - which to me sounds like someone is describing The Force in "Star Wars". Basically, the concept takes God out of the picture. Sometimes people want to argue that God made the law of believing or they try to shoehorn him into the equation by saying he’s actually the one doing the miracles – and that’s even weirder because it reduces God to being a genie in a lamp who answers to whoever rubs the lamp. The essence of magical thinking is the disconnect from the real world of cause and effect – which is exactly the opposite of what the scientific method is all about – which is a lot of experimentation and observation - there isn't a whole lot of guesswork involved. Magical thinking is another deceptive switcheroo – it’s like procrastination and busy-work…there might be a lot of mental activity going on but nothing of real value is accomplished. * * * * * * 6. Instincts, learned behavior, perception, switcheroos, and other control tactics As a subset to analyzing wierwille’s switcheroo and tangents, I’ve included some appropriate hyperlinks along with some stuff that relates to manipulative tactics used by unscrupulous people: Researchpedia: difference between instinctive and learning behavior Quora: how does an instinct and a learned behavior differ? The Invisible Gorilla: A Classic Experiment in Perception (you ought to try this out !) Psychology Today: How to Spot a Sociopath in 3 Steps 20 Diversion Tactics Highly Manipulative Narcissists, Sociopaths And Psychopaths Use To Silence You The 8 Most Common Narc-Sadistic Conversation Control Tactics How to Become a Cult Leader in Seven Easy Lessons * * * * * * * 7. extra credit For those interested in extra credit to boost your score on this thread: Write an essay (or post a reply on this thread ) around the idea that a good con artist will sell you the shirt off your own back. Write an essay (or post a reply on this thread ) around the idea that when facts are indisputable, a con artist will find a way around them. Write an essay (or post a reply on this thread ) to argue for or against any of the ideas I’ve presented here.

Evidently dinosaur profiling is a thing. Thomas Rex is usually stopped several times a week on his way to or from work.

You'll always be a star in my book, Twinky

For me, this stuff is a hobby…it’s something I really enjoy - so I guess I don’t realize how involved it can get…I’m no intellectual – often I have to reread a paragraph of his and look up a lot of stuff online or in the dictionary…I completely understand your hesitancy. And I’m with you on American evangelicalism / right-wing Christianity being more political than gospel oriented.

Well I’d rule out the first definition you gave - 200 + I Q …the other one comes close - wierwille buying a church office …uhm - he did buy the title of “Doctor” from a degree-granting mill.

Love is letting your girlfriend use your phone

The Mark 1 is often said to be the first Iron Man suit created and built by Tony Stark. For some reason the Mark 0 is rarely mentioned.

Not satisfied with just being known as the first woman to walk on the Moon, Betty wanted to be known as the first woman to wear a formfitting skirt and block heel pumps with buckle to assemble the Lego Lunar Research Base on the Moon.

Even though it never failed to put a smile on the faces of the crew whenever Robby punched up the 1969 tune Space Cowboy on the United Planets Starship C-57D 8-Track-Tape-Player, the commander and his new girlfriend always seemed unfazed.

Fred was the brains of the outfit. Charlie and Helen fought all the time over the stuffed toy dog.