T-Bone

whoa - you charge how much for your stupid class ?!?!

I think this cartoon ought to be in the dictionary next to the definition of confirmation bias

Bolshevik - I love both of those...I take it the church sign is an honest mistake. and I absolutely love the witch trial cartoon !!!!!!

I love the vibe of this one! I think I have a kinship with any lone wolf types…a demotivator poster came to mind: years ago my wife found this website despair website for demotivators posters and we actually ordered little framed posters for a desktop of certain demotivators, and we took them to our jobs. On my desk was Everyone in our tech shop got a kick out of it except for this one tech – he was a Christian and let everyone know that. Time frame was about 10 years after I left TWI and about 10 years before I joined Grease Spot. I was starting to get over the stigma of being in a harmful and controlling cult and was practicing how to unabashedly express my feelings and experiences. Of course, this Christian guy had his eye on me as his next project to fix. Since his condescending manner reminded me of some of the elder-corps-jerks when I was in residence – I had no problem staying calm and not taking his "superior-ness" personally…Anyway that little poster of mistakes on my desk bugged the $hit out of him and he’d let me know it. He’d say “Do you really feel that’s the purpose of your life? To serve as a warning for others?” I told him I find it humorous and sobering at the same time – in the bigger picture of my life I see that it’s multi-purposed. One reason I share that I was in a pseudo-Christian cult is to warn others that are seeking answers to be careful where they look.

Rocky, as always you bring fascinating food for thought to Grease Spot Café – not just the intriguing books you mention but also your own ideas...I put If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk by Pavlovitz on my Amazon wish list. I had to Google some definitions of phenotype and genotype after reading this quote: Abstract: We examine the self-deceptive aspects of religion and nationalism. By embracing various religious or political ideals, regardless of their truth, our ancestors could have enhanced their confidence, solidified their social ties, and manipulated their reproductive rivals. This use of culture as one’s extended phenotype may increase the spread of misinformation and create global webs of deception and self-deception. From Research Gate: culture of deception And that led me to some interesting subtopics that I thought may relate to this thread. One of the hits from Googling “extended phenotype” was a book by Richard Dawkins. “The Extended Phenotype is a 1982 book by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, in which the author introduced a biological concept of the same name. The main idea is that phenotype should not be limited to biological processes such as protein biosynthesis or tissue growth, but extended to include all effects that a gene has on its environment, inside or outside the body of the individual organism… …Dawkins suggests that there are three forms of extended phenotype. The first is the capacity of animals to modify their environment using architectural constructions. Dawkins cited as examples caddis houses and beaver dams. The second is manipulating other organisms. Dawkins points out that animal morphology, and ultimately animal behaviour, may be advantageous not to the animal itself but, for instance, to a parasite which afflicts it – "parasite manipulation". This refers to the capacity, found in several groups of parasites, to modify the behaviour of the host to increase the parasite's own fitness…” from Wiki: the extended phenotype I can see how the first form of extended phenotype Dawkins talks about correlates to the “use of culture as one’s extended phenotype may increase the spread of misinformation and create global webs of deception and self-deception” from Research Gate article. Dawkins’ second form of extended phenotype - manipulating OTHER organisms – really got my attention…Dawkins makes mention that this process may be advantageous not to the animal itself but, for instance, to a parasite which afflicts it - "parasite manipulation" referring to the capacity, found in some groups of parasites, to modify the behavior of the host to increase the parasite's own fitness…Yikes ! That made me think of a certain cult-leader (his initials are vpw) and his malignant narcissism - “Malignant narcissism is a psychological syndrome comprising an extreme mix of narcissism, antisocial behavior, aggression, and sadism. Grandiose, and always ready to raise hostility levels, the malignant narcissist undermines families and organizations in which they are involved and dehumanizes the people with whom they associate.” From Wiki malignant narcissism Ever the parasite, certain cult-leaders eat away at the healthy relationships of family and friends – like vampires sucking the vital essence out of others for their own sustenance. As Rocky, Raf and WordWolf pointed out, we were taught to be jerks by the “great” example provided by cult-leaders. Many of us deeply admired the vampire on stage for his charisma and supposed supernatural powers to get things done. As the proverb goes - imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – which means one imitates someone else because one admires that person or values what that person is doing. Probably one of the biggest reasons I went into the way corps was that I was so captivated by wierwille’s persona, legends and myths ( see Wiki: Difference Between Legend and Myth ) and figured the way corps program was the fastest way to catch lightning in a bottle…much to my dismay the corps program was the fastest way to become a porta-potty of wierwille’s bull$hit…going forth as jerk-leaders and jerk-workers to invade other folks’ boundaries – because getting all up in other folks’ business is definitely the concern, interest and need of exemplary-way-corps-vampires…their motto – It is Written – We Suck! My comments might be too cerebral for some folks…so I’ll end on this. I Googled “calling someone a jerk” and among other things found this: A jerk is a mean, rude, selfish, arrogant, inconsiderate, snooty, pushy, uncaring, narcissistic, manipulative, self-centered, holier-than-thou, egotistical and good-for-nothing individual who treats people with disrespect…The way they behave makes others feel as though they are being belittled…Needless to say, nobody likes a person who is a jerk and/or a bully. From Quora: What is a jerk? Why do some people call others jerks?

Hope your kid gets to feeling better unconscious bias training sounds interesting are you teaching or taking the class?

Let me guess...looks like they're halfway through session one of PFAL Today.

realizing he should have been there ten minutes earlier, he ran pell-mell to corps night

sure enough their tickets said "The Mystery Train" but no one could figure out where it was going

If you're so sick and tired of driving all the way across town to their fellowship, then why don't you say something

Johniam’s words in bold red 1. Johniam: It explains itself! T-Bone: Huh?!?! Would you please clarify what is self-explanatory ~ ~ ~~ 2. Johniam: Your "infallible doctrine" T-Bone: “Your” = a determiner to indicate belonging to or associated with the person or people that the speaker is addressing…I’m flattered, but I’m not the one who came up with the idea of challenging someone who makes outlandish or peculiar claims by simply asking them to be more specific and qualify or quantify to show how they can HONESTLY make an assertion of a truth or fact...folks have being doing that for a looooooong time...by philosophers of old, by attorneys in court rooms, by governments, by statisticians, by psychologists, sociologists, fact-checkers, etc. ”infallible” = incapable of making mistakes or being wrong…”doctrine” = belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group…I don’t assume my perceptions regarding wierwille are infallible. Actually, I realize my observations, comments, criticisms and arguments from Scripture, logic, academics, and moral norms ARE debatable…but what is NOT debatable is anything wierwille wrote, said or did – because it’s documented in books, magazines, newsletters, recorded on tape in teachings or witnessed by those present. What IS up for argument is trying to guess at his motivation, analyzing his use of Scripture to justify an action or to surmise any unintended consequences from what he wrote, said or did. Speaking of infallible doctrine - how about Grease Spotters look at YOUR post - here – that I was commenting on. ~ ~ ~ ~ 3. Johniam: …is that VP was a con artist and nothing else. T-Bone: I’ve NEVER said wierwille was just a con artist AND NOTHING ELSE. There’s MANY POSTS on Grease Spot where I’ve listed how MULTI-TALENTED he was. He was not JUST a con artist but also an unabashed plagiarist, sexual predator, malignant narcissist, megalomaniac, pathological liar, a poser, a harmful and controlling cult-leader, a voracious wolf in sheep’s clothing, a mean-drunk-Drambuie-guzzler with delusions of grandeur - obviously the man had a lot of issues - I'm just mentioning the ones I know about. ~ ~ ~ ~ 4. Johniam: I do not share that with you. T-Bone: “share” = have a portion of something with another or others; a part or portion of a larger amount which is divided among a number of people, or to which a number of people contribute. If you’re meaning you don’t share in my opinion – that’s okay…If you’re meaning you can’t relate to my experiences and observations – I can understand that if you were never in the way corps. The honest accounts in any of my posts are NOT propaganda but a personal journal…an honest narrative of my experiences and observations…incidents and things wierwille actually wrote, said and did !!!!!!!! if you are way corps then YOU WERE THERE TOO and so you KNOW the things that I've said ARE true ! Perhaps you’re still holding on to the persona of wierwille being the man of god because you’ve never caught a glimpse of the real man…off stage…being himself…in case you missed it see point # 3 on wierwille being himself. ~ ~ ~ ~ 5. Johniam: So you call me an idol worshipper. T-Bone: Huh? Where and when did I call you that? You know, a guilty conscience needs no accuser…are you familiar with the term projecting ? it’s a psych term for an unconscious self-defense mechanism characterized by a person unconsciously attributing their own issues onto someone else as a form of delusion and denial. ~ ~ ~ ~ 6. Johniam: That is your self righteous opinion. T-Bone: “self-righteous” = having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior. This seems to be a Tu quoque fallacy – which another diehard-wierwille-fan likes to use when a Grease Spotter criticizes wierwille. Rather than coming up with a valid counter-argument to a legitimate issue that was pointed out in something wierwille said or did – the diehard-wierwille-fan attempts to use the tu quoque fallacy to invalidate their opponent's criticisms by addressing them with another criticism. With this kind of argument, you find a way to attack your opponent instead of coming up with a logical reason to argue against the issue they brought up...for instance, in my post I called into question wierwille's doctrine on incorruptible seed - I pointed out that Scripture-wise and concept-wise it is erroneous. But instead of you offering a counterargument using Scripture and mental constructs - you just attack me. that right there shows me you have nothing of substance for a real counterargument...it's not perfect but as an example of arguing with real substance I modestly refer you to the link to my post using Scripture and concepts in point # 8 below... ...in case you forgot - this is the doctrinal forum. doctrinal - means it's involving, belonging to or concerning a doctrine. see Britannica: doctrine ....I realize this might be difficult for some diehard-wierwille-fans to wrap their minds around - but on Grease Spot sometimes we point out his erroneous doctrines as a separate issue from his hypocrisy and licentious lifestyle...so there's dubious doctrines AND practical error....If any diehard-wierwille-fan wants to lump it altogether as a convoluted-doctrinal-practical-mucky-muck-mess-of-wierwillisms that's okay too...just be honest and specific - we debate one specific issue and you guys don't play dodge-deflect-distract-games of "oh like you're so perfect you should talk" ...this is the doctrinal forum - so are we here to intelligently discuss the concepts and tenets of the Christian faith...or are we here to defend wierwille and give testimonials of his greatness ? ~ ~ ~ ~ 7. Johniam: You have a lot of those T-Bone: I could say the same thing about diehard-wierwille-fans having a lot of self-righteous opinions…for example – note the sanctimonious wierwille-hype and twisted doctrine presented in this post - here – in case you didn’t click on the link in point # 2. ~ ~ ~ ~ 8. Also, as a side note about the discussion on this thread - I find it chicken-hearted that this is like the 2nd or 3rd time you’ve quoted from my posts WITHOUT using the various quote features of Grease Spot Café’s website...one, if you use the quote feature - it provides a link back to the post that was quoted, so other Grease Spotters can verify you quoted it correctly and to get the full context of original post. As I did in quoting you - it's at the top of this post. Another feature is that the person you quoted gets notified they were quoted by you – to give them a chance to reply in a timely manner. I could be wrong, but it seems to me it’s a scaredy cat tactic – like you’re not wanting to challenge me in an upfront and straightforward manner. Maybe that goes along with the tu quoque fallacy I mentioned in point # 6 - you attack me instead of the issue...For those interested in the source of your hissy fit they can see my post you quoted from - here ...have a nice day

Doc prescribed just oral antibiotic…and that worked just fine…and two more points I should add. One, our son was NOT a sickly child. He rarely got sick and whenever he did get sick, like some mild fever from cold or flu – he’d tough it out like a real trooper the way very active kids do – play till you drop. He was never a typical rest in bed and drink plenty of fluids kind of patient. And two, I’ve never been opposed to natural or home remedies – I’ve mentioned before on Grease Spot Café the wonders of garlic for my respiratory issues. I didn’t want to explain all that in my post – but thanks for asking…and thanks for elucidating 1st, 2nd, and 3rd aid…I might have done that if I could have remembered the order of priorities…I got the 1st right – go to God in prayer…but after you explained the others – I think Rome City should have called their thing Second Aid – since they passed the buck on medical treatment…that’s just my opinion I could be wrong.

Howard, you know perfectly well I prefer you honk the horn to cover those loud farts.

My boyfriend got so insistent I take that stupid class – that I finally just had to belt him in the jaw. Thus began a whole new phase of our relationship.

That religious $hit is crazy-mean-stupid! When we were in-residence at Rome City, our son developed a very painful ear infection. So we took him to Third Aid…( Third Aid! Yes they called it Third Aid! But right now I’m not going to parse that pontificating nonsense…TWI liked to make mincemeat out of normal language and logic and defer to wierwille’s coo-coo ideology) The lady who worked at Third Aid was an a$$hole to begin with…and you know that old saying “cream rises to the top” meaning a “good” a$$hole in TWI cannot go unnoticed for long…further meaning more often than not they’re viewed as “having way corps potential” ….so anyway this Third Aid lady is telling us to put a clove of garlic in his ear. We told her we wanted to take him to a real doctor knowing the doc would probably better diagnose and more than likely prescribe effective treatment. Third Aid lady says something to the effect of “well, if you want to go somewhere where they’re going to put poisons in your child, go ahead.” Let me be clear on this – we WERE ALLOWED to go off-campus – so we then took our son to a real doctor in Wolcottville – but the policies and procedures of the Rome City campus dictated we had to go through Third Aid first…and I’m sure the Third Aid lady enjoyed flexing her demigod-given authority. How awful for young Elizabeth…her death was preventable…that story stirs up memories of the manipulative and denigrating bull$hit at a corps campus…cult-dogma puts even families in conflict. “When it comes to cult-dogma, I have no friends…or family”.

My memory could be faulty that I heard wierwille say it in PFAL – but I found the term “faith blasters” in my Receiving the Holy Spirit Today, a 1983 seventh edition ( the “original” copy of plagiarized material that I had received into manischewitz - I’ll drink to that ...when I first took PFAL in 1974 it had gotten so beat up – beaten by devils I guess…just kidding…I felt it was necessary to purchase a new one in early 80s) on page 217 under the chapter Some Questions Answered it reads: 8. Is it possible for a Christian to receive false tongues or a false spirit when believing for the holy spirit? The answer is a loud and clear no. As a matter of fact, speaking in tongues is the only manifestation which basically Satan cannot counterfeit. When I am asked that question, I know that person has come into contact with those whom I term “faith blasters”, who go about making statements which have no foundation in Scripture.” End of excerpt ~ ~ ~ ~ It is ironic that wierwille ridicule “ “faith blasters”, who go about making statements which have no foundation in Scripture” when that was the essence of his ministry – making statements which have no foundation in Scripture! WHERE oh WHERE does it say in the Bible that “speaking in tongues is the only manifestation which basically Satan cannot counterfeit”? Matter of fact I also disagree with wierwille’s “pronouncement” because I think there IS a reference to counterfeit tongues in I Corinthians 14 – on another thread I got into that – see here > the 2nd wave of returning to PFAL my post on wierwille’s fourfold insidious recipe of PFAL under point #3 spiritualism – the tenth paragraph down – I said: ...I don’t know about you – but after I left TWI this has been another great study project – in my opinion wierwille butchers up the Greek syntax in I Corinthians 12, 13, and 14 , he ignores Paul distinguishing between the genuine speaking in tongues (plural) and the gibberish counterfeit of pagan ecstatic speech, speaking in a tongue (singular)…for as much as wierwille encouraged followers to speak in tongues while at the same time discouraging prayer in our understanding – I now tend to think it was just another mind-numbing tactic to suppress critical thinking – besides depriving Christians of the wonderful life-changing, character-shaping, communing-with-God aspects of prayer in our understanding. Reflecting back on the “PERCEIVED NEEDS” of taking PFAL, TIP class, Advanced Class, conducting excellor’s sessions / practice sessions…whatever in order to fill a sense of accomplishment – was just an incredible waste of time and effort…how come we don't find training sessions in the Bible? that's all for now folks Loshonta and out

I like the way you think! Which reminded me of the Cantina scene in Star Wars: A New Hope…At about the 2:09 mark you can hear someone in the background (maybe the bartender) yelling “no blasters!” when Obi Wan comes to the defense of Luke against a troublemaker:

One of Herschel’s positive affirmations is “I am Iron Man”

In the advent of Superman’s arrival, there was a notable increase in lead-lined Ladies Rooms

Darth Vader: I have the Force Batman: I have the Metropass

Clint was hoping someone in this two-bit town knew how to reshoe a horse

in the year 2095 Warner Brothers will remake Sharky's Machine

I wonder what it's like to go WOW on another planet

twenty minutes before the fellowship and I still couldn't find the horn of plenty

unexpectedly the tree became self-aware during my shift