Twinky

There was quite along thread about this, a couple of years ago. Regrettably, I can't find it now. Wolfie is good at finding things...?

Hi 100%. Welcome, and have a coffee and cake. Have you been a lurker for a while? You can tell us a bit about yourself in the My Story section (if you want to). You can find out a bit about some of us in the same place. Have fun! The newspapers supplied free in this cafe are the Daily Wail, The Times of our Lives, USeful Today, the Bust'em Herald and the Wash-your-hands-of'em Post. Heh heh.

Are you calling the BoD "fairies"? Definitely proof that the homosexual purge is over!

Wonder how much her market rent is? Based on square footage, or rents available in the area? Would that include the facilities (swimming pool)? Or does she OWN that house? If so, why? Why doesn't she sell it and give the money to "the ministry" - after all, her need for accommodation is met and so it's surplus. She could always move into the trailer park, or even Founders Hall - like everyone else. Proof that what's yours is mine, and what's mine is my own. Furthermore, they demand ABS, which is the tithe+ - but the tithe went to support the Levites - who were forbidden to own land. So if she wants a tithe (or tithe+) then she should fulfil her half of the deal - own no property. Not even a house with a swimming pool. Not even a woodland up north somewhere.

Polynesian, who threatened you? Can't quite see M@l Ge0rge heaving you out of the window, but maybe you mean someone else? Stoopid sh1ts. Hey, did they threaten or abuse your kids, that you know of? Maybe you could PM me and tell me a bit more about JYD. Thought he was one of the good guys - at the time anyway. Ah no. The good guys got thrown out...that was you.

And sure, it's right to pray for your leadership, your twig, your twig coordinator, and all the others...but NOT to the exclusion of everyone else. When PoP was going down, of course I was in the dark, like so many others (though later I got some special information). I do recall praying in twig one night for (as it were) both the HQ lot and the Gartmore lot. That kinda drew some funny looks. What, I should have known about that vile paper by revelation, by telepathy, CG should have sent me a copy???

What, zackly, were you praying for, Ham? (And were you around to pray for Rosie?) Who knows how bad they could have been WITHOUT prayers?

It really doesn't matter who else took the class. Or didn't. And since we never got any formal documentation of any of TWI's claims, well, who knows? Methinks if there had been anything so amazingly awesomely good, such as some of thte incidents in this thread, TWI would have made a real big deal of it and documented it all over the place. Newspaper clippings and what have you. Perhaps a lot of the documentation disappeared into the same place as the piece of paper that said boys conceived prior to their parents' marriage were bar mitzvah'd at age 12 (which couldn't have happened anyway). I have no doubt, though, that at least occasionally there were quiet miracles happening that we never got to hear about, simply because they were at a local level.

>The church as a whole can have a very valuable role in helping people recover from abusive organizations – IF those needing help find the right church. (Y’all know what the wrong church is like.) Where you choose to go should feel safe, give you space to do what you need to do and be who you need to be, give you time to heal. >No, they are not a mandatory step, but they can definitely help you settle into the wider Christian body and you can explore your beliefs with other people who are not of a cult mindset. >They aren’t “the only way” to live a Christian life: the only way to do that is to love God, his son Jesus Christ, and to do your best to keep the commandments that are applicable to us. But going to a church can help us sort out what is appropriate behavior, and offer outlets – like involvement in different facets of “church life.” For myself, I find the church I go to very healing. Often the sermon would cause me to weep. When I first went there, tears would flood my eyes, because of the gentle and caring way the vicar presented (for lack of a better expression) his “message.” The vicar is HIGHLY educated, incredibly intelligent, and is very gentle and humble, and takes great care not to be overbearing. That’s the way the whole church is run. There are no demands for money, though they are open about finances. It took me a long time to find an offertory box at the back of the church. There is time for spontaneity within the service – prayers, a “picture” that came to a member of the congregation, a verse that occurs to someone. It’s quite a large church (perhaps not by US standards). There are a number of people in this congregation who themselves have survived abusive churches elsewhere or have been a part of church splits (splits in a bad way, not because of growth). One time, the vicar felt compelled to apologize to people who had been sucked into cults. He apologized on behalf of the mainstream churches and said that it was because mainstream Christianity had failed to teach properly and accurately. If mainstream Christianity had done its job, the cults and abusive organizations wouldn’t have a look-in. (Enjoy the apology, folks, it may the only one you ever get. TWI ain’t gonna do it.) The church has a series of house groups, each of about a dozen or so people. There is no compulsion to attend. I went to one for a couple of years, till it folded for various reasons. I was clearly very odd, and one of my friends from that group told me I was so much easier to talk to now – she said they never knew what strange thing would next come out of my mouth. It enabled me to explore some ideas from TWI (especially with regard to telling others what to do), and the incredulous looks that I got at times were startling to me. I do not believe “like mindedly” with them – they are very “trinitarian” and that’s rubbish to me – but I enjoy their obvious love for God, desire to do what His will is, and their openness and their outreach to disadvantaged groups in my city. There’s a number of people who are on the mission field for longer or shorter periods, and they are remembered and prayed for regularly. I see lives of genuine Christian service in so many facets of life, both in this country and worldwide. I don’t do anything I don’t want to and quite often turn up late for the service – BECAUSE I CAN. I am welcomed very kindly and nobody says a thing. I can offer suggestions, and some of these have been acted on (or are in process of being acted on). Nobody has given me any specific "counselling" but help is always available. Had I wanted some specific counselling or guidance, it would have been available. I wasn't interested, having had TWI "leadership" demanding information or interfering far too much. The kindness and patience of people in the church and in the house group was enough; that and God working in my heart. I celebrate what we as a congregation have in common. I enjoy seeing how God has worked in other people’s lives. I don’t explore the differences much, just mull them over in my mind. This place is great for me right now. When it ceases to be great for me – I’ll move on and find somewhere that does suit better. I believe God led me to that church; and God will lead me from it when He’s ready. The difference is: this time I’ll listen better!

Proverbs 19:24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

Friends, that's exactly right. Absolutely! Gotta pray for these guys, the BoD, your TWI leadership at all levels, etc. Wassmatter, didn't you ever read this verse? And who persecuted you more than the (TWI) household of God, and the leadership of TWI? <_<

LOL, Waysider!!!!

They detached themselves from reality a long time ago, by hiding in the cornfield and failing to have contact with people in their ordinary lives. They're suffering from delusions, group-think mentality. That place in Ohio is a sort of self-build lunatic asylum.

This is an easier to understand explanation of the love of God: Simple, huh? Explained once to the scribe, and he "got it" straight away. No need for fancy explanations, literals according to usage, foreign or cult words. And elsewhere, there is an explanation (Luke 10:29-37) that "neighbour" doesn't just mean those in the household, those of your tribe, cultural background, particular belief system...it means...EVERYONE. Bless those that persecute you...blessing is a part of agape.

The man donated thousands of dollars..."example of a successful believer"...Special treatment... Doesn't kowtow and moves on with life. Thereby becomes possessed... Gee. After all God had done for him. All those doors that had been opened for him. Who knows what was on offer at the special parties. Maybe that's why he left.

Who's this "most"? Cos it's new to people at the Cafe. If you have to stay home to take care of your family, do you not get some state aid to help you financially? Maybe because you spend your time making extraordinarily long posts, presenting yourself as an expert, refusing to answer reasonable requests, obfuscating. Stop whining and just get on with proper responses. How you spend the rest of your life is up to you. Obfuscation There's a burden of proof on any "expert" to show him/herself so, when they push their agenda as much as you're doing. What it's about, as you well know, is that all of us here have been scammed with this story once already. How does this proverb read in Aramaic, Hebrew or whatever else is your specialist subject?

And I didn't ask about your doctrine, I asked WHY YOU DIDN'T GET A JOB! At least put some effort into trying to get a job!! Or do you class yourself as self-employed? Self-employed cult leader?

Haven't the time or inclination to chase you around all over the internet, James. Nothing to stop you posting a BRIEF synopsis.

Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to learn that the "Law of Believing" in a not too dissimilar format was taught n the first century...and in the century before that...and in the century before that...

James, I can see you say Nasi means President. I'm simply astonished that you give names and dates (as you say) from 30CE to 132CE numbered 1 to 15 then leap jauntily from that to yourself as 16th president in 1996. So this council lasts for a mere 100 years, for whatever reason does not continue, and then 1864 years later, 18.5 times the duration of the original council, it manages to reconvene itself and you magically appoint yourself as the next president? I note you picked up on that, but didn't asnwer this:

The bit about “Nasim” seems just a little over the top: (my emphasis) http://nazarenespace.ning.com/group/virtualchamberofhewnstone

Ah man, now we have it… http://nazarenespace...-avoid-4closure James, if these are your family circumstances, I am sorry that you are in difficulties. The way to escape financial difficulties could indeed be to set up your own cult and get people to support you. Many have found this extremely lucrative. Another method is to stop messing about glorifying yourself and your cronies, and get out there and do an honest day’s work. Feel some sweat on your brow as you put your back into some legitimate labor.

James, if you'd said this is a new start-up, you'd have got a better response. But you present it as though it's up and running, a serious magazine or what have you, something established. If you'd said, "I want to start this, do you have any articles you think would be of interest? And I will properly accredit them" - you'd probably have found a much more receptive bunch of people. If you've read much in these forums, you'll be aware that there are a lot of people here who maintain serious study of the Bible, who think deeply about what they read, who formulate a hypothesis or understanding of a word(s) or concept(s) and who offer that for genuine peer review by sharing it in these boards. Even those who may not wish to formulate a hypothesis can offer a comment or two that can genuinely give new insight. Please be honest.

I got into conversation with a Muslim woman I used to work with, about this sort of topic. She's what you might call a westernised Muslim: doesn't dress differently, does more or less what the general populace does, confident in herself as a woman, well educated, doesn't disappear off for prayer time several times a day... What I'm saying is, she wasn't someone that you might think of as fanatical or overtly religious. She told me that their faith requires of them that they give away one tenth of their income. >Who to? >>Whoever needs it. >To your mosque? >>No, only if you want to do that. >To help Muslims in other countries? >>If you want to, but you don't have to. >To other local Muslims? >>If you want to, but not if you don't want to. >Could you give it to the local dogs' home? >>If you want to. >Could you give it to a relative? >>If you want too. Her point was simply that you gave this amount of money, but to where you thought it would be of most use. It wasn't demanded or required to go directly into the coffers of the local mosque. Or even necessarily to support other Muslims. It was the giving away that helped them recognize that God is their sufficiency. And to give this money away honors God. And it was their individual choice - based, presumably on their individual recognition of need. I don't know if all Muslims subscribe to this point of view; maybe other mosques demand payment direct to themselves. Certainly, if you know you have to give away 1/10th of your money to people who have financial needs - you'll keep your eye open for those who ae the most deserving. Perhaps, as a requirement, it helps you see beyond yourself. I do know a lot of Christians who set aside a proportion of their income specifically to give away to those in need - charities or individuals. And that may be instead of giving to a local church; or they give only a part to the chuch and a part to those they know are in need.

Wow, just gotta be a bargain. From $10,000 down to $1,000 and now yours for only $20. And the rest.