Twinky

Spectrum: Wouldn't you have more respect for a research ministry if it actually DID research and also considered the works of other respected theologians/authors? Allowed those authors credit for what work was used/built on (like JE Stiles)? The reason we were discouraged from reading other authors' work is because we would find out the sources of the "research" already done by TWI. But never mind that: Let's consider their view of fellowship. There are many wonderful Christian people that you can meet every day. Can TWI members "fellowship" with them? No way, those Christian people must be possessed. In his eartly ministry JC didn't demand that people hung around with him all the time. In the post-Pentecost period the early Christians didn't make such a demand, either. In later years TWI has done all it can to restrict who can fellowship with whom. In the prison that is TWI, the phrase "cell group" takes on a whole new dimension. How convenient to disregard scriptures like Rom 12:16-18. I leave you to check these for yourself, since you like research.

Ah, Ex, sure you didn't screw up too badly. Some of the sections allow more than one answer, including, "what you did for TWI" and "what you did after TWI." Thanks for everyone's responses, let's see a few more, please! :) :) :)

Well I don't know if this is quite "personality," but on several occasions I followed the example of what was done by others (one in particular) (being a follower of my local leader, y'know), only to have THAT SAME PERSON come back at me and tell me how much I was off the word. Does that add to mental confuson, or what? He simply loved reaming me (and women generally) for doing things he allowed for himself. Got worse just before THAT SAME PERSON threw me out because I just wasn't good enough for him.

MA Vet! Too funny, T-Bone!! but I don't think I'd join you with your other T shirt unless you changed the wording to "TWI's possessed all the time". Well, even that's not fair. Can I have one that says, "Possession of the Lord Jesus Christ" (since I was purchased by his blood)?

Me too me too me too! Maybe if GSC ever gets closed down like Waydale did we could call ourselves the Marked and Avoided. Or Avoiders.

Thanks, all, for your replies so far. I think if I were to start this again I would add another button, "Did you leave pre- or post-PoP?" but too late for that now. Perhaps that can be considered later. Results so far on 66 votes are that 54% of us have had Corps involvement (though didn't necesarily graduate) and 64% of us have been out for over 15 years, which gives some idea of the insidious nature of TWI teachings. The subtle way of inviting someone to "take a break" as a subterfuge for throwing them out has also been raised in several posts. Whether anyone was received back with open arms after such a break is debatable. (I myself was invited to "take a break" and when I returned after 6 months met even more vile treatment than before. I doubt there was ever any intention to do let me back - it was just someone on a jolly to administer more humiliation.) Well done those of you who "took a break" and made it permanent. I think I'd call that being thrown out, rather than leaving volutarily, but it's whatever you feel is appropriate. Looking forward to more responses. Twinky (edited cos I can't type today, hurt my index finger)

In case anyone thinks I've not voted - I did, but made an amendment to the poll and it won't let me vote again.

Folks, it might be interesting to find out a bit about who comes to the Cafe so if you're willing, let's ask the questions. If I missed out a relevant category, apologies, tick other and tell us about it below.

Echoed. I met some of the most wonderful people and I met some of the most vile people in TWI. "When they were good, they were very very good And when they were bad they were horrid" To plagiarize a nursery rhyme.

That was me. I was a fool. I was completely desolate when they kicked me out. I had no-one and no thing. "Burn your bridges," my CC said. So I did. Homeless, friendless, very little money, no career prospects (had given up a professional career), vilely besmeared by certain people - WTF? I was told to come back in six months, so I went back, grovelling, only to face a barrage of more of the same, in fact, including further false allegations. If I felt gruesome to start with, this magnified it. Caring? Compassion?? (SCREAM!!!!!) It was GSC that opened my eyes to the assault on me as a pattern most often against women. And began to restore some of my crushed self-esteem. The haranguing here frightens me a bit (too reminiscent of old times, still dealing with some aspects of that) but it's great to be able to shrug it off. At least I can take off and not read such threads any more. Please bicker politely!

We all had something that attracted us to TWI. Somebody relayed to me what another Greasespotter had said to her long ago: "TWI was like Miraclegro on our personality faults" or something like that. That just about sums it up. If something is overgrown, it needs pruning. Lovingly. We can learn to prune out our more unpleasant behavior. We can start by pruning some of our posts before we hit the Add Reply button. Would be interesting to consider why it wasn't also Miraclegro on our good bits (well, perhaps it was for some of us, at least in some areas) but everything "negative" was shoved under the carpet. I recall when asking for some help/need - some emotional wrangle I was in, can't remember the details, too long ago - that it was the squeaky wheel that got the attention and we should aim not to be squeaky wheels. Real helpful, that was. Not that the squeak could be oiled, but that we shouldn't be "squeaking" or needy in any way. It does appear under pressure, doesn't it?! Still, enough pressure and all that thinking should eventually be squeezed out. Can't agree with you, Eyes, that you can't get the sponge clean again, just needs lots of washing (with the Word perhaps, but not with Da Verd).

(but only slightly) Extracted from the above article. This has an awfully familiar ring to it. Who else do you know who had/has to answer to no-one; and produced their own version of what the Bible says (by way of "literals according to usage"). Who else do you know who suffered from "open rage"? Now back to the regularly scheduled topic: the peasants probably couldn't read or right very well or even at all, and reading books would be an activity for the better-educated middle and upper classes, scholars and people connected with the church. But of course they would be the very people you wouldn't want to read "subversive" material.

This is hyperbole, right? They didn't really ask for paycheck stubs?

Not closing on the parents - recently charged "official suspect" is the girlfriend of the very first suspect, Robert Murat, who I believe is alleged to be a pedophile. After all this time it would be amazing if the child is still alive but stranger things have happened.

I just went to the link in the first post and clicked on Dockets under The Way International: Plaintiff: The Way International Search Dockets [ Dockets ] Litigious lot, aren't they? I really would never have thought it. To think that they also considered suing The Way in GB for passing off/use of copyright material. None of this litigation is about "moving the word." It's all about protecting the income base.

This may go on an old thread, "Your abundant sharing at work". Lifted straight from the website linked above. Search for: "the way international" Results 1 - 20 of 20 Subscribe ... August 24, 2007 Way International v. Turner et al DE Unassigned Judge Trademark Trademark Infringement Plaintiff: Way International; Defendant: Carl A. Turner, Sr., Way Ministries Inc. August 8, 2007 The Way International et al v. Executive Risk Indemnity Inc. et al OH Southern Rice Insurance Diversity-Insurance Contract Plaintiff: The Way International, The Way International, Inc.; Defendant: Executive Risk Indemnity Inc., Executive Risk Inc., Chubb & Son, Inc., Baldwin & Whitney Insurance Agency Inc, Acordia Of Ohio LLC and others... July 13, 2007 The Way International v. The Way Ministries, Inc. et al KY Western Simpson Trademark Trademark Infringement Plaintiff: The Way International, Inc.; Defendant: The Way Ministries, Inc., Charles Darnell May 12, 2006 The Way International v. Rose MD Chasanow Copyrights Copyright Infringement August 16, 2005 The Way International v. Gilmore et al TN Western McCalla Copyrights Copyright Infringement

Uh, sorry folks, what's a Troll? What's a Poser? If people look, they will see this site is not just About The Way and there are lots of other interests that people share, generally via threads in Open, where people have enjoyed various things outside TWI mindset. Could the problem be in part that we were so used to "controlling our thinking" (or having it controlled) that once free of that control we splurge all over anything and anyone else, especially in ATW forum?

Well, Dooj, I moved overseas and obviously couldn't take very much with me. There was a real sweet twig there and everybody in it gave me something - spare sweaters, footwear, other things; also I stayed with the TC / CC who generously supported me until I started to get some money in (=got paid). They really lived the sharing lifestyle, and often believers would pop round with something surplus or they'd seen a bargain in the shops and bought an extra wotsit because it might help someone in the twig. I saw others' physical needs being met too, with things or with cash. That lifestyle encouraged me to go into the WC. Meanwhile control was being tightened up and a few years later when I came out, it was all "gimme gimme gimme" from HQ. The CC had got hard and "demanded" respect and "stand up when I enter the room" instead of accepting the huge respect that had been offered lovingly. HappyHeart: Welcome to the Cafe. There's a trash can for TWI junk by the door whenever you feel like using it.

Danny I would be interested in more details of what you said but it doesn't belong on this thread. Could you either PM me or start a new thread concerning what happened?

Bread pudding is a bit different from Spotted Dog. The latter is a sort of sponge pudding with sultanas in it and properly is a steamed pudding though perhaps it could be baked. Bread pudding is a way of stretching out virtually nothing and making something - using up stale bread - you trim off the crusts, butter it usually on both sides, put it in a bowl with some nutmeg, sultanas, and maybe a little sugar, perhaps if you have any, and then soak it in an egg beaten in milk and bake it for 30-40 mins. It was a wartime (perhaps pre-wartime) recipe for using up odds and ends, if there were any such. Butter, sugar and sultanas were heavily rationed in wartime so there would be little spare and margarine would probably have been used. Nowadays it's a fashionable pudding but has become rather luxurious with the addition of white or brown chocolate, other fruits, lemon, cream, etc.

What a lot about handling people there is to be learned from handling animals. You can beat them into doing what you want, or you can be a "Horse Whisperer" and gentle them into doing what you want. In fact, I learned something of that at Gunny for Family Camps! There is much to be learned from other cultures, such as care of elderly relatives, distribution of responsibilities within the family, sharing of common moneys. A lot of poorer countries or people living in remote areas in wealthier countries, can only get by with this sort of culture. It seriously concerned me in rez that some tremendously skilled people were on staff doing quite menial tasks when surely their abilities could have been used in more worthwhile manner. Gosh, can you imagine instead of the bicycle story, the riding of a horse had been chosen? Then we would be into riding astride or, for women, sidesaddle. And as to the horse having a mind of its own ... actually that would have been a better analogy altogether. Because if it's supposed to be a spiritual analogy, we would have the rider (holy spirit) directing the horse (the five senses) to be obedient to what was really required. Because it would be the goodness of God cajoling the animal to repentance, to a more worthy endeavor, to bring its body into subjection, to ... whatever you like. But then you might have to be kind to people or have some real "people skills". You might need compassion and to see people as individual parts of the Body of Christ with individual needs, and not interchangeable parts of a (money-making) machine.

Welcome back, Dooj.

Paw and the mods: There really are some good threads but some of those get so soon derailed and then everyone loses interest. Can the irrelevant bits be dragged off to the Soap Opera or to some place called "Boxing Ring" so that just the relevant stuff or at least the not so argumentative stuff remains? It helps sometimes to draft a post, leave it for a few minutes, come back and re-read it. Perhaps if posters used the Smileys and other kinds of punctuation a bit more, it would help replace the non-verbal signals that would accompany a spoken comment. (At work I use a dictaphone and of course give emphasis when I dictate. When the typed-up letter comes back for signature, because there is no emphasis it can read quite oddly or give a wrong impression. And I know what I said! I don't add Smileys, but I do change the wording.) (Okay, sometimes I can't type properly either)

Hello birthday boy. Many happy returns. Have a purrfectly delightful day! Twinx

Sleep deprived - yeah. Too exhausted to dream. This always seemed suspect and I truly don't believe it now. There are dreams, and there are visions, and God can work within both to communicate. Also I don't believe that God can't communicate directly with unbelievers, what a load of nonsense. He most certainly can, just that perhaps he has another way that he can with believers. There are several records in the OT about unbelievers having dreams/visions. (Uh, Pharaoh's dreams as interpreted by Joseph, most famously?) Why do we pray for certain objectives or outcomes if we don't think God can work in a situation? Can he not work with the unbelievers involved in work/school/health situations? Why pray for governments (secular) (and the Bible explicitly tells us to do that) where possibly there are few believers, if we don't expect God to be able to do something? Has God changed that he cannot communicate with unbelievers in our time? Has God changed that he cannot if he wishes communicate with believers in our time by dreams or whatever method He chooses?