Twinky

A bit like Google, then, with all our personal information that it constantly gleans.

Is it time to move this thread to Just Plain Silly? Who cares, anyway? Hands up, now!

Don't know if this has hit US airwaves, don't see any mention of it on CNN. Yet another tale of abuse. Three Scientology defectors sue church leader David Miscavige (msn.com)

Strikes me that it's a bit like new wine (new presentation) into an old wineskin - since their website states: "Although it has been nearly seventy years since the original Power for Abundant Living class was first taught, the heart of it remains the same—to teach the timeless truths of God’s Word [according to TWI] so that men and women of all ages can manifest the power of God in their lives." Although they do admit this: "While it expounds upon the same foundational truths covered in the original class, Power for Abundant Living Today is tailored to the day and time in which we live. It truly is a new class for a new generation." Perhaps they have updated things a bit. Perhaps.

Let's hope they got rid of the red drapes, Johnny Jumpup, Maggie Muggins, and some of the more obvious errors. No doubt they've also reworked the Orange and White books. Do they still push the collaterals, I wonder? I won't be signing up again to find out!!!!

Here we go again. This is NOT a thread about PFAL. This is a thread about Gurdjieff - and his possible impact on VPW. Gurdjieff never took PFAL. So that's not relevant.

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I thought the original OP was post was the opening of silly season. Intended to be humorous. Perhaps it should be in Just Plain Silly.

Hey, Sunesis! Long time no see!

Very jaded view, Bolshy. Maybe some males - husbands - would think the wife is the boss. That's not what marriage is supposed to be. Not a "cult of two."

For interest. No loss to society. Only a small cult, but did a lot of damage to some women. You do have to wonder what problems his daughter has had to overcome, to adjust to normal society. Cult leader Aravindan Balakrishnan dies in prison - BBC News

That's exactly it. Not praise and worship. Not done from the heart. Catchy jingles (sometimes) for Wayfer teaching. Occasionally with scriptural content ("Be-e-e-e strong in the Lord and the power of his might...") Thank goodness I can't remember much more of that song, which for most here is way later than their time with TWI. It was the song for the year about 1998 or 1999 I think.

Good one, T-Bone.. Can see why that would resonate.

Good post, BTW, T-Bone. Go on, play us a tune while we enjoy a bevvy?

Welcome, Cheri. Please excuse T-Bone for being so rude and not offering you cake and coffee. Do you like cheesecake? Share a piece with me! Waiter! on my tab, please! You sound as though you escaped with your thinking ability still intact, Cheri. Good, keep it that way. You will find likeminded folks here - and some who are not so likeminded, so it makes for interesting discussions at times. And why not? If you can find yourself a decent church (choose a smaller one where you can get to know people, not a mega church), you may well find more like-minded folks than you expect. There will be differences in belief, but do overlook those: no-one is wholly right on anything, and we as exWayfers surely know that! Instead of thinking that people in a church are "wrong," look instead to what you have in common: a love for God, acceptance of what Jesus did for us all in choosing to pay for our wrongdoings of all kinds, and the great grace shown to us. See how the congregation manifests love to each other, to you, and to the community around them. While it's worth exploring why they may believe something differently (and thus testing the integrity of your own beliefs), do look more to what you have in common with these brothers and sisters in Christ. You'll spend eternity with them. Why not start getting to know them now?

Nice, Chocky. Our little singing group at our church produces a great sound, made by passionate singers. Puts the Way lot to shame. Hey, come and learn, Wayfers!

Hey, that's unfair. There is a bit about Eph 4:32 in the middle, in the "fellowship meeting." But, oh, the chorus. EG around 3:30 I think they're singing "We can all fellowship" or some such. Sounds more like "We can't all give a sh!t." Or maybe that's the Cafe version.

I just bought six new windows for my house with my spare cash. They look very nice.

You might find some useful information here: Cult Info Since 1979 (icsahome.com) It's a link from former Wayfer Charlene Edge, who's now well and truly over her servitude to TWI (about which she wrote a "memoir"). You will get through this. Find some good (but non-pushy) wise and patient friends with whom you can be vulnerable about these things. It will take you time and you need some people to hold you safe. Keep safe. You may need to add to or change your group of supportive friends as your head clears. You may not like this, but I found safety in a church. But it took 10 or 12 years in the wilderness, or more, rather - at the bottom of a dismal dank well of misery - to get me to that church. Because I was afraid of church people! These people just quietly made space for me, asked no questions, were just there. Years later, one, now a close friend, told me they wondered what I was, what had happened, because I was quite weird to start with. To this day, though, nobody has ever asked me about why I was weird or about my experience in an abusive organisation. They just don't know, because I never told them. Maybe I will one day; maybe not. They were there for me. That's what mattered. I get a sense that you may be male, so you may find it hard to talk about your experiences. If you're female, you might be better at expressing what's going on in your head.

Started in Oz, I think, by a New Zealander. Whose son has just been forced to stand down as church leader because he didn't report his father's sexual abuse of young children. Hillsong founder rebuked for abuse handling | Stuff.co.nz

Heh, heh, WW. If only that were true, about Putin (political bit over'n'out).

Yeah, Outie. Me too. Thank God, that doesn't happen now, except one or two words and expressions are triggers. Usually, ones that he used aimed at me personally in face-meltings. However, they no longer fire me off into the lala land of self-condemnation; they fire me up to defend myself with vigour. Because Craig's opinion of me, masquerading as God's opinion of me, is irrelevant. I know what God's opinion of me is. And I'm very content with that.

Sorry to hear that, Nathan. Sounds as though your lad has some sense. Hopefully, you can help him keep hold of it. Develop his critical thinking skills. Sounds as if he has a questioning mind that will enjoy exploration of other viewpoints.

T-Bone, what a lot of pseudo-scientific gobbledegook. Some kids are just bloody naughty teenagers. Because they're just bloody naughty. Bored and won't find anything to do. (You can tell I'm heavy on the compassion this evening!) We here are all victims of TWI. And Craig is, too, grown man that he is. Some of us have had it hard with years of WC training and indoctrination. He's had all that, same as us, and in addition has been personally groomed by VPW himself. Whatever psychological problems some of us here have had, Craig has probably had in spades. He was groomed by VPW from quite an early age, early 20s or such like. And later, the other trustees, and CG in particular, beat up on him. Having said that, nobody here has 'fessed up to assaulting (raping) other people' spouses, and I don't know that any of us has delivered such excoriating face-meltings, physical and mental abuse, or widespread slander. But then, nobody else has been Prez either. I'm not excusing him, not in the slightest. He stuffed up my head and my life and I feel like I wasted a good 20 years post-TWI because of him. My life has never got back to what it might have been, and never will. I wonder if he has ever sought any help from professional therapists to deal with his mental health issues. He'd probably deny any MH issues, but it'd be astonishing if he didn't have some. I could almost feel sorry for him. But I absolutely don't want ever to see him or hear him: no, not never ever again. Well. Exception. A heartfelt apology. I might be willing to hear that.

One of the things that attracted me about TWI was its Biblical research aspect. I wanted to know about things like the Dead Sea Scrolls, and how they impacted the knowledge that we have now of the Bible and culture around the time the scrolls were written, or perhaps preserved. I'd never heard anything in any church, didn't know much about the scrolls, and hey! here's this great research ministry! When I asked the question, I was (no surprise) fobbed off time and time again. Eventually (par for the course), I stopped asking, forgot I'd been interested because swamped with too many other twiggy demands, etc etc. No surprise, as they wouldn't know or understand any research if it hit them with a Dead Sea urn. Or a wooden cross.