geisha779

Sadly, I thought he was a young man of his word. . . . I am working straight out this week, but how long does it take to post a few words?

And yeah. . . I probably SOUND like I have been swimming in oatmeal. . . . or one of RR's Magaritas.

I think that religion brings out the worst in mankind. I'd like to think differently - but I can't. . . . either. To be frank. . . I am not very Godly. But, here is the thing. . . . . I am not the one to have faith in. . . . to look to or to trust. . . I will let you down. People don't get to decide who is accepted. . . all are invited. For me, what makes the Christian faith what I choose is Jesus. . . . not some pastor or person. . . . or fellowship. In my silly little life I have never met a person quite like Him. In history there isn't a person quite like Him. All recorded in that book. . . (I know). . . is the most amazing individual. Someone who understood the human condition and had such compassion and love. He also claimed to be God in the flesh. He was either a liar or a nut. . . or He was telling the truth. Either way. . . I choose to believe in Him. . . that He is who He says. . . I have faith in that. Faith in Him. He has yet to let me down. . . people usually do. . . even those who practice the faith. . . . The bible is where I learn about Him. . . not what I worship. . . The warning to the Church at Ephesus was not that they had forsaken the book, but that they had left their first love. You get to know the person of Jesus reflected. . . if we Christians are doing what we are called do. . . I rarely see it happen. . . even in my own life. The mark of a Christian is so simple. . . do good unto ALL men. . . . sadly . . . we often fail.

Yes TWI was our peculiar religion. Religion is usually a bad thing. However, I really do believe Christianity is a faith(get it?). . . . men spawn religions from it. . . . and according to the Christian faith. . . .. . . . true religion acceptable to the God of the bible is to take care of widows and orphans in their distress. . . How many crusades or inquisitions is one going to start doing that ? :) And. . . . Cheranne that is a nice presentation. :)

Deep shame is highly overrated and against my religion. Abject humiliation is reserved for my stupidity.

Boy that is true isn't it. . . we can spot it a mile away can't we? I tend not to look inward too very often. . . unless inward and upward. Even though it was a waste of time. . . I try to take what I can from it. . . kind of like total immersion language courses . . . . only we majored in dis-function. We are now proficient in the language of the insane. I really think some of those leaders were actually nuts. I have never regretted the good people I knew or the few good times I had. . . . that is a plus. . . .got the sweetest guy in the world out of the mess. . . but over all I give it low marks for productivity as a human being. LOL It is what it is. . . and yes, I think I am a wiser person for it. I Just think I could have wised up by avoiding it all and keeping clear of those kinds of people in the first place. People do. :) I used to cringe when the kids would ask me how daddy and I met. . . . my answer was always. . . "In a club" which is somewhat true and just has a better ring than in a cult. One of the ickiest moments I have had in the past few years is with a friend I went to bible study with. This woman is a hoot. We share the same name. . . look alike and have a blast together. . . went to a woman's retreat and laughed ourselves sick. She is a bit of a drinker and if you get a glass or two of Yellow Tail in her. . . she cuts loose. It is funny to see this little blonde tell a story. One night she related a story of her college days. She started talking about TWI and how they used to try and get them off campus. . . because people actually fell for this group and their "classes". I must have gone completely pale, but it made me realize I do have an odd past. . . and not one I am comfortable sharing. I never said a word. Good thing she was tipsy. . . she didn't notice. I really like this woman and admire her. . . as nice as she is. . . I would have gotten that "Oh" look. LOL It is nice to have a place to speak of TWI and people to share it with. It really is. . . .

Sadly, I probably was your twig leader. :) Tzaia, Robin Williams has a great line which sums up my thoughts on my time in TWI quite aptly. . . . I was violating my standards faster than I could lower them. I hope I never get to the place where I am not at least a little "ticked off" . . . . and if that is what is meant by getting "over" it in the initial post. . . than I will pass. . . . LOL

I watched it on MLB on my laptop. It was so cool because you could choose the camera angles and have 4 different views at the same time. Up close and personal. I am a bit sad it didn't go into extra innings so Wakey could play, but it was actually fun not to get nauseous when Rivera came in to close it up. . . :) 2 hours and 31 minutes. . . pretty quick game. Stick around tagalong. . . . Oh and we may all love baseball. . . but there are Yankee AND Red Sox fans who post. . . . not too much in common there! LOL

Because now he is going to look really hot in that blue suit and red cape!

I so agree that many good people got sucked in. . . . many who post here. The one thing I really like here is that I may be judged by what I write. . . but, I will never be judged for being in a cult. This is the only place I speak of it. . . or to people from here. If it were only as simple as "bad choices". . . however, some made are irrevocable. . . and that might be the case anyway. . . but the reasoning I used borders on the insane. . . and that is a tough one to take. It really is. . . Right now I have a group of young men and women meeting in my house. . . in a few days they are off to Moldova to bring aid to an orphan camp. They are doing this on their own initiative. . . they went last year too. They have raised nearly 70 Grand from car washes to sponsors, working hard all year for this trip. They are making a true difference in the lives of others. . . and ORPHANS on top of it!! What did I do at that age? Went WOW and was a family dictator coordinator. Do you realize women girls were subtly encouraged to entice men to fellowship? What the heck was wrong with me? What an ugly waste of time all of it was. It took me years to catch up on my education and I will be paying that puppy off forever. Retirement won't be a picnic unless I step it up a notch. . . I own a home, but hey. . . that was a fluke. Too many years in that mess and too many years getting over it. I own up to it to myself. . . but it still is what it is. . . an embarrassment. No, we actually DO hide it from people. Just too hard to explain. . . . and not your garden-variety youthful indiscretions. :) But that is me. . . I am glad you can gain from it. . . you seem like a strong person. . . I try to remember the good people from it and the few good times.

It is not something I would put on my resume. The few times I have tried to relate my experience to those outside the land of cults. . . I got that "and you seemed so normal" look. My kids were little when we left, but my daughter remembers certain people and fellowships. We always told her it was a bible group and left it at that. . . . but when she was 15 we went and picked her up at the airport. . . . . she had been in England for the summer. . . instead of "Hi Mom and Dad". . . "I missed you". . . it was "Uncle Rick said you guys were in a cult". That was a fun ride home. Liberating? No. . . I am still fighting with abject humiliation.

Ha!! That made me laugh right out loud. . . but, although many were sacrificed at the altar of VP's lust. . . VP was not transformed like Paul. . . nor was he martyred for the Lord's sake. . . as were the Apostles. . . that was for a witness to us. . . more effective than a lie detector in my view. Some people do say Christianity is based on the hallucinations of one man. . . however, Paul was not the only one to see the risen Lord. It would have to be a mass hallucinations going on. . . . . as He was seen by over 500 witnesses after His death. You hallucinate in your head. . . two people are not going to see the same thing at the same time. . . walk with Him. . . talk with Him. . . . besides. . . . the men with Paul also heard something, but did not see anyone. If millions of people are still calling VP's new light. . . "truth". . . in 2000 years. . . we might just have to revisit the thought. Funny observation though.

Nice post. . .thanks for that. . . can I make you a hat too? Here is a thought. . . random as most of mine usually are. . . . maybe you actually have some things to address within your own life and learning more of what happened can help you to do that? I don't know you or about you. . . . so. . . as I said. . . . just a random thought. That cult permeated thought patterns. . . our ability to assess. . . even the compassion we naturally have for others was tempered by a warped view of love. A keen sense of justice with a basic understanding of right vs wrong was nearly nonexistent. Do you remember what it was like? It can take time and some ugly revelations to rebuild the person you were meant to be. . . before the "Way". What were you looking for? I think I read you still look forward to the return of the Lord? Do you have a church? Can you be with the Christian populace at large without holding yourself apart? Has it dawned on you yet, we may have been the ones who really had it backward? What is wrong with the question. . . "How can I help you to get over it?" You said you knew what was going on. . . . maybe you really don't quite know the depth yet. . . . whether you evaluate TWI from a Christian perspective. . . secular. . . or some spiritual angle. . . . . . it is important to reason it out and evaluate it. . . . considering any residual effects it may have in your own life. Again IMHO. Another random thought. . . . .the NT gives a few cursory nods to Satan. . . but, have you ever looked at the time and language devoted to false teachers?

On it Captain!! But in the event I am recaptured by the enemy. . . . I am posting instructions on how to build your own AFDB (Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie) http://zapatopi.net/afdb/build.html This is the most effective protection in combating mind control.

How many were in that naughty rag tag zero corps? I love that property they have. . . . I own an old farmhouse and some acreage. . . . it is a whole bunch of work. I would love to have some free labor. . . I actually paint my own dang house. Should have started a program. . . but then again. . . . I can't even get my own kids to consistently cut the grass. . .

Every good, loving, and God fearing Christian ministry needs a group of heat packing wannabees patrolling the grounds. Silly. Who else is going to be on the look out for angry fathers and husbands? Gee. . . duh??

Well you have to admit. . . all this lovely history brought to light. . . . concerning the Wierwille's from Ohio and now Mud Hole Mississippi . . . . cannot be good for business. Curious. . . . most groups like TWI are built around one central charismatic figure. . . cult 101. . . the big guy dies. . . the thing falls apart . . . . unless there is someone equally charismatic to step in. . . . rally the troops. . . and hold it together. Pretty common way for a cult to go away. . . the big dog dies. Armstrong and the COG are a good example. . . it splintered. I think his son leads an offshoot as he could not hold the empire together. Now that the Wierwille's splinter have a new charismatic figure. . . they are ramping it up and at it again. I just find that diabolical. I really do.

Wow, you knew what was going on and stayed? I wouldn't be admitting THAT one out loud. At least most of us left once we figured it out. Oh, and thanks for calling us kids. . . haven't heard that in awhile. . . .

I'm sure we can get into a nice cat fight over some issue or another. . . she is an adversarial wench. . . I think I qualify as well. . . if for no other reason than to keep you amused!! :)

That is exactly what it means. . . but thankfully it now sounds like the tongues of aliens to my ears! "Mississippi Mud Hole Cult" . . . . . short, pithy, and to the point. . . . says it all. . perfect!

So few have lived to speak of it. . . LOL I think what bothers me most is that after all the things that have been exposed about VP and TWI and the hodge podge--ramshackle musings VP threw together to justify an ugly lifestyle. . . they still persist in calling it the "Word" and worshiping it as something real? What are the qualifications of any of these people? Seminary. . . bible college. . . being raised in a sound church? No, they were in a cult like the rest of us. . . Why are they running a program? What exactly is it that people think this family has? It is unrecognizable to very many outside our little group as the Christian faith? It is a religion. . . . unique to this particular family and those who have been following them for years. We never left the word?? What does that even mean?

Well now I am really confused. . . someone comes here and has an over the top initial post. . . is called on it and what?? We say it is okay because he is young? People called him on it. . . . and all "kidding" aside. . . that seems the proper response. This is a discussion forum. . . no? Things are discussed? Differing opinions and viewpoints? What is it exactly we discuss? A cult that has hurt many people. . . whose cult? VP's cult and now his family seems intent on carrying on the legacy. Offshoot is a really nice word, but an offshoot of what. . . a nice little bible study? Not in my world. That family is poison. I am sorry they had VP for a dad and grandfather, but they can walk away from this garbage just like the rest of us. No one is forcing them to try and bring back the glory days. Do you know what finally penetrated my pea size brain? The truth of what it was really all about. The other side of the story. If he doesn't know like we didn't at that age. . . be a stand up person and tell him. Or we can tell him it is great he is on this path with this group and more power to him. Yeah. . . hang with the Wierwilles. . . where else can you get the "word".

Linda, You are another poster I really enjoy reading. Sometimes you say things I wish I had said. . . but did you read doojable's post? You are assuming this kid is offended. . . when his words actually indicate he knows what kind of posts are on this site. He welcomed the questions. . . knew there would be many. . . and said up front it would take time to answer them. Why don't we give him awhile to be a man of his words? I have a son a bit younger than Caleb. My son is working on a Wetlands Preserve called "The Farm" this summer (for MONEY). He is getting ready to go to an accredited bible college this fall in Virginia. He is a busy kid. . . oodles of friends and commitments. . . I barely see his handsome face. . . Let's give Caleb a few weeks before we ride in and defend him. . . He is a big boy. . . and if anything like my kid. . . very busy! :)

I have been known to on occasion, but I am not so sure it counts anymore. . . . you see, I actually believe Jesus Christ IS God! :) Rascal, please don't be sorry. . . I really enjoy what you say and am glad you have such a compassionate voice. It is always a pleasure. . . even when we disagree. :) I like that you mean what you say!!

I think you just ask Pawtucket . . . . send him a PM. He is a really nice man. Maybe you should consider staying though. . . . it can seem a rough place at first. . . but very informative. . . . even helpful to realize issues and work through them. I do understand it can be a bit of a shock to an ex-cultist to see the evolution and change in people's belief systems. . . we are no longer "like-minded". That really is a good thing. Considering what we were "like-minded" about. I often relate and learn much from those of no particular faith here. Besides, I have seen your posts. . . you have taken baby heat. . . . try defending the trinity someday. . . :) Take care whatever you decide. . . but it is REALLY nice to have another baseball nut around!!