waysider

How do you figure that? You say a leader's *works of the flesh* are not important. The scriptures emphatically contradict that. As to believing The Word: Whose version are we to believe? Wierwille's version is filled with inaccuracies and private interpretation. If you don't believe that, I suggest your give this site a much deeper look instead of just flying by, convincing yourself we're all misguided.For example: did you even bother to compare the sections of Stile's book and Wierwille's book? That is, after all the topic being discussed. Perhaps you might comment on why they seem to be so similar. Finally, this isn't a Christian site, though many of the posters are Christians. Some are not. All religious persuasions (or lack thereof) are welcome to post here, as long as they keep it civil and follow the rules.

On this point, you and I are in disagreement. I never raped anyone or looted vast amounts of other men's work, claiming God had given them to me by revelation, claiming it was material that hadn't been known for 2,000 years. I, for one, see no need to continue sweeping VPW's dirty secrets under the carpet. Why worry about people's flesh? Well, I would think that a man of high caliber, such as yourself, would have remembered those sections of scripture that talk about a leader being beyond reproach or those sections that talk about how a man is known by his fruit. Oh, sure, we could go 'round and 'round about forgiveness and sonship rights and all that sort of thing. Personally, I think that would be an exercise in futility if it's tempered with rationalization and cognitive dissonance. Have a nice flight!

I thought Eddie and Donna looked pretty good for their age. They always treated me well. I can't really say anything bad about them, EXCEPT, I can't believe they still align themselves with this bunch of morons.

Ya know, for people who make their living selling soap, they don't seem to be very good at getting clean.

Bingo!

More like Dystopia.

Now THAT I can believe.

Still pushing that law of believing nonsense, I see. Nothing has changed.

Date and switch...1972...45 years ago...TWI didn't simply *go bad* over time, it was a cesspool of deception from the beginning.

Having trouble finding it? It's probably still in your MAL-PACK.

Yeah, well, we also thought he was some kind of spiritual guru. Who knows what was really in the mind of the old geezer?

To this I would like to add: In the real military, you actually GRADUATE from boot camp. I'm just sayin'.

Hi, rrobs! You forgot to put that little "/s" after your post. (Happy to help however I can.) edit: Oh, if only there was some way to check all that stuff Wierwille taught us.

As far as I know, Oral Roberts was the first to teach it in the 1950's as part of his famous "The Fourth Man" sermon. You can listen to it HERE. The Red Thread begins at about 37:30. It may very well predate Oral Roberts but I'm not aware of any evidence to that effect. edit: I remember Wierwille teaching this sermon at the Advanced Class in 1973 as if it was his own. I don't recall him ever giving credit to Roberts. Maybe he did and I missed it. It was along time ago.

Ladies and gentlemen, please rise and join us in The San Antonio National Anthem.

As Freddy Fender himself might have said..."Ay, Ay, Ay!"

VPW sent goons to the front door of a friend of mine in about 1978 or 1980. It seems he had been telling people in the local fellowships what had been going on in the larger scope of things.. They told him in no uncertain terms to stop. I was not there, so this is second hand. I have no reason to believe he would have ever make something like that up. It's not the only incident like this I have heard about from people I completely trusted to be honest with me.

Quite a few who used to post here regularly have passed on. Well, let's face it, most of us aren't exactly *spring chickens* anymore. It's all part of life, I suppose. Have some fun while you can. Fate's a fickle lady. In heaven there is no beer.

Wierwille taught, in the Advanced Class, that cancer is caused by devil spirits. So guess what his death certificate lists as the cause of death. Hint: It's not chicken pox.

Fig Pep was quite a popular dietary item in The Way in the 1970's, as a health food craze was sweeping the organization.

It all goes back to the non-existent *law of believing*. You were supposed to *believe* for things to get better. If they didn't, it was your own fault. Then, to add insult to injury, you were considered a spiritual weakling. Many people suffered trying to believe their way to health. Some even died. I personally knew one who did. They criticized him, in death, for not being strong enough to survive. It's insidious.

Allow me to answer that in the most polite way I can think of... Doing that would not be consistent with The Way's theological doctrine.

My pleasure, T-Bone. We've all chased a chestnut mare or two in our time, haven't we?

Above the hills, higher than eagles we're glidingSuspended in the skyOver the moonStraight for the sun we were ridingMy eyes were filled with lightBehind us, black wallsBelow was a bottomless canyonFloating with no soundGhosts far below Seemed to be suddenly risingExploding all around HERE

I fixed that for you.