waysider

Quite possible. Back then, though, it was renamed The Buckeye Cambium, in keeping with the theme of all things being tree related.

"get ready for it" We had a statewide newsletter called The Grapevine. It was printed out on one of those big, clunky old machines that used metal plates to affix the recipients name and address. (It was in the hallway of an upstairs room in the BRC of the state limb HQ.) One night, after our evening meal, in late 1975?, we were given an emergency project. We had to physically destroy the old metal plates immediately! so "they" would not have access to our membership rolls. (But remember, there were "no membership lists in The Way"...uh huh) All very hush hush. Never tell a living soul......This post, should you decide to read it, will self destruct in 5 seconds.

It might be a good time to recommend THIS book again.

Now, boys, we all have to try to get along on this playground.

The VP version is also known as The Great Deviance.

It turns out, it might not be so good to be sure you "know that you know that you know". "Thoughts don't just flit around in our heads unobserved: humans know when something's going on in our own brains, and we evaluate our own thoughts. For example, we can judge when we're not certain about something, and act accordingly. This ability, called metacognition (thinking about thinking), has been found in a number of species, but humans are unusual in our ability to communicate what we know about our own thoughts and knowledge. How early in life do we develop metacognition? Children under the age of four, who confidently proclaim knowledge of things they can’t possibly know, seem to be pretty bad at it. Babies, on the other hand, point at things to ask questions about them. They shouldn't be able to do this unless they've worked out that they don't know something." Read more here: SOURCE

Don't forget Eli Stanley Jones, from whom Wierdwille took the concept of the ashram. Way Corps "Fear is sand in the machinery of life.".....E. Stanley Jones

I'm off on another tangent.....I tend to think Wierwille may have taken the Great Principle illustration from some source he didn't fully understand. (not that it actually made sense, anyhow.) I say this because, if you look closely at the illustration, there are three individual lines encasing it. This leads me to suspect the originator may have been a trinitarian and incorporated this into the design much like The Way logo features an open Bible. OK, back to topic.

Looking back, it's embarrassing to realize a lot of the conspiracy theories being passed around The Way in the mid 1970's were actually propaganda that originated with Liberty Lobby. It's been documented here that Wierwille had direct ties to them. So, all that nonsense about getting this information or that by revelation was an outright perverted lie on Wierwille's part. The guy was more than simply a con artist, he was dangerous and undoubtedly on some government watchlist. I've sometimes wondered if there is a file, somewhere in the FBI archives with our names in it because of our association to The Way. That's not a conspiracy theory, it's just how data collection functions. VPW had a reckless disregard for our safety.

"This apple tastes abundant.".....ya gotta love it.

What were your expectations? (....and whatever other thoughts you may have on it.)

You were probably believing this would happen..... you sly rascal, you. edit: Removed the negative connotation involved with "probably".

Care to start another thread to explain?

I have to interject that what T-Bone has said here resonates loudly with my own personal experience. "Spirit can only speak to spirit" is one of the major stumbling blocks and flaws in the so-called "Great Principle". There's lots of past discussion here if anyone is interested in looking at it in greater detail The "Keys to Walking by The Spirit" checklist on page 15 of the Advanced Class syllabus. Comical to think about it now, in a sad kind of way. I wonder where VP got this list. Surely he couldn't have authored it himself and included the prerequisite of humility. The Advanced Class has to have been one of the most depressing two week events I ever experienced during my time in The Way. Such high expectations. So little realization of them. I want to say it was a waste of time but it was so much more beyond that.

I remember fellowships that fit this description but don't remember ever hearing this terminology. Not much more I can add to the conversation.

"Regardless of whether it's called or thought of as "magical thinking" or a "law," there is a latent power resident within how anyone disciplines their mind to think. And yes, it certainly can change what our perception of reality is (or isn't.)" Perception of reality, yes. Reality, no. Regardless of how successful and popular this concept has become, the fact remains that you can't change the physical world around you one whit with the thoughts inside your mind, whether positive or negative. edit: Off-Topic, though. Perhaps refer to one of the many discussions of the subject we have had here.

It's de-humanizing. That makes it easier to accept.

"The Way Tree terminology - the purpose - to distort the fact in people's minds that TWI is an organization?" I'm picturing this as a scene from "Pinky And The Brain". Brain: Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pinky? Pinky: Well, I think so, Brain, but if they called it a structured hierarchy, who'd show up to sing Little Bunny Foo Foo?

Critical thinking is a manner of thinking that allows for critique of ideas using reason and logic. It's an objective, unbiased approach to evaluation of ideas and situations. The PFAL series, along with Renewed Mind and Dealing With The Adversary, taught us to explicitly avoid and deny critical thinking........... "Having done all, STAND!. You just don't budge, baby."-VPW......It's sprinkled throughout all the other classes as well, with the exception, maybe, of Keys to Research. A lot of ex Way people are still stuck in that denial mode. You can see the evidence of it regularly on facebook. I consider them to be victims until they start to use that stubbornness in a damaging, oppressive way. edit: I wanted to add that this doesn't only apply to Bible matters. I've encountered many ex-Way people who are entrenched in this anti-critical thinking mindset. It can be maddening trying to reason with them. Sometimes they even show up on GSC to let us all know had severely we've been led astray. Such is life.

I don't know if this is off topic. It seems like it is somehow related, at least to me. When I finally came to accept that I had been duped, I wasn't angry or bitter. On the contrary, I felt a sense of relief. It suddenly all made sense to me. I've said before, I regret anything and everything I did that caused someone to take the class or become involved with The Way. I apologize for that. I was never a mean or overbearing type of person, before, during or after my involvement. This, in itself, created quite a bit of inner conflict for me because I couldn't bring myself to do some of the things TWI required of me, such as expel someone from the class for minor tardiness infractions without first considering their personal circumstances. There are lots of other examples, of course. I think we all have several we could cite without me being specific. On a related note: We are all ultimately responsible for our own actions. However, and I've said this many times, sometimes those actions were the result of pretense and fraud. My often cited analogy is this: You want to buy a used car so you shop for the best deal. Mileage is a big deciding factor for you. You find one that fits your requirements and it has low mileage so you buy it. The decision was yours. Later, you discover that the seller had doctored the odometer to give a false, low reading. They must share in the responsibility for the decision you made. Lots of us became involved with The Way or the various training programs because we based our decisions on information that was fraudulently presented to us by the organization. Understanding how it all blends together is what alleviates the anger and bitterness and brings the sense of relief.

Not only did VP not have scriptural references, he flat out said, "I can't show this to you in the Bible, you'll just have to trust me. This is what Father showed me." That may not be an exact quote but I'd bet you it's pretty darn close. So, there it was , a massive red flag that none of us apparently gave much notice. It just sat there like a duck. BTW, in the class I remember, it involved a bit more than masturbation. I've posted it before and it drew an "Ewwwww!" response.

No one has asked to see your DD214, MRAP. That's not how this place works.

I certainly didn't mean to insult you. I'm merely pointing out that what you are promoting is heavily invested in inerrancy, Theopneustos, dispensationalism, etc. In other words, the core tenets of Way Theology. These are the kinds of things that fuel the tendencies toward contortions. If you so desire, pick one and discuss it or refer to a previous thread where such subjects have been explored individually, many in great detail.

It's a fluid state of being. Almost no one experienced simply one or the other and stayed around The Way for any length of time. Recognizing that and how those states of being influenced your life is an important part of personal growth.

I'm not sure you realize it but what you did here and elsewhere on this thread is rephrase session #1 (and other sections) of PFAL...... Inerrancy, God-Breathed, dispensations, private interpretation, guaranteed salvation("I didn't say it, you did"...VPW)....Not unique to The Way but certainly at the core of Way Theology.