waysider

.....and yet, it was commonplace in The Way's halcyon days for women (and sometimes men) to use physical attraction to lure new recruits into the fold, some even offering sexual favors in exchange for a Green Card commitment. Once the new recruit was hooked, the Way-promoting believer would move on to another prospective recruit. It was the Way's version of bait and switch, sometimes referred to as date and switch. I guess it's only considered a "distraction" if it leads people AWAY, rather than TO the organization.

What do they call it now? MDTC (Money Down The Crapper)

The link was intended as a joke. Some find it funny, others find it offensive. Whatever. It wasn't intended to be a launching pad for political discourse. There is no shortage of other places on the web to voice political opinions.

It's a correlation that doesn't exist. This is a discourse that took place between two individuals in Australia. It doesn't involve either government. The second statement (Thanks to "political correctness", our once treasured concept of free speech is down the toilet.) is a non-sequitur, seemingly inserted with the sole intention of eliciting political controversy.

Spiritual growth: What's that supposed to mean, anyways? (I mean in a Biblical context.)

I though maybe you "took a wrong turn and just kept going".

"- some of that early stuff was really good." I agree. The Singing Ladies, on the other hand...... :(

Ironically, this very subject is what brought me here to GSC. I used to lend out various PFAL materials to people I witnessed to. More often than not, they were not returned. I expected that. I never told people about twig fellowships. That ship had sailed for me. I had stockpiled several PFAL books but the last one went AWOL so I got online to seek out a replacement. Several clicks later, I somehow stumbled into GreaseSpot Cafe and was astonished by what I began to read..... I no long need that PFAL book, by the way.

When I became involved with The Way (1972), young people were disillusioned with the formality of mainstream religion. A lack of dress code appealed to the younger crowd. Bell bottoms, tie dyes, long hair, it was all cool at Way fellowships. It was part of the draw. Two, three years later, there we were, looking for all the world like Wall St. wannabe's, complete with three piece suits and briefcases. How it happened, I'm not sure. I just know that one day, a few years after I took the class, I looked in the mirror and wondered how in the world I ended up in a strange city, living a life I had never aspired to before my involvement. It was the beginning a surrealistic awakening. The relinquishment of individuality and pressure to conform were definitely factors in it.

"...hey out there, give me some feedback and some ideas from your personal's on this topic." In essence, it was set up like an MLM scheme. We were so busy selling the abundant life (ie:PFAL class), we didn't have time to live it. Like the people with a certain well known soap company that are so busy selling dealerships, they don't have time to sell the soap.

I don't really know too much about the censorship particulars here. I think the filters may have been included in the original package when the site debuted. You have to be creative to get around them. Another censorship issue is the use of names. It's OK to use the names of the board of directors, board of trustees and that sort of thing. Beyond that, it can get "iffy" due to legal considerations. Plus, you probably wouldn't want a prospective employer to know you were part of a traveling freak show, should a google search lead them here. Again, there are ways to name s0me*ne without actually naming them. Regarding the tapes: I'm sure those tapes (which were on-loan from their legal owner, TWI) must have been destroyed by unfavorable storage condition long ago. Such a pity.

No, this is the right thread. Your response is relevant and welcome.

I'm not sure how American freedom of speech is related to a conversation between two individuals in Australia. It sounds more to me like you're trying to push someone's hot button.

Room/house changes: What was that all about? (Says he, rhetorically.) They were never done at times that were convenient. You would think with all the heavy revelation that was taking place, they might have known it would be pouring rain, or there would be blizzard-like conditions or it would be 95 degrees out. Those impromptu ones that happened at 3AM were peachy swell, too.

And this stuff was supposed to make us better leaders? Leaders of what? How?

He's the head honcho.

I don't recall what it was called but there was an incident in FellowLaborers where we had to stand in front of 50+ people and declare our uselessness as individuals. Oh, the fun times. How I miss it. .

That they still refer to him as "Dr." is rather telling, in and of itself.

The Way Corps still exists, it simply put on a disguise, changed its name and moved to Mississippi. HERE

Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus have a sword fight. Permission slip Caution: Some may find portions of this offensive.

......one woman to have to amputate her own toes/toes and others suffering from severe frostbite. I think it was Eyesopen who posted that incident. I'm not sure how to find the thread. edit: HERE it is.

At least you didn't confuse it with TUTU.

I can't tell you one way or the other if it's true. I wasn't there. I know, however, it was not too uncommon for TWI to do things that were similar in order to build a sense of group identity. It often had an element of peer pressure, as well, because, if one failed, all failed.

Yes, there is a bad joke forum.

"What Mike wars, I don't know what it the world you are talking about." Mike is a guy who firmly believes that PFAL was God breathed and replaces the Bible as the written word of God. At one point, he stated it was revealed to him that when Christ returns, he will be holding a PFAL book in his right hand. Some of Mike's comments are what prompted Raf to develop his work on Actual Errors in PFAL and his analysis of The Blue Book.