waysider

People in the witness protection program get new ID's, new birth certificates, new social security numbers and so on. In reality, though, they are actually the same person. So A could grow a beard, start wearing a fedora and listen to John Coltrane reissues. Maybe A could even pass himself off as B's twin, twice removed. Alas, deep inside, A will still be A and no amount of disguise can change that.

Oh, I ate the peas. I just never really liked them.

Teacher: If we know that A is larger than B and B is smaller than A, can we then do a size comparison? Student: Depends Teacher: On what? Student: Culture stuff.

I never liked peas. There, I said it.

Finite means having limits or boundaries, therefore measurable. Criteria means the standard or set of standards by which something is measured. Morality is a subjective concept. In this case, however, if we all reach a consensus that killing someone for picking up sticks on the Sabbath is immoral, we have created a finite criteria. Now we can compare the two entities (self & Yahweh) using that criteria.

In order to compare any two or multiple entities, there needs to be a finite criteria to serve as a measuring stick of sorts. Let's say, for argument's sake, that the criteria is whether or not it is moral to stone someone to death for a minor infraction. I think we would all opine that it's not. It's not something I would personally recommend, anyhow. Yahweh (AKA: Mac Daddy of the OT), on the other hand, not only recommends it, He prescribes it. Do a logical comparison to determine which entity displays a higher level of morality. I give you three guesses .....but the first two don't count.

Way Theology is fond of using dispensationalism to resolve such problems, citing the contrast in administrations...."We're in a different administration now, the OT doesn't apply to us on these matters."...This, of course, invites a sense of elitism. That's seldom a good thing. Doesn't the Bible say that God is not a respecter of persons? This then is countered with a discourse of how God may not be a respecter of persons but He is a respecter of conditions....Eventually, what gets lost in the shuffle is that it's the same God at the heart of the discussion. (In speaking of His nature, God says, "I am the Lord, I change not." ...Malachi 3:6).......So, the same God who metes out severe punishments for minor infractions in the OT appears again in the NT as a God who is all love and light, all goodness and no evil.... Administrations become irrelevant. Conditions become a moot point.

John You're arguing about a man made doctrine and defending it like it's an edict from on high. The whole "9/10th will go farther...." thing is just some made up mumbo jumbo that sounds real official but isn't.

It would be accurate to say there is an incident of tithing (giving of 10%) cited in the Bible. It would not be accurate to say it is a doctrine or that it is required. It just isn't. It follows suit, then, that giving beyond 10% (ABS/abundant sharing) is not Biblical, either. You can't go beyond a nonexistent doctrine. Giving because you have a desire to do so, on the other hand, is addressed in the scriptures and encouraged. You are free to do so if that's what you choose to do.

No one said that. It's merely being pointed out that ABS is not a Biblical doctrine. Wierwille was wrong. I suspect, though, that he knew he was wrong and just didn't care. It fit too nicely into his little con game.

All those years ago, most of us were little more than kids or young adults. Geeze, to me, abundance would have been finding enough loose change in the sofa cushions to buy TWO packs of smokes instead of one. In recalling the first session of PLAF (The Wonder Class), it's quite clear that VPW was implying physical abundance, nothing deeply spiritual or esoteric. That shift in definition came later, after the hook had been set. I use the green card as a criteria for the abundant life, rather than a subjective interpretation, because that was the listing of product benefits the class would supposedly help us attain.

The abundant life, as defined by "the green card", is incongruous with the realities of TWI life. Imparts ability to separate truth from error? Nope. Promotes harmony in the home? Ixnay. The list is ad infinitum.

Drop the fruitcake, back away slowly and no one will get hurt.

SIT much!

Let's take a look at the credibility of the man who taught us about the manifestations. HERE

I think a lot of us, myself included, just assumed that Wierwille had some kind of inside track on understanding this stuff. He didn't. What he taught and promoted was nothing more than a hodge-podge of things he stole from other authors, sometimes whole chapters at a time. A special thanks goes out to John Juedes for THIS comparative look at RTHST.

Do tell.

Back when we used to have practice sessions, there were sometimes students who would question the Biblical veracity of what we were doing.(It was usually in an inquisitive vein rather than skepticism.) The answer would usually be along the lines of, "Well, "Dr." Wierwille thinks it's a good idea and he knows more about this stuff than we do."..... That was a big red flag waving in front of us and we chose to ignore it. By the way, everyone knows his "doctorate" was phony, don't they?

Think for a moment about the practice sessions (excellor sessions) we had. Not only do they not have Biblical basis, they just plain don't make sense. Why would we need to practice something that is supposed to be perfect already? If it's God that gives the utterance, why would we need to insist the words start with a specific letter or need to practice enunciation or strive for dramatic presentation? Why would we have to insist that the tongue portion be equal in length to the interpretation portion? I think the reason Wierwille insisted we never speak in tongues just to demonstrate it to outsiders was because he didn't want it to be scrutinized too closely.

Yes, they could do that but it would be in direct contradiction to Way dogma. During the time of my involvement, we were told NOT to help any charities. We were only to help local people if they were standing Way believers, preferably those at a leadership level.. Instead of giving to charitable causes, we were supposed to help people in need by selling them a seat in the PFAL class so *The Word* could help them. Remember, also, we were taught that God could not bless you unless you tithed (10%) and abundantly shared (over and above 10%). In fact Martindale is famous for saying that "God wouldn't even bother to spit in your direction" for anything less than 15%. It's quite a dilemma. If you leave, where do you give your money? I know when I left, I had apprehensions about what would happen because I no longer abundantly shared.

For me, it's always been a time when our whole family gets together. It's a time to enjoy each others' company, eat way too much food and indulge in some adult beverages. I don't assign any religious significance to it. Along the same lines, I don't usually say "Merry Christmas", I say "Happy Holidays". This isn't because I'm slighting Christmas, it's because I see the holidays as being more than just one day. I also find it helps to keep my expectations somewhat on the low side. That way there's no big let down when it's over.

I told my son, not long ago, "If you still have one friend left when you leave this earth, you've done pretty well.".... OK, maybe that's a bit extreme. I think you get the point, though. It gets harder and harder to make and maintain friendships as we age, due to all sorts of factors such as geography, politics, business commitments, family allegiances, attrition and on and on. Yes, seniors do get lonely and cherish friendships. That was the case with the twig I referenced. Too bad that's not what The Way was/is about. Instead of being happy for these people who had developed a social comradery, they pushed them aside in favor of a business model that was more suited to their purpose. It's built on a multi-level-marketing structure. Think of it this way, Axway doesn't really need people to discuss the virtues of their soap with each other. What they need is people who will actively strive to bolster the structure of the organization....they need people to sell dealerships, not soap. The Way pitched all sorts of pie-in-the sky ideas from time to time...things like this senior community, a family campground time share, a Bible themed amusement park and more that escape my memory at the moment. They were all aimed at one thing, putting your money in their pocket. People on the outside have found ways to build relationships that are loosely based on their Way experiences. If that makes them happy, so be it. Only time will tell what becomes of the ones who hang on at the corporate level.

And what? Do I have a solution? I'm not sure there is a solution. I can't ask the people I referenced because they are all deceased. As a senior citizen, myself, now, I can only speak for myself. I prefer to have nothing more to do with the organization. It's just that simple.

People are commodities at The Way. When you've outlived your usefulness, your days are numbered. There's an abundance of historical evidence to that effect.