waysider

I don't think I'd call him a master but he was highly skilled and had a bundle of determination. I think it all sort of snowballed on him and he got to a point where it was all or nothing.

Mr. B If you read between the lines of my post I think the answers will become apparent.

As always, good to hear from you, Seth.

In the late 1970's, I knew of a twig that was comprised entirely of seniors. Most of them had kids that were involved with W.O.W., Way Corps, FellowLaborers and so forth. They met often and enjoyed the social aspect of being able to fraternize with people their own age. Being reliant on retirement incomes, you can well imagine their weekly financial sheets were often a disappointment to "the powers that be" at HQ. But, although they did not abundantly share, they did take up love offerings and give freely of their time and labor to local believers who were in need. They did not go out witnessing as it was too foreign to the lifestyles they lived. Word came down from Int. HQ that they would either have to disband or stop citing their association with The Way. The reason given was that there was not enough diversity in the group. So, they officially disbanded as a twig. It was heartbreaking to witness. For quite some time thereafter, they continued to get together for lunches, birthdays and other social events. They enjoyed each others' company but it was never the same as it had been when they were a twig. It is now and always was a scam at its very core. Lots of people had some good times that they will always remember and cherish but that's really a peripheral effect that wasn't part of the master plan. Time will tell what becomes of the current crop of seniors. edit: To the naysayers I feel I must clarify that this is first hand testimony, not something that was passed on to me second hand.

"Maybe they need to prove the nay-sayers wrong?" This seems to drive the resurgence of dedication I have seen lately on youtube and facebook. Although, with the health care and beauty product MLM's, most people do eventually accept that they were duped.

I wonder if anyone has had any luck using Wierwille's Magic Elixir (PFAL research techniques) to resolve the discrepancies in Genesis. PS. I think Adam and Eve may have had red drapes. Oh, not just any red drapes...FIRE ENGINE RED drapes!

What is the abundant life? For the sake of consistency, suppose we define it as a life that meets the criteria listed on "The Green Card". If we think of PFAL as a product, like skin cream or weight loss pills, it should deliver the promised results to be considered effective. Pick a promise, any promise. Did it materialize? Yeah, I don't think so.

A bit of background: I was on another site (reddit) and stumbled on a thread about people who had become involved with various MLM schemes. (Anyone who has given serous thought to it recognizes we, too, were victims of an MLM scheme. We were their customers.) A common element I saw in many of the posts was that of the product not working as promised and/or the participants not even using the product their MLM was built around. So, did anyone actually have any level of success using this product called Power For Abundant Living to achieve the promised (Green Card) results? Why did we keep pitching a product that was obviously flawed? PS. I find people are generally more receptive to a discussion of how I was involved in an MLM scheme than they are to hearing about a religious cult experience. :wink2:/>/>

One of the key points of consideration (for me, at least) is that genuine languages have definable structure. Stringing together an array of valid English words or German words or Polish words or Angelic Language words does not automatically constitute a language. Real languages follow definable conventions. They have verbs, nouns, modifiers arranged in a logical and prescribed manner. I shudder to think that some of us here are even old enough to remember when we were taught, in English class, how to diagram sentences to give visual meaning to the structure. So, someone's "tongue" may well have words that are genuine and can be understood but, does the whole message have structure? This is critical to understanding how glossolalia works. A person's tongue will generally seem to follow conventions of the language that is native to them. For most of us on this forum, that would be English. On closer examination, however, it can be seen that this is somewhat of an illusion, for lack of a better word. Take a sizable sampling of someone's tongue and try to diagram it. What you will find is that the same syllables and sounds are uttered repetitively and lack a genuine structure even though the speaker may have the ability to dress it up to sound like a language. That's exactly what we were taught to do in the Tongues With Interpretations and Prophesy (Intermediate) Class. We called these training events excellor sessions.

"Unfortunately, our interpreter overslept this morning."

I faked it. I didn't mean to fake it or even realize it at the time. That doesn't make me a liar. It just makes me someone who faked it.

If mowing grass, cleaning toilets and scrubbing floors could really build spiritual acumen, the leaders should have been falling over each other for opportunities to grow. Instead, what we witnessed was a glowing example of what a toxic, hostile workplace should look like. They were nothing more than a bunch of bullies, despite their ability to smile and say, "God bless, you're the best.".

Welcome First one is on the house Here ya go!

"..it looks like most everyone who's paying attention has gotten the memo." And then there are those who have gotten the memo and refuse to consider it. They must be the ones who took session #5 to heart. ("Never allow yourself consider....")

..............OR...................

Protocol....yes Spiritual....no Everything in The Way was judged by its supposed "spirituality". The whole thing was no more "spiritual" than the flying monkeys that vexed Dorothy. "Oh, Toto, do be careful. There might be a devil spirit in your water dish."

I never knew anything about this incident until I read it here. It makes me wonder what else they may have hidden from us. I'm sure there must be plenty.

Interesting. If you try to google SOQI, you'll get page after page after page of ads, claiming it cures everything from love handles to liver cancer.

:eusa_clap:

There may be a pinch of Stockholm Syndrome in the recipe.

Yep, it all sounds eerily familiar. The first two years I was in FellowLaborers of Ohio, we had no T.V., house phone, newspaper, etc. I guess it wouldn't have mattered, though, as they controlled everything we did from 5 AM until midnight. Then, it was *lights out* and *no talking*. Fifty grown-up people in a commune, living like a bunch of fifth graders, all eating the exact same meals and singing campfire songs at every chance we could. We were required to hold secular jobs through the day and were supposed to use that as a springboard to witness. Leads were turned over to local leadership for followup. Anyhow, at my secular job, there was a lot of buzz on Monday mornings about a new T.V. show called Saturday Night Live. (I think the actual name may have been slightly different at first.) I felt like some kind of social outcast and was ashamed to admit we didn't have a T.V. or that it came on after my curfew. It was bad enough trying to explain why I lived in a townhouse with five other people and all my neighbors lived that way as well. There was a pay phone at the local truck stop (The Wayside Truck Stop....see the connection to my GSC name?) if you could ever find time to get there and didn't mind having your conversations out in the open for everyone to hear. Oh, there were so many things. Shopping for a used car, I had to make sure the trunk could hold all the PFAL equipment. (Never mind if I actually liked the car or if it was green, blue or chartreuse.) Looking for a new apartment? Well, it must have ample parking for maximum fellowship attendees and be tolerant of Sing-Along-The Way clatter and cacophony. Interviewing for a job? The schedule had to be such that it would never, ever interfere with Way functions. On and on and on and on. I think the most insane restrictions were those that involved who we were allowed to date or marry. No, there was no written edict mandating the rules but they were clearly understood. (Two believers come together in marriage for the purpose of jointly promoting PFAL and The Way) It doesn't matter who you marry because, don't cha know?, "any two believers can make a marriage work". Ugh. So, then you leave it all behind and you wonder where you will go to fellowship, how you will Abundantly Share (tithe). You absolutely must find a place to give all your money or God will cut you off like a gangrenous big toe. Lots of culture shock. Yes, indeed. Too much to ask an outsider to understand though deep inside you wish they could.

"You're always welcome at The Way." :o

"It's not that they're intentionally chased off, it's that they get tired of being ignored and under-rewarded, so they find a better job with more respect elsewhere." Sometimes they do get chased off, intentionally set up and fired. The only explanation I can think of is that the incompetent bullies are afraid their deficiencies will be exposed so they eliminate anyone who can potentially expose them. .

I've never fully understood this concept but I know it's very real. We see it frequently in the corporate world, as well. Oftentimes, the most competent people are the very ones who are subjected to bully tactics and forced to move on. Meanwhile, the narcissists and psychopaths seem to find their way to the top and are rewarded for bad behavior.