waysider

Looking back, there are three distinct red flags that stand out for me. I took *the class* in 1972. For the next three years I became very active at the local level with twig, branch, classes and so on. Everything I did was centered on The Way, 7 days a week. After the first year, I took the Advanced Class. This was a doctrinal red flag for me. The class seemed like a bunch of made up mumbo-jumbo and left me feeling immensely depressed that I just wasn't *seeing* all the great spiritual truths everyone else was supposedly seeing. I sucked it up and soldiered on....Red Flag #1 After about 3 years of non-stop ministry activity, many of the locals began leaving for WOW and Way Corp. I was approached with the prospect of going into a relatively new, 2 year, in-residence Limb program called FellowLaborers. It was supposed to be similar to the Way Corps in concept. The basic premise was to do an in-depth study of Acts and pattern our daily lifestyle after the first century church. After graduation, we were to return to our hometowns as better equipped leaders. Upon arrival I immediately encountered the participants who had just completed their first year. They were living a lifestyle that was completely self centered. It was every man for himself. There was lots of freeloading and manipulation of the more generous participants. I was rather astounded that no one else seemed to be phased by this. It wasn't even remotely like what I had been so involved in for the previous 3 years. And, this was only the first day.... Red Flag #2. Red flag number 3 came at Christmas break, my first year in FellowLaborers. It so happened that the Way Corps was on break at the same time. Many of us F.L. and W.C. got together several times over break. I detected an extreme sense of elitism regarding the difference between the 2 programs. The Way Corps people were all fired up about how they had been learning all sorts of special keys to living a more abundant life such as....using smaller amounts of toothpaste, looking for free deals on clothing and personal supplies, how to stretch a dollar until it screams "Uncle!". This is the abundant life??? They must be missing something in the lessons, I thought at first, until I realized they were serious. Well, I could have continued living on the fringes of hippiedom if that's all there is to it. Have I been wasting my time and energy these past 3 years? Again, I soldiered on, thinking it must be me who was missing the point.....Red Flag #3.

Imagine you bought a ticket for Kansas City and boarded the train. You fall asleep and later wake up somewhere in New Jersey. But, everyone around you assures you that you are in Kansas City. That's kind of how I felt in the late 1970's/early 1980's. Why didn't I realize my ticket had taken me to a place I never signed on for? I don't know. It just seems too surreal to be true.

The whole thing is like a bad movie I wish I had never watched....but I did.

"David Koresh has no connection whatsoever with the group Houteff started?" Any perceived connection is tenuous at best. It would be akin to saying that Michael Rood's group and S.O.W.E.R.S. are connected because trace amounts of their origins both have links to The Way. Another way to state it is to say that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are connected because they all trace their roots to Abraham in some manner or fashion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDP_3jMSIiM

I'd be there for that chili in a heartbeat if I was closer. It's very generous of you to make that offer.

I've found this approach to be very effective over the years. (as a student, not a teacher) Something I've discovered by doing this, also, is that, often, textbooks contain inaccuracies and contradictions that contribute to confusion. edit: This is one of the reasons why it is so academically dangerous to put so much stock in PFAL materials alone as a sole source of Biblical reference.

A couple years ago, GSC was going to shut its doors. Since then, things have changed and it remains open. (I'm not in a position that would lead me to have any special information.) Aside from that, your post is right on. They will drop you like a hot potato if you no longer bring them any benefit. "You're always welcome at The Way." ...VPW Uh huh "The moon is made of green cheese"...waysider

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ5-BTdcqjk

Drift away from that common ground of "Way-ness" and see how long the *friendship* survives. I suspect the answer would be, "not too long".

Well, it's spiritual----- ya know?

You can go all the way back to session #1 and see that, by taking John 10:10 out of context, Wierwille was able to severely distort the meaning of the message in a manner that excised Christ.

"We don't live in the past." And, yet, that's precisely what some do. A hypocrite in all his might, so wrong in that he thinks he's right.

I think song poses a similar question.....

Living in a commune type of setting (FellowLaborers) drove this idea home for me. There were several awakening moments, moments when you seem to be an outside observer of yourself, baffled by what you see, wondering how you happened to be there.

In the real world, friends drift apart over time. In the *ministry*, it's a real cold turkey kind of event.

Years ago before that, I had somebody in an offshoot look me up to see if I wanted to go to his church.. Yeah, I got that, too. Not to a hockey game or out for a couple of beers....just "Come and join my church."....no thank you.

"We sure do love you. You're always welcome at The Way. Bless your little heart." Tears are running They're all running down your dress And your friends, baby They treat you like a guest

How do your ex-TWI friends feel about some of the revelations that have come to light over the past several years?

I should add that I got this information from the twig leader, whom I trusted implicitly. The official spin I got from HQ was that the twig did not represent enough diversity. Yeah, as if a twig of all 19 and 20 year old believers represents diversity.

I personally know of a twig that was comprised of retired, limited income individuals. They were told, by HQ, to either start sending more money to HQ, disband or stop promoting themselves as part of The Way. This was in the mid 1970's. It didn't just somehow start after VP left the planet.

Inside the walls of Zion, there was the dismissal of The Zero Corps and labeling of dissidents as "tripped out". Outside the walls, the mantra was "You're always welcome at The Way.". Not only did it exist under VP's regime, he set the purge policy in motion.

"None of us would've ever even taken pfal if this had been done by VP in the 70s" There were versions of it done on Veepsters watch, as well. (Zero Corps and others) VP, though, was too clever to let any of the sordid details be known by the rank and file.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7Ga0v_GAck