waysider

She was gonna be an actress and I was gonna learn to fly.

---written and performed by Solomon Linda

Isn't that the old house that The Way bought and renovated as a showcase for the fine arts?

It probably would be funny if it was an exaggeration-----but it's not. :(

I guess the point I'm getting at is that, in The Way, we were so conditioned to exalt the so-called importance of figures of speech, we became easy targets for manipulation. "Thou shalt not commit adultery? Oh, that's a figure of speech. It's really talking about spiritual adultery. Of course, when you reach a higher level of spiritual maturity, you will understand that."

Also, I find it hard to believe that God would not have foreseen that most humans are unwilling or incapable of approaching scripture as if it were some ancient puzzle. Exactly.

Never heard of it.

It's not ringing any bells.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

Wierwille goes on to say-----in the Word of God, figures of speech are used with divine design. Each and every one of them may be accurately catalogued and analyzed with precision. Except for figures of speech and Oriental customs and mannerisms, The Word is literal. (In my opinion, a "fundamentalist/innerancy" mindset is prerequisite to accepting this premise.)

Thanks, Roy. Yes, "condesensio", the figure that has God, a spirit, taking on human qualities, was one of the examples VPW used in the class. (Ex. God "breathed".) For those not familiar with this concept, I offer another simple example----"syndeton", the use of connectors. According to Wierwille, a list of items with a connector between each item, signified that each item was of equal importance. In contrast, he said, a list of items that lacked connectors signified that each item was of less importance that the point of the list in its entirety. (Ex. The fruit of the spirit----love, joy, peace etc.----against such there is no law.)

The figures of speech in the Bible from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation22:21 are God's markings in The Word as to that which He wants emphasized. A figure of speech is not something to be guessed about. Figures of speech are legitimate grammatical usages which depart from literal language to call attention to themselves. etc., etc., etc. ---when a word or words fail to be true to fact, they are figures of speech. Figures of speech have a God-designed emphasis which must be grasped and understood in order to fully obtain the impact of The Word. etc., etc., etc. There are 212 figures of speech used in the Bible. As far as I can calculate, throughout history there must have been approximately 220 different figures of speech. Two hundred twelve of these are used in the Bibl; sometimes there are as many as 40 variations of one figure. etc., etc., etc. Source: PFAL ("Orange Book"), pages 70, 71. .......V.P. Wierwille

Applied to words, a figure denotes some form which a word or sentence takes, different from its ordinary and natural form. This is always for the purpose of giving additional force, more life, intensified feeling, and greater emphasis. Whereas to-day "Figurative Language" is ignorantly spoken of as though it made less of the meaning, and deprived the words of their power and force. A passage of God's word is quoted; and is met with the cry,"Oh, that is figurative"--implying that its meaning is weakened, or that it has quite a different meaning, or that it has no meaning at all. But the opposite is the case. For an unusual form (figura) is never used except to add force to the truth conveyed, emphasis to the statement of it, and depth to the meaning of it. When we apply this science then to God's words and Divine truths, we see at once that no branch of Bible study can be more important, or offer greater promise of substantial reward. It lies at the very root of all translation; and is the key to true interpretation... Source: Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (Explained and Illustrated)-----E.W. Bullimger

Yes. "Figures of speech" is one of the major building blocks of PFAL. To shed some light on the importance that this subject holds in the general scheme of Way theology, I'll break the explanation into two different posts as I have more time. The first will demonstrate Bullinger's take on the matter and the second will demonstrate Wierwille's take on it. edit: I'll start another thread so as not to derail this one. Figures of Speech

That, my friend, is where the whole concept of "figures of speech" enters the arena. F.O.S. is one of the critical issues that was tackled in the early sessions. Wierwille, of course, did not originate this concept, though he allowed the class to believe God had shown this idea to him. Actually, he borrowed the whole thing from E. W. Bullinger's works. ALSO

1. Why isn't there any mention of dinosaurs or an ice age in Genesis? PFAL gave us a conveniently easy answer for this. (I won't bore you with minutia but here is how Wierwille "explained" it.) "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void." According to Wierwille, the word "was" should actually be translated "became". Why? Because Wierwille said so. So, according to VPW, almost anything could have happened (and any amount of time could have elapsed) between verse 1, when God created the heavens and the earth and verse 2, when it became without form and void. Pretty clever, eh? Now, the ice age issue is a whole other cup of tea that was explained away, if I recall, in some teaching that dealt with the firmament rupturing during the battle between God and Lucifer, thus allowing the ice and water from the other side to leak inside the bubble that supposedly encapsulates us. I think that was also used to explain the great flood. (We ate this stuff up, of course.)

There's a facebook page that "celebrates" his life 24/7/365.

In PFAL: Wierwille writes that apistia is the kind of unbelief held by people who don't know enough to believe, while apeitheia is the kind of unbelief held by people who've heard enough, but don't care. In truth: the word "apistia" is used of the disciples after the resurrection (Mark 16:14) and of Israel (Romans 3: 1-3). Neither can be said to have not heard enough to believe. Discussion: It's interesting to note that newer Bible translations render apeitheia as "disobedience," not merely "unbelief." Source: http://www.greasespotcafe.com/main2/editorial/editorial-items/actual-errors-in-power-for-abundant-living.html

Kinda got the double whammy with that one. First, don't lie to the MOG. Second, you better tithe (ABS) or else. But don't forget......"We sure do love you." :wacko:

And then...... I started feeling guilty for having that reaction to meeting "Da Man of Gawd". Plus, I found myself wondering if he "sensed" what was going through my mind.......convoluted stuff this Way business was.

stumped

Or perhaps he'd been Simon(the sorcerer)ized.

Now that I think of it, Theodore Sturgeon wrote a short story with a similar concept called The Other Celia.

I remember meeting Wierwille for the first time. Prior to meeting him, these kind of thoughts ran through my mind. But, as I shook his hand, that first time, I couldn't help feeling that he was just a hollow shell with a smile mask attached. Don't know if that makes sense. Maybe I've seen too many Twilite Zone reruns. LOL