waysider

You have stated this as an "absolute" requirement. There is no scriptural basis for this. In fact, if you are an adventurous sort, I'll bet you can find Biblical examples that illustrate there were people who "received from God" DESPITE what they believed.

Sounds like it could have been a line from Through the Looking Glass.

When I took the Advanced Class in 1973, the subject of "pre-Christ era" resurrections in various religions was raised. Wierwille's explanation was that the devil staged these events in a preemptive effort to draw attention away from Christ's resurrection. Looking back, it's obvious Wierwille had discovered that, if there were questions he really didn't know the answer to, he could simply play the "devil's trickery" card. And, it made us feel smug that we knew the "REAL" insider information on these matters. Here are some interesting blurbs about Mithra for your consideration. http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen048.html http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/Mithraism.html *Please do not read these unless you are open to thoughtful consideration.* ******************************** "All this may surprise modern Christians but it was very familiar to the Church Fathers [see e.g. Justin, Origen, Tertullian], who filled their ‘Apologies’ with dubious rationales as to how Mithraism had anticipated the whole nine yards of Christianity centuries before the supposed arrival of Jesus – ‘diabolic mimicry by a prescient Satan’ being the standard explanation. Pagan critics were not slow to point to the truth: Christianity had simply copied the popular motifs of a competitive faith. **************************

Got nothing but this old heart of mine Baby, please, believe in me Girl, you know, sweet heart, I'll always try to keep you satisfied, 'cause------ -------------------------------

Very possible. You have sights, sounds and the smell of stretched coffee all rolled into one.

That's OK. It all seems like one of those "Once upon a time" kinda fairy tales after a while, anyhow. (At least my own personal story does.) :P

I don't think that's quite it. That would fall under the umbrella of self delusion. And, that may well be what we are really talking about. "Triggers" are generally activated by one of the five senses, smell being the most powerful. They're not an intellectual process but rather an emotional response. Fear is an emotion, not one of the five senses, thus it is not a trigger, in and of itself, though it may be the product of a trigger. Here's an example of a trigger: When I was young, we would take a bus to get to Public Square. The bus stop at the end was directly in front of a shop that fresh roasted various nuts. The aroma was intoxicating. Furthermore, I always enjoyed my trips downtown. Years later, when I would smell fresh nuts roasting, I would be almost overcome with a sense of "homesickness". It was not based on any particular instance or thought. It was purely emotional. For a long time I could not for the life of me understand why I had that reaction to fresh roasting nuts. Then, coincidentally, I happened to take a bus that deposited me right in front of that very same shop. At that moment, I was able to intellectualize something that had only, up to that point, been an emotional experience. So, long story made short---- Fear of wasted time may very well be an important factor but I would hesitate to classify it as a "trigger".

The real issue, as I see it, is not whether mothers worry about their children. The real issue is that Wierwille intentionally created a problem for the express purpose of solving it. He was a demagogue. I doubt that many of us gave much thought to how "worry" would resolve itself until Wierwille told us we should. (After all, look at the tragic consequences suffered by the mother of that little boy.) Then, he conveniently provided the solution. The fact is, we can't change things in the physical realm one iota by simply thinking about them, whether for better or worse. He got this mumbo-jumbo from the New Age Movement that was gaining steam in the early days of the ministry. ********************************** "Optimism Positive thinking supported by affirmations will achieve success in anything;[34] this is based on the concept that Thought Creates. Therefore, as one begins focusing attention and consciousness on the positive, on the "half-filled" glass of water, reality starts shifting and materializing the positive intentions and aspects of life. A certain critical mass of people with a highly spiritual consciousness will bring about a sudden change in the whole population.[35] Humans have a responsibility to take part in positive creative activity and to work to heal ourselves, each other and the planet.[36] Human Potential Movement The human mind has much greater potential than that ascribed to it[37][38][39] and is even capable of overriding physical reality.[40]" **************************************** VP latched onto the works of Norman Vincent Peale (The Power of Positive Thinking) and others of the same genre. Then, he threw in some Biblical references and convinced us we had been searching for this information all along. Mothers (and fathers) worry about their children because it helps their minds stay alert to impending and hidden danger. How can that be a bad thing?

What about "Make it your own."? Wouldn't that be somewhat akin to that dastardly practice of "private interpretation"?

Hell's bells! Wierwille didn't even know the meaning of "research"------of any kind. According to VP, it was searching something that had already been searched, thus, re-search. What kind of backwoods logic is that???? Doesn't that just make you want to start a bonfire, hold hands and sing Kumbaya?

The irony of seeing Travolta in this episode is what makes it "Just Plain Silly".

I no longer feel like "I know that I know that I know". And I'm fine with that.

No, I don't believe that "believing equals receiving" or that "the law of believing" is validated by any of the scriptures you touched on. Wierwille got a lot of this stuff from "new age" thinkers, such as Norman Vincent Peale, and slapped a few scriptures on it to give it a facade of credibility. I have to assume, at this point, that you haven't spent much time examining the wealth of information available here at GSC regarding the so-called "law of believing". You might start on the home page if you're open minded enough to buck the lessons of session #7 (ie:"never even allow yourself to consider.")

-----Little Richard

Lest we forget, there is also the matter of same sex activity in the animal kingdom which Wierwille, in the CF&S class, claimed is non-existent.

A rabbit hole? More like a snake pit.

Quote: "I was involved back then but don't remember the album "All Aboard." Was this a song or a little poem that Wierwille or someone performed? Who wants to hear a song/poem about someone named Emil who has a cancerous growth on his face. Gross" The album consisted of Wierwille reciting spoken word over music by Way Productions. By the time this was released in 1976, Wierwille had stripped the creativity out of the ministry music and replaced it with "music" that would best suit his agenda, which was recruitment of new members via PLAF (The Wonder Class).

Those are the lyrics to THIS.

As long as warm bodies fill seats, it gives the impression of legitimacy to their tax exemption. It's a business strategy. Plain and simple.

I'm all ears!

Arnold's deprogramming.

It reminds me of an episode of Welcome Back Kotter. Arnold joined a cult called Baba Bebe and the Bebe Babas. The Sweathogs try to deprogram him to no avail. Finally, after Arnold describes what life will be like in the commune, Mr. Kotter says "Arnold, that's not religion, it's slavery." The light of realization didn't come on right away but it started to glow. (Maybe I'll post the episode in the "Silly" forum if I can find it.)

Welcome! First slice is on the house.

In case you are unfamiliar with her story, the "decision", as you call it, was made for her when they unceremoniously expelled her from HQ.