waysider

Correlation does not necessarily equal causation.

Yeah, I should have waited a couple years before going into FellowLaborers. (The program was canceled 2 years after I graduated...Hahahahahahaha!)

Maybe his google button is broken.

That's a "one and done" sale and the number of potential buyers is limited. The profit is finite. Even a good car salesman doesn't just screw you over for all he can get and then forget about you. He gives you a deal you'll feel comfortable with and continues to court you with follow-up service promotions, new car news and the like, in hope of making more sales in the future. TWI is not a benevolent organization, they're a profit making business. The model they run on is is driven by repeat business. Again, that's why there was always such an emphasis on undershepherding and tithing. Tithing is their real source of predictable income. It's the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Be sure to stay tuned for upcoming editions of award winning Greatest Secrets In The World Today. . In future episodes, we'll take a more detailed look at the cryptic, spiritual symbolism of The Poky Little Puppy and The Little Engine That Could. (Be sure to get plenty of popcorn ready.)

Someday, you'll be a real boy.

This is just my opinion, but I think the real cornerstone of Wierwille's plan was to establish a base of followers who would consistently tithe, providing him with an endless stream of income. No work required beyond cashing the checks. Funds resulting from sale of the classes and books were icing on the cake. That's why "Christians Should Be Prosperous" became the focal point of those early sessions. There was no internet, no instant access to information. Who was ever going to find out the true nature of a scheme cooked up by a guy in the middle of rural Ohio? Or so he might have thought. I don't think he ever envisioned how big the ministry would become, but, when it did, he was perceptive enough to recognize the opportunities, some quite sinister, unfolding in front of him. It snowballed out of control and overwhelmed him. It grew like a cancer. And here we are today.

'So, if all your friends jumped off the bridge..."

"The interpretation should be about the same length as the tongue." Uh oh!

Yeah, it's easy to miss the mark when you're shooting at a target that doesn't exist. Kinda like how you missed the mark when Wierwille said the law of believing works for believers and unbelievers alike.

Is this opposite day? I must have missed the memo.

"The ministry that taught me the word." Tell me what you really think without telling me what you really think.

Equals? Seriously? This is one of the reasons some people find the Bible so hard to understand. They want to compare a culture that existed thousands of years ago to modern culture and expect that the same standards apply.

The way I recall it being taught was that he should be referred to as Jesus Christ when talking about him before he fulfilled his mission and Christ Jesus after he fulfilled his mission of becoming the Christ. Almost like Jesus was his name and Christ was his position. Some cultures that use honorifics still do something similar in that you address someone of a higher position by their title, instead of their name or before you say their name. For example, a student might address their teacher as "Teacher". Or you might address a family member according to their honorific family title rather than, or in addition to, their name. It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's the general idea. TLDR: Jesus Christ before resurrection, Christ Jesus after. edit: Wasn't this in the PFAL class? Help me out here, Mike. What session is it? edit #2: Was it in that session where Wierwille says Christ is coming back as "King of Kings and Lord of Lords"? You know, that one where that we, as class instructors, were supposed to play down what Wierwille said and tell the class the Trinity implication was a slip of the tongue due to the emotion of the moment and his previous Trinitarian beliefs?

Throughout history, there have been, and still are, cultures that consider marriage to be a business arrangement and/or a matter of convenience. Marriage for love is a fairly new concept, dating back to about the eighteenth century. This needs to be understood and factored into any biblical discussion of marriage, concubines, courtesans, paramours and the like.

He was an unremorseful skirt chaser.

Yes!

The FellowLaborers program was promoted as being built on the book of Acts. As part of the program, we were to read Ephesians every day. The Way shied away from the OT and treated the Gospels like they were too elementary for the truly enlightened. What's the commonality here? Here's a hint. It's not Jesus Christ or his teachings. Modern Christianity, for the most part, is not about Christ. Modern Christianity is built on the cornerstone of Paul's letters. It's not about what Jesus said, it's about what Paul said. When Jesus is mentioned, it's often as an addendum. What does all that mean? I'm not sure. It's food for thought.

Strawman. But if you insist we shift in that direction, It's really not about people making more money. It's about people giving more money to the organization. You really want make to make more money? Send me $20 and I'll tell you how.

No matter what anyone believes, Mayberry was never anything more than a fictional utopia.

The Way is not going to change, Mike. They've had multiple decades and countless opportunities to enact real change. It's delusional to think they will.. If you genuinely want to help people, as you say you do, stop promoting The Way's toxic agenda. This is not a hateful diatribe. I'm simply presenting you with the truth of the matter. Whether or not you choose to accept that is a decision only you can make.

Ten pounds of poop in a five pound sack.

Yeah, and his brother Harry wasn't my uncle.

Not even other Christians. "I saw the unbelievers living more abundantly than the believers." (paraphrased) Clearly, what he was pitching was the promise of material gain. No God needed, just follow the formula. It's so simple, even the unbelievers can do it. Just practice the law of believing and, oh, yeah, don't forget to send me 10% of every paycheck. Later, when the formula failed to produce the promised results, we're told we misunderstood, the abundant life is "spiritual". We need to renew our minds and speak in tongues more. And be sure to pass the word to other hopeful recruits. There's strength in numbers, after all.

Why don't you ask him?