waysider

Horror stories, fooledagainII. (Lots and lots of them) Imagine being wakened from a dead sleep, at 3am, in the middle of nowhere, with no car or money, and told you had 24 hours to haul your sorry foot across the state line, 150 miles away, if you had any hope of surviving the consequences of leaving the "hedge of protection" that was only available to those in the "one true household". Did it happen? You bet. Re: "backbiting" Yeah, what they were really talking about was that you better not ask any questions or talk about what they did if you didn't want a similar fate.

Absolutely!!

Here's some other stuff that has crossed my mind. When he was expounding In CF&S about how it was a "spiritual event" and all the other mumbo-jumbo he spouted, I think he was really priming his future victims. When he subsequently told young women it would heal them, it made perfect sense in light of his CF&S line of reason. Here they are, being told it will heal them and they have already accepted it to be a "spiritual event". Carry that just one step farther and you can understand why a "spiritual event" with the self implied Man Of God for The World would take on a whole new meaning. It's not merely sex with some old horny geezer, it's a 'spiritual connection" to God via the man who knows God like no one has known him for thousands of years. Whether it was intentional or subconscious, I think the guy operated in an incremental fashion. Step by step, he drew people closer and closer to the snare until it was too late. Then he pounced. He was one sick puppy.

I left in about 1990 and never heard a thing about it until I came here. I wasn't corps though so maybe that factors into it.

In other words, the SOB was pretty much clueless in regard to finding an appropriate answer in the Bible, the very book he supposedly had an inside track on, an understanding that was supposedly unequaled in the world. The teaching on this one single, simple yet immeasurably important subject, was all over the map, so to speak. If it was OK for some to not observe celibacy, did that nullify the supposed "spiritual nature" of the act that VPW claimed was "always" a spiritual event? Which times were spiritual and which were not if that was the case? And I remember, also, VeePee stated, in CF&S, that it was impossible for a person to experience the true spiritual nature of orgasm without intercourse. If two unmarried people "consummated" their relationship, should they therefore consider themselves "married" in God's eyes? Were they now somehow committed to each other by some "spiritual" bond? If they were, what was the expectation of honoring that bond? Well, I guess if one considers these questions from a strictly secular, societal standpoint, the answers aren't so difficult to find. But we were supposed to be living in a special, spiritually aware society that had some sort of esoteric standard to maintain. And what if one were to break that bond?(as two single people simply going their own ways) What would be the consequence if any? Yeah, this stuff seams pretty silly in retrospect but it had a major impact on how people conducted themselves back then. In Fellow Laborers, it could mean the difference between getting tossed out in the middle of the night (if caught) or being allowed to stay. That's a pretty serious consequence to ponder.

Hi, aball001 I got a set of those tapes as well, although I am a sighted person. It seems I love to read but my eyes tire rather quickly. I listened to them while I was driving and whatnot. If I recall correctly, they were vocalized by Alexander Scourbie. Somewhere in my basement, they are packed in a box. They are on rather worn cassette tapes. I'm sure by now they must be available on CD or on-line. Do you still have yours? Coincidentally, I am originally from NE Ohio as well.

Amen to that.I know quite a few who fit that description.

Hmmmm That's a good question Actually, we didn't call it FLO back then. That acronym sort of evolved here on GSC. I think it might have been WG who first abbreviated it. We did, though, used to jokingly refer to ourselves as Fellow Slaverers.

Excellent, dooj.!!!

Fellow Laborers of Ohio

I've decided to wear my advancing age as a badge of accomplishments (of sorts).Maybe it's different for women, I don't know.I'll say this, though, I saw Emmilou Harris on the tube the other day. She doesn't seem to try to hide it at all. She still knocks me out.But what do I know.

I definitely get your point, JT. That's how it was in FLO (1975-1977). People were tossed out in the middle of the night. The next day it was as if they had never been there. No explanation. No discussion allowed. Just keep your head down and keep moving forward. (Then make a "junk run" to The Wayside Truck Stop before lights out to try to talk about it in private and try to make some sense of it all.)

I don't believe The Bard spoke via Theopneustos. In fact, I've never met anyone who did, though I suppose there must be someone, somewhere who does. Still, people manage to have lengthy, informative and sometimes quite lively discussions of Hamlet and the various meanings of its intricacies. The same potential exists here for discussions relating to Biblical/Spiritual doctrines. Bring it to the table and serve it in a pleasing manner. Proper etiquette dictates a cordial reception and sampling of each course before pronouncing a personal judgment on the meal.

OK, so we've established there is, indeed, a Vierville, France. What's the point?

I believe you have addressed a key element of the TWI doctrinal dichotomy, WordWolf. In CF&S, VP was teaching about how intercourse is "always a spiritual event" and how consumation is what really defines a marriage in God's eyes. Yet, at the very same time, he was indulging in cavalier, casual sex behind closed doors and out of view. By his own definition, he was a polygamist, at the very least. Now, maybe this abstinence centered philosophy is good advise for youngsters who are not yet sexually active but to try to retrofit it to apply to adults seems a bit ludicrous. Perhaps even damaging. And there is the credibility problem as well. If he was this multifaceted in his observance of this particular point, what about other so called "spiritual matters"? Did he really SIT for hours on end, study the Word incessantly for days at a time? The list is endless, but, for now, I thought I would try to limit it to this one particular item and see how it affected other people's lives.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To prove to the 'possum it could be done.

Credibility

You two crack me up BIG HUG goes here

Here's a guy with 104 tunes in youtube!! Give him a listen. http://www.youtube.com/user/Fretkillr

When I first became involved with The Way, I was 21 years old. I had a job, a car, an apartment and a pretty active life in the "hippie"/arts community. Granted, my job svcked, my car was falling apart, my apartment was in the ghetto and my hippie connections were part of a network I hoped would get me into the entertainment industry. Still, I wasn't a pimple faced high school kid who didn't know up from down. Fast forward to PLAF(The Wonder Class). Suddenly I was surrounded by people who, for the most part, were younger and lived at home in the 'burbs with Mom and Dad. These became my new peers as I shunned my previous associations. The prevailing thought amongst them was that sex outside of marriage was "off The Word". Thus, my life became a life of celibacy which lasted the first 5 or 6 years of my TWI involvement. Not that I was ever the kind of guy who had women throwing themselves at me anyway. Still, it was a departure from the norm for me. Based on the teachings of the day and behavior of the other local believers, I felt that this was a TWI sanctioned lifestyle. It's ironic, really, to think of that and realize what was really going on behind the scenes. There's more to the story, of course, but that's all I care to reveal at the moment. Anyone else have any enlightening embarrassing musings to share along these lines?

A Letter Of Recommendation from Bealzabub.

Back in the days when I was of a belief that homosexuality was caused by a devil spirit, as was taught in TWI, I was always very cautious about what I might say in their presence.(Might be talkin' to a devil spirit, dontcha know? Can't ask them for advise on anything because that would be revealing your weaknesses to a devil spirit.) That was then---This is now. Why should it be any business of mine what a coworker does in their own bedroom? (I say coworker because so many of us spend more time with our coworkers than our family members or aquaintances in general) So to answer your question, why should I treat a homosexual any differently than a heterosexual? Follow "The Golden Rule" and things seem to go a lot smoother in this old life. Every belief system seems to have a version of it. It shouldn't be hard to find.

That might be it but I'm not sure.