wrdsandwrks

I don't think it's as simple as saying "No" and I don't think you can say these victims were wrong. They were wronged. Even without drugs there's a power that someone in VP's position exerts over a young person's mind that doesn't allow for a rational decision to be made. He didn't "ask" them to have sex with him. This is not consensual sex. When my dear friend confided in me what had happened to her in VP's motorcoach, after VPs death, she told me I was the 1st person she told about this. I knew that it had been a traumatic and deeply hurtful experience for her and I asked her if she felt guilty about it. The way she explained it to me was that she didn't feel guilty because it wasn't a choice that she made. It was such a powerful compulsion to what he told her to do that she didn't have a choice and therefore guilt wasn't the proper word to describe how she felt.

I haven't read through this whole thread yet but I started from the end and I'm working my way backwards. I went WOW in 1975 the age of seventeen. I turned 18 in January of 1976. My parents, who were not in TWI, signed a paper giving me permission to go. As much as it broke my parents hearts to have me give up a college academic scholarship to go WOW, they gave me their permission. If I remember correctly my WOW coordinator was also 17 or barely 18 and the other 2 girls were 18. Not a lot of combined wisdom among the group. I was also sexually assaulted as a WOW, but I don't think it caused the lasting damage because it was a stranger who broke into our apt. rather than the trusted MOG. Want to blame my parents? Not sure what your point is, are you saying that her parents were responsible for the rape? Sorry but that just doesn't cut it. Full responsibility lies with the perpertrator of the crime, which is even more despicable because he was put in a position of trust by her and her parents and then he just used her up and spit her out. IMO if TWI truly had any integrity they would disband the organization, sell all the property, collect all the Swiss bank accounts or wherever they've stashed the loot they stole from innocent people and set up a fund to renumerate all those victims of sexual assault whose lives were derailed by having a person they trusted abuse them in such a manner. The money would not come close to restoring what was stolen from them but it would be a step in the right direction.

Happy Five - Oh to you! Hope you have the greatest year ever. It's been a pleasure to get to know you a bit at the cafe.

8 - I prefer getting "drunk" in the Spirit to any kind of drugs or alcohol.

Thinking back on time at Emporia, I remembered the absolute best "hide-out". My last year in-rez in the 9th Corps, I was on faculty for the Greek class. G*ne Sl*vit, me and a 6th corps guy whose name escapes me were the faculty team. Being able to "hang out" in the faculty lounge was almost like dying and going to heaven. I can still get excited just thinking about it. It was beautifully decorated, had comfortable couches, TV, air-conditioning, all the food, snacks and soda you could imagine. And, I could invite my friends in to hang out with me and watch TV. It was really the ultimate, after being deprived of all these comforts for so long, to have them for a couple of weeks was amazing. The only sad part was after the class was over, not being able to go in there any more. I would pass it by with longing, looking to get a glimpse inside.

Catcup, Happy upcoming Anniversary! Thanks for sharing all these details. I'm sorry that people who like to control others (from the top on down) had to ruin your special day. It sounds like everything that was wrong with TWI played a part in the debacle. Your posts do put a historical perspecive on the corps weddings and how they evolved. I was wondering if the 6th Corps was the 1st "mass" corps wedding? I'm thinking they were the 1st at Emporia since you guys were the 1st corps at Emporia, right?

Happy 26th 9th Corps Graduation Day everyone!

Mr. Hamm, I was wondering if, in addition to your wielding a rusty sword, you've been running a spy ring for the British govt. in Iran, or if these are merely some of your relatives? Did you see this: Iranian Police Smash Squirrel Spy Ring? Is this part of your squirrel cult activites?

Thanks Out There! I appreciate that.

Amen to that!

I read something online yesterday that sounded a lot like what happened to those in TWI. It's especially disturbing when the victims were children. This is from: I'm praying that every young person wounded by corrupt shepherds will find their "good pasture and good grazing ground and will feed in rich pasture" and be fed and restored by "The Good Shepherd".

Aww. That's so sweet. I have a similar view of our wedding. It was a very special day, and I know God blessed us.

Thanks for the link. His writings look really interesting. I looked at the biography posted on his website and he seemed to be a man of integrity and what I would call "biblical honesty". I will definitely be reading his works. This is a topic of great interest to me, thanks for starting it Bolshevik. It's a subject I've been reading about and studying, but I haven't come to a definite conclusion at this time. Some of my current thoughts: The bottom line in my thinking is, that God created the heavens and the earth, in the beginning. I guess the big questions are: When was that? and How did He do it? I wasn't there to mark it on my calendar and observe how He did it. I like Chuck Missler's teachings and books on the subject, especially, The Creator Beyond Time and Space. Interesting to see that the Custance site is hosted by Missler's ministry, Koinonia House. I recently purchased Genesis and the Big Bang by Gerald Shroeder, He's an orthodox Jewish physicist. Here are some quotes from the book: "What was for me the most exciting discovery in this search is that the duration and events of the billions of years that, according to cosmologists, have followed the Big Bang and those events of the first six days of Genesis are in fact one and the same. The are identical realisties that have been described in vastly different terms." "There is just no avoiding the issue. The Bible gives God six days to form mankind from the material produced at the creation. " "Current cosomology claims, it even proves, that nature took some 15 billion years to accomplish the same thing. Which understanding is correct? Both are. Literally. With no allegorical modifications of these two simultaneous, yet different, time periods." Interesting stuff. Links: The Creator Beyond Time and Space Koinonia House, Chuck Missler's Ministry Genesis and the Big Bang

Right!

Gen. 19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Here's the Hebrew verb hayah without the prefixed preposition l. I'm not arguing here for the gap theory, just that the verb hayah can mean to be or to become, so you can't discount the theory based on the meaning of the verb in Hebrew. ( I should know what I'm talking about, I have a Ph.D. in Semitic languages.)

Excuse me Mr. Son, but wasn't the 9th Corps nametag white?

That's what I remember too. I wonder if any of those couples are still together Actually, I'm not sure what they believed. I actually went to a Moonie indoctrination meeting once. I was a fairly new TWI member and I was in college at the University of New Orleans, sitting in the commons eating, I believe, when this "nice" young woman asked if she could join me at my table. I instantly thought I would "witness" to her, but of course she was "witnessing" to me. We talked for a while and she invited me to this meeting they were having that afternoon. Shows how gullible I was at that time in my life, but I went on a bus with her and some other moonies to a meeting a hotel in a "seedy" section of town. Thankfully for me they weren't mass murderers I honestly couldn't make heads or tails of what the presentation was about. Something about "god" being male and female and yada, yada, yada. That's really the only thing I could make sense of from the presentation. Anyway, being a recent PFAL grad and having started reading the Bible daily, I at least knew a little bit about God and the Bible and this just rang completely false. The other memorable thing about that experience was that although they had provided transportation to the meeting, they weren't interested in providing me a ride home and I was stuck at this crummy hotel without a ride. If I remember correctly the girl I met and several of her moonie buddies reciprocated and came to twig with me. I remember they were very interested in Doc Vic and suggested setting up a meeting between their Grand Poobah (don't remember his name, was it Sun Yun Moon or something) and mine. Anyway, that's my moonie experience.

Hi Fellowshipper, Yes we enjoyed your "fellowship" at our wedding. Thanks for being there. Have to pull out pictures from the reception and see if you're in them.

It's Hebrew. The same Hebrew word is used in Genesis 2:7: And the Lord God frmed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. So it can be translated was or became.

Could be. I think they said that Dr. started them because all the Corps wanted him to marry them and he didn't have the time to do all those individual weddings. I also thought that the Moonies were different in that the leader arranged all the marriages. Anyone know if that's true?

I guess I would wear it proudly, or what if said, Mary Bailey? That would be cool. Didn't have any embellishments on mine, just a lot of clothes with tiny holes in them.

Me too! Like I said, I wouldn't choose to have that kind of wedding today but it is an experience that we shared with many other Way Corps grads. Some have marriages that lasted, some didn't. Last time I checked, TWI was and still is a cult. But a lot of people put a lot of loving care into making it a nice day for us and I am very appreciative. And hey, it was cheap! I think we spent $200.00 on the wedding. When I hear what some people pay to get married I'm glad we didn't go that route. My Dad paid for the reception, I think he was relieved that he didn't have to spend a fortune for the wedding too.

Chuck's Mom and Grandma came out for the wedding and my Dad gave me away. I think they were all pretty resigned to our life in TWI after all those years, they were very supportive.

Happy Birthday George! Here's to many more and even better!

The 9th Corps weddings were at Emporia, around the pond. VP and LCM stood on the gazebo and led the proceedings. All the couples were arranged around the pond with seating for their own guests. Each couple also invited their own minister to stand with them and give the covenant of salt and pray and prophesy (I think). I forget if the vows were said individually or altogether with VP. Then each couple lined up to stand for pictures and I think prayer with VP and LCM on the gazebo. (The day is kind of a blur, since 1. it was so long ago and 2. I was an emotional wreck because I didn't sleep the night before because I was so nervous.) I remember my dad walking me ( I think from the basement of Wierwille) to our place around the pond and where Chuck and our minister friend (M*rk Lew*s) and best man (D*nnie Lam*) and my maid of honor (Sheil* McD*nald) and others were waiting. It was really windy around the pond and I was trying to keep my hat from blowing off. We were very thankful that it didn't rain. I think after the ceremony we had pictures in Weirwille. We had an individual reception the day before at a local hotel. Sorry ex! I remember you guys made a really cute couple.