rascal

Jeff, Those of us that have been around a while have seen really scary things happen when one of us gave out personal info, or tried to be a friend to a fellow poster. Seriously dangerous frightening things. We really don`t know who is on the other side of the screen and if they are a harmless person looking for a friend or someone looking to hurt. It is a sad lonely time that you are going through, we have all been there after leaving twi. We go from instant friends and family in every town to being a complete stranger to everyone. I used to cry and beg God for a friend...What I didn`t know is that it takes years to build close relationships with people...Years of shared experiences, common interests...common values..You are going to have to develop interests, meet people through activities...people who can learn who you are and eventually grow to trust you.

I am not disparaging what works for anyone else imagine, like potato said...one size doesn`t fit all.

Imagine, I wasn`t trying to be flippant, or argumentative. I really do have a few thoughts in answer to your question. When I personally was attempting to *live* the corpes principles it was all part and parcel of the *I`m still controlling God and my spiritual growth by my actions* arrogance. If I do a + b + c I will be spiritually strong, sharp, safe, prosperous, whatever. In reality, it was all still about works and what I did, and then expected God as a matter of course to do in return. It was about me being in control... When I realized that I knew nothing really...when my world came crashing down around my ears in spite of he strictest adherence to principles and practices....when I knew that nothing I had ever been taught about God was to be trusted...I was (by God) asked could I start all over again with *Love God and Love my neighbor* as a starting place.....square one....as my new foundation to build upon. Life became so much simple then...my in depth knowledge meant nothing...my physical body meant nothing...my willingness to help others was silly, I had nothing, no answers to give... I am saying that when I went back top the simple basics of the instructions that Jesus gave us as the two great commandments....life changed dramatically for me. It just puts you in a different place mentally. It opens the doors for God to work in so many new and wonderful ways that were unconsidered when I thought that I was in control with my believing and my in depth spiritual knowledge...etc. In my personal experience the corpes principles were very limiting and confining. It was the sand foundation that my house was built upon...when the rising waters came, the whole thing washed away.

I replaced them with trying to live *Love God and Love your neighbor* It has worked better for me.

If I thought that the spouse gave a damn about how silly I thought three squares of tp usage were, or how anal I think straight line vaccuming was...or even what any of the rest of gs thought about him for that matter....I probably wouldn`t have posted. Matter of fact we usually laugh about this stuff together. My husband worked house keeping and used those kirbys...LOL he still uses one! The kids and I refuse.

Scuse me RR?? I don`t think anybody was intentionally *trashing their man*.... I don`t see where you read that *I hate my man* either, or where I feel he has *ruined my life*. If that is ever my intention, please be assured that I will start a thread to that effect. I was under the impression that we were laughing at the stupidity of the work program/standard/protocol...ie anal behavior that was instilled and disguised as *attention to detail* while in the way corpes... which I thought was the topic of conversation.... some of it amusingly enough has carried over into present day. Sorry that my post doesn`t quite measure up to your standard as to what is acceptable within the parameters of this thread, but to me, your inexcusable alteration of my post and it`s intent was lacking in respect and your condescending snottiness about seeking help and answeres for marital problems in another thread is the REAL off topic post.

Yeah twiglet. Mine still has leftover corpes training issu er standards. I just make darned sure he washes his hands good cause I don`t EVEN wanna think about how much 3 squares is not absorbing. It took a while for me too to realize that his expectations were unrealistic. I think that old corpes standard bred a lot of ocd ok ok anal behavior. My corpes grad finally moved out to the moble home where he can keep his carpet vaccumed in rows and his sink clean etc. cause with 7 kiddos to raise...it sure isn`t going to happen here...lol I told him once that the accumulated dust and dirty windows was my personal rebellion against the absurdly rediculous twi doctrine concerning devil spirits and dust bunnies :) Maybe we should start a new topic....MY house is so indecent and out of order thaaaaat....

LMAO!! no kidding twiglet... my husband still scowls in disgust when he suspects me of using more then three squares...amazing he still feels righteous with his toilet paper usage...

Ex, that is indeed a pretty good description of *morbid*...creepy old perv grrrr I wish I could beat that bastard for what he did to you. Yes, he died in may of 85, just before my 2nd wow year. This month marks my 30 year anniversary of intro into the ministry/pfal ...whew..I wonder how THAT happened. Maybe I will dig out our old crystal glasses with the wierwille coat of arms that we got for some anniversary deal and have a drink...propose some sort of toast.

Welcome godisgood. What great news! I rejoice with each person that finds their way to freedom from the oppression of being involved with twi...and a whole fellowship to boot ...wow! :)

I`d say that we were taught not to trust ourselves. We were taught that any thoughts that were contradictory to twi being the greatest ministry since the first century were from satan trying to trick us...you know try to get us to consider things like eve. If things were tough or unpleasant, we needed to renew our minds and God would take care of it...he would honor our hearts and believing. If things didn`t make sense or contradictory, it was because we weren`t spiritul enough to understand, we were seeing through a glass darkly... If a leader was blatantly unpleasant, it was because we had caused it, or just an isolated instance. We were taught that our 5 senses weren`t to be trusted. We were taught that you could only think one thought at a time, if things got chaotic we had retemory scriptures to run through our minds so that we didn`t think any negatives. It wasn`t fear so much, it was a determination not to follow the steps of eve in the downfall of man...ie listen, consider, add a word etc. We schooled our thought processes to only consider what our leaders taught. Nobody wanted to let God down. Nobody wanted to weaken the body of Christ, to take a chance of unkowingly allowing Satan to work through them to harm another. It was all about being spiritualy and mentaly tough, disregarding our own discomfort and misery for a bigger more important cause...the spiritual battle. I think here in lies the real evil of twi...doubt of ourselves, of our abilities. We learned not to consider the evil, not to stand up for ourselves. We learned to tune out what made us unique, individual to supress our reactions to mistreatment. We even learned to excuse and scripturaly justify the mistreatment.

Yup

We have it in Alabama and tenn too. Schools where there are confirmed cases closed in one city for two weeks. City and other county schools closed thursday and friday ...it is hoped that with the weekend it might prevent the spread of further as yet undiagnosed cases from s[preading.

Well I`m trying not to be scared. All of the schools in the city of huntsville and madison county ala. are closed because of two probable cases :( My kiddo babysat a kid and I spent time with her as well that had all of these symptoms. I know the odds are against it being swine flue, but crimeny it is so hard not to obsess. My whole family is traveling to nc for my brothers homecoming from afgahnistan/promotion...I keep thinking about all of the people that we will have contact with and what if we have it and spread it or catch it and bring it back....O I know it is silly....but I haven`t been sleeping. I wish I could just hide on the farm. Pmosh that sounds pretty suspicious. I am glad that you and your family are well whatever the illness was that struck.

Wow, congratulations stayaway! Really good news that people are still finding their way out. Pretty funny, yet really really sad....they don`t care about you leaving so much as make damned sure they still get your dollars.. TWI takes that which is not theirs .... in God`s name. I really don`t think God wants us enabling these people by giving our support financially,

A good wafer/polygamist cult member/whatever is seriously discouraged from listening to the news, reading the paper, internet computer access, having contact with non believing family members, non standing friends.... in time, they have no reference points outside of their group. The only input allowed is from people whom believe and think exactly the same as you do. When the doubts nag at you, that is satan trying to deceive you. When you are miserable it is because you are focusing on the wrong thing. When circumstances become overwhelming, you are guilty of looking at the 5 senses. So you suck it up...you believe that your misery is your fault...you believe that if you just dot all of your I`s and cross all of your T`s spiritually, all will be well.

Exactly chockfull. There were people that came to me to try to understand why the women would stay. I did the best I could to explain that in order to remain virtuous, in God`s favor, in order for your children to be protected, to grow up as God fearing men and women, you would suck it up and swallow any indignity, any unpleasantness, in the belief that this was what God insisted upon. You renewed your mind to believe that God required these things of you for a greater good.

Sickness, loss of children... loss of God`s blessing, loss of his protection, being in satans cross hairs with no protection...Having to face life without God to turn to was way worse to contemplate then to submit to the indignities of life in twi. It was many years after leaving before the anxiety of waiting for that shoe to drop lessened.

I don`t know about *content to stay* Most people that I knew were flat out afraid to leave the hedge of God`s protection that surrounded them as long as they were in twi. To leave meant to open the door to satan, to die.

Hey Linda, Really really chilling. Glimpses into history and peoples lives like that fascinate me. I have an album with postcards from all over the world from a couple of cruises that family members took in 1911. They are so pretty. How would I learn about what I have got? I know that I should find out how to take better care of them. Most were never written on. Is it better for them to have been used? I didn`t know that people collected these things. I also was given several stamp albums from an elderly woman which once belonged to her father who was a British dignitary. The stamos are a fascinating picture into history as well. Many of them are from countries no longer in existence. All have pictures of historical and notable figures to the people of that area and time. I would love to know more about them and why people thought them worthy of that honor. My friend gave them to me as an aid to teaching the kiddos about different places. Anybody collect stamps that could point me in a direction that would help me to identify and understand a little better? I also have a letter written during the civil war from an ancestor. He talked about the hardships as a soldier. He said that sukie (their mule) back home ate a lot better than he did.

I think that the pride of which you speak is merely a symptom of what was wrong rather than what was actually wrong itself. A careful study of history, of him and the fruit of his life shows, I think, that it was always wrong. I think wierwille was a genuine wolf in sheeps clothing. He was cleverly disguised to deceive. He had to look good sound good to carry off the scharade....to fool otherwise well intentioned people. Those whom were lured off track in their spiritual walk generally seem to have found their way back after being detoured...those who never had a spiritual compass to begin with prior to twi seem to be forever lost. I think that the pride of which you speak is merely a symptom of what was wrong rather than what was wrong itself.

Welcome Stayaway :) That is encouraging to hear that folks are still leaving, that they feel like there are options to putting up with stuff they shouldn`t have to. I knew people in fla when I left, some of the hardest of the hard core...I loved them before they became that way, I always wonder if they ever woke up, if they ever left.

I am meeting with the minister at the little church that we have attended sporadically since leaving twi next week. I have been a part of this group, worked with the youth, was a part of their womens group...the whole family attends sunday night bible study....I was rabidly against officially joining. I`ll be damned if anybody will get me to commit to anything and then demand subservience in God`s name ever again. Well, it turns out that if my kiddos and I are members, it opens all kinds of doors college wise. Scholarships, money for dorm rooms etc. I told the minister who is a dear friend that while I trusted her and the current people who attended our church, what happens in a couple of years when she completely retires...what if the person who replaces her is a real goober? Well I guess that in truth I will be promising no more than I currently do...dfo my best to serve God and support the church which Linda says that can mean the whole church, the body of Christ. I love these people and for many years have considered myself *home* ..., I don`t know maybe this rabid fear of officially being a member or reluctance to admit that I want to join a church is the next big step in my healing. I don`t know if I will ever submit to anybody ever again in God`s name..I may be broken beyond repair. I think God gets it though.

Thank you. He is safely home. We are going next week to celebrate his homecoming and promotion :) Lots of fishing boating poker and fun. All of the sisters, parents, kids :)

Twinky, I am humbled and so grateful that this was where God saw fit to see me planted. I have learned so much from these gentle quiet Christians. I am thankful that they welcome me into their midst as a sister in spite of my difference and where I am in my spiritual walk. :)