Belle

herbiejuan, I ran up $300 in long distance calls once - ONCE when I was a teen. Daddy put a stop to that real quick! I just cancelled my home phone and use my cell phone exclusively now. It took a few months to work up the nerve, but it's an extra $40 a month I don't have to worry about. NOW, what to hang to hide that phone outlet in the kitchen...............

The truth comes out!! That answers sooooo many questions! Making the rounds at work tomorrow! Thanks, Ron!

((((Louise Darlene))))) Sometimes, when I was younger, I would get so mad at my parents that I would tell them I hated them. :) I didn't really hate them, though - ok, well, maybe momentarily I really did. LOL! It was their fault, though. I fully deserved to go to the movies with that drug dealing, cigarette smoking, high school drop out! We say things in the heat of the moment that we don't really mean sometimes, but you can't take it back once it's said. :( I don't think being mad equates hate. I think, too, it's possible to hate someone and not be mad at them. They are two separate emotions. Maybe anger that isn't addressed and healthily resolved can lead to hate. Especially for someone who has been abused for a very long time. Are you getting the thoughts and comments you expected? Is there a different direction you wanted this to take?

I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread! Jonny, you DO tell a great story! We never had great times like this when I was involved.

LOL! Once I finally started really wanting "out", I recognized the cognative dissonance of TWI. I think the thing that contributed to that dissonance was the fact that most of the individuals people associated with were the genuinely caring people. When you have so may good experiences along with so many conflicting teachings and abusive experiences it multiplies the dissonance we feel. I also thought about the connection with that to drug and alcohol abuse. Self-medicating to not have to deal with or acknowledge where things were wrong. Typical TWI teachings - ignore it and it never happened or it will go away - that's why we cringed whenever someone would mention something negative whether it was about their life, our life or TWI. Negatives were not allowed and they had to go somewhere. Too often they went deep down inside and never got cleared up. I think that's why some people are still staunchly defensive of TWI and vee pee. They would have to admit that we were snookered. We were conned in the most horribly destructive ways. Some people still see themselves as the problem and not those who are truly responsible. To reconcile the bad feelings they have to defend TWI, vee pee and others who contributed to the destruction of themselves and so many other people. Back in the "good ole days" those who were really in TWI for God and for the loving community had far fewer problems and challenges deciding to leave when TWI wasn't what they needed anymore. Those people probably don't have the same problems that we who were fully involved and devoted have. I suppose that's something else to consider and keep in mind when we talk to each other. While we all got out in our own time ad we all recover in our own time - a lot of that has to do with this cognitive dissonance and how that's handled.

Very good and nice. Thanks for posting that, Catcup. They did skew so much that they tried to teach us about etichs and morals. Remember the teaching on the man who picked up the man who had been robbed and beaten? The kind man took him to a place to stay and paid for the man to stay there and get help and said he would return to settle any additional charges incurred. That teaching wasn't used to remind us to do good unto ALL men. It was used to teach us how awful the Catholics were and how they would have walked past that man when he was on the side of the road. I actually only heard this teaching once that I can recall. It's not surprising, there's only so much you can twist out of that one. The teachings about "doing good unto all men BUT ESPECIALLY them who are of the household of faith" - that household being TWI. The "good unto all men" was really glossed over and taught that they got the leftovers IF there was anything left over after taking care of other TWIts. And we know there was nothing left over after trying to jump through all the TWIt hoops. We were taught to give all our money to TWI and not to "designer causes". Forget the "all men" - they don't deserve our spit! One of the things I started doing shortly before leaving was to pay for a few cars behind me on the toll booth. I left $20 anonymously on the desk of a co-worker who was going through a really rough divorce. I put everyone's newspaper up by their door when I was out walking my dog in the mornings. Little things - anonymous things - nice things. It made my day to do it and it started melting the ice cold heart that had become hard as granite while adhering to TWI teachings. vee pee and lcm didn't have any ethics or morals, so naturally they would see what lined up with their warped brains when reading scriptures. Pity we actually listened to those teachings and emulated them.

WELCOME T-BONE!! I LOVE your signature line!!! I am definitely living exceeding abundantly above the b.s. since leaving. An especially nice cup like the one Moony offered you deserves something extra special so I whipped up this Monkey Bread for you. I hope you like it. I look forward to reading more of you around these parts.

Sudo, in the later years all you had was TWI folks. You couldn't talk to family who weren't "in" and you sure as heck didn't have any friends who "rejected the word". If they didn't come to fellowship, then they weren't worth your time. :blink: So the only people you spent time with were TWI folks. You'd have to call someone in TWI if you wanted to do something fun because you didn't have any other friends to do things with. I went to fellowship with some people and, while we weren't good enough friends to share deep dark secrets, we were still "friends". I also didn't talk to most of the people who left, but just a few I felt deserved to know. I would have expected someone who didn't know I was "gone" to call to check on me. It was only natural in the TWI we were in. Everyone and every little thing about our lives was monitored and so a phone call would be expected.

What about these? Mat 17:3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Mat 27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Mar 9:4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. Act 16:9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. Astral traveling, again? Is Paul a Shaman? How come people these days believe that God doesn’t send angels or have to tell people things now since it’s all recorded in the Bible? I realize this isn’t talking about a dead person, but it is a vision that if someone who subscribed to TWIt doctrine had, they would totally freak out and think they were possessed instead of accepting and recognize as a true vision because of how we were taught.

n. 1. 1. The vital principle or animating force within living beings. 2. Incorporeal consciousness. 2. The soul, considered as departing from the body of a person at death. 4. A supernatural being, as: 1. An angel or a demon. 2. A being inhabiting or embodying a particular place, object, or natural phenomenon. 3. A fairy or sprite. 5. 1. The part of a human associated with the mind, will, and feelings: Though unable to join us today, they are with us in spirit. 2. The essential nature of a person or group. spirit (Heb. ruah; Gr. pneuma), properly wind or breath. In 2 Thess. 2:8 it means "breath," and in Eccl. 8:8 the vital principle in man. It also denotes the rational, immortal soul by which man is distinguished (Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 5:5; 6:20; 7:34), and the soul in its separate state (Heb. 12:23), and hence also an apparition (Job 4:15; Luke 24:37, 39), an angel (Heb. 1:14), and a demon (Luke 4:36; 10:20). This word is used also metaphorically as denoting a tendency (Zech. 12:10; Luke 13:11). In Rom. 1:4, 1 Tim. 3:16, 2 Cor. 3:17, 1 Pet. 3:18, it designates the divine nature. 1 Cor 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, [concerning] him that hath so done this deed. So??? He was astral traveling???

Are they? In the Will of God thread, which I do not want to derail, I said: To which WhiteDove said: To which I reply over here so as to keep the other thread on topic:

Thank you, Outin88. I'm going to look at these and get back to you. :)

I repeat: PLEASE, do not derail this thread.

Amazing! Those poor women! Look at all the accusations that have come public and that place is still thriving! That's what's really scary....and sad. At least TWI is taking a major hit. So many parallels and we DO understand what she's talking about, don't we? Interesting way of putting it. It does seem so stupid and illogical to someone who has never been through the manipulation and thought control that we have been through. Thanks for posting this!

Gee, I'm speechless. I didn't know what Ramona looked like, she sure has a "I know something you don't know" smile on her face; doesn't she? LOL! Satori, that's too funny!

There are accounts all throughout the Bible of people seeing dead people, talking to spirits, etc. How did we go from that to "the dead are dead" and if you see dead people you're possessed? That seems to be private interpretation of the Bible and either camp could claim that THEIR interpretation is correct. I think the camp where you pitch your tent is going to be somewhat influenced by your personal experiences. I don't mention this to discuss the dead, but to show how easy it is to say that YOU are living God's will according to the Bible with as much conviction as someone who also believes that HE/SHE is living God's will according to the Bible. If someone has visions or talks to dead people or relies on something more than just the Bible in their personal walk with God, how can someone say that they are wrong? I suppose if a person is jealous, holier than thou or just plain ignorant, they would throw irrelevant scriptures at that person sayiing that it is a counterfiet experience. But that same ignorant soul would defend a person they liked, admired, worshipped or followed if that person were to have the same experience. You can't use the Bible for that! That's personal feelings, emotions and reaction which we are all subject to. We are especially subject to stronger feelings in certain areas where we are open to recieving information from God. (Not subject to the exclusion of the God taught in the Bible) IMO, to limit oneself to scriptures that we don't even know for sure who wrote them, why they wrote them, how accurate they are and so many other unknowns is seriously limiting the ability of God and the vibrancy of your own personal life.

WW, so you were watching the craiggers party video, too? OMG, how we so worshipped them and thought they were right for insisting to sit in the best seats, go first in all the lines, ordering the nicestest suites, demanding special treatment. :( We fed those monstrous egos and so many still don't know how they devoured Mrs. W's house.

Good answers! Keep 'em coming! I agree. How would one go about proving that the word of God is the will of God, then? I just accepted it at face value (like so many other teachings) and now I'm not so sure.

Heck, they don't even obey verse 20! And people still want to trust them with their spiritual lives.... :blink:

How do you know it is? Is it just because someone told you it is?

TomTuttle on TWI these days:

TomTuttle, that's priceless!! THE BEST description of TWI I think I've ever read!

Is it? :huh:

Welcome, Janny, Please read the sticky just under this one started by WordWolf. One of the reasons we're here is to warn people about TWI and that includes dissection of TWI and it's leadership, particularly the evil, dishonest founder. ;)