Belle

Due to unforeseen circumstances (and expenses) I will not be able to attend the Weenie Roast this year. I'm totally bummed and my parents were even going to come meet everyone and spend the night with us on Saturday. :(--> I was looking forward to Daddy giving Sudo a run for his money on music trivia. ;)--> I reserved a cabin and have a reservation number. If someone wants to move that reservation to their name and credit card, please contact me. I'll hold on to it for a bit just in case, but I will definitely have to cancel the last week of September to avoid any cancellation fees.

LLP, how have you reconciled this with what you'd love to believe about TWI? what all of us at one time wanted to believe about TWI....

Def, I believe Raf was commenting on this part of Oldiesman's post above yours:

I get what you're saying, JJ. But it took years for me to get to the point of even questioning whether what they were teaching and saying was true or not. The figurative gun did force me to stay in the beginning when I started realizing something wasn't right. I thought what wasn't right was me - my commitment, my un-renewed mind, my lack of giving more than 15% of my income, my continued communication with my "unbelieving family".... - it took a really long time for me to get to the point of even considering that the gun was an illusion. I own my decision to leave and I own my decision to get involved, get married and stay. I really do. I just think that either you are much less gullible, naive or just more bold than I and others who endured the beatings (figuratively and literally) and perhaps that's why you seem to belittle or dis-believe us when we tell you that for a time we didn't have a choice. Okay, you're gonna say we did - and we did - but we didn't see it and we sure didn't see it that way. As soon as we did, we did something about it. *shrug* Maybe it's just one of those things you can't really understand unless you've "been there".

:D--> LOL! :D--> You got! I knew it was gonna be easy.

You know it, though, don't you? ;)--> I thought it would be an easy one.

Come on! Somebody knows this song, no? :)-->

I think folks are sick who believe the ends justifies the means when lots of lives were ruined and actually lost. I think folks who blame the victim are sick. I think folks who are as cold, apathetic and just plain think like you are sick. :)--> It's a lot more than that actually, I just really feel sorry for you, Man.

You're sick, OM. I truly feel sorry for you and anyone who has to live and interact with you.

A figurative gun, JJ. A gun that said if I left the walls of Zion I would be a greasespot by midnight. A gun that said I would die like the other people who died after rejecting TWI. A gun that said "we will ruin your marriage, and we can do it" if I left. A gun that said if I left I would be utterly alone in the world and that God would no longer be able to protect me. A gun that I cowered away from everytime something did go wrong, even the least little bit, after I left. A gun that said I would be possessed if I came onto the internet. Yep, emotional, spiritual blackmail. Works just as well as a gun, imo.

Hey Juan! There's a "corps" section right above this one where a lot of WC have posted. And Valerie coordinated an awesome reunion for the 7th WC. There's even a thread in the photo section of their yearbook. :)--> JohnRich also has a website for the corps. The recent WC grads were a whopping 5 students, but TWI doesn't share that kind of information with us. ;)-->

God bless your tender loving heart, Roy! Thank you for posting here for us. :)-->

my lyric: He sat down on a river rock and turned into a toad It seemed that he had fallen into someone's wicked spell And I wept to see him suffer, though I didn't know him well

Okay, I got MY part of the lyrics wrong, but I did get the artist and the song right. :D--> Here's the correct verse: I also thought that other song was Bacon, Carrot, Biscuits - too. :D-->

I like Tow U Now! How 'bout: Pick U Up 8 Days a Week Towing Dependable Towing Righteous Towing - LOL! Punctilious Towing Abiding Towing Aboveboard Okay, I know - "Belle, put down the Thesarus and step away." :D-->

I heard Sea Monkeys love Penta Water, Tom.

Another Strange quote: AND AGAIN I SAY, "AMEN!!!!"

The Strange one said: Can I get an amen? AMEN!!!!

LOL! WD, that IS good one! Funny how God gives us giggles sometimes, isn't it? Man! I really DID miss some good times and good music, didn't I? :D--> :D--> :D--> Mine ears have never had the glory of the hearing of the song....

Ham, we did have to bring our syllabus to fellowship sometimes and replace a sheet or two right there & give the "old" sheet to our HFC to dispose of "for us". --> Pretty pitiful indeed, Skyrider. Yet another foundational class with required attendance and required "donation". Yet another set of hoops and demands on your time and money. Yet another test of your "loyalty" to TWI. Yet another reason to leave.....

AMEN, DIGGER!! I kept hearing about how much better life is outside the walls and oppression of TWI but never fully comprehended HOW much better it really and truly is till getting out last year. I'll have to put my list together, but I can tell you I'm happier, healthier, have better relationships, more peace, more fun and more material abundance as well. :)--> It truly is PRICELESS!!

That's exactly what I was thinking! :D-->

Yep, Oak. The WayGB is alive and well. Here in Florida they questioned every single believer one-on-one as to whether or not they were posting on GSpot. --> Why? Why should it matter? What on earth could they possibly have to hide if they are truly an upstanding, ethical, honest, helpful ministry? Why the need to control people and information so much? They also spent months trying to track down a letter that I sent to a friend at HQ. MONTHS!! The manpower, time and effort that must have gone into that is laughable. Adults snooping around and ratting people out like little grade school kids..... ridiculous and it would be funny if it wasn't responsible for ruining lives and families.

Matt 24:24 And, in vee pee & craig's own words: the value of the counterfit is increased by its likeness to the original. "deceivers and devil spirits will give you just enough truth to suck you in and then they hit you with the lies and they'll get away with the biggest lies they can" They were telling us what they were doing. We just didn't listen.

Mr. Doop, please do finish. I know you went through a lot with him and would be very interested in hearing more. We share scriptures, thoughts, studies and ask questions here. It's not "twig", but it does help in a lot of ways. There are those who do study on their own, others have been turned off of the Bible and some are just taking a break. :)--> All are welcome to post and share and all contribute something to the discussion.