Rocky

I know, I was replying (directly) to TLC.

Stated another way, "which purpose I apparently did not make adequately clear to readers." It is my view that responsibility for clarity of communication resides almost exclusively with the writer... not that I think you were being rude.

By golly, some might even consider such a practice ANTI-Christ.

I'd suggest that it might be more fair to characterize it thus, "cults usually primarily benefit the few on top." If there was no other benefit, there would be no cult(s). Those not at the top generally get a strong sense of belonging. When that subsides, those people leave.

Yeah, that ain't gonna happen. And I agree, it SHOULD be flexible enough to cover Hindu, Muslim, Jainist, etc. too. But that also ain't gonna happen in many places in the good ol' USofA.

Yes, it is. My representative in the AZ House gets mocked.

Raf, I know it sucks to have to deal with family in that situation. FWIW, I don't think the underlying problem/issue is who is right or who is wrong. But I hope you find a way to reconcile those things with your family, or they with you.

Not speaking for DWBH, because I don't have anything close to his medical related background, but to this layman, my guess would be that the docs were taking huge leaps in explaining the situation to you thinking that without burdening you with the explanation of the technical aspects of the disease, all they really wanted was to motivate you to try harder to breathe deeply. Because regardless of the mechanism for the healing, the deep breathing was a necessary factor. Btw, I have had broken ribs and know the pain that prevents a person from wanting to breathe deeply. My broken rib tore into the pleural sac and eventually I had to go to the ER because I could hardly breathe. After even getting a chest tube for drainage didn't help, I had to have a thoracotomy so the docs could cauterize the tear. I ended up spending more than a week in the hospital.

holy crap

The rumors of that situation far predate GSC. I can't imagine she would not have known of the legend whether it happened as rumored or not.

Yep. A couple of reflections on my part. 1) I agree w/WW that THEY believe this is an accurate account. 2) Human recollection in times of crisis is not very reliably accurate. (for example, we can remember things that didn't even happen) "As time goes on, it can be difficult to know how accurate our memories of an event are – indeed for many of our childhood memories, it can be hard to know for certain whether we’re remembering the firsthand event itself, or are simply recalling a story as told by our parents and from photos or home videos from the time. "But this concept has a far scarier implication which has been studied by psychologists. In an experiment, interviewers were able convince 70% of people they had committed a crime, when in reality they had not." ----- This is such a thing as near death experiences. I would put those in the category of now we know in part, but someday we'll get the fuller picture. Bottom-line? The experience of Gary Laude doesn't prove anything about being raised from the dead. But I hope he's thankful for the medical care he got and for what he saw during his NDE.

That was barely the tip of the iceberg. The Way Tree structure of the organization, where everyone was supposed to cater to the "needs" of the "Man of God" was central to it.

It's worth noting again that this is not unique to twi. The social mores of the organization allowed it. The self-justifying interpretations of several aspects of scripture dictated it.

I looked at the linked websites. Apparently now, the enrollment cost is just shy of $800. They apparently also claim that it's a $5000.00 value. Now THAT is bovine scatology.

Oh brother! Thanks for the warning. I think.

More power to you, as they say.

JJ, do you have any scriptural basis for any of that? You said, "Am I allowed to do that?" Well, whatever it is you are doing, is there anyone or anything that is prohibiting or preventing you from doing it? (rhetorical question) To me, it seems the real question isn't whether you're "allowed to do that," but rather "what is it that you are actually doing?" Can it hurt you to record something you feel inspired to say out loud? I doubt it. Is it reasonable to label the practice "interpretation of tongues" or "prophecy?" I don't know that anyone can stop you from doing so whether what you are doing/describing matches anything that might fit a biblical definition of either of those things. That said, even if (though) I think you're likely off your rocker, who am I to judge you if you're not hurting anyone? Otherwise, I'm inclined to agree with Waysider.

Anybody can tell a story. BTW, even if you don't have a scanner, it's likely your local public library does. I did an internet search for Herald-Advocate and found this website from Hardee County, Florida. I then searched that site for Gary Laude and came up with NO article search results. It's possible that Raf was thinking of bovine scatology when he cited horse manure.

Indeed!

I understand. And looking back, I now believe many of their teachings are weird.

You nailed it! Yes, that's what Wierwille often did.

Well, another explanation might be that they never learned anywhere that they needed to honor personal boundaries of other people. I hope I'm inferring correctly that you are female. And given that you've been an adult for quite a few years, you probably realize that many men are just very horny. Combine the two (lack of understanding of personal boundaries along with horniness) and it too often, in many different situations throughout the world, leads to sexual misconduct and abuse. In TWI, the self-justifying social culture generated by selective interpretation of scriptures led many women, especially young adult women, to be subjected to such abuse. That you successfully asserted your boundaries is a very good thing. The power imbalance in relationships is often highly problematic. Of course, it wasn't exclusive to TWI. And it's not exclusive to religious organizations. Just last night I heard the story of a German former Catholic nun named Doris Wagner.

And EVERY human is weak and gullible at one time or another in their life.

Weren't there some of us who, while others suggested the group wasn't interested in followers' money, that it was indeed the nature of the beast?

Whatever parts of your story you're ready to tell.