Catcup

Hello to my 6th Corps buds. Evan, that tapeworm thing is creepin me out. Hope you are doing ok and your "friend" departs soon.........

Happy Birthday, and many more and happier ones to come

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (Matthew 21:22) SO, what does the word ALL mean? You can hang yourself with that one. Not everything you ask for will be given, no matter how bad you want it and no matter how hard you believe. This is in no way literal.

Any school, college, dormitory, church, warehouse, business, political office, or campus of any sort, needs a minimal security staff, because no matter what your belief or the purpose of the business or organization, there is always an element in society that will take advantage of any opportunity to commit crime, be it vandalism, theft, burglary, rape, or even murder. Having a minimal show of security measures or staff can be a deterrent in and of itself. However, TWI's odd policies, doctrine, and reputation for being a cult made it an unwelcome neighbor in Emporia. When you are an unwelcome neighbor, then, you might have unwelcome activity coming your way. Just like at TWI, teen townies were wont to do mischief. Bless Patrol's presence helped deter that to some degree. Despite their efforts there were still incidents. Anybody in 6th Corps remember the drive-by mooning in front of Kenyon Auditorium?

hmmm

Am very thankful for the love and tenderness he shared with us while on this earth. Am looking forward to hearing you sing again one fine day... and join with you.

Ya know, that's a darn good question. While sitting in countless Corps meetings, and listening to VP or LCM, self-proclaimed servants of God, defame and gutstrip yet another brother or sister of mine. and/or their spouse, and go on for a good half hour and more about details of their lives that would have better remained private, and I had no way to verify what they were spouting about them was true, I often wondered what was edifying about it. I can only assume since you say you read so much, you surely must have read of this uplifting and edifying speech LCM gave about a dead man who could not defend himself: http://www.greasespotcafe.com/main2/waydal...mised-land.html How edifying was THAT for the Corps and staff to listen to? At least here, we can question, challenge, compare notes, and verify. In TWI, we had to swallow it hook, line, and sinker without question, and God forbd you should challenge VP. I did once. It wasn't pretty. And he lied to my face. You might want to check some of the archives and documents. Very interesting. Nothing edifies like the truth. The truth might shock you. You might have a hard time hearing it at first, especially if you are more accustomed to ignoring it. The light, shined into the eyes of a cavedweller, is uncomfortable at first. But it's a lot more inviting here in the sunshine than to dwell in a cave full of creepy-crawly things and subsist on BS...

Never saw the Dr. Bronner Soap thread. Yeah, the guy seems like a stark raving lunatic if you read his label, but I love that peppermint soap....

Top, You are a truly courageous person.

When you get to the point that you no longer allow your negative experiences in TWI define who you are, then: You are no longer a victim. You have recovered your life. You have moved on. You can do that, and still recognize TWI for the evil it is, and continue to speak out about it.

How do I feel about this stuff? It's a mixed bag. The reality is, my experiences in TWI were both good and bad. The sweet times were exceptionally sweet and the bad times were exceptionally bad. If I were to weigh them in a scale, I would have to say that the good times are far outweighed by the bad in both number, and in severity. So over all, it was a negative experience for me, and many others. Some of the good times, I look back on now, and I understand the "good" I thought it was, was due to my being deceived. It wasn't good at all, it was based on falsehoods. But some of the good times, were genuine. Mostly they revolved around individual people with really genuine hearts to love God and his people. These people were generally my peers or subordinates, and rarely leadership. Looking back on it, I cannot attribute any of the good times to the organization itself, but individual people, and the fact that God can reach into the depths of hell to answer your prayers and bless you. (That doesn't mean it is His will that you STAY in the depths of hell.) The bad times, however, revolved around both individual people AND the organization of The Way International itself. The bad times mostly originated in the institutionalized lies and corrupt policies of The Way International organization itself, combined with people who I believe were motivated by pure evil, greed, self gain, and self aggrandizement. That, my folks, is the stark reality of The Way International and it's internal workings. And exposing that is my primary purpose for being here. That doesn't mean I don't believe God did not and cannot bless people while they are in the organization. And I do not discount that God can't teach you something while he is ALSO trying to lead you out of the hell hole. I just don't believe God wants people IN TWI, I believe he was always, and still is, calling people OUT of it. So I am not going to "p i $$" on anyone's blessing, as long as they can keep it in perspective. My "blessing" does not negate the fact the organization itself was evil, promoted evil people, and caused an immense amount of suffering to untold numbers of individuals. I don't have a problem with people who admit they learned a few things and had some positive experiences, yet acknowlege that this organization was toxic and hurt a lot of people. I have problems with people who minimize or ignore the damage caused by TWI, its founder, its structure, its doctrine, and its policies. Your blessing does not negate the harm done to others, and the harm done to others doesn't demean your personal experience. As long as we understand, that when weighed in the balance, TWI comes up wanting. I have a problem with the people who think that because they had a mostly positive experience, everyone else must be exaggerating.

Hamm--- and anyone else who might know, --just wondering-- Do we know who made the allegations about Vic's womanizing in the church and where they came from? I have heard these rumors before, but would like to know specifically where they came from. Not that I doubt them now, because the fruit is borne out in his later behavior. Would just like to know the origin, so I know I'm not running on hearsay. Were accusations leveled against him publicly by someone, or was this simply whispered among the congregation? Are there specific primary source documents within the church (Evangelistic Reformed?) that are accessible today that would prove he had been called before church officials for his behavior, and/or was about to be ousted at that period in time? Would be nice to have those things documented and archived.

*snicker*

I wonder how God might feel about someone who is impersonating a verse of his scripture?

Interesting, the botox smile, no? Produced by a poison insterted just under the skin... producing a false yet fleeting appearance of something good....

Oh, I get it. This thread is a joke. Here's a riddle for you: Luke has it in front. Paul has it behind. Matthew doesn't have it at all. All girls have it. Boys never do. Miss Dillon had it twice in the middle before she married. Doctor Lowell had it in front and behind, but he had twice as much behind as he had in front. What is it? The letter "L"

huh?

I don't think just one exception has been offerred here. If the poll was put to the entire country in general, I believe you would find MOST people in the United States would disagree with you that hitch hiking is a safe practice.

How typical of him. The first kidnapping incident that I know of, happened in the first year of the 6th Corps, in 1975-76. That should have been enough to prove to anyone that hitch hiking is too dangerous to be a requirement for anyone. VPW chose to continue the practice anyway. And when despite warnings to not abandon your partner, people did it anyway and MORE rapes occurred, TWI STILL refused to discontinue the practice. Pure and simple negligience. Time, and time again. I am so happy for the several people who had "good" experiences while hitch hiking and going LEAD, TFI, or "Camping," as they did in the 6th Corps. But how many cases of negligience do you have to see in an organization, before you can admit to yourself that there is a problem with the organization itself, not the people participating in it?

Did you want to sit down and order up the blue plate special, Ephesians, or was that order to go?

I decided to begin reading this thread and only got as far as this, and I just gotta say something: DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On one of my hitching experiences in the Corps, I was stuck in a sports car being driven by a drunk at high rates of speed, praying I'd see the light of day. One of my Corps sisters was KIDNAPPED while hitching, when her buddy left the truck to go to the bathroom and the trucker took off with her. Not dangerous? Buddy, what planet do you live on, and in what century?

Thanks. It's nice to be loved. Healing the brokenhearted, preaching deliverance to captives, helping the blind recover their sight, setting at liberty the bruised, breaking the bonds of wickedness, and letting the oppressed go free . What are you doing here? Of course this place is good, and no, we don't need for you to tell us that. In this wonderful Cafe, we shine the light into the dark places The Way International would rather remained hidden. We open the windows and air out the dank smell of the lies forced on us by the Way International. In the booths and on the barstools, you will find a variety of folks who can testify to the healing they have found here when they discovered they were not alone, and the chains with which The Way International had bound them fell to the ground, along with the scales from their eyes, and lo and behold, our tongues were loosed! You will find people who finally found their voice and their freedom, and are willing to concede neither to anyone anymore. See above We enjoy it, and can't think of anything better to do than to TELL THE TRUTH. We hope you will learn to enjoy it, too. ibid Luke 4:18. I dunno. Paw lets us get pretty comfortable here. He just has a few rules, like no feet on the counter, and keep your hands off the waitresses. Be understanding of the help. And, it's nice to tip them once in a while. I dunno, can't think of anything greater than TO SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE. Welcome to the Cafe, Ephesians.

Not accounting for interest, if Germany still had to repay the entire war debt from WWI, they wouldn't have paid it off until the mid 1980's. If the interest were accounted, they would still be paying it off today. You are right. If we hadn't helped rebuild them after WWII, this old world may never have seen the turn of the century.

Thanks, ex. I enjoy my summertime vacations at the Cafe! :B) If a person has already been abused, this may unfortunately have left them even more vulnerable, especially if they had unresolved issues stemming from the original incident. For instance in post WWI Germany, the people were left destitute and hung out to dry by the world community. Not only did they have to pay to rebuild their own country, but were saddled with paying to rebuild the countries of everyone they fought against. An entire nation of people with a poor self-image, holding the blame for a world conflagration, a people who couldn't pay back their debts or even feed themselves, and trying to figure out how it all happened. That left them open to Hitler's dangerous ideology. He sold the German people such a bill of goods that he even talked them into believing Germany had actually WON WWI, and had been robbed. He helped them rid their poor self-image by telling them they were actually a genetically superior race, who deserved to dominate the world, but to do it they must eliminate the "defectives"-- Jews, etc., etc..... Being abused, you take a major hit to the core of who you are. Often you blame yourself. The damage is extensive and deep. If those issues of self-image and responsibility are untreated and unresolved, like the folks in post WWI Germany, you are open to anyone who may say they hold the answers to your questions and offer you hope and strength.