CoolWaters

If anybody ever has any questions concerning a business or an opportunity, the first stop for information would be one's state attorney general. You can find out how many complaints have been filed/received concerning the company, if there ever were any formal actions taken, what the results of those actions were, if there is a legitimate business/corporation formed, if the 'resident agent' is an actual address or a PO Box, and all sorts of other very interesting things about any company in your state. And you can contact any other state attorney general, too.

White Dove, One of them was in twi in Topeka? Well...from one cult to another...which, in this case, was terrifyingly (because twi was a better option than Westboro Baptist) good move for them...sigh. *************************** I'll never forget the first week we had pulled into town...driving around with California plates on our car (we were soooooo bold!)...ran into Freddy Boy and his gang at 10th and Gage...just sitting at the stop light minding our own business, trying not to stare at the freak show...and ol' Freddy jumps at me through my open passenger's side window and yells, "You're a lesbian and your 'boy' there is a faggot!" Our kids (7 and 16 at the time) cracked up laughing...thankfully...as did we. We had never even heard of the clan until that day. Well, laughing at Freddy is one of the worst things you can do to him...as we were to find out later. That day started an eleven year 'relationship' that was both frightening (Jonathan hit my husband with his SUV) and hilarious (we used to video tape Fred video taping us...and he'd call the cops and the cops would tell him there was nothing they could do about it because all of us were on public property and not breaking any laws...tee hee...we got some great videos of his foolishness!!!). All in all I have to say that whatever the message, I am thankful that Fred and his clan have been able to hold the Topeka tyranny hounds at bay when it comes to a person's rights to protest. Yet I also have to agree that there is a line in which one's 'rights' are no longer acceptable...and disturbing the peace of a private funeral is over that line...imo. As far as the children are concerned...many, many times I made formal complaints to Child Protective Services about those children being out in extreme weather for hours and hours at a time. Nobody would even accept the complaint to investigate. Had that been anybody else, CPS would have been all over those parents and most likely would have had those children in state's custody. The city of Topeka used to give Freddy and his clan special police protection wherever they were 'protesting'. The underlying message from the 'powers that be' in Topeka (both city and state governments) is that Freddy is right...and regardless of his actions, nobody official is going to look into the possibility of criminal activity. When this point was made to the Topeka city council, instead of using their heads and looking at possible criminal activity, the Topeka city council chose, instead, to start drawing up laws aimed particularly at Freddy and his clan...which is an absolute no-no in a free country...which is why Freddy et al has been able to sue Topeka...and sometimes being successful. As far as the state government is concerned, well, the Phelps law group is deeply engrained as an institution unto itself on behalf of the State of Kansas. The group practically runs every aspect of the Department of Corrections when it comes to parolees, the group is in deep where it concerns child support enforcement activities (I've heard...but don't know the truth of...that it was the Phelps' group that came up with the 'wanted' posters for those who are behind on their payments), if a person owes the State of Kansas any money for any reason, more than likely the collections activities will be handled by the Phelps'...and on and on. In other words, the Phelps' are not just some right-wing, lunatic fringe cult group that nobody likes... They are a highly regarded, deeply engrained, acceptable part of society both in the private and public sectors. Of course, Kansas has a long, long history of such a relationship with such cults...

So totally awesome and kewl and all that!!!!!

Dangit, Tom! I'm in a broad brush mood! Leave me 'lone! ;)--> ;)--> ;)--> ;)--> ;)--> ;)--> ;)--> ;)--> ;)--> ;)--> ;)--> (All those winks mean I'm teasin' wid ya.)

You said a mouthful there, Roy! Awesome! ********************* Danny, Kewl info. Thanks!

:)--> Any time. I needed this little conversation. :)-->

rascal, I honestly think that many people got into to twi with attitudes/thought processes already in place...and twi simply convinced them that 'god' allegedly gave 'his' permission and nod of approval for such things. This guy's 51yo...? Well, that's about right for that mentality in most people...regardless of twi involvement. Believe it or not, there are women who think just like this! It was part of that generation.

Oh. Wow. It's hard to think about/remember what I was like in twi. My daughter is 28yo and is just now opening up about what it was like to be raised in twi. I often feel as though I should have been shot. {{{{{coolchef}}}}} At least we're willing to be held accountable and face the music...and actually change.

I'm serious, BluzieQ. My daughter is now 28yo...and just a couple of days ago she finally started talking about being raised in twi. What I knew about was horrific and terrifying and evil to the nth degree... What I am learning is even more so... Gawd I HATE twi!!!!!!

Tom, I think that was clearer. TYVM :)--> What I hear you saying is that the 'thing' (the spirit within) is not, in and of itself, capable of abuses and such the like...it is not in it's nature. This is a very interesting thought...that the thing itself has a basic nature. From this viewpoint, I now understand the concerns presented. Hmmmmm....much thinking is afoot for me! This is why I LOVE open, respectful discussion. TYVM!!!! (TYVM for the compliment, too.)

What do any of my posts here have to do with being raised in twi? My 7yo daughter's body would have been ripped to shreds if she hadn't been taught exactly how to grab on, twist, and get a twig leader off the top of her.

PPS You may be right about why 'god' made women weaker than men... But you also have to admit that 'god' gave men external genitalia... Hangin' out there all proud... And so very handy for grabbin' and twistin' and bring the strong down with a weak little tweak... After all... When men are teaching women a lesson, their genitals are usually within easy reach... Doesn't God say somewhere that He uses the weak to confound the strong...? Hehehehehehe.

PS Lorena Bobbit rocks!

That's what you got out of Thelma and Louise?????????????? Wow.

OK, cc, you do something really awful to me...then I'll post it out here in the Open Forum...then we can have some fun! ;)--> I think you probably wouldn't/haven't hurt anybody quite as deeply or as cruelly as what I had been talking about...or as what others have talked about...you're just too open and honest...at least it seems that way here.

Dude...check your privates...topics that is. ;)-->

Yes...that is certainly the bottom line...in many situations in life...especially where it concerns the religious/spiritual. OK, are you talking about the God presented in the bible? (Please don't think I'm being dense...or insulting...or anything like that...this is, after all, GSC...I wanna make sure I understand you correctly. :)--> ) ************************** WhiteDove! I don't think you're stupid or even dumb. Like I just said above, I wanna make sure I understand correctly.

What you are sharing is very interesting in how such things were accessed and used. I often see that what many people consider evil is not so much the thing itself, but how the thing was used. As has been brought up on this thread, the bible was used by twi for evil. Does that make the bible itself evil? I'm sure that you and I agree that it does not. The main point of this thread is that, as a Christian, the author of the thread feels that the focus of the Harry Potter books is an antithesis to the focus of the bible...and may/most likely will lead down a dark path. (I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong, WhiteDove. ;)--> ) Yet the bible is full of Godly people practicing what most of us today would consider sorcery (remember the showdown Elijah had with the local sorcerers?), spell casting (Jesus cursing the fig tree), conjuring (the Mount of Transfiguration), divination (it's called 'prophecy' in the bible), and all sorts of 'evil'. Again, I say it's perception...and heart.

{{{{{ExC}}}}} You know that I know that you know.

Okey dokey. After hours and hours of doing screen shots for tutorials, I'd have to say Yes, they are very much like jello shots...just no hangovers. :D-->

Yes...contacting Yahoo is a royal pain. Sigh. Do you know how to do screen shots? You have to have some sort of imaging program. I'd like to be able to see the screen you're seeing. Or you could just send me/post the url. :)--> Here is what my (as in 'mine'...CW's) groups page looks like. Is yours similar?

OK. That isn't spell casting, though. It's also something I can do without acid or anything but focussing my mind. Do you see something evil in this?

Hmmmmm! Well, then try going to My Groups on Yahoo and see if weightlossupport is listed in your groups. If so, then use that link. If not, then contact Yahoo (there's a link at the bottom of the My Groups page that says, "Don't see all your groups?") because there's something wrong.

A couple or three (or more...I fergetted) years ago I started a thread in "About the Way" forum. It was directed to a couple of offshoot ministers. In the subject of the thread I used the first and last letters of their first and last names, with * for the rest of their names. I was currently dealing with these folks in 3D life. They would not hear me. They M&A'd me. They told me I was worthless. I brought the whole thing to GSC for a couple of reasons...one obvious (offshoots and their practices is an important discussion in one's recovery)...one became obvious (once their actions were discussed here on GSC, they couldn't sweep me under the rug and tell their followers that I 'copped out'). Well, these ministers weren't too happy about being discussed at GSC. Although they are registered here and read here, they do not post here...because they feel they are 'above' the rest of us. Anyway, they backed off on the M&A stuff, they started 'praying' for me instead of discussing me as topic when 'dealing with the devil', and they at least gave me a chance to talk with them. In the end, the results were the same, though: they were better than me and I was pathetic. So did posting help? YES!!!! How? 1)I got to do something denied to me in twi: I got to have a face-to-face with my accusers. 2)Others involved got the whole story and were able to see that the group perpetuates the errors of twi. 3)I got a whole lot of badly needed comfort and support. Would I do it again? I have since apologized to these ministers for using their names in any form. I think that the shaming involved in using a form of their names was more than they could bear...and probably did more to hinder matters than to help matters...and was no different than what they were doing to me. However, I would certainly come here again and discuss things openly...just wouldn't name names. The open discussion of the abuses is absolutely the most freeing, most healing, most needed thing, imo. Returning abuse for abuse is not. IMO...and speaking only for my own self.

Now that you're approved, Shellon, that link should take you right to Vic's site. Are you signed into Yahoo when you try?