CoolWaters

Golfie, There's soooooooo much more "behind the scenes"! GSC is now more important than ever, imo. I know there's lots of stuff in the archives, but most people don't want to take or do not have that much time, so it's important to keep the discussions current, imo. Also, when one does a search about twi, GSC is often not on the first page of results. There's a thread here about how to resolve that, but I would think that with all of the activity on this board there ought to be a way to get GSC up first. ?????????????

{{{{{Golfie}}}}} I am so sorry...that it happened at all...and that it cost you your family! {{{{{rascal}}}}} At least we did not lose our children! I know other woman who lost their children. Our marriage and family survived intact (well, as intact as a marriage and family can be after so much stuff...we're getting there, though!). We have the opportunity to heal. אַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַ

rascal, According to people who knew that leader in Alaska, he was moved to Alaska by hq from another area where he had the same thing going...and that in the area before Alaska, nobody did anything but intimidate the parents. I don't know this first-hand, however. I do know that we waited until the last few days before we left Alaska to take actual steps in getting the state authorities involved. There had been too many nights we were trapped in our home because of a car sitting outside waiting for us...and because we had already been broken into and nothing but letters to/from twi leadership and some other twi information were stolen. אַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַ

From what I see... "(which means your soul really has to die before you are born again - no figure of speech)." ?????????????

TY {{{{{rascal}}}}} That's what I know happened in Alaska...except for the "most of the children in her state had been..." part...I was there. אַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַ

Mr P, It happened to my family. TWI leadership was not only aware of what happened, but a branch leader was the ring leader and worked with a twig leader...to get more children into their "children's fellowship"...and a limb leader pronounced me, my husband and my unborn child "seed" for trying to stop it all. אַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַאַ

Megan, I am very glad that this did not happen to you. Good for your mother! What I am talking about happened in Alaska. At least one person went to prison. I am still trying to help my daughter heal. ?????????????

Well, Shaz, it makes perfect sense if one applies broken logic... ;)--> ?????????????

I wasn't quite sure about that, either, mj. But that isn't the point of that statement...I don't think. ?????????????

Oh, and I will not forget the children abused physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and sexually at the hands of The Way International leadership under the guise of "children's fellowship". ?????????????

What really turned my stomach was the "focus on the family" garbage being spewed. People are looking for ways to heal marriages and families. If someone watching that circus that day were in ongoing family crises, they may have been pulled to grasp at yet another straw and give twi a try. The very first time I ever experienced The Way International tearing apart a family was in 1975. The Way International sent an attorney from hq to connive in a divorce in my area. What ended up happening is that because The Way International representatives painted both parents in such a bad light, the child ended up in state's custody. All so that the father would end up out of the way (pun intended) and the mother could go Way Corps without the "burden" of her child. That piece of garbage video at one place stated that the home fellowships are handled by the head of household. Again I barf! The rest of that story is that The Way International has historically put so much pressure on that "head of household" to bend to The Way International leadership's demands even to the point of expecting a man's wife to perform for that leadership sexually. Yeah...right...let The Way International into your family...that'll "cure" the problems...forever...just like death cures all problems. Barf! ?????????????

For me...when I first stepped outside of modern christianity...I experienced internal controversy around some things that sgl has said here. These things are: "One of Christ's main goals was to restore the bride. To fix she that Adam had broken. He seemed a bit more concerned about that than sword-fighting." "Who was made the mother of all living (including Adam)? Why was she called that?When things were being made, was Adam made to complete her, or was she made to complete Adam?" "Why has the idea of feminine divinity become so anathema?" "The point a soul leaves the nurturing care of the holy spirit is when he can make his body vanish into thin air, like Jesus and his students did. Beings of light. Fully born and mature, having been born from death (which means your soul really has to die before you are born again - no figure of speech)." ?????????????

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Mandii, Mandii, Mandii! You're seeing that perhaps the bible is just what it says it is...a book. If you read a book about tribal customs that, based upon religious beliefs, women open their lower lips and insert bones to stretch out a portion that will eventually become a "love loop" of sorts, are you gonna apply that to your life because you're going to work with that tribe as a doctor? I don't think so! But that's exactly what people try to do with the bible...live it fundamentally. Sigh. Is it any wonder that "christians" are so violent? ?????????????

Abigail, I didn't know that! Of course it makes sense once I think about it...after all, how many "names of God" are there? What else do you have up your sleeve that you'd be willing to share along these lines? :)--> *********** sirguessalot, I think that many of the women here accept this without much thought because it just makes sense...which is probably why there was no major reaction on first blush. However the correlation to holy spirit is probably a new perception. Maybe not. Maybe I just ***-U-Me too much out of my own fears... :D--> ?????????????

{{{{{sirguessalot}}}}} You got a whole lot more grit than I do, that's for sure! LOL I really liked your first post on this thread, too. It's an awesome realization once you see it, isn't it? It's like the whole rest of the universe is finally accessible. And, OH!, the healing that starts happening naturally! Sigh. I'm still in tears. ?????????????

sirguessalot, I'm just coming online this morning and am just reading this 2nd to last post of yours. I'm in tears! Finally this topic is opened up so we can talk about it. Finally somebody put the obvious out there. ?????????????

In my mind it is beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Comforter has been missed entirely in many schools of thought. It is an odd thing for me these days to even consider packaging "comfort" in a neat little box of rules to be applied blandly to one and all in much the same way MSG is used in food...with that kind of "comfort" many people are going to be allergic and may even die as a result of the use. ?????????????

{{{{{Mandii}}}}} Hold onto what feels right for you, toss out the rest. If something has been or is so damaging to you as to hurt you spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally...stop doing it/holding onto it! And sometimes that leaves an empty feeling. Look at your children. That emptiness will fill up quickly! Look at your husband. He's wanting so much to be a part of what heals you. Look at yourself. You are raising fine children. You are building a marriage in a time when marriages are not supposed to be built. You are touching the lives of young people who need a touch like yours. You work in an environment that would normally break a spirit so sweet and gentle as yours...but you're getting stronger, not being broken. You are stretching your arms out to many, many people with a hug most would not feel otherwise. Be satisfied! You're doing well you good and faithful woman! ?????????????

I know the feeling, Mandii! Over on the "mastering pfal" thread, I posted that I am not looking for "the One True God, His revealed Word and His Son Jesus Christ". It took a couple of hours of looking over my shoulder wondering if I was gonna get struck by lightening! But here I am, so I guess I didn't. LMAO!!!! It is very freeing...once I got over that! LOL! I love you posting your questions. Real people think about these things, ya know? And not many are willing to say, "I don't know the answers to these questions. I don't think I need to have all the answers." I love watching you come into your own! {{{{{{{{Mandii}}}}}}} PS Did you see my post on the open forum about how I'm changing domains? ?????????????

Welcome {{{{{teknon20}}}}}! (that's a cyber hug, if you don't mind. :)--> ) I hope that you will find a comfortable table around the cafe and enjoy participating in some conversations. It takes awhile, sometimes, but I know that as you get used to each poster's personality and get used to knowing where you're comfortable, you'll want to jump in somewhere. As you did here with your own topic! Impressive! :)--> ?????????????

TY mstar. As for erasing it, some people want to, some don't. I just wanted to be courteous to you and let you know that if you did, I had copied the info. :)--> I hope that I live up to the scrutiny of this place! ?????????????

Here is something that I have come across recently... Taken from Volum IV The Ayn Rand Lexicon, Objectivism from A to Z, page 324. ?????????????

This is great! TYVM! I copied the info if you want to remove it now. I will email you my address and other information. It's an on-going project and I am not sure when it will be used. Hopefully the first in the series will be out by March 1. When it does come out, I will let you know. :)--> ?????????????

OK...thanks. :)--> ?????????????