tonto

Thanks, T-B. Right on with your bad self.

*Sniff-sniff-sniff*...hey, did somebody clean in here? Sure smells good! Keeds, the next round's on me. And Oldies, I'm still waiting to hear some Dylan. (edited to request some Bob).

Thank you Larry. Nope, no ear-gnawing from me about banning to Paw or the mods. The only ear gnawing I do is on my hubs. :)

Dot, Thank you so much for your words and kindness. It means so much to me and I'm sure many others. Oldies, This thread isn't about you. You're "Oldies". My thread was addressed to some "Newbies". I realize you can post wherever you want, but I just wanted to make sure you understand that this isn't about you. My statement wasn't about who gets the glory. It was my attempt to reach out to those who are struggling to make sense of how good and bad came from the same group/person/church/whatever.You cherish your days in twi. Good for you. Really. It's obvious you believe your purpose here at the cafe is to give VPW/PFAL what you believe is his/its' due. I get that. Now I have a favor to ask. Would you please be nice and find some Bob Dylan on the jukebox and play a few for me? Since you changed your avatar, I'm jonesin' for Bob. :)

Thank you Dot and Dooj and Dan (and all you other spots that don't start with the letter "D") and especially my T-Bone for your support and thoughts and insight. Geez...it hit me today that this nit-picking of what I said and how I meant it and such from "him" is just another way to intimidate and silence a twi critic. You want to know what I really meant? I'll say it again: We were in a cult. VPW was a cult leader. Even if some of us got born again while in the cult, even if some of us started studying the bible while in the cult, even if God delivered us from drugs or alcohol or despair or suicide while in the cult, even if we met some of the most wonderful tender-hearted people the world has seen while we were in the cult, it was still a cult. Is God's deliverance in our lives any less real if we happened to receive it while in a cult? Absolutely not. If that's a slap in the face then so be it.

My three cents, a page back you said: After we left twi we moved back to this area and I remember hanging out with you guys and another couple once or twice. (You all had already left the cult). I'm wondering...was your boss' initials "G.H."?

Wrds, what sparked this thread was my frustration with the obnoxious behavior of a few (certainly not most) relatively new posters. When I was in twi I was expected to put up with and even coddle nasty people, whether they came to our twigs or if they were above us in the way tree. Like I said, I do my best to avoid jerks but when I see one barging into the cafe, breaking bottles over the counter and jabbing at people with the jagged edges I tend to get "frustrated". Being a woman in twi (and a woman brought up with all the Southern expectations of how a lady is supposed to behave) was stifling. Looking back on my thirteen years in the cult, there were so many times I had that gut-level feeling that something or someone wasn't right...in fact was terribly wrong...but hey, who was I to be thinking/saying anything? We were taught early on to squelch our thoughts and words...(don't want to think or speak negatives, now do we)? I had no voice, but I sure do now. Abi brought up that some are finding their voices, even if they are harsh. ( Sorry Abi if I'm butchering your meaning). I used the term twit-head because I believe if someone leaves twi but never examines the arrogant attitudes that abounded, then the bad parts of twi never left them. It's still there. It's in everything they do.

Whew, first of all...thank you dooj and everyone for your posts. Yes dooj, you're right...it was a rant. When I left twi I left some great people, but I also left behind some jerks. I do my best to avoid jerks in real life. That goes for here at the cafe as well. Sure, I can use the ignore button and I may, but I also have the right to express my annoyance with some people who seem to enjoy making the cafe nasty for everyone. White Dove, I didn't mean to insult you. I often don't agree with your posts but you seem like a really decent person. There's a bunch of people here at the cafe who I don't agree with but I would welcome you and them into my home. However, there are a few nasty, nasty jerks who spoil the cafe experience for me. Bullwinkle, I hope you don't leave. You seem like a sweet guy.

edited by tonto ..you ansered my question Larry, but I find it hard to believe.

Do tell, Larry...if you're not in twi, which offshoot are you in?

So Larry, you're a current follower of the way? And no Larry, I'm not talking about all newbies. Just the brazen idoloters. And Larry, I poofed you. Why don't you go slither back to Roselie and ask her what you should do now? (((rosestoyou))) Welcome, dear. Can I offer you an Irish whiskey?

Thanks for your replies Sudo, another Dan, Ductape, Groucho and Sunesis. And likeaneagle, indeed it did get much worse after I left. Sunesis pretty much summed up what I wanted to say here: that's crap. That's condescending crap...that's the waybrained stuff I'm talking about. If someone speaks negatively about pfal or vp or geer or whichever idol it is you people follow, you deem that person "hurt and in need of healing". Like I said, life is too short to spend it with people who choose to be ignorant. *POOF* Larry *POOF*

There seems to be a big influx of newbies here at the cafe who still hold pfal and vp near and dear. I can't help but think it has something to do with the splintering of the nose-spider group. For that matter, whatever offshoot you might have spent the last 20 or so years with isn't that far removed from twi. I left the cult over 20 years ago and even without having been in an offshoot, it has been a long and sometimes painful process coming to grips with the dark underbelly of twi. T-Bone enjoys talking and debating with you twit-heads but I don't. I'll pop in on occasion to have an Irish whiskey with some of the wonderful greasespotters here, but to all you newbies who hold vp/pfal dear...welcome to the cafe. Have a hot beverage and a pastry and God bless you and all that, but I already spent too much of my life with people who were sold out to a ministry rather than the Lord Jesus Christ. Life is just too short to spend it with people who choose to be ignorant.

I'm so happy for you and your son and your rascal, exie!

Thanks, Mr. Moose!

I posted a couple of pictures in my gallery...one of me getting my wow pin and one of me and some friends at our wow training.

Roses, when I went wow to D.C. in 75-76 I was the only one in our family with a car, and I rarely drove it. I took the bus to work in Georgetown and either my wow sister or my other wow brother (not T-Bone) ended up driving my little V.W everywhere. One of them (can't remember who) got parking tickets, which the whole family had to pay. I think I was the only one who had had a phone before, so the phone was in my name so I got stuck paying the long distance bills of our co-ordinator at the end of our year. Regardless of how much money we made, it wasn't ours to keep. It all went into the family account, which the coordinator controlled. We were a bunch of inexperienced and trusting kids, but in my opinion the whole arrangement was encouraged by twi to prepare us for giving up more and more control of our money and our lives. (Edited because I got distracted when our daughter came in the room to ask about lunch...I wasn't through complaining yet! :lol: )

Sunesis, I'm sorry your words weren't appreciated by him but I'm glad you opened your heart. Just know that they mean something to me and who knows how many others. Thank you for your insight.

Jim, HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!! Thanks for the goodnight laugh!