Oakspear

The non-Christians here don't insist that everyone believe their way. We recognize that we are a minority and are likely to stay that way. Most Christians here don't insist on it either.However, there are occassionally Christians who take it upon themselves to "reprove" those who don't believe that they do as if this were a Christian board. Which is why the occasional "this isn't a Christian board" refrain.

YOU'RE b*tching about name calling? How's that for the pot calling the kettle black?Actually a "pinky" isn't anything specific. Where I grew up we would attach a nonsense name to someone that we disagreed with, especially if we thought that person was acting foolishly. "Buckwheat" and "Spanky" are favorites of mine, as is "Zippy". While I respect your opinion and belief about speaking in tongues, and Christianity in general, I have nothing but disdain for the way you get your point across, and for your ignorant attacks on my friend, rascal. The link is posted above by another GSer.

I'm not suggesting this, mind you, my opinions notwithstanding, a funeral/memorial service should be a time for showing love and respect for the deceased and their family...but how would they go about stopping ten thousand people if they decided to march together to the grave site? Or even one thousand?

Another miracle wrought by da one true god!

Yeah, I know what you meant, I was giving pinky the benefit of the doubt. My mistake = - (

Al's quote: What Bramble actually said: The quote is close, but many words are changed. Al's quote puts in a comma, making it appear like "anti-witness" is describing "where I am". Bramble's statement, in my opinion, could have been a smidgeon more clear, but the context indicates pretty clearly that she is not referring to herself, but Al. Read what's written, as a certain cult founder used to say. You are misunderstanding what is being said, then changing the words to better fit your misunderstanding.

Hey, pinky, Rascal's a Christian, I'm the pagan. And it's Wiccan, when you're referring to an individual, Wicca is the religion itself. Your suggestion assumes that people can't discern someone's point of view from their posts, and that we need a virtual nametag to identify us.

It's 'a Wiccan, pinky. Wicca is the religion, a Wiccan is an adherant of Wicca

Yeah, I wish her peace, too. But gotta disagree about it not being our business. The decision was not a private one, but public. It affected many people. Doubt I would ask family about it during this tough time, doubt I would get an answer anyway. Sorry she's dying, but the orgy of hero-worship is leaving a bad taste.

Aren't they still teaching from Martindale's Rise & Expansion book, which talks about both numerical and geogreaphic expansion,a s well as expansion of shere of influence? How can they use this book if "the present truth" is that small = good

" I am the way, the truth and the light, no man cometh to the Father but by me " - some guy who the theologians thinks is John claiming to quote Jesus

You probably learned to eat anything, too, after my cooking ; - )

I doubt that there are that many people who know her as well as, say your next-door neighbor, or the other parents in PTA. (I didn't say none)Somehow, Mrs. W, as wonderful as she very well might have been, has become a symbol to a lot of us ex-wayfers, a symbol of what we wish TWI had turned out to be: the haven of love, the family among families. She's also a symbol of "the victim", many characterize her as the first recipient of Wierwille's abuse. She's become that symbol, and not a real person. Maybe she was afraid to speak up against her husband during his reign as MOG, maybe women just didn't speak against their husbands in those days. But she had the opportunity to walk out the door with four of her children. She had the opportunity to not stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Martindale, and criticize those who claimed that they loved her while leaving TWI as not manifesting true agape. I wouldn't wish Alzheimer's on anyone, and I think it's sad what has happened to her, and a rotten shame how TWI has cut her loose when she was of no further use to them. My heart goes out to her family as well. But she accepted the benefits of being "The First Lady of The Way" and all the perks that it entailed for a long time.

I've learned useful organizational skills that I have put into practice in my job and around the house. For all the jokes we tell here about stringing chairs, the attention to detail that TWI insisted upon has helped me in organizing many events for work, Boy Scouts, etc. I was never much for managing my money until TWI started "encouraging" us to keep track of every penny. I'm much more together with my finances these days. Of course, I had to put up with a lot crap to learn these things, and I could have learned them in other places, but I did, in fact learn them.

Hooray for you guys who are "out" and not afraid of the WayGB reading what you write. So what? The danger of the WayGB was never to those of us who are out of TWI, it was to those who were still in, and wanting to keep the fact of their posting here secret. To those who were trying to convince a spouse to leave with them, who wanted to leave on their own terms rather than when they were thrown out because of "devilsih internet activity"

I'm sure that was your experience Oldies, but I recall hearing leaders (not sure if Wierwille was one of them) that most people were born again before coming to The Way, that The Way and Wierwille were responsible for bronging people to "an accurate knowledge of the truth"

...and another thing... I know longer believe that SIT is necessarily or exclusively what TWI said it was. Others, besides Christians, speak in tongues.

I had heard about speaking in tongues from a Charismatic group in my home church. They taught that it was a gift, I found out later. The first time I actually heard anyone speak in tongues was at my first twig. I thought it was pretty cool and went home that night and did it without any "instruction" from anyone. I no longer beleieve in the concept of being "born again", but when I was 14 I made a conscious decision to recognize Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised hiom from the dead, although I think I sorta believed that since I was a leetle tyke.

either that or I dissitate

Well, I'll disagree with your disagreement. Agreed?

David: I can't hold it in any more. I love you. I've always loved you. Maybe it's that glint in your...er...glinty...eyes that does it for me. Maybe it's the sexy way you type "oxygenated". I want to have your babies. I finally had a bottle of Penta water. That explains it

I believe he had a plagiarizing ministry

I agree!

No biting and needling from you, though

If I seek truth from other sources other than God and His righteousness,I will only get ignorance. All true knowledge comes from God. I disagree The Master key to understanding God's Word is Jesus Christ. I disagree No man or woman is really very strong in themselves. Men and Women have to get their strength from God and His Word. I disagree Don't become fossilized in systems. I agree, but this isn't really what TWI taught - or rather, their mouths said it, but their actions and what they expected of us disn't Do what God tells you to do and not what people think you should do. I disagree, don't do either Our first responsibility as believers is not in serving God,but in knowing Him as our heavenly father I would say that the latter is better than the former, but don't quite buy i and I disagree, not with the assertion that TWI taught these things, but that they are true