OldSkool

Same here. Im not over it yet either, but I am beginning to think that I am on the downside of the hill. Time will tell. It took me several years to re-adapt to society after leaving HQ. I still struggle at times.

Thats awesome to hear, my friend! Liberating, isn't it? For me it came down to learning to accept loss. The five stage of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I could never make it to acceptance and was stuck on a spin cycle of the first four -- in no specific order. I was unable to accept losses incurred from a son born with major health problems. Unable to accept that my life still matters after the way international, more so now since I am free from them. I could go on but I think you get the jist. I also drank heavily to numb it all out. I was the happiest guy on the outside but dying on the inside. I havent touched a drop in several years now. But alcohol and depression is akin to putting out a fire with gasoline. Once I learned to accept reality for what it is....I learned to approach God with a completely different mindset. Now I have an attitude of humility and respect. TWI teaches an attitude of entitlement, where Jesus Christ accomplished everything and is chilling at God's right hand and all we have to do is demand it and claim it. I am able to accept loss and pick up the pieces and move on. It's part of life. TWI taught me not to accept loss but to confess my desired reality until it happens. Wrong way for sure.

Thanks! I am better and happier than I have ever been. Been a long road but worth it.

Ewww. Fffn sickos.

Well. Because of the law of believing false doctrine, I was unable to deal with my emotions because that would have been a negative confession. That eventually led me to a complete mental and emotional breakdown along with 16 weeks of counseling to help get things figured out. So theres that.

Another chapter of as the stomach churns. Didn't Jesus Christ say "By their fruits you shall know them."? The fruit produced by TWI leadership appearantly many times leads to a court room. You think anyone will ever figure out it's a cult and a sick church too? If twi starts kick out homosexuals the Rosie, Donna, M3li$$a Ge0rg3, and M@rci@ Lomb@rdi would all be the first to go. I walked in on Melissa and Marcia making out on the couch in the EOB lobby while they were doing their laundry. Lip locked. They parted like the red sea when I came in to goto my office. I played it off like I didn't see it but I dang sure did.

Here ya go. Great post T-Bone. And I think this section about sums it up. TWI and most TWI offshoots are rabid anti-trinity types. Even at the expense of ignoring more glaring issues that affect their churches. With wierwille, most things he harped on can be understood in light of big fat claims in sales parlance. He needed gimmicks and selling points to distinguish himself as some great one. In that department he was successful. Dishonest as hell, but successful.

Ahhh! Bingo!!!

That's the order they want the average follower to have in mind. The order for the way corps is God - Board of Directors (as the head of the body) - way corps. Jesus Christ is a name sake who is sitting at the right hand of God chillaxin. There is to be no interatcion, praise, worship, honor, or relationship with Jesus Christ according to the way international.

Biblically, the remnant are those who God has kept secure for himself because of their commitment to him and who would not bow the knee to Baal. Its from 1 Kings 19 and is quoted in Romans 11. It has a very specific context in scripture. The way international considers themselves the remnant. They take an old Testament concept completely out of context and then use it to justify their horribly low numbers. The relative few remaining in TWI are considered the remnant. To craig it was a positive connotation. Really it is just a way for them to justify their awful leadership practices that has resulted in one mass exodus after another to the point that hardly anyone is left.

Wow....just wow......and I don't mean the program. He actually said that his behavior that people do not see does not matter unless you believe it will. That NOT biblical in any way, shape of form. It is so very revealing. Do whatever you want as long as you believe it is ok then it is. No conscience, just pure BS rationilization. Occultist believe "do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" (to quoate Aleister Crowley)...in other words...do whatever you want. It won't matter unless you believe it will. And people call this guy a man of God? Im not tooting my own horn with what I am about to say because I stumble daily as a Christian. I was at work on Friday and we have a garage loaded with electrical construction materials. I need 4 lights for my bathroom light fixture at home. I seriously almost swiped a box and put them into my car to use at home. Nobody would have ever known. I didn't because God sees all and stealing is wrong. I will not steal, not even a penny. If I do it accidentally then I would want to restore ten fold what was taken. My point - Why the heck didn't VPW use this as an example to teach Christian character? I would have mad respect for him if he said something to the effect of "Well people may not see what you do, but God does always so you want to always do the best you can to live the Bible"....but no....he reveals his true inner nature of being a man-pleaser and shows no concern for what Almighty God sees him do. And I bet God saw some real ugliness.

I feel this is spot on. With wierwille's doctrinal error such as "keeping our affair in the lockbox" and "everything is ok as long as it's done in believing"...(I'm paraphrasing but hopefully my examples communicate) --- Wierwille was above sin. The depravity he allowed in his own life was backed up with twisted scriptures. Then based on his twisted scriptures he expected others to excuse his depravity. I feel this still goes on today with followers who overlook his obvious sinful life because he taught us the word....barf.

Thanks!! I really appreciate the kindness.

Ok...I’ll throw my two cents into the fray based on peronal experiences of someone not born into TWI. I readily acknowledge there is a huge difference in perspective from someone born into TWI vs. someone who chose the cult lifestyle. I coordinated a young adult fellowship at HQ for around 5 years or so...I have worked extensively with those who fall on both sides of the fence. The problems Bolshevik is dealing with can be common with folks who were raised in TWI, yet unique to his own situation. It's a perspective that I don't have first hand and I've developed a great deal of empathy for those who were born into TWI and are putting the pieces together. It's a hard row to hoe as they say. I will speak from my personal experiences though. The way international did offer a sense of belonging to me. I made it my new family and basically severly limited familial relationships as I progressed. Many people I know who are still in TWI stay because of social pressures if they leave. Being shunned, or marked and avoided, (as TWI call is it) is potentially a very powerful weapon to get people to tow the line. Not only does TWI offer a household as they call it they also allow you to volunteer to let TWI define your role in their household. The caste sytem they have. What level grad are you are? Whatever classes and programs you participate in will open up new roles to play in the household. Here’s an example or two. I knew many way corps who would not move past being leadership in the cult. They belong to the household and they relish their positions of responsibility. They crave the attention. Not belonging to the way corps is a death sentence for some. Why? Because being dropped from active corps (DFAC) is their worst nightmare. Not belonging to the way corps leadership body is a scary concept when you have sold out your entire life to become corps. I know because I had to wrestle with these same realities when I left in 2008. Also, I was in New Orleans a few months ago and looked up an old TWI friend that I havent seen in 23 years. Him and his wife live up in Baton Rouge and came down to New Orleans to hang with us for an afternoon. We talked very little of TWI but he kept reiterating to me that he would leave TWI...but where would he go? It’s the community of people that is the appeal for him and his wife. It keeps them where they are and basically apathetic to change, even though I could sense deep down they want more. As for people who have been born into TWI. Man there’s so much pressure on these kids by their parents it should be a crime. Most parents place their kids on a pedestal. The typical logic goes kinda like this: “Oh...little Johnny...you are being raised in the Word...therefore your believing should be so much greater than those outside the household.” Many parents push their kids into way disciple (or whatever its called now) or to work on Staff, or into the way corps. Some kids accept their arranged life and run with it and are promoted heavily by TWI for it. However, many grow up with deep seated issues as they try and adjust to life as an adult. It’s tough spot to be in. I’ve known Bolshevik for around 22 years or so and know a lot of what he has had to deal with over the years. I can say for all the hell I’ve been through on account of certain leadership in TWI, what he has been subjected to is awful and I have to say he has handled it better than I could have. They are afraid of losing their social status. It was a huge glass of ice water to the face when I had to adjust to life outside TWI's household. Life has never been better --- that social trap is tough to climb out of but it can be done.

With TWI they remove personal boundaries incrementally. I think the classes accomplish this in spades. Think about it: Upon graduation from the foundational class there is a whole new set of expectations pushed onto the graduate. Same with intermediate and advanced classes. Then there's the programs...whatever outreach program is the flavor of the day, and the way corps. If your dumb enough to go into the way corps (hey, I was!) then you have allowed the way international to manage dang near every aspect of your life. But even the amount of control that is exerted over advanced class grads way more than the FNC grads. It's done in baby steps but the end result is the same: the way international exerrts control over it's followers lives. To what degree depends on what you volunteer to allow them to do.

Yeah, it's a huge difference. People from the east tend to communicate with great emotional emphasis, pictorially as well as symbols. An example from scripture is if your eye offends you then pluck it out! Obviously, Jesus was not counselling us to pop eyeballs loose from sockets. But the emphasis is clear.

Thanks for the kind words. I used to be a good example of an arrogant, way corps, fundementalist back about 25 years ago when I was young. Ive come to realize that humility is the best attitude to have in life. Life is so much more rich with a humble attitude that welcomes learning all across the board. Thats been my experience anyway. Cheers!

The law of believing is trash. It's a lie. Not true. Damnable heresy...John Lynn called it Christian witchcraft...his ears to my lips back in 2009. I would love to debate this one with you but not here...Im more than happy to head over to doctrinal.

This is a REALLY good point!

Yes, actually I have spent quite a bit of time working through Old T. history and cultures. Oriental people think different than folks from the west. Where westerners tend to be very precise in their words and descriptions Oriental folks tend to think and communicate pictorially. An example is when Jesus stooped to draw on the ground with the woman taken in adultery. Very cool study though and I am the first to admit that I really do not understand the depth (or true meaning) of what is communicated throughout scripture due to historical and cultural differences.

Its in the book of Hezekiah...lmao...and yeah...the SSV is the preferred version...lol

Im not really sure that anything with TWI allows autonomy any longer. The fellowships were all supposed to be self-governing, but we know they are ruled by the nearest way corps guy with directions coming from HQ. It's pretty much all micro managed. Good point on the prodigal son. Excellor sessions offer a script of sorts. Participate and even if you don't wind up speaking in tongues for real then it can easily be faked and then the excellor session leader can tell them they will develop fluency as they SIT much and often. Question: If God gives a language that is supernatural in nature and bypasses our five senses (There are many more senses than five ...just speaking way lingo) how then does one develop FLUENCY>>>>?

Yes!! I would love to check it out. Thanks in advance!

I really don't wanna get into the SIT as taught by TWI is false/true becuse (to me at least) it's too subjective to come to a definitive conclusion simply because there are too many instances to evaluate. In the case of the way international though I have to say their practices with SIT is about as out to lunch as you get. For example: Speaking in tongues is a language given by God that the speaker personally cannot speak, though the language may be understood by people present in the room or maybe not. SIT is perfect prayer where the intercession is given by God because we really don't know everything we should pray for. Yet the way international directs their followers to SIT for specific circumstances or people by imagining what you want to happen while speaking in tongues. If that's not the mother of all contradictions I don't know what is. Excellor session are useless. I've participated in and lead many excellor sessions. The only thing they really accomplish is to put public pressure on new individuals to produce results on demand. Nothing biblical about them at all.

Thank you for posting this. Very nicely said.