Trefor Heywood

No Barth wasn't mentioned by name in the class but I and others automatically assumed that he was the one whom VPW was referring to.

If I remember rightly he claimed that Karl Barth was a "friend and consultant" in the literature. That's quite a claim but can it be proved or disproved?

Radar: I have no idea if they do or not but one slight correction - it is "The Way in Great Britain" limited - they were forced to change "of" to "in" at the time they registered as a company.

Thanks Dot - a wierd looking contraption and I wonder what it's suppose to achieve since the heat end is at the top! :D-->

What is an ear candle? I had visions of candles made out of earwax! -->

"Precious (costly) in the eyes of TWI is the M&A of its Saints...."

I only wrote to VPW once with some information he had requested about I.K. Brunel. The reply was handwritten on an aerogram so I assume it was him personally. I probably still have it somewhere but do not have the time to mount a major signature hunt at this time! :D-->

I would certainly like to see how the "Springtime for Hitler" opening comes out :D-->

I just watched the movie again - as funny as ever! How CAN you improve on Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder?

Reminds me of the preacher who approached a hooker and asked her if she believed in original sin. She replied by saying that depended on how original he wanted to be.... :D-->

I find peanut butter too dry on its own. Peanut butter and jam or marmalade sandwiches are lovely!

Now I like to be awesome 24/7. But at the end of the day it doesn't always happen! :D-->

Always nice when somebody understands one of my jokes! :D-->

Gosh - I can't wait to see the Nativeamericanapolis 500 race on TV! :D-->

Drinking of one's own urine has frequently been advocated as a nostrum for all ills. It is even mentioned in Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. I am reminded of that wonderful song by T Rex which was used in the film "Billy Elliot": "I love to boogie" :D-->

"Study to show thyself approved unto TWI, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of the BOD.." (2 Timothy according to usage) -->

Essentially a "diamond geezer" is basically a cockney expression meaning that someone is a good and wonderful bloke. The campaign for plain english are between a rock and a hard place if they wish to attack dialect expressions in this way. To be honest, it's not rocket science and they are pushing the envelope a bit if they wish to get everyone to sing from the same hymn sheet. It boggles the mind that they should be seen to be pushing the envelope in this direction. The idea of plain english is to stop official gobbledygook and politically correct replacement phrases, not to attack common and popular everyday expressions. But at the end of the day, going about it in this manner can only fail to address the issue.

Fortunately I have only been insulin dependant for 4 years, long after I left TWI. But I knew of one guy who decided to drop his insulin whilst with TWI. I didn't know enough about it then to know what effects this could have on him and I don't know what finally happened as he moved back to Ireland. The culture was definitely that healing was "available" and it was all your fault if you didn't receive it. However the denying of necessary medications was not then officially discouraged, at least in the UK. TWI's attitude sounds like it almost became like that if Christian Science. But I never heard before of anyone not offering to minister healing. But I was out by the mid eighties. Before everyone was expected to be some kind of super being.

Most of these seem plain enough english to me. What do they want to replace them with - Orwellian Newspeak?

A styrofoam cup? More like plastic theology! :D-->

The "present truth" is reminiscent of George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty Four": ie "Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia and at peace with South East Asia." Even when a couple of weeks ago it was the other way round...

I think that monotheism is a belief that only one god exists now or has ever existed. The Old Testament reference is more a reference to false gods that the other nations were worshipping that did not if fact exist. Also Mormon theology connects Jehovah with Jesus, rather than Elohim the Father. Henotheism is a new word to me but perhaps it fits the bill better than polytheism.

Erm not quite correct templelady... Mormonism believes that there are many world and many gods but that we are only in relationship with one of them. It also believes that we may progress to become gods ourselves of our own planets. This has been played down recently by Gordon B. Hinckley in a TV interview with Larry King, but is nonetheless still official LDS doctrine. See the Book of Abraham Chapter 4 in the Pearl of Great Price for example. Somehow I just knew you were LDS! ;)-->

I'm sick too dot. As I said in my story I only got told off the once for not folding underwear properly. What was "nice" became what was mandatory. TWI became more religious than any religion which they criticised. I find the aspects of threat and control that have been outlined appalling and the use of fear, which we were all supposed to be delivered from, overwhelming. TWI put more "sand in the machinery of life" than I would ever have thought possible.

I tried returning to Anglicanism, I tried Roman Cahtolicism, I even had a try at Mormonism but none took. I think I have become too illusioned with institutional christianity and given that I would want something gay accepting and affirming also and where I am located this somewhat limits my choices. I would give the Metropolitan Community Church a go but the nearest is 100 miles away. So like Cool Waters I worship individually and that way I have to conform to no man.