Raf

Thanks, Steve. We are respectfully at irreconcilable positions here. I don't think I've been hasty in the extrapolation at all. I can't force anyone to agree with me, but I can invite people to confess and free themselves from years and maybe even decades of reinforced b.s. It's okay to come out, as it were. It must have been something: what was it? I reject the premise. It most certainly "must" not have been anything. It was as easy to fake it during the Great Awakening as it was at the end of every session 12.

I love that American Idol clip! "I spoke in tongues before TWI" = "I made up my own language when I was in 6th grade!" I made up a language as a child too. Just babbled. I did it in front of my classmates. I insisted it was the language of the Krah-zee people of old. (Say it out loud a few times). When I spoke in tongues, it was THE SAME THING. I didn't speak in tongues as a child. I faked it as an adult. It's embarrassing. But not anymore. I refuse to continue perpetuating the lie that, in my opinion, bound us all not with love, not with the spirit, but with the reinforced self-deception that led us to think we had "PROOF!" at last! I refuse to lie any more about this.

"If it's not tongues, WTF is it?" Babbling. Ever wonder why we all sounded like Wierwille at first? Because that's what we thought it was supposed to sound like. As we realized the silliness of everyone speaking in the same unknown language, we varied our pitch (WE varied our pitch). Remember the excellor sessions when we were taught to sound from different letters of the alphabet to develop more fluency? WHERE TF is that in the Bible? INVENTED. Every syllable was your own. YOU moved your lips, your tongue, your throat... "as the spirit gave utterance" felt no different from "make that s--- up as you go along," so when you made it up as you went along, the "good" Doctor had to tell you "no, you're not faking it, that's right, you're doing it now, don't let the devil talk you out of it..." God had nothing to do with it. It was sophisticated babbling that never, ever corresponded to the tongues of men or angels. Tongues of angels? TONGUES OF ANGELS? Just think about that one for a while. How many languages do they speak up there? Tongues of angels. Please. WTF is it? It's you. Only recently have I found the personal courage and integrity to admit this to myself. I invite all to do the same.

Spaceballs: The Movie

I tried to cover as many bases as I could with the poll options. Looks like I missed one.

I don't believe anyone intended to fake it. But funny how the interpretation changes when the doctrine about interpretation changes. Simplest explanation: it's extemporaneous expression, not divine inspiration. First thing I had to do was admit I lied to myself, for years. If you don't know whether you faked it, congratulations! You did! Of course, Wierwille tried to tell us right there in PFAL that the devil will try to get you to think you're just faking it, so you just ignore him and belieeeeve. (psst. Wierwille lied. Your heart and integrity were trying to tell you that you were faking it. Wierwille got us to ignore that, and when we did, we sold him a little piece of our soul).

I lied about it all. I admit it. I have never spoken in a language unknown to me. The "interpretations" that came from me were made up on the spot. The "words of prophecy" that came from me were, likewise, fabricated extemporaneously. It was all a lie. Interesting point: In CES (I refuse to dignify their later irrelevant metamorpheses), they taught that an interpretation should take the form of prayer and praise, not exhortation and comfort, and voila! Just like that, their interpretations changed to conform to their new doctrine. What this tells me? I'm not the only one who made it up, who lied to gain the favor of the group. I can't be the only one. I believe that TWI encouraged this lie (and continues to do so to this day). A supernatural experience is posited to you, you lie to feign participation in that experience, and you gain acceptance. What united us was NOT the supernatural experience, but the participation in the lie. I call it reinforced-self-deception. And I renounce it. Does anyone else?

Wierwille's calculation was an out of control fantasy ascribing astrological meaning to verses in Revelation that have nothing to do with the Zodiac. That he was not the first to make that calculation does not absolve him of the blame he holds for perpetuating it. With respect to those who worked with sincere hearts on JCOPS, a vile man once said sincerity is no guarantee for truth. When you start with ridiculous assumptions ("Revelation is giving us the clues we need to calculate Jesus' birthday..." WTF?) you end up with ridiculous results.

Happy Days, which debuted in the 1970s, captured 1950s nostalgia. The Wonder Years, which debuted in the 1980s, captured 1960s nostalgia. The next show that fits this pattern...

Sam Elliot Hulk Jennifer (yawn, she's hot, but yawn) Connelly

Wierwille's calculation was an out of control fantasy ascribing astrological meaning to verses in Revelation that have nothing to do with the Zodiac. That he was not the first to make that calculation does not absolve him of the blame he holds for perpetuating it. With respect to those who worked with sincere hearts on JCOPS, a vile man once said sincerity is no guarantee for truth. When you start with ridiculous assumptions ("Revelation is giving us the clues we need to calculate Jesus' birthday..." WTF?) you end up with ridiculous results. [Originally posted here, reposted this reply in doctrinal]

Dealing with a death in my family. If you want to wait, cool. If someone wants to jump in, cool. That's not a clue, by the way...

Dealing with a death in my family. If you want to wait, cool. If someone wants to jump in, cool. That's not a clue, by the way...

Burn Notice ?

Batman Begins

"Go ahead. Say it." "You don't deserve her." "I don't. I know that. But I need her, and I don't need anything." *** "You're talking about my life." "A pay for your life. My life makes your life possible." "I resent that!" "So do I!"

Have you ever heard me referred to as the world's only living heart donor?

Frank Oz The Blues Brothers John Belushi

Steve Martin Pennies From Heaven Bernadette Peters

Ok, waited patiently long enough. The A-Team

"I'm drowning here, and you're describing the water!"

It was Galactica 1980

It's a Connery bond movie. Goldfinger?

Roy Scheider 52 Pickup Ann-Margret

Undocumented aliens FINALLY reach their destination at the beginning of a new decade (or is it the end of an old one?) and experience adventures in America while getting around on flying motorcycles. Clue: Lasted just 10 episodes, but spun off from another VERY recognizable series.