TheHighWay

I had a Scofield Bible when I first got into twi. I LOVED it... it had his preferred translations inserted in the text between hash marks /like this/, and comments in the margin. It made the King James wonderfully readable. As I started studying with twi, I found they often came to the same conclusions about the text. BUT, I had SEVERAL twi people tell me to stop using that Bible, because all the retemories, etc. were strictly KJV text, regardless of what twi taught regarding the "translation according to usage." And, occasionally, Scofied differed from Doc Vic. Can't have THAT!! I was really disappointed to have to stop using that Bible, but I did it. Just one more thing I "set aside" in my thinking. I've looked for one since, but the newer versions have a whole bunch of extra stuff inserted, and go by the name Scofield Study Bible. Frankly, in my 19 years in, corps training and all, I never heard a single twi person reference Scofield's work.

Brilliant!! (welcome, Zoltan)

Happy, Happy, Radar!!!! And many more...

I don't remember specific teachings about how we were supposed to treat people, but the basic attitude was overwhelmingly one of: Whatever level a person is at, they need to get more committed... If they are a newbie, get them into the class If they are a class grad, get thim into the advanced class If they are an advanced class grad, get them to the WIBP If they've been to the WIBP, they should be coordinating a fellowship If they are capable of coordinating a fellowship, they should be going WOW If you go WOW, you have real Way Corps potential If you've graduated from the Corps training, you ought to be capable of running a branch Now, looking back, it's such a SUPERIOR attitude. It uses people. It thinks nothing of what is best for the individual and their family. It considers NOT the concept of the one body, with each having their own best gifts... It just smacks of the selfishness of the organization as a whole.

DUH... just a brain-F@*t on my part... I meant different CITY. Yes, last I checked, he was in Toledo, and I haven't heard anything different.

Satori001 asked: So how did this serve The Way International? How did TWI get followers to stop thinking and serve their feelings, and how did it come to dictate those feelings? Step 1: start by finding people who want hope; who want to do good; who want answers. Step 2: tell these people you know how to find the answers which will tell them how to do the greatest good and provide the most hope. Step 3: appear to be personable, good-hearted, and above all: questing yourself. Step 4: provide a structure that "feels" safe and secure, and "seems" to bring greater results to the people than they could obtain on their own. Step 5: bring on the cognitive dissonance (in small bites) and hope that most people won't leave. I mean, think about it... why did so many of us stay back in the 70s and 80s and why has twi had so much trouble getting new people to stay in the 90s and 2000s? Us "oldies" had a chance to get comfy in twi. We "felt" loved and secure. We "seemed" to have found just what we were looking for.... we had TIME to build our trust and beliefs before they started delivering the ultimatums. Folks who get involved now... geez, they are getting confronted by the first fellowship. I mean STRONG confrontations. Most of them are gone right quick. (lucky them!!)

Sometimes I get "blue" because of what I do not yet have (thanks to 20 years given away to ungrateful slobs) BUT... there are moments like you described, Belle. Where I look around at my house, my kid, my current "environment" and think.... I really, truly do LIKE my life. And I LIKE myself. And those moments are happening more and more frequently. It's a wonderful place to be after all those years of unhappiness.

Do we know for sure that Donna officially "broke up" with lcm? As far as I understand, they are still married. You know, just because he lives in another state, and comes by only once-in-awhile to visit his kids, well... that... really means... nothing.

Congrats!!!!!! I'm so happy for you two!!! THW

I knew Ginger when she was a kid, but lost track when I left the Seattle area in 1987. --- Hey, can anyone tell me the name of the naturopathic physician that VPW endorsed in Redmond, WA? It is driving me crazy that I can't think of his name. And is he still in practice?

RG --- Thanks VERY much for sharing these with us! Mixed emotions, certainly, in watching them. But mostly a fondness for the good bits. THW

Paw... thanks so much for sharing your story!!!! Some of these things I knew, from being on WayDale the last year it was up, but much I did not. Keep it coming!!

Definately "Dead Parrot"... just the best. Oh, and "I told you, we live in a narco-syndicist commune. We take it in turns, to act as a sort-of executive officer of the week. But all the decisions of that officer must be ratified at a by-weekly meeting. By a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs, or by a two-thirds majority in the case of..." "help! help! I'm being repressed!!" "You see that, that's what I'm on about!" "You saw him repressing me, didn't you?" And, "Bring out your dead..." And, "We have found a witch, may we burn her?" "I'm not a witch, THEY dressed me up like this." "Did you dress her up like this?" "NO! NO!... yes, yes... a bit, a bit." "Well, we did do the nose, and the hat, but she's a witch!" "How do you know she's a witch?" "Well, she turned me into a newt!!" .... "I got better." And, The argument clinic Too many to name... What's your favorite color? Red, no Blue! AAAAAARRRRRRRRRrrrrrr.... [ okay, all that was off the top of my head so, sorry if I've mis-quoted] George, I'm pretty sure all the graphic work on the TV show was straight from the brain of Terry Gilliam... what a strange person!!

Interesting question, Eagle... because now that I think about it, I wasn't booted for questioning doctrine. I was booted because I disobeyed my leadership who told me to stay off that nasty internet and stop talking to unbelieving copouts who just wanted to bring the ministry down. But yes, I saw an immediate response. One day I was the next best thing to sliced bread: every believer's friend; someone who worked hard and did good work; someone who could teach, lead songs, run children's fellowship, design cards, clean houses, and drive long distances to help others. The next day I was "mark and avoid". Not worthy of being trusted, talked to, or even walked past. (I actually had someone cross the street and avert their eyes rather than chance speaking to me.) Emails and letters were ignored. I'm sorry this happened to you "outside" twi, but a zealot is a zealot is a zealot. Doesn't really matter what brand.

Sudo... thanks! I love it. THW

Freeindeed: Welcome, welcome!!! Ditto what JohnnyLing said... all kinds of views here... don't take any of them too personally. Stay true to the truth you find. We are glad you are here. TheHighWay

Well said, Tomtuttle!! May I second that: You guys didn't do ANYTHING to deserve what happened to you. You were innocent. You were taken advantage of... Just know you are loved and cared-about by those of us who hang out at the 'spot.

Danteh1, Unless ol' Craiggers has moved, he was actually working at a Bally's in Toledo, OH. (I know this for a fact because I visited the site and saw his personal trainer sheet -- a document each trainer posted in the gym with a picture and a short bio.)

I'm with Belle... was married to someone who wouldn't HEAR of missing a meeting, class, fellowship, event, function, gathering, teaching, fun-night, work-day, witness outing, you-name-it. God, that was miserable! So, I enjoyed the heck out of my first ROA as a mom. It meant I got to set my own schedule and stay in our tent for the evening teachings. LOVED IT!!

Mark... yeah, it didn't take them long to corrupt Mr. M2gnell! He, and others (M!ke Anders@on, etc.) were most definately being groomed for leadership positions from very early on, and we all knew it. It is a shame they were able to twist his enthusiasm into fanatacism so easily.

Johnny Lingo... I agree, Suzy W@ssung was a very loving, and giving person. That whole family was wonderful. Including her sister, M!ssy. She married a fella named Jeff G@rdner back in the 80s and they have lived at HQ ever since. They sing in the choir and now she's one of the "singing ladies". These two were always soft-spoken and kind. Always just wanted to genuinely help people. Much like Bramble's story, though, as they got more involved at HQ, and as things got more and more legalistic in the 90s, they got less and less approachable and personable. It got so that I hardly cared to say "hello" after SNS meetings (the only time we had personal contact anymore). I'd like to think they are still basically good, decent people... I think they have just walled off a big part of their hearts and minds so they don't have to face the fact that so much of their lives has been spent fronting other people's greed and lies. Big ((sigh)). I'd love to see them out. M@rk and Conn!e R!ch@rds were the BEST!! Spontaneous. Fun-loving. Huge hearts. Never afraid of doing something unconventional if they thought it would help someone. Even after becoming corps, I never heard anything negative about them. Even when they were going through really tough times themselves, they would laugh and joke to relieve other people's discomfort. As far as I know they are still in... another big ((sigh)) on my part. I'd love to see folks like this recover what's left of their lives for their own private use. Believe it or not, R!co M@gnell! was once a terrific person. He was just so exuberant and joyious. He loved God and loved the Bible and couldn't wait to tell everyone about it. He loved to talk about bettering his personal relationship with God. And now look at what they've done to him... he spews twi's BS as their PR-rep... And his wife, R0bin, was once a bold, almost brutally honest woman who held strong convictions of right and wrong. Always ready to laugh. Now, she's a somber-faced twi-leader's wife... dressed in clothes and makeup she clearly never would have picked for herself... just the image of what they told her she should be. Very sad. But there's the "happy ending" stories, too... like Radar O'Reilly. She's was very caring and loving to me, a total stranger, when I first met her on the wow-field -- holy crap, Radar, was that back in 83? -- and she still is today. Very willing to get involved and stick her neck out to help others. (thanks again, dearie... you were a life-saver!!) For the most part, I never was close with any of my leadership. They were always so holier-than-thou toward me: WC and non-WC alike. (with the single exception of my wonderful Washington TCs who left with the POP uproar, so I didn't know them very long... pity)

WW --- We also missed the "amazing bouncing ferret." Come again??? What movie did you watch? Moody turns Malfoy into a ferret in the courtyard. McGonagal: What are you doing!? Moody: Teaching. McGonagal: Is that a student!? Moody: Technically, it's a ferret.

I wondered when these kinds of stories would start to surface. After many, many "joint living" situations I experienced in twi, I know that not all people are compatible, and that so much depends on your expectations (on both sides). A little bit of willful unreasonableness on either side can quickly make for an unhappy ending. But as the church folks said, if you help lots of folks and a few complain, look that's life and it can't stop you from helping. Good for them for being so generous.

I was listening to book 6 last night (I have the CDs) and it describes Madame Maxime arriving for Dumbledore's funeral as... "attractive and olive-skinned". Hmmm... not the way they depicted her in the movie. Nora Desmond.... ROTFLMAOPMP!!!! Absolutely! Now I will think of that everytime I see this movie. hahahahahaha

Okay... I've seen the movie twice now and here's my take on the whole gillyweed thing... Harry and Neville are discussing how long it will last on the walk over to the platforms in the lake. I doubt that this would have happened if Harry didn't have it in his posession at the time. Also, Moody later reveals that he has been orchestrating things around Harry all year, including manipulating Neville by giving him the plant book. And, since Snape accuses Harry of stealing not only the gillyweed but the ingredients for making polyjuice potion, I have to think the director was hoping to give us the impression that whoever was stealing the one thing, was stealing the other things, too. So, I think Moody stole it all, and gave the gillyweed (probably among other plants and things) to Neville along with the book, so that if Harry asked him for help, he would have it, and not have to figure out who to ask to get some, especially at the last minute. I also agree about the casting of Madame Maxime. Definately thought of Carol Burnett. And I wasn't expecting her to be all hot and bothered over Hagrid, since it's the reverse in the book. But none of that put me off too much. I agree with the comment about Fleur... watching her in the maze I just kept thinking... she's not that much of a wimp or she wouldn't be the Beaubaton champion. Besides, Moody tells Harry, "Fleur is as much a 'fairy princess' as I am." meaning she's a lot tougher than she seems on the surface, but they really didn't show that. I guess they just wanted to show how intimidating the maze was, and how tough Harry and Cedric were to make it through. But, as I said, these little trivial bits didn't change my impression of the movie -- I loved it. Romping good fun!