TheHighWay

I found WayDale when I was looking on the internet for anything I could find about the first lawsuit. I migrated here when that site was shut down. Been here ever since.

Funny you should mention that just now... I recently got back in touch with a bunch of new/old friends on the waycorps site and I'm just amazed at how many of them haven't associated with twi for YEARS but sound like they just walked out of a twi fellowship twenty minutes ago. It makes me wonder why they bothered leaving the organization at all because they certainly didn't clear their minds afterwards! Anyway... before I joined twi I had gotten to the point that I thought each individual person had to find their own way to understand the universe and commune with God, but having been raised in the church I felt really, really, really guilty about it. That's why I was so primed for something like twi... they were different but organized; exactly what I thought I was looking for. When I left twi I tried going to church (lots of different churches in fact) but couldn't stand it. And now, nearly ten years later, I find I am back where I was at the beginning: thinking each person needs to find their own spirituality and express it in their own way. But now I no longer feel guilty about it. I am finally happy with my place in the universe. I wish I had a road map others could follow but I don't think there is one. Maybe "prove all things, hold fast to that which is true" is the closest I can come except instead of some institution telling me what that means, I get to decide what the "truth" is for myself. At least that way if I ever had to stand before my maker and explain myself I can (rather than having to say "I did it because they told me to do it").

This is my understanding too. Didn't Dan (whatisname) study at the University of Chicago? Got his Masters or Doctorate or something ... (no Doc Vicster, him).

As with most time-travel stories this one's plot-line is full of holes BUT I've always loved it anyway!! I always get upset when he finds the coin in his pocket. ((sigh)) Another good one in this vein is "Forver Young" with Mel Gibson... Wonderful cast and great acting by a young Elijiah Wood.

Polar Bear... I believe Copenhagen stays in because of his family situation. I know from personal experience how hard it is to stay in and pretend. I couldn't do it but he has his reasons and I respect that.

Oh, here you go... looks like this might be what it is about: http://www.seekgod.ca/trfactor2.htm "It recently has been alleged that the HRV is a plagiarism of the Way Interlinear Bible. Researcher Kathryn Kern contacted the people involved, and has done comparison of Trimm's HRV with passages of the Way International Interlinear."

Well, here is that group's home page: http://www.nazarene.net/ And according to this guy, our bogus ministry is sueing a bogus minister... http://www.seekgod.ca/trimmdoc.htm http://www.seekgod.ca/yeshiva.htm Wonder what the heck twi has against him?

Excellent point!! Wasn't that the whole "purpose" of the purges? To clean out the 'unbelievers' so the Word could "really" move???? Hmmm... haven't seen that happen yet, lol. Of course, Craiggers covered his backside on that by saying that "the Word really moving didn't necessarily mean bigger numbers". So I guess the point became: whoever is left in twi after everyone else is gone gets to feel REALLY super specially spiritual... all five of them.

Very well put!!! The sad thing is, she will tell you to your face she loves you and mean it. And she will think she knows what love is, because she was taught about the 'ultimate' love of Jesus Christ in twi. Unfortunately, what they practice is anything BUT love, and that's all she has really known. Just words on paper, not the real thing in action. The other thing I think you should consider is the need for people to "decompress" after leaving twi. It's like they put you into a box (mentally, emotionally) and then they screw it down and screw it down over time as they put more and more demands on your life... to the point you can hardly breathe but all you know anymore are the walls of your box and so as uncomfortable as it is, it is still your comfort zone. And when (if) you ever bring yourself to break out of the box, at first you are thrilled and elated and then you are terrified because the world is suddenly this big scarey place and you aren't sure where you fit in anymore. You don't have a real support system outside of the box, and you haven't made your own decisions for so long (and you've been taught to distrust your own instincts) so you aren't sure which end is up or what to do next! Everyone is going to react differently but I found myself unable to tolerate anyone else asking me to make a commitment of any kind. And I felt like after all those years of doing what everyone else expected of me, I was due for a little "ME" time!!!! It is just easy to lose your temper and lash out at anyone and everything around you in an effort to find your center of gravity again. So it is sad but completely understandable why people sometimes return to twi. Like an abused spouse who, while being beaten and terrorized, knows she is in danger and should leave no matter what, but who (once the imminent danger is alleviated) is too afraid to really leave. It is too hard, too much work, too much unknown, and she has been systematically taught to devalue herself to the point that she thinks she is actually not worth the amount of effort and emotional discomfort necessary to make the change. And the really sad part is, it doesn't matter WHAT you say or do, if that person isn't ready, you will NOT get through to them. I have watched friends, family members, and myself go through this... You either have to decide the he!! you are about to go through is still gonna be a lot better than the he!! you are currently going through, or decide that you ARE worth the time and effort it will take to extricate yourself, or both... or you will stay put no matter how much noise you make about being unhappy or wanting to leave. It sounds to me like she is at that midway point. She has made her break but when things get tough or a little scary or go in a direction she doesn't feel confident about, she misses her comfort zone. And really, she is sorta having her cake and eating it, too. She has you, she has them, but she's not completely sold out to them right now, nor is she completely sold out to you, and she probably thinks she's doing alright. She simply doesn't understand that you cannot stay balanced on the tip of the fencepost forever. It is really harsh to say but if she is routinely putting TWI ahead of you, she has already made her choice (consciously or unconsciously). For whatever reason she is not yet ready and able to walk completely away from these people. And she will keep choosing them (over you) until she sees what SHE thinks is a big enough reason to change. Hope this makes sense.

This is what THEY are putting into her head. But it is easier for her to follow that logic than to believe you over her long-time 'friends'. Did she KNOW the whole truth about this situation? If she didn't, did you try to tell her? (Did she listen?) If she did and defended them anyway, I think you have a real uphill battle on your hands. -- When I was divorcing my husband, we were trying to work out a shared custody plan. His work was going to seriously interfere with the time he wanted to spend with our son. He called his boss to explain and say he simply had to find another job so he wouldn't miss out on his time with his kid. Fifteen minutes later leadership called (his boss was in twi) to tell him what a stupid decision he was making. It took them about two minutes to convince him he was putting his cop-out wife's needs over God's people and that the blessings would come only if he kept his current job. -- It was just too hard for him to stand up to the people he had come to rely on for friendship, guidance, and a direct hotline to God's wishes... he did what they told him to do and convinced himself it was the right thing. Yes, it IS very high-school-ish. These people use every petty manipulative methodology there is, and it can be very wearing. No, I don't think you can just oppose her involvement; that will immediately give her a reason to blame you for her unhappiness. It's pretty hard to be supportive to people who aren't trying. (aka the 'friends') -- If they just don't like you, that's bad enough. But if they are actively trying to subvert your relationship with your GF, then I frankly don't see a way of winning them over. Only YOU can decide what the answers are... but here are the questions I think you need to ask yourself: -- If I knew nothing would ever change, would I stay in this relationship? -- How much time am I willing to invest on the chance of seeing progress? (a month? six months? a year? more?) -- What kind of changes would constitute "progress"? -- If you only saw a little progress, would that be enough? Ultimately, you have to do what is best for YOU. I know that sounds really selfish, especially for a practicing Christian like yourself. But if you stay in a relationship only because you want to help your girlfriend, it won't last. That's not what a healthy relationship is built on... Everyone has baggage. You just have to decide how much of her baggage you can carry without having your whole life get bogged down from the weight of it. (edited for clarity)

In my experience LCM functioned on whims he called "revelation". I really don't believe there was any "formal thought" or plan behind any of the purges, with the one exception of eliminating a large portion of way corps right after they declared 'full time' status for all... they very quickly realized they were in too deep and started cleaning house wherever they could. But all the rest of the purges: I genuinely think these were completely the result of Craig's paranoia after the fallout of POP. He was so egotistical that he thought 'everyone' was backing him as prez, and when the truth hit him in the face he felt terribly betrayed. I don't think he ever got over it. After that, the attitude was "root 'em out before they can cause real problems within the household'.

WG -- Sorry to see you go... your contributions here and have been many and valuable!! Take good care of yourself and your family. You will be missed. THW

EXACTLY!!!

I'm late in joining this party but here is my two cents... I started a diet plan back in January. It was given to me by a personal trainer/nutritionist. Basically it is high protein and green veggies, low-low-low carbs, no fat, no salt, and tons of water, all broken into several small meals each day. This we did for three weeks, then once a week we added a low-glycemic, high fiber carb meal so the body didn't go into "starvation" mode for the rest of the program (a total of eight weeks). Then you go off the strict diet just to give yourself a mental break. You can go back after two weeks if you want. For exercise, three times a week we would go to the gym and warm up with cardio, then do weight-training to build muscle mass, then warm down with cardio. Three other days we were asked to do something cardio for 30 minutes. And we were told to take one day off a week. We kept track of our pounds and inches lost. All of us in the program got amazing results!! And while I haven't done the actual diet or exercise plan since, I still eat several small meals a day, drink almost nothing but water, and stay active. I have not gained anything back, in fact I've continued to lose about a pound a month. The whole package, he told us, comes down to this: get your metabolism cranking, feed your body the right balance of healthy stuff so it knows it doesn't have to hold onto the fat it has stored, and build muscles (they burn more calories than other tissues or fat does). If you can do all those things at the same time, you WILL lose weight and prime your body to keep it off down the road. I am convinced he knows what he is talking about... I am 25 pounds down, and ready to start working on the next 25!! Congrats to everyone here who is doing whatever they need to do to lose weight and get healthy!!!! THW

The whole visit sounds delightful! Can't wait to see pics.

I have a friend with a Schnauzer... I like dogs but that thing is a non-stop spaz-attack! And yes, they can be nippy. Neutering will help but expect a very active, kinda willfully ignorant/stubborn personality.

Sorry... didn't mean to contribute negatively... I emphatically DON'T hate that site!! I'm glad it is there. I think it is healthy for folks at all ends of the spectrum to rub shoulders that way. (but it can be like stepping into a time warp at times, lol)

Welcome, welcome, welcome!! First, what a good guy you are to stand up for yourself and your girlfriend!! Kudos, my friend! Second, I was someone who was involved with twi for 20 years. Married for 16 of those years to a die-hard-never-leave-'em fella. Eventually started questionning leadership, questioning what I had been doing for all those years, found my own spouse siding against me, and then found myself booted out of the group. They follow a pattern: If you question them, they will try to turn your thinking around to theirs (as described above -- shifting terms, only certain choices, etc.) If you keep resisting them, they will make heavy threats (you are walking out from under God's protection; God cannot bless you, etc.) If you still ask questions or resist them, they will put restrictions on your involvement and try to control your other activities in an effort to get their hooks back into you If you still do not come around to their way of thinking, they will banish you permanently. The process is just that simple. You are either with them or against them. There really is NO neutral ground for them. It's all part of their doctrine. The only exceptions I have ever seen are among family members, like your girlfriend's parents. They don't like what she is doing, but they won't banish her from their family (partly because they are still hoping she will see the light someday). The best thing you can do for your girlfriend is don't let her talk to twi people alone whenever possible. Understandably you want to let her hang out with her girlfriends and I don't see any way around that, but if she goes to talk to her leadership or folks like that, BE THERE WITH HER!! -- Her thinking is already trained to follow their lead no matter how twisted their reasoning, so if she is alone she is more likely to get sucked back into their doctrine. Hence, her being more hostile toward you whenever she has met with them. If you are there, you can catch each twist and turn and call it for what it is: BS!! I experienced this first hand... I would get my head clear and then some insider would talk to me and I'd get all messed up again. It would take me days to come back around to my own thoughts on things! The second best thing you can do for her is to get her involved with folks and activities at your new church. Let her really see for herself what God in action is like outside twi. It's such a breath of fresh air to be among GENUINELY GODLY folks. The difference will be obvious to her. And try to help her find things she's good at, and a support system of friends outside of twi... this will do a LOT to help her see that she doesn't need them to enjoy her life. (which is exactly why they try to prevent you from forming bonds with outsiders) Also, the threads linked in the previous post are good ones... a LOT of accurate information there! Good luck. And keep us posted. --- Oh, and if no one has warned you yet. The WayGB (paid twi staff who read these forums) WILL figure out who you are and discuss it with the local leadership if you post too many specifics here. Do ask for more trouble than you already have... post only what will help us help you.

I agree... while (in the grand scope of everything that went on) I don't have any truly hideous memories of my time in twi, there are a lot of folks on that site who are still DEEPLY entrenched in twi dogma and terminology -- whether still affiliated with twi or not -- it is very like stepping into a time warp for me. You only have to get about three words into a lot of peoples' entries before you hit the jargon wall.

I might agree with that if it had the remotest hint of "concern for the members of twi" in there somewhere... but it didn't. She did it to save her own butt and to move to the top of the heap. Period. I doubt she gave a single thought to another soul except within the context of keeping the sheep in line.

Well, brainfixed, I have to say I pretty much agree with everything you've listed, especially your point about anger over little things being a "control" issue!!

Well, it's not my job to judge concerning eternity but if I cannot make a judgement now, today, then what good am I? I am just fodder for groups like the twisted twi, which seek to erase a person's gut instincts, common sense, and judgement. I have no problem with this thread or the sentiment behind it. The B*****d is dead. Good riddance. If people want to make a joke about that fact, or about the man himself, that is only a reflection of the life he lived. When I am dead people will say whatever they like about me. If they say bad things, I would have to conclude I did bad things. It won't hurt me. I will be gone from this life. But it may make them feel better to say whatever is on their mind, however they feel comfortable saying it. And for that I would rejoice. To me, self-awareness and personal freedom are the twin peaks of a life well-lived.

I wasn't afraid of dying... no. But I was afraid. VERY afraid. Afraid that I was doing the wrong thing, that I was 'ticking God off' with my choices. That I would totally screw up the rest of my life and my kid's life... Definitely afraid. That's what they had taught me: a distrust of my own gut feelings and a terrible fear of going against what "they" said.

Oh, I don't think he negotiated a thing... but when he was removed from his throne he was most likely in the same (aggitated, depressed) frame of mind he was in the days after POP was read. My understanding is that he was put on antidepressants and watched very closely. I think twi was smart enough to realize he knew where most of the skeletons were hidden, and they didn't want to risk the chance of offending him by cutting him off with nothing. He was placed in a city and in a home where the go-to-corps-doc could watch over him as closely as needed... it doesn't take much imagination to assume they paid his other expenses as well... (edited for typos)

Love this post, brainfixed! Unlike you I didn't lurk for very long before I joined the forums, but I know that once I did join and start expressing myself, it was like a switch got turned on and it took about a year or so before I ran out of things to ask, discuss, or comment about... there was just so much bottled up inside that NEEDED to come out, and this was the place for a lot of that to happen. I'm so glad you've found your voice! Let the healing continue...