Another benefit of being out of twi-an honest obit

[Catcup]

Carolyn was quite generous to those she wanted to be generous to. That included people who never took the Power For Abundant Living Class. She could be hilariously funny, knew how to throw a good party (could drink anybody under the table), and there are scores of people who will vouch for how well she treated them, and they can be believed. Carolyn treated certain people very well. She hosted La Leche League meetings in her home, invited doctors, nurses, and cbes out to the island for workshops and parties. Like many of us here, she hosted fellowships in her home, paid for phone hook-ups, gave parties for folks, was a great lover of the Christmas season and gave freely to those whom she loved. She also footed the bill for many births of Way Corps and Staff couples, and even travelled from campus to campus doing free ob/gyn care at her own expense, and often went out of her way to help some folks. She took pride in being "especially good to the household of faith."

I did know Carolyn Rawlins to be a very generous person. I mentioned in her memorial thread that her generosity is legendary. Spending 7 years in Munster as her area and fellowship coordinator, I think I got to know her pretty well, and in balance, no matter how "good" she was to the "household" and to even "unbelievers," if you were in her eyes a "cop-out," you were indescribably vile in her sight, lower that the stuff you wipe off your shoe, and she made no bones about it. She was fiercely allegient to VPW and the Martindales, and had a vindictive streak toward anyone who crossed them. She may have loved, she may have given, but over a period of time, I saw it was not the unconditional love I believe God to be. It was at best, favoritism.

And as I said on this thread, when I first met her she had all of my respect. It was hers to keep-- or to lose. She took the trust and respect I had freely given her, and tossed it into the gutter herself, when she chose to dehumanize and at least verbally abuse her patient, break her oath as a physician and allow her patient to come to physical harm in my own presence, and then try to blame the consequences of her decision on me. The incidents I related are not the only ones that I am aware of. They are simply ones I was a first hand witness to, and as such are my story to tell.

The thing about human beings is, we are not all one thing or the other. We are made up of some good and some bad, and some of us are more of one thing than the other. And some of us start out one way, and turn another. When Carolyn died, I'm sure she put herself in Gods hands. And I trust He will weigh her actions justly, ans He will my own.

[Kit Sober]

Catcup and others,

Thank you so much for your forthright honesty here (as at other times on Greasespot Cafe as well :) ).

Again, you have filled in so many empty holes in my understanding of things.

Thank you very much,

[Nottawayfer]

Reading the obit for Dr Rawlins I almost wanted to gag.

She was a good woman and a good doctor, but there was something so syrupy about the way her obit was worded that seemed too gooey and more like a propoganda for twi's ugly as sin "household of der veg."

Here's my thought on this. Dr. Rawlins was famous in TWI. To have known her suggested you were someone in TWI. Just like personally knowing VPW. I've seen this same "feeling" concerning Cl*udettee Royal. I really don't understand that one. I was around her a lot while at HQ, and I didnt' see her extend herself to too many people. She seemed kind of cold to me unless she decided she wanted to be chummy with you.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that name dropping was a big thing in TWI, and that is why some people (even here on GSC) are so syrup-y (sp?) about certain people.

If someone really went out of their way to do something for you, I understand. Bill and Marcia Greene were that way for me. I REALLY liked them, but I also understand their bad side in promoting the BS in TWI.

[wrdsandwrks]

Reading the obit for Dr Rawlins I almost wanted to gag.

She was a good woman and a good doctor, but there was something so syrupy about the way her obit was worded that seemed too gooey and more like a propoganda for twi's ugly as sin "household of der veg."

I sure hope to be remembered with some real heart -- hate me or like me, I am so thankful no one will write (I hope), "Kit Sober remained a faithful member of the twi household." Hallelujah!

I guess even beng a "faithful member of twi household" didn't guarantee a "decent" obit back in the LCM days. I was saddened to hear about an old friend's death . I was sorry to hear that he was still "in" when he died. The way he was treated both in life and in death was truly appalling. Steve was a good man and he deserved better. Here's what was spoken about his death by LCM:

Steve Tully

In the case of Steve, the staff were told by Martindale that Steve died as a result of head injuries sustained from falling from a ladder while on the job at Home Depot.

In discussing this incident and that of 14th Way Corps graduate, Fred Brown (who died in a car crash that same month) Martindale re-told some of the events of the past few years of Steve's life.

Martindale extracted and held high for all to see, any negatives that he could find on Steve in order to demonstrate that Tully's life was messed up and that he was a walking disaster, waiting for a tragedy to take place. Martindale didn't bother to tell all the positives about Tully and the major contributions that he had made in TWI for decades.

Martindale told of Steve's re-enrolment in the Way Corps training in 1994 (due to having been dropped from active Corps as a result of his spouse not having done the training herself). Martindale told how Steve's wife "bailed out" on the Corps training and "escaped" from HQ and the Corps training.

Martindale blamed this episode on Tully and on his unwillingness to stand up to his wife and get her to obey the Word. As a result of this episode, the Tully's were dropped from the 23rd Way Corps. Steve, heeding some advice received, subsequently divorced his wife and re-applied to go back in residence. He was told to work on staff at HQ for a year beforehand. He worked construction and sang in the Chorus Choir during this "apprentice" year.

Martindale went on to talk about Tully's eventual re-entry into the 27th Corps and then his subsequent dismissal from that Corps with a string of disasters and a "wake" left in his path (I think that LCM might have been referring to some woman that Tully may have been involved with). Martindale was basically saying that Tully was undisciplined and unfaithful to the Word.

Martindale then went on to say that Tully (upon being dropped from the 27th Corps) went to work in the dark and devilish place - Home Depot of Syracuse, NY. Tully wasn't working with another believer in the TWI prescribed 2 x 2 mode that LCM had been aggressively propounding, but instead choose to work in a devilish environment without the safety and protection of another like-minded believer nearby. What did he expect, Martindale asked? With the history of lack of discipline in Steve's life (according to Martindale) his death was inevitable. Steve, by his failure to discipline his life according to the Word that TWI had been teaching, had been courting devil spirits and had been playing with fire.

Martindale laid the blame for Steve's death squarely at Steve's own feet. Martindale, acted as if he were greatly dismayed, but in reality all he was doing was shifting the blame away from TWI (and the contradiction between the Prevailing Word in the Promised Land teachings and the real life happenings in the Way household) onto a man who could no longer speak for himself.

How could such tragedies happen in the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word? They can't (according to LCM), unless the person involved opens the doors to devil spirits through their own personal lack of discipline.

To read the entire article, click below:

Death in the Promised Land

[Nottawayfer]

I guess even beng a "faithful member of twi household" didn't guarantee a "decent" obit back in the LCM days. I was saddened to hear about an old friend's death . I was sorry to hear that he was still "in" when he died. The way he was treated both in life and in death was truly appalling. Steve was a good man and he deserved better. Here's what was spoken about his death by LCM:

To read the entire article, click below:

<a href="http://www.greasespotcafe.com/main2/waydale/waydale-editorials/death-in-the-promised-land.html" target="_blank">

Death in the Promised Land

</a>

That was a damn shame. And it was really uncomfortable hearing LCM talk about people like that. The one that topped the cake was an overweight HFC who died. Craig said he would go raise the man from the dead only to tell him to die again. That is a sign of an extremely derranged mind to say the least, and I wonder why that in itself didn't signal me to get out then.

[wrdsandwrks]

Craig said he would go raise the man from the dead only to tell him to die again.

Yeah right!

[Nottawayfer]

Yeah right!

I forgot one important detail in that. LCM said he would raise him from the dead, REPROVE HIM (for being fat and dying), and then tell him to die again. LCM had sick, twisted, demented thoughts.

[coolchef]

did that really happen? what a sick sob he is

[Belle]

And, sadly, Chef, there are many more just like that. :(

Moynihan learned very well from craiggers because he said things just as bad about a man here in Florida who died. The saddest thing was that they had just moved here and didn't know hardly anyone in town. Since we were all hard-arse Moynihan pleasers, nobody would give that poor, suffering family the time of day, so they had to endure the horrific loss with no local support.

[JavaJane]

I remember when Steve died as well, I was good friends with someone in their fellowship. It happened in the middle of a foundational class my friend was taking. They just kept going with the class. I remember thinking that was very weird.

[Twinky]

Man, those ravings from LCM about neat guys like Fred and Steve are just (shudder, shudder, shudder :( ).

I didn't know Steve (or can't recall him) but he sounds a nice guy who had been really wrung out by LCM.

I did know Fred and he was a lovely guy and my memories of him are of a sweet honest guy.

Point to ponder: If these guys for their alleged faults (inc the fat HFC) were worthy of the deaths that they invited on themselves (in LCM's opinion), what is LCM, who has deliberately deceived and wilfully hurt so very many - thousands - worthy of? He should be mighty thankful he is not getting his just desserts (according ot his own warped thinking).

Point 2 to ponder: who is 2x2 with him??? (Any volunters?

Thank God for His grace, that we don't get what we are worthy of. And sometimes bad things, even death, happen even to those who are just living life normally.

What is the grace that God is able to make abound towards us for, anyway? Just these situations, no?

[Bolshevik]

Haven't read this whole thread. Maybe this post is off topic.

Perhaps it was already posted that a woman who worked on Staff died in an auto accident this past winter. I was told they didn't go into how she didn't believe right or anything, and (this person speaking) was happy that HQ refrained from that. They also said that HQ leadership made a bigger stink out of fish dying in the PWA than this woman.

Maybe too much is read into this, but HQ sure does make things more important than people.

[JavaJane]

They need to get a clue. People die. Sometimes they are good people, sometimes they are bad. Sometimes the bad people live for a really long time when they deserve to bite it. Sometimes good people die before they should. This is just how it is. It's reality.

It just seems to me that not acknowledging the importance of this woman's life or death goes along with this whole idea that seems to permeate twi in the latter days that if we just don't mention the negative... if we are just POSITIVE ENOUGH, then all the bad stuff will just go away. Or, if you could just keep everything perfect all the time, then nothing bad could possibly happen, right?

Something stinks in "Zion" but no one wants to acknowledge it, either. They just pretend that LCM was never president. From what I understand, even the tapes on which he taught have been marked off limits to most people. Because if they can just wipe out the memory of the one bad thing they admitted happened, then it will all go away, right?

Jesus Chris exposed the Pharisees for what they were. He showed people what was wrong as well as showing them what was right. He ackowledged the negative, then changed the circumstances. But he spoke the truth.

He spoke the truth when he said "Lazarus is dead." He stated the truth, then he went about changing the circumstances Unless you see what has happened and state the facts, then how can you ever change those circumstances?

And the truth ain't always nice. In fact, sometimes it's downright foul.

*edited for biblical accuracy according to the KJV because I am up way toooo late... but after I changed it once, I realized I was rigth the first time... what the heck?

Edited May 15, 2007 by JavaJane

[Kit Sober]

Just read about Steve Tully and Fred Brown. What a pile (it stinketh).

Been reading "Rescued" by John Bevere, which reaffirms that it's the Lord who will be judging when we meet Him, not anyone else. Just Him. And we will all stand there and receive for what we've done with our lives. (There's something about giving account for every idle word.)

Good gravy!

[Kit Sober]

Reading about Ruth Graham, now that her life is summed up, brings me to tears.

So many people loved and respected her, cherished her when she was alive, and cherish her memory now.

What a lesson in the effect of a life lived in the presence of the Lord.