In-residence Way Corpse "training" (next best thing to incarceration)

[OldSkool]

I thought I would post a little of what being in-residence is like in the "kinder and gentler" way international. I spent two years at camp gunnison and it's been a few years, so understandably the program will have been modified a bit since it's conducted at HQ now.

Well, in hindsight the biggest thing that stands out is the total control exerted over the student. Now, granted a person could leave, but that would be quitting on God and the household. What do I mean by control? well - you cannot leave grounds without permission and when you are allowed to leave it's only for a few hours on a Saturday. When you are off grounds it's generally understood that you are to do a little shopping, perhaps do something fun?...but what can you do on $30.00 a month..(I think this was raised to $50.00.) Usually, the first 8 weeks or so you are not allowed to leave grounds at all. You are kept isolated very isolated from anyone outside the program, even the staff. You are not allowed to watch tv, movies, listen to any music except spayed productions. Your day is scheduled so tightly that there is very little time to telephone family and friends. If you are sick you are expected to contact healing support, which is usually the way corpse coordinators wife, so they can decide what to do with you. You are not allowed secular reading. It is total immersion in way ministry publications and media and complete submission to what they want you to do - 24 hours a day. I felt as though I was incarcerated and my own bondage to the way international was the warden. In hind sight I should have run far away from this programming scheme.

Now, the curriculum is a complete farce. We spent several months taking the way of abundance and power series, studying the syllabus, being tested on the material, discussing the material in our study groups. The discussions were not critical in anyway but the typical "we worship our dear leader" talk about how the material blessed me. It's the same garbage fostered in a follower of the way international since their first foundational class. Except in-residence it's on steroids. Some other classes are English for the Greek Student, Greek, Public Speaking, Class Coordinator's training, and whatever else is rotated into the mix to fill up the time. But let me stress this - at no point is a student actually educated at a college level. It is all very elementary. Yet, they bill it as the greatest training in the world. P.T. Barnum would be proud. In reality they are training a person to run the way of abundance and power classes and that's about it.

The program itself is still according to work / study. The premise is you spend time in study hall working the present truth, or other assigned topics. You have to make, and turn in a study schedule and work silly little exercises like "Ask yourself why one more time." Yes - you have to ask yourself why you are studying a topic multiple times until you REALLY know why you are doing it. It's billed as critical thinking but it is anything but. Most of what a person studies is the Sunday Teaching Services, Way Magazines, and any of the way ministries other approved books. Let me stress approved material. You are not free for God to lead you in study. It's expected that what is approved is what God wants you to know. Creepy eh?

Then you are off to work. Really it should be emphasized at this point that at no time is a student paid for their labor. Period - end of story. A person is usually assigned to one of the drab, menial labor departments that spiritualizes mundane chores such as toilet cleaning. There are special work projects throughout the year that come and go but nothing to deviate from being the way internationals slave labor force. The underlying principal of work / study is God will teach you as you apply what you learn in study as you work. In addition to these departmental jobs a person is also assigned "household responsibilities" where they can do ....you guessed it.....more of the same type of work in support of the service, or some other event.

Well, other hallmarks of this awful program are being forced to keep a journal, floss your teeth and then check a chart that you did so, check in with your fellowship coordinator that you have completed various tasks (the fellowship coordinator is one of your peers who collects information and reports to the way corpse coordinator each week), being forced to work out in spite of the fact that most days start early and end late. Do Knowles Breathing. I am sure there is more but I just can't remember at the moment. I have managed to repress many of these memories and it is somewhat painful to start digging too many of them out of the closet.

Well, really this scratches the surface a little bit and at least gives a glimpse of what a person is subjected to. I will keep things short. I think we all get the gist. It is an extremely structured schedule, the students and their environment is completely controlled - total submission is absolutely required. You don't like it you can leave. If you don't cut the muster you will be dismissed and your sponsorship, that was donated on your behalf, is spent elsewhere to support the curriculum. In short, I believe a person is programmed to accept whatever the way international asks of them during these two years. In retrospect it was a farce, and two utterly wasted years that I have absolutely nothing to show. The degree they issue you isn't worth the paper it's printed on. The training itself is absolutely meaningless outside of the little cornfield cult that is the way international.

And all of this control and legalism is what is heaped on a well meaning person who has made the mistake in thinking that God has called them to the way corpse. There is absolutely no way God would call someone to that sort of indoctrination and control. It's not training for a lifetime of Christian service. On the contrary it's training for a life time of blind obedience and demolition of one's ability to exercise any sort of critical thinking.

Now - here is a link to the official propaganda page. Notice how generic the wording is. The real program is totally obscured.

Way Corpse Propaganda

Edited May 13, 2010 by OldSkool

[JavaJane]

This explains why so many of the more recent WC grads that I met seemed, well, like their spirit had been broken. They go in a spunky, happy, loving God kinda person, and they come out looking like a cookie cutter bland boring shadow of their former selves.

So glad you got out, OldSkool!

[OldSkool]

This explains why so many of the more recent WC grads that I met seemed, well, like their spirit had been broken. They go in a spunky, happy, loving God kinda person, and they come out looking like a cookie cutter bland boring shadow of their former selves.

I had never thought about that. But you are right and I know exactly the mold you are talking about. A person can repudiate it while they are there, yet they will be touched by the training for years to come.

So glad you got out, OldSkool!

Thanks! Yes, I can breathe again.

[JavaJane]

And all the women ended up with the same haircut...

Well, not all.

But a lot.

[Gen-2]

So,...

What did you do for fun OldSkool?

What rules did you break?

Why can I picture you eating unauthorized junk food when no one was looking? hunh?

Why, why WHY!??!!

Edited to add...

Same goes for the rest of you? What rules did you break to preserve your - sanity/integrity?

Edited May 14, 2010 by Gen-2

[waysider]

What rules did you break to preserve your - sanity/integrity?

Walked to the the nearby truck stop (Wayside Truck Stop) with someone who could hold a confidence and tried to make sense of what was going on. This usually took place between evening chores and night twig (about a 20-30 minute window) It was the only time you could speak openly and freely. Of course, you didn't make that trip with just "anyone". That's why I call myself a "waysider".

edit:

Fellow Laborers of Ohio (FLO), not Way Corps (WC).

Edited May 14, 2010 by waysider

[OldSkool]

What did you do for fun OldSkool?

What rules did you break?

Well, I had a collection of ebooks, mp3s, short XXX video clips, many movies on DVD, I spent whatever I wanted offgrounds, drank often, and hoped to God that someone from the way credit union would report my monthly credit payments to the directors so I could sue their a$$e$. I'm a rebellious fighter at heart. I wanted to do the program but could not justify it from the Bible. So I gave appearances where needed. Yep, hypocritical as all get out. But I thought I could change the way ministry into something better. Delusions of grandeur.

Funny how all these leaders have this great in-depth spiritual perception and no one could figure it out. I mean, wouldn't God have told them?

[waysider]

Funny how all these leaders have this great in-depth spiritual perception and no one could figure it out. I mean, wouldn't God have told them?

Yeah, that thought was always somewhere in the back of our minds, wasn't it?

[JavaJane]

Yeah, that thought was always somewhere in the back of our minds, wasn't it?

Yup. It always was...

[OldSkool]

Yeah, that thought was always somewhere in the back of our minds, wasn't it?

Indeed. Makes you wonder how many people take that fear to heart and live in it's bondage.

[waysider]

Sometimes on laundromat night (Saturday), if we could come up with some extra cash, we would walk over to the ice cream store for a couple dips and a sugar cone.

Yah Hoo!!!

[Billy G]

Wow keep a journal, working out, flossing your teeth. How horrible

Jesus Christ had different programs. When he did activities he told them don't take any extra shoes, don't take any money and go believe God. Get over it.

[waysider]

Wow keep a journal, working out, flossing your teeth. How horrible

Jesus Christ had different programs. When he did activities he told them don't take any extra shoes, don't take any money and go believe God. Get over it.

Yeah, I guess that was the concept of L.E.A.D. Just go and "believe God".

Except, some of the participants got robbed, run over by semi trucks, raped and suffered irreversible physical and psychological traumas. Some committed suicide. Not so easy for those folks to "get over it".

L.E.A.D. Accident

[OldSkool]

Wow keep a journal, working out, flossing your teeth. How horrible

Jesus Christ had different programs. When he did activities he told them don't take any extra shoes, don't take any money and go believe God. Get over it.

Really, you should not drop partial quotes. However, let me clarify myself.

Well, other hallmarks of this awful program are being forced to keep a journal, floss your teeth and then check a chart that you did so, check in with your fellowship coordinator that you have completed various tasks (the fellowship coordinator is one of your peers who collects information and reports to the way corpse coordinator each week), being forced to work out in spite of the fact that most days start early and end late

1) Journal. Can be a great thing to do. But when you are up at 12:30 at night with nothing to say cause you are to tired to think - but you must keep writing - then it grinds on a person after a couple of years.

2) I floss most everyday. My complaint is being required to mark a checklist keeping track of my oral hygiene habits that was posted on a public bulletin board for all to see.

3) Workout. Have done this for years. Weight lifter, boxer, ju-jutsu, bicycling, hiking, etc. Please re-read in spite of the fact that the day starts early and ends late. Again, it really begins to gind a person down after a while, especially in the context of the in-residence way corpse training program.

Jesus Christ had programs? Really? You mean to say he had a staff, collected tuition, issued certificates of completion?...or do you mean to say he gave instructions for various purposes?

Edited May 14, 2010 by OldSkool

[waysider]

Up at 5am---in bed at Midnight.

I mean, come on, who really needs more than 5 hours sleep every night?

[OldSkool]

Get over it.

For you to come along and tell me to get over is just cold. You have no idea what I have been through, what I am over, or not over, nor my intentions for posting. But from my perspective it sounds like typical way speak. Perhaps you sense a little weakness or vulnerability in my openness? Couldn't resist the urge to swing by and kick a person who seems to be down?

Edited May 14, 2010 by OldSkool

[OldSkool]

Up at 5am---in bed at Midnight.

I mean, come on, who really needs more than 5 hours sleep every night?

No self respecting way corpse person would need more than that, and should be able to do on less. Jesus had times where he was up all night praying!

I forgot to mention vigilance patrol, where two students were assigned to go roam the campus from 11 pm to 1am and still be up at O'dark hundred to get in the word before breakfast.

[waysider]

Tell me something, Mr. G., have you ever known someone who died as a direct result of doctrines taught by The Way?

No self respecting way corpse person would need more than that, and should be able to do on less. Jesus had times where he was up all night praying!

I forgot to mention vigilance patrol, where two students were assigned to go roam the campus from 11 pm to 1am and still be up at O'dark hundred to get in the word before breakfast.

If you spoke in tongues as much as you are supposed to, you wouldn't need any sleep at all!

Edited May 14, 2010 by waysider

[geisha779]

Wow keep a journal, working out, flossing your teeth. How horrible

Jesus Christ had different programs. When he did activities he told them don't take any extra shoes, don't take any money and go believe God. Get over it.

Wow....Couldn't tell you were in TWI...holding Jesus up as an example and yet still being insulting? Jesus is not a weapon to use for insult or make your own personal point. Be nice.

Edited May 14, 2010 by geisha779

[OldSkool]

If you spoke in tongues as much as you are supposed to, you wouldn't need any sleep at all!

lo shanta molaka cente....hey I feel energized already!

Edited May 14, 2010 by OldSkool

[OldSkool]

BillyG, I just read all 11 of your posts. You still in the way international? Does your branch coordinator know where you are?

Or perhaps you are a troll...mmm....you seem able to come in to an anti-way international website and drop a post or two that gets folks stirred up.

Well, if you are trolling, and at this point that's what I suspect, go read up on how to improve your game.

Anonym zu partyvan.info/wiki/Forum_Trolling

Edited May 14, 2010 by OldSkool

[JavaJane]

lo shanta molaka cente....hey I feel energized already!

what if we replaced all the old SIT stopsign stickers with TIT stickers? You know, "Typing In Tongues"?? I'm sure it would get some attention... At least from the guys...

Sorry... Off topic.

Carry on.

[waysider]

It's easy to say, "Get over IT" when you have no idea what IT really is.

[OldSkool]

what if we replaced all the old SIT stopsign stickers with TIT stickers? You know, "Typing In Tongues"?? I'm sure it would get some attention... At least from the guys...

Sorry... Off topic.

Carry on.

Love it!! I would proudly display that on my WOW-mobile!!

[Broken Arrow]

edit:

Fellow Laborers of Ohio (FLO), not Way Corps (WC).

Fellow Laborers of Ohio...you guys did as much stuff as Way Corps ON TOP of having full time jobs and got absolutely zero recognition or respect from the rest of TWI including HQ.

Did you guys get to keep any of the money you earned at your jobs or did you have to pool it with everyone else? You know, that ridiculous "family fund" thing they kept touting. Was it more like Communism? Who got to make the decisions on how you spent your own money? Who kept your money after you graduated? I was an Ohio "Minuteman" during the Summer of '75. Were you in FLO then?

Edited May 14, 2010 by erkjohn