The university of life was designed when Wierwille realized that he had a substantial portion of his followers that were actually unable to enter the way corps...usually because of age restrictions...Vic saw a lot of older folks (who had plenty of money), who were being "untapped", so to speak. In his "divine wisdom", Vic the opprotunist that he was, decided to sell corps teachings to the old folks without making them go in residence and run two miles a day and live in a dorm. They paid gladly to get their hands on these "SPECIAL TEACHINGS"...
upon "graduation" Vic would hand them a certificate of some kind and that would make them officially spiritual. Ya gotta hand it to the Vickster...he knew how to milk his followers.
These university of life people didn't have to go through the hell, I have been reading about what the corps went through, wow; did they have to show up for those two weeks of the rock of ages?
The university of life was designed when Wierwille realized that he had a substantial portion of his followers that were actually unable to enter the way corps...usually because of age restrictions...Vic saw a lot of older folks (who had plenty of money), who were being "untapped", so to speak. In his "divine wisdom", Vic the opprotunist that he was, decided to sell corps teachings to the old folks without making them go in residence and run two miles a day and live in a dorm. They paid gladly to get their hands on these "SPECIAL TEACHINGS"...
upon "graduation" Vic would hand them a certificate of some kind and that would make them officially spiritual. Ya gotta hand it to the Vickster...he knew how to milk his followers.
These university of life people didn't have to go through the hell, I have been reading about what the corps went through, wow; did they have to show up for those two weeks of the rock of ages?
That's funny! Everyone was supposed to go to the Rock. Even the folks who lived overseas. University of Life folks weren't included in Corps Week as I recall. They also were never given Corps assignments. There was not as much pressure on them to attend the Rock as was the Corps, but that is not to say there wasn't any pressure put on them, or anyone else. To be in University of Life you had to be recommended by a Corps grad. The program lasted a number of years. I want to say at least 5 or so.
Wierwille spent the 1978-79 and 1979-80 corps nights exclusively on the Book of Romans with the sole purpose of documenting his "literal translations according to usage" for University of Life.
Pages and pages of notes were taken as some of us corps wrote furiously every corps night. Yet, with the dizzying schedule, I never went back to read my notes.....EVER. About 15 years ago, I threw all those notes in the trash.
What a waste of time........all those corps nights.
Craig Martindale pulled all the tapes. Hopefully someone will remember why.
I'm just guessing here, but LCM probably pulled the tapes to keep the Corps info. away from the splinter groups, namely the Geer-ites. I'm just speculating, but there was a push from splinter groups there for awhile to get as much of Wierwille's teachings as possible and use them to start other ministries.
It would fit that LCM would freeze the University of Life teachings otherwise someone could have started a corps by just plugging in a tape player. LCM also banned any bookstore sales to "non-standing" grads.
Wierwille spent the 1978-79 and 1979-80 corps nights exclusively on the Book of Romans with the sole purpose of documenting his "literal translations according to usage" for University of Life.
I'm not familiar with these particular tapes. However, when I was in-residence the U of L tapes were still in the gunnison library (they were pulled a couple years later.)
I worked through the Romans tapes at the same time I worked through "The Just and The Justifier" by Charles Welsch. Wierwille taught that book almost word for word and gave the impression that it was his working of the word he was teaching. Ripoff artist.
This review sums up both the book, and thus wierwille's U of L teachings on Romans.
I'm just guessing here, but LCM probably pulled the tapes to keep the Corps info. away from the splinter groups, namely the Geer-ites. I'm just speculating, but there was a push from splinter groups there for awhile to get as much of Wierwille's teachings as possible and use them to start other ministries.
It would fit that LCM would freeze the University of Life teachings otherwise someone could have started a corps by just plugging in a tape player. LCM also banned any bookstore sales to "non-standing" grads.
Did any of these university people make top leaders of the way?
Yeah, I think so, but not solely based on the U of L program. Some U of L grads eventually found their way into the Corps and graduated. Some U of L students were Corps Grads who just wanted to study more material. In fact, that was promoted. Also at that time there were leaders, very few, but some who didn't go through the Way Corps and I believe many of them were U of L grads. It's been so long, my memory is a little shakey.
I worked through the Romans tapes at the same time I worked through "The Just and The Justifier" by Charles Welsch. Wierwille taught that book almost word for word and gave the impression that it was his working of the word he was teaching. Ripoff artist.
Just so I'm clear on what you're saying, Wierwille's teaching on Romans is a "rip-off" of Welsch's work, and that you just kind of happened across that when you were studying Romans in residence? That's pretty cool if I'm understanding you correctly.
Just so I'm clear on what you're saying, Wierwille's teaching on Romans is a "rip-off" of Welsch's work, and that you just kind of happened across that when you were studying Romans in residence? That's pretty cool if I'm understanding you correctly.
A friend recommended the Welsch book and shortly afterwards I started into the tapes. So really it was quite unintentional on my part but I could not believe how much of that book was passed off as wierwille's work. I just chalked it up to coincidence at the time since they were teaching from the same book - Romans. Since I have come to learn VPW has a lengthy history of plagiarism it stands to reason that he worked through Welsch's book and then retaught it.
I just looked at the review. From what I can see, at least, it looks like there may be quite a bit of similarity in what Welch wrote and what appeared in PLAF (The Wonder Class) as Sonship Rights and God's Classification of People.
If you think about it, whats up with these rights, a kid, is a kid?
The way Vicster taught sonship rights is twisted. Basically, IMO, to follow VPW's teachings basically tells a person to approach God with an entitlement mindset, an attitude of demanding what is rightfully yours instead of asking God for help and what you need and also what His will is in a particular situation.
I remember going to a bible teaching one night, and the person teaching had all these tapes on this University of Life, I knew he wouldn't let me listen to them,
because I didn't have a class or something, like money. What was this University of Life, did anyone take this course?
Did it cost an arm and a leg?
Ha! Basically you bought "advanced teachings" on one (or two) books of the bible at a time.
2 or 3 hundred bucks for a set of tapes on one book of the Bible.
U of L "students" ( I was one way back when), were required to get the Thessalonians tapes first.
You could "pick and choose" which ever teaching you wanted after that,
once you completed the Thessalonian "course". I've still got those tapes somewhere around the house here.
I had the Thessalonians tapes, which I think were about $375.00. That was in 1983 when I was making minimum wage and working part time because my whole life was tied up in the 'ministry'... That was indeed a lot of $$ at the time --the tapes cost more than my "more than abundant life" $200.00 1968 Plymouth Valiant with the holes in the floor that i drove at the time
I gotta tell you it was possibly the most boring thing I have ever subjected myself to---it was excruciating...I tried, I really did but I never did finish them.
I dont know how anyone could ever made it through any of those "classes', I'd just as soon stick a fork in my forehead as to ever do that again.
They're still around somewhere-I could probably send them to Gitmo to use as a torture method
I don't think that VP taught all of the UL classes - but late 80s, at the time of the PoP paper and all that fallout, a huge number of people left and, as usual, all of any non-standing person's work automatically got deleted. (They wuz puzzest, you know, deluded, can't have their contaminated work available to polute the purity of the remaining believers.) And so (I think) some of the UL classes were quietly forgotten about.
I think W@lter Cummins did some stuff and no doubt others, whose names I don't know. None of these tapes or classes was around when I was in rez except a few really old classes by VPW - perhaps the same stuff OldSkool got hold of years later.
Interesting that OS seems to have discovered that Romans was a ripoff of yet another class. Why isn't that a surprise??
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GrouchoMarxJr
The university of life was designed when Wierwille realized that he had a substantial portion of his followers that were actually unable to enter the way corps...usually because of age restrictions...Vic saw a lot of older folks (who had plenty of money), who were being "untapped", so to speak. In his "divine wisdom", Vic the opprotunist that he was, decided to sell corps teachings to the old folks without making them go in residence and run two miles a day and live in a dorm. They paid gladly to get their hands on these "SPECIAL TEACHINGS"...
upon "graduation" Vic would hand them a certificate of some kind and that would make them officially spiritual. Ya gotta hand it to the Vickster...he knew how to milk his followers.
...and yeah, he charged plenty for it.
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teachmevp
These university of life people didn't have to go through the hell, I have been reading about what the corps went through, wow; did they have to show up for those two weeks of the rock of ages?
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skyrider
Another one of vic's ploys............SPLAT.
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teachmevp
This university thing didn't last long?
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OldSkool
Craig Martindale pulled all the tapes. Hopefully someone will remember why.
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Broken Arrow
That's funny! Everyone was supposed to go to the Rock. Even the folks who lived overseas. University of Life folks weren't included in Corps Week as I recall. They also were never given Corps assignments. There was not as much pressure on them to attend the Rock as was the Corps, but that is not to say there wasn't any pressure put on them, or anyone else. To be in University of Life you had to be recommended by a Corps grad. The program lasted a number of years. I want to say at least 5 or so.
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skyrider
Wierwille spent the 1978-79 and 1979-80 corps nights exclusively on the Book of Romans with the sole purpose of documenting his "literal translations according to usage" for University of Life.
Pages and pages of notes were taken as some of us corps wrote furiously every corps night. Yet, with the dizzying schedule, I never went back to read my notes.....EVER. About 15 years ago, I threw all those notes in the trash.
What a waste of time........all those corps nights.
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teachmevp
Did any of these university people make top leaders of the way?
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Broken Arrow
I'm just guessing here, but LCM probably pulled the tapes to keep the Corps info. away from the splinter groups, namely the Geer-ites. I'm just speculating, but there was a push from splinter groups there for awhile to get as much of Wierwille's teachings as possible and use them to start other ministries.
It would fit that LCM would freeze the University of Life teachings otherwise someone could have started a corps by just plugging in a tape player. LCM also banned any bookstore sales to "non-standing" grads.
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teachmevp
I remember that guy had a room full of tapes on that university of life.
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OldSkool
I'm not familiar with these particular tapes. However, when I was in-residence the U of L tapes were still in the gunnison library (they were pulled a couple years later.)
I worked through the Romans tapes at the same time I worked through "The Just and The Justifier" by Charles Welsch. Wierwille taught that book almost word for word and gave the impression that it was his working of the word he was teaching. Ripoff artist.
This review sums up both the book, and thus wierwille's U of L teachings on Romans.
http://www.tftmin.org/rgg/Just_and_Justifier.htm
This sounds about typical.
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Broken Arrow
Yeah, I think so, but not solely based on the U of L program. Some U of L grads eventually found their way into the Corps and graduated. Some U of L students were Corps Grads who just wanted to study more material. In fact, that was promoted. Also at that time there were leaders, very few, but some who didn't go through the Way Corps and I believe many of them were U of L grads. It's been so long, my memory is a little shakey.
Just so I'm clear on what you're saying, Wierwille's teaching on Romans is a "rip-off" of Welsch's work, and that you just kind of happened across that when you were studying Romans in residence? That's pretty cool if I'm understanding you correctly.
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teachmevp
Thanks for showing me this stuff, I sure want to listen to all those tapes, but somehow I knew, they would never let me listen.
I find it is kinda wrong to break Romans into chunks, and teach it?
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OldSkool
A friend recommended the Welsch book and shortly afterwards I started into the tapes. So really it was quite unintentional on my part but I could not believe how much of that book was passed off as wierwille's work. I just chalked it up to coincidence at the time since they were teaching from the same book - Romans. Since I have come to learn VPW has a lengthy history of plagiarism it stands to reason that he worked through Welsch's book and then retaught it.
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waysider
I just looked at the review. From what I can see, at least, it looks like there may be quite a bit of similarity in what Welch wrote and what appeared in PLAF (The Wonder Class) as Sonship Rights and God's Classification of People.
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teachmevp
If you think about it, whats up with these rights, a kid, is a kid?
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OldSkool
The way Vicster taught sonship rights is twisted. Basically, IMO, to follow VPW's teachings basically tells a person to approach God with an entitlement mindset, an attitude of demanding what is rightfully yours instead of asking God for help and what you need and also what His will is in a particular situation.
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dmiller
Ha! Basically you bought "advanced teachings" on one (or two) books of the bible at a time.
2 or 3 hundred bucks for a set of tapes on one book of the Bible.
U of L "students" ( I was one way back when), were required to get the Thessalonians tapes first.
You could "pick and choose" which ever teaching you wanted after that,
once you completed the Thessalonian "course". I've still got those tapes somewhere around the house here.
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teachmevp
No, I could never do that, Yeshua our brother, I wish I could look him eye to eye.
Those were cool looking tapes, I sure want to listen to those tapes, a nice looking set of tapes.
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mstar1
I had the Thessalonians tapes, which I think were about $375.00. That was in 1983 when I was making minimum wage and working part time because my whole life was tied up in the 'ministry'... That was indeed a lot of $$ at the time --the tapes cost more than my "more than abundant life" $200.00 1968 Plymouth Valiant with the holes in the floor that i drove at the time
I gotta tell you it was possibly the most boring thing I have ever subjected myself to---it was excruciating...I tried, I really did but I never did finish them.
I dont know how anyone could ever made it through any of those "classes', I'd just as soon stick a fork in my forehead as to ever do that again.
They're still around somewhere-I could probably send them to Gitmo to use as a torture method
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Twinky
I don't think that VP taught all of the UL classes - but late 80s, at the time of the PoP paper and all that fallout, a huge number of people left and, as usual, all of any non-standing person's work automatically got deleted. (They wuz puzzest, you know, deluded, can't have their contaminated work available to polute the purity of the remaining believers.) And so (I think) some of the UL classes were quietly forgotten about.
I think W@lter Cummins did some stuff and no doubt others, whose names I don't know. None of these tapes or classes was around when I was in rez except a few really old classes by VPW - perhaps the same stuff OldSkool got hold of years later.
Interesting that OS seems to have discovered that Romans was a ripoff of yet another class. Why isn't that a surprise??
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dmiller
I never did want to go into the Way Corps, but me (in my ignorance back then) wished i could hear
the teachings the Corps were getting "at the feet of Da Teacher".
Well - - lucky me. U of L came into being. U of L was meant for those:
"Who wanted to learn the Way Corps teachings, but were UNABLE to enter the corps.
I was at an advanced class run for advanced class grads only in 1981 somewhere in southern Minnesota.
We were there for an entire week.
Bo and Stanley Rheard (sp?) ran the class, which was a re-run of the 1979 AC., and one night Bo did a U of L "Ex" for those of us there.
He explained what it was all about (for those who CANNOT enter the way corps). Then he entertained questions.
My hand shot up first, and Bo said: "Yes?" I asked what was on everyone's mind - - - "WHAT CONSTITUTES CANNOT"?
I forget the answer he gave, but it was ambiguous enough that we all figured that it was easier to get into U of L, than we thought it would be.
Short of the long of this is, my reason for "Not being able to enter the Corps"?
I told them - - "Because I don't want to". Simple as that. I was accepted into the U of L immediately.
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teachmevp
It sure would have been cool to be a part of that early history, their was just something about all those tapes.
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dmiller
They were anemic, at best. Some of the tapes (in the Thessalonian teachings) were less than 10 minutes long.
There were 36 tapes total for that "course" on Thessalonians. If you've never been U of L - - - -
consider it: MONEY SAVED, AND NOT WASTED.
Truly - - - you haven't missed a thing. Nothing. Nada/ zip/ zero/ you name it.
The "package" might look attractive, but the contents therein are rotten.
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