As I've posted countless times.....I saw red flags in twi as early as 1978.
3) Why was wierwille and co. so threatened by alternative perspectives?
I've thought about this on and off for years. I think there are many "reasons," but chief among them was VP's control issue. IMO he was a narcissist and everything revolved around him. He had to be in charge. An alternate perspective would take the spotlight away from his perspective, which was "accurate."
Only in a few casual "research" sessions with WJC and a few other "trusted" people, did I see him concede any ideas he might have had about a given verse...but only after it was made clear that he had "checked with the Father" that the "correction" was right. That maneuver still kept him in the authoritarian position he loved.
. . . .did I see him concede any ideas he might have had about a given verse...but only after it was made clear that he had "checked with the Father" that the "correction" was right. That maneuver still kept him in the authoritarian position he loved.
I really enjoy Hell on Wheels, not just for the idea of escaping from the ghosts of TWI, but from the current political atmosphere as well (both my grand-dads were railroad men)! Whose running this railroad!?! A good question INDEED!
I've thought about this on and off for years. I think there are many "reasons," but chief among them was VP's control issue. IMO he was a narcissist and everything revolved around him. He had to be in charge. An alternate perspective would take the spotlight away from his perspective, which was "accurate."
Only in a few casual "research" sessions with WJC and a few other "trusted" people, did I see him concede any ideas he might have had about a given verse...but only after it was made clear that he had "checked with the Father" that the "correction" was right. That maneuver still kept him in the authoritarian position he loved.
Yeah....wierwille was a narcissist and EVERYTHING revolved around him. Period.
Ding, ding, ding, ding......alarm bells should have been going off everywhere. IMO.......all those men like walter, vince, geer, lynn, townsend, etc. were just too intimidated to confront wierwille head-on. And, wierwille knew it! He projected this phoney spiritual-schtick that kept his inner circle mesmerized by his presence and deluded confidence. Wierwille was masking PRIDE.
The inner circle fed the mystique........the mystique fed the aura........and the aura fed the masses.
The cult of personality had been born. The wierwille ministry was built on the pride of man.
The red flags were flying and twi was just another religion, among many.
The works of man were implemented to justify one's righteousness.
Fast forward 30-some years later, and the FACTS COME TO LIGHT.......plagairism, sexual predation, fabricated revelations, drunkenness, etc.
and some wonder if the man manufactured his own version of speaking in tongues. The masses have exited and the twi auditorium echoes with
...all those men like walter, vince, geer, lynn, townsend, etc. were just too intimidated to confront wierwille head-on. And, wierwille knew it! He projected this phoney spiritual-schtick that kept his inner circle mesmerized by his presence and deluded confidence...
...and I believe Wierwille drove off anyone who wasn't a yes-man or yes-woman.
Every single one of the comments on this thread are tremendous with insight. I only wish I had seen those red flags. Not that I would have been any more capable than anyone else to do anything about it. The only serious thought along those lines I remember having was at the ROA or corpse week the first year 9th corps was in res. I remember thinking it would be nice to have a life where I could make the decisions on the direction I would choose to go. Of course, with all the indoctrination about being a doulos, that ended up being just a fleeting thought. I was still in my early 20s then and didn't have the life experience or insight to identify the list of red flags skyrider named. Even though in my late 50s, those all seem incredibly obvious.
Another point about this thread, it doesn't feel like complaining. Rather, it's genuine reflection on what we went through. Don't get me wrong. If someone wants or needs to express deep feelings about their experiences, I'm all for it.
Of course, with all the indoctrination about being a doulos, that ended up being just a fleeting thought. I was still in my early 20s then and didn't have the life experience or insight to identify the list of red flags skyrider named. Even though in my late 50s, those all seem incredibly obvious.
Yes, lack of life experience and insight kept us at a disadvantage. I cringe at all that but I try and remember that the indoctrination was powerful, at least for many of us. It kept so many of us hooked and unable to think critically about what we were doing.
Recently I re-met a person who tried to warn me about TWI in 1971. That person had done some homework and even back then, found one of VPW's early edition books, and realized the group would repress my freedom of expression (at the very least). This person described that 1971 version of myself as unable to self-reflect. I was so obstinant. Yes, that is a trait I've battled with all my life, but in my youth that was a huge factor in my inability to listen to a sound-minded person trying to get through to me. Specifically, the obstancy centered around the belief that GOD himself had led me to TWI. That trumped any reasoned thoughtfulness about the downside of dropping out of college and becoming the fanatic I grew to be. Thankfully, I now have a mature relationship with that long lost friend. I've been lucky they are so forgiving of my younger self!
I was still in my early 20s then and didn't have the life experience or insight to identify the list of red flags skyrider named. Even though in my late 50s, those all seem incredibly obvious.
Another point about this thread, it doesn't feel like complaining. Rather, it's genuine reflection on what we went through. Don't get me wrong. If someone wants or needs to express deep feelings about their experiences, I'm all for it.
Bravo to each of you.
Rocky.......that "life experience or insight" you mentioned was just homegrown, rural independence.
Raised on a wheat farm in rural America, milking cows, driving tractors at age 10, hunting pheasants and rabbits, riding motorcycles,
playing all the sports in the county high school,.......and fixing anything and everything required some thought and common sense.
During wheat harvest, it was common to work 15-hour days and watching the sunset turn to darkness before shutting down the combines
and heading home for the day.
So often, during those inrez corps days.......I would ponder, "Why can't we just go watch the sunset and enjoy the beauty of the Lord's
splendor painted across the sky? Is another night of teachings really all that important?"
Observing how wierwille and his corps coordinators herded the corps around during the corps program........groups, ALWAYS GROUPS.
It reminded me of my boyhood days of rounding up the sheep from the outer pasture. At one time, we had around 800 sheep.....years
of feeding, lambing, shearing, tending fences, etc. The corps were sheep.....hahaha.
I know, I know......why did I stay in the corps program?
sky, it's too bad wierwille never knew how to work a farm like you did - you have my respect
pens, glad you have that relationship again with your friend
but only after it was made clear that he had "checked with the Father" that the "correction" was right. That maneuver still kept him in the authoritarian position he loved.
did frikkin WJC buy into this?
sorry i should go back re-read
good point about his leaving the church for disagreeing, but then he wouldn't allow it pppfffftttttt
oh and ball state university
i guess by then he believed his own hype and so did his minions
pens, glad you have that relationship again with your friend
did frikkin WJC buy into this?
As far as I know, WJC bought it most of the time, but I can't speak for him. I can say that during the time I worked for him, he was loyal to VP, no doubt about it.
Well, you could always hitch your wagon to lil Vic's parade. He's got WOW, he's got LEAD, he's got a Corps (FellowLaborers), and, best of all, he's got a farm.... Yee Haw!
Fort Wayne had a wonderful, wild and crazy bunch of WOWs from '76.
TWIT opened the Rome City Campus, and had a great grand opening party.
And..
PIFFLE '77
Yes, the new, the improved, the updated,.... PIFFLE '77
We were looking forward to that. Muncie was only 70 miles away. Some wanted to attend, some wanted to serve there, all felt blessed.
Then VeePee announced that PIFFLE '77 would be organized and supervised by RosyLie Faux Drivenbarf
????!?!?
[At this time we pause for the sound of the needle arm skidding across the record.]
Who the hell was that???
I thought I knew most of the people at HQ,... ..didn't I... ?!?
Finally VeePee brings her up on stage.
That frumpy housedress, those 'sensible' shoes, that wrinkly frozen smile, those creepy beady eyes.
What the hell is that? I cringe.
That inner awareness I like to think of as discerning of spirits is running 153% on the creep-o-meter.
But then she opened her mouth, moved her tongue, her lips, her nasal cavities, and brayed.
And all that is beautiful, relaxing, musical, charming, and friendly, in our great southern drawl, was mocked,perverted,annihilated and brought to naught by that squeaky nasal abomination of all things human in a voice.
I was stunned, how could this be,... ??
It was the first time I really felt something might be wrong in TWIT.
Yes, lack of life experience and insight kept us at a disadvantage. I cringe at all that but I try and remember that the indoctrination was powerful, at least for many of us. It kept so many of us hooked and unable to think critically about what we were doing.
Recently I re-met a person who tried to warn me about TWI in 1971. That person had done some homework and even back then, found one of VPW's early edition books, and realized the group would repress my freedom of expression (at the very least). This person described that 1971 version of myself as unable to self-reflect. I was so obstinant. Yes, that is a trait I've battled with all my life, but in my youth that was a huge factor in my inability to listen to a sound-minded person trying to get through to me. Specifically, the obstinacy centered around the belief that GOD himself had led me to TWI. That trumped any reasoned thoughtfulness about the downside of dropping out of college and becoming the fanatic I grew to be. Thankfully, I now have a mature relationship with that long lost friend. I've been lucky they are so forgiving of my younger self!
Indeed, that indoctrination was powerful. I chuckle (only mildly) reading your description of the encounter in 1971 and your stubbornness. That WAS 41 years ago. I didn't learn anything about self-awareness, introspection and self-reflection until I was in my mid-30s. We were, most certainly just kids. Whatever led us to TWI certainly isn't as important as that we can reflect and re-evaluate our experience now.
Frankly, I also smile warmly at reading that description which to me is evidence that you've done a wonderful job at reflection and putting more of the pieces of the puzzle together now.
Same for Skyrider's description of life on the wheat farm.
My experience, on the other hand, was a more or less typical big city experience in a single parent family most of the time. My experiences were focused on academics and a couple of extra-curricular activities. Clarinet lessons in 4th grade; choir all four years of high school, drama club with minor forays into JV wrestling and baseball. Those experiences didn't give me the insight you got, Skyrider, but gave me a foundation upon which to understand life once I was exposed to it. And even some of the way corps in residence experience was beneficial, despite being less than optimal in how it was conducted.
Anyway, we are the sum total of our education and experiences up until today.
I'm also pretty thankful for greasespot and its predecessor forums for having given me a platform to develop my writing skills by writing about the 12 years I spent involved with TWI.
I have a book or two that are waiting to be written, though not likely about TWI.
Yes, lack of life experience and insight kept us at a disadvantage. I cringe at all that but I try and remember that the indoctrination was powerful,....
And......isolation and peer pressure were powerful enforcers, as well.
Wierwille had devised his corps indoctrination program in rigid isolation.....nearly a 24/7 world unto itself.
Isolation is a funny thing. You can be in the midst of a crowd and still be isolated. In FellowLaborers, our day started at 5:30 and ended at midnight. We lived together, went to morning fellowship together, ran "to the big tree and back" together, ate breakfast together, ate dinner together, worked the garden together, went to nightly fellowships together and so on. But, during the day, we were required to hold down a full time secular job, out in the world, as the saying goes. The sole purpose of going to that job, aside from the financial aspect, was to witness to coworkers, sign people up for PFAL and do whatever else we could to further the cause. If the job wasn't presenting enough opportunities to do that, we were supposed to find another one that would. Sometimes in our nightly twigs, we were called upon to elaborate on what we were doing in our worldly jobs to advance our goal. If we had leads, we turned them over to our twig leaders who in turn forwarded them to local twigs for followup. No dating outside the group. No fraternizing outside the group unless it was Way related. You weren't really even supposed to leave "the compound' without expressed permission. So, we weren't always physically isolated like the Corps but, psychologically, we were a closed corporation.
According to VPW, the great MOG with the small PUD, it must be a Wierwille running the railroad. It's genetics, dontcha know, this whole question of who is called out to lead.
No dating outside the group. No fraternizing outside the group unless it was Way related. You weren't really even supposed to leave "the compound' without expressed permission. So, we weren't always physically isolated like the Corps but, psychologically, we were a closed corporation.
See.....THAT'S the thing that was so striking in my experience.
Why couldn't a corps guy date....and/or marry a college division girl? Aren't they IN the same group?
Apparently not! Wierwille had devised a two-tier system.......corps and non-corps.
THAT is what I observed in 1978.
Oh, yeah.....you *could* marry a college division girl (as some did).....BUT THEN, you need to raise that person up
to the level of corps. When corps married a non-corps......he/she was designated as 'corps spouse.' And, by the 1990's,
such couples needed to go back in-rez to maintain the corps status.
So there you have it.......this farm kid's insight of wierwille's corps program in 1978.
All farm animals were equal......but SOME were more equal than others.
Recommended Posts
penworks
I've thought about this on and off for years. I think there are many "reasons," but chief among them was VP's control issue. IMO he was a narcissist and everything revolved around him. He had to be in charge. An alternate perspective would take the spotlight away from his perspective, which was "accurate."
Only in a few casual "research" sessions with WJC and a few other "trusted" people, did I see him concede any ideas he might have had about a given verse...but only after it was made clear that he had "checked with the Father" that the "correction" was right. That maneuver still kept him in the authoritarian position he loved.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
geisha779
That is just evil genius.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Steve Lortz
Slightly
I really enjoy Hell on Wheels, not just for the idea of escaping from the ghosts of TWI, but from the current political atmosphere as well (both my grand-dads were railroad men)! Whose running this railroad!?! A good question INDEED!
Love,
Steve
Edited by Steve LortzLink to comment
Share on other sites
skyrider
Yeah....wierwille was a narcissist and EVERYTHING revolved around him. Period.
Ding, ding, ding, ding......alarm bells should have been going off everywhere. IMO.......all those men like walter, vince, geer, lynn, townsend, etc. were just too intimidated to confront wierwille head-on. And, wierwille knew it! He projected this phoney spiritual-schtick that kept his inner circle mesmerized by his presence and deluded confidence. Wierwille was masking PRIDE.
The inner circle fed the mystique........the mystique fed the aura........and the aura fed the masses.
The cult of personality had been born. The wierwille ministry was built on the pride of man.
The red flags were flying and twi was just another religion, among many.
The works of man were implemented to justify one's righteousness.
Fast forward 30-some years later, and the FACTS COME TO LIGHT.......plagairism, sexual predation, fabricated revelations, drunkenness, etc.
and some wonder if the man manufactured his own version of speaking in tongues. The masses have exited and the twi auditorium echoes with
emptiness on sundays.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Steve Lortz
...and I believe Wierwille drove off anyone who wasn't a yes-man or yes-woman.
Love,
Steve
Edited by Steve LortzLink to comment
Share on other sites
OldSkool
A tradition that is alive and well today.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rocky
Every single one of the comments on this thread are tremendous with insight. I only wish I had seen those red flags. Not that I would have been any more capable than anyone else to do anything about it. The only serious thought along those lines I remember having was at the ROA or corpse week the first year 9th corps was in res. I remember thinking it would be nice to have a life where I could make the decisions on the direction I would choose to go. Of course, with all the indoctrination about being a doulos, that ended up being just a fleeting thought. I was still in my early 20s then and didn't have the life experience or insight to identify the list of red flags skyrider named. Even though in my late 50s, those all seem incredibly obvious.
Another point about this thread, it doesn't feel like complaining. Rather, it's genuine reflection on what we went through. Don't get me wrong. If someone wants or needs to express deep feelings about their experiences, I'm all for it.
Bravo to each of you.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
penworks
Yes, lack of life experience and insight kept us at a disadvantage. I cringe at all that but I try and remember that the indoctrination was powerful, at least for many of us. It kept so many of us hooked and unable to think critically about what we were doing.
Recently I re-met a person who tried to warn me about TWI in 1971. That person had done some homework and even back then, found one of VPW's early edition books, and realized the group would repress my freedom of expression (at the very least). This person described that 1971 version of myself as unable to self-reflect. I was so obstinant. Yes, that is a trait I've battled with all my life, but in my youth that was a huge factor in my inability to listen to a sound-minded person trying to get through to me. Specifically, the obstancy centered around the belief that GOD himself had led me to TWI. That trumped any reasoned thoughtfulness about the downside of dropping out of college and becoming the fanatic I grew to be. Thankfully, I now have a mature relationship with that long lost friend. I've been lucky they are so forgiving of my younger self!
Edited by penworksLink to comment
Share on other sites
skyrider
Rocky.......that "life experience or insight" you mentioned was just homegrown, rural independence.
Raised on a wheat farm in rural America, milking cows, driving tractors at age 10, hunting pheasants and rabbits, riding motorcycles,
playing all the sports in the county high school,.......and fixing anything and everything required some thought and common sense.
During wheat harvest, it was common to work 15-hour days and watching the sunset turn to darkness before shutting down the combines
and heading home for the day.
So often, during those inrez corps days.......I would ponder, "Why can't we just go watch the sunset and enjoy the beauty of the Lord's
splendor painted across the sky? Is another night of teachings really all that important?"
Observing how wierwille and his corps coordinators herded the corps around during the corps program........groups, ALWAYS GROUPS.
It reminded me of my boyhood days of rounding up the sheep from the outer pasture. At one time, we had around 800 sheep.....years
of feeding, lambing, shearing, tending fences, etc. The corps were sheep.....hahaha.
I know, I know......why did I stay in the corps program?
Must have been the girls......
Link to comment
Share on other sites
GeorgeStGeorge
Skyrider, this caught my eye:
"1) The cover-up of the failed pfal-updating -- ie PFAL '77"
I'm unaware of this. I mean, I saw "Changed," so I know about PFAL '77, but what about the "failed updating"?
Oh, and
"I know, I know......why did I stay in the corps program?
Must have been the girls......
"
I was able to resist the pressure to join the Corps, although the women always seemed pretty hot!
George
Link to comment
Share on other sites
skyrider
PFAL '77 was billed as a Live Class Presentation by Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille.....10 years after the original
1967 pfal class filming. Months leading up to PFAL '77, it was promoted as a last time you'll get a chance to
see vpw teach this class live.
On the corporate and promotional side of things, pfal NEEDED updating. With the clock ticking on wierwille's age,
it was time to get this done and UPDATED for 'the Word to move over the world.' Also, twi had invested heavily
into a/v equipment and cameras and joe c0ulter was the man of the hour to oversee this grand scale undertaking.
This class WAS going to replace the old version.....no doubt about it!
At Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana......PFAL '77 was welcomed with much hoopla and fanfare. As the live
class entered into the "Lights! Camera! Action!" phase.....the audience was instructed when to be quiet and when to
applaud. When wierwille told a joke.....laugh. The prompting of the audience was undeniable and panning the audience
was in play to give glimpses of wierwille's reach and impact to a future class somewhere.
Well, in the end......wierwille's teachings and performance didn't measure up to expectations. Behind closed doors, this class
was critiqued and discussed. The murmurings that leaked out a few months later were that this class was NOT going to replace
the 1967 pfal class. From a doctrinal, presentational and over-all better version?.....NOPE.
The Live PFAL '77 Class soon disappeared down the memory hole of its original intent....to replace the older version.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
excathedra
trying to remember everyone i want to respond to
sky, it's too bad wierwille never knew how to work a farm like you did - you have my respect
pens, glad you have that relationship again with your friend
did frikkin WJC buy into this?sorry i should go back re-read
good point about his leaving the church for disagreeing, but then he wouldn't allow it pppfffftttttt
oh and ball state university
i guess by then he believed his own hype and so did his minions
Link to comment
Share on other sites
penworks
As far as I know, WJC bought it most of the time, but I can't speak for him. I can say that during the time I worked for him, he was loyal to VP, no doubt about it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
skyrider
Yeah......ain't that a kicker?
Wierwille LEAVES his Van Wert Church to search for more truth......but when corps start LEAVING his ministry,
he raised a stink and starts name-calling. So, why can't corps LEAVE and search for more truth?
Was wierwille supposed to be the end-all in searching?
What if there was A HIGHER SUMMIT that I could have climbed if I'd never succombed to twi indoctrination?
Perhaps, twi burdened me with excess weight and non-essential stuff that inhibited my upward climb spiritually?
Twi is stuck in posthumously platitudes. <_<
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dabobbada
Posthumorous Platitudes... ?!? ...:huh:
Link to comment
Share on other sites
waysider
Well, you could always hitch your wagon to lil Vic's parade. He's got WOW, he's got LEAD, he's got a Corps (FellowLaborers), and, best of all, he's got a farm.... Yee Haw!
(I wouldn't recommend it, though.)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
skyrider
No thanks.......no sequel for me.
The first 'parade of fools' was enough to turn the stomach.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dabobbada
PIFFLE '77...
1977, what an interesting year.
Fort Wayne had a wonderful, wild and crazy bunch of WOWs from '76.
TWIT opened the Rome City Campus, and had a great grand opening party.
And..
PIFFLE '77
Yes, the new, the improved, the updated,.... PIFFLE '77
We were looking forward to that. Muncie was only 70 miles away. Some wanted to attend, some wanted to serve there, all felt blessed.
Then VeePee announced that PIFFLE '77 would be organized and supervised by RosyLie Faux Drivenbarf
????!?!?
[At this time we pause for the sound of the needle arm skidding across the record.]
Who the hell was that???
I thought I knew most of the people at HQ,... ..didn't I... ?!?
Finally VeePee brings her up on stage.
That frumpy housedress, those 'sensible' shoes, that wrinkly frozen smile, those creepy beady eyes.
What the hell is that? I cringe.
That inner awareness I like to think of as discerning of spirits is running 153% on the creep-o-meter.
But then she opened her mouth, moved her tongue, her lips, her nasal cavities, and brayed.
And all that is beautiful, relaxing, musical, charming, and friendly, in our great southern drawl, was mocked,perverted,annihilated and brought to naught by that squeaky nasal abomination of all things human in a voice.
I was stunned, how could this be,... ??
It was the first time I really felt something might be wrong in TWIT.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rocky
Indeed, that indoctrination was powerful. I chuckle (only mildly) reading your description of the encounter in 1971 and your stubbornness. That WAS 41 years ago. I didn't learn anything about self-awareness, introspection and self-reflection until I was in my mid-30s. We were, most certainly just kids. Whatever led us to TWI certainly isn't as important as that we can reflect and re-evaluate our experience now.
Frankly, I also smile warmly at reading that description which to me is evidence that you've done a wonderful job at reflection and putting more of the pieces of the puzzle together now.
Same for Skyrider's description of life on the wheat farm.
My experience, on the other hand, was a more or less typical big city experience in a single parent family most of the time. My experiences were focused on academics and a couple of extra-curricular activities. Clarinet lessons in 4th grade; choir all four years of high school, drama club with minor forays into JV wrestling and baseball. Those experiences didn't give me the insight you got, Skyrider, but gave me a foundation upon which to understand life once I was exposed to it. And even some of the way corps in residence experience was beneficial, despite being less than optimal in how it was conducted.
Anyway, we are the sum total of our education and experiences up until today.
I'm also pretty thankful for greasespot and its predecessor forums for having given me a platform to develop my writing skills by writing about the 12 years I spent involved with TWI.
I have a book or two that are waiting to be written, though not likely about TWI.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
skyrider
And......isolation and peer pressure were powerful enforcers, as well.
Wierwille had devised his corps indoctrination program in rigid isolation.....nearly a 24/7 world unto itself.
All housing on-grounds. Work, study, food, laundry, entertainment(?), etc........an indoctrinational bubble.
Sure, there were a few corps who slipped off-campus on a Saturday for a beer or two.
Some would stop and buy a donut during their early morning run......from their $20/month mandatory spending fund.
But really?.........every device was tipped in twi's scales to indoctrinate the corps.
Even date nights.....consisted of lunchtime announcements to "get a date" for an upcoming, in-house dance or movie.
When I was in-rez at Emporia, twi had a "college division" of students who had a whole different set of parameters.
For a few months, I was "dating" a college division girl.
And, even for corps.....THAT was even frowned upon.
Unequally yoked and all.....ya know.
:B)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
waysider
Isolation is a funny thing. You can be in the midst of a crowd and still be isolated. In FellowLaborers, our day started at 5:30 and ended at midnight. We lived together, went to morning fellowship together, ran "to the big tree and back" together, ate breakfast together, ate dinner together, worked the garden together, went to nightly fellowships together and so on. But, during the day, we were required to hold down a full time secular job, out in the world, as the saying goes. The sole purpose of going to that job, aside from the financial aspect, was to witness to coworkers, sign people up for PFAL and do whatever else we could to further the cause. If the job wasn't presenting enough opportunities to do that, we were supposed to find another one that would. Sometimes in our nightly twigs, we were called upon to elaborate on what we were doing in our worldly jobs to advance our goal. If we had leads, we turned them over to our twig leaders who in turn forwarded them to local twigs for followup. No dating outside the group. No fraternizing outside the group unless it was Way related. You weren't really even supposed to leave "the compound' without expressed permission. So, we weren't always physically isolated like the Corps but, psychologically, we were a closed corporation.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
OperaBuff
All aboard the Mystery Train!! Chooo Chooo!!
Check out this page of a wonderful blog produced by another ex-TWIer. Look at "Chapter VIII: The Meeting: Part III" towards the bottom of the page.
http://soulfeet.word.../camp-gunnison/
According to VPW, the great MOG with the small PUD, it must be a Wierwille running the railroad. It's genetics, dontcha know, this whole question of who is called out to lead.
Choooo Choooo!!!!
Link to comment
Share on other sites
skyrider
See.....THAT'S the thing that was so striking in my experience.
Why couldn't a corps guy date....and/or marry a college division girl? Aren't they IN the same group?
Apparently not! Wierwille had devised a two-tier system.......corps and non-corps.
THAT is what I observed in 1978.
Oh, yeah.....you *could* marry a college division girl (as some did).....BUT THEN, you need to raise that person up
to the level of corps. When corps married a non-corps......he/she was designated as 'corps spouse.' And, by the 1990's,
such couples needed to go back in-rez to maintain the corps status.
So there you have it.......this farm kid's insight of wierwille's corps program in 1978.
All farm animals were equal......but SOME were more equal than others.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
skyrider
When twi's claim of being "God's true household" is tested with specifics......it fails miserably.
Where are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers......in twi?
Why is wierwille's "new light" still being recyled nearly 50 years later? Is there any OTHER 'new light?'
No prophets either?
No evangelists?
In fact, if a true evangelist proclaims and reaches new converts to the gospel of the lord Jesus Christ....NOT just twi-recruits.....
twi is at a loss of evangelists, as well.
Heck, one could easily make the case that twi doesn't have any pastors or teachers, either.
Or, never did.
<_<
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.