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The Epistle of Chris Geer to the Americans: 1989


Raf
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I remember at least once posting about what I called "The Epistle of Chris Geer to the Americans."

I remember people being astonished that Geer would have the arrogance and gall to write an epistle. I owe Geer an apology in that regard, as the use of the word "epistle" was my choice, not his, and epistle is, after all, just another word for "letter."

So Chris Geer wrote a letter to Americans shortly after the 1989 schism.

That letter is posted on GS, and has been for a while. I don't know that I ever acknowledged that this letter was the very document I referred to as "The Epistle of Chris Geer to the Americans."

In any event, and for what it's worth, enjoy. Or don't. ;)

http://www.greasespotcafe.com/main2/waydale/waydale-miscellaneous/chris-geer-explains-what-happened-in-the-way-via-his-considerations-newsletter.html

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I remember at least once posting about what I called "The Epistle of Chris Geer to the Americans."

I remember people being astonished that Geer would have the arrogance and gall to write an epistle. I owe Geer an apology in that regard, as the use of the word "epistle" was my choice, not his, and epistle is, after all, just another word for "letter."

So Chris Geer wrote a letter to Americans shortly after the 1989 schism.

That letter is posted on GS, and has been for a while. I don't know that I ever acknowledged that this letter was the very document I referred to as "The Epistle of Chris Geer to the Americans."

In any event, and for what it's worth, enjoy. Or don't. ;)

http://www.greasespo...newsletter.html

Chris Geer was so inept and confused himself - he was really the perfect tool, literally. No one could have bumbled their way through a so called effort to "help" others better than he did. He made a bull in a china shop seem like a ballet dancer in a field of wheat.

I am not the only one who felt upon hearing that he had shown up in Craig's lap with a list of posthumous belly aches from VP that we were in for a long, bumpy, ugly and smelly ride.

He's not unlike Lynn and others of that ilk - he admits later rather disingenuously that he was "poorly equipped" to carry out the work he was commissioned to do ("Oh woe is me, the burdened inadequate messenger who tried so hard!") while pointing his fat doughy finger of condemnation at anyone who ever had the misfortune to hear his voice. As with Lynn who raked VP and others over the COALS for their misconduct while dusting himself off as the now humbly and newly regenerated and so conveniently reinvented Teacher who had himself done wrong but who was all mo' better, just like that.

I think Geer cast himself in a romantic light, all drama and no substance. I never saw - not one - even a single statement - that stated clearly 1. what he thought was "wrong" with the Way and 2. what anyone was supposed to "do" to fix that. There was plenty wrong with the Way and lots that could be done to fix it but he resisted all efforts to nail it down to specific changes and rather kept pushing an agenda of being 1. "on the Word", 2. Following the "man of God", who was now actually dead and 3. returning to "The Word".

He turned any opportunity for positive change into a dithering whirlwind of condemnation and confusion, ultimately doing the exact opposite of what he said he wanted to do.

Or exactly what he really wanted to do - shove it in the crotch of the Way Nash people he despised so much one last time, for good.

Not to be too harsh, just sayin'....:biglaugh:

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In any event, and for what it's worth, enjoy. Or don't.;)

lol

i enjoyed that (years ago) about as much as i enjoyed him being a bus driver and serving the moogie moggie by serving me drinks

fortunately for me the psycho's last tape was the last i ever heard

--

he was a sick human being long before he wrote that letter or made his tape on the failure of the way corps

i don't know if i feel up to repeating what he did

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Geer was a caricature of the Euro Sneer once he got over there.

I met him when we were very young, in New York, long before any of this. I was about 20, he was probably in his teens. He was a dick then too.

That's mean to say, I know, but he was insulting to people, looked down on every one of us from the West Coast, for no reason at all. Where all the NY believers were open and loving, in that fun way you are when you're young, he already had taken on the role of the outcast. His family upbringing was less than desirable, I understand.

Join the club. The world sucks. We make our way better as we go or we make it worse. For one who had "the Word" at his disposal I suppose he did the best he could.

He was always respectful to me, one on one, though. But in a crowd he'd adopt that bulldog scowl and demeanor. I found over the years there that often people would become one way around me, and then another around the larger population of the Way. This often happened around Joyful Noise in general. Not to sound self serving but in a way I think we allowed people to have a space where they didn't have to "be" whatever they thought they were in the Way Nash World and could just be themselves for a while. Sometimes, some people, that's the way it would go. Then later, back to business.

Geer - I guess he felt he had to toughen up around "the man of God". I really don't know what went on between them but I suspect VP gave him love and access and Geer lapped it up and stood guard because he treasured that. That's just my arm chair psyche though, nothing more.

He ransacked the Way Nash of the U. S. though.

Look at Craig, Mr. Believer Himself. Big Shot, Corps Dude #1, the Man, Karl Kratos, Demon Slayer, Satan look out can a man get a witness get on the Good Foot now, it's Craig, he's bad he's bad you know it, yowwww!!!!

One day with Geer a year after VP died and Craig turned into a self-doubting whimpering failure, unsure of doing anything under Geer's shadow.

That was some strong medicine Geer brought with him, y'know? If ever there was evidence of a spiritually orchestrated affair, that was Dancing with Daimon, those two.

But that's long gone now. I just have always had the impression that he was a very heavy soul that needed to be free. And while I may sound harsh here - hey. I wish him deliverance. People change. Both he and his wife have suffered health failures, and no doubt suffer intensely.

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I really don't know what went on between them but I suspect VP gave him love and access and Geer lapped it up and stood guard because he treasured that.

I think it was more than that. I think the vicster could manipulate light to some degree.. take of this what you will.. it's just a (direct) observation.

and the result.. geero, lynn, f*ser, etc. were basically spiritually castrated.. I don't know about f*nnegan..

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Name & Registered Office:

WORD PROMOTIONS LIMITED

C/O ALEXANDER SLOAN, CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

38 CADOGAN STREET

GLASGOW

G2 7HF

Company No. SC140876

spacer.gifspacer.gifspacer.gifspacer.gif Status: Active

Date of Incorporation: 22/10/1992

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Company Type: Private Limited Company

Nature of Business (SIC):

58110 - Book publishing

Accounting Reference Date: 31/08

Last Accounts Made Up To: 31/08/2011 (TOTAL EXEMPTION SMALL)

Next Accounts Due: 31/05/2013

Last Return Made Up To: 22/10/2011

Next Return Due: 19/11/2012

Last Members List: 22/10/2011

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  • 4 months later...
  • 3 months later...

i hear you, outie. i can't remember which came first -- that paper -- or the tape that was sent out to say "we" as in way corps of USA had destroyed "the ministry" or something along those lines. which happened first? anyone know?

not that it really matters lol

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i hear you, outie. i can't remember which came first -- that paper -- or the tape that was sent out to say "we" as in way corps of USA had destroyed "the ministry" or something along those lines. which happened first? anyone know?

not that it really matters lol

"We" did NOT destroy "the ministry." Wierwille did, by building it on sand instead of the actual Word of God.

Love,

Steve

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Excanesta, the way I remember it is thus. Ly:

Early 1986, maybe around Jan - Feb - I got a call from someone at the Way Nash, then my wife got a call, and the people were asking if and what we knew about a "book", a "paper" written by Geer. They described it as a "tell all" thing, named names, was the posthumous remarks, comments, last months of and recorded legacy of VPW, written by Geer. It had been read to the Way Corps at the Way Nash that week by Craig who had gone ballistic, literally. He was talking about how messed up everything and everyone was - they told me that he had made the statement that if it was "this bad" it was "MALPAK" time, time to hit the road and get out. It sounded a little over the edge, to us.

I/we knew nothing about such a paper/book, that was the first we'd heard about it or anything like it. Assorted tapes were bootlegged out for a few months after that, as the Way's Region and Limb bosses and assorted management types were called in and met with, and the blubbering was well under way by that year's Corps week and ROA, as you may remember.

I remember it somewhat - clearly - because I could understand what was happening at the Way Nash, having lived there. We spoke to people that next few months and it sounded like a hayride in a hell - paranoia, fear, constant diatribes against this person or that, every week a new person vilified for anything imaginable, then someone else lauded to the heavens for their great Stand On The Word. And nobody knew that the f they were really talking about - nothing had changed, really - the only thing that changed was how we thought. Everything done up to that point was done. Once anyone got squared up with that simple reality the future was and is the only thing left to consider.

It was kindergarten Kristianity, and very difficult to get a grip on what was happening there and throughout the country as everyone suddenly - it was like the cap blew off a bottle of soda that had been shaken up for years and now WHOOOOOOSH!!!!!! and there was no going back in the bottle.

I had a copy of the POP papier sent to me, a copy of a copy of a clandeestinely smuggled scratched out copy of some notes from the tapes - which reminds me that there were people suddenly buying pallets - I was told this but don't know if it's true - but pallets of cassette tapes so they could start copying everything they could get their hands on, and they were doing exactly that. It was like a war zone and Memorex was the infantry weapon on the ground.

But once I got my eyes on the actual information it seemed a little....thin....and more than a little....self serving. Sure it was meaningful to the time and the people, all of us. But it wasn't worth losing much sleep over.

VPW had been sick for years before he died. In fact, the overall time of the Way under his acting leadership was relatively short, from the formal filming of PFAL in 1967 to his death in 1985. In fact it could be argued he really only put in about 12 - 13 really active years as President of the Way before he was hampered by illness. Sure, the Way times their history back decades before that but "The Way" we came in contact with, the guy in the skinny black suit wiping his schnozz and saying "Dot's RIGHT!" every 5 minutes really memorialized in 1967 - and then quickly became outdated within about 2 years. He was reinventing himself very quickly, then.

You know I don't write off all of my years and work I did with others, what I learned and the wonderful people I met like yourself. But I lost my rose colored glasses long ago. It burns some people that I'm so blunt about it while valuing the Word of God and the relationships I gained. But I do, to me there's no conflict left, "it is what it is" and was, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I only have one thing left now, and that's more than enough for me.

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Excanesta, the way I remember it is thus. Ly:

You know I don't write off all of my years and work I did with others, what I learned and the wonderful people I met like yourself. But I lost my rose colored glasses long ago. It burns some people that I'm so blunt about it while valuing the Word of God and the relationships I gained. But I do, to me there's no conflict left, "it is what it is" and was, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I only have one thing left now, and that's more than enough for me.

That sums it up for me too.

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had a copy of the POP papier sent to me, a copy of a copy of a clandeestinely smuggled scratched out copy of some notes from the tapes - which reminds me that there were people suddenly buying pallets - I was told this but don't know if it's true - but pallets of cassette tapes so they could start copying everything they could get their hands on, and they were doing exactly that. It was like a war zone and Memorex was the infantry weapon on the ground.

They went nutzo with this. Not only buying tapes, but high speed tape duplicators. The one corpse guy I knew who bought one also bought a closet or two of cheap sixty minute cassette tapes, bulk, without cases. They were not good enough quality to record music on..

When the hoopla settled down, he was trying to figure out how to sell a couple closets full of useless, cheap sixty minute cassettes..

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Heard that Rejoice.

Yes! I remember that ham, hearing about the duplicators someone, some people, got.

Nuts.

Y'know, we never know more than what we know, no matter what we think we know. The future has a way of calibrating everything, it's The Ultimate Validator, more than the past, because we can re write that to be anything, the second it's over. But the Future - that's the rubber hitting road.

If there's rubber and a road to hit - like the tapes and tape dupers....who would have known we could put the entire Way library into a thing smaller than a box of Kleenex? Or imagined what the proecesses would be to do that?

We had Geer's paper read to us at Corps week, that summer, if memory serves - right? The entire eye glazing, drool inspiring thing, word for freaking word. You did that, you didn't do that, you never really loved me, you never really believed, you, you you you. It was like being at a Women's Rights for Sheep NOW! festival.

I was glad to be a smoker then, as it gave me that moment to get up, kind of nod this way and that and work my way out of that hay baled sweltering humidified box of canvas tenting and get out to the muggy August air and share some healthy tobacco exhalant.

Now I think the POP paper is in all kinds of media......POP paper plates and picnic plastic ware, all branded "POP" with useful quotes engraved in......POP Goes The Pool! hoop toss games for summer swimming fun......

How about POP greeting cards with messages like:

"So sorry you're not feeling well....GET BETTER SOON YOU UNBELIEVING DAIMON HOTEL".

"Happy Birthday! Another year to fail your Father in the Word! God bless!!"

"My condolences on your recent loss....NOT REALLY, IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT!!"

"CONGRATULATIONS! I guess you finally decided to listen to me! You owe me $$$, stop stealing from God you thief!!!"

Sorry, this isnt' exactly epistle material, raf.

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POP Greeting Cards - "for when just saying you suck wont' do".

I think the condolences cards would be a big seller as times of illness and death are when Geer heads will really want to stick it to people, when they're the most vulnerable and in need of support.

"Sorry for your loss....too bad, they'd be alive if it wasn't for your believing! "

"To everything there is a season - except for your apathetic disbelief of God's wonderful matchless prevailing Word, you do that all the time and so people die like this!"

"I was going to send a donation to their favorite charity......then I remembered God would want the money to go to a ministry that was really doing great work in His Word. So I kept it. Get better quick. Or whatever the problem is, believe for it to go away. Or if they're dead just move on. Soon. You're welcome"...........

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Way greetings cards... hilarious. Great topic for another thread, perhaps.

Not quite CG's letter to the Americans, more like general Waybrain, though. Not sure CG had the wit to think up such comments - he had the spite, though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not having been Corps, etc., my perspective of the post-POP days is somewhat different.

I was a Twig Leader (I think we were still Leaders, then, not Coordinators...); and every TL meeting with the Branch Leader began with a statement like: "Chris Geer says things are a little better at HQ this week." I'd ask, "What things? How better? What measurement?" As a scientist, I found the lack of a systematic approach very frustrating. (And this was LONG before "Six Sigma"!) My BL couldn't give answers, because he didn't know any. It's apparent that NO ONE had any answers. I guess it's, I don't know, comforting, that you guys at HQ were as clueless as the rest of us. :rolleyes:

George

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oh i love you socks :knuddel: thank you

and of course all you other posters

one thing i do remember is that when THE tape was played from psycho geer at limb headquarters for corps grads (hush hush double triple hush), i spoke up and said how guilty i was -- for what i have nofrikking idea

then either joe fair or ralph graham i forget they were like twins at the time said something like "WHAT ARE YOU GUILTY OF"??????? and i said, "damn, i don't know"

after that we went back to "our people" lol and they asked what was going on and we told them everything that happend at the limb meeting with that tape and all

i'll try to remember what happened next, but honestly, who the F cares?

mwah

ps. i cannot believe i was ready to jump on the guilty wagon KNOWING what a FWAD geer was

i'm just an i-don't-know-what

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