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Loathing the Overlords


skyrider
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1978

When I went in-residence corps....

At Emporia Campus, when wierwille came to visit/teach.....the corps coordinators instructed us

to line the circle driveway and greet the motorcoach with huge, fanfare adulation. This

over-the-top fawning was just one more nail in the mog-doctrine, imo.

My in-residence twig was one of two international corps twigs on campus.....one Venezuelan,

one Canadian, a married couple from Great Britain, and a New Yorker (and 6 or 7 regular joes) ---

and just before Christmas break it was announced that a small staff would stay on campus to assist

those "who had NO PLACE TO GO" for Christmas. Why didn't wierwille and his lieutenants charter

a small bus, or something, and invite these INTERNATIONAL GUESTS/CORPS to hq rather than leave

them abandoned on an empty campus, in an empty cafeteria, during the holidays?

Where's this "household love?" Where's the compassion?

So....I phoned my parents and we extended a gracious welcome to David & Ruth Th0mas (from UK)

to spend eight or nine days with us. My parents bought them presents, were gracious in every

way....and my Dad thoroughly enjoyed having guests from Great Britain in his home.

I don't know why this bothered me so. It was just ANOTHER example of twi-hypocrisy

that I began to see up close my first year in-residence.

Truth be told.....I had somewhat pondered NOT RETURNING TO THE CORPS PROGRAM AFTER CHRISTMAS

so, this small extension of "looking out for the little guy" [and not myself, by bolting] totally changed

the trajectory of my life.

.

Edited by skyrider
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You misunderstood my post. I wasn't shifting or steering poo away from, or around him (and I'm probably much more aware of how "the ministry" evolved than you appear to be giving me credit for.) When I ask whether or not it "originated" with him did not mean that I thought it somehow magically "avoided" him. I see it as passing through him. Yes, he could have stopped it (as can be said of us all.) But he didn't.

It wasn't simply a matter of him not stopping it. He instigated and perpetuated it. The overlords who followed were less skilled in disguising it.

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Basing your life on loving your family and community and serving out of love seems a much more worthy endeavor.

Yes, in this case, I do see it as "either/or."

Exactly right.

Guess I've always leaned on the practical side of life, more than the doctrinal.

Probably comes from my upbringing more than about anything else.

The farmer in me says......"Show Me the Fruit of My Labor!"

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Skyrider said "At Emporia Campus, when wierwille came to visit/teach.....the corps coordinators instructed us

to line the circle driveway and greet the motorcoach with huge, fanfare adulation. This

over-the-top fawning was just one more nail in the mog-doctrine, imo.

My in-residence twig was one of two international corps twigs on campus.....one Venezuelan,

one Canadian, a married couple from Great Britain, and a New Yorker (and 6 or 7 regular joes) ---

and just before Christmas break it was announced that a small staff would stay on campus to assist

those "who had NO PLACE TO GO" for Christmas. Why didn't wierwille and his lieutenants charter

a small bus, or something, and invite these INTERNATIONAL GUESTS/CORPS to hq rather than leave

them abandoned on an empty campus, in an empty cafeteria, during the holidays?

Where's this "household love?" Where's the compassion?

So....I phoned my parents and we extended a gracious welcome to David & Ruth Th0mas (from UK)

to spend eight or nine days with us. My parents bought them presents, were gracious in every

way....and my Dad thoroughly enjoyed having guests from Great Britain in his home.

I don't know why this bothered me so. It was just ANOTHER example of twi-hypocrisy

that I began to see up close my first year in-residence.

Truth be told.....I had somewhat pondered NOT RETURNING TO THE CORPS PROGRAM AFTER CHRISTMAS

so, this small extension of "looking out for the little guy" [and not myself, by bolting] totally changed

the trajectory of my life."..... Whilst I understand what you're saying Skyrider, as 'International Corps' at Indiana campus, we relished pretty much having free reign of the campus, helping ourselves to the walk in frige/freezers in kitchen and sleep ins etc....no 'overlords', it was grand !! :biglaugh:/>/>

Edited by Allan
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Whilst I understand what you're saying Skyrider, as 'International Corps' at Indiana campus,

we relished pretty much having free reign of the campus, helping ourselves to the walk in

frige/freezers in kitchen and sleep ins etc....no 'overlords', it was grand !! :biglaugh:/>/>/>

Okay.....fair enough.

But why does it have to be an "ALL or NOTHING tradeoff?....as in full-tilt, gung-ho involvement

versus left alone and sleep in and do what you want?

Why do "overlords" NOT understand moderation?

Why do "overlords" NOT understand space, boundaries or privacy?

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Why do "overlords" NOT understand moderation?

Why do "overlords" NOT understand space, boundaries or privacy?

Because the head of the subculture did not understand, respect or honor anyone's space, boundaries or privacy. That's my observation.

Though perhaps your question was rhetorical. ;)

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Because the head of the subculture did not understand, respect or honor anyone's space, boundaries or privacy. That's my observation.

Though perhaps your question was rhetorical. ;)/>

Yep, looks like we're preaching to the choir, Rocky. :biglaugh:

But....when I invited David and Ruth Th0mas to my parents' home for the holidays

it was a gesture of love, concern and giving. They received gifts, love, plenty

of food, and a heaping serving of good ole rural America....instead of the

stone-cold, empty campus buildings.

And, yes.....they slept in and had plenty of privacy.

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Year after year, I just couldn't walk in lockstep with the "wierwille doctrine"

that ran, imo, cross-purposes with individual responsibility and common sense.

My loathing of twi-leadership had been building for years....and going

in-residence AND my staff years only solidified my conceptions.

On another thread, I detailed some of this cumulative dichotomy....

Ever notice how much of wierwille's idioms [ie hand in a glove, way tree,

cop out] were not based on scripture?

To me, I just refuted wierwille's binary fixation throughout my involvement:

1) Why should I put away all my other reading material after pfal? I was in college.

2) Why would I disown or marginalize my parents? Scripture says to honor father and mother.

3) Why heap disparagingly on other Christians? Aren't they, too, in the One Body?

4) Why have the dichotomy between corps vs non-corps? I really liked a College Division girl.

5) Why publically castigate corps/clergy in a meeting? Bully tactics and character smears.

6) Why overload hqs with hundreds of corps and clergy? Weren't we trying to "reach the world?"

7) Why close down Word in Business conferences and Word in Culture achievements? Why indeed?

8) Why the hoarding of $64 MILLION when followers are just scraping by? Exploitation indeed.

Wierwille's Binary Fixation

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I will stick to the thread: "overlords". My wife to be and I were way folk (WOW's) my WOW year was over and she was in the last month of her college WOW year, we were very committed to the cause but fell outa favor (details are irrelivant) with the 5th corp interim branch leader who informed all in the branch that they were not to attent our marriage. A couple of the older twig ladies told em to stick it and came to the wedding. The overlord/corp branch leader was outa touch with folks in the branch but exhibited enough authority such that no one else came to the wedding. Within a years time we cut all relations with twi except for the sponsorship of folks in the 6th corp. Yes, it was a blessing in disguise - it made for a quick and touching understanding of how the leadership had ship for brains and never again trust anyone from the corp. Like I said, within the year, all ties with twi were cut. That overlord concept rings a bell, feudalism; inept corp folk sent into the area that ended up destroyin the area - yes, folks understood the overlord persona of them and left. Later many folks said that they had wished they had come to the wedding: fear is the strength of an overlord.

Yes, I stated this scenario about a year ago but in light of the overlord aspect, I saw it all anew.

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I normally don't much post on this forum anymore but this particular topic touched my ire on the power of an inept piece of ship/overlord stepping into my personal life. Especially given that I had put off her sexual advances and then she goes on to entice and win over another man in the branch, a man with a family and also a friend of mine - he bled his heart out to me about the matter. So much for the corp folk on the interem year, just getting their desires met: they were in all reality the overlords like stated in the Lead Zepplin song - Imigrants Song. I am sick that I did not call it game earlier cause in the previous year, my WOW year, I already saw it with my then 4th corp branch leader. Yeh, if you see stuff and say anything then you are "bucking God" but that's a subject for another forum thread. I determined never again to be a coward and that ship heads such as that did not represent God.

Sorry for the long read, it's off my chest - once again. Makes me wonder why after soo many decades this still bugs me. Not sure I could share this anywhere else, who would understand?

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. . . fear is the strength of an overlord.

. . .

No, fear can be very healthy. Probably ignorance is better. Or a good imagination crossed with delusion.

Not important.

We now have "fear and loathing" the overlords.

Anyone from a Las Vegas Limb? This is important. . .

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I disagree: fear is never healthy. Courage is the state of overcoming fear but courage is a personal thing.

Dealing with overlords became simple - leave.

As they (the idiotic interm corp) go back off their interim corp year I am going about my double career; twi leaders become the new dregs on society.

Yes, twi corp folk lost an abudance of time in their lives: how's that abundant life going?

No meaning to offend but in my simple mind, being twi corp = losers; working at HQ in admin = pity folks.

Bottom line: I appreciate knowledge from folks here who did or were assocciated with Biblical research since it helps fill in holes and allows advancement onto other issues. What that means is that I respect your opinions but am confused by your dissing of other folks who helped develop that research, that's hypochritical.

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Two good posts at #39 and 40, MRAP. Glad you were able to get out. "Ship" on those who banned your friends and guests from attending your wedding.

Despite what we were taught - fear can be healthy inasmuch as it gets us to think about what's going on. And having thought, we can decide to fight or flee.

But like so many of our "gut responses" this is one we were taught very early in PFAL to ignore. So the "unease" (aka "red flags") that we had was quashed before it got to full-grown fear of leadership (because that would be giving place to the devil). And, unseen and hidden, it became a fear of doing or saying the wrong thing.

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I will stick to the thread: "overlords". My wife to be and I were way folk (WOW's) my WOW year was over and she was in the last month of her college WOW year, we were very committed to the cause but fell outa favor (details are irrelivant) with the 5th corp interim branch leader who informed all in the branch that they were not to attent our marriage. A couple of the older twig ladies told em to stick it and came to the wedding. The overlord/corp branch leader was outa touch with folks in the branch but exhibited enough authority such that no one else came to the wedding. Within a years time we cut all relations with twi except for the sponsorship of folks in the 6th corp. Yes, it was a blessing in disguise - it made for a quick and touching understanding of how the leadership had ship for brains and never again trust anyone from the corp. Like I said, within the year, all ties with twi were cut. That overlord concept rings a bell, feudalism; inept corp folk sent into the area that ended up destroyin the area - yes, folks understood the overlord persona of them and left. Later many folks said that they had wished they had come to the wedding: fear is the strength of an overlord.

Yes, I stated this scenario about a year ago but in light of the overlord aspect, I saw it all anew.

Yes...."That overlord concept rings a bell."

1976....(or thereabouts, 5th corps interim year) and twi-overlords were pushing people around

and telling others NOT to attend your wedding. Yeah, and....same goes for funerals. I had a

region guy [boob Moneyhands], from another region, tell me NOT to allow this "mark/avoid"

brother to attend his own sister's funeral.

All the dots connect back to wierwille.

Corps were trained indoctrinated to follow wierwille-mandates at every level. Remember,

martindale was installed as 2nd president and given the "spiritual mantle"......BECAUSE (drum roll)

he never asked wierwille how high, he just jumped at command.

See, wierwille hand-picked his leaders and groomed them into HIS image. Martindale was the corps

director and commanded campus corps coordinators to follow specific directives. The corps were

trained and molded in this chain of command system......NOT in the steps of Jesus Christ.

Wierwille was a bully and a charlatan. Start from there and test your hypothesis.

.

Edited by skyrider
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I disagree: fear is never healthy. Courage is the state of overcoming fear but courage is a personal thing.

Dealing with overlords became simple - leave.

. . .

:offtopic:

I'm sure there's a thread on the topic here somewhere. Might be worth looking into. I wouldn't say fear is never healthy.

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Fear is what gives rise to the fight or flight instinct. When we ignored that, during our time in The Way, we cast ourselves into unhealthy situations, such as allowing ourselves to be lorded over by people who didn't have our best interests at heart. For as much talk as we heard about listening to that small inner voice, you would think we should have known better. Ironically, however, we were taught to ignore the REAL inner voice and wait for "revelation". People literally died trying to follow that advise. Fear could have spared them from death.

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Fear is what gives rise to the fight or flight instinct. When we ignored that, during our time in The Way, we cast ourselves into unhealthy situations, such as allowing ourselves to be lorded over by people who didn't have our best interests at heart. For as much talk as we heard about listening to that small inner voice, you would think we should have known better. Ironically, however, we were taught to ignore the REAL inner voice and wait for "revelation". People literally died trying to follow that advise. Fear could have spared them from death.

Oh yeah......"we were taught to ignore the REAL inner voice and wait for 'revelation.'"

Time and time again, I kept putting questions and concerns on "the back burner" [in abeyance]

per the guidance in pfal. Heck, even in my first pfal class.....I pondered why wierwille's

speaking in tongues was so dang repetitive.

Fast forward to Dealing with the Adversary class:

The four fronts of the devil...1)yourself, 2)others, 3)religion, & 4)environment(?)

Translation of messaging: You can NOT trust your own thinking and judgment of spiritual things

especially when you are a neophyte. You've got to rely on leadership who teaches "the word."

What a slick con.

Seems like this con came full circle.....when wierwille died of cancer, having taught in his

advanced (cough, cough) classes that cancer is a devil spirit, a life of its own. So, was

wierwille possessed when he died?

After all, we all know that everything he taught was "the word." :anim-smile:

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"Seems like this con came full circle.....when wierwille died of cancer, having taught in his

advanced (cough, cough) classes that cancer is a devil spirit, a life of its own. So, was

wierwille possessed when he died?"

You have 2 options here. There may be more. These 2 come to mind. Option (1): We were following the teachings of a possessed man. Option (2): All that devil possession stuff was hogwash..... So, then, what else might have been hogwash?.... It's a gen-u-whine dilemma, I tells ya.

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