Just finished up this ministers introduction teaching to his cults class.
The back story is real interesting. Apparently he and his wife prior to 2007 attended a Way fellowship and both found it weird.
After this they found the Baptist church they are now part of, they say got born again and since followed a calling into preaching although he says he would rather do music and it’s Gods joke.
As an intro it sets common characteristics of cults, which is looking at how they operate similarly, or as Jesus stated looking at the fruit rather than the words.
Interesting stuff. I like this teacher and will listen to more of his stuff. I do not 100% agree with anything before trying it in a crucible.
Finished up the S2 video which is the part 2 of the cults class intro.
One approach I have seen with these is that they take a view of looking at what is common in the functioning of cults. Focus on the patterns.
in S2 the young teacher talks about how all cults need a workforce of free proselytizing members to survive. Examples include 2 year Mormon mission. Also similar is the Jehovahs Witnesses approach of mandatory service which is the door to door people. And of course of note is the way ambassador re kick off and emphasis.
So it seems regardless of the teaching doctrine, which can be as widely dispersed as Mormons, JWs , and Scientology which has nothing in common with Christianity, cults operate in remarkably similar ways.
The teaching gave a bunch of points how they function and served as a warning to members to take a look at the functioning to identify cult tendencies.
Pretty wild. Same MO, different doctrines.
Im not linking these any more you can find related to above links if interested.
ok watching this session I think the JWs are like the big brother example to the Way in how they function.
They have 1.3 million followers, a lot larger in the US than the Way ever hoped to be - the Ways numbers in USA were like 2500 or so - even if that was 4x underestimated the order of magnitude of the JWs is a lot larger. They have 13000 Kingdom Halls built around the world.
Everything is centrally controlled in NY the Watchtower society. They put out the awake publication which features teachings by the “diligent and faithful servants” who are the Watchtower society.
They keep all central records and tabs on people.
Local Kingdom Halls are driven by leadership who schedules service for the people - door to door witnessing. Members are supposed to do duty witnessing for Jehovah. Their org structure is pretty much a sales quota type of activity organization.
The Way also set up the USA trunk office to function in a similar fashion with Sales quotas, all set up by a former salesman Bo Reahard. Instructions today carry the same kind of direction - endeavor to run a class at designated times per year - 2-3 classes - quota based expansion by free labor proselytizers. Organized service or witnessing accosting people in malls in public and door to door. I participated in this nonsense for over 20 years.
One weird similarity to me between the Way and the Watchtower society seems to me that they use the same brainwashed looking stick figure people art on all their publications.
Awake has all these childrens coloring book like figures in it. Half the yearly posters for the Way have the same weird looking non life like cartoons depicting people with Stepford wife smiles.
Is there something about cults that make people want to draw weird cartoon pictures of people?
So JWs have their own Bible version put out by the Watchtower society. They bill it as more accurate than the other translations due to the inspired efforts of the “faithful and diligent servants” translating it.
The Way doesn’t do this, instead they have an unhealthy attachment to the king jimmy KJV which uses mostly outdated language. This way they can hide in plain view like a denomination while slicing up scripture like the JWs in their edition. Also of note the statement of beliefs put out by the Way also hides behind similar words to a denominational mainstream Christian statement of belief. So you would think nothing of it unless you question what is meant by the beliefs behind the statement of belief.
Things that are out front disguised as other things are for one purpose, even in nature. To deceive.
This is a failed decision of a Mormon Apostle. I think that is a very common occurrence in cults. The or a main leader who is supposed to be walking according to revelation is every bit as clueless and powerless as the prophets of Baal in the OT were to magically light a sacrifice on fire.
Why? They are so deluded they even lie to themselves. They have to make excuses for failed prophecy.
The Bible is clear on this topic - don’t give your attention and money to sorcerers.
These poor fools give up coffee, alcohol, hair coloring, do annual tithe reconciliation with bishops all to retain temple worthiness for this.
To me looks like traffic signals in long underwear with secret names.
A totally human construct. To me, it highlights the power of peer pressure, the need for belonging, and the quirkiness born of religion founders propagating how to communication the "specialness" of their particular sect/cult. Nevertheless, intriguing.
Mid report. So far I am enjoying this cult class from the city on a hill church. I always wondered when in the Way why it got lumped together with other groups like JWs, Mormons. In this class The Way was first. And delved into logically then other groups.
It is a feel thing. The tactics and methods of operation are uncannily similar between these cultish groups, regardless of what it is they are teaching, a fundamentalist Bible, an angel delivered golden template, or a method where the mind heals itself and people ascend.
They all abuse underlings similarly. They all set up hierarchies of Pharisees who only deal with other Pharisees and insulate themselves from contact with lay followers. They all lie. They all excommunicate and shun others. They all subject followers to menial tasks to show them their place in the hierarchy. They all control the money. They all set up free proselytizing programs that they don’t participate in.
From what I am learning in this series I think this is what Jesus meant when he said you know people by their fruit, not their words.
So this strangely enough depicts a different view of Jesus blessing some people. After his resurrection.
So different I couldn’t make out a single thing going on there. People were saying it’s a scene from 3 Nephi . Which I guess was one of those golden tablets or magically revealed in a hat dictation or something. Truth is way stranger than fiction.
To me all those books seem like badly copied KJV interlaced with some fantastic dreams and stories by a known storyteller.
Whatever the picture is supposed to be, it looks like appallingly bad, "talented amateur," but stiff, art work. Wouldn't want anything like that on my wall.
Thought some of you might enjoy (?) this book review of a recently released book by an escaping Sea Org scientologist. I think some of us can so relate to what he felt when he left - hiding in doorways. (It's a free article, and you don't need to "register" to read it.)
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Nathan_Jr
I really despise these euphemisms, but charlatans and criminals wouldn’t leave the house without them. The media seems to have normalized this linguistic apologetic by referring to rape as sexual
Stayed Too Long
Great atticle defining a cult https://findingmyway12.substack.com/p/waityou-grew-up-in-a-cult
penworks
I admire Jennifer's bravery in sharing her traumatic experiences and related information on Substack. Here's my blog today that includes a link to her post: Speaking of "Way" Stories ... | C
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chockfull
Okay this is actually a longer piece but this guy has very logical mainstream Christianity perspectives on handling the Way.
He is spot on in pinpointing Vic’s textual errors and shoddy scriptural workmanship.
He presents maybe the best logical case on mainstream trinity views I’ve heard.
He is doing this as a series so the introduction pieces are good on cults. He handles each one in depth.
Im listening to the other ones in the series now.
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OldSkool
Cool...I will watch this and comment! Thanks!!!!
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T-Bone
Chocfull , thanks for posting that. I started listening to it last night in bed until I got sleepy . I’m going to finish it later today .
good stuff!
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chockfull
Just finished up this ministers introduction teaching to his cults class.
The back story is real interesting. Apparently he and his wife prior to 2007 attended a Way fellowship and both found it weird.
After this they found the Baptist church they are now part of, they say got born again and since followed a calling into preaching although he says he would rather do music and it’s Gods joke.
As an intro it sets common characteristics of cults, which is looking at how they operate similarly, or as Jesus stated looking at the fruit rather than the words.
Interesting stuff. I like this teacher and will listen to more of his stuff. I do not 100% agree with anything before trying it in a crucible.
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chockfull
Finished up the S2 video which is the part 2 of the cults class intro.
One approach I have seen with these is that they take a view of looking at what is common in the functioning of cults. Focus on the patterns.
in S2 the young teacher talks about how all cults need a workforce of free proselytizing members to survive. Examples include 2 year Mormon mission. Also similar is the Jehovahs Witnesses approach of mandatory service which is the door to door people. And of course of note is the way ambassador re kick off and emphasis.
So it seems regardless of the teaching doctrine, which can be as widely dispersed as Mormons, JWs , and Scientology which has nothing in common with Christianity, cults operate in remarkably similar ways.
The teaching gave a bunch of points how they function and served as a warning to members to take a look at the functioning to identify cult tendencies.
Pretty wild. Same MO, different doctrines.
Im not linking these any more you can find related to above links if interested.
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chockfull
Cults S4 the Jehovahs Witnesses
ok watching this session I think the JWs are like the big brother example to the Way in how they function.
They have 1.3 million followers, a lot larger in the US than the Way ever hoped to be - the Ways numbers in USA were like 2500 or so - even if that was 4x underestimated the order of magnitude of the JWs is a lot larger. They have 13000 Kingdom Halls built around the world.
Everything is centrally controlled in NY the Watchtower society. They put out the awake publication which features teachings by the “diligent and faithful servants” who are the Watchtower society.
They keep all central records and tabs on people.
Local Kingdom Halls are driven by leadership who schedules service for the people - door to door witnessing. Members are supposed to do duty witnessing for Jehovah. Their org structure is pretty much a sales quota type of activity organization.
The Way also set up the USA trunk office to function in a similar fashion with Sales quotas, all set up by a former salesman Bo Reahard. Instructions today carry the same kind of direction - endeavor to run a class at designated times per year - 2-3 classes - quota based expansion by free labor proselytizers. Organized service or witnessing accosting people in malls in public and door to door. I participated in this nonsense for over 20 years.
All to press play and magnify “The Teacher”
vomit.
Heres the link
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chockfull
One weird similarity to me between the Way and the Watchtower society seems to me that they use the same brainwashed looking stick figure people art on all their publications.
Awake has all these childrens coloring book like figures in it. Half the yearly posters for the Way have the same weird looking non life like cartoons depicting people with Stepford wife smiles.
Is there something about cults that make people want to draw weird cartoon pictures of people?
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chockfull
So JWs have their own Bible version put out by the Watchtower society. They bill it as more accurate than the other translations due to the inspired efforts of the “faithful and diligent servants” translating it.
The Way doesn’t do this, instead they have an unhealthy attachment to the king jimmy KJV which uses mostly outdated language. This way they can hide in plain view like a denomination while slicing up scripture like the JWs in their edition. Also of note the statement of beliefs put out by the Way also hides behind similar words to a denominational mainstream Christian statement of belief. So you would think nothing of it unless you question what is meant by the beliefs behind the statement of belief.
Things that are out front disguised as other things are for one purpose, even in nature. To deceive.
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waysider
Looks interesting. I want to check it out, but probably not today.
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Rocky
And in team sports. Baseball? It's all about the pitcher deceiving the hitter and what happens when the batter is not deceived.
Football? It revolves around misdirection.
Basketball? Plenty of tricks the team with the ball do to deceive the defenders.
And in nature, survival depends largely on deception, both for predator and prey.
Edited by RockyHowever, at least theoretically, civilization depends on cooperation more than competition.
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chockfull
Just saw this. One of my Mormon friends taking a stand against dogma.
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Twinky
Video about a couple who were raised Mormons but left when he tried to deal with his gender dysphoria issue. Shaye and Amanda Scott.
Very relatable.
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chockfull
A few pics from an ex Mormon forum
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Twinky
Love the car/Just got Excommunicated photo. The little heart shapes, LOL! Go Utah!
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chockfull
This is a failed decision of a Mormon Apostle. I think that is a very common occurrence in cults. The or a main leader who is supposed to be walking according to revelation is every bit as clueless and powerless as the prophets of Baal in the OT were to magically light a sacrifice on fire.
Why? They are so deluded they even lie to themselves. They have to make excuses for failed prophecy.
The Bible is clear on this topic - don’t give your attention and money to sorcerers.
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chockfull
On the Mormons ran across this video. This is the inner sanctum Temple ceremony.
These poor fools give up coffee, alcohol, hair coloring, do annual tithe reconciliation with bishops all to retain temple worthiness for this.
To me looks like traffic signals in long underwear with secret names.
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chockfull
Btw the single best place to go for Mormons to look at evidence over their doctrine is cesletter.org
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Rocky
A totally human construct. To me, it highlights the power of peer pressure, the need for belonging, and the quirkiness born of religion founders propagating how to communication the "specialness" of their particular sect/cult. Nevertheless, intriguing.
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chockfull
Mid report. So far I am enjoying this cult class from the city on a hill church. I always wondered when in the Way why it got lumped together with other groups like JWs, Mormons. In this class The Way was first. And delved into logically then other groups.
It is a feel thing. The tactics and methods of operation are uncannily similar between these cultish groups, regardless of what it is they are teaching, a fundamentalist Bible, an angel delivered golden template, or a method where the mind heals itself and people ascend.
They all abuse underlings similarly. They all set up hierarchies of Pharisees who only deal with other Pharisees and insulate themselves from contact with lay followers. They all lie. They all excommunicate and shun others. They all subject followers to menial tasks to show them their place in the hierarchy. They all control the money. They all set up free proselytizing programs that they don’t participate in.
From what I am learning in this series I think this is what Jesus meant when he said you know people by their fruit, not their words.
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chockfull
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chockfull
So this strangely enough depicts a different view of Jesus blessing some people. After his resurrection.
So different I couldn’t make out a single thing going on there. People were saying it’s a scene from 3 Nephi . Which I guess was one of those golden tablets or magically revealed in a hat dictation or something. Truth is way stranger than fiction.
To me all those books seem like badly copied KJV interlaced with some fantastic dreams and stories by a known storyteller.
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Twinky
Whatever the picture is supposed to be, it looks like appallingly bad, "talented amateur," but stiff, art work. Wouldn't want anything like that on my wall.
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Twinky
Thought some of you might enjoy (?) this book review of a recently released book by an escaping Sea Org scientologist. I think some of us can so relate to what he felt when he left - hiding in doorways. (It's a free article, and you don't need to "register" to read it.)
‘At 52, I abandoned everything, every friend, every family member’: the top official who escaped Scientology | Scientology | The Guardian
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chockfull
It seems other groups also make lists…. How many of these also would apply to the Way?
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