Other than the incessant g.d. MEETINGS (which seems to be a rather common complaint) I don't miss the stifling of thought the most.
I mean, when you were part of God's Ministry, and had all the answers, why actually think about anything? You know, "Don't reinvent the wheel" and such like that passed for sage advice. Translation: "We've already figured out the doctrine, all you have to do is believe it. Don't go checking our work."
Of course the same type of thing is done in most all religions to a greater or lessor degree. Don't think so? Try having an honest discussion on evolution, abortion, or homosexuality in church sometime. Yeah, that's gonna get REAL even-handed treatment, you bet...
@ home with my FC roommate trying to act like my dad even though I was an adult. Where were you? Who with? Why so late? Are they coming to fellowship? If not, why not? if not, move on to new friends. Clean clean clean the house and your room especially etc etc etc. "I'm not trying to be your dad but I have a spiritual responcibility for this house and our fellowship and you." Blah blah freaking blah
@ work my FC boss doing a better job of acting like my dad but still not his job. Keeping tally of my personal life (AKA spiritual life) and every mistake I may have made and trying to link the two.
@ my actual family (also FCs) doing the best job of staying hands-off but helping the other two FC I had to deal with up to date with the details of my life while applying their own personal pressure only the way a parent can.
@ every remaining possible change from the local BC or LC, just in case anyone else missed a chance.
Don't miss
"genuine spiritual suspision" lol
aka- homophobia at its worst
as well as other phobias
Don't miss
the promised land of the prevailing nerds
or
pseudo-Bible-geeks
They would use that word "pseudo" just because LCM refered to it in a teaching. Started refering to plastic forks and knives as "pseudo ware". HA ha! yeah, thats some lame *** humor.
They thought they knew more about the Bible than anyone in any other religion.
and yes ...I was one of them at times.
Don't miss
the meeting and the classes all at my house since I was about seven.
Don't miss
Practice sessions
Been thru this one many times before but looking back now I can't see myself sitting thru another one of those without busting into histarics at the sight of such fakery.
The BIGGESt thing that I don`t miss is being able to talk and hang out with people WITHOUT the pressure of having an ulterior motive in the back of my mind of needing someone new in the next class in order to maintain my spiritual standing....no more stomache churning anxiety of high pressure sales being applied to motivate ...it os SO nice to be able to just enjoy people now:-)
I don't miss obedience to abundance teachings. (If I obey this over bearing, egotistical jack foot that does not have to wake up and live my life each day-I will have abundance. Nada)
A minimum of three fellowships per week.
Hanging out and being responsible for weird people.
Bank rolling a life for people who are not helping anyone.
Free Baby sitting and cleaning the L home.
Door to door witnessing.
Mall witnessing.
Public explanation witnessing.
Witnessing.
Automatic clapping and laughing at jokes that are just not funny.
Working for free, then getting bitch slapped over minor details.
Stupid gifts and cards for stupid leaders who didn't help but demanded the chairs be stringed and the public bathrooms be scrubbeed to perfection.
Other than the incessant g.d. MEETINGS (which seems to be a rather common complaint) I don't miss the stifling of thought the most.
That's a big one for me.
How about the overwhelming pressure to "move the Word"?
I hated witnessing. Religion was always a personal thing with me. I don't like talking about my beliefs to others and I don't want them to talk to me about them unless they know me *real* good. The year of door-to-door was probably the worse year in TWI for me.
The greatest freedom I felt after I left TWI was to realize that I didn't have to feel guilty about not wanting to "move the Word" and that I could get on with my professional career and my relationship with the woman I later married.
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imbus
1. Micro-management
2. The whole Dam thing! The spiritual nuclus of TWI is very toxic and it filters down to the rest.
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Grizzy
monthly phone hook-ups
we need to talk........
you'll be blessed when you........
cleaning leaders homes
heart stopping when phone rings and its the FC, BC or LC on caller ID.........
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dmiller
Meetings (every other day) that lasted from 7 pm to 11 pm.
Each time, and like clockwork.
:(-->
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WordWolf
Mostly the micromanagement.
That, and twi's tendency to encourage elitism and superiority complexes for
leaders at all levels.
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Trefor Heywood
Everything with the exception of what I listed that I missed...
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Raf
I don't miss the cost.
I don't miss the pressure to tithe.
I don't miss the need to explain why the ministry did not do any charitable works with the money it was getting from its abs.
I don't miss the need to explain that "moving the Word" is more important than feeding the hungry and clothing the poor.
I don't miss the angry tone of L. Craig Martindale.
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George Aar
Other than the incessant g.d. MEETINGS (which seems to be a rather common complaint) I don't miss the stifling of thought the most.
I mean, when you were part of God's Ministry, and had all the answers, why actually think about anything? You know, "Don't reinvent the wheel" and such like that passed for sage advice. Translation: "We've already figured out the doctrine, all you have to do is believe it. Don't go checking our work."
Of course the same type of thing is done in most all religions to a greater or lessor degree. Don't think so? Try having an honest discussion on evolution, abortion, or homosexuality in church sometime. Yeah, that's gonna get REAL even-handed treatment, you bet...
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Trefor Heywood
Very true George - the thinking (and/or research) has been done.
Pay Pray and Obey yes.
But use your own mind? Feel free to disagree and discuss?
Chaos! Anarchy! Questioning the Lord's Annointed!
:D-->
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JustThinking
Trefor,
"Pay, pray and obey"
Did this replace Research, Teaching and Fellowship? ;-)
Pay for OUR research, Pray we stop teaching before midnight and Obey what we tell you at fellowship.
Ta-da! TWI-5! Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
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lindyhopper
Micro-mangagment:
@ home with my FC roommate trying to act like my dad even though I was an adult. Where were you? Who with? Why so late? Are they coming to fellowship? If not, why not? if not, move on to new friends. Clean clean clean the house and your room especially etc etc etc. "I'm not trying to be your dad but I have a spiritual responcibility for this house and our fellowship and you." Blah blah freaking blah
@ work my FC boss doing a better job of acting like my dad but still not his job. Keeping tally of my personal life (AKA spiritual life) and every mistake I may have made and trying to link the two.
@ my actual family (also FCs) doing the best job of staying hands-off but helping the other two FC I had to deal with up to date with the details of my life while applying their own personal pressure only the way a parent can.
@ every remaining possible change from the local BC or LC, just in case anyone else missed a chance.
Don't miss
"genuine spiritual suspision" lol
aka- homophobia at its worst
as well as other phobias
Don't miss
the promised land of the prevailing nerds
or
pseudo-Bible-geeks
They would use that word "pseudo" just because LCM refered to it in a teaching. Started refering to plastic forks and knives as "pseudo ware". HA ha! yeah, thats some lame *** humor.
They thought they knew more about the Bible than anyone in any other religion.
and yes ...I was one of them at times.
Don't miss
the meeting and the classes all at my house since I was about seven.
Don't miss
Practice sessions
Been thru this one many times before but looking back now I can't see myself sitting thru another one of those without busting into histarics at the sight of such fakery.
and the list goes on and on.
Sad but true
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Trefor Heywood
The Pay Pray and Obey scenario can be applied to quite a few organisations, not just TWI, although of course it fits it to a T!
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rascal
The BIGGESt thing that I don`t miss is being able to talk and hang out with people WITHOUT the pressure of having an ulterior motive in the back of my mind of needing someone new in the next class in order to maintain my spiritual standing....no more stomache churning anxiety of high pressure sales being applied to motivate ...it os SO nice to be able to just enjoy people now:-)
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crystalclearblue
I don't miss obedience to abundance teachings. (If I obey this over bearing, egotistical jack foot that does not have to wake up and live my life each day-I will have abundance. Nada)
A minimum of three fellowships per week.
Hanging out and being responsible for weird people.
Bank rolling a life for people who are not helping anyone.
Free Baby sitting and cleaning the L home.
Door to door witnessing.
Mall witnessing.
Public explanation witnessing.
Witnessing.
Automatic clapping and laughing at jokes that are just not funny.
Working for free, then getting bitch slapped over minor details.
Stupid gifts and cards for stupid leaders who didn't help but demanded the chairs be stringed and the public bathrooms be scrubbeed to perfection.
no excitement for what the future held.
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mudflaps
I don't miss the following,
Being a part of something that treats people so unlovingly.
Fellowship Coordinator meetings.
Fellowship Coordinator weekly call ins to the Branch Coordinator,nothing like being teathered to a phone once a week.
Sitting through the Sunday Service.
Nosy people
Policies
Classes
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Bolshevik
he he he . . . lol
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OldSkool
nothing oops....everything....lol
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Shellon
So much I don't miss. I don't miss the lies, the lying, the twisting of EVERthing.
I don't miss dancing their dance and never knowing the steps.
I don't miss having to be in so many places at once to cover so many things at once.
I don't miss listening to their bullshi+ dressed up as something else like no one could figure out it was shi+.
I don't miss worrying every damn day if tomorrow was going to show up.
I don't miss wondering if my marriage was going to sustain the stress.
I don't miss the questions that never got answered or the answers that never even had a question to begin with.
I don't miss the people the look straight at me and told me they loved me when they didn't.
I don't miss the concern of knowing at any moment I might lose everything, including my children.
I don't miss having information in my head that I couldn't tell anyone.
I don't miss The Way International; at all.
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waysider
I don't miss the guilt I used to have for "tripping out" on the "one true household".
That-----and wheat berries!
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Jim
That's a big one for me.
How about the overwhelming pressure to "move the Word"?
I hated witnessing. Religion was always a personal thing with me. I don't like talking about my beliefs to others and I don't want them to talk to me about them unless they know me *real* good. The year of door-to-door was probably the worse year in TWI for me.
The greatest freedom I felt after I left TWI was to realize that I didn't have to feel guilty about not wanting to "move the Word" and that I could get on with my professional career and my relationship with the woman I later married.
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TrustAndObey
Don't miss the up and down exercise of the Sunday Service...
Don't miss the ridiculous standing up at a phone hook up for the invisible ghost..
Don't miss the standing up because %^#$%& enters the room...
Don't miss hearing boring monologues that have been repeated at least 100x
Don't miss hearing boring monologues about the boring monologues
Don't miss hearing boring monologues about the boring monologues about the boring monologues
Don't miss hearing boring monologues about the boring monologues about the boring monologues about the boring monologues
Don't miss being told to study "their" materials for the 1000x time.
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hiway29
all of the above
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chockfull
I don't miss wondering why for an organization supposedly centered around truth there are so many liars in it.
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krys
I don't miss being used.
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outandabout
There was a year of door-to-door?
And... I too do not miss "moving the Word." I even hated hearing the phrase. It gave me a knot in my stomach.
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