Being at those meetings took me back to 1983, where everyone was so sweet and loving, which was great, BUT... the sweetness wore off and in came the legalistic, harsh, hard, and pressing.
Although, the offshoots may not present themselves in those ways, but, they run thier fellowships the same way twi does,and it just gave me a wierd and funky feeling. "That way of thinking?" you asked me to explain was that.... They are the only ones that hold the TRUTH of God's Word. Because of that.. it has taken me many years to be able to accept any other teachings from churches, pastor etc.. that tried to help me get my Way Brain healed. I hope I'm not complicating this too much. OM, I truly missed the household of God that used to be so wonderful and that's why I went to the offshoots, but realized that they too teach the same stuff, use the same song books, have pfal type classes(but call them by different names). I hope I answered your question
Now, I would like to outline some other psychosocial thought reform techniques and give examples of TWI utilization. The first category I want to look at is that of “confirming actions.” Social psychologists indicate that what people truly feel and believe comes less from their words (creeds) than from their behavioral actions (DEEDS). A person himself uses his own behavioral evidence to decide what he is really “like.” A person’s behavior tells him about himself; it is a primary source of information about his beliefs, values, and attitudes.
The TWI exploitative compliance professional realizing these facts can arrange a deployed TWI member’s day to day existence into one of largely externally controlled artificial “re-learning experiences,” so as to covertly manipulate one into acting in cultic-preferred ways. This would be especially true in the context of TWI intense indoctrination programs such as WOW, FellowLaborers, Way Homes, Advanced Class, the College Division & Way Corps programs.
Before long, these seemingly trivial actions begin to take their unconscious, then consciously rationalized toll, actually inducing one to radically change their self-image to more so align with the TWI-approved actions one is taking. This process is another manner in which the synthetic cultic pseudo-self is covertly induced by TWI manipulation.
Writing or journaling was one sort of confirming action that TWI urged incessantly upon those of us in various training programs; it was never enough for TWI members to listen quietly or simply agree mentally or verbally. TWI labeled this simple inactive state of mind pejoratively as “mere mental assent.” TWI always pushed us to “document our spiritual growth” by journaling what we were supposedly ‘learning’ by our committed involvement and participation in TWI. Then at times we would be asked to share with others, either in a cell group (Twig, Household Fellowship) or to a larger group, what we were supposedly ‘learning.’ The more pro-TWI the account, the more credibility one gained in TWI, which served as an inducer for [fallacious, fabricated, exaggerated] personal historical revision.
What our TWI cultic peers think is true of our lives is enormously important in determining what we ourselves think is true. This typically causes us to make our actions consistent with cultic peers’ perception of us. Once an active commitment is made, self-image is squeezed from all angles by commitment-consistency, automatic response, & instinctive pressures. Also, we were non-physically coerced to “commit to paper,” that is, write down our TWI influenced goals and objectives, and to commit ourselves to them in the presence of others in the cell group. We were to then manage our time and financial resources in the frame of reference of these goals and objectives, assigning A-B-C priorities to them, so as to micromanage our own lives and our personal finances, being certain that TWI got a minimum of 10-15% of our money, and at least one seventh of our time.
In the previous sections I have shown how apparently trifling, initial commitments can lead to extraordinary further compliant, cultic-preferred, constricting, if not enslaving, behaviors. As a commitment device, a written declaration, as in journaling, has some great manipulative advantages for the TWI cultic exploiter. For one thing, it provides physical evidence that one’s behavioral performance is progressively more so aligning with TWI enforced behaviors. Now in his own journal in his own handwriting, there exists these irrevocably documented TWI preferred actions that one has taken; this written declaration now ‘drives’ him to make his action-oriented beliefs and his self-image consistent with what he has undeniably done (commitment-consistency, social proof, & cognitive consonance principles). If a person does not ACT consistently with the TWI-induced pseudo-self, the individual begins to experience a very uncomfortable mental & emotional conflict, that of cognitive dissonance.
A second advantage of a written declaration is that it can be shown to others or verbally shared with others, either in the cultic group or new recruits, in order to assist in persuading them in their active commitment to TWI. But more importantly for the purpose of increasing the group commitment level, the shared declaration can persuade the recipients that the author genuinely believes what was written. People have a natural tendency to think that a statement reflects the true [non-revisionist] attitude of the person who made the declaration; surprisingly, they continue to ‘think so’ even when they know that the person may have introduced pro-TWI revisionist elements into the journaling entry.
Public commitments tend to be enduring commitments. Whenever one takes a stand that is visible to others, there arises an instinctual drive to maintain that stand in order to look like a consistent person. For appearances’ sake, the more public a stand one takes, the more reluctant one is to change it, and the more reluctant one is to back down from that manipulated committment to TWI. We were covertly, exploitatively taught to vow a vow [supposedly to God via His 'Ministry' here on earth, TWI] and defer not to pay it in totality, with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Next is the principle of ‘social proof.’ If one were to look around in a cultic group such as TWI, one would see cult adherents behaving in particular ways. One tends to imitate what one sees and reasonably assumes that such behavior is proper, good, and expected. This is true because 95% of the general populations are imitators and only 5% are personal initiators; people are persuaded more by the actions of others more so than by any proof one could offer.
We are most vulnerableto the deceptive effects of manipulated social proof when our sense of confidence is shaken, when we are unsure of ourselves for whatever reason, when the situation in which we find ourselves is ambiguous, in other words, when personal and societal uncertainty reigns supreme. It is at these times that we are most likely to look to and accept the actions of others as ‘correct.’ Also, the principle of social proof operates most powerfully when we are observing the behavior of people apparently ‘just like’ us. For it is the conduct of such people that gives us the greatest [illusory] insight into what supposedly constitutes correct behavior for ourselves. Therefore, we are much more inclined to follow the lead of a similar individual than a dissimilar one.
These and other easily predictable vulnerabilities [just starting out in college with typical social and occupational uncertainties as well as the typical existential concerns of the college-aged adolescent, a recent geographic relocation, a new job, a marital break-up, the death of a loved one, etc.] are strategically utilized and targeted by TWI in their recruitment efforts. These transient vulnerabilities are described as “needs” of potential recruits as taught in TWI’s Witnessing & Undershepherding seminar & the class, Christian Motivational Techniques, taught to the Way Corps and College Division.
Yet corporate TWI conveniently endeavors to distance them from the ‘front-line’ recruiting by exploiting rank and file local TWI members. The rank and file members, thought well-intentioned, are exploitatively manipulated deployable recruiting agents for corporate TWI. The religious element is really irrelevant to corporate TWI. It just happened to be the most convenient front for TWI that a WW-II draft-dodging coward such as veepee could ‘get up’ and running the quickest. VPW mentions in his writings that he briefly considered medicine and law, but finally settled on ‘the ministry.’ This is because: he was too lazy to do either of the first two; his unethical behaviors would have been exposed much more easily in either of these two fields; he could avoid having to enter the military.
Social proof or evidence can be manipulatively and exploitatively used against one—not [apparently] by others, but by ‘oneself’ [the now well entrenched cultic pseudo-identity]—to ‘assure’ one that what one prefers to be true will in fact seem to be true. VPW frequently stated in his teachings, that “…’you’ [cultic pseudo-identity] ‘believe’ [arrived at via TWI packaged coercive persuasion and group psychosocial thought reform techniques] what ‘you’ [as above]‘want’ [have been conditioned] to ‘believe’ [as above]…”; VPW, as well as LCM definitely understood and utilized the principle unethically.
The history of apocalyptic millennial religious movements is interesting within this purview of the social proof principle. Various sects and cults have prophesied that on one or another particular date there would arrive a period of redemption and great happiness for those who believed in the group’s teachings. In each instance it has been predicted that the beginning of the time of salvation would be marked by an important and undeniable event, usually the cataclysmic end of the world, or at least the end of the world as we now know it, or the invention of an artificial crisis for the manipulative purposes of either building group cohesion & commitment, or to serve as a concurrent purge of those who are not totally committed. Of course, these end-time prophecies and predictions have invariably proved to be false. But immediately following the obvious ‘failure’ of the ‘prophecy,’ history records an enigmatic pattern. Rather than disbanding in disillusion, the cultists often become even more committed/dedicated and strengthened in their ‘convictions.’
Such a ‘real’ crisis or the invented crisis brings into play two significant aspects. First, it causes the level of commitment/dedication to the cult’s belief system to be markedly increased. The second significant aspect is a serious form of inaction—there is no attempt to seek converts until the never-to-arrive supposed apocalypse does not occur. Then a covert, exploitative, manipulative form of cultic group “damage control” goes into operation via cultleader rationalization and ‘explanation’ of the non-event. The ‘present truth’ might spew forth something like this, “Oh, the mercy of God is so great, that rather than allow this apocalyptic event to occur, He has seen, He has seen the phenomenal commitment/dedication of this one true ‘ministry’ of God that accurately represents Him, and now, through His infinite grace, since our [cultic] group has spread so much ‘spiritual light,’ God has moved in the face of this revelational catastrophe and has seen fit to save the world from certain destruction.” Yeah, right.
The most ‘influential’ cultic leaders are those such as TWI’s, who ‘know how’ [have studied the covert packaged persuasion literature] to arrange group conditions to exploitatively manipulate the principle of social proof to work maximally to appease their own selfish interests. One of the assertions that VPW makes in the PFAL class is something to the effect that he “…hauled off about 3,000 volumes [books] to the city dump…’ He implied that these were religious commentaries which had led him away from rather than to the great accuracy and integrity of the Word of God when it is ‘rightly divided;’ therefore he decided “to just chuck” the whole bunch and supposedly go to the ‘fountainhead of God’s truth,’ the Bible, and allow it to speak for itself and interpret itself; however, nearly all of his ‘research’ is plagiarized, and was definitely not taught to him directly by God, as he asserts. Perhaps only a handful of these materials were commentaries. Oh sure, he kept a few items so he could throw them out on the Advanced Class ‘junk table’to impress us.
Once the non-event is over, the cultic group interestingly enough changes abruptly from inaction into aggressive outreach mode once again. To what can we attribute the ‘believers’’ radical turnabout, an apparent inconsistency of commitment? In the space of a few days after the non-occurrence of the non-event, a cultic group can go from clannish and taciturn hoarders of the only True Word, to expansive and eager disseminators of it. Oddly, it is not the cultic, snobbish certainty that they alone possessed the True Word that drives the members to now propagate the only genuine faith; rather, it is an encroaching sense of uncertainty. It is the dawning realization that if the non-event prophecies and predictions were wrong, so might be the entire belief system of which their entire heart, soul, mind, and strength is supposedly securely anchored. Wake up, Oldies.
For now [after so many years of covert packaged persuasion & periodic reinforcement of psychosocial thought reform] the cultic group adherents have gone too far, given up too much, sacrificed too much out of commitment-consistency, to now see their most precious and sacred beliefs and practices destroyed; the shame, the economic cost, the mockery would be far too great to bear. The overarching ‘need’ of the cultists is to now desperately, irrationally, cling to their [conditioned, implanted, yet obviously false] ‘beliefs.’ So massive is the commitment to their ‘beliefs’ that no other ‘truth’ can be psychologically tolerable. Since the otherwise only acceptable form of factual verification has been undercut by the physical non-occurrence of the prophesied ‘event,’ there is but one way out of the cosmologic corner into which the cultic leader has so adeptly painted the victimized group. Since the physical evidence of non-occurrence cannot be changed, the social evidence ‘has’ to be changed. They ‘have’ to establish another type of proof for the validity of their [bogus, irrelevant] ‘beliefs;’ the principle of social proof. This is an unspeakably poignant moment in the lives of these committed, faithful disciples, who are now facing the frightening depths of acute cognitive-emotional-behavioral dissonance.
This then explains the sudden shift from secretive conspirators to zealous missionaries. And it explains the curious timing of the shift—precisely when a potential direct disconfirmation of their ‘beliefs’ has rendered them least convincing to outsider infidels. It is necessary at this point to risk the scorn and derision of the nonbelievers because publicity and recruitment efforts provide the only remaining hope. If they could now just somehow spread the Word, if they could just inform the uninformed, if they could just persuade the skeptics, and if, by doing so, they could win new converts, their threatened treasured beliefs and practices would become ‘even truer.’ The principle of social proof says so: The greater the number of people who find any idea/concept/philosophy/religion correct, the more the religion/philosophy/concept/idea will engender the illusion of being correct [whether or not it actually is].
TWI’s most recent version of an artificial apocalyptic crisis was their purposeful hyping of the Y2K frenzy. All of the above manipulations concerning social proof, commitment-consistency, perceptual contrast, rejection-then-retreat, all painfully apply. The manipulated fear-motivation and phobic-induction was begun around 04-05/1999. Extremely long lists of items to purchase, critical things to do, all in preparation for what Y2K would supposedly bring, were heavily promoted.
The main phobic-induction was via Martindale and the board of trustees in the format of a distributed VHS video tape which was required viewing in each local cell group/household fellowship. Martindale himself was the main teacher, with all of the other trustees present at a long table on a stage, flanked by Bill Green [then Trunk coordinator of the USA] and his yes-man assistant, John Rupp, and probably deceitfully bubbly, ‘soup to nuts’ PR man, Rico Magnelli. This artificial crisis served ALL of the exploitative purposes noted above.
In addition, this artificial crisis was deceptively engineered to deflect attention away from the problems at TWI Headquarters in New Knoxville, OH. The Allen vs. TWI & Parker vs. TWI sexual abuse cases had been filed by Mr. Lawrence Levy, Esq. The TWI BOT deceitfully desired to keep the rank and file adherents so artificially busy with this newest b.s. ‘campaign,’ that we wouldn’t have time to give serious consideration to the martinpuke sexual predatory scandals, if we were even lucky enough to have heard about these new scandals. Interestingly enough, no BOT explanation had been given for the prior wave of sexual scandals revealed by John Schoenheit in his Adultery report and expose in ~ 1986. TWI top leadership & especially the mogfarts, veepee & martinpuke, are unmitigated scum at best, and quite possibly crooks hiding behind and under the skirts of Lady Liberty & First Amendment Freedoms. In actuality TWI ‘religion’ is irrelevant to them; it is merely a cloak and veneer for the cash generating scam that is corporate TWI.
The next category to address is that of the [apparent, feigned] friendship principle, the influence principle of perceived personal affability or liking, that is, the machinations of VPW, the ‘friendly thief’ [compare Hermetic mythological lore regarding the gods Pan, Bacchus, Dionysus, Adonis, & others]. The basic principle is that if one is the object of [apparent unconditional favorable regard] ‘love bombing’ and other deceptive cultic tactics that surround one, naturally ‘causing’ one to feel wanted and loved, naturally ‘causing’ one to like the people in a cultic group, then one feels that he naturally ought to obey the cult leader and affiliate with his cultic group.
Cultic leader compliance professionals recognize and manipulate the pressure to say yes to someone we know and like. We tend to like people who are similar to us, when they [appear] to have backgrounds and interests similar to ours. Also, we like things that are familiar to us. This is because of the unconscious way in which familiarity affects liking.
Our positive attitude toward something can be exploitatively influenced by the number of times we have been exposed to it in the past. For example, because enhanced liking leads to greater social influence, we tend to be more ‘persuaded’ by the statement of individuals whose faces with which we have become familiar. Also, the familiarity produced by personal contact usually leads to enhanced liking.
This explains as least one aspect of the reason for VPW’s almost constant itineraries around the USA on his customized motor coach {not to mention the more seedy aspects of veepee’s notorious ‘lust bus,’ staffed with well-endowed Way Corps females, whether single or married}.
Another aspect of liking is that cultic leader compliance professionals are forever attempting to establish that we and they are working on and for the same [spiritual] goals, so that we must “pull together” [in unity of purpose, with all coachability and freedom from haughty self-sufficiency] and for [extremely one-sided] ‘mutual’ benefit, manipulating by mind-numbing anchoring / indirection / implication, that they are somehow our benevolent ‘teammates.’
The covert, exploitative ploy known as “Good Cop/Bad Cop” falls under the category of the ‘friendly thief’ as well. This ploy reveals how a cult manages conflict related to grievances and nonconformity. This ploy also helps to explain how the group manufactures artificial loyalty crises designed simultaneously to stigmatize and expel nonconformists while reinforcing conformity within the remaining membership, which is now influenced by an unmistakable conformity-phobia and exit-phobia induction. Also, certain psychologically harmful aspects of aversive-confrontational, belittling, berating, shaming, & scream tactics would fit under this category.
Good Cop/Bad Cop or Good TWI Leader/Bad TWI leader works as follows. A supposed or alleged, disobedient, nonconformist suspect is brought into a room to be interrogated by a pair of officers/leaders, with the potential threat of incarceration or excommunicative ‘mark and avoid’ status hanging over him like the sword of Damocles. One of the officers/leaders plays the role of Bad Cop/Bad Leader. Before the suspect even sits down, Bad Cop/Bad Leader vehemently curses this victimized dolt for his alleged but unproven ‘crime.’
For the rest of the session Bad Cop’s/Bad Leader’s words come only with hateful, aversive snarls and growls. He kicks the suspects chair to emphasize his points. When he looks at the suspect, he pretends to see a pound of garbage. If the suspect challenges Bad Cop’s/Bad Leader’s ‘accusations’ [premature, largely unfounded, manipulative allegations] or just refuses to answer them, Bad Cop/Bad Leader becomes melodramatically but realistically livid. His rage soars. He swears he will do everything possible to assure a maximum incarceration / permanent mark and avoid status. He states he has friends in the DA’s / TWI board of trustees’ office who will hear from him of the suspect’s non-cooperative attitude and who will prosecute / persecute the case very hard.
At the outset of Bad Cop’s/Bad Leader’s ‘performance,’ his partner, supposed Good Cop/Good Leader sits quietly in the background. Then, slowly, he starts to chip in. First, he only speaks to Bad Cop/Bad Leader, ‘trying’ to temper the burgeoning anger. “Calm down, man, calm down.” But Bad Cop/Bad Leader shouts back, “Don’t tell me to calm down when I know this suspect is lying to my face! I hate these lying bastards!” A bit later, Good Cop/Good Leader actually says something in the suspect’s behalf. “Take it easy, Max, he’s only a kid/apparently disobedient believer.” This is not much in the way of support, but compared to the ranting of Bad Cop/Bad Leader, the words fall like music on the suspect’s ears and heart. Still, Bad Cop/Bad Leader is unconvinced.
Now Good Cop/Good Leader begins to speak directly to the suspect, calling him by his first name and pointing out the positive details of the case. If the suspect persists in claiming innocence, Bad Cop/Bad Leader launches into another tirade of vehement cursing and sickening threats. But this time Good Cop/Good Leader stops him, and gives Bad Cop/Bad Leader some money to go buy coffee/whatever for the three of them. When Bad Cop/Bad Leader is gone, it’s time for Good Cop’s/Good Leader’s big scene. “Look, man, I don’t know why Bad Cop/Bad Leader doesn’t like you, but I don’t want to see your incarceration/mark and avoid situation happen to you. So if you’ll just admit [whether it’s true or not] that you are guilty of this [supposed] “crime/misdeed” right now before he gets back, I’ll take charge of your case and put in a good word to the DA’s/Board of Trustee’s office. Do us both a favor, just tell me exactly what you ‘did.’’’ Not surprisingly a full ‘confession’ [part truth with varying amounts of fabrication or confabulation] typically follows in short order.
The Good Cop/Good Leader—Bad Cop/Bad Leader form of covert, exploitative manipulation deceives as well as it does for several reasons: The fear of long incarceration/permanent excommunicative mark and avoid status is quickly instilled by Bad Cop’s/Bad Leader’s threats; the perceptual contrast principle ensures that compared to the raving, venomous Bad Cop/Bad Leader, the interrogator feigning as Good Cop/Good Leader will have the illusion of appearing as though he were an especially reasonable and even kind person; and because Good Cop/Good Leader has intervened repeatedly on the suspect’s behalf—has even spent his own money for a cup of coffee or some such snack—the reciprocity principle manipulates pressure for a return favor.
The primary reason that this exploitative technique is effective, though, is that it gives the suspect the illusory idea that there is supposedly someone on his side, someone with his welfare in mind, someone working together with him, for him. In most situations, such a person would be viewed very favorably, but in the deep trouble our suspect finds himself, the Good Cop/Good Leader takes on the character of an apparent “savior.” And from illusory savior, it is but a short step to supposed “father confessor,” with the implicit generation of the psychological transference phenomenon, imbued as it is with the potential for the induction of post-trance suggestions with associated triggers.
Another aspect of the ‘friendly thief’ or liking phenomenon is that of conditioning and association. The principle of Pavlovian conditioned association is a general one, governing both positive and negative connections. An association with either bad things or good things will influence how people feel about us. Cultic compliance professionals are incessantly trying to deceptively connect themselves and their products [PFAL & WAP class series, for example] with the things people naturally enjoy.
One application of this principle is the ‘luncheon technique,’ where it is noted that experientially people become fonder of one another and ambient items while eating together. The normal, positive (good and favorable) reaction to food can be transferred to numerous other experiences through the raw process of association. Therefore it is possible to attach this pleasant feeling, this positive attitude, to anything that is closely associated with good food. At all TWI Advanced Classes and Specials as well as in all in-residence training programs, meals are required to be eaten together as a group. On most occasions this meal time experience is also paired for conditioning purposes with group singing or Way Productions music being played or performed live. This was not a haphazard occurrence, but rather a strategic, exploitative decision by TWI.
The conditioned response relationship between athletics and the earnest fan(atic) is anything but sportsmanlike; it is serious, intense, forcefully deep and sweeping, as well as highly personal. As distinguished author Isaac Asimov phrased it in describing our reactions to the various contests we view, “All things being equal, you root for your own sex, your own culture, your own locality…and what you want to prove is that you are better than the other person, i.e., to prove your own supposed superiority.Whomever you root for represents you; and when he wins, you win.” The athletic contest is no light diversion to be enjoyed for its inherent form and artistry; the passion of the sports fanatic is deeply rooted in the self which is at stake.
The exploitative actions of TWI were operational such that they could manipulate the staged ‘visibility’ [in reference to the supposed 9 manifestations of ‘holy spirit’] of TWI members’ ‘connections’ [via supposed in-born ‘holy spirit’] with competitive ‘winners’ [TWI-defined ‘God’] in order to make themselves look good to anyone who might view these connections [perchance a potential cultic recruit]. This supposed spiritual connection of TWI members was visible and evident by way of this member supposedly manifesting his inward spiritual ability by “operating holy spirit,” that is, speaking in tongues (glossolalia). Per TWI, the action/deed/performance/behaviorof speaking in tongues is absolute evidence of being “born again,” hence it was highly encouraged at all times. The detrimental aspects of Glossolalia have been mentioned previously on this thread or jkb’s thread on Totalitarian Cults.
TWI, by having shown the ostensible, positive associations and having buried the negative ones, was endeavoring to get observers to think more highly of TWI and to have a feeling of liking towards TWI and its adherents. In order to make itself look good, TWI endeavored to bask in the supposed’ reflected glory’ [of association] of the successes of what TWI’s supposed spiritual ancestors had accomplished rather remotelyin the first century AD Apostolic church [of which of course TWI was now the ONLY extant church supposedly performing proficiently those same wonderful works of ‘God’] According to the association principle, if we can surround ourselves with successes that we are connected with in even a superficial way {much less deeper and stronger (supposed) religious associations}, our public prestige will be enhanced, especially if one uses the term, “research” in their corporate name [viz, “The Way Biblical Research, Teaching, and Fellowship Ministry”].
Many TWI ‘encouragements’ for various actions and behaviors, from 1985 to post LCM, were couched in the implicit and conditioned terminology of the individual believer as an athlete of the spirit himself, with all of the above aspects of [a potentially negative view of] ‘self’ at stake and at risk, depending on the performance proficiency of the spiritual athlete. Performance based spirituality is not genuine spirituality at all, but rather a sick, legalistic, confining ideology.
TWI covertly utilized this exploitative approach because of the inferiority complex in the top leadership [VPW/LCM] who felt inadequate in the religious social milieu; that is, TWI had the perception that it just might not measure up or look so good to others [though they would constantly affirm {there’s a hint} that they didn’t care what anyone thought of them or TWI]. It is when prestige (both public and private) is perceived to be low, as it was by TWI, that one will be profoundly intent upon using the successes of associated others to help restore image.
In one sense this is an example of corporate external validation as well as being an example of corporate ‘damage control.’ What sort of corporate ‘damage control’ was in operation to compel TWI to feel the need to market its followers as ‘athletes of the spirit?’ That damage to be controlled was the loss of the original founder and president, VP Wierwille, and his subsequent replacement with [inferiority and inadequacy laced] Martindale.
The next psychosocial aspect of unethical influence that I’d like to expose is that of authority and directed deference. As a general social principle in an otherwise benign society, it makes great sense to comply with the wishes of properly constituted authorities; it makes so much sense that, in fact, we often do so even when it makes no sense at all. Why? Research has shown that humans possess an innate, deep-seated[probably limbic system based] sense of duty to perceived authority to the degree that people in the majority of instances manifest a relative ‘inability’ to defy the wishes of one in authority over them. In other words, humans have an extreme willingness to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority figure. See Stanley Milgram’s, Obedience to Authority. [see http://www.psychologymatters.org/milgram.html]. Also see Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiments [see http://www.prisonexperiment.org].
An obvious example of this is seen in the psychological transference phenomenon between patient and psychiatrist, the latter being the authority figure. Transference is a core concept of the psychoanalytic experience. It is a process whereby the patient [or TWI adherent student] “transfers” onto the authority figure his deepest feelings, fantasies, morbid fears, and defenses deriving from the individual’s complex of unconscious,repressed thoughts and feelings.
Dr. Milton Erickson, MD {psychiatrist and renowned medical hypnotist}, wrote about the methods and techniques that can be used to elicit cooperation and decrease resistance to change. Dr. Erickson taught how, quite counter-intuitively and surprisingly, ordinary words, conversational style, and careful pacing and leading of an interaction can bring a person to the point of being able to secure the cooperation of another person without using force, pressure, high-demand, or even commands. Through this process the authority figure indirectly suggests the behavioral changes the patient comes to make. This is termed indirect, naturalistic, trance induction, as opposed to formal trance induction. There are various means of informal trance induction.
A common TWI homiletic scenario would be the purposeful evoking of universal experience. This is done because evoking a feeling of universality in a person ‘helps’ the speaker solicit cooperation from the person. An example would be, “Who among us has not stood on a hillside, looking out over a valley…and felt some wonderful emotion welling up in our heart?” At other times, the induction method, and the one most commonly used in the PFAL and WAP series of classes, is speech filled with paradox and discrepancy—that is, the message being presented is not logical and one is unable to follow it, but it is presented as though it were logical. Trying to follow what is being said can actually detach the listener from reality into an altered state of consciousness such as trance. In the cultic setting such as TWI, there is strategic, covert exploitation of the transference phenomenon and trance, leading detrimental mental manipulation of TWI members (victims).
This paradox of the innate authority response has the same unifying theme that underlies all of the weapons of cultic exploitation via unethical influence. Once we ‘realize’ [through the interaction of higher brain areas with the limbic system, producing a conditioned response in addition to the pre-existing innate authority proclivity] that obedience to authority is rewarding in most normative social situations, it is ‘natural’ to extrapolate this response to the mental short-cut of nearly ‘automatic obedience.’ This type of obedience has a mechanical character to it, in part explaining the often noticed bland facial expression and distant stare so characteristic of intensely indoctrinated TWI cult members.
Throughout my history with TWI, directed deference to TWI ‘authority,’ especially the mogfart Presidents of TWI, such as veepee and martinpuke, has always been one of the foundational teachings, both directly and by indirection-implication. In the latter instance, the authority is implied due to VPW’s & LCM’s unique position as the supposed top ‘men of God’ of TWI, essentially representing God to the TWI believers.
Additional authority is conferred by way of these leaders supposedly being the ultimate living examples of the ‘God-breathed Word,’ the Bible; and, as TWI indoctrinates, the written Word of God is to replace in the ‘renewed mind’ of the TWI believer the physical absence of a living Christ, equating the ‘written Word,’ the Bible, with the ‘living Word,’ Jesus Christ.
TWI further teaches along these same lines that the greatest ‘secret’ in the world today is that the Bible is THE revealed Word and Will of God; in other words, The Word of God is The Will of God [WOG = WOG]. Therefore, since the Bible indicates obedience to authority, and WOG = WOG, and VPW & LCM were the top authorities of TWI, then all deference is ‘spiritually’ to be ‘given’ to them, and in TWI’s perversion of the arrangement, these men came to be extremely admired, revered, venerated, & even worshipped.
There are of course multiple layers of deception and manipulation as to the ‘duly constituted’ nature of VPW’s and LCM’s supposed authority. Regardless of the mechanism of TWI’s deception humans possess an innate, deep-seated sense of obligation to perceived authoritywhich TWI strategically & routinely exploited as a corporate strategy.
Another aspect of the authority principle deals with form as opposed to substance, or connotation as opposed to content. Under the ‘right’ conditioning circumstances, cultic members are as vulnerable to exploitation via the mere symbols of authority as to the presence authority itself. In other words, the perceived appearance of authority is sufficient to invoke or trigger the influence of the authority principle, without necessarily having to ever provide any legitimate authority. Cultic compliance professionals such as Wierwille and Martindale loved to drape themselves with [bogus] titles, impressive clothing, and other various trappings of authority. They understood when they were so “equipped,” their chances of compliance were greatly increased.
Titles are simultaneously the most difficult and the easiest symbols of authority to acquire. To earn one normally takes years of work and achievement. Yet it is possible for somebody who has put in none of this legitimate effort to adopt the mere label and to thus receive a kind of automatic deference. One’s actions are frequently more unduly influenced by a title than by the nature of the person claiming it. Also, cultic compliance professionals often lie about titles which they don’t truly have. V.P. Wierwille claimed to have a doctorate degree; however, this so-called doctorate was obtained via a ‘degree mill’ operation, Pikes Peak Seminary, in Colorado. But VPW loved to be called “Doctor” or “the Doctor.” Martindale was [illegitimately] “ordained” by TWI/VPW, thus having the title of “Reverend.” Both of these sociopaths loved to be called “THE Man of God” as well.
Another weapon of covert influence exploited by cultic compliance professionals is that of the scarcity principle. The idea of potential loss plays a large role in human decision making. In fact, people in general are more motivated by the thought of losing something than by the thought of gaining something of equal value. The cultic exploiter’s intent is to “persuade” adherents of the “True Word’s” scarcity [as only taught by TWI, of course] and thereby increase its apparent immediate “value” in their eyes.
The central issue in the scarcity principle is the psychological reactance theory. This theory states that as opportunities become less available, we lose freedoms; and we hate to lose the freedoms we already have; there is an unmistakable desire to preserve our established prerogatives in response to diminishing personal control. Whenever free choice is limited or threatened, the perceived need to retain our freedoms makes us desire them significantly more than previously. Therefore when increasing scarcity—or anything else—interferes with our perceived prior access to some item, we will react against the “interference” by endeavoring to possess the item more than before.
Cultic compliance professionals such as Wierwille and Martindale holding a weak or unpopular position could manipulate one to agree with that position by covertly arranging to have the message “restricted.” The irony is that the most effective strategy is not to publicize the unpopular cultic views, but to get these views “officially censored” and then to publicize the censorship. The official censorship could come in the form of the active disdain of denominational Christianity for the practices and beliefs of the TWI cultic group. The iconoclasm & audacity of Wierwille’s book, Jesus Christ Is Not God, in 1977, really fanned these fires.
Interestingly, the Arian position regarding diety (non-trinitarian) was indigenous to the Teutonic Goths of early Europe. They were evangelized by the Arian monk, Ulfilas [311 – 383 CE] (Ulphilas, Wulfila, “Little Wolf”) ~ the 330’s CE, and he became their bishop in 343. Thus Wierwille in JCNG, among other agendas, is promoting his Franco-teutonic Aryan supremacy in doctrinal matters. Also, for Wierwille’s born-again concept of ‘christ in you’ being equivalent to the indwelling of the gift of holy spirit, it is necessary for Jesus to not be part of a triune God, for this would reveal the strong influence of Hermeticism in TWI, where the born again or twice born of the initiation of the mysteries was a god-man with eternal life.
The proximate source of Wierwille’s white-washed Hermeticicm was the writings of E.W. Kenyon [04/27/1867 – 03/19/1948] who trained at the arcane & esoterically oriented Emerson College of Oratory in Boston, MA. This college was founded by minister Charles Wesley Emerson [1837 – 1908]. C.W. Emerson was heavily influenced by the ‘New Thought’ transcendental metaphysical writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson [1803 – 1882]. New Thought metaphysics was based on ancient and Renaissance Hermeticism.
TWI’s PFAL & WAP class series were restricted, especially the Advanced Class. The lower level foundational & intermediate classes have an associated course registration fee, as does the Advanced Class. However, the Advanced Class is even more so restricted by its more stringent entrance requirements, such as: passing an exam on all TWI basic materials; proven obedient discipleship; the recommendation of one’s local leadership; etc. The restriction levels were even higher for the College Division & the Way Corps indoctrination programs.
The realization that we value limited information allows us to apply the scarcity principle to realms beyond material commodities. Taking this perspective, we can see that information may not have to be censored for us to value it more; it need only be scarce. According to the scarcity principle, we will find a piece of information more persuasive if we think we can’t get it elsewhere. This is the concept that exclusive information is more persuasive information.
Among other exploitative reasons, this is one reason that Wierwille claimed that God spoke to him audibly and told him that He would teach him the Word like it had not been known since the first century, hence creating an aura of extremely desirable, long-lost, ancient knowledge. There are also optimal conditions in which the manipulation of scarcity is more powerful & effective. One of these dynamic conditions is newly experienced scarcity. Another optimal condition for the exploitation of scarcity is when there is rivalry, that is, when we are in competition for some desired entity. TWI strategically and covertly set the stage for these cultic weapons of covert influence to be in operation within TWI, as noted above in the examples of PFAL & WAP series classes as well as in the in-residence programs.
Perhaps the authors of this country’s Constitution were acting as much as sophisticated social psychologists as staunch civil libertarians when they wrote the freedom of speech and freedom of religion provisions of the First Amendment. They may have been attempting to minimize the chance that the PRACTICES of destructive cults and extremist political ideologies could win support via the irrational course of psychological reactance.
excathedra, thanks for your kind words. Hopefully this info will help some still-hurting ex-twi to understand in detail what happened to them, & how it happened. Hopefully it will aid in their healing. It's sure been very helpful to me.
Thank you jkboehme....reading this explanation really helps me to be able to understand what has happened to us.....that there is a real process involved in breaking down our defenses.....
I have been so ashamed of being fooled......it is good to know that it isn`t just a question of me being stupid......
Cultic compliance professionals such as Wierwille and Martindale holding a weak or unpopular position could manipulate one to agree with that position by covertly arranging to have the message “restricted.” The irony is that the most effective strategy is not to publicize the unpopular cultic views, but to get these views “officially censored” and then to publicize the censorship. The official censorship could come in the form of the active disdain of denominational Christianity for the practices and beliefs of the TWI cultic group. The iconoclasm & audacity of Wierwille’s book, Jesus Christ Is Not God, in 1977, really fanned these fires.
Interestingly, the Arian position regarding diety (non-trinitarian) was indigenous to the Teutonic Goths of early Europe. They were evangelized by the Arian monk, Ulfilas [311 – 383 CE] (Ulphilas, Wulfila, “Little Wolf”) ~ the 330’s CE, and he became their bishop in 343. Thus Wierwille in JCNG, among other agendas, is promoting his Franco-teutonic Aryan supremacy in doctrinal matters.
So then may we assume that you are a trinitarian, Jkboehme?
OM,
Being at those meetings took me back to 1983, where everyone was so sweet and loving, which was great, BUT... the sweetness wore off and in came the legalistic, harsh, hard, and pressing.
Although, the offshoots may not present themselves in those ways, but, they run thier fellowships the same way twi does,and it just gave me a wierd and funky feeling. "That way of thinking?" you asked me to explain was that.... They are the only ones that hold the TRUTH of God's Word. Because of that.. it has taken me many years to be able to accept any other teachings from churches, pastor etc.. that tried to help me get my Way Brain healed. I hope I'm not complicating this too much. OM, I truly missed the household of God that used to be so wonderful and that's why I went to the offshoots, but realized that they too teach the same stuff, use the same song books, have pfal type classes(but call them by different names). I hope I answered your question
Sunnyfla,
Thanks for your response.
I will consider what you have written here.
I am considering getting lightly involved with an offshoot and I hear what you're saying.
It is very interesting to note several of the newer topics & how they fit 'like a hand in a glove' with the techniques of packaged persuasion that TWI routinely utilized:
QUOTE(jkboehme @ Nov 22 2005, 08:05 PM) Cultic compliance professionals such as Wierwille and Martindale holding a weak or unpopular position could manipulate one to agree with that position by covertly arranging to have the message “restricted.” The irony is that the most effective strategy is not to publicize the unpopular cultic views, but to get these views “officially censored” and then to publicize the censorship. The official censorship could come in the form of the active disdain of denominational Christianity for the practices and beliefs of the TWI cultic group. The iconoclasm & audacity of Wierwille’s book, Jesus Christ Is Not God, in 1977, really fanned these fires.
Interestingly, the Arian position regarding diety (non-trinitarian) was indigenous to the Teutonic Goths of early Europe. They were evangelized by the Arian monk, Ulfilas [311 – 383 CE] (Ulphilas, Wulfila, “Little Wolf”) ~ the 330’s CE, and he became their bishop in 343. Thus Wierwille in JCNG, among other agendas, is promoting his Franco-teutonic Aryan supremacy in doctrinal matters.
Per OM: “So then may we assume that you are a trinitarian, Jkboehme?”
______________________________
OM, my primary concern is with TWI's profoundly unethical CONDUCT.
I really have no interest in TWI doctrine, except for determining the proximate & remote sources of Wierwille's lying (plagiarism).
I should clarify & qualify that I have no enduring or substantive interests in the sources of TWI doctrinal theory, other than to determine VPW's who/what/where/why methods. For whatever reasons, this assists me in my ongoing personal recovery. Therefore, I am not interested in TWI theory, except as it pertains to:
Noting in detail the sources from which vpw stole the material;
Why he chose to plagiarize a certain aspect of a given author, or particular elements of the hermetic arcana;
How he hybridized the stolen material with his own private interpretations;
Then, the internal consistency of VPW's syncretic system, a hodgepodge of hermetic arcana, fundamentalism, pentecostalism, revivalism, & others not coming to mind right now.
Also of non-enduring interest is that VPW chose the structure for his 'ministry' as along the lines of an English sect, the Plymouth Brethren, known among other things for its fundamentalistic home-based meetings, & a sect well known to both E.W. Bullinger & George Mueller.
My abiding, primary concern is with TWI's unethical & probably illegal activities that casued harm, injury, & detriment to its members. That is, my focus is TWI's CONDUCT, PRACTICES, ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, DEEDS, etc.
That my primary interest has to do with TWI's misconduct does not negate my passing curiosity as to the sources of its misrepresentations.
Thanks for highlighting this point of order that I should have already clarifed and qualified for our readers.
You have no enduring or substantive interests in twi doctrine, other than not minding to proclaim and condemn that doctrine as "repackaged paganism", "Franco-teutonic Aryan supremacy", "cultic 'new man' hermetic christ, counterfeit knowledge" and so forth; ... yet remain silent when asked about TRUE Christianity.
A person who spots a counterfeit, also would need to know the genuine.
Otherwise, how would that person be able to identify a counterfeit?
Whatever the ‘true doctrines’ of Christianity are, I will leave both that discussion & parsing up to you & those folks who possess a proclivity for the doctrinal forums. Other than as stated above, I have NO interest in it.
Nevertheless, since I have pointed out the proximate & remote sources of much of TWI doctrine to be of hermetic arcane origin, I will then ask of you to please elucidate the non-hermetic ‘true doctrines’ of TWI?
I'm listening..............Will Mithra call your name?
Not that this TWI doctrinal banter is of any enduring or substantive significance for me. My concerns continue to be the unethical (&? illegal) CONDUCT of TWI.
Nevertheless, since I have pointed out the proximate & remote sources of much of TWI doctrine to be of hermetic arcane origin, I will then ask of you to please elucidate the non-hermetic ‘true doctrines’ of TWI?
I'm listening..............Will Mithra call your name?
Ok I'll bite.
Here's one:
The following is the twi doctrine on how to get born again of God's Spirit:
Romans tells how it is possible for a man who is dead in trespasses and sins and without God and without hope to be made alive.
Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
What faith? The faith of Jesus Christ. This faith comes when the man of body and soul hears the Word of God and believes.
Romans 10:9:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
What is it to "confess it with thy mouth"? It is to say it. Does one have to say it at an alter? Romans 10 does not say that. But, could one confess Jesus as his Lord at an alter? It does not say where one has to confess Jesus as Lord: the Bible simply says to confess. Does a person have to say it out loud? Romans 10 does not say so; it is possible to confess the Lord Jesus Christ silently without making an audible sound.
"Confess with thy mouth" does not say confess one's sins. If it had said "confess your sins," salvation would be of works; and we are not saved by works, but by grace. A man does not confess his sins; he confesses the Savior from sin, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I wonder how many thousands of people believe that they are born again of God's spirit but are not. They may have a feeling on the inside that they are saved, but a feeling does not save them. A person is saved by being born again of God's Spirit. Feelings may come and go, but the Word of God lives and abides forever. I could go to an altar, cry out all my sins, and get a good feeling. But a person can get that same good feeling on a psychiatrist's couch. We are not saved by feeling, we are saved by doing what The Word says. It says "confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus." That is, say, "Jesus, you are Lord in my life." Who has been lord as long as a person is just body and soul? The person himself. But now that person is going to change lordships when he confesses with his mouth a new Lord -- Jesus Christ.
That is what is says, but that is not all. Romans 10:9 further says, "and shalt believe in thine heart." The heart is the seat of the personal life; today we would say, "Believe with all your mind, all your strength, every ounce of your being." What is a person to believe? That Jesus Christ is the greatest prophet of all time? No. The Word says, "believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead." One must confess with his mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in the innermost part of his being that God raised Him from the dead; then a man shall -- absolutely, unquestionably -- be saved. When? Not when he dies, but right when he confesses Jesus as Lord and believes that God raised Him from the dead.
Of all the great religious leaders there is only one who has been raised from the dead and that is Jesus Christ. This is the proof that He is God's only begotten Son. Do you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead? Do you believe that He is your Lord? Have you confessed it with your mouth? The Word says that you are saved.
Romans 10:10:
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
The moment I fulfill these two requirements, I am born again of God's Spirit. This is eternal life. This is such a tremendous truth that it is almost unbelievable; but I do believe it because God's Word is true and abides forever. Now I am His son for I have confessed with my mouth the Lord Jesus and I have believed that God raised him from the dead.
The moment a person confesses with his mouth Jesus as Lord that person is converted, saved, born again. A man can be a natural man of body and soul one minute; but as he hears the Word of God and believes to the point that he says, "Jesus is Lord of my life and I know God raised Him from the dead," he is born again of God's Spirit. That person has instantly changed lords; he is now on the way to heaven and all hell cannot stop him from going because he is a son of God having Christ in him. He has eternal life. He is no longer a natural man because he has received the spirit from God.
I'm reasonably sure that such teaching by Herr Vierville, if believed, would be a welcome relief to a suffering, guilt-ridden former RC.
Sorry OM, but since I found out about TWI's decades of criminal duplicity, with the resultant unimaginable hurt that this eggregious betrayal has both caused & continues to cause me , I have not as yet found it in myself to trust any supposed 'spiritual' source, its exposition of supposed 'spiritual' material, no matter who or what it is.
I'm glad you that you appear to be so reassured.
Apparently we will, for the moment, have to agree to disagree. ;)
In my opinion, since Herr Vierville stole his material, both proximately & remotely from the arcana of hermetically oriented sources, I personally doubt there were any ‘pure’ Biblical ‘truths’ in TWI to be discarded. Essentially everything TWI taught as supposedly Biblical was intermixed with the hermetic genre. And someway, somehow, if something theoretically 'pure' did escape Herr Hierophant Vierville’s depraved eye, the pall of TWI’s loathsome practices would have corrupted what could have been an altruistic action.
Could it be that veepee was blind in one ‘eye’ & couldn’t see out of the other one, ‘spiritually?’ Could it be that his one functioning ‘eye’ was filled to overflowing with unbridled iniquity, and if full of such poison, then how great was that destructive darkness that he spewed forth?
Speaking of hermetic emanations, let’s not forget TWI’s take on its teaching of supposed spiritual emanations: All Biblical ‘truths’ must fit within the framework of the 9 ‘manifestations’ [emanations]; and, likewise, all of the 9 manifestations [emanations] must fit within the framework of the [TWI-defined] written Word.
This is circular pseudo-logic. It is a logical fallacy.
Could it possibly be that which is of the flesh is flesh; that which is of the spirit is spirit? Could it be that which is of the Bible is biblical, and that which is of the Hermetic Arcane simply is the perennial philosophy, no matter how disguised?
Hermeticism: Coherent systems of belief characterized by a concern that it is not philosophical reasoning but divine revelation leads to truth. The philosophical Hermetica teach THE WAY by which the soul can ascend to the divine realm above the realm of the fixed stars from which it has come down. There the soul mingles with the divine powers, comes to ‘see,’ that is, to know God (enlightened understanding or ‘gnosis’), and to essentially attains ‘salvation,’ becoming a god-man (cp. Teutonic Nietzsche’s ‘superman’). This deification involves a tiered process (cp. foundational, intermediate, & advanced ‘classes’) of Hermetic instruction culminating in the inner experience of mystical initiation and enlightenment or ‘gnosis,’ termed being ‘born again.’
The salvation of the soul consists in its deliverance from the bonds of the body and its return to divine origin. The indispensable prerequisite for this return is an ultimate spiritual understanding (gnosis) of the real nature of mankind, of the cosmos, and of the divine world. Hermeticism places much more emphasis (than Gnosticism) on a systematic instruction in ‘the way’ of Hermes, leading up to a final initiation into the Hermetic mysteries culminating in mystical experience. In Hermeticism, while God is unknowable is His essence, he nevertheless can be comprehended or at least apprehended by the human mind.
In Gnosticism there is less interest in the intellectual aspects of the way to gnosis, emphasis being placed on the gift of gnosis as the direct experience of salvation and enlightenment. To the Gnostics, the supreme God was inaccessible to the human mind. In both Hermeticism and Gnosticism the basic ideas are: the fundamental identity between the soul and the divine & the final goal of the return of the soul to its origin, its reunion with God. Although there are some similarities between Hermeticism and Gnosticism, there are many differences as regards theology, cosmology, and anthropology. TWI contains elements of both Hermeticism and Gnosticism, but a much larger proportion of Hermeticism.
Gnosticism: Coherent systems of belief that are characterized by an absolutely negative view of the visible world and its creator (the ‘demiurge’) and the assumption of a divine spark in mankind, his inner self, which has become entrapped within the material body as the result of tragic events in the pre-cosmic world, from which it can only escape to its original, divine origin by means of the enlightened understanding (‘gnosis’), which confers salvation. It speaks of God as ineffable, immutable, invisible, & unbegotten. Gnosticism could be classified as ‘negative theology’ or nihilistic universe maintenance.
Arise & go forth, OM, & separate 'Truth' from 'error!'
To HCW, Litwin, Tom Heller, David Anderson, Ralph D., & others who might know:
VPW chose the structure for his 'ministry' as along the lines of an English sect, the Plymouth Brethren, known among other things for its fundamentalistic home-based meetings, & a sect well known to both E.W. Bullinger & George Mueller. Some of the Plymouth Brethren appear to have rubbed elbows with the Irvingites who were into glossolalia and prophecy. TWI seems to be constructed of a core of bizarre biblical private 'interpretations' of fundamentalism, pentecostalism, revivalism, and others. This core is then veneered & intermingled with what seems to me to be materials from the tradition of western esoteric 'spirituality,' most notably the hermetic arcana. Then to all of this is added TWI's 'teethy,' hard-ball tactics of covert coercive packaged persuasion. These thought reform techniques seem to me to fall into the category of illegal CONDUCT.
WHY do you think vpw chose this particular freaky hodgepodge of materials to build his bogus 'ministry?'
I was talking to someone who mentioned that some twiers changed drastically just by attending ROA one year. I think about other classes/events that people attended and wonder how it affected them.
One thing I have begun to realize is that at some point I turned all of my emotions off with the exception of anger and frustration. I read that that can happen under extreme pressure and tension or traumatic events. Now I am wondering which event(s) could have triggered it…
I would say that for most of us ex-twi, the TWI-induced detrimental self-image & self-identity changes were so insidious as to be essentially unnoticeable to us. This is how most covert coercive packaged persuasion is purposefully designed to work, otherwise we might catch on.
This does not mean that TWI-styled thought reform is 100% effective for the relatively new recruits, as TWI's attrition rate revealed. But for those of us who were members for many years if not several decades, it is painfully obvious that there was enough of a TWI thought reform success rate to ensure our mental enslavement, not release from our prisons.
This would not exclude the possibility that from time to time sentinel intense events, designed by TWI to be so, would be imposed upon us for a boosting reinforcement of the TWI thought reform program.
Some examples of such TWI-designed ‘snapping’ events would be: ROA; AC; AC specials; WIBP; repeats of various incarnations of the AC; AC on the field 1998; 4 consecutive ‘weekends in the Word’ to ‘review’ a heavily promoted TWI topic such as ‘living sanctified,’ etc.
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jkboehme
In another thread {Wierwille, Jonestown, & "cults"} I mentioned how VPW & LCM, in ~ December 1978, endeavored to 'explain away' the existence of cults, & insisted that twi itself just coul
Sunnyfla
OM,
Being at those meetings took me back to 1983, where everyone was so sweet and loving, which was great, BUT... the sweetness wore off and in came the legalistic, harsh, hard, and pressing.
Although, the offshoots may not present themselves in those ways, but, they run thier fellowships the same way twi does,and it just gave me a wierd and funky feeling. "That way of thinking?" you asked me to explain was that.... They are the only ones that hold the TRUTH of God's Word. Because of that.. it has taken me many years to be able to accept any other teachings from churches, pastor etc.. that tried to help me get my Way Brain healed. I hope I'm not complicating this too much. OM, I truly missed the household of God that used to be so wonderful and that's why I went to the offshoots, but realized that they too teach the same stuff, use the same song books, have pfal type classes(but call them by different names). I hope I answered your question
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jkboehme
What our TWI cultic peers think is true of our lives is enormously important in determining what we ourselves think is true. This typically causes us to make our actions consistent with cultic peers’ perception of us. Once an active commitment is made, self-image is squeezed from all angles by commitment-consistency, automatic response, & instinctive pressures. Also, we were non-physically coerced to “commit to paper,” that is, write down our TWI influenced goals and objectives, and to commit ourselves to them in the presence of others in the cell group. We were to then manage our time and financial resources in the frame of reference of these goals and objectives, assigning A-B-C priorities to them, so as to micromanage our own lives and our personal finances, being certain that TWI got a minimum of 10-15% of our money, and at least one seventh of our time.
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jkboehme
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jkboehme
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jkboehme
Interestingly, the Arian position regarding diety (non-trinitarian) was indigenous to the Teutonic Goths of early Europe. They were evangelized by the Arian monk, Ulfilas [311 – 383 CE] (Ulphilas, Wulfila, “Little Wolf”) ~ the 330’s CE, and he became their bishop in 343. Thus Wierwille in JCNG, among other agendas, is promoting his Franco-teutonic Aryan supremacy in doctrinal matters. Also, for Wierwille’s born-again concept of ‘christ in you’ being equivalent to the indwelling of the gift of holy spirit, it is necessary for Jesus to not be part of a triune God, for this would reveal the strong influence of Hermeticism in TWI, where the born again or twice born of the initiation of the mysteries was a god-man with eternal life.
The proximate source of Wierwille’s white-washed Hermeticicm was the writings of E.W. Kenyon [04/27/1867 – 03/19/1948] who trained at the arcane & esoterically oriented Emerson College of Oratory in Boston, MA. This college was founded by minister Charles Wesley Emerson [1837 – 1908]. C.W. Emerson was heavily influenced by the ‘New Thought’ transcendental metaphysical writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson [1803 – 1882]. New Thought metaphysics was based on ancient and Renaissance Hermeticism.
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excathedra
jkboehme, i keep meaning to tell you how much i appreciate your posts
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jkboehme
excathedra, thanks for your kind words. Hopefully this info will help some still-hurting ex-twi to understand in detail what happened to them, & how it happened. Hopefully it will aid in their healing. It's sure been very helpful to me.
:)
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rascal
Thank you jkboehme....reading this explanation really helps me to be able to understand what has happened to us.....that there is a real process involved in breaking down our defenses.....
I have been so ashamed of being fooled......it is good to know that it isn`t just a question of me being stupid......
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oldiesman
Sunnyfla,
Thanks for your response.
I will consider what you have written here.
I am considering getting lightly involved with an offshoot and I hear what you're saying.
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jkboehme
It is very interesting to note several of the newer topics & how they fit 'like a hand in a glove' with the techniques of packaged persuasion that TWI routinely utilized:
Hank, there's a snake in my boots!
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jkboehme
Per OM: “So then may we assume that you are a trinitarian, Jkboehme?”
______________________________
OM, my primary concern is with TWI's profoundly unethical CONDUCT.
I really have no interest in TWI doctrine, except for determining the proximate & remote sources of Wierwille's lying (plagiarism).
I am neither pro- or anti- trinitarian.
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oldiesman
Jkboehme, for someone who supposedly has no interest in TWI doctrine, you sure do have a lot of disparaging things to say about it.
For example,
It is repackaged paganism...
It is the promotion of Franco-teutonic Aryan supremacy ...
It is cultic "new man" hermetic christ, counterfeit knowledge...
and so forth...
But then when I ask what the doctrines of TRUE Christianity are,
as opposed to the counterfeit we learned in TWI,
(I figure you should know these things since you are
supposedly knowledgeable of a counterfeit) ...
You continue to remain silent.
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excathedra
who cares about doctrine ? well, i mean, i don't care about doctrine
i care about methods - hurting and deceiving and even destroying people
can that be christian ? i think christian is supposed to be about love and kindness, or am i mistaken ?
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jkboehme
Good point, OM.
I should clarify & qualify that I have no enduring or substantive interests in the sources of TWI doctrinal theory, other than to determine VPW's who/what/where/why methods. For whatever reasons, this assists me in my ongoing personal recovery. Therefore, I am not interested in TWI theory, except as it pertains to:
My abiding, primary concern is with TWI's unethical & probably illegal activities that casued harm, injury, & detriment to its members. That is, my focus is TWI's CONDUCT, PRACTICES, ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, DEEDS, etc.
That my primary interest has to do with TWI's misconduct does not negate my passing curiosity as to the sources of its misrepresentations.
Thanks for highlighting this point of order that I should have already clarifed and qualified for our readers.
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oldiesman
You have no enduring or substantive interests in twi doctrine, other than not minding to proclaim and condemn that doctrine as "repackaged paganism", "Franco-teutonic Aryan supremacy", "cultic 'new man' hermetic christ, counterfeit knowledge" and so forth; ... yet remain silent when asked about TRUE Christianity.
A person who spots a counterfeit, also would need to know the genuine.
Otherwise, how would that person be able to identify a counterfeit?
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rascal
It appears that jkboehme is too clever too stumble into the snares you set oldies :P
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jkboehme
Hi OM:
Whatever the ‘true doctrines’ of Christianity are, I will leave both that discussion & parsing up to you & those folks who possess a proclivity for the doctrinal forums. Other than as stated above, I have NO interest in it.
Nevertheless, since I have pointed out the proximate & remote sources of much of TWI doctrine to be of hermetic arcane origin, I will then ask of you to please elucidate the non-hermetic ‘true doctrines’ of TWI?
I'm listening..............Will Mithra call your name?
Not that this TWI doctrinal banter is of any enduring or substantive significance for me. My concerns continue to be the unethical (&? illegal) CONDUCT of TWI.
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oldiesman
Ok I'll bite.
Here's one:
The following is the twi doctrine on how to get born again of God's Spirit:
Victor Paul WierwillePFAL
Part IV -- The New Birth
Chapter 19 -- Born Again of Incorruptible Seed
Pgs. 295-98
OK Jkboehme, what is all this?
Repackaged paganism?
Franco-teutonic Aryan Supremacy?
Cultic 'new man' hermetic christ, counterfeit knowledge?
Another fable of Hermes Trismegistus?
Other?
True Christianity?
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jkboehme
OM:
I'm reasonably sure that such teaching by Herr Vierville, if believed, would be a welcome relief to a suffering, guilt-ridden former RC.
Sorry OM, but since I found out about TWI's decades of criminal duplicity, with the resultant unimaginable hurt that this eggregious betrayal has both caused & continues to cause me , I have not as yet found it in myself to trust any supposed 'spiritual' source, its exposition of supposed 'spiritual' material, no matter who or what it is.
I'm glad you that you appear to be so reassured.
Apparently we will, for the moment, have to agree to disagree. ;)
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oldiesman
Jkboehme,
Unfortunately, lots of folks like yourself have discarded the truths we learned in twi, because of the sins of people.
You are not alone.
But thanks at least for your admission that you have no spiritual beliefs at the moment.
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jkboehme
OM:
In my opinion, since Herr Vierville stole his material, both proximately & remotely from the arcana of hermetically oriented sources, I personally doubt there were any ‘pure’ Biblical ‘truths’ in TWI to be discarded. Essentially everything TWI taught as supposedly Biblical was intermixed with the hermetic genre. And someway, somehow, if something theoretically 'pure' did escape Herr Hierophant Vierville’s depraved eye, the pall of TWI’s loathsome practices would have corrupted what could have been an altruistic action.
Could it be that veepee was blind in one ‘eye’ & couldn’t see out of the other one, ‘spiritually?’ Could it be that his one functioning ‘eye’ was filled to overflowing with unbridled iniquity, and if full of such poison, then how great was that destructive darkness that he spewed forth?
Speaking of hermetic emanations, let’s not forget TWI’s take on its teaching of supposed spiritual emanations: All Biblical ‘truths’ must fit within the framework of the 9 ‘manifestations’ [emanations]; and, likewise, all of the 9 manifestations [emanations] must fit within the framework of the [TWI-defined] written Word.
This is circular pseudo-logic. It is a logical fallacy.
Could it possibly be that which is of the flesh is flesh; that which is of the spirit is spirit? Could it be that which is of the Bible is biblical, and that which is of the Hermetic Arcane simply is the perennial philosophy, no matter how disguised?
Hermeticism: Coherent systems of belief characterized by a concern that it is not philosophical reasoning but divine revelation leads to truth. The philosophical Hermetica teach THE WAY by which the soul can ascend to the divine realm above the realm of the fixed stars from which it has come down. There the soul mingles with the divine powers, comes to ‘see,’ that is, to know God (enlightened understanding or ‘gnosis’), and to essentially attains ‘salvation,’ becoming a god-man (cp. Teutonic Nietzsche’s ‘superman’). This deification involves a tiered process (cp. foundational, intermediate, & advanced ‘classes’) of Hermetic instruction culminating in the inner experience of mystical initiation and enlightenment or ‘gnosis,’ termed being ‘born again.’
The salvation of the soul consists in its deliverance from the bonds of the body and its return to divine origin. The indispensable prerequisite for this return is an ultimate spiritual understanding (gnosis) of the real nature of mankind, of the cosmos, and of the divine world. Hermeticism places much more emphasis (than Gnosticism) on a systematic instruction in ‘the way’ of Hermes, leading up to a final initiation into the Hermetic mysteries culminating in mystical experience. In Hermeticism, while God is unknowable is His essence, he nevertheless can be comprehended or at least apprehended by the human mind.
In Gnosticism there is less interest in the intellectual aspects of the way to gnosis, emphasis being placed on the gift of gnosis as the direct experience of salvation and enlightenment. To the Gnostics, the supreme God was inaccessible to the human mind. In both Hermeticism and Gnosticism the basic ideas are: the fundamental identity between the soul and the divine & the final goal of the return of the soul to its origin, its reunion with God. Although there are some similarities between Hermeticism and Gnosticism, there are many differences as regards theology, cosmology, and anthropology. TWI contains elements of both Hermeticism and Gnosticism, but a much larger proportion of Hermeticism.
Gnosticism: Coherent systems of belief that are characterized by an absolutely negative view of the visible world and its creator (the ‘demiurge’) and the assumption of a divine spark in mankind, his inner self, which has become entrapped within the material body as the result of tragic events in the pre-cosmic world, from which it can only escape to its original, divine origin by means of the enlightened understanding (‘gnosis’), which confers salvation. It speaks of God as ineffable, immutable, invisible, & unbegotten. Gnosticism could be classified as ‘negative theology’ or nihilistic universe maintenance.
Arise & go forth, OM, & separate 'Truth' from 'error!'
:blink:
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excathedra
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jkboehme
To HCW, Litwin, Tom Heller, David Anderson, Ralph D., & others who might know:
VPW chose the structure for his 'ministry' as along the lines of an English sect, the Plymouth Brethren, known among other things for its fundamentalistic home-based meetings, & a sect well known to both E.W. Bullinger & George Mueller. Some of the Plymouth Brethren appear to have rubbed elbows with the Irvingites who were into glossolalia and prophecy. TWI seems to be constructed of a core of bizarre biblical private 'interpretations' of fundamentalism, pentecostalism, revivalism, and others. This core is then veneered & intermingled with what seems to me to be materials from the tradition of western esoteric 'spirituality,' most notably the hermetic arcana. Then to all of this is added TWI's 'teethy,' hard-ball tactics of covert coercive packaged persuasion. These thought reform techniques seem to me to fall into the category of illegal CONDUCT.
WHY do you think vpw chose this particular freaky hodgepodge of materials to build his bogus 'ministry?'
:huh:
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jkboehme
Per Penguin:
I would say that for most of us ex-twi, the TWI-induced detrimental self-image & self-identity changes were so insidious as to be essentially unnoticeable to us. This is how most covert coercive packaged persuasion is purposefully designed to work, otherwise we might catch on.
This does not mean that TWI-styled thought reform is 100% effective for the relatively new recruits, as TWI's attrition rate revealed. But for those of us who were members for many years if not several decades, it is painfully obvious that there was enough of a TWI thought reform success rate to ensure our mental enslavement, not release from our prisons.
This would not exclude the possibility that from time to time sentinel intense events, designed by TWI to be so, would be imposed upon us for a boosting reinforcement of the TWI thought reform program.
Some examples of such TWI-designed ‘snapping’ events would be: ROA; AC; AC specials; WIBP; repeats of various incarnations of the AC; AC on the field 1998; 4 consecutive ‘weekends in the Word’ to ‘review’ a heavily promoted TWI topic such as ‘living sanctified,’ etc.
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