This weekend they are showing "Black Book" Friday night and "Evan Almighty" Saturday night. Y'all want to go out there?

New blog entry that gives a good overview of this controversy:

[www.independentconservative.com]

"Notice, Antony’s theology is some pot of gumbo he tossed together."

More like dirty rice, it is...

The other day I ran into Frank Bono and we spoke for a few minutes. I am thinking about going over there for a chat soon. What do you all think?

"Frank Bono" is a nice guy and, from what you have told me, he is entertaining his own doubts about TFI. My suggestion would be to meet him somewhere other than the block if you want to talk to him. If you go to the block you are not going to be able to relate to anyone in anything other than their cult identity, because they will all watch each other and reinforce each other. If you were to meet with someone, like Frank, in a different venue you might have a shot at having a conversation with the real person.

Personally, I think you going to the block is a really bad idea.

Do you know this book, C47?

Booth, Leo. Breaking the Chains: Understanding Religious Addiction and Religious Abuse. (Long Beach CA, Emmaus Publications, 1989) p. 67-68:
Symptoms of Religious Addiction:
1. Thinking only in terms of black and white-simplistic thinking.
2. Obsessive praying, going to church, attending missions or crusades, talking about God, quoting Scripture.
3. Neglecting world news, forgetting engagements and missing or avoiding family gatherings.
4. Thinking that the world and our physical bodies are evil.
5. Refusing to think, doubt, or question.
6. Belief that sex is “dirty.”
7. Excessive fasting and compulsive overeating.
8. Unrealistic financial contributions.
9. Excessive judgmental attitudes.
10. Being brainwashed and attempting to brainwash; developing mind control.
11. Isolation from others.
12. Attitudes of conflict with science/hospitals/schools.
13. Becoming physically sick (back pains, sleeplessness, headaches).
14. Receiving strange messages from God or angels.
15. Staring-going into a trance.
16. Dramatic personality changes.
17. Unrealistic fears-the “disease cycle” of guilt, remorse, and shame.
18. Family dysfunction-the breakdown of family relationships.
19. Geographical moves.
20. Cries for help; physical and mental breakdown; hospitalization.
From page 71: “Many scholars of the New Testament will tell you that the rabbinic style of teaching was to make extreme statements to provoke thought; to push a truth to an extreme in order to create a reaction. In a similar way, Jesus was confronting society, His disciples, the world. But it is an abuse, an injustice, to take His teachings and interpret them literally. He was not expecting his disciples or future generations to chop off their hands or pull out their eyes; rather, Jesus was presenting a challenging message that would easily be remembered.”

"He was not expecting his disciples or future generations to chop off their hands or pull out their eyes;"

Nor to hate their families.

I am afraid they do not really get this at Trinity Foundation.

One thing that I do not think the apologetics community has dealt with concerning the Trinity cult is what Ole tells each of his new recruits when they first arrive there from the Evangelical background that most of them come out of. He is likely to say something along the lines of, "First, you need to forget everything you have learned or think you know about God and the Bible." In other words, he is saying that there is no validity to what anyone else is saying or teaching besides himself. In fact, I often heard him and others at Trinity say that what they were saying was not just different from what was being taught in most of the rest of visible Christianity, it is the polar opposite. I wonder how Ole's defenders in the apologetics community deal with these kinds of claims?

Counselor47-

They DON'T deal with the claims. They live in denial because they can't swallow their pride and admit they've been duped. They look for what they think is a flaw in those making the claim, or they look for some other reason to reject the claim. They will resort to ad hominem attacks or say that those making claims didn't follow Scriptural guidelines - all the while ignoring the fact that Scripture NEVER tells us to sit down and dialogue with heretics. Instead we are told to expose them, separate from them and warn others about them.
It amazes me how defenders of TFI and other cults can just "explain things away".
One good thing though about the Ole/TFI situation is that, as far as I know, it is still only Bill and Jackie Alnor who are defending them.
Has anybody heard of anyone else defending Ole/TFI?

Rock on brother!

Mark Scheiderer

Quote
counselor47
One thing that I do not think the apologetics community has dealt with concerning the Trinity cult is what Ole tells each of his new recruits when they first arrive there from the Evangelical background that most of them come out of. He is likely to say something along the lines of, "First, you need to forget everything you have learned or think you know about God and the Bible." In other words, he is saying that there is no validity to what anyone else is saying or teaching besides himself. In fact, I often heard him and others at Trinity say that what they were saying was not just different from what was being taught in most of the rest of visible Christianity, it is the polar opposite. I wonder how Ole's defenders in the apologetics community deal with these kinds of claims?

That's precisely what I was taught by OA when I first got there in March of '06. I was taught that I could understand these deeper mysteries that OA had access to only if I repented of myself, my individuality, and quit trusting in my own mind to guide me to Truth. OA as personally told ME that I am the Antichrist, not just my mind, but that I am the Antichrist. And I have witnessed him telling people who were not even members of TFI, persons interning at TFI, the same. The polar opposite is right. OA's whole program is not to build anybody up, it's to tear people down, and then rebuild them in his own image. And he presents himself as some defender of the faith?