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Hopeful Soul
“Words have power” is an axiom of Impact dogma. I agree with that to the extent that words have the power to cloud, confuse, mislead and control as Impact misuses them. Words also have the power to enlighten, clarify and define when used as Impact will not like. I remember sitting in amazement and disbelief at the ritualistic ordinances the Impact paid and volunteer “priests” were officiating in during the core training. I recall thinking that Impact really had a priesthood that runs the show, although they would not admit that. Where I have had a sort of breakthrough is in finally realizing that LGATs and especially Impact Trainings are really priestcraft

I must be dense and slow in the head to have not seen this reality sooner. It took a combination of personal experience along with reading the experiences of others on this thread to have an ah! moment on the word “priestcraft.” It fits Impact so nicely and explains so much of their dogma. The first dictionary meaning of priestcraft is: a derogatory reference to priests who use their influence to control secular or political affairs. The second dictionary meaning is the skills involved in the work of a priest. Companion words are intrigue, plot, and machination. Machination is scheming or crafty action or artful design intended to accomplish some usually evil end. Another use for “priestcraft” is a stratagem and frauds of priests or imposition of religious concerns. My choice for the most applicable use of the word priestcraft to Impact is: the management of selfish and ambitious priests to gain wealth and power or impose upon the credulity of others. Credulity is the readiness or willingness to believe, especially on slight or uncertain evidence. This fits Quest to a T.

So as the Chief Priest Hans goes through his artful machinations on blue flames, St. Germaine etc. the lesser priests support the whole thing by telling trainees that it is wrong to analyze, make comparisons, be in your head, listen to your ego mind and on and on. They pretend to keep trainees in their excellence, keeping their word, being accountable; all the while they are deluding, oppressing, and fleecing the trainee by imposing on their credulity.

On March 2 here The Shadow told Hearts 5683 to stop trying to get us to buy what the “Fake Messiahs” are trying to sell us. I have tried to make a similar point using the term “priestcraft” but ended up using a lot more words than Shadow. Impact will find it impossible to shake off either of these terms.

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Hopeful Soul
Ah, HOPE!

Impact really shot themselves in the foot by saying that there is no hope. Once again this goes against the best wisdom of the ages. Impact priestcraft being hypocritical; this really fits. Job 27:8 says,"For what is the hope of the hypocrite, ...." The Impact staff (read Priests) according to their own dogma have no hope, but I have hope that the same is not true for many of us. Also with all the Impact talk about coming from your heart, they NEED to heed Proverbs 13:12, "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life."

Impact dogma is so mixed up and shifting with the wind. I predict they will make some changes with "hope" and "understand" to avoid continuing to look so rediculous and daffy. Same thing goes for "need."

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exImpact

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army-of-me
I, in no way credit impact for the good things that have come out of my experience, just as I would never credit an abuser with any strengths gained from overcoming the experience of abuse. In reality, I learned and grew in spite of impact.

I think from the moment of birth I was an agnostic-leaning Mormon :). Impact's madness kicked me so far through the agnostic uprights, I now see every appeal to religious feeling as cultish. What was it that Lisa Simpson said? "I made a graph which shows that as knowledge increases, happiness decreases. I make allot of graphs."

As for your line I quoted army, it's my point exactly. Even still, I have shadows of Impacts programming. Sitting in class I realized I was reacting to the professor/students and thinking in ways that were similar to my behavior I used to exhibit in the training room. I had to furiously get a grip.

On a lighter note, I will occasionally bump into a TIT grad I used to know, and I am happy to report that I haven't had ONE normal encounter. It is like talking to aliens, not the big black acid lizards, but more like Mork if he wasn't funny. Wait...was he funny?