All cults probably practice the "bait and switch" technique to lure people into their ranks. I think the LW certainly has practiced this from day one. If you examine the 1st Principles manual, you will read about how there is "milk for babes" and there is meat for the mature saints. The babes are not to be feed the meat.

Translation: If we really showed the new people everything we believe, they would run for the doors. So we have to give them baby teachings. Just the simple stuff that makes us look like loving Christians that are all just hungering for a deeper walk with God.

This practice continues today in the Living Word. Think back to when you first came in. What were you looking for? What attracted you? And did that pay out for you? Did what you were looking for come about? Did you experience fulfillment? I certainly didn't. I experienced a lot of pain, self-loathing and misery.

Note: the above observation applies to those of us that came into the LW cult as adults or older teenagers. Those that were born into it or young kids that were dragged into it by their parents. That's a bit different. But just as sad. Or even sadder.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/2018 01:36AM by puddington.

We are certainly a very active group - and that is really good news.

Information that I was disbarred is public record. It is important to me that everyone understands that I am no longer an attorney and I have said that several times in my posts here. The public record details are not the whole story. And I do not want to post the whole story publicly because I want to be able to use that information in any fight against me by TLWF.

If anyone wants to know my private details about being disbarred, I will tell you privately in a PM if you contact me and let me know who you are so I can trust the information won't be immediately transmitted to TLWF.

I anticipated an attack on my credibility. But much of the damaging information I know can be factually supported in various records or by other witnesses. I am not going to slink away from posting to this group or from making public the knowledge that I have about the miscreants who led and continue to lead (maneuver, manipulate) TLWF.

I will continue to post my opinion and facts I know to be true. I will continue to help those who have been victims if I can. If someone has a problem with me or with my credibility then don't communicate with me. It's pretty simple, really.

Participating in this group has been a lifesaver. When I first started I had no idea who was or was not still a part of TLWF. I had started disengaging a long time ago but didn't reach the aha moment of realizing the organization's cult status and purely rotten core until 3 or 4 years ago.

As long as everyone understands that if I convey legal information, it is NOT to be interpreted as legal advice. It is information from research by a non-lawyer who cannot give legal advice -- but who has a Doctorate of Laws and an educated opinion. By the way, my doctorate is not honorary but was obtained through hard work and graduate level education.

Onion Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> By the way, my doctorate is not honorary but was
> obtained through hard work and graduate level
> education.

So it's real.

Changedagain - Yes it's real. Obtained with a lot of blood, sleepless nights, sweat and utter panic. Nothing honorary and I don't wear any fancy robes or collars or hats. ;-)

:)

ONION:

Mary, you were always one of the good ones in my book.

A challenge with all of this is the fact that TLWF has undergone a public relations campaign to recreate itself minus some of the craziness that occurred from the 60´s all the way until recently. Something of a ¨TLWF Lite¨, which includes a corporate rebranding, with less screaming in tongues, less gulag work days, less sexual impropriety, and more mainstream sermons.

It’s almost an unspoken truce between leadership and members saying, ¨listen congregation, we´ll tone it down a little if you stick around and give that 10%. And you wouldn´t want to lose the social fabric of your life, would you? ¨

The problem with this in my opinion is that the basic tenets of doctrine still exist, and they usually suggest that the congregant is an imperfect being, but if they keep ¨sticking with it¨ they may be able to get that elusive ¨nature change¨ and become a being worthy of God´s love/blessings/protection. There is no way that we as humans can ever become perfect. We are imperfect, and God still loves us. That´s the beauty of it all.

The only thing humanity should live by is the Golden Rule. We won´t get struck by lightning if we don´t go to church, or if we question authority.

Aleutian Wrote:

> Something of a ¨TLWF Lite¨, which includes a
> corporate rebranding, with less screaming in
> tongues, less gulag work days, less sexual
> impropriety, and more mainstream sermons.

Fantastic.

It is wonderful to see those who formerly believed that hiding alone in darkness was the only safe place, who now see a ray of hope on this forum and have the courage to step into the light.

In the anthologies of religion there was always some personification of the 'great-deceiver', a name well deserved because of an impressive skill set. Far be it from us to escape the clutches of whatever version was being peddled in our hood.

We are all members of a group that includes those beguiled by the dictators of politics, the wizards of Ponzi schemes, or the developers who push swamp land. We just happened to be taken in by a higher cause--the apostle to the Kingdom--a very convincing sales pitch indeed.

Once we started down that rabbit hole we had to keep adjusting our eyes to the dark, and thereby developed an inability to tolerate much light. Our loss of vision cannot be blamed on us, but was simply the inevitable side effect of mistakenly believing we where heading out of darkness and not into it.

There is no room for blame by any of us who made commitments under dubious pretenses, but there is room for congratulations in acknowledging that light lay in the opposite direction and deciding to head for it.

End of the tunnel up ahead.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/2018 05:51AM by kBOY.

Hi Aleutian - I am consistently intrigued by your name.

The only thing I would want to modify in your description of TLW LITE (great name) is that the sexual improprieties have decreased. I haven't heard anything that would indicate any changes have been made in this area in any way.

I'm sorry to say I hear of more events that occurred a long time ago and more people that were involved in using the various gatherings as hunting grounds for their next abuse victim.

Changing a public image is like Tammy Fay Bakker's makeup. It doesn't hold up under hot lights or soap and water. The truth is all still there in historical records and just under the surface of the organization and its leaders.