changedagain Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > GoingRogue Wrote: > > > No, I couldn't find that exchange in the doc > files > > I received, puddington. I know I've read it > > before, though. It was a very sad and telling > > account of a young person looking for answers. > Too > > bad that GH showed zer
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

It's taken me hours to catch up on all the posts. As always, it's enlightening. It's taken me several months after finding this forum to realize that leaving the Walk was never the issue for me. Feeling like I was leaving JRS was. I would cringe a little at posts that seem to be critical of him when I first read them. That's changed. It's been extremely hard for
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Reepicheep Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm wondering if TheycalledmeJonah has any more > recent examples of TLWF leaders or members being > pushed out of the group because they asked too > many questions or crossed the wrong person? > > Since many have already seen how the same > strategies were used by JRS/G&M to rid the
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Puddington and corboy: ) What proportion of people in LW were also > attending the back room meetings? Probably only > 10% > > 2) Were these back room meetings generally known > about, or secret? Only known to those invited > > 3) What did a member have to do before he or she > was allowed or invited to attend these back room > meetings> Worked at the LW
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Reepicheep Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thank you for the warm welcome, Lily Rose and > NickleandDimed. > > This time of year is especially hard for me > because of time missed with loved ones during the > holidays. Many of those I miss the most have > passed away, and that time will never be > recovered. I’m sure that I’m not
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Tknc Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I've been no contact with my family for about a > month now and yesterday I had a very strange > encounter with my mom. I don't know if you've watched any of Leah Remini's program on Scientology or not. It's certainly more extreme than my experience, but definitely saw similarities.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

NickleandDimed Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In one of your older posts, you said M had > interpreted Apostolic Order to mean Chronological > Order and she was first in line. Do you think she > meant first in line because she had been John's > wife? I don't recall John ever teaching about > that. > > Doing my own res
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Tknc Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Really happy to discover this thread. Been > desperately trying to find more people that I can > relate my story to that will understand what I > have/am going through. > > > So right now, I feel shattered and hollow. Not > sure what I believe, like walking around with a > broken compas
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

larry bobo Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > "Since the pastors at Shiloh seem to have > no recollection of praying for John to be raised > from the dead, I was wondering if anyone besides > myself remembers those long nights of prayer." Before and after John died, I worked at the Blix house answering phones. I remember very clearly aft
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Just wanted to share a bit of breakthrough. For me, the Walk was JRS, The Word, nothing much else mattered to me. So much so, that when my youngest son was born, even though I had been out of the Walk for 10 years, I wanted to name him John. We ended up naming him Sean, which is actually the Irish word for John. As I was putting all my TLW material back in its box, still uncertain what I
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Yes, I did wonder what happened to Ruth. I knew that Miriam remarried. The last I knew was what I saw in the Vain Glory video. Thanks for sharing.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

lily rose -- I agree with you. I remember first going to the Valley church and it being "all so wonderful." There seemed to be a lot of love and joy. I think the more ill that John became, the more violent the intercession, and the more those around him were concerned that the whole thing would fall apart. There also seemed to be this message that we've got to protect John from
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

lily rose Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Kbyrne-yes the same dramas and scandals happen in > other churches too. Why though are some of the LW > ones so life destroying? Lily rose -- That is a good point. I honestly did not realize until reading posts in this forum how devastated many people's lives were. I'm trying to come to terms w
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

lily rose Wrote: -- > > NickleandDimed-I also don't fully understand what > was going on at Shiloh other than BenThar said it > was chaos. 40 yearsin 2016 once posted that JRS > was screwing over some of the ministries, Bickhart > (Mr. Shiloh) was canned. I remember that we always attended the Washington, IA church services. There was a power struggle. Trans
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

puddington Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Anyone got any good stories from the mattress > rooms at Shiloh? My very good friend used to spend nights with her then boyfriend in the mattress room. Caught them coming out of there myself on more than one occasion. They later married and then divorced. Never heard of anyone dying on a mattress, but a fi
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

NickleandDimed Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The psychic element was a big hook. For me too. I > have a box somewhere. Maybe I'll get the nerve > some day to open it up. Or maybe not. I totally get it .....
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

lily rose -- So glad you are still posting. Your posts/insights have been really helpful. Thanks!
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Sagehen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I agree with much of what "larry bobo" posted May > 1, 2017, I too had to ask myself why I fell for > the hook! Mine took me back to the Charasmatic > teachings in the early '60s and led right into > what JRS was teaching in the early '70s when we , > my late husband and I joined.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Re: TLW finances. I've read a lot posts and have been doing some soul searching and some internet searching. Coming to terms that I was in a cult, it's not an easy thing. I saw there were others that struggled with that as well. I read something online from "Cult Awareness and Information Center" titled "The Walk of John Robert Stevens." And I found the follow
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

CORRECTIONS -- I mean Numerical Order....
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

lily rose Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > kByrne you aren't alone in feeling like you don't > fit into another church. A number of posters have > expressed that. It's ironical that JRS said rather > arrogantly that the LW had ruined us for anything > else. > I learned here that Mary left (Blix girl) and went > on to
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

That is how I remember Donna as well. I'm sorry about her daughter. I don't understand what pleasure someone would get out of attacking her.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

NickleandDimed Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Rond, was explained to me Gary justified divorcing > his faithful wife using his interpretation of the > unequal yoke. I left before Gary and Marilyn got married. I still had a few friends on the inside and was told about several divorces. I don't remember them telling me the reason was becau
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

DebLounsbury Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > It took me many years before I > could walk in and trust anyone at a church. I try > to explain my religious past to folks and they > just don't get it. This was helpful for me to read. Thx. kbyrne
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Thanks lily rose I went to the Valley Church pretty much out of high school. Got involved in transcribing pretty quickly. I was almost 20 when I went to Shiloh. Drove out there with John Sayer and others. The Finneys, Corbetts, Millers, Lindys, seemed like a lot of people from San Diego were there for long periods of time. I knew of David Cokas, but can't say I knew him. I'm goi
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Thanks NickelandDimed, I think I'm just starting to come to terms with things that I saw and ways that I was treated during those years. When I left, not only did I leave the Walk, I left the country for four years. I just buried it. A lot of what I saw confused me more than anything. Like a roommate telling me she's sleeping with a married deacon in the Washington, Iowa chur
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi! I'm new to the group. I've only gone back a few years' worth of posts, I haven't read them all, there's so much to read! Some of the stuff blows me away. I was in the Walk from '74 to '84. I spent 5 of those years at Shiloh. When JRS died I was living on Blix and answering phones on Kling. For several years, when things struck me as strange, I jus
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families