To: piedtech@intrlink.com
Subject: The Way
Dear Jim,
I'm having a hard time believing that you actually believe that you are
doing a service to Christians by exposing the relatively few abuses of
power enacted by the Way leadership. I admit that there have been and
will be abuses of power in the Way as with any other organization run by
men. You do a disservice to limit your attacks to just the Way. You
could point out that up until as recently as 90 years ago the Vatican
was more like a bordello than a holy place. You could point out also
that because of a shortage of women, the Mormons used to rade
neighboring towns and kidnap their women.
But again I admit that there were isolated, not pervasive, cases of
abuse throughout the Way. I do question the motives of your so-called
sources. I have spoken to former Way members who were in the Way Corps
and had no axe to grind. They have their own reasons for leaving the Way
and are not bitter about it. They have vehemently denied the allegations
of weapons stockpiling and paramilitary training.
I also have to call you on the speaking in tongues issue. To say
that it was a "technique of prolonged chanting that resulted in
hyperventilation" is an out and out lie.I know that because the Way
never promoted that. I don't know your history with the Way or your time
with it. I was involved for 13 years and was an Advanced Class graduate.
There was never any talk of an apocolyptic attack of headquarters and
any armed retaliation. And honestly if Dr. Weirwille could come back
from the dead and admit to any sexual misconduct that he was guilty of,
how would that bless you? How would it profit God?
Even if you have one thousand sources, using your numbers, you're still
only talking about one half of one percent of the population of the Way
at its largest. In 13 years I never heard of the so-called "one-time
healing". I was in a metropolitan area that had four Branches and never
heard of it, even in whispers.
In your reply this morning you said that you hold them responsible for
the wrongs. Do you hold the people who got hurt just as responsible? The
whole time I was involved with the Way, from PFAL to the Advanced Class
while Dr. Weirwille was alive; in every teaching I ever heard by him, he
pounded one thing home- "Don't take my word for it, make the Word your
own!" Most people didn't and got hurt when the leaders they esteemed so
highly had the same human frailties as we lowly Believers. They put
their trust in men and not in God. They did not have the spiritual
ammunition to deny the Leadership who were giving in to the temptation
of the flesh by the Adversary. Catch phrases like "renew you mind" and
"where's your believing?" weren't going to get it. There are also people
who are drawn people in powerful leadership positions. As you know
,power is a strong aphrodisiac. In the world these people are called -if
you'll excuse the vulgar expression- "star fuckers". This does not
excuse leadership for their part but the others involved bear part of
the responsiblity for letting leadership spoonfeed them teaching after
teaching not questioning and not proving God's Word. If they weren't
questioning leadership on the Word, why would they question any other
actions by leadership? Besides, they trusted men which was contrary to
the Word.
What it all boils down to is that the problem is not the imperfect Way
or its imperfect leadership or its imperfect folowers or other imperfect
Christian denominations- it's the Adversary who's out to divide all
Christians and make us all look like "Right Wing Wackos". Remember that
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places." It would serve the brethren well
that we pray that God work in the hearts of the offended as well as the
offenders that all will be healed. That is my prayer.
God Bless You Beyond Your Wildest Dreams,
Sal Guarisco
From: nspector
To: piedtech@intrlink.com
Subject: Bite ME
Date: Saturday, February 22, 1997 11:28 PM
[Editor's Note: There was no body message to this email!]
