Witness: Anonymous 1
Dear Jim:
I just recieved [sic] your email...I was out of town for the Holiday's.
I have sat here for a long time now, trying to type out everything that
happend to me...I just can't get my thoughts together. I have spent so
much time trying to forget it all.
My "Sin" according to The Way is that I did not put God first. Part of
this stems from the fact that my work prevented me from taking a class.
A lot was because I asked questions...questions that people would
actually get mad at me for asking.
I guess when you look at what finally cause[d] me to be told not to come
back to fellowship, it wasn't a real major thing...not like some of the
stories I've heard. My ex and I had a band. We were booked to play on
a Saturday night. It had been advertised for 2 weeks...we were commited [sic]
(doesn't the Way teach that you should alway's [sic] keep commitments???).
Anyway, we were informed on the Wednesday night before the Saturday that
we were supposed to play that, there is an area meeting Saturday night
and everyone WILL be there. I told them that we couldn't and was
screamed at for an hour that I was putting this gig before God. We did
not back down and played instead of going to the area meeting.
Well, to make a long story short, we went to twig the next week and, our
twig leader made it real short and said he had to do something
afterwards so, we wouldn't be able to stay around and fellowship. So me
and my wife went home, and, less than 10 minutes after we got there, [m]y
twig leader and my mother in law's twig leader (she went to the other
twig in Delaware) knocked at my door and said they want to talk to us
all at my mother in laws apartment.
My wife and I were told that, we were not welcome to come back to twig
until we were "ready to be disciples." And, my mother in law was told
she was not allowed to come back till WE had "gotten our act together"
and basically, that she was horrible for allowing her daughter to marry
me.
Well, in the aftermath of all this, there is too much to tell...at least
all at once. Of course, her whole family turned against me. And I
would come home and people from The Way would be there and leave as soon
as I got there...I finally started telling them that they were not
welcome at my home wheather [sic] I was there or not and, I threatned [sic] a few of
them if they ever came back.
Bottom line...she finally left me. The last conversation we had, she
was unsure if she would go back cause she didn't like some of the things
that were happening. I pray daily that she didn't.
This is only the last thing that happend [sic] because of the ministry. There
are so many other things that happend...being told we were no longer
allowed to talk to friends that had been "ex communicated"...that kind
of stuff. My last twig leader...he would sit and go on for literally 3
hours at times, just cussing about everything in the world that he
didn't like. Seems, his favorite word was "fuck." And we had a young
child, as did everyone else in our twig. This twig leader did not
belive [sic] in children's fellowship...they had to sit and listen to all this
every week too. He defended David Koresh one night and spent 2 hours
telling us what He'd do if Headquarters was ever "attacked".
Listen, I'm sorry if this has seemed all disjointed. There are so many
painful memories that I would rather forget, and this is the first time
I've brought them back up since it happened. Fortunetly [sic], my belief in
God is still there. And I still believe in what I learned in PFAL. But
Craig Martindale has to be stopped...I really think he's totally lost
touch with reality.
Well, thank's [sic] for listening. Please feel free to make my email address
available to ANYONE who might need someone to listen to thier [sic] story...I
would like to help in any way I can.
God Bless you
[signed]
"Anonymous 1"
1/19/97
