What Do You Call It?

Questions or dissent are discouraged

During My Year questions were ENCOURAGED??

Hmm, Anon, were questions actually encouraged or were you told questions were encouraged. If questions were really encouraged, you received a respectful, thoughtful answer–not a refresher on the group think. If questions were really encouraged, your classes didn’t give you all the answers but made you think for yourself about what the answers might be. If questions were encouraged, leaders made time to answer them without embarrassing you in a group setting.

Excellent points Julie. I can’t think of 1 time I asked dave a question what wasn’t met with a snarky answer, an attempt to belittle me, or a skewed, distorted bible verse. That is not an environment that encourages real questions, but one designed to ‘keep you in line’.

I agree with the whole questions thing. We were told to ask questions, and to weigh anything Dave or Ron said against scripture, but any time anyone asked a question or brought up a dissenting opinion, they were shot down by Dave’s condescending answers. I wouldn’t have dared question him for fear of being publicly humiliated.

Anon, Same here, in fact, we even had a class where we could ask any question we wanted. And we were encouraged to email the staff with questions if we rather ask them that way.

Class of ’09

RA, all these bear a lot of similarity to your blog. hush little baby dont you cry!

Really? How so?

How do I control any reader’s access to the internet, tv, music or books? Their privacy? Their friends? Their schedule?

The combination of all of these items is just one indication of a cult. Not just one or two of these by themselves.

A compound in the middle of nowhere with strict controls cannot be seriously compared to a blog on the internet! The very idea is patently ridiculous.

I’m sorry you are so brainwashed that you can’t see that. Please educate yourself.

Seriously, RA! Stop controlling my ability to earn money and completely scheduling my day. Sheesh!

I actually find it more amusing that Anonymous could only refute just one of the points listed above, haha! Anon has no problem with HA giving teens a sense of being “elite”? I think I have more problem with the lack of humility seen in many who graduate that kind of environment because it is usually very hurtful to the local church when they return home.

So, um, RA…is it okay with you if I….you know….DO IT with my hubby tonight? Or is that an unsustainable romantic relationship according to your blog rules? ‘Cuz I’m really scared that you’ll kick me off the blog and then I’ll be so far out of God’s will I’ll never get back and how will I explain that to all my friends (who already have stopped talking to me, probably because they feel so convicted when they’re around me)??

I have posted on the HA website and forums several times and each time my contents have been deleted or never made it to the site. Their controls seem FAR more restrictive than the simple rules that this community follows. How many times have your posts never made it to the site? More pot calling the kettle black I presume.

mouse

RA am I allowed to be friends with littlegraygirl

I think she’s cool

Don’t forget, its a LEADERSHIP program. They can do anything they want with THAT title.

Sarcasm!

Look guys, I hate to put a damper on things but many of you are not up to date with your accounts.

If God called you to read this blog, he will provide the $200 per month you need in order to continue in this community.

After all, if you don’t pay, how will I maintain my nearly $1 million dollars worth of East Texas property?

But this isn’t about me, this is about you having the FAITH for God to provide for you. I would hate to kick any of you off the blog for your failure to meet your donation pledge so get on your knees and make it happen!

nunquam,
I think we can be friends, but please guard your heart; we wouldn’t want to spend too much time together or we might become co-dependent. Then RA wouldn’t let us associate anymore–a stipulation of those arbitrary growth plans she’s always putting us on.
lgg

…you mean I’m gonna be financially dismissed from the blog??…gotta run to do my fundraiser trip….

I love you people SO MUCH.

Well I guess I show a begrudging sort of similar sentiments towards the ignorant anons here. If only because it makes a string of wonderful comments to come peek in on.

Sigh. But in all honesty, not that said Anon’s will receive such words, but the very fact that you have the freedom to come and go from the blog is already a bajillion times more freedom than you would ever get at the HA. Do they tell you you’re free to leave? Yep.

But not without making you feel like you failed as a human, and as a Christian, somewhere along the way in an irreparable manner. If that isn’t restrictive, I don’t know what is. While at the same time, the ones that manage to coerce (ER- I mean ‘raise’) enough money to make it through are somehow elite Christians.

I can only hope that someday you Anon’s will be able to take a step back and evaluate the environment you were pushed through, and realize it’s okay to think for yourself. Really, God won’t hate you. Promise.

Hey guys, we’re not allowed to talk about anything negative ever, remember? Because negativity just brings us all down and doesn’t solve anything. Ever. We never want to have conflicts and we never want to admit to feeling anything other than joy and happiness. So let’s all do some lines of coke and just be happy and only say happy, good things like “Jesus love you” or “God will take care of you” or maybe quote some random scripture out-of-context because it we think it makes us sound smart/superior/spiritual/right. That’s the only way we’ll function as a group, ya know. Otherwise, I’m going to mark your comments as spam and call you a weaker human being for not being just like me.

Is this the RA blog or “You know you went to the HA when…” facebook group… I think I’m lost.

Almost all of this is mitigated by the fact that the duration of your stay is one year for the vast majority and voluntary for all. Even the last bolded item designed to suppress objection..

dfree – Can you cite a psychological study or other evidence for that assertion?

dfree– David Koresh’s group, Heaven’s Gate, Jonestown— All of these were voluntary as well. So, I am not sure how your assertion makes sense given the fact that most people are not forced into a cult but enter voluntarily because it is usually under the guise of a well-meaning organization that can talk a lot of BS.

Shannon,

According to #10 on your “randomness” post, you can “BS with the best of them”

Are you a cult leader, too then?

I am a cult leader, or at least aspiring to be. I mean, shit, cult leaders make a lot of money. My cult worships the flying spaghetti monster.

awesome! where do i send the checks? Also, be looking for my new website “My spaghetti monster cult experience” I’ll do a good job of twisting everything you say. Don’t bother taking your blog down or editing any posts. I’ve got everything saved already to my hard drive. I’m going to quit my professional career and sit around and stew all day while my husband earns a paycheck for me. I really have nothing else better to do with my life. I might even find a few hopeless followers who comment on everything I say! (do you have any friends left that I can use for this role?)

I only accept money through my paypal account. You are welcome to contact me on Facebook for more information about that.

Since I don’t say much, regarding FSM, you aren’t going to have much material to twist. I am flattered though.

What blog would I be taking down or editing? I have one blog, a personal one, that you apparently have found and nothing on there is anything I would erase/edit.

It sounds like you are going to have a very boring life since my cult of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is actually self-reliant and requires you to actually do everything.

The owner of the RA blog certainly hasn’t quit her job (in fact, I plan on hiring her to be my photography if and when I ever decide to get married).

But, it sounds like you are set to go. Let me know when you have that site set up. It will bring amusement to myself and thousands of atheists around the world.

Shannon: I do hope that in response to Anon’s blog, though, you’ll promise a full objective investigation into the FSM, then close it down a few weeks later and, when questioned about it, only say “Things have changed and it’s different now.” That would be very honorable. XD

I don’t plan on shutting anything down— I will launch an investigation with hand-picked supporters of FSM as the investigators and have them make some casual but inconsequential suggestions on changes that could be made.

Of course, I will inform everyone that things have changed— but I will NOT give specifics or any examples of substance to anyone that asks repeatedly.

I will refuse to talk to people via email or with people who have pseudonyms. You must use your real name and you must call me so that I can first look up your intern jacket and use that information against you.

@ Shannon, can i be one of the hand picked ones….please. i mean i can do a really do a good job of making suggestions that really dont mean anything to anyone but looks like we are changing for the better.

@Michael—

Sure, I only have a few requirements. First, you have to believe in the FSM. Also, it would be awesome if you could be a former or current member of the FSM. If that is not feasible, then having a member of your family (particularly your son/daughter) should be attending currently or within the last 5 years.