Strong City

[snowychap]

From what I can see, Terry has come on here to try and dispel some of the mistruths and liberties taken by the documentary maker. A tactic which, if it succeeded, could see the children being taken from their city.

I wouldn’t say that your description above was my motive for coming on. This may explain it better: what would you think if a camera man followed you around for a few days snapping hundreds of shots of you walking around your house and yard. He says he is profiling you because your house is so neat and tidy. You agree that this would be OK to have the pictures published.

Knowing that your pics are to be in the paper you start looking around. To your amazement, you find a picture that is actually a splice of two different shots. You can see through the illusion of what the two pictures were. In the first shot, you were walking across you lawn with your shovel in your hand looking for dog dung in your yard. In the second shot, you can see your 8 year old child laying on the grass. The photoshop however, spliced these two shots into one, and made it look like you were ready to smash your child with the shovel. As time goes on, the neighbors are thowing a fit, suggesting that you are a child abuser.

Could a man’s motive for taking an add out in the paper be to say, “come now, this is not what happened, these are two different pictures put together in an effort to smear me”?

How about this explanation ?

You live with someone, set up home and give yourself to them, trusting in them and what they tell you. However a point arises when you realise that this is not for you; you begin to believe that the other is not who they say they are and that what they have been telling you is a mistake. You leave their house and try to explain to others the reasons why you did that. At which point your former partner defends himself by suggesting that you are a liar, morally bereft, devilish and now lost to any salvation.

I suppose what I am most worried about is not 'potential paedophilia' because that would be a questionable debate in itself - 15 years and 364 days versus 16 years ?

What I am worried about is potential abuse of trust and abuse of power. Unquestioning devotion to something is always a potential playground for abuses (of trust/power). Of course, this will be inconceivable to you, Terry, as you have absolute faith in your leader but to those of us looking on is it not something which we believe might be a concern?

[villab0y]

Tut tut Terry, surely piracy is a sin?

Did you see my question earlier about why Michael had changed his name?

[dundeevilla]

Well if you has seen it I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be as accommodating to this guy.

To everyone on here who is saying "Lay off him", his so-called Messiah goes to bed with naked teenage girls because "God wants them too", and screwed his own daughter-in-law because "it was God's will".

He's a sicko. Terry is doing a gallant job at making this nutcase group sound legitimate and interesting, but I would be willing to bet that within 12 months "Michael the Messiah" will be in jail.

You may think he sounds interesting but he is fronting up for a man who, at best, is treading a very thin line by encouraging underage girls to come into his bed naked.

Ian is perfectly correct and this thread should be locked really.

[snowychap]

Tut tut Terry, surely piracy is a sin?

Did you see my question earlier about why Michael had changed his name?

VB,

I believe that he hasn't in fact changed his name. Wayne Bent is the physical body and Michael (the Archangel) is the name of the spirit that came into him. I think also that Travesser is the name of the region in New Mexico in which they have set up camp as well as having some connotations about being 'doggedly determined to cross over' (i.e. from this world to the next). He believes that God has therefore given him the name of Michael Travesser.

I stand to be corrected, though.

[villab0y]

Fair enough, Snowy.

Terry, how do you celebrate Christmas?

Obviuosly you'll be aware of the commercial side of things now, its more about buying presents than celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Do you give each other gifts?

[Risso]

I want to know why God won't talk to me. Miserable old git!

[Gringo]

I want to know why God won't talk to me. Miserable old git!

Answered here

[TerryCzap]

Fair enough, Snowy.

Terry, how do you celebrate Christmas?

Obviuosly you'll be aware of the commercial side of things now, its more about buying presents than celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Do you give each other gifts?

Historically speaking Christmas was celebrated millennium before the birth of Christ by the pagans on Dec. 25, it was just called a by a different name. The scriptures do not mention the honoring of Dec. 25 so to me it is just another day. As most people know, it has been taken over by the money changers, but everyone just keeps on playing the game. The bible does speak of numerous other times of the year that men should mark, including one that says to "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy" (one of the ten commandments).

[villab0y]

Fair enough, Snowy.

Terry, how do you celebrate Christmas?

Obviuosly you'll be aware of the commercial side of things now, its more about buying presents than celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Do you give each other gifts?

Historically speaking Christmas was celebrated millennium before the birth of Christ by the pagans on Dec. 25, it was just called a by a different name. The scriptures do not mention the honoring of Dec. 25 so to me it is just another day. As most people know, it has been taken over by the money changers, but everyone just keeps on playing the game. The bible does speak of numerous other times of the year that should men marked, including one that says to Remember the Sabbath day (one of the ten commandments).

Thanks for replying.

Do you celebrate Easter?

[TerryCzap]

Had to get a bite to eat.

Easter and Christmas were both pagan holidays, brought into the christian world by the Catholics in the early fourth century A.D. I haven't seen the easter bunny for a lot of years. Don't even know what he looks like any more. I do however, have a couple nice furry cottontails outside my door eating their dinner this evening though.

[villab0y]

I think you're very lucky to live in such beautiful surroundings.

[World_Domination]

We stopped recruiting members more than 15 years ago.

Why did you stop ? and Why did you start ?

[ahamaad]

Can we please cut out the condescending and sarcastic remarks. And this thread will not be locked and any attempt to sabotage it would mean the offending posts will be deleted. Lets just stick to the debate and guestions/answers.

[Risso]

I want to know why God won't talk to me. Miserable old git!

Answered here

It seems that most people are too busy to hear God. The TV, iPod and the home stereo are always blaring away, and God cannot even get through.

That doesn't sound very omnipotent to me. Even my wife can make herself heard when I've got the iPod on.

But anyway, I'm just off to the beach to take the dogs for a walk. It's nice and quiet down there, with just the faint splash of the waves and the odd cry of a seagull. I'll be waiting for his call.

[TheDon]

Did you (as a group) receive any money for doing the documentary Terry? If not then I'm struggling to see why you'd agree to do it as it was pretty inevitable that you'd be spun out as some nutjob cult so I can't see what you'd otherwise gain from it.

[TerryCzap]

We stopped recruiting members more than 15 years ago.

Why did you stop ? and Why did you start ?

We started with the purpose of giving a gift to those who wanted it. This gift was a much brighter, clearer presentation of the gospel of Christ than what had been trampled in the dirt by generations of apostate christians. In 1987 God pronounced that the churches of the world were now Babylon and He was calling his children out of them.

As the years rolled by, we began to realize that the professed christians were out and out rejecting the Gift that was being offered to them, so all of our ministers resigned and we no longer conducted formal evangelism.

We did continue at various times to distribute books, or run web sites, but these were more like pronouncements of judgment rather than evangelical in nature. One such book was called Shillum, which, to the unprepared heart means “all is hell”. These books were distributed in person to almost all of the State Congress and Governor offices in the U.S. in 1995 and 96. We’ve also had various web sites over the years, but as the purpose for each site would be accomplished, we would close the sites down.

[carlitobrigante]

some people cant be reasoned with. some people have a deeply rooted need to believe in something, anything, that will give there life some meaning.

i had no problem with with what your leader and your group does. if it makes you all happy then well done. but the fact that he is sleeping with youngsters and many other women because 'god told him to' is where this stops becoming 'ok' in my book.

what can sleeping with a sister in law (something the bible expressively forbids if i remember correctly) possibly be a symbol of, other than a man abusing his position.

fascinating that people in the modern world can still be led so easily. you seem like a half decent chap terry, please please please be carefull and be sure to build some sort of live seperate to this group. when it all comes crashing down in a few years time id hate for you to be standing there with nothing left and having wasted 30 years of your life.

you say your friend will rise from the dead very soon. So if in 20 years your friend is still in ground will you admit your were wrong? or will this be another 'symbol'

oh and another thing, you say the diciples followed jesus on blind faith before he preformed any miracles? It seems you dont know your bible too well my friend and how the diciples came to follow christ.

[TerryCzap]

Did you (as a group) receive any money for doing the documentary Terry? If not then I'm struggling to see why you'd agree to do it as it was pretty inevitable that you'd be spun out as some nutjob cult so I can't see what you'd otherwise gain from it.

No, we did not receive any money. Not being paid is not an indication that BBC would put this spin on things. We were under the impression the Brits had a bit of integrety left. We never even imagined it could look like it did. We didn't expect a FOX News style broadcast.

Some time ago, Ben Anthony came to us and assured us, based on his previous documentaries, that his style of filming was to let the subjects tell their story rather than have someone narrate and spin a story about us. This was something that we could agree to, and he gave us his word that this would be what happened with the film.

We’re not talking about some back woods teenage journalist all stoned out of his mind coming and telling us a sales pitch. Ben had a good reputation and we had no reason to believe he would not keep his word.

As I stated elsewhere, the film did the work it was intended to do. 2000 years ago, Jesus was made to look like a deplorable rebel. He had witness say he wanted to destroy their sacred Temple. Others said he wanted to overthrow the government. He was made to look like an outlaw before the very people he came to bless. History has repeated itself and Messiah is again made to look like a criminal.

[snowychap]

Did you (as a group) receive any money for doing the documentary Terry? If not then I'm struggling to see why you'd agree to do it as it was pretty inevitable that you'd be spun out as some nutjob cult so I can't see what you'd otherwise gain from it.

No, we did not receive any money. Not being paid is not an indication that BBC would put this spin on things. We were under the impression the Brits had a bit of integrety left. We never even imagined it could look like it did. We didn't expect a FOX News style broadcast.

Some time ago, Ben Anthony came to us and assured us, based on his previous documentaries, that his style of filming was to let the subjects tell the story rather than have someone spin a story about us. This was something that we could agree to, and he gave us his word that this would be what happened with the film.

We’re not talking about some back woods teenage journalist all stoned out of his mind coming and telling us a sales pitch. Ben had a good reputation and we had no reason to believe he would not keep his word.

As I stated elsewhere, the film did the work it was intended to do. 2000 years ago, Jesus was made to look like a deplorable rebel. He had witness say he wanted to destroy their sacred Temple. Others said he wanted to overthrow the government. He was made to look like an outlaw before the very people he came to bless. History has repeated itself and Messiah is again made to look like a criminal.

Can I infer from this that someone who seemed like an honest and good person came among you and told you something which you had no reason to disbelieve but which turned out to be thoroughly false?

And was Ben Anthony not working either for Channel 4 or as an independent? (i.e. not for the BBC)

[TerryCzap]

what can sleeping with a sister in law (something the bible expressively forbids if i remember correctly) possibly be a symbol of, other than a man abusing his position.

Let me see if I have this straight. A man is approached by 3 different divorced women over the course of 7 years who ask him if he would have sexual relations with them, and you consider that immoral? Is that what you are saying? Have you had sex with 3 different women in the last 7 years? Shall we call the police and have you locked up if indeed you have?