In the last week, I finally finished reading The Cult That Snapped. It isn't a long book, but still it took me a year(?) to finish. I could only read so much at a time. *shrug*
Anyway, I just ran across the following journal entry.
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journal entry: april 28, 2010
I am, for the first time, reading "The Cult that Snapped: A Journey into The Way International."
I started it months ago and put it down. I didn't want it influencing my own perceptions of my experiences in The Way.
I picked it up again last week. For some reason, I'm able to read it currently without it having that effect on me. That is, I'm able to read it and still maintain my own perspective, perception, knowledge as I experienced it.
This morning I read "Chapter 10: Rows and Rows of Weapons." I was in the 10th Way Corps with Hannah; we used to run together some. But I don't recall feeling the panic she felt or the constantly being warned about a world/communist take-over while in-residence.
I'm not saying Hannah didn't experience that, but simply that I was there and my recall is different. Could I have blocked certain happenings out? Sure.
I recall the MAL (More Abundant Living) packs. We had to keep our backpacks ready. We were each supposed to have our area of study of how to live off the land if we ever had to disperse. My study was supposed to be how to eat from the wild. Ha. My group would have starved if they had to depend on my knowledge. That is, I didn't study it. I don't think others in our group studied up on their assigned/volunteered studies either.
We didn't truly take the warning to heart. I recall that we kept it light.
The "Hunter Safety Course" was just that. I think I fired a rifle a couple times. It seems someone from the Kansas Hunter Safety staff was there on grounds.
I'm not downplaying what I read in the book. Just that different people's perceptions and experiences can be different, even on the same enclosed campus of 100's of followers.
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