(Below - - Tom Schroeder Post - - "Dead Men Talking")
Every once in awhile people will say that things are changing at meetings.
They say this in such a hopeful voice, as if they really want to believe it.
But is it possible?
NO! I am sorry to say, it isn’t possible.
They might be able to change a few rules because the rules have constantly changed…..
- The Tramps quit tramping,
- The Black Stockings slithered into history,
- The boys got rid of brown underwear,
- The women got rid of hats and claimed their bun for a head-covering,
- They eliminated bicycles in favor of cars,
- Their vow of celibacy ended almost instantly,
- And a brother worker was even seen wearing denim recently.
But the core beliefs masked by secrecy and code words are still the same.
The system is Freemasonry to the core.
The workers have intentionally hidden their “Truth” by using words to confuse those they consider “unworthy”. The workers do not use scripture to teach their followers. They look for scripture which they can allegorize to support their core belief which is that people can only be saved by following the workers. They don’t believe in ‘teaching scripture;’ they believe in ‘revelation’.
It can’t change because the workers and friends are too ignorant of scripture.
One hundred eleven years of:
- ignorance,
- secrecy,
- dishonesty,
- lies,
- heresy,
- selfishness,
- anti-Christian bias is not going to change.
How can it?
Even if by some miracle a person could suddenly get the head workers to agree on a statement of faith, how would anyone know whether it was scriptural, or if they actually believe it?
- There are no checks and balances.
- There is no way anyone can ask a worker a question without getting shunned.
- No one is allowed to talk about doctrine or scripture.
You are only allowed to give a testimony in which you say, essentially, “I enjoyed reading such and such....……and I appreciate how much the workers have done for me. I just hope that this week I can do better.”
The friends and workers have no understanding of prophecy, Bible history, the Old Testament covenants, the New Testament, the awesome display of God’s Creation, or systematic study of scripture.
- They have not memorized or learned to meditate on scripture.
- They don’t understand prayer or worship.
- They don’t know anything about Greek and Hebrew or the challenges of Bible translation.
- They don’t understand sin and salvation or all the reasons why Jesus died on the Cross.
- They would never be willing to disclose what they do with their money or where it is kept.
- They wouldn’t be willing to share their money with the poor.
How can they change?
They haven’t been born again. Transformation comes by knowledge and obedience to God’s Word.
Cult religion thrives in secrecy. It creates a secret garden of perfect religion.
From Tom Schroeder - - "Dead Men Talking"
Posted on the 2x2 List on February 9th, 1999
Here is Tom:
Hello Again,
My, my, where has the time gone, it's one year ago today, that I signed onto this list and I have only written three letters, the third one last April, so perhaps I should tell a little about myself for the new people on the list.
In 1941, I stood up in a convention night meeting to show that I had become (part and parcel) of that group. After the meeting, not one person came up to talk to me and everyone stared at me with such a long face, that I wondered if I had done something wrong.
Well, in 1987, just 46 years later, my sister give me (The Secret Sect Book) and said to me, "Read this." Well, at last, I was done looking through a glass darkly and I could put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Now what to do, no wonder everyone stared at me in that meeting in 1941! I did do something wrong, I got into the first grade of a cult system.
I remember back from 1935 to 1950, the workers stood on that platform and preached that this was God's Only True Right Way and that there were no people on the earth like God's people, and that all other churches were false and the worldy clergy could not tell people about God because they themselves didn't know God.
The crowd would laugh.
My mom and dad got into this system in 1922 and at their first convention, mom looked around and saw about 400 people there, so she went up to her worker and asked him if all these people are going to heaven. "Well," he told her, "It will do good if half of them get there." Then, as we kids were growing up, if we didn't OBEY all the laws, rules, etc., she would say to us, "Do good for only half of us will get to heaven."
About 5 years ago, my niece spoke in the Sunday meeting, telling how glad she was to hear a worker preach, "Question not, No, you don't need to question us about the way, just hear and obey and trust that what we preach is correct and true." So, she wanted to Obey more and Question Not. She came from Ireland a few years ago and married my nephew. They now have 3 kids and she already knows which one is going to be a worker.
I thought God did the calling for workers?
One more thing abut questions, my daughter, at about age 17, came home from high school and my wife told her to go into the living room to say hello to William Lewis, our Illinois head worker in 1972. Well, she soon came back through the kitchen, crying and said, "Mom don't call me down for dinner," as she went up to her room. Well, my wife soon went up to ask what happened. She said she asked William a question about something in the Bible. William told her that he was not going to answer her, he said she was old enough to know the answer by now and seeing that she didn't, she could find it in the Bible herself.
Oh sure, question not!
Now, I know you are dying to read about "Dead Men Talking," so I will tell you more about myself another time. I had meeting at my house for many years, but when I quit my job and started to travel a little, no more meeting here and I went to my brother's house for meeting. He lives about a 10 minute drive from me.
Well, last February, while I was gone on a 4 month vacation, they made out a new meeting list and took my name off the list.
Excommunicated at last, in a round about way. I heard it was because I had a negative attitude towards "the truth."
So they, (Ralph and Evelyn) "shunned" me until June when I was invited by my Irish niece to attend their 40th wedding anniversary and no one visited with me of the 50 "friends" there. So I sat at a table with 5 "worldly people. {:o)
I have tried to tell Ralph and Evelyn, (my brother and sister-in-law) about the cult system they are in and they tell me, "Don't say another word, we don't want to hear it."
So Evelyn wrote me a short letter to tell me the man from the convention farm had died on Thanksgiving Day, last fall. So I answered her letter.
Here it is........December 5th, 1998:
Dear Ralph and Evelyn,
So you have been trying to get in touch with me. Well, I have been very busy and in and out so much. I had a very busy Thanksgiving weekend. First, I had 3 invitations for Thanksgiving dinner and of course, they were all from what we used to call, "Worldly People." So I went with a couple and their 3 kids to Orland Park.....her father is Vice-President for the Amoco Oil Company in Chicago. About 15 of us around the table and so much food! They all showed so much kindness to me and so much love for one another and to God. After dinner, we played games and I really enjoyed the long day, arriving back home at 10:30 p.m.
On Friday, I went to the planetarium to see the star show and the star shining to lead the wise men to Bethlehem. It says they came into the house and they fell down and worshiped 'HIM" and to think that it wasn't even in a meeting.
Come to think about it, of all the meetings I sat in all my life, I don't recall every hearing anyone speak about wanting to worship God.
Most speak about their faults and failures and shortcomings and want to do better and better each day.
Also, the story in Mark tells about a wild and crazy man who lived in the cemetery and when he saw Jesus, he ran to "HIM" and worshipped "HIM" right there on the mountain side. I think these were wise men because they knew that this Jesus was God come down in the flesh. Phillip was slow to believe, because he asked Jesus to let him see God and Jesus said to him, "Phillip, have I been with you so long and you have not seen God."
They have more exhibits to see at the planetarium since I was there last. Space ships, etc.,...one like John Glenn went up in in 1962. It was all so interesting that I didn't get home until 7:00 p.m.
Someone called me to tell me that Kenry had died and the funeral would be Saturday, but I could not go, but thanks for mentioning it in your letter.
I'm sure that the workers would have preached at his funeral about Kenry having convention on his farm for about sixty years now.
Now, what I wonder is what old Kenry thinks when he gets to the other side and he meets up with William Irvine, our founder,..........the one that got this system and conventions started in 1987???
I'm sure they would have a lot in common to talk about and no doubt, William would ask Kenry, "How have the conventions been going the last few years of your life....I mean, are they still honestly exciting and also, tell me Kenry, what do the workers talk about on the platform these years?"
Kenry says, "Well, they start convention out with a stern warning telling about certain books and newsletters that have been written that the members are NOT to read and that they should burn them............but they never mention the name of William Irvine from the platform,.......that would be too devastating to the membership because in today's generation, very few have heard of you and that would create a LOT of questions for the workers and the workers DO NOT like questions." "So, they tell the members they have a bad spirit, and some are told not to take part in meeting, and some have their names taken off the "where to go to meetings" list,........it's really called excommunication.
"Oh, Kenry, why did you say that word, it brings painful memories as that's what George Walker did to me in 1914 and that hurt. Now, tell me, Kenry, what else do they talk about on that platform in the machine shed..........Ahhhhh, they still build machine sheds, I hope,........you know I started that trend, too."
"Now, now, William, I hope you don't try and take credit for starting this whole religion, I mean, system, that we were in all our life. They tell us on the platform with their Bibles in their hand, that this way or system goes all the way back to the beginning..........to Jesus day,...........and one worker, an old one, told on the platform a couple years ago, "Many men have started many different religions but this one we are in, we don't know who started it......but keep yourselves sanctified so that if anyone should question you about it, you can give them the right answers."
"Oh my, my, why Kenry? How come the workers are lying and deceiving the members like this? Why do they want to bypass me and even deny that I ever started this thing and tell the people it was started by Jesus. You know, that just makes me sick. Oh, tell me, Kenry, you know, if the workers had only preached the truth, they wouldn't be in this mess they have got themselves into. I suppose that they have to spend a lot of time preaching damage control?"
"Well, you see William, for years the workers told us that this was God's "only true and right way" and that all other religions were false and that the people were going to hell because their churches had been started by some man or woman. Then you find out that this worker's system was started by a man, too. Yes, YOU, William Irvine, and what does your brain tell you? Well, you are going to hell, too, just like those people in the false churches started by some man. You know, William, that a lot of the friends are getting out because they can't take the stress of living a double life, and to follow all the rules and all the do's and don'ts, even the workers are quitting."
"Well, Kenry, what can I say, what goes around, comes around and sometimes people will learn too late."
"Well, William, I must say, you are a kinda' likable fellow in spite of starting something in 1897 that has brought so much havoc into people's lives."
"OK, OK, always blame the next fellow so come under my wing, Kenry, and I will comfort you.........oh my, my, Kenry, how come your shoulders are so cold? I don't understand why so many of the friends and workers that come here have cold shoulders?"
"Oh, William, if you don't know by now, I will tell you. You see, in this sect, or what we call "way," we have been brainwashed to give the cold shoulder to our relatives, friends and others that have been in this sect and have left or lost out,.............so if we treat them like this, it could make them come crawling back into it, and some do but they never reach the same status as they had before they left."
"Oh, my, my, Kenry, have you never read that if you want to go to the good place, you must love your neighbor as thyself?"
"Oh yes, I have, William, but they don't live next door to me."
"Oh, Kenry, here is a blanket for those cold shoulders as I don't want you to cool this place down."
""Well, William, what can I say, you know you started this whole mess, and have you never read that the last will be first, so move over and let me sit on the hot seat!!!!"
I sure enjoy my computer as I can communicate with people all over the world......places like Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Canada and the U.S. These people are friends and workers that got out of the cult system, some are just getting out and some are still in but thinking about getting out. Oh, yes, and some have been excommunicated by the powers of the workers.
Oh, I wonder if you heard that a Tenniswood left the work in Michigan.........I heard, sick. Also, Harry Wilson, who used to be in this state, and I believe he is now in Virginia, left the work and got married to a divorced lady and has meeting in his home.
Well, I have so much more I could tell you but it is time for other things to do.
All for now,
Your brother, Tom
