Old ATI Yearly Conference in Knoxville Pics

[marmalade]

He really can sound like he is so very humble and truly just cares about people. And that he has the answers to all their problems if they would just listen and follow him.

Now when I met him in real life he totally ignored me while gushing over the skinny, long, curly haired teen next to me, but I can see how easy it is to get sucked into following him. Especially if you are desperately looking for answers to how to keep your teens out of drugs and stuff like my parents were.

I feel so lucky that when my parents went church-shopping, I was in high school and before Gothard was nationwide. My parents chose a Dutch Reformed church about two blocks from our house, based strictly on Family Radio and Harold Camping's membership. Problem solved. I was forced to go to church and the bible study he led prior to the main Sunday service. I read the guy as a megalomaniac the first time I saw him speak in person. I was 16 and my parents didn't trust my ability to "get" people. Thankfully my parents stayed at the same church, but they still had Camping piping over the speakers when I'd visit. It took them years to realize that they'd been duped by him; I don't remember the exact moment, but I was in my 30's. By then, he was long gone from the DR church and had several attempts at forming his own fledgling cult. I wish they'd been here to witness the crazy last year when he predicted the "apocalypse" last year. Sure, they already knew he was a sham, but with that viral mess, I could have really gloated.

They never did acknowledge my gift for weeding out phonies. This "gift" was born out of the wariness of a child of an alcoholic (whoever approved my first "mother" as capable jaded me...I'm speaking of the woman my dad married after the alky died when I was 10). At any rate, I'm rarely wrong in my assessments: I didn't have the terminology, but knew my brother was gay when I 6 and he 3. Almost 20 years ago, I met my boyfriend's relatives. He had a young cousin who was about 3. I told my BF/fiancee (short turnover, almost fundie-esque) that I wouldn't be surprised if she would come out one day. When she got to college 3 years ago, she did.

Okay, I can call out charlatans and have exceptional gaydar. I didn't make mistakes in relationships, other than during the experimental dating stage of two-week "boyfriends"...my two serious relationships before my husband broke up after years and were more about growing apart than anything else.

When I worked at banks, I could spot liars a mile away, whether I was a teller or a bank officer lacking today's instant technology. I never approved a phony bank account and even demanded Gail Sheehy's assistant prove herself (we're not used to "assistants" around here).

Long story short, I smelled a rat even before I knew what I now know about Gothard. He's using very basic educational theories on his members; think Pavlov and the dogs, or at best Skinner and the rats.

[Guest Anonymous]

I feel so lucky that when my parents went church-shopping, I was in high school and before Gothard was nationwide. My parents chose a Dutch Reformed church about two blocks from our house, based strictly on Family Radio and Harold Camping's membership. Problem solved. I was forced to go to church and the bible study he led prior to the main Sunday service. I read the guy as a megalomaniac the first time I saw him speak in person. I was 16 and my parents didn't trust my ability to "get" people. Thankfully my parents stayed at the same church, but they still had Camping piping over the speakers when I'd visit. It took them years to realize that they'd been duped by him; I don't remember the exact moment, but I was in my 30's. By then, he was long gone from the DR church and had several attempts at forming his own fledgling cult. I wish they'd been here to witness the crazy last year when he predicted the "apocalypse" last year. Sure, they already knew he was a sham, but with that viral mess, I could have really gloated.

They never did acknowledge my gift for weeding out phonies. This "gift" was born out of the wariness of a child of an alcoholic (whoever approved my first "mother" as capable jaded me...I'm speaking of the woman my dad married after the alky died when I was 10). At any rate, I'm rarely wrong in my assessments: I didn't have the terminology, but knew my brother was gay when I 6 and he 3. Almost 20 years ago, I met my boyfriend's relatives. He had a young cousin who was about 3. I told my BF/fiancee (short turnover, almost fundie-esque) that I wouldn't be surprised if she would come out one day. When she got to college 3 years ago, she did.

Okay, I can call out charlatans and have exceptional gaydar. I didn't make mistakes in relationships, other than during the experimental dating stage of two-week "boyfriends"...my two serious relationships before my husband broke up after years and were more about growing apart than anything else.

When I worked at banks, I could spot liars a mile away, whether I was a teller or a bank officer lacking today's instant technology. I never approved a phony bank account and even demanded Gail Sheehy's assistant prove herself (we're not used to "assistants" around here).

Long story short, I smelled a rat even before I knew what I now know about Gothard. He's using very basic educational theories on his members; think Pavlov and the dogs, or at best Skinner and the rats.

But discernment is supposed to be a spiritual gift. Or were they not into all of.that?