Remnant Fellowship 19: Leaning on the Everlasting Gwen

[RFsurvivor]

9 minutes ago, RFFriend said:

I can relate to you guys as well.  My people will be devastated if/when RF collapses and this documentary is horrifying for them.  I hate to see them get hurt in all of this.  But, I want them to face the truth.  I just know that is going to be painful for them.

 

I’m curious. Have your friends actually talked about this documentary or are you assuming they think it is horrifying? I am very curious how current members are viewing this whole thing. 

[RFFriend]

7 minutes ago, RFsurvivor said:

I’m curious. Have your friends actually talked about this documentary or are you assuming they think it is horrifying? I am very curious how current members are viewing this whole thing. 

I brought the topic up once awhile back letting them know it was coming and they already knew and I could tell it was a painful topic.  They didn't want to talk about it and I sensed it was just too overwhelming to think about along with the loss.  I used the word "horrifying" but maybe a better word would be overwhelming given their grief.  I know the Dan G videos were hard for them to watch.  

I can sense a fear of their world changing and they want to believe that everything will stay the same or get better.  I think if Gwen had not died and this documentary came out, it would just be an annoyance to my friends.  But, when things are already shaky with the loss of the 7 leaders, they are on edge a little bit with what is going to happen with RF.  

[JermajestyDuggar]

14 minutes ago, RFFriend said:

I think if Gwen had not died and this documentary came out, it would just be an annoyance to my friends.  But, when things are already shaky with the loss of the 7 leaders, they are on edge a little bit with what is going to happen with RF.  

I could see Gwen just saying it was a bunch of lies and acting like she is the victim of HBOmax. But she isn’t here to spin it. And there hasn’t been a clear replacement for her as of yet. So I can see this being really nerve wracking for them. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by JermajestyDuggar

[RFFriend]

10 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I could see Gwen just saying it was a bunch of lies and acting like she is the victim of HBOmax. But shdd we isn’t here to spin it. And there hasn’t been a clear replacement for her as of yet. So I can see this being really nerve wracking for them. 

Gwen would have probably said it was a smear campaign from Natasha in an effort to get custody. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by RFFriend

[bffyly]

2 hours ago, RFFriend said:

…
Do you guys think really think that Natasha is in fear of her life from RF?  That they are still trying to take her daughter? 

…

I sure would love to spend a day reading the documents in Dan G's box, though!

I really don’t know what to think at this point. I watched that Dan G video and thought it seemed strange and certainly less than 100% credible. However, enough of it was clearly true, based on things I know personally, that I just can’t completely write it off. Her fleeing does seem far fetched, but I don’t know if there’s a financial angle that would make RF invested in pursuing her (child’s inheritance or similar). I guess I’ll find out some stuff on the 30th when the documentary drops.

I’d love to read those documents too! There’s a lot of publicly available stuff that I just haven’t had time to read or listen to yet, though. 

[bffyly]

1 hour ago, RFsurvivor said:

I’m curious. Have your friends actually talked about this documentary or are you assuming they think it is horrifying? I am very curious how current members are viewing this whole thing. 

I don’t think I could ask my family about it without it seeming suspicious. We have just never discussed anything hinting that RF might be a cult. They have never (since I joined the family) approached us about WDW or RF. I believe my husband quashed any of that talk before I even met him. Something might filter down to me at some point, but it wouldn’t be firsthand, and would likely reflect RF talking points rather than individual thoughts. 

edit: yikes, I re-read your question and realized you weren’t asking me. Sorry, still vvvv new here. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by bffyly
Clarifying

[RFFriend]

6 minutes ago, bffyly said:

I don’t think I could ask my family about it without it seeming suspicious. We have just never discussed anything hinting that RF might be a cult. They have never (since I joined the family) approached us about WDW or RF. I believe my husband quashed any of that talk before I even met him. Something might filter down to me at some point, but it wouldn’t be firsthand, and would likely reflect RF talking points rather than individual thoughts. 

We talked about it being a cult long ago and they said they researched it and decided it wasn't a cult.  They feel very certain that the Smiths are innocent and they are always sending me books and trying to get me to join.  I think they have even talked about me to leadership and gotten advice on things about me   

I'm just recently really seeing some of the negative aspects of it in their lives.  Before, I saw a lot of positives, but I now realize the negative stuff was hidden.

[MamaJunebug]

2 hours ago, WeirdHarold said:

I've heard of "oneness pentecostalism", but Gwen didn't teach that.  How do you define Gwen's "oneness" concept?

Good question. I used the word incorrectly, thinking that it’s the same as “one god, not a triune god.”  Thank you!!! 

[throwaway9988]

5 hours ago, RFfamANON said:

This is a really flattering image of Gwen. I saw her a few months before the plane crash and she did NOT look this good.

You’re right, and I’d bet $1000 that if the overlying mosaic of photos was removed, what is underneath is actually a digital artist’s rendition of Gwen (or at the very worst a heavily photoshopped photo) rather than an actual photo. The eyes are larger and brighter than life, almost to the point of being anime-adjacent. The bone structure of her face is somewhat different than it was in real life, with larger cheekbones and an ultra-feminine jawline, and in general the bone structure looks like a hybrid between Gwen and a Barbie doll. The lips and perioral region are about as plump as a 20- or 30-year-old model’s, which is far from the thin and shrunken appearance that Gwen’s had for the last two decades. The roots of the hair are just a solid dark color, and the lighter overlying hairs are so uniform that they look like they were drawn with a brush tool. Plus, there is like a gothic-style church window behind her, which cannot be found at RF or WD as far as I know, and which I suspect is just an unrelated photo of a church window that the digital artist grabbed off of Google images or Shutterstock to use as a background. Just my guess, but look closely and see if you agree. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by throwaway9988

[throwaway9988]

On a separate note: Wow. Hype trailer! Now I know for sure that I’ve been out of RF a long time, because aside from Gwen/Joe and all the women in that old photograph used during the “stepford wives” reference, I didnt recognize anyone else! Who is this dude in the cowboy hat slinging highly-quotable soundbites left and right? I applaud his apparent media savvy, but I hope that (for his own sake) in the full documentary he doesn’t go any further than evidence and personal anecdotes can reasonably take him. 

[throwaway9988]

Sorry for triple-posting. At the beginning of the trailer, what was Gwen testifying under oath about in 2019 (date at the bottom of the screen)? Something related to Joe Lara’s child custody antics? And if so, how did the person questioning her get away with his seemingly-aggressive line of questioning asking if people from Remnant consider Gwen to be a prophet? Because the question relates to Gwen’s character as a witness or something, I suppose? Or maybe in whatever settings the questions were being asked, there’s not a judge present to sustain objections or whatever? Because to me, Gwen looked like she wished someone would step in and object to that question. Clearly I am not a lawyer and I have no idea what Im talking about lol. But if anyone thinks they know the answer, please teach me!

[RFsurvivor]

7 hours ago, RFFriend said:

I brought the topic up once awhile back letting them know it was coming and they already knew and I could tell it was a painful topic.  They didn't want to talk about it and I sensed it was just too overwhelming to think about along with the loss.  I used the word "horrifying" but maybe a better word would be overwhelming given their grief.  I know the Dan G videos were hard for them to watch.  

I can sense a fear of their world changing and they want to believe that everything will stay the same or get better.  I think if Gwen had not died and this documentary came out, it would just be an annoyance to my friends.  But, when things are already shaky with the loss of the 7 leaders, they are on edge a little bit with what is going to happen with RF.  

That’s interesting that they watched the Dan G content. When I was a member that would have been a BIG NO NO if there was something like that online. We were told to not watch anything about remnant other than remnant made content!

7 hours ago, RFFriend said:

Gwen would have probably said it was a smear campaign from Natasha in an effort to get custody. 

Oh I could see that being an approach that they would have taken. 

6 hours ago, bffyly said:

I don’t think I could ask my family about it without it seeming suspicious. We have just never discussed anything hinting that RF might be a cult. They have never (since I joined the family) approached us about WDW or RF. I believe my husband quashed any of that talk before I even met him. Something might filter down to me at some point, but it wouldn’t be firsthand, and would likely reflect RF talking points rather than individual thoughts. 

edit: yikes, I re-read your question and realized you weren’t asking me. Sorry, still vvvv new here. 

@bffyly feel free to answer my questions! All good here  I am curious about these things because I have been gone long enough and have no contact that I have no clue how current members are dealing with all of this. I hope that this will help some of my former friends see the issues and potentially leave….you never know what will be the last straw for a person. 

5 hours ago, throwaway9988 said:

You’re right, and I’d bet $1000 that if the overlying mosaic of photos was removed, what is underneath is actually a digital artist’s rendition of Gwen (or at the very worst a heavily photoshopped photo) rather than an actual photo. The eyes are larger and brighter than life, almost to the point of being anime-adjacent. The bone structure of her face is somewhat different than it was in real life, with larger cheekbones and an ultra-feminine jawline, and in general the bone structure looks like a hybrid between Gwen and a Barbie doll. The lips and perioral region are about as plump as a 20- or 30-year-old model’s, which is far from the thin and shrunken appearance that Gwen’s had for the last two decades. The roots of the hair are just a solid dark color, and the lighter overlying hairs are so uniform that they look like they were drawn with a brush tool. Plus, there is like a gothic-style church window behind her, which cannot be found at RF or WD as far as I know, and which I suspect is just an unrelated photo of a church window that the digital artist grabbed off of Google images or Shutterstock to use as a background. Just my guess, but look closely and see if you agree. 

@RFSurvivor_2 and I were discussing how they were actually very nice to her in the poster as well. Thank you for pointing out all the things I noticed as well. 

3 hours ago, throwaway9988 said:

Sorry for triple-posting. At the beginning of the trailer, what was Gwen testifying under oath about in 2019 (date at the bottom of the screen)? Something related to Joe Lara’s child custody antics? And if so, how did the person questioning her get away with his seemingly-aggressive line of questioning asking if people from Remnant consider Gwen to be a prophet? Because the question relates to Gwen’s character as a witness or something, I suppose? Or maybe in whatever settings the questions were being asked, there’s not a judge present to sustain objections or whatever? Because to me, Gwen looked like she wished someone would step in and object to that question. Clearly I am not a lawyer and I have no idea what Im talking about lol. But if anyone thinks they know the answer, please teach me!

I am assuming the footage from 2019 is from the custody stuff with Joe & Natashas kid but I’m hoping more context is given in the series cause I am curious how that question fits into a custody battle! Granted I loved her reaction to that question and I can’t wait to hear how she tried to answer the question. 

[RFfamANON]

I finally watched the Dan Gryder video. It was for sure cringey in more than a few segments, but one thing he said that I had not considered was that Michael and Elizabeth are just visible enough to appear to be taking the reins but are really only sticking around long enough to sell off property to “get the heck out”. I’m surprised at myself for not thinking of this option. But if tithes are down and Weigh Down program sales are down this makes total sense. I guess only time will tell. But them jumping ship would be quite a blow and could lead to RF demise. 🤞

[Animosus]

1 hour ago, RFfamANON said:

I finally watched the Dan Gryder video. It was for sure cringey in more than a few segments, but one thing he said that I had not considered was that Michael and Elizabeth are just visible enough to appear to be taking the reins but are really only sticking around long enough to sell off property to “get the heck out”. I’m surprised at myself for not thinking of this option. But if tithes are down and Weigh Down program sales are down this makes total sense. I guess only time will tell. But them jumping ship would be quite a blow and could lead to RF demise. 🤞

Well, it seems like Gryder shoots from the hip a lot of the time.  I am guessing there are all kinds of speculation about the future of RF, which may or may not be true.  It appears from the property that Gwen got in the divorce that she was worth 22 million at least.  Her husband worth 12 million at least.  So with the businesses RF has on top of the church and the interconnectedness of it all, and the money to be made, I would be surprised if the kids took off anywhere.  They grew up with this mind set and the members of this church.  It is really all they know. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by Animosus

[ChadelBaj]

11 hours ago, RFFriend said:

I brought the topic up once awhile back letting them know it was coming and they already knew and I could tell it was a painful topic.  They didn't want to talk about it and I sensed it was just too overwhelming to think about along with the loss.  I used the word "horrifying" but maybe a better word would be overwhelming given their grief.  I know the Dan G videos were hard for them to watch.  

I can sense a fear of their world changing and they want to believe that everything will stay the same or get better.  I think if Gwen had not died and this documentary came out, it would just be an annoyance to my friends.  But, when things are already shaky with the loss of the 7 leaders, they are on edge a little bit with what is going to happen with RF.  

This is interesting to me because my people will go to great lengths to pretend like nothing is going on. When I genuinely ask them how they are doing (especially right after the plane crash), I literally heard the words, Oh, we're fine. And they have said absolutely nothing about the doc. 

[ChadelBaj]

1 hour ago, RFfamANON said:

I finally watched the Dan Gryder video. It was for sure cringey in more than a few segments, but one thing he said that I had not considered was that Michael and Elizabeth are just visible enough to appear to be taking the reins but are really only sticking around long enough to sell off property to “get the heck out”. I’m surprised at myself for not thinking of this option. But if tithes are down and Weigh Down program sales are down this makes total sense. I guess only time will tell. But them jumping ship would be quite a blow and could lead to RF demise. 🤞

I guess we will find out this weekend! It is supposedly Elizabeth's big debut. 

 

Another thing I noticed about the trailer- It seems like they used a lot of stock footage? I didn't see anything in the footage that looked like current RF- the color coordination, the palm leaves, the synchronized raising of hands, stuff like that.  You know what would had an impact- if they had done a collage of all their "smiling faces." 

[Queen Of Hearts]

4 hours ago, RFsurvivor said:

I am assuming the footage from 2019 is from the custody stuff with Joe & Natashas kid but I’m hoping more context is given in the series cause I am curious how that question fits into a custody battle!

Maybe trying to paint her or her followers as mentally ill for believing such a thing? Or RF as a cult for believing she was a prophet? In either case it would not be a good environment for a child, especially if they were accusing Gwen/RF of trying to brainwash the child against her mother.

 

Maybe Bob can come explain for us?

Edited September 24, 2021 by Queen Of Hearts

[nelliebelle1197]

On 9/18/2021 at 12:10 AM, SayonaraLara said:

After getting hacked and all of his Gwen-related videos mysteriously disappearing first (fortunately followers had made backups), Aviation YouTuber Dan Gryder (Probable Cause) is fired up and will have some new content premiering in the next day! The title doesn’t hold back!

 

I believe this guy was discredited somewhat by our own members’ research and knowledge a few months ago, so this is the usual grain of salt/internet axe murderer statement. 

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

This is speculation on my part, but Michael has never seemed all in with RF.  He talks the talk in some of the TV shows, but he doesn't look it.  He's saying what he's supposed to say about how wonderful RF life is and how great Gwod and "the truth" and 'this message" are, but he doesn't look like a believer (if this makes sense). Certainly the rumors of his drinking, numerous infidelities, past weight gain, and rebellion against being under authority don't show him to be a model RF-er.

Michael owes his musical "career" to RF paying him and propping him up as the bestest,, most talented musical genius ever. He doesn't seem stupid and has to know he owes his career to Gwod/ RF.  If he really loves music, as he appears to, that has to gnaw at him.

Would he be happier outside of RF earning his living as a Nashville musician?  I think so, but without RF he has no fancy career, no money. I don't think he could have done it while Gwod was alive. Armchair shrink here  -- I think the current weight gain is a passive aggressive rebellion against Gwod. I predict now she gone he'll lose the weight. David Shamblin slimmed down after the divorce. Michael is reportedly close to his father, who can show him oh so clearly there is a good life away from RF and away from Gwod.

TL;DR  If anyone is looking to sell off properties and walk away with the money, I believe it's Michael.  Whether Elle and his family walk with him or cling tight to RF is another matter.  

Edited September 24, 2021 by Red Hair, Black Dress

[RFFriend]

1 hour ago, Queen Of Hearts said:

Maybe trying to paint her or her followers as mentally ill for believing such a thing? Or RF as a cult for believing she was a prophet? In either case it would not be a good environment for a child, especially if they were accusing Gwen/RF of trying to brainwash the child against her mother.

 

Maybe Bob can come explain for us?

My guess is that Natasha's side depositioned her because they were trying to show the wierdness of Gwen and RF since it was a custody battle.  The lawyer is going to ask questions to understand what they are going to say in court and also to get information that he/she can use before the judge.  What it is coming down to is that either the child would live more with Joe and Gwen or with her mother.  So, Gwen is going to be seen as a motherly figure and if they can get the judge to feel uncomfortable with her, then the judge might be more likely to have her spend more time with her mother over Joe/Gwen.  I think they had 50/50.

I heard that the court complimented Gwen and liked Gwen, but again, this is probably ultimately coming from Gwen, so I would be interested to read the judge's final opinion if they ever got that far.

[ManyGoats]

1 hour ago, RFFriend said:

I heard that the court complimented Gwen and liked Gwen, but again, this is probably ultimately coming from Gwen.....

That would be my bet!

It seems to me that just one look at Gwen would indicate that something is wrong there.

[luv2laugh]

The documentary has finally been announced in public. It was true despite some doubting it. I always strongly believed RFsurvivor 1&2 were credible along with the other who joined here that has been famous for legally battling Gwen.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/people.com/human-interest/new-hbo-max-doc-the-way-down-gwen-shamblin-lara/%3Famp%3Dtrue

Edited September 24, 2021 by luv2laugh

[Queen Of Hearts]

17 minutes ago, luv2laugh said:

The documentary has finally been announced in public. It was true despite some doubting it. I always strongly believed RFsurvivor 1&2 were credible.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/people.com/human-interest/new-hbo-max-doc-the-way-down-gwen-shamblin-lara/%3Famp%3Dtrue

Who was doubting it?  The media has been reporting on it for months.

[luv2laugh]

2 minutes ago, Queen Of Hearts said:

Who was doubting it?  The media has been reporting on it for months.

When some ex-members mentioned it almost a year or so ago that they were interviewed for it, they were downvoted and said to be likely false.

 

One of the alleged staff for producing the series made a post here and it was against the rules.

Edited September 24, 2021 by luv2laugh

[MamaJunebug]

Please forgive a "furgitfle" old woman, but,

Did somebody say Mike & Liz are to debut tonight (tomorrow?) during RF services?

How does one watch live?

And if one can only watch live as an RF member, when are the recordings available and where?

Topic No. 2: It tickles me that so many think the image of Gwen on the "poster" must come from a pretty image of her.  I have had to scroll FAST by the dang thing every time, it's so creepy to me!  Well ... the ex- did say I overreacted to things.  

Many thanks in advance for answers to my original (repetitious) queries!

Edited September 24, 2021 by MamaJunebug