Some Quick Hits

I rounded up some short notes for the blog. I'd take them a little farther but I figured they would stand on their own.

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"Freedom is the Essence of Life"

That is the slogan painted on the wall and festooned on everything SRF. It was a key dicta. A fundamental concept. The basis for the teaching and belief system of the Spiritual Rights Foundation.

When asked, the leadership could not give a straight answer. They gave the slogan as the answer and the meaning is up to you.

When a student graduates to be a minister they are hauled before the Ordination Review Board (O.R.B.) to ensure the ministerial candidate has the necessary knowledge (which SRF calls "certainty") of the fundamental principles.

A lot of the questions were softballs. Things that were really easy to answer because of the clear and direct definitions of those concepts. Things like "how do you use (this concept)?" After ten years of indoctrination, you tend to know that stuff in your sleep

Occasionally, the candidate would get a real question that makes them think. A question that promotes deep thought and reflection. A question like: "What does the phrase "Freedom is the Essence of Life mean to you?"

In the Ordination Reviews I witnessed, none of the candidates could answer that question. Almost all of them mumbled or giggled or fumbled for words. Usually the answer was something like: "uhhh, freedom is like, you know, uhhh, life and uhhhhh, that's freedom and that's uhhh, you know, ummmm, essence errrr, I mean, the life errr, the essence of uhhh, you know, uhhh yeah that's it."

And that was it. Everyone passed the ordination review. No matter how incomplete and incomprehensible the answers.

That's part of the game. You were never given answers, only questions to fuel your own deep thought and reflection. And of course none of that deep thought and reflection ever really helped you to get the answers you needed.

Well, if you keep asking yourself a question to which you have no answer, what would your mind do after a while?

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I've heard tails of Bill's outrageous antics from various sources that made what's left of the hair on my head curl like Piglet's tail. These aren't just the goofy antics of a stand-up comedian (which is one of his claimed former occupations), they are more like the unimaginable acts you'd hear of in San Quentin.

They don't bear repeating here. A few have been memorialized by others.

I can see why there are people who are upset, even angered about that disclosure.

None of them would want to hear it. It's like finding out the Tooth Fairy is your dad; finding a dominatrix outfit in your maiden aunt's closet; discovering your kid watches FOX News.

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Our contracts for the Clairvoyant Training Program were for 9 month terms. Why was it that we were all kept there for one hell of a lot longer?


What makes it worth the money we paid?
Where did all that money go?

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Can anyone tell me what kind of charitable activities the Spiritual Rights Foundation conducted?
I mean, more than buying motor homes, luxury cars and real estate for the leaders.
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One of the more celebrated "retreat spaces" for the Spiritual Rights Foundation is their vacation house in Lake Tahoe. It came to them by way of a former member's largess. Or maybe he just dumped it on them. Well, the roof leaked, the floor was a mess and it needed a crazy amount of maitenance that no one could ever get around to doing. But other than that, it was a delightful place where you can't get a moment's peace unless you were sleeping outside under a tree.

Anyway, there were several weekend retreats held at the Lake Tahoe house. In preparation of one such event the leaders made some kind of arrangement with some person unknown to have the door key left somewhere at the house. When all arrived, the key was nowhere to be found.
So, instead of trying alternatives (trying to jimmy the door open, come in through a window, try the back door) they decided to call a locksmith to come pick the lock.
The locksmith arrived after some time, unlocked the door and let everyone in. Then he presented the bill. $200 for his time, travel and expenses. He was paid by the leaders, then left.
As soon as the locksmith left, the leaders approached the retreat attendees (who had already coughed up $200 of their own just for the privilege of being there) and demanded money to pay for the locksmith.
It didn't matter to them that it was not the attendees fault that the key was lost. It never occurred to the leaders to spend a couple of bucks for some extra keys and BRING ONE WITH THEM. And it wasn't even a consideration that the leaders who were ultimately responsible for conducting the retreat. They never took any responsibility for the issue at all.
All that mattered was that a key was lost, it cost them money and, by God, someone is going to pay. And those someone's are anyone at this event.
How is this even conceivable? There no proof any attendee lost the key.
It is because the leaders don't have to prove anything. They don't have to be fair to anyone. And they certainly do not have to work for a living like we of the Great Unwashed.
Instead, they demand money. Your money. To punish people who did absolutely nothing and for no reason except they were in a bad mood.
So, if you are considering joining those huddling in fear at the SRF gulag for a relaxing retreat weekend, bring some extra money, in case the leaders lose something else.