Did Brad Lewis really lose it?

[OryGoner]

Has anyone on this forum heard the account of Brad Lewis' mental breakdown when he was a worker?

I heard that he claimed to have a vision from God and they found he had stripped himself naked and was burning his suit and tie.

Does anyone have information regarding this incident?

[nitro]

No libellous posts will be allowed here. ProBoards inform that this includes all posts that contain names




nitro

[BaPa]

OryGoner,
Bradly Lewis and Craig Jacobsen were sitting in my living room when I fell off the roof of my home on November 11, 1999. I was not attending meetings at the time.

I did not know Bradly had left the work around 4 months or so after my fall and would have been in no condition to have been of any help for him as I was recovering from a major head injury.

Bradly was turned away from the work with no help at a time he needed help the most. Portland, Oregon area has a large group of "Professing" folks. Where was the help?

OryGoner, where were you? Are you afraid to post who you are? Yes, you can hide with your "Nobody Knows Who I Am" attitude. Are you willing to help Bradly, or do you feel better to show your "King Of The Mountain" attitude?

My email address is on this post!

[OryGoner]

Oh, sure! Then the admin will delete all messages regarding Jim Knipe, Leslie White, etc.?

Questions regarding a rumor are not libel. Brad frequents this board and he is free to respond.

[OryGoner]

Brad Lewis' family lives in Portland, Oregon. Why didn't they try to help him. Does a child in the work relieve you of any obligations as a parent?

If you think F&W's should be running a psychological counseling institution, you're just as nutty as the rest of these exers.

As for me, I don't WANT to identify myself. (Nice try) For all you know I could be Harold Bennet ... but I'm not. I am someone who left the Truth because I was unwilling for it ... It's probably right and I'm probably wrong. At least I don't make excuses like the rest of these hypocritical forum posters.

[nitro]

As for Jim knipe it is not libelous if you have proof via audio that he was classified as a bully!. Listen to the recordings. If you are deaf I'm sure someone has it printed out.

Now Leslie White who could say a bad thing about him. Well I'm sure someone can. Not I. Why if Leslie wanted to start a church he would have a mega church making millions. He has that much charisma. But thats not his calling is it.


nitro

[BaPa]

Why Bradly did not continue in the work is for Bradly to address, which I believe he has already done so on this board.

I am someone who left the Truth because I was unwilling for it ... It's probably right and I'm probably wrong. At least I don't make excuses like the rest of these hypocritical forum posters.

What's your story?

Have you found anyone other than Jesus Christ who is not a hypocrite?

Back to Bradly. Bradly has his strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else. At the time I was unaware that he even left the work and didn't know for quite some years later.

You can contact Bradly at www.bradlylewis.com/.

[ranman77007]

OryGoner said:

Brad Lewis' family lives in Portland, Oregon. Why didn't they try to help him. Does a child in the work relieve you of any obligations as a parent?

If you think F&W's should be running a psychological counseling institution, you're just as nutty as the rest of these exers.

As for me, I don't WANT to identify myself. (Nice try) For all you know I could be Harold Bennet ... but I'm not. I am someone who left the Truth because I was unwilling for it ... It's probably right and I'm probably wrong. At least I don't make excuses like the rest of these hypocritical forum posters.

wait a minute. don't throw me in that mix. i love God, and i am more unwilling than anyone, or at least tied with them. i know God longs to direct all my paths. i just feel that i fail to let Him control. but for some reason, sometimes i think He is still controlling.

[juliette]

A while ago, I read some accounts Brad had written about his time in the work, and afterwards. I believe they were on his website. They were actually quite heartbreaking (at least to me). Maybe you should give them a read.

[OryGone]

Bradly's website(s) are nothing but incoherent rants. His writing is not rational. List, lists, lists ... he LOVES lists.

His website is not much more than repetitions of "workers are liars" and a few minor variations on that theme.

[OryGoner]

You ANTI people get aweful quiet when faced with the reality that you just might be psychologically deficient (i.e. like Brad Lewis)!

The real TRUTH hurts, doesn't it?

[Iilene]

~~My word OryGoner please explain what you mean by
ANTI people? ~~Iilene

[nope]

orgoner,

You really need to get a woman.

[OryGoner]

Obviously, most of the people defending Brad Lewis on this forum have never met him. He is sociopathic to the degree he will become dangerous. And, to listen to so many on this forum defend someone they only sympathize with because he bashes the workers and friends.

In my opinion two people need to have their heads examined: first, Brad Lewis; second, whoever let him in the work.

When Brad's psychological problems lead him to harm workers and friends, the members of this forum who support him will have blood on their hands.

[junia]

nathan9 said:

Some workers in Oregon felt Brad was too young when he started in the work... he just graduated out of high school... he didn't have a steady job... He wasn't ready for a worker's life in a fish bowl, the stress, adjustment, a different kind of a life he used to, being a new worker, etc....

Reading what he wrote on his website about his life, the time 17 months he had been in the work now I see he was NOT Emotionally, spiritually, and physically ready for the work.

I know the overseer quite well... he was very a kind man.

So are you saying he wasn't called by God to be a worker then?

[Brad Lewis]

OryGoner said:

Has anyone on this forum heard the account of Brad Lewis' mental breakdown when he was a worker?

I heard that he claimed to have a vision from God and they found he had stripped himself naked and was burning his suit and tie.

Does anyone have information regarding this incident?

Who did you hear this from?

Brad

[Brad Lewis]

I started too young in the work. I should have had more indoctrination by the cult. But then by that time I think I would have started asking questions too. So whether I was too young or too old, anyone with a conscience would've left the work.

It was really too much for me to hear Howard Mooney telling Wayne Harris about the brother worker doing sex acts in the little kids room. I mean, how do you cope with that?

I had no one to really talk to about it. At that age you just put those things into the back of your head because you don't know what to do about it? Who would I talk to? What would I ask? I mean the workers aren't going to help me. Good grief, and then when you're sick from malnutrition and confused as to the meaning of life from the behaviour around you, they dump you off at your parents and say that you need to "rest". Uh huh.

When I went into the work, I was 18. I had several jobs before going into the work. I worked part-time at Senn's drive-in Dairy and also helped build some of the green houses at a nursery (they're still there) out in Beaverton.

My folks didn't raise me well, for sure. My dad has told me that. But nothing can prepare you for being a cult worker. It's just not healthy. To pretend to be an apostle of Jesus Christ but reject the very core teaching of Jesus, to believe in Him? It'll kill anyone.

I'm really thankful that I got sick. I'm glad my mother recognized that I was at the beginning of a nervous breakdown. For those of you that don't know what this sickness is, I'll describe a little.

A nervous breakdown is similar to ripping a muscle. Imaging you lift a weight in your one arm. Same repetition each day. Only you don't get to sleep, so the muscle never heals. And then you keep increasing the weight but force yourself to lift it. You reach a point where the muscle tears because it cannot heal and has no way to rebuild to increase strength.

Nervous breakdowns happen when you are living a lie. You say one thing, but you're doing another. You say you're happy, but you're not. So you start thinking. But there's too much to think about. With thinking, we do it night and day whether we want to (mostly) or not. Every person has to go through and reconcile what's going on around them with what they believe. Either they change what they believe to justify themselves or they change what they do.

I started to change what I was doing. I started talking to people when handing out invitations. I started talking to preachers. I asked questions. They didn't like it. I started doing stuff like asking elders to lead the meeting, because they had more experience. After all, why were people always serving me when I should be a servant to others? All these contradictions were killing me and I couldn't stop thinking about it.

So, here's some details of how a partial nervous breakdown physically feels. So basicly before it happens you're just confused as normal. You know the confusion that is making you sick. And when I say confusion, it just means an overload of thoughts that you don't have enough time or energy to sort through yet. So I'm talking to Kurtis Jacobsen, the only person that came to visit me when I was sick (except Craig Jacobsen who came to ask for some money back, a $20 bill that Vic Green gave to me and wanted back). God bless Craig Jacobsen and Vic Green for that. It helps show how righteous they really are. Anyways, I was talking with Kurtis and I feel what's like this blowtorch on the back of my neck. Only my neck isn't hot and there's no blowtorch behind me. And it half feels like someone is tearing the skin off the back of my neck, but not on the surface, it's really deep like the spinal column. And so I tell my mom I'm not feeling good. And she says "You need to go lie down and not think". She says, "If you start thinking, tell yourself to stop and just think about nothing". Well, that was hard, I was a thinker all my life and still am. But I did that and the burning stopped. Now I was fortunate. Thank God my mom was there. From what I remember, mom has been through a full nervous breakdown. I remember when she was sitting in the lazyboy and we'ld come kiss her eye-lids and say "I love you mommy". And she would just cry because she couldn't do anything. In fact this is about the first time I've really talked about this and I really appreciate someone bringing this up. So now I was saved from a full nervous breakdown where it goes completely up the back of your neck, over the top of your head all the way to your forehead. So now you know some of the rest of the story.

And for those that love lies, you're really slacking. If you're going to tell lies, you gotta make them better. Anyone who knows me knows I've worked hard my whole life except for in the work. The devil would be ashamed of you. And if you've decided to sell yourself out this far, you might as well go on a killing rampage and fill up your measure.

And Junias, you're totally right. I wasn't called by God to go in the work. I was called by a spirit not of God, but of the devil. And the persuasion to go into the work was a result of peer pressure and a desire to feel loved which I did not get at home.

The love of God has helped me heal and continues to help me heal. Thanks to God I can talk about this to people who hate me.

Praise God for His wonderful works to the children of men.

Brad

[Brad Lewis]

Nathan,

You know that really hurts when you say I didn't have a steady job. You probably just like making lies because you cannot handle the truth that you've invested so much time into something that's going to melt in fervent heat when the earth is destroyed or you die.

But perhaps you could be nicer to people and tell the truth. Just because people tell the truth and it hurts you doesn't mean that they hate you.

It makes me defensive when you talk about my work ethic (not holding a steady job) because I did work hard. Perhaps I'm proud of that and shouldn't be. So say all the lies you want about my work ethic and I'll reply back "I'll glory in the cross."

Have a great day Nathan,

Brad

[a believer]

nathan9 said:

OryGoner said:

Obviously, most of the people defending Brad Lewis on this forum have never met him. He is sociopathic to the degree he will become dangerous. And, to listen to so many on this forum defend someone they only sympathize with because he bashes the workers and friends.

In my opinion two people need to have their heads examined: first, Brad Lewis; second, whoever let him in the work.

When Brad's psychological problems lead him to harm workers and friends, the members of this forum who support him will have blood on their hands.

Some workers in Oregon felt Brad was too young when he started in the work... he just graduated out of high school... he didn't have a steady job... He wasn't ready for a worker's life in a fish bowl, the stress, adjustment, a different kind of a life he used to, being a new worker, etc....

Reading what he wrote on his website about his life, the time 17 months he had been in the work now I see he was NOT Emotionally, spiritually, and physically ready for the work.

I know the overseer quite well... he was very a kind man.

Just curious, how old were you when you went into the work Nathan?

[say it again]

Some workers in Oregon felt NATHAN BARKER was too young when he started in the work... he never graduated out of high school... he never had a steady job... He wasn't ready for a worker's life in a fish bowl, the stress, adjustment, a different kind of a life he used to, being a new worker, etc....

Reading what he wrote on his website about his life, the time he had been in the work now I see he was NOT Emotionally, spiritually, and physically ready for the work.

I know the overseer quite well... he was very a kind man.

[3]

Brad:

Thank you for sharing your experience of your near nervous breakdown.

I smile when I hear that expression, 'nervous breakdown' because our nerves do not actually break down.

I know the feeling, however, of feeling like you are stretched to the breaking point and know you cannot continue on your present course without totally losing 'it'.

I'm glad others helped you recognize that you were at a breaking point and helped you remove yourself from your extremely stressful situation.

I absolutely love what you write: 'I started doing stuff like asking elders to lead the meeting, because they had more experience. After all, why were people always serving me when I should be a servant to others? "

I have wondered how young sister workers must feel when they go into a Sunday a.m. meeting with and elder who is young enough to be their father or even grandfather (and who has perhaps been an elder for 30+ years) and they are expected to lead the meeting. I mean really! Let the experienced, wise one be the leader.

And I think the workers should have more of an attitude of being a servant.

[3]

oops -

should read 'an elder who is OLD enough to be her father or grandfather'.....

[Frank]

nathan9 said:

OryGoner said:

Obviously, most of the people defending Brad Lewis on this forum have never met him. He is sociopathic to the degree he will become dangerous. And, to listen to so many on this forum defend someone they only sympathize with because he bashes the workers and friends.

In my opinion two people need to have their heads examined: first, Brad Lewis; second, whoever let him in the work.

When Brad's psychological problems lead him to harm workers and friends, the members of this forum who support him will have blood on their hands.

Some workers in Oregon felt Brad was too young when he started in the work... he just graduated out of high school... he didn't have a steady job... He wasn't ready for a worker's life in a fish bowl, the stress, adjustment, a different kind of a life he used to, being a new worker, etc....

Reading what he wrote on his website about his life, the time 17 months he had been in the work now I see he was NOT Emotionally, spiritually, and physically ready for the work.

I know the overseer quite well... he was very a kind man.

Nathan:

I find it telling of your character that you have posted this, given the fact that if someone were to post something similarly revealing about yourself, you would raise all manner of holy hell about it, demanding of the administrator that it be removed at once.

You are a hypocrite.

[TrollieOllie]

nathan9 said:

fb said:

Nathan:

I find it telling of your character that you have posted this, given the fact that if someone were to post something similarly revealing about yourself, you would raise all manner of holy hell about it, demanding of the administrator that it be removed at once.

You are a hypocrite.

Well, FRANKIE.... if they are tell lies about me then I want them to hear my side of the story...

Don't call me a hyprocrite when you're not holy man yourself, FRANKIE.

Did Nathan leave Oregon to get his wife?
Did Nathan's wife speak english when he first married?
Was Nathan's marriage arranged?
Did Nathan have an affair when he was in the work?

He married after only about four months out of the work?

[Frank]

bradly said:

I started too young in the work. I should have had more indoctrination by the cult. But then by that time I think I would have started asking questions too. So whether I was too young or too old, anyone with a conscience would've left the work.

It was really too much for me to hear Howard Mooney telling Wayne Harris about the brother worker doing sex acts in the little kids room. I mean, how do you cope with that?

I had no one to really talk to about it. At that age you just put those things into the back of your head because you don't know what to do about it? Who would I talk to? What would I ask? I mean the workers aren't going to help me. Good grief, and then when you're sick from malnutrition and confused as to the meaning of life from the behaviour around you, they dump you off at your parents and say that you need to "rest". Uh huh.

When I went into the work, I was 18. I had several jobs before going into the work. I worked part-time at Senn's drive-in Dairy and also helped build some of the green houses at a nursery (they're still there) out in Beaverton.

My folks didn't raise me well, for sure. My dad has told me that. But nothing can prepare you for being a cult worker. It's just not healthy. To pretend to be an apostle of Jesus Christ but reject the very core teaching of Jesus, to believe in Him? It'll kill anyone.

I'm really thankful that I got sick. I'm glad my mother recognized that I was at the beginning of a nervous breakdown. For those of you that don't know what this sickness is, I'll describe a little.

A nervous breakdown is similar to ripping a muscle. Imaging you lift a weight in your one arm. Same repetition each day. Only you don't get to sleep, so the muscle never heals. And then you keep increasing the weight but force yourself to lift it. You reach a point where the muscle tears because it cannot heal and has no way to rebuild to increase strength.

Nervous breakdowns happen when you are living a lie. You say one thing, but you're doing another. You say you're happy, but you're not. So you start thinking. But there's too much to think about. With thinking, we do it night and day whether we want to (mostly) or not. Every person has to go through and reconcile what's going on around them with what they believe. Either they change what they believe to justify themselves or they change what they do.

I started to change what I was doing. I started talking to people when handing out invitations. I started talking to preachers. I asked questions. They didn't like it. I started doing stuff like asking elders to lead the meeting, because they had more experience. After all, why were people always serving me when I should be a servant to others? All these contradictions were killing me and I couldn't stop thinking about it.

So, here's some details of how a partial nervous breakdown physically feels. So basicly before it happens you're just confused as normal. You know the confusion that is making you sick. And when I say confusion, it just means an overload of thoughts that you don't have enough time or energy to sort through yet. So I'm talking to Kurtis Jacobsen, the only person that came to visit me when I was sick (except Craig Jacobsen who came to ask for some money back, a $20 bill that Vic Green gave to me and wanted back). God bless Craig Jacobsen and Vic Green for that. It helps show how righteous they really are. Anyways, I was talking with Kurtis and I feel what's like this blowtorch on the back of my neck. Only my neck isn't hot and there's no blowtorch behind me. And it half feels like someone is tearing the skin off the back of my neck, but not on the surface, it's really deep like the spinal column. And so I tell my mom I'm not feeling good. And she says "You need to go lie down and not think". She says, "If you start thinking, tell yourself to stop and just think about nothing". Well, that was hard, I was a thinker all my life and still am. But I did that and the burning stopped. Now I was fortunate. Thank God my mom was there. From what I remember, mom has been through a full nervous breakdown. I remember when she was sitting in the lazyboy and we'ld come kiss her eye-lids and say "I love you mommy". And she would just cry because she couldn't do anything. In fact this is about the first time I've really talked about this and I really appreciate someone bringing this up. So now I was saved from a full nervous breakdown where it goes completely up the back of your neck, over the top of your head all the way to your forehead. So now you know some of the rest of the story.

And for those that love lies, you're really slacking. If you're going to tell lies, you gotta make them better. Anyone who knows me knows I've worked hard my whole life except for in the work. The devil would be ashamed of you. And if you've decided to sell yourself out this far, you might as well go on a killing rampage and fill up your measure.

And Junias, you're totally right. I wasn't called by God to go in the work. I was called by a spirit not of God, but of the devil. And the persuasion to go into the work was a result of peer pressure and a desire to feel loved which I did not get at home.

The love of God has helped me heal and continues to help me heal. Thanks to God I can talk about this to people who hate me.

Praise God for His wonderful works to the children of men.

Brad

Wow Brad. Thank you for sharing your story.

I've been here long enough to remember you when you first came here over a year ago. I have to say the spirit and demeanor of your writing has changed considerably for the better since you first came here.

First hand accounts like yours are rare.

I think it's great that you had the courage and character to recognize the cult for what it was and take steps to heal for yourself.

No doubt it was difficult, but you did it! That's more than can be said for many (some here), who know everything you know but choose to stay in the cult anyway, simply for the sake of convenience, all the while lying to themselves that they remain for the cause of some higher purpose.

[Frank]

I find it interesting to compare the behavior of Nathan Barker and Brad Lewis.

Nathan comes here and, without permission, posts slanderous information about Brad.

Brad responds by openly and honestly telling his story, including potentially unflattering details and additional details before unknown. He put it all on the table.

Had the tables been turned, Nathan's rage at having his privacy violated would have consumed this board for two days.

It's obvious who has healed and who needs to heal.

[Frank]

nathan9 said:

Hey, coward TROLL... why, asking these personal questions and hide in the dark? why not tell me your real name.. what are you afraid of? you don't want to put your reputation and family name on the line? come on coward, troll....

People begin getting tired of your TROLL game... Some exes even call your kinds of trolling is Cowardly.

Why ask so many personal questions but you can't even post your first real name. Come on be a man/woman NOT a mouse.

Nathan:

Can you find it within yourself to be honest for a moment?

You rant continuously against the "trolls" for not revealing their name, address, phone number, e-mail address, employer name/address/phone number/e-mail address, date of birth, GPS coordinates, height, weight, social security number, hair color, eye color, gender, sexual preference, car make/model/year/color/condition, and a complete disclosure of their family tree, to name just a few.

But be honest Nathan. Is this really your issue? Or do you just have a problem with the substance of what they say?

You are a transparent fool.

We see through you Nathan.

When you don't like what someone says, you attack their persona as it appears here. You don't address the issue (likely because it would make you look even goofier). Instead you attack the messenger.

Sober up and read your posts.

[Frank]

Oh, one more thing, Nathan Barker...

As yet another example of what I was just talking about, I submit exhibit 541,923,546,997,756, yet another post of yours:

nathan9 said:

fb said:

I find it interesting to compare the behavior of Nathan Barker and Brad Lewis.

Nathan comes here and, without permission, posts slanderous information about Brad.

Brad responds by openly and honestly telling his story, including potentially unflattering details and additional details before unknown. He put it all on the table.

Had the tables been turned, Nathan's rage at having his privacy violated would have consumed this board for two days.

It's obvious who has healed and who needs to heal.

Come on, FRANKIE... you have a TWISTED mind... Most readers on here know about Brad Lewis and myself so please... your opinion is sucks.... What I told about Brad is not slanderous, or lies. You see I post my name so I stand by my words and they are not lies, Frankie.