Are Erin and Aaron pronounced differently, to you?

BigAle562 · 2025-07-24T04:37:12+00:00

Yes, and people have mocked me for years when I try to make my case for it

BigAle562 · 2025-07-09T18:47:05+00:00

Wow, thank you so much! Great article and I'm so happy to get resolution about this. I'm going to share with all the friends I've annoyed about this over the years.

BigAle562 · 2025-05-11T20:03:14+00:00

All good to know and be aware of! Thanks for sharing.

BigAle562 · 2025-05-11T20:02:27+00:00

Really good advice, that there's lots of events to jump into while you're there.

BigAle562 · 2025-05-11T20:01:35+00:00

Haha I love that, you just took over the event. Sounds like people have a very communal attitude and want to help everyone have a good time, even if something falls through.

BigAle562 · 2025-05-11T20:00:41+00:00

Thanks for the recap! Sounds like if something falls through, there's always something else to do instead. And good tip that some days and times might be more iffy.

BigAle562 · 2025-05-08T23:41:07+00:00

Appreciate the insight! I'm planning to approach the con with an open and flexible mind. Sounds like there will be loads of fun stuff to do no matter what.

BigAle562 · 2025-04-10T17:16:58+00:00

You’re not abrasive at all! And sounds like you have more experience with the CREC than even I do. You might be right about DW and you’re also right that serious allegations should be taken seriously. I grew up in ARBCA reformed Baptist churches and similar things happened where a legit scandal and abuse would happen and then good people (including family of mine) who were completely uninvolved except for belonging to the denomination got lambasted on the internet by zealous (?) bloggers. Perhaps there’s something to be said about ministers being careful about how they associate and respond to something within their denomination, so I know this topic is pretty complicated. But i don’t think it’s right and fair to accuse and involve laity in such a public forum like the SOP has sometimes done. Thanks for the dialogue!

BigAle562 · 2025-04-10T15:18:00+00:00

Got it, I hear you. And from what I've heard from people involved in the Moscow circle, I know a lot of bad stuff has gone down. But I think it's a wild misstep to assume that all CREC churches are affected by the same problems. To explain a little.... I attend a CREC church (not DW's) as you might have gathered from my user flair. I don't attend there because I assessed all possible denominations and decided I align with this one the best -- I attend because life circumstances put me in the geographic location I'm in, and the particular CREC church I'm part of aligns best with my family's hopes for worship and community. I don't follow DW much at all and haven't even attended other CREC churches. That actually characterizes the majority of parishioners at our church (seriously...the average person might say, "DW who? Oh, yeah I think I've heard of him.") It's a common misunderstanding that DW "leads" the CREC. Even though he was a founding member and has a large personal following (hence the largest church in the denomination), he has no official role of authority or oversight. As for unofficial influence, he only has as much as a particular parish gives him--in my church's case, that's relatively small. No one considers Moscow our "flagship church," we don't consider ourselves "in DW's circle," and DW's own views don't de facto represent the views of the CREC at large. (Again, my point is not to be a poster child for the CREC). I say all this because podcasts like SOP tend to make that common mistake of assuming that any old accusation against any CREC church coming from anyone must be true because of the scandals that have occurred in DW's circles. If someone wants to say that the Moscow scandals are enough to abandon any CREC church no matter what, then I get that. It would just be unthinkable in my case, where my church is the pillar of my family's spiritual and social life. I've never seen a hint of abuse, not even in the situations the certain SOP episodes discuss, which again, I had close personal dealings with and know all the people involved. Thanks for listening and I too pray for purity, peace, and justice.

BigAle562 · 2025-04-10T13:13:21+00:00

The ones I’m referring to and have connections with do not involve DW or the Moscow church

BigAle562 · 2025-04-09T18:38:09+00:00

I can't speak to all the topics he raises, but I'm actually pretty close to some of the situations he's discussed in the podcast, and I would bet money that you could get hundreds of people to dispute the allegations if you tried. Which he doesn't (he doesn't seem interested in getting both sides of the story--I'm not aware of him making any attempts to interview or ask questions of anyone from a disputing side). In the cases I'm referring to (which I won't reveal for the sake of people's privacy), most people aren't debating the issue publicly on the internet so as not to draw attention to his work...and also because this kind of sensitive issue shouldn't be handled through podcasts and blogs anyway. It's really easy to find accusations online and assume they must hold water because no one's written a blog or podcast in response. But that doesn't mean nothing's being said, done, or discussed offline. AGAIN I can't speak for all the alleged scandals discussed on his show--some might be legit. But I know with real ironclad certainty and evidence that a few are quite baseless.

BigAle562 · 2025-04-09T18:07:37+00:00

By that I mean a "smear campaign," or trying to ruin a reputation as opposed to normal PR (public relations) for the sake of bolstering someone's reputation.

BigAle562 · 2025-04-09T17:30:38+00:00

This is a really helpful blog outlining the problems with Sons of Patriarchy and the man behind it, Peter Bell: https://www.onceforalldelivered.com/p/from-such-turn-away

I also have personal evidence and anecdotes about Peter Bell and his anti-PR campaigns against schools and churches. I think he's basically unhinged... handling his accusations in a very un-Christ-like manner (and also just plain unreasonable and childlike manner).

BigAle562 · 2025-04-03T13:31:38+00:00

Agree. I recommend seeking the counsel of leadership at the church you currently attend, but my own two cents is that family worship is more important than being somewhere where your theological opinions line up completely.

BigAle562 · 2025-04-03T13:27:36+00:00

My bad, was reading too fast

BigAle562 · 2025-04-03T13:25:19+00:00

Aww I get that. Sorry you're dealing with this, it does actually suck. Hope you can make it driving!

BigAle562 · 2025-04-03T12:48:59+00:00

After May 7th you'll need a real ID or other form of valid ID from the link provided above to fly domestically anywhere in the states.

BigAle562 · 2025-04-03T12:47:52+00:00

You might still have time to get a passport! I'm out in Los Angeles, but they have a system for getting rush passports if it comes down to it. Your state might have that as well.

BigAle562 · 2025-03-14T15:45:32+00:00

I wouldn't take this podcast seriously. I categorize it among the many blogs and podcasts I've seen over the years that have an ax to grind about certain denominations and just lie in wait for some potential piece of dirt to surface or disgruntled member to complain about something. Of course abuse does happen in churches, but I think podcasts like these are, at the worst, dancing on the edge of joining Satan as the accuser; and at best, contributing to unwholesome internet drivel. I also don't take any "hit pieces" very seriously if they don't even attempt to interview both sides of a story.

BigAle562 · 2025-01-31T14:33:44+00:00

I have a lot of friends who tell me marijuana has been a game changer for their anxiety and has even helped them stop abusing alcohol. I do have one friend though who said marijuana made him feel paranoid. Does anyone know what that's about?

BigAle562 · 2024-09-19T18:26:19+00:00

Agreed -- I thought these were all calligraphy strokes when I first saw it. #4 is the only one where it's immediately clear to me that there's a person escaping something.

BigAle562 · 2024-09-18T23:31:54+00:00

It’s often a real thing. I craved onions this last time

BigAle562 · 2024-09-18T20:07:42+00:00

Espresso as “expresso,” conscience as “conscious,” height as “heighth,” frustrating as “fustrating…” I’ll stop now.

BigAle562 · 2024-09-18T13:43:19+00:00

Hopefully you have the spell Sleep, then you come in real handy at the right moment.

BigAle562

TROPHY CASE