Warsaw, In

[bstump]

do they still have the religious cult there that gives women medication so they will stop having periods because they are dirty?

AND they burned books in the town square.

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I've not heard of that cult... If that was 20 years ago, I guess I may not know because I was only 4 at the time. However, I'm sorry you had such a bad experience in Warsaw, it has changed a lot. I could very well see that the area could be very conservative, being that there are many, many churches (assuming all Christians are conservatives). However, I'm not sure where you went or who you "hung out" with, but I'm not seeing why anyone would think your sandals were "the devils footwear." If all you say that you experienced is true, maybe you should come back and visit and see how much Warsaw has changed over the last 20 years. Even the "eat the paint off your car" Dalton Foundry has made improvements. Winona Lake has improved a LOT, a bunch of little shops, barber, bike store and restaurants. Its really neat, especially in the summer when they have little art fairs and everything. Come back and visit (if you want), and if you feel the need to visit a church, come to the church where I work and attend - you can wear birkenstock sandals and, if you arent saved, tell anyone you want, you wont be shunned, I guarantee it. I know this isnt coming from those who said those things to you, but sorry for your bad experience!

[artemis]

"do they still have the religious cult there that gives women medication so they will stop having periods because they are dirty?"

Is that the same one that buried stillborn babies without the knowledge of the Health Department?

I had friends that lived there in the 70's, they only stayed a few years.

[bstump]

Not that I know of...

[rosieindiana]

I grew up in Warsaw and "escaped" to college in Chicago and a career in California. I'm now back in Warsaw by choice. I was tired of the crowds and stress and housing prices in California. Now that we have the internet and cable TV and telecommuting, Warsaw is not as isolating as it was when I grew up. There are beautiful areas. It's true that there are very few if any other liberals here--The density is so low that you're not likely to run into another one in your day-to-day work. And the local population is overwhelmingly conservative and Christian and right-to-life. It was a stifling place to grow up. But it's a good place to live once you've found yourself, as long as you are self-sufficient. The Ft. Wayne airport is a 45-minute drive. I travel frequently, and don't find that to be a problem, especially because the parking is close and the lines--what lines? You trade increased drive time for decreased airport time. There are many daily non-stops to many hubs. Diversity--much more than in the 50s--almost 10% Hispanic. Still few if any Jews. More South Asians. More Blacks. Better produce and other choices in the grocery stores. Better restaurants. Better coffee--Hooray! So now I feel that I've escaped much of the urban stress by being back in Warsaw. The person who wrote about the frequent trains and traffic--oh,my. They must have never been in REAL traffic, in Chicago or San Francisco. In Warsaw, the train might delay you 5 or 10 minutes, at predictable times--no big deal, believe me. No one ever laughs at my Birkenstocks. In fact, we have a European comfort shoe store downtown now. I'm writing from my 2nd-floor home office with large windows overlooking woods and a pond, enjoying a serene life I couldn't afford, or even find, in many other places. So, whether or not this is a place for you depends on who you are and where you are in life.

[Jax]

I stumbled across this Warsaw post and thought I'd respond. Wow, Leafy I never heard of such things as you mentioned in your above post, and I grew up in Warsaw, living there for about 14 years before I left for college (and left Indiana for good!). Besides, you can find cults anywhere, not just Warsaw, if they did have a strange cult back in the day...ever hear of the Tom Cruise/Hollywood craze of Scientology?? Anyway, I've been back for days/weeks/even months at a time, but never moved home for good once I left for college. Yes, it's conservative...yes, not as "diverse" as NYC, etc., but a safe place to raise a kid. You don't have to be a Republican or even a Christian to live there (even though I fall into both catagories). My big thing is that it's a small, boring town, plus it gets quite a bit of overcast days due to the "lake effect" and really cold winters. I'm more of a "city" girl myself, though. Since leaving the nest about 17 years ago (wow, I'm getting old), I've been fortunate to live in Virginia, Nashville, Colorado, San Diego, and now Florida, so it would obviously be hard for me to settle back down into a small Indiana town. My parents actually recently relocated to South Carolina to get away from the cold Indiana winters. If Indiana is your thing and you can handle small towns, you could give it a try...I agree that it may be a hard place to be young and single. Oh, and I was in high school 20 years ago in Warsaw, and NEVER heard the ridiculous claims of burning stillborn babies. What on earth??!!! It's just a small, conservative town...not the site of a horror movie.

[lovinglakelife]

Actually I'm aware of the cult probably in question from about 20 years ago....although that's completely untrue that they put stillborn babies on alters or burned them. The church was called "Faith Assembly" aka "The Glory Barn". This particular church was ultraconservative (not sure what's so bad about that, to be frank) and most notably did not believe in going to the doctor, but rather believing that God would heal them when they pray.

Not all that different from 50 million christians - except for when they pray for healing, they actually believe that God would heal them - so they didn't go to doctors. Novel idea, huh?

Kind of like asking your mom for a sandwich - and then not getting in your car and driving to Subway for that sandwich I guess.

Anyway - yes, Warsaw is pretty conservative. They have had a few massage places closed down for prostitution I understand. It is far and away Republican (I'm going to say that's a good thing. :teehee It is mostly white - although there has been an influx over the past say 10 years in the hispanic population. Not alot of black here. No idea how many jews - no synagogues that I'm aware of that's for sure - but since "jew" is not as obviosu to me as black or hispanic - I couldn't honestly tell you how many there are. I worked at the hospital awhile and had the greatest talks with a radiologist there who is jewish - Dr. Alan Cooperman.

Not alot going on here - that's true. The restaurants are pretty average.....and I'm not saying average by Chicago standards. What I'm saying is there just aren't many really interesting places to eat. Not that we don't eat - and eat ALOT in Warsaw.

For fun? The lakes are pretty much a big draw around here. In the summer people play baseball at the parks, bike riding, the gyms, hanging out for BBQ with friends..........low key, "family" type stuff. Bar scenes are, in my opinion, pretty pathetic - but honestly, I think the bar scene is a pretty lousy way to find a relationship and why the hell does anyone waste all that money on alcohol anyway when you could spend the same amount of money on your own booze and invite 12 people over. Seems alot more fun to me :shrug:

Warsaw is a job oasis - that's, I think, one of her biggest draws around here. It's said to be the "orthopedic capital of the world" - which sounds crazy for such a small town - but you will find good paying jobs considering the cheap cost of living in Warsaw - and low unemployment around here. Housing is really cheap by big city standards and so you can live quite well around here.

The winters can be nasty - so I do NOT recommend commuting for work.

If Warsaw is not cosmopolitan enough for you, then commute by all means to Fort Wayne or South Bend or, better yet, Indy or Chicago.......but don't make your life miserable living in South Bend or Fort Wayne and commuting like people try to do. Those are hours and hours of your life that you're wasting 5 days a week. Commute the one time on the weekend and just enjoy the lakes and your free time in Warsaw.

Yes, the high school is a MONSTER of a school -and something the community is very proud of.................

[techchick]

I lived in Warsaw until 1997, and I NEVER heard of anyone burning books in the town square. As far as the religious cult, again I NEVER heard of it, but every place has bad points and good points. The countryside is beautiful, and quiet, and growing up there, we didn't have any murders, or barely even any crime.