You have to look past the religious facade (i.e. brainwashing) to see inside the looking glass:
1. Read the Co-worker letters without bias. Recognize the trends. Blank out the "double talk". Juxtapose these letters with the actual timeline of the Church. You will find that prophecies and fear mongering rise and fall with physical projects and finances. There was NEVER any truth to the prophecies. Notice the psychological manipulation and repetition throughout. Notice how there was ALWAYS a crisis or emergency all the way up to completion of his "master plan". (Also, count on two hands how many times Jesus was mentioned - or even thankfulness to God - in each of these letters.)
2. Read HWA's Autobiography. Again. If you can bear it. Notice what is the focus of the Autobiography. You will find it is power, success, and how Herb got rich and successful. Notice how thoroughly he brags about secrets of money-making. Hobnobbing with millionaires. Desire of success, etc. etc... AGAIN, remove the religious facade and just read it for what it says.
3. Notice that the peak of the College Building project and it's financial needs co-exist perfectly with the fear-mongering of the 1960s. Also notice that as soon as the Auditorium was completed, and the building project was over, the "Lake of Fire" threats suddenly took a large decline. Pay close attention to exactly how much planning went into the construction of the Master Plan of the college and exactly what was being told to the financial arm (YOU) to keep the money flowing. Consider how much of this were lies to you and gain to him.
4. Learn what Herb actually did on his overseas trips. They were pleasure trips (around the world, etc.) masked in religiosity. Even his "World Leader Tours" were hobnobbing trips with important people with a touch of religious behavior to make it legitimate. Herb's trick was to make his funders believe what he was doing was divinely ordained.
5. The proof of all of this is in the Ambassador College Auditorium, it's story, the timeline, it's funding, and everything that led up to it. The truth is, the Auditorium was a gigantic idol - in the same idolatrous manner as the other shrines of Armstrongism. Some time ago I published a whole story about this, it might be a good time to re-run it.
6. Examine the current fruits. Look at exactly what the legacy of the entire movement has been. They are preaching from the same handbook, and sticking to the same formula. They are not successful because of a failure to adapt, selfish motives and instant internet accountability.
7. Read the accounts - all of them - that you were not allowed to read in the past. Read the Ambassador Reports.
8. Examine Herbert Armstrong. Truthfully, and honestly. Ask hard questions. Examine for yourself if he passes the "speaking presumptuously" religious test of Deuteronomy. Remember what he said WOULD happen compared to what DID happen.
9. Examine the fruits of his son, Garner Ted, and the fruits of the entire "Ministry".
10. And finally, examine and notice the strong materialistic pursuit of frivolous wealth and the treasures accumulated. If you are not sure, the link is on the banner above. You will find exactly where your hard-earned "tithe" money went.
Submitted by SHT
17 comments:
I have a question. May be hard to get a good answer because the original people are all dead.
GTA said much of HWA's autobiography was fiction.
Others said he got into it primarily for the money.
In the autobiography, HWA constantly stated how broke he and his family were for many years.
According to RCM, Loma Armstrong did not know how to cook.
Were they really broke? Was Loma - who could not cook - really making meals out of bulk rice and beans when in the 50s she was serving cornflakes?
Did HWA really spend 6 months in the Portland library full-time? Presumably they lent books back then for someone to take home and read.
SING ALONG TIME! - Sing to the tune "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" - Peter Paul and Mary / 1962
Video - https://youtu.be/w07PhR5cjVw
Where have all the church tithes gone?...
Long time passing
Where have all the church tithes gone?...
Long time ago
Where have all the church tithes gone?...
Sociopaths have taken them ...every one
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?
Where have both the Armstrongs gone?
Long time passing
Where have both the Armstrongs gone?
Long time ago
Where have both the Armstrongs gone?
Gone to graveyards everyone...
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?
Good to see this, but it probably won’t accomplish anything in the minds of those die hard Armstrongites who, against all logic and objective thinking, still practice self-delusion. We’ve said for years that the truth is just a couple easy mouse clicks away, and everyone knows this except for the wilfully ignorant. I for one don’t feel the least bit sorry for them any more, because they are getting exactly what they deserve.
BB
I don't believe for a moment that "the work" was NOT in continuous jeapordy.
The co worker letters were sent to hundreds of thousands of non members.
Specifically the 20 year lease on the auditorium was only payed off in 1994. Exactly coinciding with the moment the plug was pulled.
Moreover the "hq white elephant in pasadena" needed continuous feeding. In short you are mixing co worker letters and building fund raisers with regular tithing stream.
The church doubled in size betweem 1960 and 1970 and perhaps another 100 percent growth after 1975.
Doctrine, church growth and world events were the drivers between needs and funding. That was the masterplan.
You made a general descriprion of most church organizations only we witnessed "a start up in religion" come in existance. Remember how St Peters was payed for.........it caused the reformation.
Nck
BB - you are unkind to Armstrongites. It is not that easy. When you have been conditioned to think of HWA as an Apostle, and to prove the Bible using their selected scriptures, you get locked in by confirmation bias, and your personal reality filter.
It took me for an example, many repeated Bible readings before I started questioning the areas the COGs either ignore or explain around.
It is clear the Gospels promoted giving to the poor and that the great commission was to make disciples of all nations and teach them, not to spend your time expounding OT prophets and thinking that was your calling.
There are other scriptures at odds with the dead know nothing. Dennis calls this the Bible subverting the Bible. The COGS explain it by saying the Bible really did not mean what was written.
I read the scriptures numerous times that said there was a third resurrection of the dead for the lake of fire - then someone on this forum pointed out the Bible really did not say this.
We can see in other areas of life how people can look at the same set of facts and come up with opposite conclusions - politics is a prime example of this.
The building of overpriced real estate and attending expensive dinners and galas is not what Jesus had in mind when he commissioned the disciples to "preach the gospel unto every creature" in Mark 16:15-16. He also didn't condone or promote those who liked to be given titles, fawned over or wanted the "chief seats", and in fact explicitly commanded His disciples not to engage in such behavior. Matthew 23:5-12, Mark 12:38-40, Luke 20:46-47.
Christ also didn't condone the use of headline prophecy and a save your own skin approach to the preaching of the gospel in order to manipulate people into following and supporting the one who is supposed to be acting as an "ambassador" for Christ.
The idea that HWA never claimed to be a prophet as some have argued falls apart when looking at specific things said in his own writings. For instance in the January 1980 issue of the Plain Truth, he claimed that the prophecies of Isaiah 40:3,9-10, as well as Malachi 3:1 were duel and not only applied to John the Baptist, but also to himself, as the modern voice preparing the way for Christ "crying out in the wilderness". Whether he came right out and declared himself a prophet is irrelevant when he is applying prophecies of the Bible to himself and claiming to single handedly fulfill that role as he did in the series of articles of which the above is the first. In the 1930s the tribulation was the depression and the end of the age was to occur in 1936. See Plain Truth June/July 1934. When that didn't happen the goal post was simply moved forward. The January 1939 issue of the PT headline declares "What is Prophesied for 1939!" In this issue Mussolini is declared the "beast" of Revelation who would "fight Christ". See pages 3 and 4.In May/June 1941 we again see a shift and Hitler is now declared to be the "beast" see page 6 of the PT issue. When these "prophesies" and others during WWII did not materialize it was simply shifted again and the opening article of 1946 begins with the prediction of events that would lead to WWIII.
An interesting side note is the April/May 1940 Plain Truth where the article What is the Image of the Beast? proclaims that "church government or organization" is the image of the beast that compelled people to "worship the church". He also says that "Jesus Christ NEVER ORGANIZED HIS CHURCH! He set up NO GOVERNMENT!" Contrast that with the later teaching that government in the church was hierarchical with himself as "God's apostle" at the top of the human chain. Many cog groups today retain this form of government which in this article he traces back to the Roman Empire and the Catholic church.
While many of us still connected with the COG movement believe in the keeping of the Sabbath, holy days, and other practices we cannot continue to make excuses for false teachings and false prophecies as have been promoted by our leaders. These things are not of Christ. Jeremiah 5:30-31 "A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophecy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?" The Boy Who Cried Wolf might be a fitting story for some of us to review.
Concerned Sister
Presumably they lent books
Not from the Reference area - encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.
Hello concerned sister.
I love you got a hold of that 1940 pt copy.
Is that the one where HWA talks about a nazi invasion in Ukraine, years before USA joins the allies and Stalin still gloats the Ribbentrop pact. HWA also mentions that he has the maps of that plan on his desk since 1939.
HWA was an intelligence officer since the 1920's. (anti communist informant). His uncle was a printer of political pamphlets and THE great example for HWA was the "postmaster general to france" which is close to cia europe bureau chief. Yes, Ben Franklin.
So there goes your prophet theory. All 1930 1940 literature was aimed at either getting the usa involved in its international wilsonian mission of its manifest destiny, or keep it involved after the war.
Look at the anti communist pt's of the 1950's and 1960's. And also the us foreign policy aim to unite europe.
You can only understand HWA through its antithesis trump who is unravelling the policies of the american empire as its antithesis.
Nck
Thanks for your post concerned sister.
Nck
HWA was anti communist only in the sense that he was opposed to the Soviet brand of communism. This is because the Soviet commies would not let him play church. But HWA embraced commie theology with his totalitarian church culture and ownership by need via his give way mantra. Herb and splinters are still at core Marxist. Yeah, yeah, ministers rail against communism, but that's pure guile. They hope people believe their nice words rather than the reality in front of them.
"You shall know them by their fruits" is easy to say and read, but in fact requires much mental effort to implement. In the book of Acts 12.1-23, listeners called Herod a god after he gave an impressive speech. Deceivers can have a hypnotic effect on their audience. This is very discernable when rock stars perform in front of their fans.
11:49
Interesting points. I did not expect a Marxist theorist on this blog. I would agree that "The Wonderful World Tomorrow" book is completely and entirely communist/even more Maoist (agriculture) then Marxist. Also the AC Pasadena garden had a copy of the Soviet gift to the UN placed in the garden.
But no!
When one publishes 3 million print copies per month railing against communist influence on america's society in the 1950's and 1960's I would call you a tool of the fbi and cia propaganda machine.
As a matter of fact THE ONLY church to openly congregate at the FOT BEHIND the IRON CURTAIN was the worldwide church of god at its Brno Feast site.
During the difficult and painful transition period from the Soviet Union to Russia the World Tomorrow was the ONLY christian broadcast from Leningrad as AC assisted in transitioning in mediaoperations. Also the AC sponsored broadcast of the Rubinstein Concert in Moskou was another cut in the communist wall and could be considered a psy opp regarding its place in history for the Russian people.
But yes. Stanley Rader and HWA did not speak out against communism during the FIRST VISIT of a CHRISTIAN leader to the Chinese Peoples republic. As a matter of fact, Stanley Rader said that "a great many things had been accomplished by the Republic", then they sponsored the "China Chair" at Oxford University (1977/8?) to increase understanding about China in the West.
I am not hypnotized you know. Oxford University is a real 800 (?) year old institution of learning.
nck
I don't know that we can accurately apply either label, communist or anti-communist, to HWA. Reality is that he was a borrower from many philosophies and fields, and an amalgamator. Basically, he was a flaming asshole about it all, insisting that his way was the only right way, and therefore actually God's way, thus assuming his own ultimate authority and implying extreme punishment for all who disagreed.
BB
I recently read that Islam has over 200 sects. This sort of division is common in all religions including political ideologies. So even though HWA borrowed from many sources including the Jehovah's Witnesses, it doesn't mean that he didn't fall within a category. His beliefs are not a confused mixture.
mr armstrongs putrid shortcomings, including his racism, typical of that generation, cannot possibly diminish the Truth of the Word of Christ; and you scoffers will not enter into Christs Rest, but will, rather be forever known as the least of the least, having, at one time believed, but presently have fallen away and do lap up ur vomit like dogs; and there will be weeping and gnashing of...well, you know the line...
c f ben yochanan
Ok. It was the Famed Horowitz Moscow Recital Broadcast (not Rubinstein).
Of course y'all knew that already. Stupid nck the barbarian.
I don't really care about the ultimate anti/pro communist verdict. I am more interested in who "opened the doors" for a "mighty work" in non-alligned countries. As in "Al Qaida was a CIA project to fight the Commies in Afghanistan" as is established fact.
nck
9.49 PM
Unlike yourself, converted Christians consider HWA and the Truth of the Word of Christ as separate. We have not interwoven or fused the two. Christ said 'follow me' 23 times in the NT and over 50 times if variations are considered. No where did Christ say 'follow HWA.'
I hope this clarifies it for you c f Ben yochanan.
Well, c f ben yochanan @ June 4, 2019 at 9:49 PM,
Those are some particularly cheery thoughts, on a blog meant to celebrate being free of Herbie's bullcrap!
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