Monday, December 3, 2012

United Church of God: Income Continues Downward Spiral



Things are not rosy in the disUnited Church of God.  What was once seen as Armstrongism's best hope, has turned into a ruptured and fragmented irrelevant sect with an expensive office building complex and an infrastructure it is struggling to support.  The income level has dropped so dramatically that the new UCG Chairman, Robin Webber has sent out a pleading letter to the membership for more money.  Typical of Armstrongism, this is another letter letting the membership know that they should be sending in extra money because UCG is the greatest thing on earth.

UCG members got to experience the Feast at official UCG sites around the world.  These sites were funded, in part, by money from the Home Office.  Ministers sent by HQ preached at these sites and the membership should not forget that!  You experienced a great Feast because of UCG. Plus, since we are all one big happy family, you should be more than willing to open up your wallet.

Webber writes:

We have some very important matters to discus with you in this letter.

But first, we hope you had a very inspiring Feast of Tabernacles. As you will see in the November United News, we had an encouraging increase in attendance over last year. Many members commented to us about the peace, unity, and harmony they experienced–and we are very thankful to God for that.

This years Feast sermon video was titled,”Fitly Framed Together”. Our vision mirrors God’s desire of a Church led by His Holy Spirit, joined and knit together by what every member supplies, with all doing their share,and growing in love to fulfill God’s great purpose for humanity–to bring many children to glory (Eph. 4:16, Heb. 2:10)”
Now that Webber has the positive  back patting comments done with it is time to get to the meat of the letter.  Money!

But now we have a special request. As you may have heard, we recently asked all employees and ministers to cut back expenses from their already lean budgets. This was so we can continue to direct our God-given resources to to proclaiming the gospel and serving you.

Please remember brethren, our ministers are sacrificing their lives for YOUR benefit and it is YOUR duty to support them!  Our hard working employees are doing God's work in the world and they need your financial support too!  We are working sooooooooo hard.  Just look at us!


And that’s why today we’re asking you to make a special offering. Since the unnecessary upheaval of a couple years ago we have been tapping into our modest financial reserves to fund our gospel outreach, provide congregational care, and sustain important Church programs like our youth camps. The Churches income has been stable and we deeply thank you for your continued commitment and dedication. But we must find ways to cut expenses and raise income if we are to effectively continue the work of God.

Brethren, because you are withholding money, we are going to have to eliminate the youth camps!  It's all your fault.  If you would only give more money we would not have to hurt the children.  It will be on your shoulders when little Johnny is told that the summer camps have been done away with causing him to run off and join a gang.

The UCG membership are already funding the high lifestyles of the minister and Council of Elders.  These are "kept" men.  Men who have never worked an honest days worth of manual labor like the membership have been struggling within this economy.  High food prices, high gas prices, sky rocketing utilities, rising health care costs, and a failed economy, have hit the general membership hard.  The ministers not so much. They still make their full salaries. Not a single one has offer to take a large pay cut in order to save the summer camps.


If Webber and the rest of the Council want the members to step up to the plate then let the Council make the first move.  Take large pay cuts!  Reduce your income for the first time in your lives.  Get a real job.  Be MEN for once.  When will the COG 99% stop funding the 1% in the hierarchy?

Malm: How To Have Kosher Sex




It amazes me the lengths that legalists, like James Malm, will prostitute themselves out to the law.  Jesus is an irrelevant pile of garbage comapred to the sacredness of the law.

It was only a matter of time until James Malm tied Jewish tradition and law keeping into sex.

In Jewish law, sex is not considered inherently shameful, sinful, or obscene.  Sex is not seen as a necessary evil for the sole purpose of procreation.  Although sexual desire comes from the yetzer hara (the so-called “evil impulse”), it is no more evil than hunger or thirst, which also come from the yetzer hara.  Like hunger, thirst, or other basic needs, sexual desire must be controlled, channeled, and satisfied in the proper time, place, and manner.  But when sexual desire is satisfied between a husband and wife at the proper time and out of mutual love and desire, sexual relations are actually a mitzvah (a Biblical commandment, see Exodus 21,10 referring to “conjugal rights” and the commentary on it).

Sexual enjoyment (whether involving intercourse or mere hand holding) is permissible for Jews only within the context of marriage.  For Torah, sex is not merely a way of experiencing physical pleasure.  It is properly an act of immense significance, which requires commitment and responsibility.  The requirement of marriage before sex ensures that sense of commitment and responsibility.  The Torah forbids all sexual contact short [leading up to] of intercourse outside of the context of marriage, recognizing that such contact is likely to  lead to intercourse and is damaging in and of itself.  Jews are rabbinically forbidden to even engage in sexual fantasy, let alone masturbation alone or mutual masturbation outside of marriage.

Kosher sexual relations are not necessarily limited to those that can lead to pregnancy, either:  anal and oral relations are permitted, if enjoyable to both marital partners, though Jewish men have a separate commandment to reproduce, and should generally end up having normal vaginal intercourse.

Nevertheless, Torah does not ignore the physical component of sexuality.  The need for physical compatibility between husband and wife is recognized in Jewish law.  A Jewish couple must meet at least once before the [even in an arranged marriage] marriage, and if either prospective spouse finds the other physically unattractive, they should not marry.

The Talmud specifies both the quantity and quality of sex that a man must give his wife.  It specifies the frequency of sexual obligation based on the husband’s occupation, [the Jewish minimum being once daily while she is clean] although this obligation can be modified in the ketubah (marriage contract).

Although sex is the woman’s right, she does not have absolute discretion to withhold it from her husband.  A woman may not withhold sex from her husband as a form of punishment, and if she does, the husband may divorce her without paying the substantial divorce settlement provided for in the ketubah.
Although some sources take a more narrow view, the general view of halakhah is that any sexual conduct that does not regularly involve ejaculation outside the vagina is permissible.  As one passage in the Talmud states, “a man may do whatever he pleases with his wife”.  In fact, there are passages in the Talmud that encourage foreplay to arouse the woman, and oral and anal sex are permitted (though not necessarily desirable), if they are not to the exclusion of vaginal sex.