Those backsliding heathens at UCG recently held a bake sale to raise money for brethren in Malawi so they can sink a new well and have clean drinking water.
The clean water wells have been major fund raising projects for countless youth groups here in the US, it is not something unique to UCG.
And that might be more of the problem than selling cookies on the 'sabbath'. These are heathen blacks in Africa, not the lily white British Israelites of the US or UK which are heirs of HWA's British Israelism BS.
Some conservative Armstrongites are all in a tizzy in the Elijah Forum on Yahoo. All kinds of negative comments are being spit at them. One threw the Bible at them quoting Neh 13:14-22.
Whining COG member writes:
When did it become okay to have bake sale fundraisers on the Sabbath? One UCG
congregation in Los Angeles had one yesterday. Here is what the member of that
congregation posted on a UCG facebook group. the resolving issues one:
In our Los Angeles church yesterday, we had a potluck and bake sale fundraiser,
organized by the young adults. The money we would raise would help our brethren
in Malawi sink a well, to provide enough water for them, and also for the
village.
So teenagers made cup-cakes, others made lemon pudding, red velvet, chocolate.. cup cakes and more, and my favourite German lady made two apple strudel cakes as only she knows how. We raised about $2000 for our Malawi brethren.
Most of the cakes were cut up and shared with one another over coffee after the
sale. Moving forward as a church, seeking to please God...can be so much fun.
While in Malawi, soon, may the water flow.
God forbid that these youth cared enough to raise money for members in one of the poorest nations on earth! These young adults will do more good that the snarling and gnashing of teeth that the die hard legalists will ever do. Almost all of them will never lift a finger or drop a dime to help these poor people.
If you want to donate to provide water for those in need check this link out. It doesn't take much and you won't be breaking the COG sabbath rules unless you are using your computer on the COG 'sabbath'. So there will be no need to worry about fire and brimstone reining down on you.
Click to enlarge or go to the site
I'm truly confused: United says it's OK to eat out in restaurants on the Sabbath, then says a couple running a Daycare can't be in the UCG if their employees work into the Sabbath Friday night or on the Holydays, even though they aren't in the church.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone tell me the difference between eating out on the Sabbath at a Restaurant and paying money for it and buying cookies on the Sabbath?
Anyone?
The difference?
Anyone?
Malawi is definitely in need of water.
ReplyDeleteMuslim students attending a Catholic primary school in Malawi tore up New Testaments that were being distributed by the Gideons International organization, which promotes the distribution of Bibles.
"Although the school's director had made it absolutely clear that no New Testaments were to be given to the Muslim pupils and that in no way was any student obliged to take a copy of the book, there was a subsequent uproar on the part of some Muslim youths, who tore up the New Testaments, threw them, howling at their teachers, and then threw the torn-up pages out onto the streets," Aid to the Church in Need reported.
"The behavior of the youths has been an indicator of a danger in our midst," said Father Medrick Chimbwanya, the parish priest. "Normally, the primary school youth in Malawi would not have the courage to tear up any book in the presence of their teacher, let alone a holy book. My conclusion is that there must be some awful training given to these youths which if left unchecked, means that we may have dangerous militants in Malawi in the near future."
In Malawi (80% Christian, 13% Muslim), the army had to be deployed to control Muslim rioters who, for two days, targeted the Christian community in Mangochi, a resort town 115 miles northeast of the commercial capital Blantyre. Save the Children (USA) and seven churches were vandalised and looted. Rioters dragged Bishop Allesandro Assolari from his church vehicle. Armed police then protected him while the rioters overturned and burned the vehicle.
Douglas...No, we can't know the differences. It is a cupcake, wrapped in a cookie, covered with frosting....
ReplyDeleteWould it not be the most amazing doctrinal change in the history of the Churches of God if they ever decided to allow people to make their own decisions about such things instead of feeling the compulsion from on high to mind everyone's business.
Truly, then I'd believe Jesus had worked a great miracle in the church.
Well, OK then, if nobody can make any sense of it, then a certain lack of insanity of us here has been confirmed.
ReplyDeleteWhich does not help in the slightest to define exactly what mental disorders those in the UCG have -- and I've looked in the DSM IV. I think that the American Psychiatric Association needs a separate entry for Armstrongism as a mental disorder. We here can give them all the defining characteristics to help them get started.
In any event, the Armstrongists are again proved crazy. Trying to make sense out of what anyone who believes in British Israelism is like entropy: Sanity becomes less and less available at every pronouncement of those in authority.
I'm truly confused: United says it's OK to eat out in restaurants on the Sabbath, then says a couple running a Daycare can't be in the UCG if their employees work into the Sabbath Friday night or on the Holydays, even though they aren't in the church.
ReplyDeleteMY COMMENT: They reason that it's not the same because the "unconverted" would be working at the restaurant anyway, whether they(the "converted")were there or not. Therefore, the "unconverted" are not working for them. By the way, I know some in the new UCG(COGAWA)even go to department stores to get stuff after having morning services, going to a restaurant, then go shopping. And, they left the UCG because of the "watering down" of the sabbath??Go figure! With the case of the daycare, wasn't it just the "unconverted" who worked a couple hours after the sun went down on Friday nights and on "holydays" that fall on weekdays? What a soap opera!
Therefore, the "unconverted" are not working for them.
ReplyDeleteYes, those "unconverted" selling merchandise at Jerusalem during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah would be working whether or not the Israelites bought anything from them, so they could buy anything they wanted.
Anyway, aren't the teenagers technically unconverted? They aren't baptized are they? So if they don't have the Holy Spirit, they are unconverted, right? So since they would be doing other things to do their own pleasure on the Sabbath, like playing video games and text messaging, why can't they sell cookies?
Soap Opera?
This falls in the realm of Science Fiction / Horror / Fantasy.
These people are in serious need of help from Mental Health Professionals because they are certifiably daft.
So the "young adults" might not be able to get away with selling cookies to do a good work of mercy on the Sabbath Day, but certainly the church teens could. See, there's always a work around.
Do you suppose that any of the Armstrongist churches of the god of this world even cares in the slightest about their reputation or even appearing to be halfway sane?
Peculiar people indeed: Unsupported by the sheerest whisper of a shred of rationality.
Nevertheless, perhaps we should let the dead bury their dead while we laugh at their mock funeral -- their sanity is what has died.
I had employees that were "sabbath keepers" and I found their religious conviction was really an excuse to goof off. I caught them in numerous lies and compromising positions that their creed nothing but crud.
ReplyDeleteAfter much soul searching, I realized this was true for about 99.922% of people in all creeds. Muslims craving ham. Hindis loving cheeseburgers. Jews working their employees on sabbaths while they enjoy lobster. Baptist ministers whoring around with mistresses. Methodist deacons gambling with offerings. Catholic priests being pigs.
If you wish to keep the sabbath, or any creed, do it to yourself and don't hassle others. A creed is seen of God alone.
In that way, if you find yourself in an ethical dilemma you don't have people in your face, or on the internet, judging you as if they are any better than you.
If you want to see what UCG believes goto the UCG website and search for doctrinal papers - Sabbath.
ReplyDeleteIt's sometimes best not to speak or judge unless/until you know the FACTS and have heard or witnessed something for yourself. Cheers
Oh and by the way, I am not crazy but I do have post graduate credentials in Psychiatry.
Anon:
ReplyDeleteIf you had paid attention to the post and not jumped to conclusions you would have seen that I was being sarcastic in what was being quoted. The post is based upon quotes from an ultra conservative Armstrongite splinter group that was condemning the kids for selling baked goods on the Sabbath. I think it was fantastic that they we selling things to raise money for clean water and other essentials in Africa. They were called heathens, unconverted and offspring from unconverted liberal parents. That kind of self righteousness is why the Church of God is not growing.