In seeing the various people she is highlighting and the responses from some of the fundamentalists reminds me of many in Armstrongism who regard these same people with derision and contempt. God forbid if anyone in Armstrongism every thought about asking anything of the following people and groups! Truth only resides in Armstrongism and cannot be found outside it.
Rachel's latest one is:
I had quite an awakening several years back when I began regularly reading and participating in a Catholic forum. Unless you really get into the depth of other Christians' doctrinal approaches, it is very easy to be dismissive, especially considering the way we were taught to think about these things in WCG. The fact is, there is a wealth of research, thought, and information supporting the beliefs of the different denominations, and there are many people who can very articulately support and or defend their beliefs.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, Dr. Gene Scott used to use the term "geshtalt". I don't know that I've employed the proper spelling for that obviously German term, but by it, Dr. Scott meant that full truth is often arrived at by combining information from various resources or fields. This flies into the faces of most people who were taught that there is one true church, and that that church has all of the answers, and therefore, the authority to control every aspect of members' lives, including selecting what they are allowed to read, study, or listen to. I don't know what use such people had for divine guidance and personal inspiration, because frankly there can be very little of those if you are commanded to single source all of your incoming information.
BB
We were taught to never dialogue with 'Christians" outside the Church because they were all deceived. We had it all right as a church therefore why should we need to discuss anything with a bunch of pagans! What sheer stupidity! For this reason alone Armstrongism is doomed to failure, because it cannot look outside the boundaries of it's own little box it dwells in. There is no 'real' knowledge out there. Holy Family Catholic Bookstore in South Pasadena and Fuller Seminary Bookstore are fascinating places to visit. They both have books that make you do a double take in their subject matter. They are not afraid of new ideas or being challenged in regards to old ideas.
ReplyDeleteBTW I was at the Archives bookstore yesterday and they have a new set of Gene Scott books out. His young frisky wife has published them. I had to laugh when I saw them: http://www.dolorespress.com/books.html
Yeah, I used to listen to Dr. Gene simply because he was so entertaining. It was during my atheist/agnostic period, and in many ways, it was almost as if his broadcasts were a satire. Since I had left WCG prior to their receivership era, I had no clue that Dr. Scott had apparently been somewhat of an ally of WCG.
ReplyDeleteBut, there were a number of thought-provoking takeaways. Truth by geshtalt was one. I was also very impressed that he knew a number of ancient languages, and would translate and compare Syriac, Ethiopic, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Coptic texts to obtain a broader scope of meaning to the scriptures. His ghost stories (mostly about the paranormal and alleged demons) were just amazing during the Halloween season. In one of his TV broadcasts, the opening scene was a closeup of a skull pipe which Dr. Scott was firing up.
I think, in spite of his weaknesses and problems, he did have some things of value to contribute to theological discussions. At least we know his degree from Stanford was real! He was like the eccentric professorial types many of us looked forward to at college and university.
BB
Scott was no theological dummy. He knew his stuff and was not afraid to argue about it with anyone.
ReplyDeleteHe was bombastic, arrogant and self centered which attracted a lot of people. He would say the things everyone else was afraid to say. He had no problem calling a spade a spade.
He was the first to offer the church help during the receivership, partly because the state was going after him at the same time. The die hard Armstrongites had a fit that the church was allowing Scott to stand up for us. A "cigar/pipe smoking pagan false Christian" was how the grumpies in Pasadena loved to refer to him as.
He loved to have those little wind up monkeys clanging their cymbals together when he mocked the California Attorney General.
He helped build he Pasadena Aquatic Center down by the Rose Bowl. I guess as thanks to him the WCG also donated a hunk of money and had a large meeting room upstairs dedicated in honor of either HWA, the WCG or the Foundation. I can't remember which now.