As usual the premise of the letter says that if you are sick it is your fault! Your "lukewarm" attitude is causing your sickness. Your lack of passion and refusal to put "your heart" into God's work is letting Satan have free access to your brain and causing you to sin. Plus, if you sinners have stopped using your Moffat translation Bible you had better dig it out of the attic! Does any one even quote that translation anymore except for Spanky?
Dear fellow ministers and brethren,
Greetings from Charlotte! I want to give an emergency comment about the upcoming FAST we have called for this Sabbath, December 17, 2011. I should have put this in the Update yesterday, but was too busy and got distracted. So it is my fault. Dr. Winnail mentioned it, but I do want to comment further because of the extreme urgency of the situation we are in—which some of you may not fully realize.Brethren, more than in any time I can remember, literally dozens of our members and ministers are in “dire straits” physically. Up and down the East Coast, especially at here at Headquarters, at least seven individuals that I happen to know about are in life threatening situations—mostly from cancer. Just this morning, interestingly, I received an email from one of our leading members, Syd Attenborough, telling about the death of two CGI elders. One of the men I had known, Dennis Lawrence. The other I had not known but am very sorry for his death and the death of all of God’s people who perhaps have to die prematurely. So these two elders have died just within the last several days. A number more of our own people may die within the next several months unless we—as a Church—cry out to God to please intervene more powerfully to heal His own people! Certainly, as Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).
May God powerfully help us to regain the child-like faith that many had in years past—as some may not have had at all! Brethren, one of the major parts of Jesus’ ministry was to heal the sick—as I have explained many times. So we need to beseech God to help all of us draw closer to God so that He will begin to supernaturally heal those who turn to Him for this mercy. But the problem with many of us here—in this society—is that we do not get truly urgent in our prayers. We tend to be “lukewarm” in our prayers for healing—as in so many other things. One of Mr. Armstrong’s favorite scriptures along this line was something he said that we—as a Church—vitally needed to meditate upon. That is Moffatt’s translation of Hosea 7:14: “Though it was I who redeemed them, they have lied to me; they never put their heart into their prayers.” Mr. Armstrong often remarked that he thought that this was perhaps the greatest weakness in the prayers of God’s people—the lack of total fervency and passion when we pray to Almighty God. Brethren, I hope that as we enter this fast, that we can meditate on that and cry out to God for the sense of urgency and heartfelt outflowing concern for these people that are truly sick and perhaps ev en dying among our own brethren in the Church!
Remember when God told His servants to cry out to Him about the coming trials of the Day of the Lord—the time just ahead of us—He urged them, “‘Now, therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘Turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So rend your heart, and not your garments” (Joel 2:12-13). And when God instructs us in the New Testament to pray for healing, He states, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). Therefore, as we enter this fast, I hope and pray that all of us will genuinely take it seriously and try to mediate thoughtfully and lovingly about the suffering and imminent death so many of our own brethren are going through! Let us, together, truly cry out to our God at this time for His special intervention and healing of His own people. I am sure God would want us to do this. If we cry out to God in this way at this time, it will all draw us close together as a Church and He will no doubt bless us in many other ways. As we pray, let us also cry out for additional faith and courage so that we may move ahead in every aspect of our Christian lives and honor the God who gives us life and breath.
Brethren, please take this seriously and let us go all out as a Church in seeking our God in this day of fasting and prayer.
With Christian love,
Roderick C. Meredith
17 comments:
People get old and die. It is part of being humand. Cancer and other serious illnesses are unavoidable. Something will eventually get us in the end. To say that illnesses are caused by sin is moronic. By that logic anyone who is righteous by COG standards should never get sick and live forever.
It's really rather sad to read the almost panic in RCM's letter. While we all want to live and live on and on, life ends. It might be sooner or it might be later but everything ends. That is why Buddhism has a few teachings that are much more realistic and calming than the panic fundamentalists feel when they see their own end coming.
For people who want to be hidden in the grave during bad times or go to heaven, they do all they can to avoid either.
Buddhism ( and really the Bible when understood) teaches that the source of all suffering is clinging, grasping and attachment.
EVERYTHING goes away. We only get older if we are lucky.
I have transported newborn babies dead to funeral homes and stood by as teens were pulled from cars and rivers. I've picked up the cremains of people I talked to the day before. The lesson is all the same. You only get older if you are lucky. Think how different the course of WCG may have been had Dick Armstrong not died young.
RCM is afraid. You can hear it in his pleas. It's difficult to let go and stop grasping at the idea that somehow we were not supposed to die, but be changed, in a moment and a twinkling of an eye. That's a hard one to let go of.
None of us are special. I always had a hard time praying and asking for things for myself. I thought if God did not and does not save sincre christians from horrendeous torture and murder, why would he heal my illness? If a christian having a tire filled with gasoline hung around his neck or thrown in a grave he just dug for himself and covered with gasoline can't get a saving prayer in much less answered, why does God care about me finding work? It makes no sense.
Learning to let go is the biggest gift . Enjoy it while present and let it go when it is time. Christopher Hitchens, a most hated Atheist, let go with more class and acceptance than anyone I have ever met. He understood more than HWA or the COG's seem to about how life and death really works.
The more I read this, the sadder it is. We don't die prematurely as if we get some guarantee of a long mature life. That is unreasonable and of course something we go to great lengths to deny.
It is also strange to speak of getting back to the "child like faith" we had when younger. When younger, the faith we have in healing is usually during the times of our greatest health and fitness. In other words, we have a faith that never gets used and we don't expect we will have to. The problem with this is when in ministry and young we tell OTHERS who are not young to have the faith of the young who don't need it!
It is why I have said and taught from the start that no adult has the right to express faith for a child who is ill and has no idea what is going on. You can't have faith for another and cannot expect a child to tough it out by the adult's faith. That is insane.
Only the person can have faith and chose as they see fit. Telling someone they must have Faith is like telling them the "Must relax" Must and Relax do not go together for one experiences stress when trying to relax. :)
Faith is what you have before you get the facts!
I feel for how RCM feels, the fear and puzzlement, but it is normal. I wrote him and told him I'd sincerely show up to help with centering and relaxing and even the bigger picture. I think I understand him. Of course, I will not get a response and I know that and it's ok. I just wanted to do it.
Ok..all done :)
PS. Even as a kid, I never understood the "cry out," "beg" , "Impolore," "seek", "humble ourselves," aspect of getting the attention of the Deity. My goodness have you ever looked at the Hubble pics? No need to seek humility," We are nuttin in the universe. I doubt the Universe has heard of the Pope. (Or EVEN Dave Pack)
What kind of God delights in bacteria begging and the prayers of mere protazoa?
Jesus is said to not even been able to heal in his hometown and of course blammed the home town folk. Perhaps it was they knew him too well? Could they be blammed for that. Even Jesus family including Mary is said in Mark (And edited out of all other gospels) to have come with his brothers to get Jesus because he was out of his mind.
The Mary of Mark was not the Mary of Matthew and Luke's birth story for sure.
At any rate, having to beg a loving God in times of obvious stress makes no sense to me. I'm a better father to my own than that!
"I (RCM)should have put this in the Update yesterday, but was too busy and got distracted. So it is my fault. Dr. Winnail mentioned it, but I do want to comment further because of the extreme urgency of the situation we are in—which some of you may not fully realize."
Translation: "If I want something said to the brethren, I should know better than to let others say it for me. I let this one slip by me and wasn't too busy or distracted at all. Dr. Winnail is to blame but I am in charge and let him write for me, so I accept responsibility. He did not understand how panicked I am about this and even afraid so I will say it myself as I should have done in the first place."
M.T.Crematorium
I recently took an anatomy course and was very interested to read a segment on how stress affects the body. Especially since I have experienced some of those effects over a long period in my life.
These folks are tied under such a heavy burden for so long that it isn't surprising that their health is suffering.
Yet instead of the burden being lifted they are being driven by the armstrong gadfly into ever deeper cycles of anxiety.
I'm not saying that all the illness they are suffering is a result of the evils of armstrongism. But it definitely isn't helping.
Makes me think of Matt 23:15
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
In the epistle of James it says, "God resists the proud".
Maybe there's something to that, particularly when looking at the Armstrongist leadership.
I guess god is lukewarm and somewhat lazy and inattentive to the needs of his flock. Like the lazy, self-absorbed tribal chieftan he is based upon, he has to be moved by groveling pleading from a duly humble sycophant.
IF their were a god, this kind of exercise would be an insult and affront to him. It's like telling a husband and father he doesn't have the character and awareness to provide for his bamily's needs.
I wonder if it worked. Reminds me of the many times Herbie did the same thing. Of course, he blamed all of us as well when it didn't work. He blamed us right up to the time his own wife died. It was OUR fault.
It's not as if someone didn't try to help these folks out by correcting all of the old false doctrines so they could be living in the New Covenant, and being blessed.
But, still, I feel very sorry for anybody in ill health, financial turmoil, or lifestyle problems. They are right in asking for prayers, and though they may not necessarily want ours specifically, I plan to continue to pray for them.
BB
Dennis said, "Think how different the course of WCG may have been had Dick Armstrong not died young".
MY COMMENT - There would probably be a WCG and an Ambassador College today that we would all recognize -perhaps a reformed Church but with the major distinctive doctrines such as the Sabbath and the Feast days.
Dick Armstrong would have been old himself by the time he would have inheritied the Church. He would not have banned his father's writings as Tkach did. One of Dick Armstrongs children or perhaps even Mark Armstrong (GTA's son)
would have been potential heirs to continue the family business.
After HWA ousted his son GTA, there was no successor to the family business. Success without a successor is failure, and that is why we have seen the implosion of Herbert and Loma Armstrong's work into 700+ splinter groups.
Richard
"It's not as if someone didn't try to help these folks out by correcting all of the old false doctrines so they could be living in the New Covenant, and being blessed."
...and still be dying of cancer while still praying for healing. Praying to the Loving, Cool Jesus of the New Covenant is not going to cure cancer anymore than praying to the Stern, Ass-Kicking Jesus of Armstrongism. Magic does not exist. Magical creatures do not exist.
Paul Ray
Byker Bob said...
"It's not as if someone didn't try to help these folks out by correcting all of the old false doctrines so they could be living in the New Covenant, and being blessed."
MY COMMENT: You lost me, B.B. Who helped them out?
"They are right in asking for prayers, and though they may not necessarily want ours specifically, I plan to continue to pray for them."
MY COMMENT: Do you think he'll hear your's...and answer?
Steve, my main purpose in praying for those still caught in the HWA cults is that their eyes would become open regarding the many toxic and destructive deceptions which are affecting their daily lives. I would also be praying that they could know (through a personal non-cultic relationship with God) their God-given purpose in life, whatever that might be, and that they would have the health and strength to be able to fulfill that purpose in the allotted timespan. That is much more encompassing than it would be to join LCG in their fast and to be praying, "God, please heal Spanky and all those in LCG with cancer."
My prayer models have changed considerably since I came to the realization that God has the keys to unlock all of His childrens' minds, that He does have a purpose in mind for all of us, and that He will provide the tools (health and stamina as well) to fulfill that purpose if we allow Him to. The days of "Please bless Mr. Rader", or "Please open the door for Mr. Armstrong to Radio Caroline." are long since gone. Since those requests came from people with not too transparent agendas, how do we even know that they were according to God's will in the first place? If you ask God to walk with someone, or to work with them, you are leaving it all to Him rather than having your prayers conform to someone's narcissism. You pray for God's will to be done, and have faith and believe for that. It's futile to even try to manipulate God. LCG would be better off taking intense introspection regarding the presence of these illnesses, just as they would have over their massacre.
Emerging from the ACOG cults is somewhat akin to awakening from a spiritual coma, and having to learn the spiritual equivalents of walking, talking, eating, and all the other activities involved in a healthy life. The spiritual quality of peoples' lives is very much subject to improvement if they could only shed the toxic beliefs which are making them sick. Plainly, what we see happening to all of the people in these cults could not be described as "God's best for them."
BB
"... if we allow Him to."
BB and Spanky see eye to eye, it seems. The onus is on the member, not God.
I am glad gravity doesn't work based on whether I have faith in it or not.
Paul Ray
B.B.,
Did you answer my questions?
"You pray for God's will to be done . . . ."
Exactly. The way I phrased it was, "Just go ahead and do whatever in hell you want to, God. You're going to anyway."
After that it was never necessary to pray again.
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