Rod Meredith has a new coworker letter out. In it he says:
The world around us is rapidly changing. Many millions of people, right now, are being persecuted or uprooted from their homes, suffering the loss of their jobs or having families come apart. Millions are increasingly unsure as to whether there is a “real” God. And so, most of these untold millions of human beings have no sense of genuine purpose for their lives. Increasingly, many of them just “give up”—turn themselves over to alcohol or drugs, or simply decide to “end it all” by suicide.
So when will the Living Church of God actually do something to help these hurting people? Instead of talking about a "strong hand from someplace" and getting rid of the stupid assumption, that "God will fix things later so we don't need to worry about it right now" perhaps they could start working in homeless shelters, helping abused women and children, serving in food banks. How about donating 10% of your annual church income to help the less fortunate? Since you are rich and increased with goods, would this be the Christian thing to do?
Did it ever occur to these people that maybe God is wanting them to be his hands and feet in this world to take care of the less fortunate in order to give them a foretaste of the kingdom of God? Nope, I don't think so either.
Who is Rod talking about being persecuted? He already claims the LCG is being persecuted for its message. Christians are dying in Muslim nations as martyrs while LCGers whine about being kicked off a TV station or people throwing their magazines in the trash.
He then writes this appalling comment:
My friends, if these men and women had truly understood the supreme purpose which the Eternal God is working out here on this earth, they would not have killed themselves! If you truly set yourself to “seek” the true God of the Bible and fulfill His purpose in your life, then each day, each major world event and even each personal trial can have a sense of meaning. If you genuinely study the whole Bible and ask God for understanding, the major world events will definitely help you “see” God’s purpose as it is being worked out here among men and nations.
What an absolutely callous thing to say! What about the COG members who have heard the so called "truth" over the years and even preached it, and have then committed suicide? What about Terrry Ratzman that murdered LCG members? What about Dibar Apartian's son who blew his brains out because of the way he was treated in the church? He heard that same message that Rod is spouting as most life saving. For Terry, and most others in the COG's there is no hope offered. Only myriads of rules and laws that when broken lead to eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire.
So what is that miraculous message that LCG is preaching to the hurting of the world?
This:
and this:In the pages of our Tomorrow’s World magazine and on the Tomorrow’s World television program, we have told you repeatedly of the Big Picture events soon to come: a rising United States of Europe, a revived Roman Catholic church with increasing influence on religion and world affairs, a coming federation of Arab states—the prophesied “King of the South” mentioned in Daniel 11:40—the “grinding down” of the pride and prestige of the American and British-descended peoples, plus soon-coming major earthquakes even in our nations, along with increasing storms, disease epidemics, alternating drought and floods leading finally to hunger and ultimate starvation for millions.
Yes sirree Bob! Lots of hope there!Also, we have told you repeatedly that the Creator God will use human instruments to powerfully warn our peoples of what lies just ahead and help those who are willing to repent of their sins and seek the genuine protection which our Father in heaven offers to those who are willing to truly surrender themselves to the “real” God of the Bible. Most of you long-time subscribers and TV viewers have seen or heard us say these things repeatedly.
Then he has the gall to ask:
The question is: What are you, personally, doing about it?
11 comments:
Contrast this with the concern of some of the evangelical pastors in the mainstream! They lament the fact that at this time in history, there are more people than at any other time in history who are totally insullated from ever so much as hearing the name of Jesus Christ. These folks take the great commission very seriously, and plot and plan systematic efforts to rectify such a disturbing situation.
But, the Armstrongist position on this has always been "hey, aren't we fortunate to know the truth?", let these other people suffer, don't even pray for them, because they are not being called at this time and will come up in the second rez. In no way is that a Christian attitude or approach!
BB
The LCG takes the talent and buries it in the ground.
Listening to the LCG is the same as saying "I know everything because I listen to public radio."
Its all crap. Fecal material. There is no use for it.
All the earthly good a COG is for is waiting around until some unnammed time in the future gets better and the sky god delivers them all. Actually the COG is of no earthly value. It does nothing real. It serves none but themselves and wouldn't know the love of any God if it bit them in the ass.
They never hear of the Good Samaratan as opposed to the self righteous priests of YHVH nor ever gave a real drink of water to any who actually needed it.
All a COG is good for is telling you that your pain , hunger, needs are to be expected, but hang in there for "it won't be long now."
Unfortunately, it will be long. Very long and if you wish some real help in this life and in this moment, you'll have to seek out an atheist.
M.T.Beliefs
"Also, we have told you repeatedly that the Creator God will use human instruments to powerfully warn our peoples of what lies just ahead and help those who are willing to repent of their sins and seek the genuine protection which our Father in heaven offers to those who are willing to truly surrender themselves to the “real” God of the Bible."
And by "human instruments," I mean LCG and no one else. And by "seek the genuine protection which our Father in heaven offers," I mean join LCG and start sending in those tithes! And by "'real' god of the bible," I mean me.
RCM to Dennis Diehl:
"I sincerely hope that all is going well with you, Dennis, and as one of my former students I do think about you as well as the many others who have “dropped away” from being a direct part of the Work. As the specific prophecies we have preached about for so many decades now begin to come to pass big time, I hope you will reconsider whether or not there are is a real God and whether He has a true Work on this earth today. As you know, I heard Mr. Armstrong personally declare that the “sea gates” given to America and Britain would mostly be taken away in years to come. He declared this in meetings he had in Great Britain back in 1954. Then, after being married to Margie, I was sent back to Britain in 1956 and almost immediately the Suez Canal was “taken away” from Britain followed by the removal of the Bab el Mandeb at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, the Simonstown Base controlling the tip around South Africa, the Malacca Straits, the Panama Canal, etc. Also, Britain used to control the Strait of Hormuz—which is very much in the news today and very important in world affairs. Now, only two of these major sea gates are left—Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands. Both of these are “under assault” verbally or otherwise. So it just seems a matter of time until they too are taken away. Then, here will be none. So these events as well as many, many others specific things involving major nations and major events are being fulfilled—just as Mr. Armstrong proclaimed and as I have continued to proclaim for about 60 years.
As you said, I have my own experience with WCG and that has left me skeptical of many things. However, Dennis, for your sake, please back off and try to see the “Big Picture” ...
I say all the above not to “recruit” you—for you may choose to go to United Church or elsewhere if God calls you back to the Truth. But I do have concern for the hundreds of people I taught, and hope that God will guide your life to come fully into His will before the end of this age. Thanks again for your help and concern."
As you can see, my having been taught personally by him means I should know better. How a kind note for his wife's recovery turned into and explanation of "Sea Gates," I don't know.
But I think it is clear, we don't help anyone now. We just tell them help is on the way and we warn them.
PS It is the "prophecy" trap that distracts the religious mind from being of any earthly use to others in need. Loving one's neighbor as themself means showing them prophecy (so called) so they can be protected. Love doesn't seem to have anything to do with, as personally experienced by myself vs WCG, "how can we help you," and "thank you for upending your entire life for us. Now be warmed and be filled..."
Wow, Dennis, the recruiting goes on nonstop 24/7 doesn't it. I've always thought that being a pastor is first and foremost being a salesman. Armstrong was a salesman. Robbin Webber was a salesman, and anyone else who has been a long time armstrongist pastor, if they ever did anything else in their whole life besides that, it was usually sales.
Dennis, although I have no argument about anything you've said about prophecy, the thing I really hate about cults is that cult religions functions as a meme. Actually, all religions do, but none seem to be so virulent as the cult memes are.
Once it successfully infects the mind of a host individual, it conscripts the resources of that individual toward the expression of that religion in one way or another. Once an individual has been exposed to the virus, whether it ever successfully infected them, or if the individual became infected but managed to recover from it, all individuals who remain infected and come in contact with them, as one of the expressions of the virus, will do everything in their power to attempt to reinfect that individual, almost like zombies or body-snatchers. This is not true only of people like Meredith who have a vested financial interest in bringing you back, there are lots of ways that rank and file people will try to keep people from "leaving the fold" and will try to bring people back into once they've left, for no other reason than because they are infected. The attempt the attempt to reinfect you may include prophecy, or it might not, although in this case it did.
But this only counts if you've recovered and left on your own. If the virus determines that an individual is dangerous to it's survival, these people are "disfellowshipped" and the virus directs all of its hosts to shun and reject them from further infection. I'm just glad that the armstrongist meme does not code for personal evangelism the way the JW meme does. It would probably be a lot more successful if it did, and that would be a bad thing.
Andrew, could not agree more. The religion meme is a virus and it is spread by it's host for sure. I guess they call it evangelization.
Annon. Every test I ever took said whatever I did in live, don't ever go into sales or accounting. I have the healer nature which is why I tended toward ministry and now am in therapeutic massage with nothing to sell.
I guess if I ever rubbed anyone the wrong way...come see me now! :)
The outrage of the post is totally justified. The Napoleon complex caused RCM and those of the same ilk to pontificate more than participate. The notion of serving "the world" is totally foreign to them.
The RCMs of the world are, essentially, nobody outside of their kingdoms. Non-members don't care about their titles and aren't impressed by their unaccredited degrees and trumped-up resumes. So they lose their prestige to outsiders, and they don't know how to function without it.
Look at Pack. Raised up this many, pastored that many, wrote this many, recorded that many, was training for the Olympics, greatest this, greatest that, trained personally by HWA, blah, blah, blah. So what? He smacks of someone who would cross to the other side of the road and leave the beaten, wounded soul to some poor Samaritan to help.
Flurry builds palaces while ordering families destroyed. United isn't united at all, Hulme is fulfilling his "vision" of himself, COGWA preaches harmony after being born of disharmony, and so on, and so on, and so on.
Outrage, indeed. Totally understandable. The COG world needs more of it.
I ran across two salient items through the major media on Friday.
Michael Medved was quoting some of the things a respected fururist (I've forgotten his name) had predicted for us today, 20+ ago. These had to do with radical population growth, fighting for resources possibly going nuclear, worsening poverty in India, and the raising of the ocean by 3-20 feet due to a major ice shelf detaching from west Antarctica. Many people actually took his predictions seriously, and adjusted their lives accordingly, yet today they seem ridiculous, or at best ignorant.
The second item was on PBS, and concerned the dust bowl conditions in the 1930's on the southern plains. I know conditions for those folks back then were certainly much worse than I had ever realized, and many of them felt that they were living in the time of the apocalypse. No rain for about a decade, dust causing respiratory disease and death, and abject poverty. Complete devaluation of their lifestyles and all they owned! Yet, some preachers, who could have just as easily exploited this, did point out the many ways in which the circumstances differed from those outlined in Revelation.
Kind of puts everything in perspective as it concerns "Chicken Little" Armstrong and his francisees.
BB
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