Armstrongism has a long track record of weird splinter cults splintering off. To date there are estimates of well over 600 different groups all from the original Radio Church of God. Many are benign and have quickly died out from lack of relevance. Others have been larger in numbers when they are formed by charismatic leaders. Many of these turned into dangerous splinter cults that have lead to untold misery and hardship. One such splinter cult is The House of Yahweh, centered in Abilene, Texas and led by Yisrayl Hawkins, a former Armstrongite. Hawkins has been in jail for bigamy, child abuse and other accusations.
This month sees the release of a new book by Hawkins former wife, Kay Hawkins, and details the inside workings of this dangerous splinter cult of Armstrongism.
Silenced has an entry today about the book: Kay Hawkins Speaks Out
Amazon has this to say: The House of Yahweh My Side of the Story
Publication Date: July 27, 2012Many years have elapsed since I was excommunicated from The House of Yahweh in Abilene, Texas. In the interim, this religious organization has come to be known as the largest doomsday cult in America. How did The House of Yahweh, Abilene, get this sordid reputation? As you read, you will come to understand.Buffalo Bill Hawkins, now known as Yisrayl B. Hawkins, the Elder and Overseer of this organization, declared to me, "I am The House of Yahweh."He also declares, "I am without sin." The scriptures in the editions of the bible that he now publishes have been rewritten, cleverly twisted to fit his own personal doctrines. The scriptures plainly show that you will "know him" by his fruit, in other words, by what he has produced. I am sharing these "fruits" with you.How did this organization begin? Why do people who seem rational, who seem to have a sound mind, get wrapped up in something that Yisrayl Hawkins has caused The House of Yahweh to become? Why do these people change their last names to "Hawkins?" Why do they pierce their ear to a door of The House of Yahweh building in order to go into servitude to a mere man? Why do the men secretly practice polygamy? How would a person stay in a religion like this? Why did I stay as long as I did? Why did I leave? I am writing my personal account to tell you my side of these events.I was there at the beginning when The House of Yahweh was actually a wonderful place to be. I was also there when things slowly began to change for the worse, like a frog placed in a cool pot of water which the fire slowly brings to a boil.
8 comments:
Very edifying that this is coming out! Several years back some people on one of the Armstrong related forums documented that in some states such as Texas and Montana, numerous ACOGgers are even involved in the militia groups. Basically, that appears not to be that much of a stretch. All you need do is add firearms to Armstrongism, ramp up the survivalism aspects of the end times, and carry British Israelism to its logical racist conclusions, and you've got a fairly effective fit.
BB
"I was there at the beginning when The House of Yahweh was actually a wonderful place to be...
Ugh. Hopefully the rest of the book is better grounded. I guess we can give her the benefit of the doubt, and hope...
How do the men who practice "secret polygamy" get all those women?
Clearly, polygamy is totally cool with Biblegod, in most cases.
Do fervent believers get the Holy Spirit to give them pickup lines like, "Hey Baby, I am without sin. The enemy doesn't want you to check out my fruits, but I sense that you want to obey God and deny the enemy his wishes."
Or, "God is so amazingly complex, and human understanding operates on multiple levels like the one below my belly button, so Jesus wants you to suck my dick, baby!"
Does anyone know if the leader of this cult attended Ambassador College?
You know, it's bad enough when these Armstrongist types come from Ambassador College: Some of the young men found early on that they were being propositioned by male employees of the college / ministry, the women, of course, were at risk from Garner Ted Armstrong, there were beer busts and even pot parties on campus. It's no wonder Herbert Armstrong called it "Satan's College", although we all should have figured out who should have been in charge, given that Herbert Armstrong was the Chancellor. And of course, AC churned out lying false prophet sychophants who carried the message of heresy to the outerlands and received fairly good wages for it (and in spite of what many might say or think, many of us worked a lot harder at our jobs for a lot less money).
But for those who did not go to Ambassador College and became cult leaders in their own right, do seem to have gone farther off the reservation than even the useless products of AC.
And that is why I wonder of this Hawkins had any indoctrination or if he is just a weird kook on his own.
Hawkins did not attend AC. He and his brother did attend wcg church in Odessa, Texas for awhile. Odessa is about 160 west of Abilene.
Douglas,
The AC attitude didn't stop at the back door of the college. It was imitated and very pervasive throughout the entire organization. Didn't attend or graduate? No problem! All one need to have done was to act in the valence of a typical grad.
This arrogant personna certainly didn't emphasize or even remotely involve the servant mentality taught by Jesus! Its most prominent attribute was the ability to repeat speculation and theory as fact, supported only by
HWA's alleged apostleship. As we can see today, this same methodology has been widely infectuous, even sometimes unknowingly used in reverse by prominent ones who have left the group.
BB
As we can see today, this same methodology has been widely infectuous
Byker Bob, thanks for the comment: It lends credence to my theory that Armstrongism is a disease vector that is highly contageous among those who are susceptible to it.
There's a book out on the God virus and I plan to get it. Speaking from experience, it's a mental disease and it takes a lifetime to shake it.
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