Apostle Malm has some stern warnings for those of you that dare to eat in a restaurant or get a coffee from Starbucks on your way to or from church:
When you are paying someone to work on the Sabbath, you are responsible for them having done so. Whether they would do it anyway or not is immaterial. The fact is that you, by your action have become the root cause of them doing it. You have encouraged them and suborned them to commit this sin. Therefore, you are guilty of that sin. If they are adulterers: Will you join them; because they are going to do it anyway? The idea that they are going to sin anyway somehow justifies us joining in with them: Is a pathetic self-serving, childish self-justification. And it demonstrates that such people; really want to join in this sin, and DO NOT want to truly keep God’s commandments.
I've heard of COG people hoping James Holmes will be released from jail so he can shoot up places that serve food on Saturdays.
ReplyDeleteSince there was no six day creation, there was no seventh day sabbath. Case closed. I'll rest when I choose to and need to. I don't care when someone else works.
ReplyDeleteAs I have pointed out repeatedly that this topic was covered (and is still being covered) by Dennis Fischer over at blowthetrumpet.org.
ReplyDeleteApostle Malm has tuned in a little late, and, frankly, if people want that sort of thing, there are any number of Sabbath Keeping Armstrongist Churches of God which not only don't eat out on the Sabbath but also keep the Feasts and don't eat out on them either.
Of course, the segment of ACoGs who are perfect in their calendars are a smaller subset of those who do not eat out on the Sabbath or Holydays, but that doesn't mean that you will miss out on any of the Armstrongist weirdness, such as British Israelism, false prophecies or the lies of the church history in which, from some alternative universe, the Waldensians kept the Sabbath and Holydays, whereas, in our timeline, they did not (talk about Sabbath keeping Scientologists!).
Of course, maybe people may want to check out their resources by pursuing the Sabbath Keeping Mormons (split off long ago from the Mormons of Salt Lake City), who have doctrines that look very close to those of the CoG7D and the Armstrongist groups.
I know, I know.
Checking out other options seems so useless when you've fallen into your rut of lies 3, 4 or five decades ago -- it just seems so tiring and not worth the effort any more, what with so many narcissists, sociopaths, psychopaths and nutjobs to choose from -- none of whom have had any of their prophecies pan out, nor do they seem likely to have any success in that regard... ever.
Keep beating that dead horse, because one of these days, it will stand on its hooves and you will be off and running.
I wonder if it's OK for custodians to be working in all those schools where COG congregations meet. Aren't those churchgoers causing all those custodians to work?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it's OK to pay a toll on a turnpike or other toll road on the way to church services. Aren't you causing that person to work if they take your money? Maybe it's only permissible to go through the automated booths. But what if none are open?
I wonder if it's OK to pull over if a highway patrolman is following you with his lights flashing on the Sabbath? If you do, aren't you causing him to work in his pursuit of you? Wouldn't it be more important to put God's law above man's law and ignore the patrolman's orders?
Such a dilemma, being perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.
Oh wait -- we're talking about Malm's fantasyland, where reality doesn't apply.
Never mind.
ReplyDeleteIs it OK to use electricity or natural gas, causing utility workers to "break the sabbath?"
Yes, I recall Malm justifying the use of running water, electricity and natural gas on the sabbath, but I can't recall how. Certainly not with the logic he uses to tar and feather those who eat out in restaurants on the sabbath. If he were to make all of his reasoning consistent, he would have to condemn his past performance somewhere and change his mind about a number of his positions. Alas, delusion springs eternal.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems with Armstrongism's works-based righteousness line of reasoning is that there is no obvious place to draw the line in the sand between the seemingly reasonable and the utterly absurd. Some will arbitrarily draw the line at one place, others at another place, and this alone becomes reason enough for bickering and schism. The longer you live this way, the more minutia you come up with. The deeper down into practicing such minutia you go, the more pleased you imagine god must be with you, the more disappointed you become with everyone else, and the more insane you will appear to the rational observer.
Malm has selected an arbitrary place to draw his inconsistent set of lines in the sand on each issue. In his own thinking, these arbitrary lines have the force of divine authority, even though he drew them himself without realizing it. On any given issue, everyone who has drawn their line to the one side of his is guilty of "lacking zeal," while everyone who is on the other side is guilty of being a pharisee. In fact, each "apostle" believes their line is the drawn in the optimal location, and everyone else is judged and condemned to hell for one reason or another, so that they can justify themselves in their own mind.
I don't know why it never dawns upon the pea-sized brains of these hypocrites that this entire thing is a losing game. There are no winners. Everyone to one side of you on an issue is judging you to be a pharisee, while everyone to the other side is judging you to lack zeal. Everyone is wrong about themselves and right about everyone else, but they can't see how they're so guilty of everything they condemn others for.
Meanwhile, the rational observer notices that only insane people draw lines in the sand in the first place.
Jesus could have made things easier by simply stating, "Don't forget to rest when needed.", when he wrote the Bible.
ReplyDeleteNorm
"Meanwhile, the rational observer notices that only insane people draw lines in the sand in the first place."
ReplyDeleteWait--I drew lines in the sand once.
On a beach in Florida I drew, using the runic alphabet, the line from the Old English poem "Deor" that can be roughly transliterated as "thaes ofereode; thisses swa maeg."
Because the tide was coming in, It was apt for the time and place; it means "That passed over; so may this." It is also apt for temporal human experience--human joys and sorrows, social benefits and social ills (e. g., we are witnessing the passing over of Armstrongism these days), eras of human history, and no doubt the whole human race.
Consider me an insane person if you wish, but that Anglo-Saxon poet who wrote "Deor" had it all together.
Since you've been warned, don't complain if you get food poisoning.
ReplyDeleteAnd for heaven's sake, when you get anointed, don't tell the minister how you got sick!
You have to wonder if Malm is experiencing peace and deep inner joy, the abundant life promised to followers of Jesus Christ who walk in the Spirit.
ReplyDeleteBB
I never experienced peace or deep inner joy because of church or religion. But I didn't go off the deep end either. Maybe if I went over the top with it, like Malm, then I would have. Nah, I really don't think so.
ReplyDeleteJames Malm wrote: "...The fact is that you, by your action have become the root cause of them doing it. You have encouraged them and suborned them to commit this sin..."
ReplyDeleteJames continues to blame and judge, judge and blame, blame and judge flesh and blood, human beings and thus impute sin on them. Why? God doesn't even do that!
Why is James so blind to the following verse, cannot believe it, and seemingly cannot acknowledge the true cause of sin?
"He that committeth sin is of the devil..." I John 3:8
In other words, James Malm with his current thinking would continue to, regardless of what God says, blame and judge Cain for causing Abel's death.
But, God's Word would say otherwise:
:12 "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother..."
To James Malm, if you read this: the following verse exposes another spirit that dwells WITHIN YOU as you continue to blame and judge, judge and blame human beings for not living up to your self-righteous standards:
"...The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?" James 4:5
Human beings weren't created to sin, but sin is present in their lives (Romans 7:17, 20) along with evil (Romans 7:21) and you, James Malm, are NOT the exception!
Someday, James Malm, you will thank God that the words of the following verse came true:
"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, NOT IMPUTING their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19
So long as James, it appears, continues to believe that he can impress God, think his flesh can glory in God's presence, can do works to earn/qualify to get into God's Kingdom he will not comprehend the following:
Psalm 32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
James Malm lacks the faith of God (something that actually comes from God and not SELF) to understand and believe how God will work out those blessings.
James Malm is stuck for now with the preaching of his fear religion and feels he must continue to "beat" on us. A day is coming when that will come to an end...fear religion and beatings will cease!
John
Could someone tell John this isn't a sermon test site?
ReplyDeleteWait, I just did...
AD: John's comments are important from the standpoint of letting Malm and everyone else here know that Malm is simply self-righteous and therefore missing out on some of the more advanced scriptural principles which should guide Christians.
ReplyDeleteIf someone ever gets around to writing Malm's biography, you'd just have to title it "Hooked on Legalism".
BB
AD, is there such a thing as a sermon test site? It could be very useful. Commenters would be happy to suggest changes to drafts for no pay, and the preacher could adopt the most useful ones.
ReplyDeleteMy mother, a faithful member of Radio CoG/WCG, used to lament sorely that Gerald Waterhouse had no wife to critique his sermons and shorten them to bearable length and improve their coherence. Lacking a wife (what mortal woman could have borne up, after all?) a sermon test site would have done him a world of good.
On second thought, I fear Waterhouse would have adopted the least useful suggestions.
Well, BB, I was needling a bit...but if the people here don't already know that Malm is self-righteous, they're pretty much missing the point, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteProf, your mother was right about what a wife would have done for Gerald. Then again, there are probably ample reasons he had no wife.