Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Dennis Does A Synopsis of Ron Weinland's Latest Sermon


Sermon synopsis:

"I have no earthly idea what this man is saying, where he is going or how he got there."

Ron's sermon today explaining the spiritual meaning of Rev. 11 is truly lame. This man knows nothing and is endeavoring to make the nothing he knows into something to save his sorry ass from past mistakes in understanding. He acts like the Greek scholar he is not as if he knew. He's in for a great fall. Those who follow him and take this as truth are simply brain dead.
















Andrew On "Does God Recognize the Armstrongist Movement?"







Does God Recognize the Armstrongist Movement?


Frequently you will hear many COG leaders, prophets, apostles, witness types, and many others besides, claim that Herbert Armstrong was the modern apostle sent by Jesus Christ himself. They will then go on to reaffirm their belief that WCG was the one and only true church of god, and that the shattered remains of the Armstrongism legacy remain the true church of god on Earth today. They will say that "Jesus Christ is the head of their church." Also, the "ministers" of these churches believe the validity of their ordination as a "minister of Jesus Christ," is based upon an unbroken chain of ordinations linking Armstrong's ordination all the way back to the original first century apostles. These churches believe that god only works with people, makes them part of "his body," "his bride," the "ecclesia, etc., if they become affiliated with one of the COG corporate organizations. Furthermore, they hold it as beyond question that if you are affiliated and baptized into one of the COG corporate organizations, then god MUST be working with you.

Where did these ideas and assumptions come from? More importantly, how can we know how much truth there is to them?

Armstrong preached that 1) the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2-3 were not just seven congregations along an ancient mail route, but were also a prophecy, symbolizing seven historical "church eras." When he wrote his autobiography, he claimed 2) that the Church of God (Seventh Day) centered in Stanberry, MO, was the "Sardis era" of the true church of god. He used this to assert that his splinter group was the "Philadelphia era" of this same true church, and moreover, that 3) he could then trace an unbroken lineage through COG(7D) all the way back to the original apostolic church of the first century AD. Many COG groups continue to use these claims and this logic, to say that they are the true church, or are one of the true churches, and that they can trace their roots back to the original first century church. Those assertions form the foundation for another host of further claims, such as that WCG was a fulfillment of certain prophecies and many scriptures in the bible were referring to WCG and its membership, for example, how Jesus Christ said, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Can we take these claims to the bank? How good is the foundation underneath those claims? Was Herbert Armstrong telling the truth? According to Robert Coulter, former president of the General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day), (the church link through which Armstrong claimed authority), none of those claims were true.

COG(7D) as an entity, traces its roots back only to 1858 when it splintered off from the Adventists. If COG(7D) had a founding "Armstrong figure" that man would be a Methodist minister named Gilbert Cranmer. Like Armstrong, he started out as a Sunday-keeping protestant. Later, in 1843, he converted to become a Sunday-keeping Millerite Adventist. If Cranmer needed a link to the "true church," as Armstrong seemed to need, then Cranmer would have had to have acquired his authority from the Millerite Adventists (since the Protestant Methodists are not an option). Were the Millerites a “true church of god”?

William Miller was a Calvinist Baptist who believed that Jesus would literally return to the Earth in the Spring of 1843. When that didn't happen, it was pushed back to the fall, and then to October 22, 1844. The doctrine of seven church eras appears to have originated with Miller, which he used to help make a case for the legitimacy of his own movement. Andrew N. Dugger, although he was on the fringes of the Oregon State Conference of COG(7D) and a mentor to the young Armstrong, he was also a dyed-in-the-wool Millerite Adventist who did not reflect the beliefs of COG(7D). In 1936, along with Clarence O. Dodd, he published a book entitled, "A History of the True Religion Traced From 33AD to Date," which attempted to fill in the details of these Millerite "church eras," using generous helpings of other Millerite doctrines to help him do so, such as the "true names" doctrine, which was borrowed by Armstrong and has come to be associated with Armstrongism as well.

Dugger & Dodd makes the claim that Adventism began as an incarnation of the "true church," but does so based upon no more evidence than the "great enthusiasm" of William Miller, and that they were organized under the name "Church of God" prior to James and Ellen White changing the name to "Seventh-day Adventists" in October of 1860. Dugger & Dodd make no attempt to connect Adventism to the previously discussed Seventh-Day Baptists of Salem, WV or any other group. Brief mention is made of the obviously inconsequential "great disappointment" as merely an "error in prophetic calculation," while much is made of how he "went on with the truth."

Watchman.org, however, does claim that Adventism got its belief in a seventh-day sabbath from the Seventh-Day Baptists, although it doesn't say exactly how that happened. Curiously, according to Dugger & Dodd, it wasn't necessary that the Seventh-Day Baptists carry the "true name," I suppose because they kept a seventh-day sabbath, and, as long as at least one organization recognized under their umbrella carried the name "Church of God" or Church of Christ" at some point in their history, no matter how briefly, that was good enough to sanctify the rest. Also, it wasn't a problem that Adventists originated as Sunday-keepers, not adopting a seventh-day sabbath until 1846. In retrospect, maybe that was why Jesus didn't come in 1844. But still, from 1846-1860, they had fourteen years with both the "true name" and the right day of the week, so I guess that's all we need to know.

Later, Dodd would disavow the book entirely, saying he had come to believe their assertions were based upon faulty premises. In reality, there is no evidence that god had anything to do with William Miller in any way, or that he had any special access to god, or any special authority from god to convey to anyone else through association, ordination, or any other means. Also, Deuteronomy 18:22 says that he was a false prophet. Nevertheless, along with a little scriptural cherry-picking, Armstrong and Herman Hoeh would continue to make much hoeh, er, hay, out of Dugger & Dodd, using it extensively as though it were solid research. Unless you count unfounded conjecture and then steadfastly pay no attention to scripture, there really is little reason to conclude that the Millerite movement were a branch of the “true church of god.”

Meanwhile, Gilbert Cranmer, the Adventist minister would come to adopt the seventh-day Sabbath as late as 1852, (apparently having been unaware that the church within which he was a minister had officially embraced a seventh-day Sabbath for the last six years). Cranmer would splinter off to form his own group in 1858, and would change the name of his group to "Church of Christ" in 1860. Later they would change the name to "Church of God (Seventh Day)."

Robert Coulter freely admits that when COG(7D) was founded it did not observe many of the criteria that both Dugger and Armstrong would later claim are distinguishing characteristics of the "true church of god." Perhaps the most important tenets that COG(7D) has never acknowledged are the Hebrew calendar, passover, and the old testament holy days.

In his autobiography, Armstrong retells the story as though the Millerite church eras doctrine and the believe that they were the "Sardis era," were also bona fide COG(7D) tenets when in fact, neither of these claims were true. After Garner Ted Armstrong was kicked out of WCG for the last time, he met with and spoke to COG(7D) groups, and Coulter says he apologized for WCG referring to COG(7D) as “the Sardis church." Coulter also disavowed Dugger & Dodd, saying, "We are a 19th-century creation. We cannot trace our history back to apostolic times."

We're left with nothing more than two dead-end connections, neither of which fit the proscribed definition of a "true church of god," and the most direct of which claims it has no authoritative connections. From where did Armstrong derive his authority? In short, he derived it from himself. He made it up. Herbert Armstrong borrowed all these ideas from others, probably because they were proven marketing tricks to gain followers.

The truth is, there is no evidence to suggest that the prophetic interpretation of Revelation 2-3 is a valid interpretation of scripture. COG(7D) never claimed to be the “Sardis era” of the “true church” and WCG had no basis to claim it was the “Philadelphia era.” There is no connection between Armstrongism and the first century apostolic church. Herbert Armstrong himself was not only not an apostle, as he claimed, but he also possessed no authority to ordain anyone else as a "minister." There is no evidence to claim that any of the COG groups are today or ever were "God's True Church," or that any of the members are "God's People." Nor is there any reason why Jesus christ is, or ever was, the "head" of any of these COG organizations. Finally, there is no reason to suspect that god must necessarily honor the baptisms of the members or be working with any of them in any way, despite the popularly held theories to the contrary.

Currently there is no evidence one way or the other that god recognizes the validity of the Armstrong movement. It is merely an article of faith, embraced because the alternative is unthinkable. As we have seen the theory for Armstrongisms validity in some cases is based upon a lack of evidence, and in other cases upon outright lies. But the difference between this faith and regular faith is that with regular faith there is at least a holy book to go along with it for support. In this case, you have to place your complete trust in nothing more than a man's word, namely, Herbert Armstrong. I would be lying to you if I said I could estimate the chances one way or another. But given the history, what do you think the prognosis is?

So, that's the truth, but there's more. There's also the brutal truth. If the Armstrong movement should turn out to be invalid in the eyes of god, then where does that leave the membership? I hate to say it, but images of the Titanic do come to mind.

So, how can you know if you are one of god's people? How do you know that god "began a good work in you" in the first place? How do you know that the Father has "drawn you" to christ, so that you can "come to him"? How can you know that you've made the necessary connection and boarded the train that's bound for glory, or even had an opportunity to do so, and that you're not just sitting at the train station, going nowhere? You can't. Not unless you're Gideon, and god talks to you and what he says comes to pass; then you know you're on the train. Of course, either you're on the train, or else you're on the boat. Maybe you want to be on the train with all your heart and all your soul and all your might. Maybe you've been keeping the commandments as best as you can for decades. Sorry, there's no guarantee that translates to being on the train. Contrary to what your "ministers" have been telling you, there is no guarantee that god is calling you, and if he isn't, there isn't necessarily anything you can do about it. Unfortunately, the bible is unsettlingly unclear about all of this. These are just a couple of pertinent little details that god forgot to include in the bible.

Andrew

UCG Brazilian Problems



The ramifications of the United Church of God and the Church of God A Worldwide Association debacle is still causing ripples.  UCG members in many areas are still not happy with how things went down and the deception that still trickles out from Cincinnati.

Apostle Malm is reporting how the Brazilian UCG members had refused to go to a site UCG had transferred them all to without their input.  UCG had a feast site set aside for Maloca de Moscou.  Then after the Portuguese church groups in Portugal defected to COGWA, UCG made the decision to move the people assigned to Maloca de Moscou to Boa Vista, Brazil.

Many of the Brazilian members are part of loyal tribes and when the leaders said "NO, we won't go" they won't go!  UCG started back peddling as fast as they could.  They knew if they didn't then the tribes would all defect to COGWA. 

UCG honchos, after "much prayer and counseling," decided to move the feast site back to it's original location.  When dollar signs fly out the window, you can guarantee that UCG will be spinning it's wheels to recover.

UCG NEWS:   After losing their Portugal congregation by refusing to allow them to use God’s Biblical Calendar for Feast observance, Jorge de Campos has focused his efforts towards the Brazil UCG outreach.

See UCG report on the recent trip of de Campos to Brazil.

This report mentions that the Brazil Feast site has been moved from the announced Boa Vista Feast site, at the Hotel Barrudada in Boa Vista, with most of the messages in English, back to the village of Maloca de Moscou.

However, UCG is trying to keep secret the fact that the 2 of the 4 heads of families have refused to travel to Boa Vista, and as tribal elders would have been obeyed by all the other people in this close knit Indian tribe, so UCG was forced to change the site  back to Maloca de Moscou, or lose its remaining Portuguese speaking brethren.  This years fall Feast will now be held in the church’s newly built hall and conducted in Portuguese.

The Brazil UCG was split in two early last year with half going to COGWA and half remaining with UCG.  Jorge came as close as a whisker to losing the UCG half to COGWA over this incident.  The tribe is deeply disaffected by the present situation and desiring  reunion and reconciliation within itself, its members will stick together and will not let UCG split them further.

The tribe is very close knit and is very unhappy over the split between the two groups.  When UCG started acting in a high handed manner and insisting on making these very poor brethren travel to the big city from their aboriginal community, so that the visiting speaker and maybe some foreigners could live and enjoy the Feast in luxury, it was just too much; and UCG had to quickly recant or lose nearly  the whole of the Brazilian brethren to COGWA.  There are a few others scattered in Brazil but this one community represents most of the UCG brethren there.

One must remember that these are poor folk living together in an isolated subsistence community and that the idea of forcing them to travel to a modern luxury hotel was very unwise decision at the best.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Samuel Martin Speaks Out About Punching Children Controversy



Samuel is the son of Ernest Martin, one of WCG's original scholars who pushed the buttons for many Armstrongites.

He writes today:
The Pen is mightier than the Punch

I think many of us have seen this and been horrified.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/05/02/north-carolina-pastor-sean-harris-urges-parents-to-man-up-and-punch-effeminate-children/

And yes, in the picture, "Pastor" Harris is wearing a No Greater Joy Ministries t-shirt. Thanks to whoever pointed that out.

So, are we seeing a pattern here?

It really seems like these guys (among many others) like to and want a fight?

So, as of today, the author of this blog will be fighting back. You may notice a change in tone on this blog going forward. I intend to turn up the volume a bit..

As of today, my book on corporal punishment and the Bible will be available free of charge.

If you want one, all you need to do is send me an email and you'll get the PDF version. Please write: info@biblechild.com asking for the book "Thy Rod and Thy Staff, They Comfort Me; Christians and the Spanking Controversy" by Samuel Martin.

Your contact details will always remain private and not passed on to other parties.

Holy Roman Empire To Be Resurrected This Fall





The Apostle  has now determined that the Holy Roman Empire will be resurrected this fall.  The Pope will make a decree and the 10 nations will merge as they get ready to whip America and Britian's ass.  Of course the Malmitards are lapping it up like the typical lap poodles they are.

This new Babylon or Holy Roman Empire will be in place on paper by the autumn and will only need papal endorsement to bring the ten nations to agree to join the system.
The final false prophet and this new system with its leaders will be presented as a force for world peace [in sharp contrast to the American war machine] and a violence weary Europe and world will applaud its formation.
When the false prophet then goes to the Holy Place and peace is declared; this new Europe will act in the name of peace to enforce the peace deal when Jewish Extremists break the peace.

The coming destruction of the United States, Britain,  Australia, and New Zealand, will  be because of the heretics in the Churches of God.  Your sinful rebellious hearts that continue to eat out on Saturdays will soon cause the destruction of the world.  Shame on you!

God will use the system to correct the apostate Church of God Groups and the Israelite nations, as well as the nations of Asia. Ultimately Europe itself will also be corrected when the Asians respond against her; in short the whole world will be humbled to accept the coming Christ and the Kingdom of God.
The coming tribulation is NOT merely a vengeful Satan’s attack against the “righteous” people of God!  It is  a tool [as Satan is also used by God for his purposes] to be used by Almighty God to correct his apostate Church of God Groups and to humble all nations to accept his Kingdom.

Van Robison on "Sheep Herders"




Sheep Herders


Churches and pastors are sheep herders.  Sheep of course are followers of their shepherds.  Sheep don'' think for themselves, they just bah, bah, bah.  Sheep will follow their leader.  Amazingly, Jesus stated that His sheep hear His voice.  Quite astonishing is the fact that church goers DO NOT hear the Shepherd Jesus Christ, but instead they hear the voice of their pastor or elder of their particular church affiliation.    Many sheep heard the voice of Herbert W. Armstrong or Garner Ted Armstrong or any one of a multitude of other voices that pretended to been shepherds of God.  Virtually anyone who will do the research with the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, will find under the word "shepherd" in the four Gospels, that Jesus NEVER once referred to anyone as "shepherd" other than Himself.  So where does that leave the church "shepherds" who call themselves "pastors" or "elders?"

A great many sheep herders in the pulpits of churches are really wolves in sheep's clothing.  Wolves devour the flock and the sheep are fleeced.  The sheep live in need, while the wolves live in splendor and luxury at the expense of the naive sheep who cannot think.  The sheep give their wool and go without, so that the sheep herders will have plenty.  Sheep herders in the pulpits always deceive the sheep and take advantage of them. Sheep herders in the pulpits always bleep "follow me" and I will give you eternal life, because I speak for the Great Shepherd.  Of course the sheep herders are really wolves and only the few ever sense the danger they live in and escape.


Van Robison

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Does the Bible Contain All Answers To Human Living?


On one of my Facebook groups I subscribe to there was this comment the other day:

Was the bible really meant to be a "hand-book" for Christian living? Do we always have to have a biblical reference to support the ideas we hold about life? When i keenly examine the life of a guy like Paul, i don't see him quoting old-testament prophets or even Jesus himself every-time he desired to make a point; he just spoke from the heart (like there was a fountain of wisdom within him).

Too many times have I heard in Armstrongism that every thing we need an answer to can be found in the Bible.  All matters concerning daily living, morals, and spirituality are to be found within those pages.  But is it ALL there? 

For some it might be, but for the vast majority of people it is not.  What the Bible has become is a weapon to destroy those of unlike minds or beliefs.  When it is used like that it naturally turns people off.  That is part of the reason that fundamentalist Christianity is looked upon so unfavorably by so many.  Scripture seems to always be quoted to silence people, disenfranchise people, or condemn people.  Where is there hope in that?  What kind of example is that to people that might genuinely profit from some of it's teachings?




The Epic Failure of Dale Schurter and Crew




I had an interesting conversation today with a person that is part of Dave Pack's cult.  It seems that Dave was looking at the defection of Dale Schurter and other UCG ministers as the start of a great exodus of members from UCG into the RCG.  It hasn't happened. There has been no exodus and only a couple of members actually jumped over.

Instead what has happened is consistent mocking and ridicule of Dave's new boy toys which have in turn cast a bad light on Dave himself because of all the gloating.

Income is down in RCG and Dave is struggling to come up with financing for his new mini-me concert hall and campus.  With the banks refusing funding, Dave has had to turn to intimidation and threats against members to make them give more money.  Threatening to strip away one's salvation makes some people do foolish things.

Yet, in typical COG fashion, the sheeple sit there and let themselves be treated as dirt by Dave because they feel they are under authority and would be rebelling against God if they dared contradict Dave.  To rebel against God's "anointed" is the same as turning their backs on God.

Lives continue to be destroyed in RCG all in the name of Dave.

Apostle Malm: Tribulation To Begin November 30



In less than 24 days Jesus is supposed to be retuning to earth to wreck havoc and destroy humanity, at least according to Armstrongite false prophet Ron Weinland, aka, Weinerdude.  Weinleand's blabberings are in addition to the nonsense coming from Gerald Flurry and Dave Pack.  Many other Armstrongite followers are feeling left out and are also coming up with useless blabber.

Today, Apostle Malm made the following prediction:

The Sep 4 Israeli elections are destined to produce a peace making coalition free of the far right  extremism that has prevented peace talks until now.  At the same time the conditions in the region are being reset, allowing for a genuine peace deal and a declaration that peace and safety have been achieved.

There is a high probability that the final false prophet will be set up in Rome around Sep 16 and go to the Holy Place around 75 days later, triggering the tribulation of God’s correction upon his people, Mat 24:15-21.

If you dare mock Apostle Malm in his most perfect prediction you can expect to be spewed out!  Or is that "vomited out?"  Those seem to be the two favorite catch phrases for Armstrongite prophets of doom.

This Gospel of warning and repentance to God’s children is not some light thing.  The handwriting is on the wall for the people of God and latter day physical Israel.  The time of our spewing out of the body of Christ is near at hand unless we repent and turn to our Husband and our Father with the passionate love we had at the first.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

New Book: Roger Galstead: Man's Ignorance And God's Grace: A Case For Conditional Immortality


MAN'S IGNORANCE AND GOD'S GRACE: A CASE FOR CONDITIONAL IMMORTALITY


January 27, 2012
Revulsion at the prospect of eternal agony in hell has caused me to see the Bible in a whole new light. This book is an attempt to document the discoveries from Scripture and the writings of a few theologians pertaining to the matter of the eternal destiny of man. Certainly this document is contrary to popular teaching and it will be troubling to those who are unfamiliar with the minority position in Christianity called Conditional Immortality.[2] Nevertheless, the position needs to be stated. Clarity will be brought to the matter of salvation and its depth of acceptance. This work will take issue with traditional Christian teaching with a resolve to make a significant contribution to the theological-doctrinal positions that touch upon the matter of Conditional Immortality.
 Roger Galstad, PhD Roger Galstad pastors the Eau Claire, WI congregation of Grace Communion International and the affiliated Valley Bible Church of Whitehall and La Crosse, WI. He holds a PhD in Religious Studies.

Turn 100 In The Kingdom and Presto-Chango!



The Apostle knows exactly when you (well, maybe not YOU, since you are a backslidding law breaker) will be changed to a spirit being in the kingdom of God.  The minute you turn 100 you will be changed to spirit and will marry Jesus Christ.

The breach between Israel and her God shall also be healed; and a New Covenant shall be made with Israel Jer 31 and she shall be betrothed into the Bride.  As they reach the age of 100 during the millennial kingdom, the chosen shall be changed to spirit and grafted into the bride.

So how does the apostle arrive at that date?

Hosea says that humanity wil be betrothed to Christ during the millennial kingdom and Isa 65:20 says that they shall be changed at 100 years old. We are told very specifically that satan shall be loosed AFTER the 1000 years and not during it; and we are also told very specifically that he shall decieve the nations of the far east and NOT Israel. James

Van Robison on "The Plague of Churches"






The Plague of Churches


Search the yellow pages of your local telephone book and you will find that the different churches wanting your presence are many.  They come in all different flavors and sizes, with as many different beliefs, teachings and doctrines as there are churches.    Some church groups are small, very small, local or are much larger.  Some church groups are national or international in scope.  Some may be in association with a particular creed or set of beliefs.  Had you not gone to a splinter group of the Worldwide Church of God, but instead had gone to lets say a Baptist church or perhaps a Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Methodist or any one of countless others, such as the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) or the Jehovah Witnesses, then your beliefs, doctrines, practices and customs would have been totally different from the WCG splinter group you are glued to. And lets not forget the Roman Catholic Church or anyone of thousands of other groups, to numerous to mention.

Every church group on earth thinks they have "truth", while all others are the poor deceived humans who are so blind they cannot see.    I wonder how many different church groups there will be in another two thousand years and beyond?  Will the different church groups keep dividing and splintering until there may be a billion different groups and each with their own human church Pope standing before the people, proclaiming himself as the "pastor king" of his group?  How many Herbert W. Armstrong's, Garner Ted Armstrong's, Rod Merideth's, David Pack's, Gerald Flurry's and so forth are yet to arise in the future, that will deceive many into worshiping at their feet as if they are God in the flesh?    To any outsider not associated with this comedy, it is ludicrous beyond comprehension that people are sucked into man-made religion as if God Almighty is the author.

The world of churches is not really "Christianity", but rather "Churchianity" (man-made).  Religion is as old as dirt and has long been a major means to control people, have power over people and the endless flow of free $money. All human governments on earth and all religions on earth are the twin means by which the whole human population is seduced by those who assume the posture of power over all others.  Control and power over the common people is both psychological (as in religions), and physical (as in governments, which exists by brute force).  The source book for deception is the "sacred" text, which has magically hypnotized the masses for thousands of years and as privately interpreted by the gods in the pulpits.

Like the mythical plagues of ancient Egypt, the modern day plague of fake churches is appalling and the simple minded are forever overtaken as church slaves.


Van Robison

Van Robinson: "Is It Possible to Convince the Deceived?"





Is It Possible to Convince the Deceived?

Generally speaking, a deceived mind cannot be reasoned with.  Ever try to reason with a Mormon or a Jehovah Witness, a Baptist or Pentecostal?  Why is the human mind so intolerable?  I have sent emails to various websites of the Worldwide Church of God persuasion, only to be treated with total silence.    I am not sure whether the sources of these websites think they are being "persecuted" because I ask questions and challenge what they say, or if they are just dumb human beings?    Maybe they are jackasses!

Intelligent human beings ask questions and don't automatically accept that what someone says is truth.  On the other hand, church goers seem to automatically accept that what is said from the pulpit is what truth is and
ask no questions.  Sheep are followers and generally don't think or reason.    Splinter groups of the Worldwide Church of God are not alone, because in the world of churches, the mindless and non-thinking are found in all
church organizations and institutions, and even among the "educated" with credentials (such as "masters" or "doctorate" degrees, as if they have arrived at all truth.  They haven"t).

Religion is a joke and few come to their senses about it.


Van Robison

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Apostle Malm: Is Eating Out On Saturday Equivalent To Going To A Whorehouse?



Check out this little gem from the Apostle today.  He is still spitting mad at Rod Meredith for allowing members to eat in restaurants on Saturdays if it is due to extenuating circumstances.

The Apostle says:

I am sick of hearing people preach the abominable lie, that eating out at restaurants is ok because they’d be working anyway.
I wonder if he thinks we should all line up at the whorehouse, because they are going to do it anyway?
Rod and almost all other COG leaders have some very serious lessons to learn and I pray they will live long enough to learn them. James

Sunday, April 29, 2012

UPDATED: Apostle Malm: If Your House Burns Down on the Sabbath, is it OK to Eat in a Restaurant?


Apostle Malm is spitting darts today because Rod Meredith said it was ok to eat in restaurants on Saturdays IF it is an ox in the ditch situation.  The servers and cooks are working, so why not have a relaxing meal after church, especially if circumstances require.  Listening to Apostle Malm you would think Rod was sacrificing firstborn on altars somewhere.
The time of correction for the Church of God is now close at hand.  Let us turn to him and diligently seek him with whole hearted passionate love for him and his ways as defined by his law; let us internalize the very nature of Almighty God as defined by his commandments;
****************************
On April 27th Rod Meredith aired this presentation titled “Rejoice in God’s Sabbath”  from about the 25 to 30 minute mark he states that such people are going to work anyway and therefore we may partate of their efforts.
What does our God have to say about this self justification?
1 Tim 5:22   Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.
1 Thess 5:21   Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Rod then goes on to say that it is wrong to eat out in restaurants on sabbath, but if there is an “ox in the ditch”  it is alright.  He then defines his ox as the wife being tired etc.
Apostle Malm wants you to know that you are lazy backslider if you do not have food at home already prepare:
Let me ask a question here:  If there is enough money to buy in a restaurant, why is there no food in the house?  Is this not a simple question of not caring enough to properly prepare?  Are not the shops filled with bread, cheese, salads and many rady to eat products?
The Apostle indignantly spits out one of the most stupid comments he has made lately:
There is NO SUCH thing as an “ox in the ditch” regarding food on the Sabbath.  Even if our home and food were burning down, we could count on the brethren to feed us; couldn’t we?
Because we idolize our personal pleasures; our God will remove them from us in great tribulation.
I can just picture a person standing in front of Apostle Malm's god being yelled at because they went out for some warm food after their house had burnt down in the middle of winter. That poor family's nearest COG neighbor happened to have been Apostle Malm who had spit back at them that it was the Sabbath and he would NOT fix them any warm food.  So the family had to go to a restaurant for some hot food. The Apostle would not even pay for hotel accommodations for the night because it was the sabbath.  The Apostle's god was berating this family for allowing their house to burn which obviously was a result of hidden sins in their lives.  Compounding that sin, the family went and got a hotel room, driving the spear further into the side of  Jesus Christ.  It just makes me all warm inside to know that such a loving god is present. Gag.....

 The Apostle then goes on to make another dumb comment.  Because you went out to eat on Saturday, you will be kicked out of the Kingdom like Adam was kicked out paradise:

That is partaking of the forbidden fruit of deciding for ourselves instead of obeying our Lord and we shall be thrust out of the presence of Christ  like Adam.
In other words,  Your ass is grass!

UPDATE

This is the Apostle's response to a person that called him out for his legalistic silliness.  Apostle Malm considers a person"weak and apathetic"  if they dare to seek food or shelter that costs money after their house burns on the Sabbath.

I point out that the people deprived of their home would be seeking a place to stay and would naturally seek out the help of close friends and brethern anyway, would you have them sit in a public restaurant all night or be taken in by a brother?

Please explain why the roads to help a brother are more dangerous than roads to a church service or a restaurant?


I would also point out that emergency help would be on the scene to help with the fire and possible injuries anyway; and they would have or take you to a refuge that would have temporary food and shelter without charge.


Further I would rather miss a meal unnecessarily in zeal for my God to do my all to please him, than to be lukewarm and apathetic to him. However your scenario makes shelter far more important than food.


We do fast on Atonement and at other times, or do we? Do we not know that we will not perish over delaying a meal for a few hours.


You speak of a lack of compassion, quite the contrary, I call upon tha compassion of the brethren!
james

Dennis On: "How Long Will The Hindsight Church of God Put Up With Pastor Ron??"




How Long Will The Hindsight  Church of God Put Up With Pastor Ron?

Dennis Diehl - EzineArticles Expert Author

I have to say , while not surprised, I am amazed at how either gullible, blind or just plain foolish the followers of Ron Weinland seem to be.  How can you sit there after being told how literally true Revelation 11 is concerning himself and then ultimately his wife as the Two Witnesses, and then not see he knows how stupid this is and is looking for an out?

Weinland now says that the Two Witnesses won't die literally in Jerusalem after a 3 1/2 year witness against the world  and then caught up to heaven.  Now, it is the last 3 1/2 years (2008-2012) of his ministry and he and his wife won't die but will live right up to the Second Coming.

He is endeavoring to produce mass amnesia in his readers and followers.

Ron doesn't know who those resurrected after Jesus death and roamed around Jerusalem were, but he will in a month.  What?  Really Ron, if you want to know about that particular part of the Gospels, just give me a call.  But in short, it never happened and the other Gospel writers had no clue why that came up either.  One did add, "after Jesus resurrection," when he realized that Jesus had to rise first and before them... so after the graves opened, they just layed there waiting to get up...ewwww.  But I spare you.

Somehow this is all a great deception of Satan when in fact it is all a great deception or rather realization that his views are simply wrong .  Rather than admit this, Ron is endeavoring, as failed ministries often do, to rewrite the story originally told.  Once you start hearing, "We  (read "I") could not imagine what God was really doing!"  "This truth is more amazing than we (read "I") ever imagined.  or "We (read "I") just did not understand how awesome and incredible God's plan is," you really know you are being conned when what was spoken as so literally true now becomes "Spiritual" and Ron can't imagine how you could have misunderstood this from the beginning.

If you simply listen to Ron's explanation of all this with a critical ear you will see that little if any of Ron's way of explaining this all makes any sense.  His sermons are merely diatribes and opinion with much generalizing.  He seems incapable of giving a coherent explanation of anything. Wandering all over the place as things come int his mind, you do not get the impression the sermon was actually thought out or prepared for.  While he may tell you how amazed you should be or how awesome it all is, merely cobbling Old Testament stories and examples together mean little and prove nothing about our time today.

If you could read a transcript of his sermons, it would wander all over the Bible and ultimately mean little by way of explanation and certainly be very short on any proof that he is on the right track and speaks for the Deity.

When all else fails, just remind everyone that ultimately, the timing is in God's hands.  How nice it would have been had he just said that to begin with, not write and speak like the timing was in his hands and then have to back up to save his career.  Now Ron is blaming the people for "resisting God's truth and are filled with horrible, horrible pride..."   Ron has an amazing ability look back in hindsight and discern accurately what God was obviously doing.  Looking ahead?.....not so good at that.

The COG ministers who base their messages, warning and reasons for being on Revelation should really go take a history course on the book.  Revelation spoke of the physical Jerusalem, then surrounded by Romans who finally won out, but now, says Ron,  it is to be viewed as the spiritual Jerusalem.  In fact, real Jerusalem is called spiritual Sodom and Gomorrah, but the city is literal.  Revelation has nothing to do with today.  It became a failed prophecy in the Fall of 70AD.

Ron hates the word "crucified."  Sick sick...  He prefers stake.  Crucified reminds him of the cross and of course, we'd not want that to happen...  I suppose on this, Ron and Bob "We don't believe in crosses" Thiel agree.

To be honest, sermons by Ron Weinland are like a pilot saying he's going to fly to Washington and then spends the next two hours flying all over the Midwest and lands in Cuba...  I would bet no one person in that audience could explain to another just exactly what Ron was talking about and how he proved it.

Well, I keep waiting for Ron to explain just how Revelation is no longer to be taken literally and  speaking of him and  his witness wife, but I just don't think he's going to get to it.  Maybe those in the audience will be fooled into thinking he did.  I don't know.  I don't have anything personally against Ron Weinland anymore than I do Dave Pack.  What I do take exception with is the ignorance with which they lead their followers.  These men are not well read or educated outside of the very small world of theology they live in.  They are mere Bible readers, talkers and at times, voice raisers.  None of these qualities qualifies them to be correct in their views or make others believe they are.  Like many ministers around here who are ministers because "I stopped drinking,"  these men are ministers because they want the world to be as they see it and they will never sit under the teaching of anyone but themselves. The pay  and perks can be pretty darn good too.

To conclude because I don't think I can listen to the rest of today's sermon without falling asleep, Ron has once again turned what he announced as literally true in the past into a spiritual truth which gets him off the hook for failed literalisms that must shortly come to past.  If the Jerusalem of Revelation 11 is spiritual then so are the plagues, vials, trumpets , trombones and flutes of the previous chapters and we can relax.

If God's spirit is dwelling in the Holy City now called the Church, that is one whacky and confused spirit.   How could anyone not consider the fruit of it as a confused and unsure trumpet?

Ron was greatly damaged by the collapse of WCG .  He is very angry and hurt by it all still.  That never goes away I think.  He did not invent that emotion or result.  It was very difficult. It was being done to us as ministers and not done by us for the most part.  I regretted ever hearing about the Armstrongs, Tkaches or WCG. The cost of my mistake as a younger man was going to be high and was.  I got a counselor and a Dr. put me on medication to handle the depression and loss.  The loss of friends was terrible and hurtful.  I guess they were friends because of church mostly.  In my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined I would have had such an experiences as provided by the Armstrongs and Tkaches.

But Ron's current attempt to make Revelation mean what it never meant is sad and dangerous to the real spiritual health of those who believe they don't have enough personal permission to think their own thoughts. Ron is back peddling to save his ministry.  While he is still hooked on "four more weeks" (from this writing), what that really means seems vague.  Truly, Ron is one of the most confusing COG ministers out there.  He still can't really seem to keep the literal separated from the spiritual.  I think he is simply confused and the hope that lies within him is falling apart.  It will be interesting to see what five weeks from now do to Ron.  He is under a great deal of stress by his own admission.  Personally I hope the man gets some help before he loses it and leaves the disillusioned to fend for themselves.

In reality, "Revelation was the swan song of militant Jewish Christianity (before 70 AD).  When Jerusalem was destroyed, when Rome waxed greater and  more powerful, when the False Prophet (The Apostle Paul rejected by the Jewish Christian Church at Ephesus. The Beast was Vespasian), gained more and more followers, when the book itself was proved false within two years, (not the speculated 3 1/2) when it became evident that the Jewish Messiah/Christ would not come, the Hebrew Christians lost their virility and their cult faded under the combined assault of orthodox Judaism and of Gentile Christianity..."
The Religion of the Occident, Larson, P. 47

Ron terribly failed to explain how this transition from what he once felt would literally happen and a major part  which he would play in it all.  Now, evidently, it has become merely spiritually true.  It just seems like he has to back peddle, and fast before he has no ministry or credibility. 

If Jesus does return in three weeks, I promise to apologize and admit that , while I did not understand God's witness, and if it's not a hologram, Ron was right.  I will also ask that next time the Deity provide a better speaker and more theologically educated Witness...



A Reader Asks About HQ Lists...



A reader here asks:

Does anyone not know of the strategic constant STALKING and assults of a.c./church members and the SECRET "LIST"at headquarters?
(only a few employees of Ambassador College knew about this ominous list - some ministers at headquarters didn't even know about it). It was TOP SECRET.
Wives of some of the men involved were terrified and torn because they would be disfellowshipped if the existence of a TARGET "list" was leaked. Lots of court cases in the church would be lost. No one talked about it for fear.

I was told. I was on the list. An employee reported me based on a misunderstanding and his wife was forbidden to speak to me, but she bawled when she told me about the list because it had cause serious damage and trauma to her friend, who had been driven nearly insane by the tactics used to carry out the PURPOSE of the list - by what they would do to people on the list. She almost divorced her husband for reporting me and being apart of the sadistic plan.

At the time, she couldn't explain what the list had in store for me and that once on the list, you can never come off. MCNAIR'S LAW. I just didn't understand what being on a harmless list meant. It meant being spiritual murdered by a select chosen group who knew about the list; it meant insanity; it meant years of trying to make sense of things that were beyond reason.

It meant that people you loved deeply, abandoned you and were forbidden to speak to you even though you were not disfellow-shipped and had no complait against you ever mentioned by a minister.

It was all subversive since they thought you were a devil. Other people were ordered to pretend to be your friend in order to report on you and get you kicked out of the church. They needed dirt to get rid of you and legally disfellowship you, and if they couldn't find the dirt they'd not give up for years, eventually, RAYMOND F. MCNAIR and GREG ALBREIGHT were going to get you.

Nice beautiful people on the list were asummed to be "progressive" and therefore, a threat. They were targeted with ungodly psychotic abuse until the person broke, gave up from the rattled nerves of the dark vicious constant hatred they saw in the people attacking them - (almost all complete strangers just walking up to me, for example, and ripping me apart and NEVER not once (Mr. Helge at the legal department advised them) Never would they tell me why, no accussaton was ever leveled at me other than you are Satanic. (I have some very impressive intelligent people who laugh at that.)

These people recruited to carry out the purpose of the list were generally people who befriended you falsely and creepily and clung to you, and the deception was grotesque sometimes. Realy creepy stories to tell.

Their paranoid psychosis convinced them there were devils everywhere

Even Tkatch had a daily spy, Merry Noel Knowlton - ask her, she'd be glad to tell.

She became Catholic later so she could go to confession and get free psychiatric relief from her dark conscience. Other partici-pants in the various schemes had manifestations of guilt they will have to live with for attempting to destroy so many people they had no knowlege of wrong-doing.

MCNAIR'S fear of being replaced by a more sane "liberal" authority had Mr. Helge's legal department( I knew one of their employees)helped them drive people out of the church legally by doing things to avoid some of their many lawsuits i.e. getting students to sign special wavers for "a special project" at the 1-800 number at "Watts line" (that I don't have time to detail, but I was one of their victims and it nauseats me)

Another Living Church of God Horror Story




This is from one of the public Facebook pages for WCG survivors.  Another sad story of lives being destroyed by LCG:


My ex-wife joined LCG two years ago in Greenville SC, then at Braselton, GA, now Tallahassee...Since then I have been alienated from my children, often denied visitation, and denied communication with them. The kids started acting differently...vague answers, dismissal and redirection when questioned, unemotional and sometimes trance-like. I don't know how much of this can be traced to the church, but my ex is now facing contempt of court charges and a custody suit. My attorney is very interested in hearing similar stories of isolationism practiced in LCG, preferably in th Ga/SC area. He also asked me what the major tenets of this religion are.....I have read the restored truths and the official website blurbs, but the wording is too wordy...it seems difficult to pinpoint exactly what are the practices and beliefs of the LCG. Certainly the survivor stories I read mention practices and beliefs that I can't find in print. Can someone fill me in on the "real" practices and beliefs of the LCG?
 
Thank you to all of you for the resources and support. Admittedly, the amount of information available is nearly overwhelming, but I have been studying this church for two years now, so I have a general knowledge of its works and I expect to study and learn more in the coming months... Martin, as for not knocking the "wisdom of the world"- believe me I don't. Me and the rest of my family know that "something fishy is going on here". Prior to court intervention my son was kept from me for two years, and it was beginning to start with my daughter as well...I didn't get to see her for a year and a half. I was shocked when my nine year old son called me and started telling me he didn't want to see me anymore- even more shocked when I heard the indoctrinational phrases coming from his mouth...he is intelligent, but it is obvious he's just repeating what he has heard. My kids are pushed to develop their "own" opinion about me- the ex forced the nine year old to tell me that he didn't want to have summer visitation with me- but I believe the kids are just saying what they are told to say.

The Plain Truth About Bacon

shamelessly swiped from the Facebook page:
Worldwide Church of God I can't Wait For Sundown and Other WCG Musings