Scrap the cross and what you have above is a typical Church of God.
No questions allowed!
How dare you question!
There are no gray areas in life.
God has revealed all through through your leader.
God does not make errors in revealing that truth.
When you question the Church and it's teachings you are questioning God!
We can't talk too much about effeminateJesus Christ or anything that he accomplished.
But, we certainly can use his name to make people think we follow him!
We can also use his name to scare people into giving us millions of dollars in tithe money, even though you do not require it.
The Naked Pastor
We can't talk too much about effeminate
But, we certainly can use his name to make people think we follow him!
We can also use his name to scare people into giving us millions of dollars in tithe money, even though you do not require it.
That goes for the ministers too questioning Armstrong, or anyone else for that matter. Kind of reminds me again of the Borg.
ReplyDelete"Resistance Is Futile. You will be Assimilated. We are One."
Children could not question parents. Wives could not question husbands. Members/Couples could not question ministers. Ministers could not question Armstrong. Those who did were suspended, disfellowshipped, or fired.
I don't know how many times I used to read the Bible the Armstrong Way (with a zillion notes and colors in the margins) or some of those "difficult scriptures" hand outs and see the OBVIOUS contradictions where the ministers said something like "well, this obviously does not mean what it says, you have to look here and here and consider this and that and look in the greek and hebrew and get out strongs concordance until through a million twists and curves it fits what WE teach."
Questioning was considered being weak in the faith. After all, the truth came from God to Armstrong to Pastors to us, so us questioning could be considered rebellion against God's Government. Worse then that, spreading the question is division. A sure way to control and a surer way to get kicked out, thinking you're destined to the Lake of Fire for eternal nothingness.
So the only recourse you had was to say "Oh well, God will correct it if it is his will" and bury it in a corner bookshelf in the brain". Thinking, intellectual people know better and know that there's a reason for questions.
We truly were considered dumb sheep.
For the most part you can summarize the reason as being the internet.
ReplyDeleteFor more reasons why the COGs are doomed to fade away, see this.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.church-of-god.info/Long-Term-Prospects-For-COGs.htm