I had to laugh at the comment made by Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday while in Brazil. He claims that "...the Internet has made it difficult to govern."
(CNSNews.com) - Speaking to State Department personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil, on Tuesday, Secretary of State John Kerry said that "this little thing called the Internet ... makes it much harder to govern." He also said that "ever since the end of the Cold War, forces have been unleashed that were tamped down for centuries by dictators."This is the exact same thing that we have been saying for years here. The Internet is what helped bring down the Church of God. The Church of God has never recovered and never will. Now being held accountable, it struggles to survive. Hundreds of COG members are leaving COG's every year. The membership drain cannot be stopped.
"Well, folks," he said, "ever since the end of the Cold War, forces have been unleashed that were tamped down for centuries by dictators, and that was complicated further by this little thing called the internet and the ability of people everywhere to communicate instantaneously and to have more information coming at them in one day than most people can process in months or a year." John Kerry: 'This Little Thing Called the Internet ... Makes It Much Harder to Govern'
It wasn't long after HWA's death that various newsgroups and chats started discussing the changes creeping into the Worldwide Church of God. As computers began to proliferated by the early 1990's the stream of information could not be stopped.
Church leaders no longer had a strangle hold on its members. The WCG effectively used the Internet to get the word out about the changes coming down the line. The Good News Grapevine was filled with those who appreciated the changes. Other Internet sites and private mailings helped the Global Church of God and UCG form.
For several years the WCG AOL chat room was a great disseminator of change and accountability, until one snarky woman who worships HWA and all things Armstrong kept complaining to AOL that everyone posting there were liars. AOL finally shut it down and eventually AOL shut down the other COG as well. But even she was not able to stop the juggernaut steam rolling ahead.
Other groups and message boards quickly popped up. The Ambassador Report went online. The Painful Truth started to tear down the facade of a perfect Church of God. Gavin Rumney's Ambassador Watch made mincemeat of the Church of God's. The list of Internet sites now critical of the COG's continues to grow daily.
This is not something unique to Armstrongite groups. The Jehovah's Witnesses are also facing huge problems in controlling the information stream against them. Why the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses FEARS the Internet! The Mormons too, Mormon Church Admitting the Internet is Hurting Retention of Members
Yes, the Internet has made it more difficult for oppressive governments to govern and the Internet has made it hard for oppressive Church of God's to function. And the people said, "AMEN!"
Know this, that in the latter days, knowledge shall be increased...and it will set you free...
ReplyDeleteDo we all remember the days not so very long ago when all the Cult of Herbert Armstrong leaders were saying that 99% of everything on the Internet was a lie?
ReplyDeleteThen they started using the Internet to promote their stuff, and, apparently pushed up to 99.000001% of everything on the Internet is a lie.
New things are coming down the pike all the time -- Fall 2013 looks to be significant!
All of the big CoG leaders are far older than me and I wonder if Armstrongism will die out completely in my lifetime. I get this sad image in my head of the last living Armstrongist holdout, alone and pining like the last carolina parakeet.
ReplyDeleteRewinding the tape, what happened to people who left the church, or were disfellowshipped prior ro rhe internet? We all know the answer to that one! Most quietly faded into obscurity. Occasionally, there might have been some accidental, nervous encounters in the supermarket, but if so, no really serious dialogue was usually exchanged. No effort was made to ask probing questions to learn an ex-member's side, because in effect, they had no side. The ministers' point of view was considered to be God's side, and that was the only side was supposed to count.
ReplyDeleteThere were always cliches: So and so was weak, and fell away. Mr. X has a root of bitterness. You could tell by the eyes that Miss Y has a demon problem. Young Mr. Z was led astray by a woman who is not in the church.
The internet has raised the bar. The serious doctrinal and ethical problems of Armstongism are now being openly discussed, to say nothing of the incredible ongoing abuses and perennially failed prophecies. Ex-members are unavoidable, and have become rehumanized. Most importantly, whether or not they like or accept it, leaders are being evaluated and held accountable.
The era of one way communication and subsequent spying for compliance has long since passed. The internet is the equalizer which was always so sorely needed by victims of tyrants.
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The Bible says that all things that were hidden will eventually be exposed. Government's taking advantage of the apathy and ignorance of the masses has been made harder in this age of information.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this encouraging article. I just liked to it on Facebook and my blog. To see the COGs, JWs and Mormons brought up short in this way is a dream come true! All I can say is, "It's about time!" Now, for the other more mainstream deceptions.
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