Armstrongism's "god" is a punitive god who relishes the idea of weeding out the chafe from the COG's midst.
According to the COGEIM, the Feast will be here soon where members will hear one glorious sermon after another. Then, when the Feast is over, their god will start sorely testing the members to see how much they listened during the services. God has to weed out and punish those who fail to heed the words of the feast speakers.
"...following the Feast God begins his testing period. He digs deeply into our lives to determine how much we have absorbed from the intense teaching and training we have been blessed to receive at His great Feast. So, yes, the trials begin, and before He is done trying us, He and we will know how much progress we have really made in our conversion.If I went to a Feast site and had that kind of bullshit hanging over my shoulders then why would I go in the first place?
One of the big questions we come home to answer is, do we really BELIEVE what we have been taught? When I capitalize the word believe, I do so to emphasize the idea that many believe what is said in the Bible, but, unfortunately, they do not live it. That is, they say they believe, and they think they do, but when crunch time comes, they find what they were taught is not manifesting itself in their thoughts and actions. Unfortunately, old habits, old thought patterns, and opposing attitudes die hard.
That’s why we need this ensuing time of trial and testing—so that we can be different from that. We need those challenges that make us work hard using God’s Spirit so that we can make God’s way an integral part of our lives. In that way we can arrive at the place where our lives are congruent—that is, we believe, we act in accordance with our beliefs; and we are, in fact, what we believe. If that formula is working in our lives, then we really are becoming like Jesus Christ, and that is our ultimate goal."
4 comments:
What intense teaching and training? Sounds like "special knowledge" or gnosticism to. me. Obviously, he, she, or it is referring to the collection of esoteric theories and beliefs which we have come to know as the HWAcaca.
And, since when do the life trials that believers and non- believers alike experience end up being a function of one of the Old Covenant shadows? One thing I discovered when I was a non- believer is that non-believers just use non-religious terminology to describe trials. Pssst. Here's an inside secret: Rich and famous people have them, too!
I feel very sorry for the naive, the easily victimized and exploited. They have not yet discovered that it is indeed the submissives who really have the control. As Simon and Garfunkel once sang, "Blessed are the spat upon, the ratted on...."
BB
"...before He is done trying us, He and we will know how much progress we have really made in our conversion."
For years, I knew I wasn't making any progress in my "conversion." Why? Because it's a bunch of hocus pocus make-believe nonsense! It might as well be witchcraft. There's no such thing as "conversion."
"One of the big questions we come home to answer is, do we really BELIEVE what we have been taught? When I capitalize the word believe, I do so to emphasize the idea that many believe what is said in the Bible, but, unfortunately, they do not live it. That is, they say they believe, and they think they do, but when crunch time comes, they find what they were taught is not manifesting itself in their thoughts and actions."
I wanted to believe. I even wanted to want to. But really, no. All I could do was pretend to "believe." What else can you do when you've been told that a made-up god is going to use his power to change you, but since he doesn't have any power, you don't ever get changed? Your thoughts and actions are basically the same as they always were. Either you pretend you're different, ignoring and hiding your real behavior, or you're honest, and you GTFO. I find xianity to be a very dishonest way to live, because the power to make it work doesn't exist.
"Unfortunately, old habits, old thought patterns, and opposing attitudes die hard. That’s why we need this ensuing time of trial and testing—so that we can be different from that."
I'm not going to claim that "trials" and "testing" don't change you. Everything changes you. But they don't necessarily turn you into a better xian. Sometimes they make you worse. People come home from wars with PTSD. If war isn't "trials" and "testing", then I don't know what is. But PTSD isn't a change for the better. I suppose if anyone learned to be a better xian from it, he came home in a box.
"We need those challenges that make us work hard using God’s Spirit so that we can make God’s way an integral part of our lives. In that way we can arrive at the place where our lives are congruent—that is, we believe, we act in accordance with our beliefs; and we are, in fact, what we believe. If that formula is working in our lives, then we really are becoming like Jesus Christ, and that is our ultimate goal."
That's a nice theory, but all I can say is, good luck with that. I never found any evidence that there was any such thing as "god's spirit." From that point on, from the standpoint of the individual adherent, xianity is dead in the water. That's why there's no such thing as "conversion." It all boils down to adults wasting their whole lives playing these childish, make-believe, schoolyard games.
Armstrongism teaches people that "god's way" means NOT to be survivors, NOT to be honest or congruent, NOT to be strong and make the tough choices, but instead to be wishy-washy, weak, nice, powerless, effeminate, pussys! This is what all those hours of church at the feast are trying to teach you. I'll tell you one thing, the old school former WCG ministers who are up there telling everyone god wants them to act like pussies all the time, they didn't get where they are by acting like pussies themselves. No way. They got to where they were by making other people and other ministers into their bitches. That's what all the politics of backstabbing in WCG back in the day was all about. The more you listen to their "god's way" crap, the more you become their little bitch. If there ever was a historical Jesus, he didn't get to be famous by being a pussy.
What's interesting is, that this is a message that's akin to what you might hear on any given Sunday at a mainstream Christian church.
I think the average mainstream Christian preacher has a file card of this type of sermon in his repertoire. The one that goes, "Yes, you come to church every Sunday but do you believe and take to heart what you hear and practice it throughout the week? As a Christian, God has a special purpose for you and will test you to see that you are living up to His expectations.", accompanied by the guilt tripping tales of people who's weekly doings aren't up to snuff.
BTW I didn't know it was a secret that (as the old saying goes) "shit happens", and that it happens to the religious and the non-religious also; of any given religion, even if they are rich and famous.
Whether it's considered a special trial gift from god or not, shit still happens to us all- like family issues, health issues, etc.
But being rich can help with some of those "trials"- for instance, Kate Middleton surely benefited from having the very finest medical care to deal with health-related pregnancy issues, while a poor pregnant black woman in Mobile, Alabama, would probably not.
In Armstrongism, everything is a test to see if you care about god or not. It's a million physical tests, and you had better not fail any of them and not omit any of them, because if you fall short on even so much as one of them, then you don't care about god AT ALL. The sabbath is a test, the holy days are a test, tithing is a test, unclean meats is a test, how well you deleaven your house is a test, head coverings is a test, and on and on it goes. And then, after all that, god still has to "test" you.
Well, I give up. I've decided to let you win, Armstrongists. Even when I did, it's like no one really believes you anyway. Or at least the god of Armstrongism that everyone believes in is never convinced. It's like being badgered until you change you answer. So, how about, I've decided to change my answer, and you can be right. I've decided that I don't care about god anymore. I hope you're happy. I'm happier, not feeling like I'm being tested 24/7 anymore.
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