David C Pack Is A Liar! So Says Former RCG Church Administration Employee

I pick on the "Christ Knock's" folks a lot here.  However a reader here sent me this video which is a response by Michael Venish against Dave Packs outrageous lies in his publications and web site. Since he is a proven liar in this case then what else has he lied about?  Dennis also has brought out many of Dave's lies. Why do people continue to follow the liars in charge of the various COG's?

Michael Venish used to work in the Restored Church of God Church Administration Department.  He knows first hand the lies and deception that Dave uses to grease his members up for more money.

Venish writes:

The leader of The Restored Church of God David C Pack, claims he has not disfellowshipped one person world wide in the thirteen years of his church/organizations existence. He published a letter in magazine format, to dispel the supposed lies and false statements about him on the internet to exonerate himself.

Venish also includes this description of Dave Pack:

Profile of the Sociopath

• Glibness and Superficial Charm 

• Manipulative and Conning 

• They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims. 

• Grandiose Sense of Self 

• Feels entitled to certain things as "their right." 

• Pathological Lying 

• Has no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Extremely convincing and even able to pass lie detector tests.

Then in the comments below the video there were these gems:

I too was a member of RCG and quit attending right before  you were disfellowshipped. I had written a letter to Mr. Pack about his intentions to borrow money from banks to build his multi-million dollar Ohio Campus and housing compound. He did"t like to be criticized, so he publicly berated me. I reminded him of Proverbs 22:7, the borrower is a slave to the lender. Enslaving the brethren or not, he always gets his way. What's RCG policy, "Pack's way or the highway"? 

-----

The truth always sets us free. Mr. pack is creating bondage and people do not see it. In their eyes, everyone outside their "church" is lost. Christ came for that very reason and mentioned of the leavening of the pharisees. His followers are unstable in their reasoning.

Secret Photo of COG Members Flocking To Restored Church of God

Every time I read Dave Pack writing about his superfantabulous Restored Church of God 

this is what I picture. 

Reminder: Jesus Returns May 19th!

Please remember to mark your calendar for next Sunday, May 19th, for the return of Jesus Christ.  That is the day that imprisoned felon Ron (Weinerdude) Weinland has set for the return of Jesus Christ.

We are going to have a BBQ that day to celebrate His return.  Some grilled baby-back ribs just might do the trick that day.

What are your plans?  How are you going to celebrate this momentous day?

Gerald Flurry Youth Indoctrination Camp: Boys Taught Leadership Skills While Girls Were Relegated to Cooking and Crafts

 
In April of this year the Philadelphia Church of God held a summer camp in the Philippines for PCG children.

While I am sure this was a fun time for many involved, as most summer camps are regardless of which church runs it, these kids got a special dose of what it is to be an Armstrongite.

They started the day of by watching a video of HWA at an old SEP camp that was made possible by millions of dollars in tithe money.  The kids in the Philippines slept in tents.

They got to watch the white kids enjoying well groomed landscaping, dorms with heat and electricity, dining halls, commissaries, ski boats, canoes, rifle ranges, archery, canoe tips, etc.  Did I mention these kids got tents?

Trying to relive the glory days with kids who have no idea who in the hell Herbert Armstrong was or why a 27 year old video is relevant in 2013 just shows how pathetic Flurryism is.

Upon arrival, two boy dorms set up their tents and two girl dorms laid their bags down in their air-conditioned tents. Camp director John Macdonald started the first day with an afternoon lecture in which he showed clips of the World Tomorrow program with Herbert W. Armstrong that included the Worldwide Church of God’s Summer Educational Program. The first day also included the “talking stick” activity, in which staff and campers introduce themselves. 2G camper Ma. Sylvia Estelle Ramos said that the exercise in public speaking challenged the nervous campers, especially the first-timers.

So what was the focus of this summer camp?  It was PERFECTION!  Be ye PERFECT!

Perfect men and boys are LEADERS and perfect women and girls are made to be wives who cook and do crafts - apparently girls and women who think and who might be leaders is not possible or godly.

Along with Mr. Macdonald, 17 other full-time and five part-time staff members emphasized the 2013 camp theme: “Focus on Perfection.” Campers were encouraged to think deeply and strive for God’s level of perfection. That training concept carried through classes on speech, vision and goal-setting, budgeting, health and nutrition, etiquette, and dance. Other classes included leadership and song-leading for boys and womanhood and baking and crafts for girls. (at least the girls got air conditioning along with this training!)

While I know that cultural differences between the Philippines and the U.S. is vast, it is still sad to see women in the COG treated like mindless chattel created to serve the LEADERS.

New Blog Poll Added

To the right of this page under the nation’s flags is a new poll that I have been asked to start. This first one starts with God's most highly favored man, who runs the world’s most incredible Church of God ever to exist in human history, that publishes the most astounding booklets, and produces the most mind-boggling video broadcasts ever. All of this occurs in the City of Wadsworth, Ohio. This is now the city that God now highly favors above all other cities in the world.

Dave Pack predicted in a sermon recently that three prominent Church of God leaders would all die on the same day later this year. Even though he recalled the sermons tapes immediately, word spread like wildfire. After these three well known Church of God leaders die, Dave says that all the membership of these three churches will come immediately to the Restored Church of God.

 So, the question is: 

 Will you soon be joining Dave Pack and the Restored Church of God?

Bob Thiel Says: OMG Again!!!!! 1/3 of Bees Have Died - A SURE Sign Famine is Coming!!!!!!!!!

While I know that the bee Colony Collapse Disorder is a huge problem with bee's, it gets tiresome reading the pimps of doom in Armstrongism that turn these events into prophetic scenarios to fit their warped, twisted, escatological scatological views.  These pimps of god's wrath get off on the violent scenarios they want to see happen.  Nothing would delight them more to see people starve to death, die in wars and concentration camps, or die of some horrible disease.  These pimps need to see this happen so that their twisted theology can be validated.

Bob writes:

Why be so concerned about bees? Because bees are necessary for the pollenization of many plants that humans eat. Wikipedia states:

It is estimated that one third of the human food supply depends on insect pollination, most of which is accomplished by bees, especially the domesticated European honey bee.

One third of human food possibly being dependent upon bees is a significant percentage. Losing half the bees could be devastating.
If pesticides and/or high fructose corn syrup are starting to kill honey bees, presuming this trend continues to increase, the food supply could greatly decrease. (Many are also concerned that the use of high fructose corn syrup, which is normally now from genetically-engineered corn, increases that risk for human health problems like diabetes, which keeps increasing in the world.) Overall, humans need bees much more that bees physically need humans.
Jesus warned that one of the “signs” of the end of the age would be famine:

7…And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:6-8)

We seem to be in the time Jesus called “the beginning of sorrows.”
Between the widespread and growing use of genetically modified (GMO) “foods,” pesticides, herbicides, and synthesized sweeteners, countries like the USA are putting themselves at risk for the famines which are certain to come. Losing bees perhaps should be a sign that things are beginning to worsen.

At some time, famine will come to the USA and many will die from it:

15 ‘So it shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an astonishment to the nations that are all around you, when I execute judgments among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the Lord, have spoken. 16 When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread. 17 So I will send against you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’  (Ezekiel 5:15-17)

Dave Pack Whines The COG Has Wasted One and a Quarter Billion Dollars on False "Work's" Instead of Giving It To Him

Poor Dave.  He still cannot get it through his thick head that NO ONE in the hundreds of splinter groups of Armstrongism give a rat's ass about him.  He is particularly incensed that over 1 1/4 billion dollars have passed through the doors of various COG's instead of his:

This should automatically bring to mind the large organizations that formed after the apostasy, having come out of God’s House thinking they could form many houses and still all be part of the Body of Christ—part of God’s House (Church). How interesting that in regard to wealth these organizations have collectively taken in a great many hundreds of millions of dollars (perhaps up to one and a quarter BILLION dollars when totals are combined).

The next verses are powerfully instructive. God outlines what the people (including ministers) expected to accomplish through their works, followed with descriptions of how it always came to little or nothing.

Verses 5-7: “Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but you have not enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earns wages earns wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.”

Read this passage a second time, more slowly. God TWICE tells the people to “Consider your ways.” Yet most brethren today are not even reading Haggai, and those few who are do not do so with much or any understanding. These articles are part of God telling YOU to consider your ways! God is reaching out to His people, explaining that, cut off from Him, their efforts have brought no real “yield.” Think of the splinters. After up to two decades, most of them are roughly the same size—or smaller. Their “works” are also roughly the same size—or smaller. Some much smaller! Phrase by phrase, God is telling His people in these other “houses” that what they are doing is not working. 
Their “earnings” go into “a bag with holes.” Keep asking as you read, and this could have begun at verse 2, who are these people that are associated with God’s House—who so perfectly fit the description of today’s many thousands in the big and small splinter houses that came out of the Worldwide Church of God?

Dave's god is so pissed right now with the various COG leaders that he is has caused a "great drought" to dry them all up.  All except his of course, The Restored Church of God is the most superfantabulous Church of God ever created. Dave's cult is unparallelled in the world for it's awesomeness.  All the other COG's tremble in fear at the mere mention of Dave's name!

Verse 11: “And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground brings forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands.”

This verse details what are seen to be categories of God’s punishment that are being intensified. First, the Hebrew for “drought” is more correctly translated “desolation.” Similar but different Hebrew words are typically used when drought or dearth is the intended meaning. Unable to understand prophecy, and in light of not understanding the symbolism of “dew” and “fruit” in Haggai 1:10, the King James translators thought maybe God’s carefully chosen word (choreb) had to do with some ancient drought in Israel. But the subject is desolation—or wasting—of the houses attended by “this people.” This verse reveals that God is bringing DESOLATION to them in seven separate areas. Each term has critical meaning. This is a loving God’s attempt to further WAKE THE PEOPLE AND MINISTERS UP, and what is happening in this process is thoroughly explained in my NINTH announcement, which described them as seven trends or conditions occurring in the splinters today.

According to Dave when the hundreds of splinter groups all implode the tens of thousands of COG members will be streaming back to him in fear and obedience.

The last verses of Haggai 1 should be read and understood as a single very powerful summary statement. Clearly something dramatic happens that causes ACTION. Suddenly God’s people all come back together in a spirit of FEAR and OBEDIENCE—ready to go to work in the Temple. The why is not important at this time, rather just that it happens.

Verses 12-15: “Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with ALL the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him [they finally grasped the intent of Haggai’s message], and the people did fear before the Lord. Then spoke Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, says the Lord. And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and THEY CAME and DID WORK in the House of the Lord of hosts [God’s one Church], their God, in the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.”

The group described as “this people,” but residing in separate houses, is seen to suddenly understand the reason behind their failed efforts. Key Hebrew words bring important meaning. “OBEYED” also means “to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention): consider, diligently, discern, give ear, listen, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, regard, understand.” The word “FEAR” means “to fear; to revere; to frighten: dread (-ful).” Recognize it is God’s Spirit that ultimately stirs His people to act, alongside a final culminating event found elsewhere in Scripture. The Hebrew for “STIRRED” means “(through the idea of opening the eyes); to wake: lift up, raise up, stir up.” “All” of God’s people are foretold (twice) to return from their houses to work again in God’s House. A full reunification is coming! And notice the Scripture describes it occurring in a single day. God reassures His people that “I am with you” (in this case, back with them)—and to “fear not” in the human sense of fear—after He previously had held back blessings from their groups.

This great event is supposed to happening ONE day, according to Dave.

The greatest question reappears: Who is this group that comes back to God’s House in a single day?

Dave Pack Threatens All COG Splinter Group Ministers: "...you will be OUT of the ministry by your own choosing. God’s duly appointed government will REMOVE you from office."

Dave is getting ready to remove all sinning, liberal heretics masquerading as ministers when they jump ship to him.  God's government has nothing to do with it. Dave is a jealous  guy who cannot stand to have anyone looking better than him.  If you are a minister in a splinter group your ass is grass! Either they toe the line or they are never heard of again.  God will spew them out.

ATTENTION MINISTERS

A statement to all MINISTERS: God WILL reunite His people, and soon. Ministers for decades have been “scattering” them—and working “against” Christ (Matt. 12:30). Read what follows Matthew 12:30. Now comes a powerful word of caution to those men who at all fear God and want to remain in His ministry. Men who are known to have tried to thwart the active work of God’s Spirit to reunite His people need to know they have chosen to END THEIR MINISTRY! The government of God’s Church will make diligent inquiry with brethren now under your charge.

Most of you grew liberal in the 1970s—this was “strike one” in God’s sight. But you were forgiven by a loving and merciful God and given another chance. However, many of the same men grew far more liberal and heretical in the second “go-around” through the 90s, and all the way to the present—this was a very great “strike two” in God’s sight. But His plan is to forgive you AGAIN, upon repentance. If you fight His Purpose NOW—read “God’s People Back Together—SOON!”, and other recent announcements—the result will be “strike THREE,” and you will be OUT of the ministry by your own choosing. God’s duly appointed government will REMOVE you from office. You are STRONGLY counseled to at least remain NEUTRAL in the face of your headquarters asking or even demanding you to resist what “RCG is teaching”—when God’s Spirit in you should be making clear that what we are announcing is GOD’S teaching. Tell your flock you are “waiting to see,” and if circumstances so require, tell your headquarters that you are going to follow God not them when push comes to shove. Tell them you are “sitting this one out.” Do not trust that your current leaders will be able to save your ministry. They will NOT! Only you can do this.

Now aware of God’s awesome purpose, you should in fact desire to “get out front” of what He is doing in order to help the maximum number of people. Other ministers and deacons already have. In any event, if you are not strong enough to do this, do not permit yourself to be coerced or even threatened into a position where you are soon sorry—DESPERATELY sorry!—for your actions, much like Esau found himself when he “was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears” (Heb. 12:16-17). Esau could not turn back the hands of time on what he had done. Some mistakes “go too far.” You are warned not to repeat Esau’s mistake! Time in this age is almost gone. You stand at the crossroads of history, prophecy and DESTINY. Humble yourself in the eyes of God and He will exalt you in the near future beyond what you can now imagine. You will soon be serving more of God’s people—larger congregations. DO NOT BLOW A PRECIOUS CALLING!

Dave Pack, the Documented Liar Says: Laymembers Are Too Stupid and Not Authorized To Teach - ANYTHING!

Dave Pack has his weekly letter to his dwindling flock up.  It is an incredibly long letter about how IMPORTANT he is and how the Book of Haggai is all about him.  Everything seems to be about him, but that's beside the point.   I will play with his stupidity later, but particularly wanted to get this little gem up.

Davie is NOT happy with stupid lay members writing about theology or that criticize him.  I have a feeling he does not like this blog either.

Many of God’s people now regularly waste time reading what are no more than gossip columnists (disguised as blogs) produced by laymembers whom God does not authorize to teach—anything! Proverbs warns, “An ungodly man digs up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire” (16:27), and such “columnists” almost invariably do plenty of digging up evil against Mr. Armstrong. As the Psalms direct, these rebellious “haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves to Him” (81:15), but instead they lampoon all forms of government, including most of all the government of God in His Church. These loathe the idea that Mr. Armstrong could have been ANYTHING special. They have NO IDEA what they are talking about when some claim that Zerubbabel is Christ, or others that Joshua is Christ. Imagine Christ inspiring the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to carry messages to Himself, or rather to both of “Himselves” since He might be both Joshua and Zerubbabel. Next imagine Christ telling Himself (twice) as He does in Haggai to “fear not” and to “be strong” and that “I am with you.” How would the God of the Old Testament be with Himself? Now imagine Christ saying He “stirred up the spirit” (Hag. 1:14) of Himself when speaking of doing this to either Zerubbabel or Joshua, or both. Further—and this is all plainly found in Zechariah 3—Joshua is: (1) seen standing with the Lord, (2) described as receiving Christ—“the Branch”—at His Return and (3) an angel duly charges (“protests” to) him about matters no angel would DARE say to Christ, who is God.

Bob Thiel Says: OMG! CO2 Levels the Highest Eveeeeeeer!!!!! This Is A SURE Sign Of Revelation 16!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob Theil, the non-ordained self-appointed Chief Overseer, end time prophet, Chief Apostle, world renown authority on Mayan baloney and end time prophecy, is all a twitter tonight with a report from the New York Times:

It is claimed that we now have the highest level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 3,000,000 years:

May 10, 2013

The level of the most important heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, has passed a long-feared milestone, scientists reported on Friday, reaching a concentration not seen on the earth for millions of years.

Scientific monitors reported that the gas had reached an average daily level that surpassed 400 parts per million…The best available evidence suggests the amount of the gas in the air has not been this high for at least three million years…and scientists believe the rise portends large changes in the climate and the level of the sea.  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/science/earth/carbon-dioxide-level-passes-long-feared-milestone.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Of course this has to lead directly into proof-texting Scripture to fit his worldview of an angry god pissed off at his creation.

Many scientists believe that increased CO2 levels result in increased temperature levels, and some rising of sea levels have been recorded.

The Bible itself tells of a time of disturbances including rising sea levels before Jesus returns:

25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;  26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  (Luke 21:25-27)

41 Oh, how the praise of the whole earth is seized! How Babylon has become desolate among the nations! 42 The sea has come up over Babylon; She is covered with the multitude of its waves. 43 Her cities are a desolation, A dry land and a wilderness, A land where no one dwells, Through which no son of man passes. 44 I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will bring out of his mouth what he has swallowed; And the nations shall not stream to him anymore. Yes, the wall of Babylon shall fall. 45 “My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself from the fierce anger of the LORD (Jeremiah 51:41-45).

17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.  (Revelation 16:17-20)

The Bible teaches that a time of high heat is coming:

8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.  (Revelation 16:8-9)

And although the above heat is being released by an angelic being, it may very well be that high carbon dioxide levels will predispose the planet for that heat, as well as possibly the rising sea levels.

Bob  thinks we are now close to the"time of sorrows" and it is important that people repent and join his TRUE church since there is no other on the planet at the moment but his.  His god only calls people into his "truth."

And the time for God’s judgment is coming. It is even possible that the “beginning of sorrows” which includes “troubles” has began. The time to turn to God is now, for whosoever will respond to God’s calling.

James Malm Admits He Despises The New Testament

James Malm, the world's most perfect legalist and the Church of God's official Pharisee let slip today why he despises the New Testament.  He is focused on UCG's new focus on "love" and "grace."  Two words that are anathema to Malm.  These words, in order to be used properly,  MUST include LAW with them.

[ADMIN COMMENT: Brethren this New Testament focus instead of on the whole of scripture, his focus on the buzzwords of "unity" and "love" to gain a following, is not an new phase in UCG, it has ever been in the shadows.  Now  that the HWA loyalists have been removed, they are free to follow their long time agenda and establish their "New Testament Evangelical Christian denomination".  The true Jesus and the true Holy Sprit of zeal for the teachings and commandments of God  is nowhere to be found]

That "spirit of zeal" Malm whores himself out to is abusive legalism. As for the "true" Jesus, who in the hell would that be in Malmism? Certainly something that no one cares to follow.

Ron Weinland: The Church Is Blessed To Hear From Me Again

Last week the imprisoned felon, Ron Weinland made a comment that he thought his posting last week would be his last ever.  Jesus Christ was coming and things were going to get nasty with persecution and poor Ron might not be able to write anymore.

Alas, the felon has found the wherewithal to write a letter again to his dwindling flock.

In the last post, I said I did not know if it might be my last in this age, but here is another one   another blessing we can receive from God as we willingly participate in God’s creation into Elohim through the continuing process of the transforming of our mind. Much of that transforming process is delivered in large part through sermons, posts, and other communicated information that God gives to us. The end result of such transformation is truly glorious, awesome, and far beyond our ability to fully comprehend, but what we do see is so incredibly exciting and inspiring.

Ron made the claim that the 2, 3,4th Trumpets of Revelation would have sounded by now and that Jesus Christ would return on May 19th.  So far has has been proven a liar.  Nothing has happened and no trumpets have blown.

Now Weinerdude is back peddling as he claims he has reached a new plane of spiritual understanding.

The reason I mention all this is because we are two weeks from Pentecost 2013 and no physical consequences of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Trumpets have yet been made manifest. To the normal human mind this can carry great weight and concern, especially if we consider May 27th of last year; but we are to put it into a proper perspective of what God is doing, along with the knowledge that God is in full control. So with that perspective and no burden of weight to carry, today I still wait and I look for those things to become manifested from those Trumpets before Christ’s coming. It is with this that I must pause and explain what I have been blessed to see over the past few weeks that has given me greater peace and a growing excitement on a spiritual plane that is beyond anything (in maturity) I have experienced in the past. Just as a few have written and stated the inspiration they have received recently as they have recalled Herbert W. Armstrong stating, “When it is all said and done, we win.” He explained how he had good news because he had read the book (the Bible) to the end and it says (paraphrasing the Bible) “we win.” It is within this context that I am going to explain the excitement and inspiration I have in terms relating to where we now are in time.

Because Ron has been such an epic failure in all of his predictions he has to create a new category of end time witness not even mentioned in the Bible:

As we focus on what we have gone through during this time of witness and then this additional prophetic Day of the Eternal, there are patterns and truth (reality) we can draw upon to see and learn much more, for we have been living what God has given to His Church. Before this period of time of the final witness even began for God’s Church, God began drawing larger numbers into it to become part of His work and witness in this final time of the Day of the Eternal, as well as being part of the witness (living it) of those first 3 1/2 years. Over this period of time, God was going to do something new (a special witness) and mold (build and fashion) something new that has not existed in the same manner or to the same degree as in the past. Look at our recent history.

Although we have not fully understood it, it was given to us from God that we had come to the end of Laodicea once we had come to the time that the 3 1/2 years of final witness were to be fulfilled. God revealed that we had entered a different time for God’s Church, not one identified as one of the seven eras, but one that would be part of God’s final witness. It really is so awesome when you see it! What did God do?

How in credibly dumb can these members get to continue to sit there week after week listening to all of these excuses?  Weinland's members are proof positive that some COG members are blithering idiots and fools.  they will swallow anything and everything unconditionally without questions.  These morons deserve what is going to happen to them!

Like any good COG leader, Weinland claims his little group started out small and then grew tremendously to huge numbers and influence.  That is just about as stupid as the claim Dave Pack makes.

The remnant out of Laodicea   those brought to repentance from that era   remained small and of similar size for years, even as there were continuously those who would leave and others who would come. Then something changed. God began to stir up interest in a book entitled, 2008-God’s Final Witness, and through that process God began to draw larger numbers to live into that time of 3 1/2 years of witness and still more were called once it had begun. We grew so fast that in our current state of organization (at that time) we were overwhelmed and began to address needed changes that led to a much stronger means of caring for God’s Church, including those who were being called to participate in a powerful witness about this age of mankind.

God enabled us, as a very small group, to be able to send out approximately 750,000 books into almost every country of the world, with another 1,500,000 books downloaded from our website, which have all been translated from English into six other languages. We cannot know the number of people who have read these books, but it was all about God’s witness and a matter of His work. God could have chosen a much smaller number to be sufficient for that portion of His witness (testimony), but this is what He did. It is God’s work.

Then Ron's god, ever the joker it is, pulled the rug out from under Ron and numbers began to drop.  Ron's god decided he did not need to call anyone anymore.  Screw humanity they aren't worth saving!

Just before we entered the time of the final 3 1/2 years of witness, and then increasing even more toward the beginning of that period of time, there is a pattern that reveals God had strong purpose for increasing our numbers in a manner of giving incredible growth in size, and then just as abruptly God decreased that pace dramatically by calling fewer and fewer the closer we came to the end of this 3 1/2 year period. There are awesome things to be gleaned from all of this, but the primary one is to recognize and remember that only God the Father does the calling, and it is evidence of that which establishes a pattern from which we can learn much as is being covered in some of this post.

 Never before in human history has a work such as Weinerdude's been as powerful with COG members as spiritually mature.

What is being said here? There has never been a time in history where people have been given so much spiritual insight as they are now, nor over such an incredibly short space of time. Not only are the tools available to quickly and easily dispense such a large amount of knowledge from God, but never before has so much spiritual knowledge (truth) been available to God’s people. God’s plan being carried out through progressive revelation has been to bring the Church to this time and prepare us for the most incredible time of all   the time for the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth and a new age for mankind in the Millennium.

 Of course that big bad boy Satan has to enter the picture and cause Weinerdude problems.

As it was with the apostasy, Satan believed he would destroy us, especially over this period during the past five months, when he and his demonic army were allowed to have power to wreck havoc, pain, and torment upon God’s people. Why would our Father who loves us so very much allow, and not just allow, but open the door for Satan, giving His permission to do this to His own people? To understand this is to become even stronger in faith and gratitude for living at this time to witness (to live) this to God’s great purpose. As for Satan, as always, he does not get it. He does not understand the power of spiritual faith that God can mold and fashion in the mind of those with whom he is transforming.

There has never been a group of COG members who have been so intensely persecuted, mocked and ridiculed as his people have, particularly by other COG members.

How much more could be stacked against a people so that they could so easily be scorned, ridiculed, and mocked by the world, so easily scorned by God’s Church that was scattered after the apostasy, and so easily scorned by Satan himself?

He then continues on attempting to justifying he and Laura's position as the first husband/wife Witless Witnesses.  Most COG members think it was to be two men doing the final witness, but NO!!!!!!  It';s a husband and wife! A raving lunatic and a money thieving wife!

Even before we entered the time of our “witness,” it was openly declared who the two end-time witnesses were. This revelation alone painted a giant target on ourselves because this sounds so outrageous and preposterous to others. Yet that was minor compared to the fact that one was a woman, and then secondly, that they were husband and wife. In the eyes of others, how “far out” does that sound? Then before it had actually begun, God revealed the truth that Jesus Christ would be returning on Pentecost instead of on the Feast of Trumpets as we had believed, and it was then announced that all our timing was now pushed forward by about eight months. God could have revealed this well before, but for the very purpose of what He was working out concerning His Church, He revealed it later.

So how could god's great Witless Witness then be sitting in prison? Ron explains how:

We could list many other things that are seemingly preposterous to others about what we believe (as with women ordinations), what we have taught and followed, but you should get the point of all this by now. Yet there is one more thing that needs to be added. The “topping on the cake” or the crescendo to all of this is that the one leading this group is in prison, having been convicted of purposely evading the payment of taxes to his government, which is so very untrue, and those items picked out to prove the case were twisted, untrue, and conjured up to paint a picture that was also false. This has happened throughout time to God’s servants and even to His own Son. So yes, we have been made an easy target for the Church that was scattered, for this world, and for Satan himself. But that is exactly what God has purposed in order to reveal the Seventh Thunder in a manner that will, in God’s time, shake this earth!

Ron's god loves his Church members so much that he deliberately has sic'd Satan on them.  For a god that loves them "so dearly..." is sure is a twisted god!  What does it do when it is really pissed?

Considering what has taken place over these past five months with Satan attacking God’s own Church, and that God gave him free reign to do this to the people He loves so dearly, reminds me of God’s conversation with Satan when He said to him, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one who fears God, and eschews evil?” (Job 1:8). God then allowed Satan to move against Job in a very devastating manner.

 Ron blubbers on with a lot more paragraphs of silliness and then gets to his conclusion.  Brethren, be prepared that god might just delay things happening and Jesus Christ might not return on the 19th.  Well duh! We all know he's not, why cant you figure that out?

Today, as I continue to write this post, it is now two weeks to Pentecost. In the back of my mind I have had concern about how well God’s Church would do if there is more that will be revealed to us (more to learn and have molded in us) if Christ does not return on this Pentecost. Today, I am not concerned, but I am bolder, more confident than ever, and filled with the strongest faith yet concerning God’s perfect creation that He is working in His Church. We live by “what is” and we do not panic and we do not fear the “what if’s.” We know we are on the road to Pentecost and that Christ will return on Pentecost   “a” Pentecost   whatever Pentecost God so determines. My hope is that it is still this Pentecost of 2013, but I also know we could be given more from God   much more   that we do not yet have.

Yes brethren, Jesus Christ might not return on the 19th but don't worry, god is going to allow Satan to refine you even more! Fun times are ahead!

What I see today in God’s Church truly moves me and excites me so much so that whether Christ comes now or later, God’s people have awesome times before them. God has not only strengthened His Church with powerful faith, but He has refined it by making the gold more pure by removing the dross   both done in the same refining fire!

Brethren, it is easy for the natural carnal spirit that seeks self justification to find fault with prophecy and those things written in 2008   God’s Final Witness. All prophecy is written in such a way that it lends itself to being picked apart with human reasoning, but it is from God and it is based first upon that which is spiritual and only God can reveal what it means, just as with all truths that God must reveal to the human mind by the power of His spirit. All prophecy will come to pass in exactly the way God purposes to fulfill it, and it will come to pass in His time. We learn from that process as we do in the revelation of all truth. We have lived the 3 1/2 years of witness God gave for His two witnesses to establish in that final witness. Is our job over (of the two witnesses)? Not yet. How long will it go? My hope and present belief is it will continue up to May 19th, as far as living in this physical life, but on that day our work will certainly continue on in greater purpose and power, regardless of being human or spirit.

The world can easily move into WWIII before May 19th, requiring God’s intervention to prevent mankind from self-destruction. I still watch (physically and spiritually) and wait upon God to fulfill His word and His promise of Christ’s coming. For the sake of this world that is held captive and is in bondage to Satan’s ways, I hope and pray Christ returns this Pentecost of 2013. If it is not, we will go forward and God will reveal far more to us about the greater purpose He has as to what we are to live.

No Campfire Stories With Joe, Vic Kubik Usurps Him. Malm Proclaims: "THIS IS THE WORK OF THE FALSE SPIIT OF THE ANTICHRIST!"

UCGers were looking forward to the write-in candidate Joe to become UCG's new President.  They were hoping for some campfire chats and maybe a few brawls in the corral, but alas, Vic Kubik won the vote.  Vic is now UCG's new President.

The United Church of God, an International Association, has been involved in a systematic process of selecting a new president (chief executive officer) since late February of this year.

At the current May session of the Council of Elders meetings, Council members, after prayer and fasting to gain a sense of God’s will, interviewed the final six candidates and collectively deliberated on the matter before choosing a president.

The Council is pleased to announce that Victor Kubik has been selected to fill this position for the next three years. Please remember Mr. and Mrs. Kubik as they step into this new opportunity to serve the church. Mr. Kubik assumes the presidency May 9

Robin Webber—Chairman, Council of Elders

Immediately James Malm starts screeching "THIS IS THE FALSE SPIIT OF THE ANTICHRIST!"

Victor has been actively putting his “good works” forward to influence the elders in his favour, and already was the most influential man among the evangelical set, and the most influential [powerful] man in UCG.

The President has no power to set policy, his job is to enforce policies as set by the CoE under the leadership of the Chairman.  The Chairman is Robin Webber who is an infamous permissive regarding God’s commandments, but is a strong dominating man when it comes to pushing his own ways.

Vic and Robin were both strong advocates and enforcers of the Joe Tkach apostasy, as is almost every man on the new CoE.  The only man who is standing strongly for the past traditions of UCG is Scott Ashley and he seems to be unaware of what is going on because of his loyalty to UCG and these men.  I  know of no one standing for the teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ in UCG leadership; or in the leadership of any other COG Group.

Vic, the zealous Tkach enforcer, has now become Robin Webber’s enforcer; of the very same Tkach agenda now in UCG.

In reality Joe Tkach was only the front man for Kubik, Webber and others, and they are now poised to move in the same direction once these new men take office.

In fact the process is already well advanced.

In WCG they first set the mood for accepting change by pushing brotherly love, over love for the commandments; exalting the love of man over a love of God and obedience to the teachings and commandments of Christ; and twisting the teachings of Christ on love, to justify not rebuking sin.  

Yes still claiming that transgression of the law is sin; but excusing such transgression with the “Jesus is love and will overlook unrepented sin of a baptized person, so we should be tolerant out of a [false] love”.

They began to teach a false Christ who winks at sin to justify their tolerance of differences in doctrine, for the sake of organizational unity and a false kind of brotherly love.  
Once doctrinal differences become acceptable.

The next step is to establish a false holy spirit and portray UCG as a dynamic, now spirit filled, organization which is being led into spiritual growth and enlightenment; changes are not really changes byt spiritual growth inspired by God’s Spirit they claim, as they lead the brethren away for the Real Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit.

Here is the key:  God’s spirit is given to those who OBEY the teachings and commandments of Christ;  Jesus Christ and the Father, and their Spirit are ONE in true UNITY:  THE GOD FAMILY IS NOT DIVIDED!

Therefore their spirit is ONE in complete UNITY with the teachings and commandments of Christ and the Father!

Any spirit that teaches tolerance for doctrinal division or fails to rebuke sin:  IS THE FALSE SPIIT OF ANTICHRIST!  It is following the path of rebellion against the teachings and co0mmandments of Jesus Christ!

In light of Malm's prissy snit fest I hope Kubik does all the things Malm accuses him of.  UCG might have a chance at real change after all.  Time will tell.

Article: A Shocking Lack of Discernment: Promoting the Heresies of Herbert W. Armstrong

COG followers were ecstatic a year or so ago when Joe Kovacs from WorldNetDaily wrote a book Shocked by the Bible that sounded just like it was from the pen of Herbert Armstrong.  Many have claimed he is a chruch member.  Kovacs will nto repsond to the accusation.  The mere fact that he is connected to WorldNetDaily is a concern right of the bat regardless of his affiliation with Armstrong.

This article is very much Christian based and will not appeal to some here as it attempts to disprove Armstrongism theologically.

Here is a religious blog that goes after him and Herbert Armstrong:  Worldview Weekend News

While Rood may be blatant,  WND ’s executive news editor Joe Kovacs is more subtle. Kovacs calls himself a “Bible believing Christian” and attends a non-denominational church. His books  Shocked by the Bible  and  The Divine Secret  are sold not only by  WND  but also by many of the splinter groups from The Worldwide Church of God who still follow the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong.

This is not surprising, for many of Kovacs’s theological positions line up with those of the late cultist Armstrong. For example, Kovacs’s theology of the Godhead parallels that of Armstrong’s polytheist view of a family of gods. In  The Divine Secret , Kovacs writes, “Yes, God is indeed a family. Jesus is the Word and He’s one member of the God family, and God the Father is yet another member of that same God family” (Kovacs,  The Divine Secret,  24).

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While Rood may be blatant,  WND ’s executive news editor Joe Kovacs is more subtle. Kovacs calls himself a “Bible believing Christian” and attends a non-denominational church. His books  Shocked by the Bible  and  The Divine Secret  are sold not only by  WND  but also by many of the splinter groups from The Worldwide Church of God who still follow the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong.
This is not surprising, for many of Kovacs’s theological positions line up with those of the late cultist Armstrong. For example, Kovacs’s theology of the Godhead parallels that of Armstrong’s polytheist view of a family of gods. In  The Divine Secret , Kovacs writes, “Yes, God is indeed a family. Jesus is the Word and He’s one member of the God family, and God the Father is yet another member of that same God family” (Kovacs,  The Divine Secret,  24).

Armstrong wrote: “The sole value of human life lies in the human spirit and the potential of being begotten of God, later to be born VERY GOD, a child in the GOD FAMILY” (Herbert W. Armstrong,  Mystery of the Ages , Pasadena, CA: Worldwide Church of God, 1985, 92). Implicit in this statement is the idea that men will become gods. Kovacs may soften this position slightly, but his theology goes in the same direction: “… we will…be born into the spirit world, not composed of flesh and blood anymore, but looking like yourself, composed of spirit just like God the Father and Jesus are composed of spirit, and be members of the actual Family of God…. This is exactly what the Bible says and it calls us the children of God. God is having children. God is reproducing Himself after the God kind” (http://www.wnd.com/2009/12/118220/).

An offshoot of Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God interviewed Kovacs in their publication  The Journal . From his comments, it is clear that he believes we shall become divine, again paralleling the teaching of Armstrong.

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We live in a time of growing biblical illiteracy. Because many are unfamiliar with the genuine, they may be swayed by the arguments of the counterfeit. Again, no one denies the very real peril descending upon this nation. That peril, however, is not alleviated by joining with the enemies of the gospel. In  The Divine Secret , Kovacs doesn’t present the biblical gospel that sets men free. His message is one more system of “works”: “By honoring God and keeping His commandments, we’re learning the way the divine family lives. We’re practicing day after day, week after week, year after year how to live like God...” (Kovacs,  The Divine Secret , 142).

Much like Armstrong, Kovacs’s “gospel” delivers no certainty. And rather like Armstrong, the verses that speak of believers being a new creation in Christ (2 Cor:5:17) are made to refer to the resurrection. All that’s left are “works” until that time. Romans:8:11 tells us, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Kovacs applies that Scripture to the future resurrection of our human bodies. “Yes, all of us are currently sinful, mortal beings headed for everlasting death if we don’t repent…and we can actually ‘put on immortality’ if we’re faithful to God” (Ibid., 52). There is no assurance if our works don’t measure up. “But, once the jump is made from physical bodies to spiritual ones, being literally ‘born OF GOD,’ born into the actual family of God, the Bible indicates sin will not be possible…” (Ibid., 77). No one can miss the parallel to Armstrong who stated, “Until the resurrection, therefore, we cannot see, enter into or inherit the Kingdom of God. WE CANNOT BE BORN AGAIN UNTIL THE RESURRECTION!” (Armstrong, Pamphlet,  Born Again? ).

For the rest of the article which inlcudes an interview with The Journal and Kovacs click here

Knockers Church of God Warns You About The Doubt Demon

Those crazy folks over at the Knockers Church of God have been working over time on exposing the unwanted demon that is our arch enemy.  This pesky demon is usually the busiest when you are praying.  This demon is doubt.  How dare you question!

Armstrongism has always tried to present itself as the epitome of assurance in all things.  Doubt was considered evil, and still obviously is.  COG leaders never had an ounce of doubt in their  little minds.  Because Herb said it, so let it be done. It was easier to be told what to do and what to believe than to dare to question.

I don't know if this is Mike Venish  or Frank Maschio.  All I do know that it is one of the most annoying voices I have heard in a long time.

Exercising DOUBT is Satan's best hope for a True Christian to shatter Godly Faith! It is as a "demon of doubt' that whispers in the ear of those who are attempting to stand in faith. This demon is a master of injecting doubt and disbelief AFTER and often DURING prayer time.

The "Doubt Demon" is an arch enemy, and Satan's primary tool in destroying faith. Do YOU frequently give in to doubt?

Listen and find out HOW to overcome doubt and grow in Godly Faith for answers to your prayers!

Beware the Demon of Doubt

Would You Have The Guts To Do This? Paul Keane Donates Burial Plot For Boston Bomber

 

 I offer the plot next to my mother (above photo) 

in the Mt. Carmel Burying Ground in Mt. Carmel, Connecticut 

to the Tsarnaev family, gratis.

I am willing to donate a burial plot next to my mother in Mt. Carmel Burying Ground to the Tsarnaev family if they cannot obtain a plot. The only condition is that I do it in memory of my mother who taught Sunday School at the Mt. Carmel Congregational Church for twenty years and taught me to"love thine enemy."

I own the plot.  No one can refuse me access.

Paul D. Keane

Master of Divinity '80

M.A., M.Ed.

(and this time I intentionally invoke my Yale Divinity School degree)

The Mount Carmel Congregational Church (Founded 1757) . My mother taught Sunday School and led the Junior Choir at this church for decades. I taught Sunday School there when I was sixteen.

Paul Keane Reminds Us What It Really Means To “Love Your Enemies” 

E.W. King Says: " As a matter of fact Christians are more critical in their thinking process than other people who are not Christian."

The King is back with more words of wisdom for the REAL Worldwide Church of God, though it can't use that name legally, but  does.  Apparently only REAL Christians (i.e. REAL COG members) have the only intelligence that is legitimate. All other intelligence is illegitimate and of lower standing than what the minds of TRUE Christians can come up with.

E. W. King starts off with this mind numbing truth about TRUE THINKING with this:

It truly amazes me how many so called Christians have no true solid doctrinal foundation when it comes to their beliefs in Jesus Christ. The Worldwide Church of God [COGSR] has always taught Christians proper theology and has grounded Christian students in the Word of God. In this article I will talk about the human mind and discuss what it means to be a Christian Critical Thinker.

Sadly, many who once claimed Christianity as their faith have turned to speculative-science and New Age thought because they felt unsatisfied with their Christian understanding. Jesus told us that we would “never thirst again” if we studied His word. [John 4:13] God’s word is rich with deep understanding. [Daniel 2:22] The problem is with all the false denominationalism. False theology has left people spiritually dry. The teachings of WCG theology agree with sound science.

REAL Christians never thirst for the Word?   I know many devout Christians who are always thirsting for more understanding who also are not afraid to jettison useless beliefs.   They use critical thinking all the time. The problem though in most of the COG's no one seems to be able to use their critical thinking without first getting permission from their leaders.  With the 700 splinters (denominationalism) of Armstrongism it is proof positive of that.  Critical thinker's would have LEFT and not followed so many of the useless buffoons.

King contues with:

Christians approach everything by a proper understanding of God’s word. What is a proper understanding of God’s word? The Bible proclaims that only those who have the Holy Spirit can truly and properly understand God’s word. Christian comprehension of truth relies on intervention from God himself. [Philippians 2:5] In this article I will rely on God’s Holy Spirit to articulate the meaning of Truth in human thinking. [1 Corinthians 1:18] From this perspective I cannot prove to anybody what I am saying is true. I must rely on the Holy Spirit. [Proverbs 3:5-6] This approach is from a factual understanding of static or absolute Truth from God himself. Only those who are called of God and or who have the Holy Spirit shall comprehend. [Romans 8:16]

There you have it folks.  Only those in the REAL Church of God under E.W.King (25 people or less) are the only intelligent life forms on this planet!  The Holy Spirit is not accessible to anyone outside the COGSR/WCG. What an awesome god!

As Christians we are commanded to “prove all things”. [1 Thessalonians 5:21] We do this by testing our thinking against what the Word of God proclaims. [Acts 17:11] I have studied many religions and philosophical ideas but without a foundation to base it all on I am simply “blown here and there by every wind of doctrine”. [Ephesians 4:14] God is not the author of confusion. [1 Corinthians 14:33] The Bible asks us to use our intellectual capabilities but to keep them in ‘check’ with absolute and revealed revelation from God. Christian thinking is therefore a disciplined practice. [James 4:10]  It goes against conventional ideas of thinking. [1 Corinthians 1:25] This does not mean we cannot be critical in our thinking. As a matter of fact Christians are more critical in their thinking process than other people who are not Christian. Christians can look at what is called “the bigger picture”. They can learn to broaden their scope when looking at an issue.

Logical thinking in and of itself is only based on mans five physical faculties. With only these limited tools man can come up with numerous if not infinitesimal amounts of conclusions to even simple questions.

Only those in the TRUE COGSR/WCG have open minds:

Christians are not closed-minded, they are open-minded. Christians are those who have broadened their mere human intellect into receiving pure revelation from God himself! Jesus stated; “Behold, I stand at the door [human intellect] and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” [Revelation 3:21] Closed minded people are those who only rely on their five physical faculties. They rely on the “spirit of man” and not on the “Spirit of God”.

According to King the Christian perspective rules out logic.  I do have to agree with him on this one.  Many in the COG certainty do not have any logically thinking capabilities in their minds at all!  They have checked their brains at the door.

It is not extreme to pursue the issue of Truth. It is not extreme to want to be proper and correct. As Christians we are commanded to be truthful, proper and correct. [2 Corinthians 10:5] Mans thinking is based on inadequacies of perception. [Proverbs 16:25] The very fact of inadequacies points to a better way, a static way! The simple fact of “error” points to the reality of Truth. What is “truth”? This is what Pontius Pilot asked Jesus Christ at his trial. [John 18:38] Jesus remained silent. Why? The very presence of Jesus Christ was a testimony to the Truth. Christian perspective out rules human logic. This does not mean that human logic is not a good thing when properly used. Logic is used properly when used as a tool of Christian perception.

 Never fear though. Truth may be found in King's group.  They use the WHOLE Bible instead of picking and choosing like all the OTHER COG's do.  Truly laughable!  King and his group do nothing of the sort.  They don't keep all the law of Leviticus and refuse to follow the created creature they call Jesus Christ.

God instructs us not to live with one foot in His church and one foot in the world. People who change their thought patterns around certain people to compromise their faith are what the Bible calls “double minded” people. [James 4:8]

One reason why most people who attend a fallen denominational church do not really read their Bible’s is because when they do read their Bible’s they find that their church is teaching something or doing something completely different from what it says. Those who do read their Bible’s from fallen churches are very selective in what portions they read. Here at COGSR we use the whole Bible!

 King then leads up to what true Christian faith is.  Again, this is something that can only be found in his group.  Take that you pussy-boys in RCG/PCG/LCG!

True Christianity is to seek God's will rather than your own. “He who is called while free is Christ's slave”. [1 Corinthians 7:22] Slaves do their master's will, not their own. Jesus always put the Father's will first in everything He did and said. To live God's way we need the Holy Spirit power. So is it possible to practice Christianity in your own way and whatever church you choose? The answer from Christ would be, “no”. We either worship God's way and do things his way or we worship our way. How do we find out God's way? We read his word, study his word and ask for Holy Spirit help. We thus find the one and only true Church of God.

The Bible proclaims “one faith”, not many. [Ephesians 4:5] Just because true Christians are people of faith does not mean that we are blind. We do have to open our eyes! Please understand, there are not many ‘faiths’ to a true Christian. There is only one. There is only one ‘faith’, one ‘church’, one ‘body’ [church], etc. [Ephesians 4:4-6] And believe it or not, there is only one true God and one true Jesus Christ! Would it be wrong to say that there is only one true “you”? No. It would not. There is only ONE true God and only ONE true understanding of that God. We find it in and through God’s word through and by the power of the one and only Holy Spirit! There are not many denominations to true Christians!

Does that include the 700 some splinter groups of Armstrongism too?  There is more division in the COG than there is in the Christan community.

Why cannot the minds that develop spacecraft, computers and marvels of science, technology and industry solve the problems that demonstrate human helplessness?”
 

Most people know that something is wrong, a sense of sin. People deal with this differently. They have tried to deal with the problem in all the false denominational teachings, they then move on to “self-esteem” programs and right into paganism. But are they satisfied? No. What is the answer? The answer is the Truth as found in the only true Church of God.

The Retired Professor On: "Creation Science and the Theodicy Problem "

In defense of Bob Thiel's takedown of evolutionary theory, anonymous commenter on May 7, 2013 at 11:22 AM wrote, "It is easy to make scientific theories that can seem to prove evolution as near-fact based on our research. OK, take that a step further, and explain the chances of these evolved species working for, and complimenting, each other for each other's existence, as well as being the proper size, material, and with the proper tools. To me, the chances of that happening so perfectly is what needs to be looked at, not the theory of individual evolutionary theory on individual species.That's easy to accept. However, accepting the fact that they all developed perfectly to serve each other is a different avenue."

I recently wrote, just for the hell of it, a piece that satirizes the creationist idea that god built the universe specifically to house human beings. Thus it bears on the problem Thiel discusses and addresses the problem of interdependence this writer calls attention to. 

Creation Science and the Theodicy Problem

Philosophers and theologians who argue about the question of theodicy—“How could a loving god allow evil to exist in the universe?”—often cite malaria as a self-evident example of evil. It sickens millions of people per year and kills hundreds of thousands, many of them innocent children. Atheists put forth this awful toll as evidence there is no god. Believers counter that their God works in mysterious ways and only the limitations of our pitiful human minds prevent us from seeing the full glory of the Divine Plan, in which we must trust that malaria plays an integral role. 

Evidence suggests that the believers are right. However, the limitations of their pitiful human minds have in fact kept them from perceiving the full glory of God’s plan for Plasmodium falciparum, the malaria parasite. Even the most faithful disciples of creation theory fail to grasp the special place it occupies in the design and construction of the universe.

Some background is in order. To many human minds the universe appears fine-tuned for human existence. If certain fundamental physical constants such as gravity and electromagnetism were only slightly different from what they are, chemistry (and thus life) would be impossible. But life obviously does exist—in fact on our planet it thrives. The earth occupies the perfect orbit in the solar system for liquid water to abound, and therefore it can support a rich supply of living things from which we human beings derive food, clothing, and shelter. Believers in special creation maintain that all these benefits showered on our kind could only have been arranged intentionally. The faithful have named this idea the Anthropic Principle: everything in the universe tends toward the promotion of human life.

Close examination of Plasmodium and its relation to humanity, however, calls the Anthropic Principle seriously into question. It is not so much the harm the organism does to human beings that tips the Creator’s hand. It is the details of Plasmodium’s convoluted life cycle. In order to persist in the world, the parasite morphs through several stages of existence that require it to alternate between two hosts: the Anopheles gambiae mosquito and Homo sapiens. Inside the mosquito, Plasmodium gametocytes and microgametocytes join in the manner of ova and sperm and merge to form sporozoites. Next, the mosquito must inject that form of the microbe into a living human body, a warm, moist environment that supplies a hospitable liver and nourishing red blood cells. Inside us the sporozoites migrate to the liver, where they reproduce prolifically by cell division and change into merozoites, which stream out of the liver into the bloodstream. Thousands of them at a time burrow into corresponding thousands of red cells, where each reproduces till the teeming offspring enlarge into trophozoites and cram their host cell to bursting. Members of that stage bud off new merozoites, which spill back out into the vein to burrow into still more red cells. Repeated episodes of such assaults cause the human host to suffer waves of chills and fever, followed by respiratory distress and impaired liver function. Some of the Plasmodium cells transform to gametocytes and microgametocytes, to be drawn into the gut of a feeding Anopheles so they can unite and start the cycle all over again.

Consider how miraculous this arrangement is. Such Byzantine intricacy could never have arisen by chance through the random operation of natural processes. The cycle of interdependence is directed by codes programmed into the three separate genomes of the mosquito, the one-celled parasite, and the human being. Not only does each genome contain the millions of letters of DNA code required to shape its own organism’s bodily growth and behavior, but also all three conspire toward the purpose of sustaining one of them. The mosquito’s genes shape its bowels as a surrogate womb for Plasmodium sexual reproduction. Human genes program our bodies to produce liver cells and red blood cells with just the right shapes and just the right nutrients for Plasmodium cells to grow and divide. In creation science, these genomes fit the definition of specified information. Such a vast quantity of it, intertwined with such irreducible complexity, can lead to no conclusion other than this: the Creator composed the codes and meticulously spelled them out by placing each DNA letter at the exact point in the sequence where it contributes to the end result.

That is the how. As for why the Creator intertwined the lives of these three species in just the way He did, consider these facts. Anopheles can live perfectly well without Plasmodium, but the reverse is not so. The parasite cannot persist without the mosquito as its brood site and vector. Likewise, Plasmodium requires its secondary host, Homo sapiens, for the asexual reproduction stage of its life cycle, yet the human does not require the parasite at all. Clearly the creator charged both hosts, the arthropod and the vertebrate, with the mission to sacrifice their comfort and safety to the protist.

The conclusion is clear: the Anthropic Principle is wrong. The laws of the universe were not fine-tuned to suit human beings, except insofar as our existence contributes to a greater good. The earth’s ecology was not delicately balanced to make a home for you and me. No, the universe with its untold numbers of galaxies, including our own Milky Way containing the solar system hosting our wet rocky planet orbiting smack in the habitable zone around its central star, was all carefully arranged to form a comfortable and scenic habitat for the creator’s most beloved creature, Plasmodium falciparum. He dedicated the richly nutritious host Homo sapiens and the airborne vector Anopheles gambiae to the propagation and spread of that ultimate jewel of His creation. That is to say, in all He did the Creator was guided by the Plasmodic Principle.

The Plasmodic Principle completely overturns all previous speculation about the relation of malaria to the theodicy problem. Malaria cannot be evil, since the organism that causes it is the focus of creation. The mosquito that transmits it cannot be evil, since its existence is necessary for the parasite to reproduce and spread. At first human beings were not evil either. For nearly six thousand years after the week of creation our existence was as benign as that of mosquitoes. Near the middle of what we count as the 19^th century, however, we started dosing malaria sufferers with quinine to sicken and kill the parasite, and in the 20^th we sprayed massive quantities of DDT to try to wipe out the mosquito. Hostilities continue to this day, with updated strategies and materiel. In our depravity we keep devising new means to thwart the will of the Creator by attacking His most cherished creature and the vector required to perpetuate it. We have fallen as low as Judas. We introduced suffering and death into the life of the very being we were placed on earth to support. So the theodicy question now becomes, “Why does an omnipotent and beneficent Creator allow humankind to exist?”