Armstrongism has always had a strong dislike for the Mason's, Shriner's and other fraternal organizations. Jack Elliot wrote a lot about the evils of the Masonic Lodge decades ago. Yet, in spite of all that rancor, the COG met in hundreds of Masonic Lodges, Elk's Lodges, Odd Fellows halls, and other fraternal organizations. Paganism be damned, if the church could use the hall then it would.
I have fond memories of sitting in an Odd Fellow's hall during DUB high days looking at the "all seeing eye" staring down at me. Standing directly underneath that eye was a WCG minister railing on about some silly topic that was never as fascinating as all the symbolism in the room.
Recently a new "convert" to the Philadelphia Church of God attend his first meeting which was held in a Masonic Lodge. This new convert had the audacity to point out to someone that they were surrounded by all kinds of pagan symbolism. That did not sit well with the big wigs of Flurrydom. They told the man he had a "disobedient heart" and suspended him from church till he corrected his attitude and read a LOT of Flurry's writings, repented and accepted meeting in Masonic Lodges.
Here is what he wrote:
May 1, 2014
I arrived for my first PCG service at a Mason hall after tithing for over a year and was surprised to find Chaldean and satanic symbolism all over the place. I spoke up and was told I had a "disobedient heart" and was banned from further services until I read a lot of material and repented and accepted the Mason hall. I was told I was not welcome back--but my tithes were. From Exit and Support
15 comments:
Just so long as there isn't a crucifix on the steeple, otherwise Sabbath services could be held at a Catholic Church, since it isn't much used on Saturday in most cases.
Of course, Herbert Armstrong committed incest with his daughter for 10 years as he started his ministry -- at a time he prophesied that the United States and Britain would lose World War II to the Germans (during the War), preached the rubbish of British Israelism and taught the false history of the non Christian church developed by Ellen G. White. His successors have kept up the sham rubbish.
There is not one thing a godly repentant person can gain from the Armstrongist churches of God other than learning to live on 80% of their income and managing to keep their lives going in extreme chaos associating with people with distorted perception, many of whom are alcoholics and few of whom a person shares any real common interests.
No one should complain about being cut off by the PCg: It's a blessing -- go and sin no more by trying to attend PCg services.
The old logo of the WCG was a child sitting between a lion and a lamb. In astrology the lion is Leo and the lamb is Aries, both astrological symbols which the WCG considered pagan. I remember seeing this on the podium during Sabbath services.
Heh, ya know, years later I had same thought. Some of those lodges were rather exquisitely decorated with all sorts of no-no's, but somehow not being around crosses and stuff was more important, I guess.
Black Ops Mikey said...
No one should complain about being cut off by the PCg: It's a blessing -- go and sin no more by trying to attend PCg services.
LMAO
I wonder if the person writing was attending the Orting, Washington congregation. This is where I attended PCG services in 2005/6, shortly after being "accepted" to attended services. We met at a Masonic Lodge and the big "G" was directly above the minister's head. I remember thinking this was a little strange considering all that is taught about paganism in the GOG'S.
I was thinking,... but I really wasn't THINKING back then. I really needed to get thrown out and MAD AS HELL before I WOKE UP... FROM A BAD NIGHTMARE!!
"I arrived for my first PCG service at a Mason hall after tithing for over a year and was surprised to find Chaldean and satanic symbolism all over the place. I spoke up and was told I had a 'disobedient heart' and was banned from further services until I read a lot of material and repented and accepted the Mason hall. I was told I was not welcome back--but my tithes were."
Gerald "That False Prophet" Flurry and his totally fake PCG "ministers" are the real disobedient ones with evil, lying spirits. Their victims need to stop enabling the satanic abuse by sending in money. Supporting vicious and malicious false prophets like Gerald Flurry is a serious sin with serious practical consequences right now in this life.
Anonymous Ed said...
The old logo of the WCG was a child sitting between a lion and a lamb. In astrology the lion is Leo and the lamb is Aries, both astrological symbols which the WCG considered pagan. I remember seeing this on the podium during Sabbath services.
May 2, 2014 at 6:25 PM
Funny you should notice as I was raised on Astrology. Herbert W. Armstrong was a Leo, and Gerald Flurry is an Aries...Funny coincidence? Of course I threw away all my "satanic" Ephemeris and other Astrological books when I came into "the Church".
Herbert W. Armstrong was dead set against this. Someone whom has no clue as to the immense knowledge you can gain from someone's birth date/time of birth/birth place is losing out on a great deal of knowledge and insight into that person.
H.W.A.'s Scorpio moon tells a lot, as Scorpio is the sign that rules anything relating to sex. Scorpio is square his sun and Mars, all in fixed signs. Not good.
As far as Gerald Flurry. This is interesting. He is Aries, moon in Leo,(lion and lamb again). What's really interesting about this is that Gerald Flurry's moon (Leo), is conjunct HWA sun,(Leo). This is why GF has such a strong attraction to HWA. Gerald Flurry thought of Herbert W. Armstrong as a father.
Here I am getting back into that "satanic stuff".
Paganism in the building you meet in is one thing. But how about paganism in the bible and the theology you teach from?
According to Richard Carrier, Hellenism is the most pervasive philosophy in the ancient world, which had the power to insinuate itself into the philosophies and religions of other peoples, and did so in Phoenicia, Phrygia, Anatolia, Persia, Egypt, and finally, Judea. In fact, he says that every important aspect of Christianity can be predicted by understanding how previous religions were transmuted by Hellenization and applying it to how Judaism would be transmuted.
Besides Hellenism, the bible shows lots of other pagan influences, from Hermetic philosophy ("As above so below...") to Platonic philosophy (the perfection of the heavenly realm, of which the earthly realm contains imperfect copies), to Gnostic philosophy (the dual natures of man: his higher ethereal spiritual nature and his baser carnal nature).
It also mimics many tropes such as a dying and rising god, the repeated supernatural loosing of chains and opening of doors as portents of future auspiciousness or doom, the popular travelogue novel that featured shipwrecks, miracles, and other adventures on the road, and even direct quotes from pagan texts such as Paul claiming that when god spoke to him on the road to Damascus, that god quoted the words Euripides put in the mouth of Dionysus in Bacchae.
Christianity IS paganism. But your pastor won't tell you that from the pulpit in the Masonic Lodge.
Rod Meredith, formerly head of the WCG ministry, even to this day brags about having been a DeMolay, a junior Mason. Is it any wonder that WCG turned a blind eye toward meeting in Masonic structures?
Also interesting is the degree to which Meredith's sermons, even to this day, are so closely aligned with the Seven Cardinal Virtues of DeMolay. Clearly his Masonic experience has shaped Meredith in some major ways.
"Christianity IS paganism. But your pastor won't tell you that from the pulpit in the Masonic Lodge."
Correct.
The Greatest Story Ever Sold
Some congregations of United meet in schools.
Kindergarten, I think.
They also meet in Senior Centers, which makes sense when you consider the average age of the congregation.
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"The old logo of the WCG was a child sitting between a lion and a lamb. In astrology the lion is Leo and the lamb is Aries, both astrological symbols which the WCG considered pagan."
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"Funny you should notice as I was raised on Astrology. Herbert W. Armstrong was a Leo, and Gerald Flurry is an Aries...Funny coincidence? Of course I threw away all my "satanic" Ephemeris and other Astrological books when I came into 'the Church'."
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This is just another good reason why I never have anything to do with that non-science nonsense called astrology. It provides no useful insight or knowledge whatsoever about anyone or anything, and often gets things exactly backwards. For example, Gerald Flurry is definitely NOT a lamb! Gerald Flurry is clearly a SNAKE!!!
Black Ops...
Yes the average age at UCG is high, but what is that suppose to mean? Is this a bit of ageism that you are asserting?
Are young people superior to older people?
I know the media and advertising all extol youthfulness and vigor as well as sexual prowess as some type of measure of "success" or "self actualization" but surely you understand that this is a faulty measure of life.
Picking on a group because of their age is as offensive as picking on a group because of their race, or ethnicity. Black Ops, you may only be a cat, but I know you are smarter than this. I do believe that you "can teach an old CAT new tricks!"
This is just another good reason why I never have anything to do with that non-science nonsense called astrology. It provides no useful insight or knowledge whatsoever about anyone or anything, and often gets things exactly backwards. For example, Gerald Flurry is definitely NOT a lamb! Gerald Flurry is clearly a SNAKE!!!
May 3, 2014 at 1:04 PM
Maybe it's really because you can't even get straight what I wrote much less understand it!
Are you reading Chinese Zodiac...a SNAKE? He's not falling under that category either. Never said he was a lamb.
Yes the average age at UCG is high, but what is that suppose to mean? Is this a bit of ageism that you are asserting?
Are young people superior to older people?
No Connie, it's not any kind of discrimination based on ageism (I was told by a Network Narcissist III that I "was too old to understand the technology" in a government agency, so I know how this works). I am pointing out that all the ACoGs are suffering from entropy and probably won't last much longer -- they are dying off.
And no, the twenty somethings aren't superior (especially annoying is Generation Whine), it's just that they are progressively disappearing.
And so it is that it is appropriate that UCG members attend church in a Senior Center because, well, darn it all, that's pretty much the demographic.
When I was in the WCG in the 1960's and 70's most of the people were young. It was a point of pride that this was a vital religion that appealed to young people whereas mainstream Christianity only appealed to those waiting to die and hoping to get into heaven. I remember this being said countless times. When I went to AC of course we were all young and these people became the leaders. There were a few older ministers like HWA but even Meredith was young.
I left in the early 70's so have never seen an 'old' WCG group.
Back then we didn't go to doctors, but this wasn't so difficult because the average member wasn't old enough to have serious health problems. Seems to me this is a one or in some case two generation church.
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