A letter on
Exit and Support about the Cal Culpepper/Aaron Eagle, Gerald Flurry Controversy:
September 2, 2014
I guess reading about the De Gennaro's daughter and Aaron Eagle prompted my email. I had originally written you Read: PCG Wanted to Make All My Decisions for Me]
and explained how I had been told I wouldn't be able to take the
Passover because I took money from my second tithe to fix my car. (It
appears I wouldn't have done it in a worthy manner.) Aaron Eagle was the
one who called me after Cal Culpepper and Gerald Flurry had their
confab. I knew by Eagle's tone and hesitation that he had a problem with
those instructions, but he made the call.
I left 5 months later, although I had been having thoughts for
the past 3 years that things were terribly wrong. Personally, I never
saw Eagle as the kind of minister like Culpepper. He was in a league
along with the Barkeis and other older ministers who minded their
business and didn't pry or ask embarrassing questions. You went to them
if you had a problem, or needed advice, and it was your
decision if you took it or not. As long as you didn't break "church
doctrine" you were good. If you were suspended, it was with the
understanding that you could reach out to your minister "at any time"
and talk, and he would also be in touch with you. You were also expected
to be brought back, never to be left out in the cold and alone.
I ask myself how long is this going to go on, before people realize their fear should be on things outside
the church, not in it? Men like Cal Culpepper cannot possibly have
God's spirit. How can Christ be living in a man that does the things he
does and says the things he says? The abuses to these "sheep" are
abominable. Families turning on each other out of fear of retribution
from their leaders, the very ones that are suppose to be protecting
them.
I knew the De Ganneros from the times I would go to Milton, Canada
for services. They were a nice couple who seemed truly dedicated to God.
To lose a child, especially this way is more than a tragedy. I would
also believe they would not be the first in this church to experience
it. The "truth" that comes from the pulpit seems not to be the whole
truth, which is funny, since they consider an omission to be the same as
a lie. Their reasoning would be she had "emotional problems and wasn't
close enough to God." Their mission is simple: pay any price, sacrifice any person, and obey us.
I know brethren that are still in there, I haven't had contact
with them since I left 3 years ago. but because of these recent events, I
will be emailing them these testimonies and letters, whether they
believe or not. I hope they will start to question. --Eileen Graves, New
York
16 comments:
Is the PCG performing the Stanley Milgram experiments again?
Are they going to repeat the Philip Zimbardo Princeton Prison Experiment?
Rhetorical question.
It's ongoing.
On another blog, and in the aftermath of the recent suicide, I found myself in the middle of a controversy with someone appearing to either be part of, or to come to the defense of PCG. You never know who is real, because ignorant trolls will often anonymously fake an upopular viewpoint, just because they know it will get a reaction. The depths in detail to which the poster went convinced me that it was a "sincere" attempt at some sort of whitewashing, or PR spin.
I wondered afterwards whether I had done the right thing, had gone too far, etc. I now believe that my vigorous pressing of this issue was not misplaced. The more we hear, the more we realize that some of the groups in COGdom are going crazy. Unless some one can bring a slightly different perspective to this for them, or add some convincing common sense to the equation, the people in these stricter groups are going to find themselves becoming more deeply enmeshed, and more severely abused.
Somehow, our message needs to come off as something other than religious persecution, or the bitterness and rebellion of former members. Since they are pre-programmed to see even constructive criticism in that light, and to reject it, it almost appears that the type of suffering we are witnessing is going to need to "bottom out" before they will listen.
I believe that there is angst amongst the leaders, because they know that what they have been telling members for years (that HWA was right, but the prophecies have just been delayed) is wearing extremely thin. The 1948 generation (Olivet discourse-birth of Israel) is now retiring, and the actuarial tables are taking effect on the prime demographic of the ACOGS. They are not attracting new members from Generations X, Y, or Z. This being the case, the groups which need to pay for and maintain expensive campuses or physical plants can only flog, and squeeze their current aging members, prevent them from retiring, etc. just to keep up with expenses.
It appears that we are going to witness an escalation of uncivilized inhumanity, and radical unChristian behavior from these "Christian" groups before this is over.
BB
The lack of civility in the XCG's gets stronger day by day. Its a mad scramble to hold onto what precious little they have left. All the grandiose campuses and buildings are for naught as non of them are experiencing growth. Because of that they ave to resort to browbeating members into sending in more and more money. More and more people are rebelling against the COG's every day. One Facebook group now has close to 800 exCOG members on it sharing stories of the crap they put up with or that happened to them in the COG's. Its exciting seeing people free for the first time in their lives. Many times they are scared to death of that freedom. What they do know is hoe damaging the COG was being to their lives.
What's the name of that Facebook group?
Worldwide Church of God I Cant Wait For Sundown
It was still a bogus system, based on false prophecy and poorly researched doctrines even back in the old school days under HWA, but I just can't recall it ever being this bad, unless someone had a bad pastor, like a Dave Pack, or some of the others who were listed on the Painful Truth Hall of Shame page.
My second year at AC, Flurry was brought in from the field, a local elder from Missouri. He really hadn't made much of a splash, as we just knew him as one of the married students. By way of contrast, the previous year, HWA had actually mentioned another such elder by name----Joseph Tkach, Sr. I had known of Flurry, because of my friendship with his younger brother Don at SEP. There was some resentment there, because Gerald acted more like an extra parent than a brother. For the record, Don, unlike his brother, was cool.
BB
Unfortunately, though the Cult of Herbert Armstrong Mafia knows that they are under an absolute death penalty pronounced by God from Scripture, they've found that they can get away with outrageous behavior which is not at all acceptable to society at large and should be prosecuted in some cases.
As long as they think they can get away with the abuse, they will continue because they think they have nothing to lose: It's not like they're going to be burned at the stake.
Just the Lake of Fire and that's so far off in their minds, they have an entitlement acting as if there is no God.
Godless atheist Satanists preaching the gospel.
Do any of you want to explain that?
Never mind.
Stuff it.
Be ready to give an answer when Jesus returns and says he never knew you.
And he doesn't want to get to know you, either.
Scene from the future. Two men are walking along a bucolic trail, one in a long white robe, the other in a business suit. Suddenly, the one in the robe, speaks: "Dave? Oh, I'm sorry, you prefer to be called Mr. Pack. What's this I hear about you threatening people with the Lake of Fire if they didn't turn all of the blessings I gave them over to you? Did you not have any faith?"
People joining PCG should watch the movie "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest" as an orientation training film.
In regards to the Aaron Eagle affair I could not help but notice that PCG has an article about a new teacher in Imperial Academy: Corinne Eagle.
http://www.pcog.org/39965/home-school-teacher-joins-imperial-academy/
Is she related to Aaron Eagle? I have no idea. That's why I'm mentioning it here.
Another movie for them to watch as part of their orientation could be Fahrenheit 451. Best quote, "We must all think alike, Montag."
Redfox712 - I went to Ambassador with Aaron Eagle. Corrine is his wife.
Question authority.
Then prosecute it.
"Philadelphia Church of God Mantra: Pay Any Price, Sacrifice Any Person, and OBEY Us"
"Pay Any price"
No! Losing out on eternal life for following a drunken runt and false prophet is not worth it.
"Sacrifice Any Person"
No! You are not supposed to sacrifice your children to false gods and their drunken runt servants.
"and OBEY Us"
No! We ought to obey God rather than Satan and his Demons and their wicked drunken runts.
Thank you Anonymous. I greatly appreciate your comment.
Too much Aries, Taurus, and even Leo in someone's birth chart will bring out the Hitler every time.
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