If you have ever thought that Armstrongism was full of assploading hypocrisy, UCG now makes that all come true. The United Church of God is holding a "seminar" at the Wisconsin Dells Feast of Tabernacles site on "How to Recover From the Ravages of Abuse"
Did you notice with "abuse" was missing above? Where is spiritual abuse? If Carfourek got his Master's degree in psychology then he knows for a FACT how abusive the UCG and COG environment is. He also knows how alcoholism and other addictions are rampant in the UCG. Will he talk about that?Special Seminar: Wednesday, October 15th at 3pm - "How to Recover From the Ravages of Abuse"
Abuse comes in different forms, including verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. Satan the Devil is the originator of abuse, and its pain, suffering and devastation are his handiwork. Abuse is very prevalent in our society today as a social disease, since it affects not only the one abused, but also his surrounding social environment such as family, marriage and work. The road to healing from abuse is long, hard and challenging. This seminar will give information on how to recover from abuse. We will also have an interactive discussion about how you and I can help other people who are progressing through the stages of recovery from the abuse they have experienced. The coming Millennium pictures the return of our Messiah to bring about fantastic healing from all types of abuse! Come to the seminar and join our discussion about the subject of abuse – and about opportunities that you and I may be given to assist Jesus Christ as He brings about huge changes.
The seminar will be conducted by John Cafourek. John was born in South Dakota. He attended Ambassador College in Pasadena, California, from 1965 to 1969, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He received a Master’s Degree in psychological counseling from Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in 1978. Mr. Cafourek has pastored churches in Nebraska, North Dakota, Missouri, Mississippi, Washington, and Oregon. He is currently serving as pastor of the Salem, Eugene, and Roseburg congregations. He has given seminars on abuse and addictions, and traveled as an international speaker in Canada, England, New Zealand, Jamaica, and Australia. Mr. Cafourek has been married to his wife Sandy for 44 years, and they have two daughters and seven grandchildren with one on the way.
This hypocrisy is coming from a church that has a huge track record of abusing its members with threats, intimidation and aberrant theology. This abuse includes the 20 year old UCG and its harlot mother the Worldwide Church of God. The "new and improved" UCG is still the same old pile of steaming shit but with new deodorizer sprayed on it.
Will Cafourek talk about how the Church of God has abused its members through legalism?
Will Carourek talk about how the church has abused members by telling them that they are required to tithe 30%+ of their income?
Will Cafourek talk about who the COG has abused members so badly that hundreds have committed suicide over the decades?
Will Cafourek talk about how the COG has destroyed families, and marriages with sick doctrines and bad theological stances?
Will Carfourek talk about the child molesters, stalkers, rapists and murderers in the Church of God that the church covered up over the decades?
Abuse in Armstrongism, including the UCG, is masked by throwing around the word "trial" or "God is testing you." That is how the UCG and the rest of the COG's control their members. Why would a member go and report abuse when they have been told that God is "testing" them to see what they do?"
Wives have been beaten to blood pulps by UCG and COG husbands and told to stay in their abusive marriages because it was all a"test": to see how they submit. Besides, their reward is coming in the Kingdom so persevere to be held worthy.
Pedophiles have been protected in the UCG and COG because they were ministers kids or adults that were "well liked" in the church and it would be embarrassing to see that brought to light.
What about the rampant alcoholism in the UCG that leads to all kids of abuse? Why does the church cover this up? Some of its current leaders are raging alcoholics! This was well known when they were still in Pasadena, yet they are given positions of power in UCG.
Sadly many will attend this "seminar" and start gushing on what an "amazing" thing it was and how God is enlightening the church.
I say BULLSHIT!
11 comments:
They'd be much better off leaving this one alone. There would be much more effective spokesmen on this topic than the products of an institution that literally taught abuse as being "God's" way. I don't mean that as a slight against John, as he seemed like a nice enough person at AC. Basically, if an ACOG wanted to reverse their past history and now deal with such problems, they should really bring in some outside, neutral expert with credentials in this field.
BB
The UCG palms itself off as not being a cult. True it is not as extreme as PCG, LCG ect. but it certainly is an abusive cult. The question is do you want your poison full strength like PCG, or LCG or do you want your poison diluted like UCG?
The update for that Wisconsin Dells Feast seminar on abuse stated: "...The coming Millennium pictures the return of our Messiah to bring about fantastic healing from all types of abuse! Come to the seminar and join our discussion about the subject of abuse – and about opportunities that you and I may be given to assist Jesus Christ as He brings about huge changes..."
Haven't the leaders in the United Ass. learned anything new about that coming millennium since they rebelled and broke away from the WCG?
For example, is Jesus Christ going to be in several places at the same time: both on earth and in Heaven?
Approximately 18 places in the Old Testament predicted that one Lord (eventually Jesus Christ) would be at the right hand of another Lord (God the Father) until all enemies were subdued. And what is that last enemy? Death!
After Satan is loosed from the pit (after the millennium) the world is again deceived and lots of human death will still be occurring on earth.
Where was Jesus Christ? Was Jesus Christ on earth during the millennium and failed at the end when Satan was loosed out of that pit? Did God's kingdom somehow fail? Did Jesus Christ lie? Was He at the Father's right hand or not?
I see some verses where something is being prepared for Jesus' disciples, but they are going to have to be somewhere other than earth:
John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Mansions means "staying residences," and Jesus said He was going (not remaining on earth) elsewhere (hint: to Father's right hand). So, whatever was to be prepared must be other than on earth. Numerous verses state that Jesus is to be at that right hand until all enemies are subdued.
Now, Jesus Christ will one day return to earth as a high priest was told by Jesus Himself:
Matthew 26:63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
That high priest was amongst lying witnesses striving to trap Jesus Christ. It won't be until the second resurrection that this high priest will ever see Jesus again.
It is no wonder that AFTER the millennium that the "last days" come when Satan is loosed from the bottomless pit (Jesus wasn't on earth) and the people, scoffers, correctly ask the following:
2 Peter 3:4 "...Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."
And that was the "last days:" nothing like the days we live in today. Many people generation after generation think they lived in a "last days" of sorts, but verse 3, especially when read in context, is for AFTER the millennium:
:3 "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,"
United's understanding of God's true Plan of Salvation (gospel?), and “last days,” is flawed and so is their timing of events to come.
Those attending that Wisconsin Dells seminar can expect to receive more abuse, especially in the area of prophecy if they think Jesus Christ is coming to earth for the millennium to solve all abuses and provide healing. It'll be tantamount to eating "junk food" and drinking some "milk," but as one former presidential "hopeful" asked: "Where is the 'beef'"
John
If they are going to frame "abuse" as that which happens elsewhere, so the abused should find refuge in the 'loving arms' of the UCG, then I'll have to puke.
If they refuse to give seminars more beneficial to the members' best interests, like, "HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS FOR EXTRICATING YOURSELF FROM OUR CRAP", they should offer "the next best things" line of seminars, like-
* "Proper Use and Care of Canes and Walkers"
* "How to Prevent Adult Diaper Leakage During Waterhouse-Length Sermons"
* "Hearing Aid Hubub" (Also available in pamphlet form for those who could not hear the seminar speaker.)
* "Glasses- Do you really have to Look so Closely at Us"
Sadly and of course, each seminar would end with a video of Jelly and his hillbilly friends on how to construct these items cheaply so you'll have more money to send into HQ.
(Such as, making a cane out of a tree branch, constructing a walker from your neighbor's hot rod's abandoned roll-bar and old lawnmower wheels, cutting the sticky parts from prepaid envelopes for preventing diaper leakage, making hearing aids from bendy-straws and paper funnels that your local gas station's mini-mart has for free, and pinching free eyeglasses from the local Rotary Club's dropoff bucket.)
John Cafourek was our minister in Tacoma. If he had stayed, I may still have continued attending United.
I talked to him during the Feast in Redmond, Oregon in 2003. He told me about Philip, the minister who had 16 teen girls in the church and 8 of their mothers. He said to me that he was the first one to report him to Pasadena and their (only) reaction was, "But he gives such great sermons". It is my belief that this set the stage for the ongoing coverups that carried over into the UCG.
Yes, he is qualified as a real counsellor, what with an MBA in counselling. Yes, he is nice. No, he is not abusive.
Yet, given his position in United, he has no power to stop the UCG from stalking, fondling, ministerial revenge on innocent members and the whole host of other abuses that United engages in. Maybe it's better now that Luker is dead and gone and some of the worst of the ministry went over to the CoGWA, but see now, the problem is that they still preach kook crap: British Israelism, alternative world church history (inherited from E.G. White), the error of Olde Testament Christianity replete with the physical rituals designed for ancient Israelites who engaged in animal sacrifice. Let's not forget what happened with the ABC students -- pay your money and lose your investment (not that it's much of an investment, mind you).
Has anyone even noticed that the 'Special' seminar is given on the Last Day of the Feast of Tabernacles (not the Last Great Day -- the day before it)? What a wonderful way to end the Feast -- learn how to overcome abuse in the last days of the millennium.
You know, if people accepted Jesus, where would be the problem?
Note: Need to hurry because it's just before an annual 'Sabbath' (actually it's not, since they don't exist) -- need to get to the restaurant for your pre Last Great Day dinner out. For those of you who do not eat out on the Sabbath -- and you know who you are -- you should note that the Sabbath comes early up there at the Wisconsin Dells.
You outsiders not a part of the UCG? Hope you enjoy the trip out from town. It's aways. Hope there's parking.
Wait!
What?!
Could this be just for UCG members? After all, they're the ones being abused.
Even if there weren't any sexual abuse going on, or other such crimes, the state criminal code is not the measuring stick to figure out if something constitutes abuse.
The fact that there are people in UCG, a church, no less, which purports to have some sort of moral/ethical/wisdom expertise, and yet its leaders and middle-management can't even seem to figure out that activity prohibited by the criminal code is not just abusive, but is immoral, unethical, and flat-out wrong, should be enough to give every member of UCG (and the Catholic church too) a reason to pause. What expertise? These guys are clueless incompetents even in the area in which they're telling us they specialists? Oh, but they give great sermons...
However, even if there were no crimes being committed in UCG, they are still a morally bankrupt organization that seeks to manipulate and control as many other people as they can into accepting a nonexistant product in exchange for cold, hard cash. In other words, they're con artists out to scam everyone they can. What's abusive about that?
Literally, the best pre-emptive strike abusive people can make against charges of abuse is to set themselves up as pseudoauthorities and facilitators of healing from abuse. It's fukkin brilliant. And evil.
I liked this part... The "new and improved" UCG is still the same old pile of steaming shit but with new deodorizer sprayed on it.
I agree with 3:32 PM Anon, including the comparison of how both the Catholic hierarchy and UCG hierarchy have dealt with abuse situations within their churches.
I recognize it as being being a large problem, and well beyond those boundaries.
As an example, many preachers who air on Trinity Broadcasting Network(TBN) act terribly toward their abuse victims while pretending to be the ones to offer help.
And also, of course are the scumbags who are at the helm of TBN, who predictably have acted in a horrible way toward the victims of their abuse while claiming the opposite is true.
I can recall the wcg doing the same thing at the feast in 97. There were classes on abuse and I did attend one of them. It was a fucking waste of time. I can remember thinking that this was like going to a wife beating convention in order to learn to forgive the one beating me.
Needless to say that the situation was such that I never attended another feast again. I'd rather attend a nice concert and spend a week with friends at a resort without the church people who could give a shit about me or my family.
As most of us know, the feast was a shitty experience when you are being bleed to death over the course of a year. Then they want the scraps from you table they call "excess tithe". I never gave them shit. It was money for my family and not the parasites riding my ass.
Do the abusers never know that they are the abusers? No, they don't. The abusing husband thinks it's the wife's fault that he has to line her a** out. Same with these cults, they are forced to be hard on the members because they don't obey them properly. It's not their fault that they HAVE to do this, it's the member's fault.
I think you've hit the nail on the head there, Corky, rhetorically asking "Do the abusers never know that they are the abusers?"
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