There has been a discussion of a closed Facebook group today about a child molester that was apart of the Worldwide Church of God many years ago. This person was a deacon at that time and served in the Auditorium PM services. Rumors were already swirling around at that time about how he had abused boys at Imperial Schools on camping trips to Camp River Glen and other places. Like almost all indiscretions in the church it was covered up. Even though it was covered up, the kids talked about it and still do to this day.
Many years ago I heard first hand accounts from guys he abused. That's why it was interesting to see it pop up again on a Facebook group. This time it was brought about by the discovery of an article that the person wrote for the March/April 2008 Tomorrow's World magazine that the Living Church of God publishes.
This person help form Global Church of God so that Meredith could step into it soon after he lost the defamation lawsuit that Leona McNair brought against him. Meredith stayed in the WCG so that they would pay for and litigate the lawsuit even though he was in total disagreement with the church of God at that time. In 1992 the Worldwide Church of God finally made an out of court settlement with Leona McNair for $750,000.00.
While this lawsuit was winding down, the pedophile was helping form Global Church of God in the background. Once it was formed, Meredith with righteous indignation revealed he was leaving WCG to move into the Global Church of God where his salary continue to be paid.
Whether this person went on to continue to abuse boys in Global and Living I have no idea. Why Meredith kept him in leadership positions when it was well known around Pasadena BEFORE either of Meredith's two splinter groups were formed has always mystified church members.
Meredith started his war on sex while he was still as student in Pasadena. Later he became overtly preoccupied with homosexuality, so much so that he cannot preach a sermon to this very day with out mentioning homosexuality, fornication, adultery, and any other sexual deviance that he can imagine in his mind. As we all know, that mind has a VIVID imagination when it comes to sex!
The church has had numerous pedophiles that have been prosecuted over the decades. Countless adults have told their stories on Facebook and other web sites exposing the church hypocrisy.
A person would think that after all these decades of well know abuse, and witnessing the costly court trials that the Catholic Church and other churches have been drug through, that it would be a wake-up call for the left-over Church of God's. Sadly, many still cover up and/or ignore what is happened and is STILL happening.
Meredith and others have been screaming for decades about the child molesters in the Catholic Church, yet turn a blind eye to the ones in their own midst.
How many more lives need to be destroyed?
The interesting aspect to this is that there really was no presumption of clergy-parishioner confidentiality in the Armstrong churches, as there is in other churches, such as the RCC. Things which were admitted to ministers frequently got blabbed.
ReplyDeleteThis became further complicated by the doctrinal approach to repentence in WCG. Following counselling, and the church's version of confession, in most cases, it was assumed that those who repented in a heartfelt manner would not sin any further. Subsequent problems developed because the ministry failed to understand pathological behavior, addictions, and matters involving sexual orientation. People affected by these factors are almost guaranteed to reoffend, or relapse. In most cases, there was counselling, maybe a temporary suspension, reinstatement, and everyone just hoped for the best.
What, ethically should members of the clergy do? Other professionals such as teachers and healthcare providers are required to report suspected abuse so that the abuse can be terminated, and deviates can be publically identified, isolated, and placed under strict probation for life.
Armstrongism pasted itself back into a corner on this issue. Given the role of the Holy Spirit, for which Armstrongism professed to be the sole outlet, these sorts of behaviors were supposed to no longer exist amongst those who had been baptized. To admit that alcoholism existed in the church would have been to admit that something was wrong with the system, let alone pedophilia amongst the deacons and ministry. There are a whole lot of kids who grew up under the child rearing teachings of the church who knew in their hearts that their parents in no way had the Holy Spirit! The irrational anger and sheer brutality put the kabosh on that idea! Certainly alcoholism or pedophilia, and the ways in which they were handled by the church would have further confirmed the kids' suspicions. Observing such blatant fakery was what caused kids to leave once they reached adulthood.
One thing is certain. There is no justice, no corrective value in treating heinous activities as if they were simply a public relations problem for the church! Of all the courses which could have been chosen, that is the absolute worst.
BB
NO2HWA wrote, “Why Meredith kept him in leadership positions when it was well known around Pasadena BEFORE either of Meredith's two splinter groups were formed has always mystified church members.”
ReplyDeleteMY COMMENT – The answer as to why the idiot Meredith kept him in leadership positions can be found in the previous two paragraphs where it is stated: 1) “This person help form Global Church of God so that Meredith could step into it soon after he lost the defamation lawsuit that Leona McNair brought against him”; and 2) “While this lawsuit was winding down, the pedophile was helping form Global Church of God in the background. Once it was formed, Meredith with righteous indignation revealed he was leaving WCG to move into the Global Church of God where his salary continue to be paid”.
Let’s face it, the idiot Rod Meredith has lived a privileged life living off the tithe slave dumb sheep all his adult life. He couldn’t make it on his own in the real world if his life depended on it. The pecking order in his mind is and has always been - God, Christ, God’s Apostle Herbert W. Armstrong, Garner Ted Armstrong before his excommunication from the Church by his father, and then Roderick C. Meredith. Following the death of HWA, RCM was elevated in his mind to a position right below Christ. RCM values the hirelings that are loyal to him and have helped him along the way especially since Herbert Armstrong did not view RCM’s position in the pecking order in the same way Mr. Meredith viewed it. If he had, then Mr. Armstrong would have made RCM his successor to The Worldwide Church of God.
Like all things in the Armstrong fear religion business, it’s all about the income stream from the dumb tithe slave sheep and who can help keep the income stream going. The Bible and Christ’s example have little to do with who is kept in church leadership positions.
Richard
Not only do the groups worry about the public relation aspect, but in many cases the perv is supplying a service to the church or local minister. They also do everything possible not to lose any revenue. The entire business model is sick.
ReplyDeleteNow just how in the world do you suppose such a thing could happen in a God inspired, Spirit led church?
ReplyDeleteIt's not as if the founder committed pedophilia or was a boozing alcoholic.
Well - only 6 authors in that issue; Meredith, McNair, Ames, and Winnall being 4 of them. Didn't recognize the other 2, but I was never in Pasadena.
ReplyDeleteStart Your Own Cult!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HNl3nIG4SY
Lake of Fire said:
ReplyDelete"The Bible and Christ’s example have little to do with who is kept in church leadership positions.
"
If you followed the bible and "christ's example" you would never have made it in the god-eat-god ministerial-political world that Herbert and Meredith created in the WCG. The bible and "christ's example" for suckers (titheslaves).
I remember several years ago (2009-10) I came upon a ex-COG website that specifically accused two ministers of being sexual abuser. They were even mentioned by name.
ReplyDeleteI did not mention this before but I will say this now. The website in question said the two ministers had moved from a large COG splinter group to LCG.
I think it said they were in Canada but I came upon this website so long ago.
It did not detail what the abuse in question was, or whether these accounts had been brought to the attention of the authorities.
I wish I could recall what this website was and know if it is still online. I suspect it is probably offline now. If I knew I would mention it.
I mention this in the hope that others will recall what this website was. I can not have been the only one to have read it.
I just want you to know that you have the administration here in Charlotte in an uproar. There are some really pissed off people here upset that their shenanigans are being exposed. Keep up the good work! An LCG member.
ReplyDeleteIndeed the person in question is one of Meredith's main henchmen although he was stripped of all his ministerial power about 9 or 10 years ago. He is so loyal to Meredith that I'll bet he would drive full speed in to a brick wall if RCM told him to do it. Meredith has not treated the man in question nor his wife well over the last 15 years despite them always being willing to bend over backwards in service to RCM like slaves. The man got demoted to employee from minister and his wife was fired for no apparent reason.
ReplyDeleteAs with most church headquarters employees, they had no real job skills and would likely end up homeless if it weren't for their jobs at LCG.
I heard about the child molesting in this report years ago. It's fairly common knowledge in LCG but nobody really seams to care. At any rate, he is now old and not healthy. I doubt he's much of a threat. Knowing how church's cover this kind of thing up its unlikely that he will ever face consequences in this world. But God knows about it so I'll put it in His capable hands.
As a side note, there was more recently an LCG elder in Ohio who was charged and convicted of molesting a 6 year old girl. At least he's serving time.
When Meredith dies and NCIS Jim takes over there will be a mass exodus from LCG and it will likely just slip off into oblivion. If I were a minister in COGWA or UCG I'd get ready for a huge influx of new members in the near future.
Well, I don't know about what other's opinions are regarding this pedophile, but since reportedly Charlotte has their knickers in a twist over this blog, IMHO, we need to get this criminal's name up.
ReplyDeleteBut I'll leave that up to the discretion of others since I don't know who it is.
I doubt it's Phil Sena because he currently has a regular column in the Tomorrow's World recruitment magazine so why would that particular issue (March-April 2008) be cited?
ReplyDeleteThat particular issue has an article by the name of the person that had molested the husband of a woman on Facebook. She was doing a search for the guy's name and the article came up.
ReplyDeleteDD. Longtime Meredith supporter, had financial resources from a couple of insurance agencies he built. Facilitated Meredith's moves to Global and Living.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting the LCG HQ's troll that's been commenting on other stories on this blog, saying they aren't true, etc, hasn't tried to refute this one.
ReplyDeleteShame on anyone who does. Sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted minister is not something that should be fluffed off.
And I guess the molester is a little unhappy that RCM chose this week to bring attention to this website.
ReplyDelete"Troll" as you note... and as I am one, can't comment, what we don't know, a term we use in my business is "just cause you say it's so, don't make it so" can't defend against it... can't add to it. The stories - if true, are bad. Not defend-able. The men alluded to, are not those men today by any means, which make it too easy for 'trolls' to dismiss this as just more stories.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately that's the curse of these type blogs, often the stories are unsubstantiated leaving too much room for people to pick and choose the ones they want to hold as truth.
Just cause you say it's so, don't make it so. I'm pretty sure... Pretty sure... that things would turn real quick on both the individuals and the organization if those things occurred 'today', as it rightly should.
... i should clarify, not an HQ troll. Just an active member troll.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that could make a difference and give you some room to keep your story going.
I remember a sermon by Mr. Meredith that the only people on the corporation papers in the beginning for Global were:
ReplyDeleteDr. Meredith
Sheryl Meredith
Don Davis