Received this last night:
As Meredith becomes more and more flaccid because of the weakened state of his mind, the sharp minded Doug Winnail is more easily able to manipulate him into condoning his agenda to advance Living University. It has always been a dream of the COGs to re-create Ambassador College although most question why.
Many LCG members and a large number of ministers do not support this expansion. Before his death, Dibar Apartian openly and strongly spoke out against spending so much time and money for LU. It has been an area of contention discussed for years and it is a contributing factor to the growing feeling of discontent within LCG.
Last year the church reported that $800,000 tithe-payer dollars (1/20th of the income) went to support Living University. What insiders know is that there are MANY hidden costs that are sheltered elsewhere so as not to alarm members and ministers alike. It's a clam shell game. Shave a little here, hide it over there, etc. Most members have little business experience and are not aware of these commonly practiced tricks of the trade. LCG has mastered the practice of manipulating numbers to tell the story they want instead of reflecting reality. It's Worldwide all over again.
The vast majority of tithe payers would rather put all that cash into "preaching the gospel" as commissioned by Christ. Up and coming ministers could continue to be trained by more experienced ministers in the currently established, practically free, ministerial training program. But alas, that would make too much sense and wouldn't really feed any egos.
It is not widely known that LCG is currently planning to pour potentially millions of dollars of hard-earned tithe money into the purchase of housing/ dorms for Living University students AND for the purchase of yet another office building (they already have one for the headquarters staff and one for the media department) to house university staff and classrooms. They are actively working on finding suitable properties right now.
Once the members come into this knowledge, it will likely form an even deeper crack in the LCG foundation further dividing the members from the executors.
It has been speculated that Winnail, who is now the Director of Church Administration and a member of the Council of Elders, sees himself as taking over LCG once Meredith dies. In this scenario, Doug would appoint his minister son, Scott, to become the University's dean as soon as Germano retires (or sooner). He is already being groomed for that office.
Although Meredith has already named Richard Ames as his successor, he is old and has major health issues of his own so it is unlikely that he will ever really be top dog. Members whisper that the most likely split after RCM's imminent death will be Winnail vs. Jim Meredith. A few will also throw in the possibility of the ultra-conservative Gerald Weston who is currently the head of LCG in Canada. One thing is for sure, it will be like an episode of Clash of the Titans.
Which will bankrupt LCG first? Living University or Jim Meredith? Only time will tell....
29 comments:
I just want to thank you for posting this information about the Living Church of God. The church has been operating like this for a long time and it is finally coming to the surface. The abuse is appalling. Family members who work in Charlotte say the information being leaked here is really stirring things up.
Kudos to the LCG members brave enough to start sharing this information.
The basic problem with Ambassador College was always that the courses in no way comprised an in depth university quality education. Despite all of the hype, AC was similar to four more years of high school, and at that, really more of an indoctrination or exercise in higher apologetics, due to the severe restrictions of intellectual freedom
There are certainly Christian colleges and universities which offer a vastly superior education. Not that it is perfect by any means, but Liberty University has made considerable impact on the legal profession, on journalism, and even in the political arena.
Living University lacks the required array of advanced degrees to be taken seriously in academia. Probably Jehovah's Witnesses get a higher level of education at Kingdom Hall than Living has to offer. Even doubling the understated $800,000 figure wouldn't properly fund a serious university. But, that is Armstrongism for you!
BB
Living needs to start a school that members can actually come out with marketable skills for the modern economy.
May I suggest the "Living Truck Masters School of Trucking".
School of Motorcycle Repairmen for Christ?
How about a school for genetics research?
LCG just might learn a thing or two in the process.
Just a thought...
I wonder if the teach Meredith's interrogation techniques at LU?
Bankrupt? What poor management.
L. Ron Hubbard has said - in print - "I'd like to start a religion. That's where the real money is."
Speaking of genetics research, here's one for you: Dr. Michael P. Germano debunked British Israelism through DNA evidence back, say, around 2008.
Now he's over Living University where British Israelism is an integral part of the landscape.
Traitor?
Well, after the revolution, traitors often end up heroes.
And by the way, in case you missed it, Dixon Cartwright has declared he does not believe in British Israelism.
[Dr. Germano, the next Dr. Hoeh?]
I know I'll take some flak for this but i'll say it anyway.
At one time, even GTA wanted AC to teach 'marketable skills' like carpentry, plumbing, and even an electrician's course so that ministers would be more self-supporting of themselves.
No. It's the Meredith & Johnson research center for human sexuality. Instead of false prophecy, they will study fallacio (you guessed it, false b............)
~Miguel de la Rodente
I wonder how much of the curriculum of LU is devoted to sex ed. More or less than 50%? Probably more.
I'm sure it's among the highest educational priorities that all LU students are properly informed about every conceivable form of deviant sex act, i.e. Tijuana donkey sex, so they can be sure to avoid ever performing them. You know, by accident or something. Or you might not realize that donkey sex is wrong, and quite innocently start having donkey sex, just because nobody had ever told you that it was wrong.
Sooner or later, this kind of thing is bound happen to anyone who doesn't have a proper well-rounded education.
Black Ops Mikey said...
School of Motorcycle Repairmen for Christ?
____________
Ut oh, you may have given our friend Bob an idea! :-)
At least they would be fruitful and prosper!
Heh. When I was an Armstrongite, motorcycles were considered to be Satan's transportation, and if you rode them, you were assumed to be unconverted.
It would be interesting to see which brand LCG would consider to be the "one true motorcycle". Probably some highly muffled, plain white cop bike with saddle bags in which to transport your Bibles and kosher lunch.
BB
Living University:
"All the world, though deceived, is our campus."
please coment on the religioyus feedome law
true! or false!
Freedom of exposure is not allowed on this forum.
LCG's ministers need to stop fantasizing about Ambassador College. Ambassador College was a disaster. The world does not need another one.
LCG's leaders need to listen to what the members are saying and try to address instead of just trying to shut down the debate.
i am curious to know how many ambassador college grads are today gainfully employed or retired from having been...
lnrd, could you please clarify what religious freedom law you mean?
The religious liberty clause in the First Amendment? The recent Indiana law (and others) granting bigots the right to deny services to people whose private behavior offends them? The law that exempts religious organizations from paying taxes?
Also, please suggest how the law relates to Living Church of God, the topic of this thread.
Redfox noted
゛Ambassador College was a disaster. The world does not need another one.゛
As an AC grad I wholeheartedly agree.
The whole Ambassador experience was a colossal waste of time in terms of learning anything of value. Whatever good may have come out of it was entirely incidental and fortuitous if you were lucky enough to make lasting friendships or contacts.
Some of us were that lucky, many were not.
Still fewer, I guess, by being exposed directly to the HQ nonsense, were able that much sooner to see through it all and just simply leave the ehole mess.
r
Anonymous asked, I wonder how many AC graduates have been gainfully employed or have retired. I'm one. Graduated AC Pasadena in 73, left the church a year later, spent 32 years in the military (active duty and reserves) 23 years with a major chemical company, now semi-retired, teaching Psych at a university part-time and travel to Tanzania each year to teach theology to Methodists. I'm a lucky one. But, I transferred to AC after 3 yrs of college elsewhere, when I joined the Air Force after the WCG, I had to earn a second degree (accredited) before I could go on and earn a masters and doctorate. WCG was a four year detour in my life, but I found my future wife there. I tell her that meeting her was wroth spending time in a cult.
I wonder how much of the curriculum of LU is devoted to sex ed. More or less than 50%? Probably more.
One of LU's first few four-year graduates got pregnant before her marriage, and had to leave Charlotte with her husband after the marriage took place.
Does this mean LU devotes too much of its curriculum to sex ed, or that it doesn't devote enough?
lnrd, why don't you start by exposing your vowels? Is that supposed to be some kind of Ancient Hebrew chic, getting rid of vowels and punctuation?
~Miguel de la Rodente
So this Living University has 21 faculty members, that would be a $3 million payroll, obviously shifted to - and sapping - the church budget as the $800k must be for other expenses.
What a money bonfire this Meredith Cult is
With all these leaks coming out from LCG one should ask, why now? This crap has been going on for years. I left nearly ten years ago and everything people are complaining about was happening then. This has to be orchestrated from someone preparing, or feeling out the possibility of a split. Or trying to see where certain people align themselves.
"Does this mean LU devotes too much of its curriculum to sex ed, or that it doesn't devote enough?"
Hard to say. Depends. Maybe she had poor study habits?
"All the world, though deceived, is our campus."
Brilliant. The irony and internal contradiction of it all. See, this is as much sense as Armstrongism can make. None at all.
Minimalist said... March 31, 2015 at 7:11 AM
"So this Living University has 21 faculty members, that would be a $3 million payroll..."
You probably do not know well the salaries in LCG. Although some top executives have very high salaries, most of the employees have quite low salaries (less than $40,000/year and even less).
$1,5 million would be more accurate (but still a lot for this LU!)
I find it extremely to believe that you people have the audacity to call yourselves, God fearing, children of God or even Christian. My mother taught us that if you can't say something nice about someone or something, don't say anything at all. I am so very sorry for all of you. I wonder how Jesus feels about all of your "cute" comments. I feel sorry for all of you.
pat.johnmacdonald@Gmail.com. I am not anonymous.
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