Armstrong Family Members Share Life Under Herbert Armstrong's Reign

By Larry Gott

In 1967 my grandmother Loma D. Armstrong died from  simple intestinal blockage from taking Saritan laxative without enough water. She could have been made well the very next day by the simplest of medical procedures.  My grandfather refused medical help and simply anointed her with oil and prayed over her (probably to die), but would let no doctor near her. Finally the last time I saw her, laying in her death bed to say goodbye with my Mom the day before she died. Her belly so swollen she looked as if she were nine months pregnant. The next day her internal organs ruptured spreading peritonitis through her system and she of course died~~~  However,  when my uncle Dick (Richard Armstrong) was in a car crash, my grandfather told the hospital to fly in the best doctors in the country and to please do all they could to keep his son alive!!! He also almost killed my eldest brother Larry when he was only three. Larry came down with Rheumatic fever. Again my grandfather simply anointed him with oil and said a lame prayer and put him a fast for three weeks which damn near killed him, and did permanently stunt his growth .. Finally my Mother had the good sense to disobey her fathers orders and fed him saving his life... So many of these stories I remember as a kid.

When my Mother had the strength to tell him she would not pull all of us kids out of public school when he started Imperial to be indoctrinated by him and his ideas, he disfellowshiped her (You all know what that means) and told her that "He and God would take one of her children away from her in death"... You can imagine what effect that had on her. Still believing he had the power he professed, it nearly drove her mad. Every time we got sick she would be terror stricken. Or  if she heard a siren in town and one of us was not home, she would get in the car and go find us thinking it had to be an ambulance taking one of us to the hospital or morgue. HWA was an evil megalomaniac plain and simple!!!  I feel sorry for anyone who still believes his bullshit that he was "The Prophet" he proclaimed to be!!!!                                           
P.S. The story about him raping my aunt Dottie (Dorothy Mattson) for years is absolutely true!!!! The only part of that article that was wrong was that it was the mid 1960's not 50's when Vern found out and quit his job as business manager, and only after my aunt convinced him not to kill the s.o.b.!!!

By Tedd Armstrong

I will second that!! I'm the youngest brother of Larry Gott, (I use my Mom's maiden name professionally) and I have had so many requests to come here and set the record straight that I'm finally here to do so.  I was about twelve years old, and It was in our dinning room in the home where I grew up in Pasadena where my aunt Dottie (Dorothy Mattson) told my uncle Vern about her being molested and raped by her father. It was all she could do to stop Vern from rushing over to my grandfathers house and killing him! Instead he quit his job  the next day as business manager for the church. It was mid 60's not 50's when he quit, as was reported... But it did happen! My grandfather was a sick SOB megalomaniac and was a cruel and vicious excuse for a human being!  Trust me, if there is a Heaven and Hell, he is not in Heaven!!!! I should write a book~~~

My Mother started to write her biography in the 1980's, but bringing back all the painful memories of her childhood all the way up to her being thrown out of the church was too painful and she never finished it. If you know half of the twisted things about my grandfather you would all shit yourselves! I just wish you could all find some kind of closure and move on and forget he ruined so many lives! His DNA does NOT rear it's ugly head in any of us!

Fortunately for me and my siblings, my Mother had the good sense to NOT pull us out of public school and put us into Imperial when my grandfather first stated  grades 1 through 12 and "Demanded" she put us into Imperial... She told him flat out that she would NOT let him indoctrinate her kids and that IF we wanted to join the church as adults, that was up to us. Of course none of us ever did!!! And that was the second and final time he "Disfellowshipped her. The first time was when she refused to obey the no makeup rule. He got up in front of the entire church and called my Mother a "Harlot" for refusing to obey his new order not to wear makeup. That "Doctrine" btw, was my grandmothers idea. She didn't like my grandfather being around young coeds, so she was determined to make them as plain and dowdy as possible!

My grandfather only believed in money and power and did not care who he destroyed getting it! At least my uncle Ted (G.T.A.) believed what he preached, although did not always practice it, unfortunately for my sweet aunt Shirley RIP, who just recently passed away. Anyway, I wish you all peace and sincerely hope you all can find some closure and put the "Teachings" of H.W.A. behind you! You will all be better off!!!

Larry Gott's story is here:  Larry - Worldwide Church of God

Larry shares what it was like growing up as the grandson of the cult founder, including what his grandfather compelled his parents to do when he became ill at the age of 3 — force him to go without food for 12 days.

He discusses what lead to his parents being disfellowshipped from the church by his grandfather and how that impacted his family. He shares about his mom’s return to the employ of the church as Herbert’s social secretary though she did not return to the church or attend services; Larry’s enrollment in the church’s college, Ambassador, when he was 29 even though not a member of the church (something that was almost unheard of in the church); his world travels with his grandfather on the church’s private jet; and the evolution of his views about religion.

Finally, Larry discusses his view and the family’s views about the allegations that his grandfather, Herbert, committed incest with his youngest daughter, Dorothy (Larry’s aunt) and his general views about the personality and character of his grandfather and whether he was qualified — according to his own Biblical teachings — to be considered “God’s apostle on earth” or even a minister of Jesus Christ.

Larry has had his own YouTube channel for a number of years where he discusses his views on religion and other topics. Deborah Armstrong, Herbert’s niece and the daughter of Dwight Armstrong, who was also raised in the church, is interviewed on Podcast 5.