Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
The COG mindset loves a particular spin which, I remember, was given to the "Come out of the world" type of command, which would include having no idea who the pictured character is, and being proud to say so.
We don't have to buy into pop culture like Star Trek, but there is nothing wrong with being ACQUAINTED with pop culture and how people respond to it. There were Trekkers I knew in the church, but there were other people who felt the "righteous" thing to do was abstain from such things because it portrayed a future that will never happen (because the Kingdom's coming!) and you might be taking time away from praying and studying if you were a regular watcher of ANY TV show.
Or, if a casual reference was made to, say, "a Charlie Brown tree," an uber-familiar thing, a COGer might feign ignorance of the reference because it had to do with that horrible "pagan" holiday.
Jesus prayed that we be protected from the world, not that we isolate ourselves the way they did it -- and do it.
While it is very popular to assume the existence of a ‘Q’ source for Matthew and Luke, it is worth noting that there is zero actual evidence of such a document, and the idea is pure conjecture.
You might perhaps expect that if such a document existed, that formed the basis of two different gospels, that there would have at least been a mention of the document in early writings? It would be considered a major work, and as such would have been respected, and almost certainly at least mentioned.
While having zero evidence for the existence of ‘Q’ doesn’t in itself mean it couldn’t have existed, I think it needs to be realised exactly what it is – an idea thought up in the last couple of hundred years, for which there is no actual evidence whatsoever to authenticate the idea.
There are actually quite a number of great moral lessons and uncredited Godly principles imparted in movies and television programs! In many cases, the consequences of ill-informed or wrong actions are vividly depicted as well. Art mirrors life.
Armstromgism, and many other fundies and cults insist on being members' single source for goodness, morality, and the lessons for life. And, it's all part of their "government" from the top down. Unfortunately it cuts off many of the other "life" channels through which a loving God could speak directly to the heart, changing people from the inside out and from the bottom up. People should ask themselves which is more effective, some theological "one size fits all" dictator dude permitting or forbidding certain activities, or subtle, prodding lessons to the heart from experiences both personal and vicarious, leading to deeper convictions and empathy?
You people who shut out the surrounding culture are missing out! Being set apart simply means not participating in the bad stuff. You have to be aware of it to know what is going on soas to help others. There is nothing terribly virtuous about existing in the bronze age or the Victorian era.
If Q actually inspired the Gospels, then Christians are to be greatly admired for their magnanimous forgiveness of the Jews for murdering a man who never existed.
I agree anon 7:20pm. The "Q" episodes were the best IMO. 20 years ago i would have thought of Q as satan. Now, i would say a fictional "Loki" the trickster god testing our evolutionary progress.
Who is that man???
ReplyDeletewhoever he is, if that's what he did, he must be very old - approaching 2000 years!
ReplyDeleteThat is "Q"
ReplyDeleteToo funny!
ReplyDeleteI love this! I can almost guarantee that no COG member understands this, especially those in the various COG "universities" who should know this.
ReplyDeleteThe COG mindset loves a particular spin which, I remember, was given to the "Come out of the world" type of command, which would include having no idea who the pictured character is, and being proud to say so.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have to buy into pop culture like Star Trek, but there is nothing wrong with being ACQUAINTED with pop culture and how people respond to it. There were Trekkers I knew in the church, but there were other people who felt the "righteous" thing to do was abstain from such things because it portrayed a future that will never happen (because the Kingdom's coming!) and you might be taking time away from praying and studying if you were a regular watcher of ANY TV show.
Or, if a casual reference was made to, say, "a Charlie Brown tree," an uber-familiar thing, a COGer might feign ignorance of the reference because it had to do with that horrible "pagan" holiday.
Jesus prayed that we be protected from the world, not that we isolate ourselves the way they did it -- and do it.
"NO2HWA said...
ReplyDeleteThat is "Q"
April 23, 2015 at 5:39 AM"
You mean James Bond's little helper?
Why would John de Lancie say such a thing?
ReplyDeleteNot only,
ReplyDeleteOHhh..câpitân, Jean{&}Luc Packtard why so much confusion?!
While it is very popular to assume the existence of a ‘Q’ source for Matthew and Luke, it is worth noting that there is zero actual evidence of such a document, and the idea is pure conjecture.
ReplyDeleteYou might perhaps expect that if such a document existed, that formed the basis of two different gospels, that there would have at least been a mention of the document in early writings? It would be considered a major work, and as such would have been respected, and almost certainly at least mentioned.
While having zero evidence for the existence of ‘Q’ doesn’t in itself mean it couldn’t have existed, I think it needs to be realised exactly what it is – an idea thought up in the last couple of hundred years, for which there is no actual evidence whatsoever to authenticate the idea.
(Just a thought from 'Q'!)
There are actually quite a number of great moral lessons and uncredited Godly principles imparted in movies and television programs! In many cases, the consequences of ill-informed or wrong actions are vividly depicted as well. Art mirrors life.
ReplyDeleteArmstromgism, and many other fundies and cults insist on being members' single source for goodness, morality, and the lessons for life. And, it's all part of their "government" from the top down. Unfortunately it cuts off many of the other "life" channels through which a loving God could speak directly to the heart, changing people from the inside out and from the bottom up. People should ask themselves which is more effective, some theological "one size fits all" dictator dude permitting or forbidding certain activities, or subtle, prodding lessons to the heart from experiences both personal and vicarious, leading to deeper convictions and empathy?
You people who shut out the surrounding culture are missing out! Being set apart simply means not participating in the bad stuff. You have to be aware of it to know what is going on soas to help others. There is nothing terribly virtuous about existing in the bronze age or the Victorian era.
IIRC, on the rare occasions they touched on the subject at all, WCG tended to argue for Matthean priority.
ReplyDeleteIf Q actually inspired the Gospels, then Christians are to be greatly admired for their magnanimous forgiveness of the Jews for murdering a man who never existed.
ReplyDeleteUnsurprisingly, I learned more about leadership and ethics from the example of Jean-Luc Picard than any minister in my time in the WCG.
ReplyDeleteA cog member's judgement-oriented question might be, "But, has Q's tip been circumcised?"
ReplyDeleteI agree anon 7:20pm.
ReplyDeleteThe "Q" episodes were the best IMO. 20 years ago i would have thought of Q as satan. Now, i would say a fictional "Loki" the trickster god testing our evolutionary progress.