Ever since Dave Pack bought property in Wadsworth, Ohio so that he could build the most superfantabulous campus EVER, local Wadsworth residents have had concerns about the cult in their midst.
Dave bought property located between a busy freeway and a big lot store. His plans were to build a miniature version of the Ambassador Campus in Pasadena. Never one to have an original thought in his head, Pack designed his campus to look almost exactly like Pasadena. Or at least he attempted too.
After his epic and well publicized property failure the three COG leaders would be struck dead by his god and that all of their members would jump over to the Restored Church of God with all of their money.
With tens of thousands of people set to swarm upon Wadsworth for the Feast that never happened, Dave set about buying land. He bought large swaths of weed infested land so that Dale Schurter could transform it into a millennial paradise.
Now it seems Dave is buying properties from home owners next his compound.
The following comment was added today to the previous thread Wadsworth Residents Deeply Concerned About David C Pack's Cult Compound.
The RCG continues to thrive in Wadsworth as many in the community are becoming uneasy about their growth and presence. They haven't done much to become part of our town, except to continue to buy more of it. I have never seen an invitation from the church to the community to attend a service. This is extremely odd behavior for a church. They have no community outreach that has been made public, and they have a gated entrance to their property, another unusual situation for a "church".It's interesting to note that they have been buying properties from homeowners along Akron Rd going west into Wadsworth. As they acquire more property and continue to secure themselves behind gates, they are portraying themselves more and more as a cult compound that bears closer scrutiny. -
To the good people of Wadsworth: Don't worry. These people are pacifists. Armstrongites usually make like Tokyo Rose, or Axis Sally, but in the end they always roll over and play dead. If you fast forward the tape about 10-15 years, your community will inherit all of the land and buildings to use or redevelop as you see fit, and for pennies on the dollar. My advice to you would be to use David C. Pack. Flatter his ego. Encourage him to invest as much as possible in infrastructure for your future use. These guys preach and make all of their money off "the end", and then when they die, the communities they have lived in get all of the spoils. The only downside is that your county may end up picking up the tab to support all of their members that they bankrupt in the process.
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ReplyDeleteOn Thursday December 10, 2015, David C. Pack posted Special Announcement #33 about a Stunning New World to Come Broadcast Series at the website of his Restored Church of God (RCG).
Parts 1 and 2 of Third Temple Foretold—Bible Prophecy! are already up, and “additional parts will appear every two weeks.”
The rebuilding of the Temple before, rather than after, the return of Jesus is now on again, according to DCP.
The Muslim Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque are getting very old and boring after all these years, and really ought to be replaced with something more up-to-date and biblically appropriate. A good bulldozing of the old junk on top of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and a rebuilding of the Temple of God there, bigger and better than ever, would be very exciting. No doubt, the Muslims would get all excited about it, in a negative sort of way, and vent their anger and spew their venom, like usual. Their behavior, like their Dome of the Crock, is getting old and tiresome. A major renovation, starting with a big hole in the ground, would also be exciting, in a positive sort of way, to good people. To deal with all the current and expected future excitement, here are some helpful suggestions on how best to wait for it to happen:
1. Do not hold your breath while you wait for it to happen.
2. Do not put your life on hold while you wait for it to happen.
3. Do not send any money to David Pack while you wait for it to happen.
4. Do not be totally surprised if it does not happen in your lifetime.
A quick look on Google maps shows that properties on Akron road in that area are residential properties.
ReplyDeleteIt would not be an easy process to get the zoning changed on those. Perhaps Pack is going to use these as special
ministerial housing, similar to the properties on Orange Grove, Del Mar and Waverly in Pasadena were used as.
If Dave is buying those homes as potential ministerial or faculty homes, it is possible that his offering price may be above market value. Also, in the old days, the citizens of Pasadena had had misgivings regarding WCG taking so much property off of the tax rolls. That could end up being problematic for RCG from a public relations perspective.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't bad stategy on his part regarding retaining employees, though. The more of their human existence is tied up in Dave's little empire, the more likely they are to put up with his bullshit authority trip. Of all the Armstrongist "torque madas", Dave has no equal.
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Anybody remember Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (sp?) and how he and his followers bought up an entire town? I think the town was originally called Elk, but I don't remember the state. It all started to fall apart when cult leaders tried to poison citizens who opposed them.
ReplyDelete'When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor."' Matthew 11:2-5.
ReplyDeleteAny of this happening there in Wadsworth, Dave?
You claim to be Jesus' only true apostle, right?
Where do the Scriptures you claim to revere mention investing in real estate?
Of all the Armstrongist "torque madas", Dave has no equal.
ReplyDeleteDave has equals in many Christian megachurches. In fact, many of those sleazy salesmen running Christian megachurches do a better job of it than Dave does.
Sorry, Dave!
Did the government shut down Rajneesh? Did they "Bag one"("Bhag-wan")?
ReplyDelete"Bag One" or maybe many, settled here in Oregon. Just like Dave is settling in Wadsworth perhaps with the same results?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.opb.org/television/programs/oregonexperience/segment/rajneeshpuram/
"Many of the Rajneeshees came from overseas, and most from urban backgrounds. They were vegetarians, now living among ranch people and small-town retirees in central Oregon cattle country. The two cultures were foreign to each other, and ultimately they would clash.
“I think there were a lot of masters and maybe doctor’s degrees out there. It didn’t mean they had any horse sense. They were pretty illogical about a lot of things.” (Margaret Hill, former Mayor of nearby Antelope, Oregon)
As the Rajneeshee planners began to slog their way through the rules and regulations of local government, problems arose. As the new people encountered the slow-grinding wheels of bureaucracy - the building codes and zoning restrictions and other land-use regulations — the sannyasins’ patience grew thin. Confrontation and rude behavior followed.
The Rajneeshees took over the town of Antelope. Their leadership declared the local people to be bigoted and threatening. And Bhagwan’s open disdain for Christianity did not play well in the new conservative, Christian environment.
“At some point people stopped talking, and they just started screaming. Nothing is going to get done in that environment, and nothing got done.” (Milt Ritter, former news videographer)
In the span of four-and-a-half years, Bhagwan’s people invested more than 50 million dollars in Rancho Rajneesh. They made substantial improvements to the land,. Many found real joy in being close to their spiritual master and part of the Rajneeshpuram community. But they ultimately would walk away from it all.
Twenty-five sannyasins would be convicted of crimes: arson, wiretapping, immigration fraud, election fraud and attempted murder. Ten would serve time in prison.
At the end of it all, Wasco County Judge Bill Hulse predicted (correctly) that somebody would write a book about what had happened there: “The people who read that book,” he said, “will think it’s fiction.”
The Rajneesh had this as their "10 Commandments". They actually sound pretty good, but it still did not stop them from being a destructive cult, and with a narcissistic leader sucking them dry for money either...
ReplyDeleteNever obey anyone's command unless it is coming from within you also.
There is no God other than life itself.
Truth is within you, do not search for it elsewhere.
Love is prayer.
To become a nothingness is the door to truth. Nothingness itself is the means, the goal and attainment.
Life is now and here.
Live wakefully.
Do not swim—float.
Die each moment so that you can be new each moment.
Do not search. That which is, is. Stop and see.
I remember Osho! (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
ReplyDeleteHe was another in a long line of sleazy religious salesmen. Iirc, one of his hooks was the free sex thing, which appealed to many people then.
And, I remember the "salad bar thingie"...
Sleazy salesman Osho's group had gained political control of Antelope, Oregon.
Rajneesh's followers wanted to elect their candidates to two of the three seats on the Wasco County Circuit Court in November 1984.
So, Osho's top people decided to incapacitate voters who may vote "the wrong way", in order to sway the election!
Osho's top people decided on biological warfare.
From Wikipedia- The chosen biological agent was Salmonella Enterica Typhimurium, which was first delivered through glasses of water to two County Commissioners and then, on a larger scale, at salad bars and in salad dressing in at least eight restaurants. As a result of the attack, 751 people contracted salmonellosis, 45 of whom were hospitalized, ranging from an infant- born two days after his mother's infection and initially given a five-percent chance of survival- to an 87-year-old.
Modern examples are: The many Republican-initiated voter disenfranchisement laws passed, meant to keep non-Republicans from voting. And in my town, before the last presidential election, there were even billboards around town meant to scare away black voters.
Addendum to earlier comment:
ReplyDeleteOsho (Chandra Mohan Jain / Acharya Rajneesh / Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) called himself "the rich man's guru", and had 96 Rolls-Royces when the shit hit the fan. By 1994, his followers wanted him to have 365 Rolls-Royces: One for each day of the year.
Rajneesh was known for doing "drive-by's" - riding in one of his Rolls-Royces each day, slowly, while waving to his hand out the window to his devotees.
Iirc, The Simpsons cartoon did a take off of that, with Osho being parodied as "The Leader" in a cult Homer had joined, and "The Leader" waving his hand out from his luxury car's window while slowly passing the minions.
I really liked most of them except:
ReplyDeleteTruth is within you, do not search for it elsewhere.
To become a nothingness is the door to truth.
Nothingness itself is the means, the goal and attainment.
Die each moment so that you can be new each moment.
Seeds of their own destruction?
Those ideas are too self-destructive and schizogenic. Thanks for sharing the info about those commandments of theirs, Connie. I never would have looked for 'em.
waving as I drive-by on my 1952 Vincent Lightning
You actually risk a Black Lightning by riding it on the street???
ReplyDeleteThose bikes are pretty rare. I've seen probably less than ten Vincents in my lifetime, mostly on display. Those were Black Shadows and Rapides. The only Vincent I ever saw on the street was back in the '80s in L.A, parked on the road to Griffith Observatory. My girlfriend at the time and my son and I were going to the planetarium to see Laserium. We all noticed it at the time, because we were all into bikes. At that time, I had two Triumphs, a Bonneville and a Trident which we rode all over the San Gabriel Valley. Ladies riding bikes were still a relative novelty in the '80s, and it attracted a lot of attention. The Trident was somewhat rare, and I had practically bought it one part at a time, the pieces coming from all over the LA area. Come to think about it, it's time for a new project!
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Bloom County did a brilliant parody with Bhagwan Bill the Cat back in the eighties.
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ReplyDeleteI believe Dave really does need buildings of his own as his head is too big to fit through the doors of conventional buildings. Ego does that to you.
I can recall a sermon by Dave long ago in which he admitted that he got rid of wasps or hornets using a can of hair spray and a lighter.
I knew at that point that the man was a flaming moron.
Isaiah 5:8 comes to mind here.
ReplyDeleteI read David Packs original online autobiography. It has since been photo shopped by someone of greater maturity than himself. But in the original of which I still have a copy, he claimed that when he was made a ministerial trainee, he was in "observation mode," carefully observing people to see what he could learn. This begs the question of what the heck did ministers learn in Ambassador College. Church members approach ministers as if they are Dr Phil of better. But according to Pack, they are teenage like in their understanding. I have read on other sites that when approached for assistance with serious personal problems, all did was verbally attack the members. Yes, tell me your problems and I will attack you with 'you bastard, you.' Nice. As all church members eventually find, this is all too common amongst the ministry. These graduates should demand a refund from Ambassador College. The prestige from having attended the college seems unwarranted.
ReplyDeleteMy next door neighbour was telling me in horrified tones, how they brought in a 18 year old to the hospital where she was working, He lost his leg in a motor bike accident. To me, bikes are way too dangerous.
ReplyDeleteThey can be dangerous, 2:14. Also, a lot of parents have make the mistake of buying a teenager a crotch rocket after he runs up too many tickets driving a car, and gets his insurance cancelled. The insurance on the bike is way less expensive, but the kid stays committed to the same bad driving habits, and in some cases the results are even fatal. Usually, a good, defensive automobile driver does well on a motorcycle. But, the most highly trained riders in the world are generally motorcycle cops, and even they are involved in accidents from time to time. It is not for everybody, that is for certain.
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Thank you 12/31/2015 2:14 AM , That comment sure brought nothing to this table .
ReplyDeletemuch like "Guns Kill People" (all without assistance). So do SUV's. wow !!
Just pulling your chain
"I have never seen an invitation from the church to the community to attend a service. This is extremely odd behavior for a church. They have no community outreach that has been made public, and they have a gated entrance to their property, another unusual situation for a "church"."
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget the cypher locks on the doors and the string of Private Property signs along Ambassador Drive to dissuade the unwashed masses of Giant Eagle shoppers from trampling on the immaculately manicured grounds of the glorious campus...
“A vast library of literature, cutting edge web sites, initial staff and ministry, headquarters campus, buildings, immense infrastructure of all kinds and more;
an amazing campus, so stunning, so visually beautiful as to stagger the imagination has been built. This truly magnificent campus is almost complete- at just
under a 100 acres, its central features parallel Pasadena and Big Sandy with even some reminders of Bricket Wood: it can comfortably handle over 100 more employees
immediately…
An extraordinary video filmed last Fall introduces what will soon be everyone’s headquarters- as gorgeous as the campus was then, it has advanced far beyond what
the video reveals. The last polish phase should be done in a couple months; any final buildings would come later.”
As Ron Weinland would say- 'Awesome!'
Ronco