Many of the Churches of God look to World Net Daily as their ONLY source of "real" news that is conservative in bent.
Carl Jackson, a former COG member, talks about his exit from the Tea Party and the COG. He then likens the followers of Donald Trump to those followers of Armstrongism.
This is gong to be a bitter pill for COG groups to swallow.
THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF TRUMP
Exclusive: Carl Jackson likens candidates' followers to cult members
I grew up in a cult. You may have heard of it – the Worldwide Church of God (WWCG). Herbert W. Armstrong was its founder and pastor general. By the grace of God, under the leadership of Joseph Tkach, Armstrong’s successor, the church was transformed by the truth of Jesus Christ. You’d think most people would’ve been happy about that. I mean, the concept of being saved from the wrath of God by some dude named Jesus who atoned for our sins eternally by being crucified on a tree trunk sounded pretty cool to me! Unfortunately, it didn’t sound so great to many others.
Cults always have a man they follow – a figurehead who will lead them to drink the poisonous Kool-Aid. True Christians don’t take the bait; Christ alone is our answer. Many conservatives have taken the bait on Donald Trump, when our litmus test should be the Constitution alone.
New sects quickly spawned from the breakup of the WWCG . Lives were ruined. Ironically, as I reminisce, what I regret most is how contemptuous we treated others. We oozed a puss of holy superiority. We were nice enough, I suppose, as long as you didn’t disagree with us or stayed quiet – kind of like Trump supporters.
Whats Bob Thiel going to do??????????????? This is his favorite news source.
ReplyDeleteI get the parallel, but it is a false one. Ted Cruz is the cultic one, the Tea Party candidate who skews the Republican Party by adding a layer of extreme social conservatism to the fiscal, small government conservatism which would otherwise be so attractive to voters. Trump is making so much headway because, right or wrong, he is speaking about issues which both parties had ample opportunity to address, but have also long procrastinated. Donald Trump resonates with the people who want fiscally responsible government, but are basically libertarian regarding most social issues. That is anathema to the Evangelicals who tend to support Ted Cruz, or supported Marco Rubio, or for that matter, Mitt Romney last election cycle.
ReplyDeleteHaving said all that, I really don't know whether Trump would make a good president. He obviously has both education and an abundance of experience in the world of high finance. The right cadre of advisors, should he choose to listen to them, could make him effective in international geopolitical matters and foreign policy. However, I'd feel more comfortable with him if he had broader knowledge of the Constitution. Most presidents have become presidential through on the job training, and wise counsel, provided that they have certain basic talents, and are quick learners.
BB
Carl Jackson and similar, are ignoring that God has a iron clad policy of not allowing another Satan into His kingdom. Hence people must build a minimum level of Godly character before entrance into the kingdom. It's a logic 'and,' both character 'and' Christs forgiveness enables one to obtain eternal life. Christs forgiveness alone, is not sufficient. It's there in the parable of the talents. Yet people don't accept this. Why is that? Oh, I just remembered, all the big daddy splinter leaders refuse to affirm this. Daddy said forget it, and daddy is always right.
ReplyDeleteCheers. tradingGuy.
There are many ways to look at the Trump phenomenon. Try these:
ReplyDelete* Something we've seen, already, and various times, is the Successful Businessman who thinks that success qualifies him to run a Government, which is a completely different kind of entity. In their own business, they can say, "Do this!" and it happens. They forget it JUST DOESN'T OCCUR that way in the other realm. Here in Illinois, we are experiencing it with Frustrated Dictator Rauner.
* Trump is a spoiled rich man's son, who thinks he should have everything he wants, and he's decided he wants to be President. Media savvy did the rest.
what amazes me is how lcg talks about current world events but ignores the glaring events happening right here in this nation...
ReplyDeletei have not seen one mention of donald drumpf on their webpage; and dr. thiel mentions him, but doesnt give him the kind of obssessive, alarmist attention that he gave the first black president...
given my nominal knowledge of logistical coordination of goods and services, and the fact that much of it involves international trade, and the fact that much of what the us takes for granted has its source in places like arabia, china and mexico, i can tell you that the big mouth of donald drumpf risks offending international sensibilities and, as the oil embargo of '73 proved, has the potential to disrupt the american economy...
ReplyDeleteand given the kind of vulnerability that the american economy demonstrated in the las bush years when a housing bubble set off a chain reaction, an embargo of goods and services by the who's who of what donald drumpf has offended has the potential to take us back to 2007-08 and beyond, economically...
i love all of these so called experts who truly know a lot about man's knowledge but practically nothing about "GODS" holy book , believe what you choose to believe , that's free will but in the end " GOD" runs the show , call's the shots and really does not need or want our input just our humble , knee bending service oriented towards "HIS" way of life not what we think "HE" wants .by the time" GOD" exacts "HIS" righteous judgement on this cesspool that man has created we will all hit our knees in humility just as job did .
ReplyDeleteUnlike Herbert Armstrong, who cheated at everything and never even finished high school, Donald Trump attended Fordham for two years, transferred to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated. Donald Trump also earned his hundreds of millions of dollars with his entrepreneurial skills, unlike Herbert Armstrong who failed at his business and then lived as a parasite on the tithes of naïve cult members who funded the spendthrift through the squandered two to four billion dollars (at a max of $225 million per year at the apex of his cult scammery).
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm with Byker Bob -- if I HAD to pick between Trump and Cruz, I'd pick Trump (Hitlery is out of the question). It may be the least of two terrible choices, but the U.S.S.R. (United States Socialist Republic) is already bankrupt. I don't think I'd like to live under the Cruz dictatorship -- didn't he propose that we needed to work longer hours? How many would that be? 80 hours a week? And what would he do to the Seniors on the Social Security they paid into for a life time? Scrub it, in favor of funding the military? Well, I don't know, but I do agree with Byker Bob about Cruz being cultic. And strange.
Who can say how Donald Trump would do as President.
I have my doubts we'll ever find out.
6.45 AM From my experience, the people who rant about getting on "our knees in humility just as job did," are typically psychos who want people mentally crushed, and made their personal mindless puppets. Hatred of conscienceness is also usually present. They project this wet dream into the bible, calling it humility. These look forward to the tribulation, hoping that people will be mentally shattered, and made their play thing.
ReplyDeleteCheers TradingGuy
"By the grace of God, under the leadership of Joseph Tkach, Armstrong’s successor, the church was transformed by the truth of Jesus Christ."
ReplyDeleteok, so he was raised in the Church, he clearly was never part of if though.
and it makes sense that those who rebel against God's way would also rebel against anyone trying to return this country to it's constitutional roots...after all, who wants "absolute truths"?, they interfere with what "I want".
Ted Cruz who's wife Heidi worked for Goldmans Sacks and is a member of the CFR, the council on foreign relations. This is a pro new world order think tank. If you ever saw these videos on YouTube about the cfr, you will realize what a danger they are to not only your freedoms, but world peace. Ted Cruz is another snake handler like Jimmy the peanut former, Carter. A loser.
ReplyDelete"These are not people. Just remember that." —Donald Trump
ReplyDeleteThis is all I needed to hear. If you vote Trump you're voting to throw away 300 years of enlightenment progress.
IMHO, Trump is now the scariest man in America. Before he was a curiosity not too different from Ross Perot. However, now that he's adopted fascist rhetoric, dehumanizing racist rhetoric, and has begun to advocate violence, as we value what freedom we have left, we should all be afraid of this man coming to power. Hitler just wanted to make Germany "great" again. Look how that turned out. But Trump isn't the real problem.
No man can come to power, no matter how much he may later come to be viewed as the personification of evil, unless he at least initially enjoyed a wave of popular support. It is easy to see how dictators come to power during times of economic hardship, especially in places that have never tasted democratic freedom before. But that is not the condition of the United States. And yet there is a wave of popular support for a man who, it seems as likely as not would destroy our current de rigeur enlightenment morality, rule of law, and peaceful governmental processes. If history is any guide, Trump, if he came to power, could credibly become this nation's first dictator. He promises to govern by violence and intimidation. What does it say about the constituency of this nation when someone who makes these campaign promises is the overwhelming choice of the Republican voter? What does it say about the American people? These are the people who are the real problem, the real threat to our nation and the freedoms perhaps we've come to take for granted, not Trump. He's just the person who has made it acceptable for the latent barbarism of the American people to rise to surface and become visible.
I remember the rioting that ensued after the Rodney King verdict. I had never seen riots before. It was an eye-opener. The kind of moment that doesn't come along every day. I had not realized how near to the surface veneer of civilization racial hatred, anarchy, and barbarism was for the people of Los Angeles, the city I called home. This moment is another eye-opener, a window into the actual psychology of the people of the nation I call home. I guess I should have, but I didn't realize this much of the population were not ashamed to be seen standing up and being counted as open supporters of barbarism. I can only hope that those who would like to destroy what's left of our free and open society in the way that I hear Trump promising to do, are not so numerous as to overpower the civilizing influences among us.
Now, don't get me wrong. I think this is a game to Trump. I think this campaign is very much a lark to him, and I think he's curious to see how much people will let him get away with. However, games like this can reach a tipping point, in which what was not intended seriously at first can turn deadly serious. It is cruel for Donald Trump to play with this nation in the way that he is. I would have thought that the American people would have put an end to his game much sooner. That they have not is deeply disturbing.
I thought Trump was un-nominatable. Now I'm not so sure he is un-electable after all. My assumptions about the American people are shaken.
If he gets the Republican nomination, it is likely that it will end the GOP as credible party, and actual conservatives will have to flee to a new party. If he gets the white house, it is likely that many people will have to flee this country.
I'm no republican but I heartily appreciate the fact that the half dozen of them who claimed that they heard God tell them to run for president are all losing to the one who didn't.
ReplyDeleteLook, a professional wrestler, (Jesse Ventura), and a weightlifter (Arnold Schwarzenegger) both did decent enough jobs being governors of states. Since when does being a wrestler or a body builder qualify someone to be a governor?
ReplyDeleteRonald Reagan was a "B" level actor and President of the Screen Actors Guild when he became Governor of California. California incidentally is the 7th largest economic entity in the entire world.
What qualifications did Obama have? A social worker with a couple of years in the Senate?
Obviously, it all comes down to how good of a staff you assemble and how well your advisors do for you. You are not electing a God who has all knowledge about everything. The President is the presenter of ideas and vision, and thus is a communicator and figure head first and foremost.
Trump will act the part out just fine, and probably has as good a resume' and experience as anyone else. Again, the more important players will be who his handlers and advisors are.
Hi Connie, on Trump: yes, Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger were credible as governors (and so was the former two-term mayor of Portland, Ore. who was a tavern owner before being elected and did a competent job). But there is a difference: none of these others openly told their supporters repeatedly that it is OK to beat up people. None of these others were openly vowing and lusting after expansion of state torture in state dungeons. None of the others, from my memory, were elected on messages of vitriol toward other groups, as Trump displays toward Muslims or whoever he feels like threatening at the moment. Or promotion of stupid beliefs, such as Trump's still-unretracted belief without any evidence whatsoever--a belief shared by as many as two-thirds of Trump supporters according to polls--that Obama was not born an American where his birth certificate and contemporary Hawaii newspaper birth notices published in 1961 say Obama was born.
ReplyDeleteThe analogy with Trump is Sinclair Lewis's 1935 novel "It Can't Happen Here" about fascism in America becoming popular and elected. Please read it (its available online, or used copies for pennies on amazon). Trump is also different than the earlier Ross Perot. I personally saw Ross Perot in a TV debate look straight into the camera and say with feeling and force, "If you have hate in your heart toward other races, I don't want your vote" (when asked about white racists who said they liked him). Ross Perot may have had his limitations but he was a better man than Trump. Bernie Sanders is the not-bought-off non-racist candidate still standing in this election speaking the truth about some core issues, and I know a number of libertarians who support Sanders among the choices (as surprising as that may seem). gd
Connie, Arnie was a successful body builder rather than a 'weight lifter'. He was a very successful movie actor (I'II be back) at the time as well.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Wikipedia, Arnold Schwarzenegger "began weight training at the age of 15. He won the Mr. Universe title at age 20 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest seven times. Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent presence in bodybuilding and has written many books and articles on the sport. He is widely considered to be among the greatest bodybuilders of all times as well as its biggest icon"
ReplyDeleteHe is more than Connies weightlifter. Please give honor to whom honor is due.
Arnold also spoke at AC in Pasadena and did several things with Harry Sneider from the PE Department.
ReplyDeleteon March 19, 2016 at 3:12 AM
ReplyDeleteanon wrote:
"the Successful Businessman who thinks that success qualifies him to run a Government, which is a completely different kind of entity.
Emphasis mine!
Is it really all that different? Is there any country that doesn't operate as some kind of business?
cheers
ralph.f
Anon fear monger wrote>"These are not people. Just remember that." —Donald Trump
ReplyDeleteThe alternative would be Hitlery. No way.
herbert hoover, jimmy carter and george bush were all business men...
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to observe that among people who were once members of HWA's church, extreme political conservatism usually is still part of their worldview.
ReplyDeleteI can only surmise that for many x-WCGers, they figure that's something HWA was right about.
It's common to see x-WCGers value sources like: Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Alex Jones, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, and World Net Daily.
It's an interesting phenomenon!