Guest article by John AC Forster
To members of the LCG.
I am one of the commenters on this site. I consider myself part of the body of Christ, being baptized in 1976. I spent about 15 years with WCG before waking up and seeing the truth about the sinfulness of the organization. I then spent a year with CGI until they as well proved that their organization was just a business like WCG. Since that time I have studied and read many an article from several cogs. In each of them I have found bits of truth mixed with a lot of error. With due diligence I discovered that HWA was not all he was put out to be.
I learned that when god revealed a doctrine to him, it meant something totally different to us. To us, it mean that God put it in his mind, that it came from God personally. In truth, HWA got his truths from the books of other religions while researching at the public library. HWA didn't outright lie about this, but he didn't remove the misconception either. With study on my own, I discovered that the basic truths (Sabbath, Holy Days, Heaven, Hell, etc) were right. Most of the rest were opinions, some of which were minor errors and others were down right wrong. HWA was no prophet. He has over 200 failed prophecies under his belt. So many failed prophecies that he had to run away to California to start all over his church.
As the years went by, the sins of HWA were been revealed one by one. His worse one was having sex with his own daughter for over 10 years. This has been confirmed by many of his family members. All of his family members deserted him. Not what one would expect from one being put forth as the present day Elijah. Overall HWA accomplished the task of preaching the gospel to the world. Yahweh did use his unrelenting ambition to accomplish this task, but HWA was no man OF God. A good study for you all can be gained by studying Zech.Chapters 11 to 13, especially (Zec 11:15 - 17)
Zec 11:15 And YAHWEH said to me, Again take to yourself the tools of a foolish shepherd.
Zec 11:16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land; he shall not visit those who are cut off, nor will he seek the young, nor will he heal that which is broken, nor will he sustain that which stands. But he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear off their hoofs.
Zec 11:17 Woe to the worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! The sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye. His arm shall be completely withered, and his right eye shall be totally darkened.
HWA deserted the flock by flying around the world for about a year proclaiming a strong hand from some place, and never the name of Christ. He and his ministers never tried to help those disfellowshiped, neither attended to their needs, but instead lived high off the hog (ate the flesh of the fat), and robbed them blind of their money leaving them with little to stand on (tearing off their hoofs).
Yahweh told us that He would raise up such a man. WHY? Because it would force people to make a decision of whether they would follow Him, or a man. It was a test of character. A brutal test that shook the entire church. A test by fire. Many forsook their duty and decided to wait and let God work it out. They did not realize that Yahweh was expecting them to get off the fence and decide whose side they were on.
Some never made any decision until 1995 when they were confronted up close to bail out of the WCG. Many became scattered as you can read in the above chapters. While you are reading/studying this, note that Yahweh was going to perform yet another test, by removing His sheep/flock from the ministries that sprang up. Yahweh is totally angry by what the hirelings have done to His sheep. The abuse, the high living style and the totally disdained attitude of those that were to be examples to the flock.
If you are still members of these organizations of men, come out of them, no longer remain a tithe slave to those that are biblical exempt from receiving tithes, as they are NOT Levities. The NT assembly was to exist on offerings and not tithes, especially 3 tithes. Only 1 tithe was expected under the OT, but it had 3 purposes. No wonder so many of you are broke and cannot provide for your families. This is a grave sin unto you.
In conclusion I write the above in love and concern for you lost sheep. Hope that you see your way through this mess.
John AC Forster
26 comments:
I think I understand where you are coming from, but I still get the impression you are still wrapped up in a COG related group. A lot of people who left the church went into the sacred names groups where legalism is still the rule of the day.
Tithing is not a new covenant teaching. A person gives financially because they have been blessed and want to freely give, not because they are told to. There are no Levites in the church today that deserve a tithe given to them.
well, like HWA, he got a few things right, and a lot of things wrong.
1) Free speech, even though it may express an unpopular view, is always cool.
2) Perhaps John can reach some of the people in the ACOGs that the rest of us can't.
BB
I don't believe that God used HWA to preach the gospel. Look at the fruit. I left the UCG several years ago and now fellowship with the local seventh day advantist church because I realized that HWA introduced the Hebrew holy days and British Isealism to the church while he was raping his daughter. How can God restore his truth using such a vile person. That is why I have grown to reject the keeping of the Hebrew holy days and also reject British Isrealism. I still keep the seventh day Sabbath because that is the only day that Jesus keep on a regular basis.
You are as delusional as HWA with your made up name for your god and your pick and choose doctrinal stance.
I have no relationship with any cog group. My thoughts/beliefs are based on the Word and not any man in these groups.
I agree that tithing isn't a NT doctrine, but I differ when you say that a person gives (tithes) because they are blessed. Those in the cogs believe that they MUST tithe as it would be considered a sin if they didn't.
Today, the cogs are STEALING for they are demanding and accepting what is biblicaly given to the Levites.
What stood out to me the most in this article is Mr. Forster's statement, "Overall HWA accomplished the task of preaching the gospel to the world."
This is a false statement because HWA didn't preach the Gospel. HWA was a false prophet and false teacher who preached another Jesus, a different spirit and a different gospel; and his disciples are continuing in his footsteps. I'm curious Mr. Forster, do you believe that you are going to become God because that's the false gospel that Armstrongism teaches - that humans can become God too; and what professing Christian denomination or group do you belong to?
"Overall HWA accomplished the task of preaching the gospel to the world.... Yahweh told us that He would raise up such a man[as Herbert W. Armstrong]."
I do hope that "John AC Forster" will in the future leave the imaginary "Uber-Race" which Herbie taught, and join the human race.
And, please, please PLEASE, "John AC Forster", tell us that the "AC" in your name doesn't stand for, ummmm... you know what!!!
"Today, the cogs are STEALING for they are demanding and accepting what is biblicaly given to the Levites."
And, even that is illegal because there is no functioning priesthood. Jews don't tithe because there is no way they can legally do so. Besides, most of them have no connection to agriculture, which was the only basis for tithing. Wages were not listed as tithable.
When I read this by John AC Forster, I thought it would be better if this was from "A.C." Slater of Saved by the Bell, instead of a different "A.C." who thinks he was Saved by the Herbert.
John: I don't agree with a lot of what you say, but you may have a better chance of changing some LCG minds that we can. I think many in the church are ripe to examine their beliefs and support of the church. Many are waking up at the corruption that currently is destroying the Charlotte headquarters.
John: It seems most of us break away incrementally. I know I woke up gradually, and I may not yet be fully awake, but I no longer rely on the bible as my guide for life.
I would suggest reading "Jesus Interrupted" by Bart Ehrman to find out about the reliability of scripture. There is some nice sentiment and decent advice in the Bible, but it is far from the infallible "word of god". Our planet has been hood-winked by its clergy into believing that a god would try to communicate through some holy book like the Bible or Koran. These books are so subject to misunderstanding. That is one reason we have over 3,000 churches in the US. Another is that self-styled leaders want to be in charge. They are unable to follow.
Think about it. Are there any real answers in religion, or is it nothing more than a means of avoiding our fear of death? I wasted over two decades of my life trying to figure out what god wants from me. If there is such an entity, in any form, (which I often doubt) I think he must be on coffee break or watching a movie. I don't believe he is much concerned with my life, or yours.
I appreciate your desire to help others who remain slaves to the words of wimps. I hope these poor souls can move toward the light, and reject their current masters.
Dave Pack is the way, he will lead us to life and "life more abundantly!" Promising 100 fold in this life and the next with the First Dominion. Of course, it will cost you common first! This is your path to salvation. Even his own daughter and evangelist son-in-law finally figured him out and left. Thankfully, for anyone with a brain, he has changed so many doctrines that it should be easy to see that he is a false shepherd. However, sadly, many will stay because that is the easy way. And since you have already given everything to RCG, what is left? You are bought in, no choice but to stay, or admit to yourself that you were totally taken for everything by a total false "That Prophet."
Seriously? We're faulting Pack, Meredith, Flurry, and others for changing HWA's doctrines? As if HWA were Jesus, or somebody of importance?
BB
Would it help to suggest that the Church presided over by HWA was the Sardis Church. Soiled garments, no perfect works, spiritually dead as a dodo. It should be obvious that the Philadelphian Church, with an open door that no one can shut, has not even begun yet. No one can claim they have or have had that. HWA was a real Church of God, but not a good one. HWA being Sardis explains a lot.
On that note, all those that say they are Philadelphian are forgetting that what they have proceeded (a former era) was rotten. Why do they want to keep what HWA stood for - soiled garments, no perfect works and and slightly dead body hanging around. The Church is expected to move on.
I attended the WCG for about a decade, and did not experience the supposed Philadelphian love. According to Packs original autobiography which he has since photoshopped, about half of the church members during the Herbie era did not pray or bible study. He discerned this by giving inquiry cards out to members to fill. He concluded that the church split along these lines.
So even during the Herbie days, half the members were no different than the man on the street. In my experience, they were worse.
Where in the New Testament does it state that tithing is done away?
Yes, 1:34, and back in the '70s, it was so often the case that the people who DID study their Bibles and pray were the ones leaving the church. The ones who seemed to remain around were the those who considered "Bible Study" to be the daily reading of the church's literature, or the AC Bible Correspondence Course.
BB
The whole church era (sardis, philadelphia, laodecia, etc )thingy that the daughter-raping megalomaniac Herbert W Armpit taught is pure bullshit.
It's like watching a circus with all the 'still brainwashed' people talking about that crap while claiming they're now beyond armstrongism!
July 29, 2016 at 8:37 AM,
I tithe to Donald Trump, since Jesus and the New Testament tell me to, via the extraordinarily HUGE amazing powers of discernment the Holy Spirit has given me.
The Donald needs my tithes after all those bankruptcies and supporters calling him a textbook racist, so that he may 'Make America Stupid Again'.
Luv,
Sarah P, secessionist megachristian, on a bridge to nowhere
I don't see how inquiry cards handed out by a splinter leader to what few he could get to follow him is a valid analysis. Seems like the margin of error would be too large to take the results seriously. But hey, bite and claw your brethren if you so choose.
Does anyone imagine that leaders or members of other splinters would be joining in and fasting and praying for LCG? If the Armstrong movement actually were "of God" wouldn't that be what one might actually expect? And, not to single out LCG, wouldn't we expect that when any one splinter called a fast, at least some members of other groups would be joining in and even fasting for unity in spite of their own self-serving leaders who are keeping them apart?
But it's not happening. And, it actually can't when the Gamaliel syndrome applies to a church movement.
BB
That is why I have grown to reject the keeping of the Hebrew holy days and also reject British Isrealism." So not because you proved it wrong out of the Bible but because he was a vile person. If he would've been a good man, you would've followed right in his footsteps in keeping the Holy Days and believing British Israelism. Interesting.
God's Holy days do not begin nor end with Herbert Armstrong. He's got to account to Christ for his behaviour as we all will. I ain't making any excuses for him, maybe he was sexually abused himself as a child who knows, who cares but don't reject stuff because you kinda associate Herbert with certain things.
I believe in tithing but with all the church splits I don't know anymore who or what work to support. The feasts have become soon expensive I use my first and second tithe to pay for them. If you stop tithing the ministry treat you like poo but I got so fed up struggling to keep the feast whilst you hear after the latest split when the ministers are all bad mouthing each other. That they still have unlimited bar tabs, little extras here and little extras there that I thought hey why should I tithe to these money grabbers.
Exactly my point Anon 3:22. --Anon 2:36
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