From an LCG source:
Rod Meredith's Super Special Not So Special Christmas Sermon
Jerry Weston informed readers of the following in last week's LCG Weekly Update (formerly authored by Doug Winnail), "This week, Dr. Meredith spent a good amount of time preparing his message for the live Sabbath Service transmission, where we expect somewhere around 750 to 800 to be in attendance, along with several thousand tuned in over the Internet. We encourage people to “share” the posts about the Charlotte Family Weekend live special Sabbath Service on Facebook".Members of LCG were given the impression in the weeks leading up to this year's Winter Weekend that Mr. Meredith's sermon was going to be a show stopperAs I prepared to listen to this "special message" I hoped and prayed and prayed and hoped that it would be inspired but alas, it was the exact same sermon he has been giving for years. Nothing inspired. Nothing uplifting. Nothing that gave evidence of putting in extra preparation for this "special" event for which hundreds of LCG members flocked to Charlotte.Rod Meredith's sermons are so tediously redundant that many no longer even attempt to pretend to be taking notes because he uses the same scriptures over and over again. It is painful at this point.It's become increasingly difficult to keep from rolling my eyes after church when people are gushing about how "great the sermon was" or how "inspired" it was. I feel like shouting, "it was the same exact sermon we have heard a thousand times!" but I just nod in agreement because I know better than act anything other than enthusiastic.The title of the sermon was "The Future of God's Work" but RCM says nothing about the future of anything.Instead, like EVERY Rod Meredith sermon The Future of God's Work included the following:
- Idolatry of HWA
- Telling us how he's the best, most awesome evangelist on earth because he spent the "more time than anyone else alive" around the worshipped HWA (they had many, many meals together, etc)
- Then RCM proceed to go through his resume for the 1,000,000 time starting with his calling, AC and his ordination, teaching freshman Bible and the Epistles of Paul, baptizing tours, beginning Global and Living (he leaves out the part about forging checks and stealing money from Global with the help of Don Davis to start LCG), how he's the only evangelist in the world ordained by the greatest man to ever live HWA... yada yada yada
- Then we get into how the gays and transgenders are ruining the world (not a sermon goes by without mention of the gays)
- THE LADY WITH THE WITHERED ARM - can we please have a sermon without this story? Please!
- "Horny teen-aged boys" and homosexuals (again, forevermore)
- Time is short
- British Israelism (even though most ACOGers no longer believe this completely disproved, outdated theory)
- Church government (I'm not sure if I'm more sick of hearing about church government or the lady with the withered arm)
- Back to how he knew HWA the best so therefore he's the best because of osmosis
This is unfortunately what eventually happens to anyone who continues in a leadership role way past their prime. An old board member from a major corporation will do much the same. It's what happens when too much is expected from someone who really has nothing left to give. They phone it in the best they can. It's all they can do, and the listeners are expected to kindly repect age and past years of service. Weston must certainly realize the realities of what is transpiring, but gives the proper and expected build up as any professional would do. That is his part in the script.
ReplyDeleteBB
Why is Meredith so hung up on gays? Can cannot write or preach without bringing the gays into he mix. I wonder what his son that struggled with gay issues feels like sitting there listening to this constant bullshit? We had heard years ago that one of his sons liked guys, but homophobe daddy forced him to get married.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Meredith so hung up on gays?
ReplyDeleteListen to Meredith tell his story about wrestling with his childhood friend Jimmy Mallon. The way he tells that story, about the two dear friends practicing moves on each other and "rolling around like two little bear cubs," it's clear that there's something more than athletic practice going on. When Meredith tells the story of the terrible pain he felt upon learning of Mallon's tragic death, and describes how he cried to God, "Why did God let Jimmy die?" the story rings out with homoerotic overtones the way Meredith tells it.
The Methodist religion of Meredith's youth told him, "Fags burn in hell." Meredith knew what he and Jimmy were. It is no wonder that when Meredith learned of his uncle's new Armstrong religion, which said Jimmy would come up in the Second Resurrection, he took to it with such gusto. Meredith could suppress his own homosexuality, could have hope for his dead gay love, and could establish himself among new friends in Pasadena who would have no idea of Meredith's old effeminate reputation in Joplin.
Maybe this is a misreading of Rod Meredith, but it is so textbook-perfect that it is a very tempting way to read the man and his life.
Meredith says "to build my work" @ 32 minutes in. His work, not gauuds.
ReplyDelete"your reward will last as long as the stars shine" is not eternal life.
Around minute 91 of the sermon, Meredith says, unapologetically, that he was very tempted to punch Stanley Rader after learning that HWA was going to exile him to Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteBy the time this happened, Meredith would have been an ordained Evangelist for more than 25 years.
Jesus Christ displayed anger when He saw other people being abused. He was furious at the abuse of religion to further the moneychangers' profits. He didn't go around punching people who offended Him.
What does it say about Armstrongism that Meredith after 25 years in a senior RCG/WCG role, Evangelist, was in some ways as carnal as any unbaptized Ambassador College student?
And what does it say about LCG members that instead of being appalled they laughed at RCM's story?
We all know that an ordinary LCG member would be disfellowshipped if he joked about how he was tempted to punch out Jim Meredith for being such an ass. But when the shoe is on the other foot, they accept the violent and carnal man as the head of their church!
Yes, he is the last one standing of the men who were the first ones to be ordained as evangelists in 1952, but everyone seems to forget that Marion McNair left and wrote Armstrongism: Religion or Rip-Off?. Also forgotten is Ellis LaRavia who was ordained as an evangelist by Herbert Armstrong in Tucson in 1979 -- he went to United. So now, if Ellis LaRavia is still alive, he's an evangelist ordained by Herbert Armstrong, so Roderick Meredith not only not the last evangelist standing ordained by Herbert Armstrong, but we should point out that Herbert Armstrong didn't appoint RCM as his successor -- Herbert Armstrong was determined that RCM NOT lead the WCG! There's no entitlement here. Roderick Meredith seized leadership for himself.
ReplyDeleteNow, he starts off saying he associated and met with the leaders of the Sardis church. That would be the Church of God Seventh Day. Now if we do a quick comparison between the LCG and CoG7D today, the CoG7D is at least 30 times larger than Living. Sardis? As we all know, there is no such thing as church eras -- so Meredith is sadly mistaken about the LCG being the Philadelphia era.
Get the Autobiography of Herbert Armstrong from Amazon.com? Really? Don't bother. You can read it online as a flipping book at ambassador.report.
Blind leading the blind? The CoHAM 1% are not only blind, but they are certifiably deaf as well.
Well, Roderick Meredith had better hope that the Government of God never comes to the earth because he'll have a nasty surprise reserved for false prophets.
Make no mistake, British Israelism is alive and well in the ACoGs and isn't being dispensed with. Do note that it is science fiction, so it may have a niche of fans in the science fiction community, but, you know, it's the worst science fiction ever. Anyway, as Rich Odegard said in his sermon at the New Life Church of God, 'America' and 'Britain' are not to be found in the Bible (just like the word, 'cat'). Not there. Not in Scripture. NOT IN THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL!
Keep the Sabbath? Is that the lunar Sabbath? Isn't it established by signs in the heaven? Isn't the New Moon set the Sabbath? Why not? It's a sign in the heavens.
As for tithing. Did Meredith go out and take up farming in order to give a tithe? You don't tithe on wages.
Ah, the captive audience. Preaching to the choir. Perhaps the time would be better spent teaching the people the provenance of the Bible. It would be an epiphany.
As for marriage, didn't that begin around 30,000 B.C.? It predated Adam and Eve. God wants children? What ever happened to Zero Population Growth?
As for Psalm 119 and God's Law -- what about the commandments of Jesus? The statutes are a bit harsh -- like if we were to keep them there would be a lot of death.
There was quite a lot of exposition about material things and not much in the way of what might be termed 'spiritual'. In the world tomorrow we will have flat roofs with railings AND there WILL BE ANIMAL SACRIFICES. But maybe not. With all the failed prophecies of RCM and Herbert Armstrong, there may be many wondering if there will be a third coming of Christ.
Ah, well. Materialism lives on.
Just leave God out of it the way He's left out of the cult religion itself. He tried to get in, but they won't let Him.
Roderick Meredith said he is not a liar? When did he change?
Total rubbish.
My guess is that your "mole" here is Dr. Germano or one of his friends. Dr. Germano is the only person who openly disagrees with British -Israelism. All other followers of Armstrongism buy the theory hook, line and sinker - it's a hallmark of Armstrong teachings. Your mole shouldn't make himself/herself so obvious.
ReplyDelete...One other thing, sounds like this isn't just the same sermon Dr. Meredith has been preaching for the past few years, but the ONLY sermon he's been preaching for the past 20-25 years, nothing has changed here. Several LCG folks did make a pathetic attempt to try to garner interest in the event by sharing on Facebook, but the only response was from other LCG dazed and confused members. These pathetic soles really do need anti-cult therapy.
In all fairness to Meredith, the are men much younger than him in COG land who also repeat their sermons. Especially for the Feast I've heard a few over the years repeat the same sermon.
DeleteBeen soooo long since I've attended a COG service (or any service for that matter)
ReplyDeleteso the first few minutes seriously jogged some memories in this fellow...
Totally unrelated, but is that Vladimir Putin in the front row at 3:15?
The main feeling from seeing this video is that it is just so very [insert pleasant adjective of your choice] to be on the outside looking in, instead of being among that congregation, thinking and pretending we were somehow doing some sort of important work and supporting "God's" ministers and all the other crap.
Let's see, Rod was directly ordained by HWA, and I was directly baptized by Rod, so that means... holy guacamole, Batman, that means... ah right, absolutely nothing at all.
A boring non intellectual or anti intellectual leading a church. My bible many times makes mention of Christians bearing fruit. Rods example of the same material, over and over, is damning.
ReplyDeleteNo fruit Rod.
So now, if Ellis LaRavia is still alive, he's an evangelist ordained by Herbert Armstrong, so Roderick Meredith not only not the last evangelist standing ordained by Herbert Armstrong
ReplyDeleteEllis LaRavia is indeed still alive and preaching regularly in the UCG-Tucson area.
When RM told the story of the incredible shrinking arm, the camera shows the kids expressions. They don't believe it. The kids are more aware than the dull sheeple. And even some of the people, I swear, they are rolling their eyes.
ReplyDeleteI found Merediths comments about sitting dining with the Armstrong family fascinating for different reasons. He said their 'Armstrong speciality' dinner was cornflakes! My brainwashed mind immediately brought to rememberance Loma Armstrong in her fur coat with perfectly manicured hair. HWA with his exquisite royal dining. Oh the irony.
ReplyDeleteSounds very much like a good bye sermon. One thing that caused me to question was his referral to 1992 as being the time that Global/Living Church of God started. This didn't seem right as wasn't it in December 1995 that the changes were announced?
ReplyDeleteThough I didn't listen to the entire sermon, what I did hear was a good reminder of the WCG history.
The "changes" were explicitly announced around that time, yes. But Global had formed a few years prior during the lengthy period of "we should view this differently... oh stop being paranoid" of the early nineties.
DeleteBear in mind, PCG had already split from WCG in 1989 because Flurry didn't like Mystery of the Ages being de-emphasized, plus changes in some other areas. Meredith wasnt exactly being original. :)
Deleteyou forgot to mention that Rod said...do not retire, but keep working so you can send me money (he actually said "support God's work" but that means the same thing)
ReplyDeletethe pattern is very much like that of Dr. Bob...self promotion.
ReplyDeleteDancing with his granddaughter?
ReplyDeleteIs that a thing?
Do they need privacy afterward?
Go buy the Autobiography online... a book that was supposed to be free and never sold?
And hasn't Meredith figured out that Amazon.com is gay friendly?
Who do you think are going to fly all those Amazon.com delivery drones but highly talented geeky gay guys far too sophisticated to ever consider joining the LCG.
Well, for the moment, the LCG isn't a death trap like it was in 2005.
We wonder what take Meredith would have on Les White's YouTube message over at The Painful Truth?
Checks and balances? Accountability? Anti Armstrongist blogs serve as watchdogs for Armstrongist groups still taking advantage of their members?
Hey, Meredith! You wanna have a dialog with us?
I only listened to the part on supposedly Rader.
ReplyDeleteI think Meredith's loyalty to the WCG system is beyond doubt.
Now why would the "2nd in commandment" yell "I will destroy you" at him?
I guess his daughter is not with LCG anymore with such a damning statement referring her father to the realm of the evil one.
nck
The following "Evangelists" (other than Meredith) who are still living that were ordained during the reign of HWA (there were several who were ordained during the Tkach era, who are not listed here and are available at the link below) ...
ReplyDeleteRichard Ames: Former Registrar of Ambassador University; Co-host of the The World Tomorrow, 1986–1994; Currently resides in Charlotte, NC; now affiliated with the Living Church of God, where he co-hosts Tomorrow's World.
Dr. David Antion: Left the employ of the WCG in 1979, and for a while affiliated with the Church of God, International. Now leader of the Church of God Southern California based in Pasadena. In addition to his work in the ministry, is also a licensed psychologist and marriage counselor.
Carn Catherwood: Ambassador Class of 1961; Leader of the Italian outreach of the WCG beginning in the early 1980s. Remains affiliated with the WCG.
C. Wayne Cole (1930?-): Ambassador Class of 1954; Disfellowshipped in 1979 during the receivership crisis. Has been affiliated with both the Church of God, International and the United Church of God. Now living in Tyler, Texas, he served as a fraternal delegate to the 2007 convention of the Church of God (Seventh Day), in which his own family has roots.
Ronald D. Kelly (1938-): ordained in 1976; co-host of The World Tomorrow from 1988 until 1994): Now retired from the Worldwide Church of God.
Ellis LaRavia (1931-): Vice-President, Ambassador International Cultural Foundation; Ordained evangelist in Tucson, 1979; Now affiliated with the United Church of God.
Leslie McCullough: Ambassador Class of 1961; Twice served as deputy chancellor of Ambassador University in Big Sandy; Currently affiliated with the Church of God Worldwide Association.
Leon Walker: Long-time director of Spanish work, later with United Church of God, then COGWA. Resident of Big Sandy, Texas.
Full list, inclusive of deceased, or ordained by Tkach...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelists_of_the_Worldwide_Church_of_God
One thing that caused me to question was his referral to 1992 as being the time that Global/Living Church of God started. This didn't seem right as wasn't it in December 1995 that the changes were announced?
ReplyDeleteThe bombshell sermon by Tkach that broke the apostasy wide open was in December of 1994. However, there were many subtle changes before that, as early as 1989. That's when Flurry left. Meredith knew in 1989 also, but compromised until the McNair lawsuit was settled in November 1992. Global's first official Sabbath was on the first January of 1993. I'll have to write more on this some time.
repeat the same sermon
ReplyDeleteAnd there was Gerald "One Sermon" Waterhouse.
4.25 AM Also in fairness, two wrongs don't make a right. These ministers have a leisurely life compared to ordinary members, yet give the same sermons over and over. What do they do all day long? If Rod isn't intellectually inclined, he should use ghost writers. Watching the Tele evangelists, it's obvious that they have researches who spoon feed them material, which they present in their personal style.
ReplyDeleteBut WCG culture forbids members growing in knowledge and wisdom (the children must be kept in their place), so this will never happen.
You learn more from the Tele evangelicals than from the slivers. Err, you learn nothing new from the slivers.
Anonymous stated, "Your mole shouldn't make himself/herself so obvious." I disagree. If one is going to publicly post about one's disagreement with an organization, one should be willing to put his or her name to it. This poster obviously distains and disagrees with LCG, so I have to wonder, why is he/she still part of the organization? If one doesn't believe what they believe, there are lots of alternatives available. Why pretend to be part of them, and then publicly tear them apart. No matter what organization one is with, if you don't feel convicted about the tenants of that organization, don't be a part of it. It's that simple.
ReplyDeleteIf one is going to publicly post about one's disagreement with an organization, one should be willing to put his or her name to it. This poster obviously distains and disagrees with LCG, so I have to wonder, why is he/she still part of the organization?
ReplyDeleteThe moles here may have husbands or wives who are committed to LCG, and may even be on its payroll. LCG has become almost as ruthless as PCG about breaking up families when one member is loyal to Rod Meredith and the other is disloyal. If your spouse is an LCG minister or employee, speaking up will very likely cause you to lose your family.
The LCG should have entitled the video, The Future Doom of Meredith's Work.
ReplyDeleteThat would be too honest, I guess.
When you treat those in your group with Stalinist methodology, you must expect to see the same sort of counter-measures taken by members of your church as were taken by many Russian citizens during the peak years of the USSR.
ReplyDeleteI thought that by now, everyone realized that there has always been a thriving underground within Armstrongism. Due to the flagrant abuses, there have always been subversives and moles. These are the same caliber of people who would have been working for change in Russia, hiding people from the KGB, and distributing dissident materials. What do we say about such Russians today? They were heroes, just as Schindler was a courageous German hero during Hitler's reign.
Vigorously and insistantly calling something "God's Church" doesn't make it so, doesn't immunize it from criticism for their rampant inhumanity. Reality is these churches have no right to use God's name as part of their own! Living Church of God? More like Living Church of Crap! And that's not an indictment of the sincere members. They're the victims, many of them fairly innocent collaborators.
You don't believe me? Watch out for their place of "safety"! That's when they'll show their real colors, blaming it all on God, as usual!
BB
When you leave for the Place of Safety with your little cult group, be prepared.
ReplyDeleteTake plenty of firearms with the appropriate ammunition.
You'll need it.
ReplyDeleteBlack Ops Mikey on December 30, 2016 at 7:20 PM said...
“Now, he starts off saying he associated and met with the leaders of the Sardis church. That would be the Church of God Seventh Day. Now if we do a quick comparison between the LCG and CoG7D today, the CoG7D is at least 30 times larger than Living.”
Yes, that certainly would be the Church of God (Seventh Day) that he is talking about.
To meet those “30 times” more people that supposedly exist somewhere in the Church of God (Seventh Day) and all the related unnamed groups with which it is supposedly associated, all you have to do is go to numerous unspecified foreign countries far far away and look under the rocks to try to find them. If you prefer to stay in the USA, there are about 5,000 Church of God (Seventh Day) people right here. Some of these Church of God (Seventh Day) people hang out at nearby Seventh Day Adventist churches when their own tiny little groups fizzle out amidst all their internal bickering. The bad examples that they then set in the Seventh Day Adventist churches are an embarrassment.
ReplyDeleteRoderick Meredith spent the past 24 years constantly trying to minimize the relatively YUGE WCG work that Herbert Armstrong had done, while claiming that his own relatively tiny GCG/LCG work was going to “shake the nations.” This has not yet panned out, even though Roderick Meredith had started off his groups with a bunch of Herbert Armstrong's followers. Roderick Meredith still was unable to get his LCG up to even one-tenth of the size of what Herbert Armstrong had got the WCG up to. Nevertheless, maybe LCG members should be thankful for what they do have, and be glad that it is not even worse than it is.
Norman Edwards left Roderick Meredith's GCG with a stolen mailing list to try to publish his own Servants' News newsletter. Norman Edwards' main thing was to teach against the idea of hierarchical government and against the idea of following anyone. Apparently, everyone “listened” to him, and nobody followed him. As the “leader” of the leaderless Independents, he thought that they could all disagree without being disagreeable. Norman Edwards appears to have been mistaken, and to have come to nothing.
David Pack used to complain that the “Presiding Evangelist” Roderick Meredith did not believe that Herbert Armstrong was the Elijah. David Pack used to accuse Roderick Meredith of secretly desiring to be the Elijah himself. While plotting to sideline Roderick Meredith, David Pack himself got sidelined by other GCG board members. Now, David Pack claims to be the Elijah. The major proof of David Pack's claim is that he “restored” the “common” doctrine idea that you have to obediently send him everything you have or else burn in heck. David Pack used to accuse other leaders of vomiting on their listeners. Now, for the longest time, David Pack has been puking uncontrollably all over his RCG members in a seemingly endless series of prophetic sickness.
Bob Thiel tried to put together an audience for himself with his cogwriter website while going to the LCG. Now, Bob Thiel complains that Roderick Meredith does not believe that he is a real prophet. Unfortunately, Bob Thiel is correct. Bob Thiel is a very real false prophet. Apparently, Bob Thiel was mentally challenged, and started his CCG to revert back to Catholicism, paganism, and demon worship. That can easily happen to a vain goof when he begins to think of himself in terms that are “not realistic.”
Troublemakers who disagree with what the LCG teaches want to have so-called “private Bible Studies” where they can teach their own crazy ideas to LCG members without a minister around to correct their errors. They are not trying to undo Roderick Meredith's own hybrid-gospel, marriage-supper-in-heaven, or great-falling-away-in-the-world “doctrinal upgrade” heresies. Rather, they want to introduce their own insane heresies. It really sucks to go to a so-called COG for its teachings but then run into all these freaks and weirdos trying to tell you all their own crazy theories.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous on December 30, 2016 at 5:36 PM said...“Why is Meredith so hung up on gays? Can cannot write or preach without bringing the gays into he mix. I wonder what his son that struggled with gay issues feels like sitting there listening to this constant bullshit? We had heard years ago that one of his sons liked guys, but homophobe daddy forced him to get married.”
The whole LGBTQlmnop thing is becoming very big these days. Hollywood never stops talking about such things and promoting them. More Hollywood actors keep coming out of the closet than clowns out of the Volkswagon. Soon, all Hollywood stars will have to be LGBTQ, or at least pretend to be even if they are not. Hollywood is so obsessed with the LGBTQ agenda that it seems like all shows now have to promote it. RCM is absolutely right about what is happening. RCM feels that as an evangelist it is his responsibility to say something about it.
Not all men want women in the men's bathrooms, and not all women want men in the women's bathrooms. Not all people at school and elsewhere want to shower with other people of the opposite sex. Not all parents want their children to grow up confused about whether they are boys or girls. Not everyone wants birth certificates or other documents to list boys as girls or girls as boys. Not everyone wants to be bullied for believing in God and trying to obey him. Not all people want FREE SPEECH to be abolished and replaced with PERVERT SPEECH where only those who hate God are allowed to express their opinions, and where God's views are called HATE SPEECH and legally banned.
The LGBTQ agenda is an excellent example of what HWA had taught about America and Britain utterly rejecting all of God's laws and sinning so badly that God will punish them.
Sure. Find me Rod's "HATE SPEECH" arrest record and Ill believe you.
DeleteAnon 828 wrote:
ReplyDeleteBob Thiel ... revert back to Catholicism, paganism, and demon worship
While I admit I'm speculating, I'd say it's not so. Bob has an interest in comparing and contrasting alternate prophecies and interpretations with his own. At the first FOT I attended, a minister read from an early Catholic prophecy that claimed the Anti-Christ would revert to Jewish Law. I thought that was amazing.
Bob also posts and critiques a lot of Catholic things, so it's not unusual to find COGwriter posts related to saints' days, papal history, etc. Part of this, I speculate, is because RCM told Bob he thought a Catholic prophecy about an end-time antagonist was about him (ie, Bob). So I think Bob has been trying to make it so.
In his latest post, 2025... Bob admits the Great Commission and Matt. 24:14 haven't been fulfilled (by a COG) and coincidentally, I posted that several times over the past few days. Bob writes that when he announces to the world who the King of the North is, people will then "pour through CCOG literature".
Hoss writes:
ReplyDeleteIn his latest post, 2025... Bob admits the Great Commission and Matt. 24:14 haven't been fulfilled (by a COG)
Herbie said the great commission had been fulfilled.
LGBTQ?
ReplyDeleteOh, darn.
I had to Google it.
The Q is for Queer.
Just thought I'd save the rest of you the trouble, although it somehow seems redundantly redundant.
And as for Meredith constantly preaching about LGBTQ, why doesn't he preach how they can be redeemed and transformed?
Oh, well, no, that's probably not possible seeing how this reparative therapy or whatever you want to call it doesn't work.
Why would anyone ever think that LCG offers any sort of salvation when all they can do is complain about the sin and sinners (some of which they are -- well, especially if you count false prophets with the death penalty pronounced upon them).
The King of the North is King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, obviously.
ReplyDeleteSweden is the country furthest north extending into the arctic which still has a king.
I hope this answers all the questions you Biblical prophecy buffs (tempting to use a different word here) may have.
Why do people have to make this so hard?!
Meredith's repetitiveness could be attributed to an aging mind. Seniors tend to be repetitive - what they say seems new and fresh to them but may actually be trite. It happens.
ReplyDeleteBut on the other hand, should we expect Armstrongism to develop a new message? RM and others use this message because it is tried and true. It appeals to their base and brings in money. If the money were to stop - the message would change. It is a matter of supply and demand. I think we tend to underestimate the economics of Armstrongism - its really all about money.
ReplyDeleteSome Living Church of God members sound like they are growing tired of hearing Roderick C. Meredith's same old 3 or 4 sermons over and over and over again and again and again. Below are some suggestions for various positive and negative changes that could be made by different people to their routines to try to alleviate some of the boredom:
What Roderick Meredith could do:
Over 30 years ago, back in 1985, Herbert W. Armstrong published what he considered to be his most important book, called Mystery of the Ages. A few months later, on January 16, 1986, Herbert Armstrong died. Roderick Meredith could obtain an original copy of this book (NOT Gerald Flurry's edited and changed version) and read it, so that Rod can finally learn something new to himself and bring his teachings up to date with the latest teachings of Herbert Armstrong.
Sometimes, it seems like the big shots in the Worldwide Church of God never even bothered to read Herbert Armstrong's books, articles, and co-worker letters, much less believe them.
What LCG members could do:
LCG members could seriously adjust their attitudes by trying a temporary stint with David Pack's RCG, just to see how good they actually have things in the LCG. Instead of 24 years of a self-styled “Presiding Evangelist,” they can look forward to seeing what Dave will call himself next week. Already, Dave is an apostle, Joshua the High Priest, Elijah the Prophet, and That Prophet. Maybe next week Dave will discover that he is Jesus Christ. Somehow, one cannot help suspecting that something like that is coming sooner or later.
Are you tired of the same old prophetic understanding because you think you heard it all before and know it all? Dave's new prophetic insanity will fascinate you by the way it keeps on changing. It could string you along week after week (with “exact details”) like a bad “soap” on television. You can look forward (with trembling and fear) to wondering what crazy new idea you will be expected to believe next week and be expected to pretend that you proved for yourself from your own Bible. As long as you are spiritual enough to grow in understanding really, really fast and quickly agree with everything that Dave dreams up, he should not have to yell and spit at you personally.
Of course, to join the RCG, you will be expected to read through something like 1500 to 2000 pages of Dave's Splinter Explanation Package. You will be encouraged to read it online so that it will not cost Dave anything. You will also be expected to read the latest version, rather than the old stuff that has now been massively changed and/or deleted. You will also be required to hand over everything you own to Dave. Then, if the LCG will take you back (it might not!), you will never again complain about how boring the LCG is. Some competitive old fuddy-duddy like Rod still trying unsuccessfully to compete with Herbert Armstrong is nothing compared to the excitement of a raging false prophet like psycho Dave. Among the splinter groups, excitement is so overrated. Boredom is what you really want.
Anonymous stated, "Your mole shouldn't make himself/herself so obvious." I disagree. If one is going to publicly post about one's disagreement with an organization, one should be willing to put his or her name to it. This poster obviously distains and disagrees with LCG, so I have to wonder, why is he/she still part of the organization? If one doesn't believe what they believe, there are lots of alternatives available. Why pretend to be part of them, and then publicly tear them apart. No matter what organization one is with, if you don't feel convicted about the tenants of that organization, don't be a part of it. It's that simple.
ReplyDeleteJanuary 1, 2017 at 7:47 AM
ANSWER FROM SOMEONE WHO AGREES WITH THE ORIGINAL POST: Being bored to tears after hearing the exact same sermon from Mr. Meredith for nearly two decades IN NO WAY means that I "don't feel convicted about the tenant" of LCG. It just means that Mr. Meredith's sermons are uninspired and difficult to sit through because he says THE EXACT SAME THING every single time. If you live in Charlotte and don't agree, please check to ensure that you have a pulse and are actually alive.
Further, just because I have looked further than LCG published booklets and literature to "prove", or as the case may be "not prove" BI (it's complete crap) doesn't mean I'm "pretending". In fact, quite to the contrary. I have discussed it with multiple LCG ministers. I'm quite open about it. You might be surprised to learn how many LCG ministers feel about BI...
I stay because I believe in the Sabbath and the Holy Days. A move to another ACoG would be a lateral move from what I can tell and I have built a life of friends in LCG. I can't imagine a Feast with strangers and no friends. I've been in LCG long enough to learn that if you leave you lose your friends. I'm not prepared to do that. So for now I will just be bored to tears every Sabbath, enjoy the fellowship of my friends, and do my own Bible study (or watch a video sermon from COGWA which are SIGNIFICANTLY better) before I go to church at 2 pm.
I wish I knew who the "mole" was so we could commiserate. I'm sure that whoever it is is like many of us who are just biding our time waiting to see what happens to LCG when Mr. Meredith dies. If Mr. Weston turns LCG even harder to the right and the church becomes even MORE domineering and controlling (like Pack and Flury), I predict a mass exodus. Sadly, that is my prediction based on his reputation from people I know who have been in Mr. Weston's congregations. One thing is sure, time will tell.
Anonymous 4:34PM said:
ReplyDeleteBeing bored to tears after hearing the exact same sermon from Mr. Meredith for nearly two decades IN NO WAY means that I "don't feel convicted about the tenant" of LCG. It just means that Mr. Meredith's sermons are uninspired and difficult to sit through because he says THE EXACT SAME THING every single time.
The "tenant" of LCG is that you are supposed to be in LCG because RCM raised up the Global Church of God with a collegial form of government and an empowered Council of Elders, then changed his mind and started LCG with a one-man government and and window-dressing COE.
In other words, Meredith founded Global's form of government and insisted that everybody follow that government... except for himself, when he was disciplined by that form of government, at which point he ran off and started LCG.
Would God have inspired or led Meredith to start Global with the wrong government, then to start LCG with the right government? Or is it more likely that God didn't inspire either?
If God inspired the founding of Global, He also showed that Meredith was unqualified, because the government of Meredith's own Global found him to be a liar and sower of division. If God didn't inspire the founding of Global, then why would He inspire some rebel who had pridefully and willfully founded a wrong church to start a true church?
Remember, too, that Meredith's closest aide in starting GCG and LCG was a child molestor. Does God work through child molestors? Oh, I forgot about HWA and Dorothy, so I guess the answer is "yes."
I know this isn't a very pleasant question, but if you "lose your friends" by leaving a group, are they really your friends anyway?
ReplyDeleteMy family left LCG about two years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe first three months or so were somewhat lonely, but we looked around for community organizations we could join to meet people with shared interests.
By six months out, we had a social routine that was as busy as our old LCG routine, except that we never had to drive more than a half-hour to go to a meeting with any of our new friends.
After about a year, we had started to develop some close friendships with our new friends.
Around that time, my wife became seriously ill. We let our old LCG acquaintances know about her illness, and one of our children who still has some close LCG ties even got his mother's name on a prayer list.
So, who was it who came to visit my wife in the hospital? Was it the LCG friends she had known for nearly 20 years? NOT ONE of the LCG friends visited or even phoned to express their concern or support. It was our new friends, people we had known for no more than a year, who rallied to my wife's side and gave her the encouragement that she so needed.
When she was discharged from the hospital, my wife reminded me of my own time in the hospital about a decade ago. Even while we were LCG members in good standing, nobody from LCG had bothered to visit me in the hospital. At the time I didn't think anything of it, as I just assumed everyone was busy with their work and with their many church activities. But seeing how non-LCG-members rallied for my wife, the contrast was too great to ignore.
If you are still in LCG, do not fear. Life is much better on the outside. You will have friends. Real friends. Better friends than you ever had in LCG.
Mikey wrote: The King of the North is King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
ReplyDeleteAnd I always considered the King of the South to be Elvis.
I listened to as much as I could. It was SO, SO BORING. OMG, and to think I sat through almost 13 years of this nonsense when I was a member. What is amazing is that anyone shows up for this stuff.
ReplyDeleteWhat you are saying might be true, but I was someone bold enough to leave and coping with the reality of having almost no friends no one to lean on and place to go is not easy, I honestly believe that some people won't make it without support,I heard the stories of trauma but now I am experiencing it now for myself was even diagnosed with depression, not that it is best to stay where you don't want to be but having a plan and seeking outside help and support may be necessary if possible. Tried another Cog could not fit in.
ReplyDeleteI'm not advocating a permanent reclusive lifestyle, but often, periods of being alone can help one get to know oneself. Clutter is removed, so that deeper thinking and greater clarity are possible. It can be a time of purification, after which one can be a better friend, associate, or muse.
DeleteThe many obligations to an ACOG, or other demanding group creates an excess of, for lack of a better term, "white noise". That makes you subject to group think, or group consciousness. I like the example of the former members above, the couple who found a higher level of friendship and social activities after having left LCG. Probably one thing they had going for them that not all do is natural gregariousness. If you are outgoing in one setting, generally you will carry that personalit trait with you into the next. Sometimes, it takes a while, during which it feels like limbo, or a dead spot, but there is a much better life available outside of these cults.
BB
Anon 2:55 wrote:
ReplyDelete"I listened to as much as I could. It was SO, SO BORING. OMG, and to think I sat through almost 13 years of this nonsense when I was a member. What is amazing is that anyone shows up for this stuff."
It helps to be born into the cult.
I'll bet that 90%+ of current members have taken exactly that route.
well actually 90% is probably way too high :-)
ReplyDeleteStill though, maybe around 50%?
Opinionated wrote: Herbie said the great commission had been fulfilled.
ReplyDeleteThe Christian buzzword "Great Commission" was made up, and used as a reference to Matt 28:16-20. However, HWA used the term to refer to his assumed calling to “To preach the true gospel to the world as a witness” and to “Feed the flock”.
In his early writings while in CG7, HWA stated his calling was to “preach as a witness”. Part of that was the “Third Angel’s Message” (Rev. 7:2) that CG7 pushed, and HWA believed was his BI “revelation”.
I wouldn't normally have wasted my life listening to an LCG sermon but I has a long drive today so I thought, "why not".
ReplyDeleteI am utterly shocked that Rod Meredith still has any members in his little church!
This sermon was complete trash. I mean half of it is just Rod tooting his own horn. His personal history, resume and supposed importance because he knew Mr. Armstrong better than anyone else.
What Biblical message was I meant to take away? I guess I'm just blind and dumb cause I didn't get it!
Or maybe, just maybe... all those LCG members who have convinced themselves that this horrible sermon (I use that term loosely) was "inspired" are blind, dumb and utterly brainwashed.
Boring sermons? I attended AC from 71-73. Might the sermons be boring because they have learned little that is new and can only repeat what limited knowledge that they have to their audience? We are to grow in "grace and knowledge", but they seem frozen in time, spiritually and intellectually.
ReplyDeleteWhere are all your brilliant comments and acheivements? Why don't you post
ReplyDeletethose instead of spending literally decades in trying told belittle someone else's achievements?
What connection to God and his righteousness do you have that you can share?
I mean, now that you have vented your spleen all these years about Mr. Armstrong,
what do you have to offer worthwhile and that helps us grow in grace and knowledgel.
Go ahead—we are waiting.