Oh, you scoffing unbelievers! When Dave Pack speaks it is like casting beautiful pearls at dirty, filthy, unclean pigs who doubt him.
Now, a couple of other things. For those who don’t have the Holy Spirit…I don’t care how intelligent they are…Mr. Armstrong came up with the best analogy I’ve ever heard and that is, he said—you’re trying to teach higher math to a cow. You’ve got an upside-down Bible. And we have to recognize there are people in the congregations around the world—only a few, gladly. I’m happy about that. Virtually none anymore, but occasionally somebody will leave who will receive the scriptures in this long series…Part 38 now…like a cow would receive higher math.They could be a minister. Mr. Armstrong found, and he said, “I’ve had the painful reality to come to realize that many rose to the rank of Evangelist and I ordained them and they were not converted”—and he said that before he saw what happened after his lifetime. So I’ve ordained people who were no more converted than a stump—or a turnip—or whatever you want to say…analogies I’ve used. Christ didn’t use the cow analogy. He said it this way…He said “Don’t cast pearls before swine.” Now…Mr. Armstrong wasn’t calling people cows. Christ was not calling people pigs, but to give the truth to someone who has no understanding is like giving it to a pig.
Now sometimes, the problem is…quoting Mr. Armstrong or Christ…the cows, or the pigs, get into the Church and then along comes awesome pearls and the pigs trample you. It wasn’t you out on a street trying to tell your relatives…or at home or on the job…of something, and casting pearls before swine. But what if the cows or the swine are sitting, if you will…I’m just using their words (you know, Mr. Armstrong and Christ)…are sitting in the congregation? I won’t know when I’m casting pearls to people who have no chance to understand them. I’m teaching trigonometry or calculus to cows, and so when they leave, you should understand that’s what happened.
He's right that HWA didn't call people cows. I don't think that "dumb sheep" is somehow better, or more enlightened, though.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that both HWA and Pack seem to have a communication problem, in that they can't work both up and down the scale. If they felt as if they were so far above (higher math), as teachers or ministers, it is their responsibility to come down to a level where they can make themselves understandable. If God holds people accountable regardless of IQ, or disabilities, ministers have an obligation to conduct "special ed" classes. That's their job! There is no "so and so just can't get these pearls!"
BB
To Dave conversion has nothing to do with God! Conversion equals do everything, and believe everything, that I say! I love how he says there are not many left now, meaning, you only leave if you are unconverted. Of course he would say this, what else would he say, they left because they were converted and seen thru my twisting of scriptures, facts, statistics, fruits, etc...
ReplyDeleteThis seems to contrast the previous post, Invited More People. To rework a scripture, Many are invited, few choose to stay.
ReplyDeleteThis probably seems okay, with the emphasis on "witness toall nations" compared to "make disciples of all nations". The COGs boast about achieving the first command, but not the second.
David Pack has no spirit flowing. Neither did Herb, according to Bobby Fischer who had met him.
ReplyDeleteMr. Armstrong found, and he said, “I’ve had the painful reality to come to realize that many rose to the rank of Evangelist and I ordained them and they were not converted”
ReplyDeleteSo much for Herbert Armstrong being able to 'perceive spirits'. What clueless moron fool. He wasn't converted either, else... well you know how vile he was.
No, the analogy is a bit off.
To explain science and the truth to Armstrongist 1%, particularly Pack, is like explaining rainbows to earthworms.
We'll think about trying to communicate with him when he reaches the level of cows or pigs. Pigs are actually pretty smart. Not like Dave Pack at all.
HWA said: “I’ve had the painful reality to come to realize that many rose to the rank of Evangelist and I ordained them and they were not converted”
ReplyDeleteHe meant "compliant". Typo...
Dave speaks like a pig calling a hog pork.
ReplyDeleteThis conversion thing is quite a circus. Dennis is right when he equates the COG approach with compliance. Branding people as unconverted became quite a thing in the 1970s, maybe even more so later, but I wouldn't know about that. I was so branded at one time and my first wife was re-baptized. I wised up and never went through that circus. I no longer take the Bible seriously, but if you believe it, conversion is simply repentance followed by baptism. It has nothing whatsoever to do with ass kissing a clergy, but that's what it has become.
ReplyDeleteAllen C. Dexter
The term "unconverted" is actually a very nice approach in armstrongist terminology. It signals that these persons have a chance to be in the Kingdom even having excercized authority by the laying of hands within the body of christ and then falling away. It signals they had never received or used "the holy spirit". Which is a good thing if one acts like an apostate. So no eternal death, which in armstrongism would mean a chance of redemption. Nck
ReplyDeleteAccusing members of not being converted or not having the holy spirit, was just another club and manipulative tool of control by the power hungry clergy.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't uncommon for members who deeply offended the ministers to be embarrassed and humiliated by being told to get rebaptised.
The topic is peoples eternal lives, and the ministers play these silly games. They deserve severe punishment.
apparently DCP is talking about himself....
ReplyDeleteWe must remember that these are the people who believe that HWA and they themselves are in Bible prophecy. They believe that Jesus Christ is going to return to install Armstrongism on planet Earth as God's government. And, they teach that if you can't accept Armstrongism, if you reject it based on its fallacies or because it can easily be disproven, then you just didn't understand. So they have you being brought back to life to be convinced, and if you still reject it, or can be redeceived, eternal death kicks in. If this scenario ends up not just being a function of their ego, and by some stretch of the imagination actually ends up happening, then eternal death will be more like opting out. It's really more like both parties making a mutually agreed upon correction. Eternal death is what believers in some of the other popular philosophies already expect to happen upon their physical deaths anyway. The key difference here is that Armstrongism teaches that eternal death is the final weapon to get rid of nonconformists to their narrow, simplistic and oppressive belief system. Fortunately, I believe something much better than a choice between eternal Armstrongism and eternal death awaits us.
ReplyDeleteBB
I really don't know what awaits after death. I suspect it's just non-existence which is no more frightening to me than the non-existence that preceded my birth. If something survives, and for how long, who in this temporal existence could know? There's all kinds of anecdotal stuff thrown around, and if there's any substance to any of it, it certainly bears no resemblance to the common beliefs about heaven and hell. Energy can't be destroyed, but it certainly changes forms. This trying to attach certainties to it all is, in my opinion, rather pointless. I'm not looking forward to crossing the Styx or any other of the fanciful things humans have come up with. The day is fast approaching now, and I'm not feeling any anxiety about it. No vaunted human sacrifice of a supposed god man is going to have the slightest bearing on it. Que Sera que sera.
ReplyDeleteAllen C. Dexter
Byker Bob wrote: you just didn't understand
ReplyDeleteWhen I go visit the homestead during the summer, I compliantly go along to the small Protestant church with the family. When I comment on anything, my mother usually gives me the "you just don't understand" line. I understand it's a small, mostly closed group with median age a few years above mine, and slowly shrinking by natural attrition - just like the COGs... You have to be "inside" to "understand".