Why Do Church Members STILL Insist That Ministers Tell Them What To Do In 2017?

For decades the Worldwide Church of God controlled every aspect of our lives. Booklets, articles, and personal correspondence letters on hundreds of different topics spelled out what we should be doing and what we should not.  Church members were treated like ignorant little kids who were incapable of making decisions on their own.  Ministers told members what color of clothing and what style to wear, what color of cars to buy, what kind of jobs were permissible, what kind of foods to eat, the importance of carob and honey, when to make reservations for the Feast, what schools and colleges church youth could attend, and much much more.

I remember many times my mother would write countless questions for the minister to answer at Bible Study.  These ministers determined how we lived, what we ate and how we "worshipped."  While some of these men were telling us what to do they were wife swapping, committing adultery, stealing tithe money for their own use and more.

Here is a person in 2017 who is still expecting church ministers to tell him what to do.  This person is also upset that Herbert Armstrong did not articulate more on the subject of what was "approved" medicine.  Even if he had gone into great detail there were two standards for the use of medicine in the church.  Herbert Armstrong's use and what members were told to do.  Two opposite extremes.

Now then, there is one major area that I certainly WISH that Mr. Armstrong would have covered in some detail.  That is the role that health and this world's traditional Medical profession should play (if any) in the life of a truly converted Christian.  And it is not like this topic is of minor importance in our lives.  Virtually EVERYBODY will get sick or contract a major disease at some point in their lives. 

Frankly, that's what happened to me.  And since the time I came into the Church in 1969 at age 19, I never wanted anything to do Doctors, Hospitals, their procedures, or chemical medications.  I, like I believe we were encouraged to do, sincerely wanted GOD and JESUS CHRIST to be my doctors.  I wanted to always rely on GOD for healing - if by reason of ignorance, weakness, or even foolishness - I found myself in the situation of serious illness and in need of healing.  But I never remember Mr. Armstrong addressing various detailed topics of health and the medical profession and its procedures in any detailed way. 

What I mean by that is, for example:

    - How should we deal with high cholesterol issues?  Should we be tested for it?  Should we be taking prescribed medications to control it?

    - How should we deal with diabetes?  Should we be tested for it?  Should we be taking medications for it?

    - How should we deal with high blood pressure?  Should we be tested for it?  Should we take prescribed medications for it?

    - Should we screened for various cancers?  If something shows up, should we medically do anything about it?

    - and on and on.....

I was told by a minister who was in the medical profession and close to Mr. Armstrong, that he (Mr. Armstrong) DID go to doctors.  He had a doctor attending to him near the end of his life.  I asked the man, "Well what about Mrs. Loma Armstrong?.  I understand that she could have undergone a fairly simple procedure to clear her intestinal blockage, but it was refused.".  He responded to me that Mrs. Armstrong was not quite on the same page as her husband when it came to doctors, medications, and procedures.  She was more hard and fast against all that, whereas Mr. Armstrong was not.  It almost sounded like had it been up to Mr. Armstrong, he might have opted to have the doctors clear the blockage.

Well, I thought to myself, "Isn't that great!".  Here in a critical area of life where very serious consequences are at stake for our well-being, our futures, and our families, there is possibly major differences of opinion amongst our "first family", our ministry, and perhaps the entire membership!  So how is it?  This way or that?  Yea or nay?  Do we sometimes make use of them for more than just the proverbial "setting of broken bones" or what?!?  THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!

I mean, Mr. Armstrong spent hundreds and hundreds of sermons giving essentially the exact same message concerning the "Two Trees".  Not to say that that message was not very important.  I still listen to his many reiterations of that message to this day.  But wouldn't it have been nice to have had a little instruction on some of these other topics from time to time (say even once a year), and dealt with in such a way so that there would have been no mistaking his stand on the issues?

I loved Mr. Armstrong, and still do.  And I have the highest respect for him and his instruction and ministry.  That's why I wish there were some of these other areas he would have paid some attention to in terms of giving us desperately needed guidance.  I mean, he could have prepared us for the eventuality we find ourselves in right now in 2016-2017, where there are an abundance of false ministers and false prophets, each tugging away at us to put ourselves under them.  He could have foreseen what we might have had to go through in terms of being on our own, without brethren in a formal congregation and instructed us about it.  He could have explored the possibilities of what we might have to do if time went on after he died, even if time went on for more than 30 YEARS after he died.  There's just SO MUCH that could have been said in so many critically important areas, that might have significantly helped us to successfully navigate the rest of our lives.

Here is the main reason this person is asking these questions.  He bought into the idiotic teaching gotta church members were too stupid to make right decisions and to think on their own.  Thirty years after Herb's death and people are still brainwashed.

We brethren are all, to one degree or other, in one area of life or other, imperfect - that is lacking knowledge, being weak, or just plain being foolish.  It's not a matter of being "rebellious".  We should never be rebellious in any area.  But being ignorant, weak, or even foolish, is just being human.  Honestly, I don't want to be ANY of those things, not even human.  But alas we are human.  And as a result, it would have been nice to have been instructed in these, and perhaps many other CRITICALLY IMPORTANT areas of life so that we could have been more prepared for our futures in this life in 2016-2017, and ultimately in the Kingdom of God. 

Truly, can people be this immature and needy?  This is sick.  Totally sick!