The following is from False Prophet Ronald Weinland: Don't Drink the Flavor Aid Served by False Prophets
A question was directed towards a former follower of Ron Weinland to respond to. It is a question that almost all who have left Armstrongism and the Churches of God get asked by people when they hear stories about the corruption, lies and aberrant doctrines that members were expected to overlook or believe. It was a specific question concerning Ron Weinerdude Weinland's teaching that Christ did not preexist. The preexistence of Christ is almost a universal understanding of Christianity, but not for some COG followers.
A person was asked why they got sucked into Weinerdude's teachings. The same can be applied to how could people have been sucked into Herbert Armstrong's, Rod Meredith's, Dave Pack's, Gerald Flurry's, Bob Thiel's, Vik Kubik's and other COG leaders lies and deceptions.
I look back now and I cannot believe how damn stupid I was!!! I KNOW BETTER THAN THIS!!!!
The only thing I will give nothingburger weinland credit for is this, “he is one hell of a salesman”!!! Until you realize that, this is all he is, a salesman!!
The good news is that I am far wiser now than I was then. I stand on “what I know” and “what I believe” and I do not give a damn what someone like weinland has to sell. As a matter of fact, I would welcome a face to face encounter with weinland!! He knows and I know he would NOT stand a chance against me ever again!! weinland is a liar and he lacks the courage to face any opposition that would challenge him and/or embarrass him in public and/or in front of his remaining worshipers (they worship weinland not God). If they truly understood what God teaches they would have left long ago!!!
Ask yourself this question, where the hell is he?? All of his boisterous claims about God’s only chosen one and how the world will tremble at his feet, well, where the hell are you nothingburger weinland!!??
"Salesman" is a good term to describe all past and present Church of God leaders. They are selling their version of a product no matter how bad and stinky it might be. Like people who buy products on late night TV, Christians get sucked in by "dynamic" preachers who make them feel special and set apart from the world with insider or exclusive truths that have been supposedly revealed by the preacher's god.
In Armstrongism alone, there are between 400 - 700 different splinter groups that have arisen over the last 80 some years. Everyone of these blowhards claim an exclusive inside track to knowledge not reveled to any other COG minister. From the bombastic big boys like HWA, GTA, Flurry and Pack to the latest pissant upstarts like Bob Thiel and James Malm, these men of deceit are destroying peoples lives.
In every single group out there today, there are members sitting there every week thinking, "Why am I here?" or "Why don't I have the guts to get up and walk out?" or "How can Dave say such idiotic things?" We have all done it.
So the next time you are sitting there and hear something incredibly stupid or appalingly wrong, remember that you KNOW BETTER THAN THAT and take a bold move and set yourself free!
9 comments:
One consolation is that these groups usually ultimately bring themselves to ruin. You can even watch this in progress in their financial reports. Weinland didn't release audited financials, but COGWA is open enough to do so, as is LCG:
COGWA 2016 Financials
LCG 2016 Financials
Notice that LCG spent $18.9 million last year but has just $1.6 million in cash reserves.
COGWA spent $11.2 million and has $4.2 million in cash reserves.
Most business experts recommend that a company have at least three months of cash reserve to weather unpredictable events. COGWA seem to be responsible stewards, with cash reserves equal to about 38% of a year's expenses. LCG, on the other hand, has just 8% of a year's expenses. In other words, if everyone in LCG banked their tithes for just one month, the organization could run out of money. A two-week postal strike could cut LCG reserves in half. Rod Meredith died before he could bankrupt two churches, but he seems to have left LCG very close to the brink.
I lost a lot of friends and family because of that Armstrong shit. After I got as far away as I possibly could from WCG, I tried my best to reconcile with my family and friends and some of them didn't trust me anymore because they thought it was a trick to get them to join Worldwide. My life has been in shambles 'cause of Hebert Armstrong. I hope that old fart burns in hell fire !!!
Anon at 11:24
You are correct about cash reserves. 2 to 3 months reserves are typical. Some companies will use lines of credit or other mechanisms as reserves. Low cash reserves can indicate one of two things, and they are actually opposite of each other, it either indicates extremely efficient cash management, or conversely, overspending and a drawing down of reserves.
So the above churches have incomes of 11 to 19 million dollars, yet the smaller (3-4 thousand) PCG went and brought a 13 million dollar jet.
My bible says 'prove all things,' a private responsibility. I wonder how many members in these wacko groups have immorally 'sub contracted' this responsibility to their ministers. It's like a religious version of McDonald's. A ready made belief system, instance (fair weather) friends, and a daddy minister that relieves one of personal responsibility.
It's also like selling your soul to the devil.
Financial responsibility in the early WCG was non-existent. Herb flew by the seat of his pants, and it wasn't until Al Portune forced financial responsibility that it became a financial behemoth, but the spending never was at safe levels where Herb himself was concerned. One time, he, Rader and company went through the mail processing center where he grabbed fistfuls of cash and doled it out, precipitating finacial chaos for others to straighten out. Then, he went on another lavish trip and spent just as wildly. He was basically a mafia don, and you lived well if you could stay in his good graces.
Allen C. Dexter
In Armstrongism alone, there are between 400 - 700 different splinter groups that have arisen over the last 80 some years. Everyone of these blowhards claim an exclusive inside track to knowledge not reveled to any other COG minister.
Not true. Some, perhaps many, of these little groups simply say they are holding onto certain teachings that were given to all or many other groups. Some of these little local groups have no minister or deacon, if those are the blowhards you are referring to.
Herb flew by the seat of his pants...
It was a magic carpet ride.
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