Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Dave Pack: The campus is finished. I will build no more buildings. The end is near.



Poor Dave.  After losing so many members and the stream of money they sent to him, this has caused him to finally realize he cannot build his auditorium or student center.  Where is his "jesus" going to preach from when he returns to Wadsworth?  What a major disappointment for Dave this must be.  Having to sit there and watch Gerald Flurry have his auditorium, has to be humiliating for god's most important man!

Dave claims all money now coming in is going straight into getting his message out.  Well, except for the million or so it will take to build his home and homes for the other elite on campus.  There are priorities, after all.

The fire has started. You have endured much just over the last year. We’re in our 19th year in the Restored Church of God. I could list so many areas in where the Church has grown in love. I’ve seen zeal. I could be like Paul, telling the folks in Hebrew 10, don’t sell yourself short. We’ve done a lot of good things. The campus is essentially done. You know, extra funds that come in, they’re not going into the campus, they’re going into this Work.

Dave Pack: We have people here that are no more converted than carpet...and they smoke pot too.



I can't imagine sitting there week after week listening to these moronic statements from deluded Dave.

So…now, “Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help…[Now we start to move into the modern time.]…but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.” (vs. 34). Hmm, now that’s interesting. Now that’s always been the truth of the Church. We have people who come among us and they’re no more converted than carpet, not because they’re tares, that haven’t arrived yet…The wheat and tares is the time of the Kingdom…but they’re just flatterers.
They say the right things, and behind the scenes they’re smoking pot, and then they don’t want to be here 12 weeks later, you see? They’re just gone. Or they shack up or they do all kinds of things…the way maybe many of you did, but when you came you were serious and you changed. So don’t throw stones…

Dave Pack: Wild Times Are Ahead For RCG



Dave Pack anticipates 2,000 families will soon be pounding on his door in order to join his superfantabulous church. Then he admits 12 weeks later most will leave.  Once they find out how whacky his beliefs are and how much money they will need to fork over, they will flee for the exits.

You know, we’re coming up on 150 million items distributed and we’re about…I mean, we’re starting to take off again. You can imagine with our budget. And staggering numbers…I would anticipate within two, three, four months at the most, over 2,000 households are going to ask to come to church. An awful lot of them are going to be they stay 12 weeks or they don’t come at all, the vast majority. Low, single digits will be the only ones that come and then how many even stay? I understand all that. We’ve talked about that before, but the point is—you’ve got to understand—it’s going to be wild.

The Manipulative Way Dave Pack Controls His Members



This one little paragraph buried in Dave's sermon explains everything about Dave's manipulation of his members. Dave is the final authority on everything.  Do not question him. To do so is to deny the gospel and proves you have no faith.  To deny Dave's abilities means you deny the Bible. When you do that, then you have no chance of salvation.

I said I’d, earlier, ask again when do you want to escape? In which phase? I’m not speaking now about selling all, I’m just generally speaking now. I warn us all to be careful. Don’t adopt a backup plan. It’s my job to teach you there are different phases. But why on Earth, if you’re going to have to do the same things eventually, wouldn’t you do them early? You must obey the gospel. You must live by faith. Why would anyone risk everything waiting for a later phase so they can punish themselves?…

Friday, August 25, 2017

United Church of God and LifeNets



One of the ongoing issues that has continually resurfaced in the United Church of God is its ties to Vic Kubik's Lifenets charity that he runs and takes the glory for.  United has had its own arm called "Good Works." Now that Vic is President of UCG, the issue keeps resurfacing.  Vic has the best of both worlds now.  He gets the glory of being in charge of UCG and running his own charity using UCG members as a donor base.

UCG members and elders have asked why.  You can watch a video here UCG and LifeNets of the meeting where this is discussed.

It is interesting to see how they scramble to justify the unholy marriage of UCG and LifeNets.

In 2016 I posted this about UCG and LifeNets:  Vic Kubik's LifeNets Church of God

Many in UCG have always felt large discomfort with the blurring of the lines of UCG with LifeNets, the pet "ministry" of Vic Kubik.  Many question the man running two organizations that are suppose to be separate, but are they really?  LifeNets presents itself as a "humanitarian organization" to woo in the public while failing to disclose it is a Church of God related tool to encourage people to come over to the dark side.  Is Kubik and UCG too embarrassed to to say UCG is behind it and that it is a recruitment tool for  its "god", much like HWA started Ambassador Foundation because he was too embarrassed to say he represented the Worldwide Church of God?  While it has undeniably done some good, its motives are questionable. 
Those in Australia need to know (as do those in South Africa and most international locations) that their ‘church’ is not really an extension of the UCG in the USA — instead they are what Cincinnati calls the “LifeNets” churches –they are not funded by UCG any longer, have to be self-sufficient, and Kubik travels to them on LifeNets funds, not UCG money. This is why the moment the “airy” sermon is over, Kubik launches into a 45-minute LifeNets presentation to the congregation. Legally he has to do this because he is on LifeNets money which is being audited. The members are not in a Church, they are just laborers in a commercial LifeNets exercise, even thought they don’t know it. Council members who did not want Kubik as president (took the most re-balloting ever ) finally acquiesced over the information that it would save UCG money since Kubik was the only only one who could travel internationally on another budget (namely his private Corporation Sole LifeNets, which has made him the wealthiest Council member, and which he built in competition with the Good Works program, since that one wasn’t going to earn him anything personally). 
And yes, we are all supposed to give up our various ‘cultural backgrounds’ to put on the culture of Christ, but this man Kubik still can’t disconnect himself from a Ukrainian village he has never really lived in, now bending the truth to accommodate a small Pentecostal and trinitarian group there that clearly for over 20 years has shown no interest in joining with UCG. But,like the populism of Brexit and Trump, it’s beginning to all blow up: we have what we call the “parking lot church” in our congregation — it’s about what is said when everyone goes to their cars so the minister can’t hear them, and it’s about 50% of the congregation now that meets this way — outside. The moment someone stands up with some integrity and calls UCG out on all of this, the following is in place and ready to move.

In 2015 we had this up:  UCG: With Income Above Normal, Home Office Takes Money From "Charity" For Poor Africans To Build Play Set For Privileged HQ Children

But it also included this, which has irritated a LOT of UCG members in the Cincinnati area and around the country.

Home Office Grounds: A new playset for children was put up on our grounds. It was largely financed by LifeNets.

UCG members are asking WHY it is that UCG had to take money from Vic Kubik's "charity", that is supposed to be helping the poor and destitute in Africa and elsewhere, to install a play set that UCG SHOULD have done on their own.  With income coming in at more than they expected this year, members are wondering why a thousand or so dollars could not have been spent on this playset.  A playset that only the children of the privileged  UCG employees and some few members will get to use.  God forbid of the unwashed children of the Cincinnati area played on it!
This also has led to more grumbling from UCG members as to why Vic Kubik is running his "charity" LifeNets while being President of the UCG.  Many see this as a deep conflict of interest especially when UCG tries to guilt trip members into donating to Vic's pet cause.  A cause that gives the impression to the world that it is a charity for ALL in need, but in reality it is geared towards UCG members in poor countries and some non-aligned sabbatarian groups in Eastern Europe.  A few good works do go towards those outside the small sabbatarian world, but its main focus is inward.  Many UCG members feel that he needs to resign from either LifeNets or the presidency position.
Apparently a play set for the privileged elite at HQ was more important than clean drinking water or life saving mosquito nets for the disenfranchised in Africa.  Jesus must be pleased. Privilege does have it rewards!

Dave Pack: There are bastards in the church



“If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons: for what son is he whom the father chastens not?” (vs. 7). Welcome to Christianity if you’re feeling chastening. “But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers…[One way or another, God has to get us ready. The faster and the better you learn, the stronger your conviction, then good. But if you don’t]…then are you bastards, and not sons” (vs. 8).
We don’t have to call anybody bastards; but there are bastards in the Church. At some point, they’ll reveal themselves, and in the sense of what God says, you’ll literally say, “You’re a bastard.” Now today, people say, “You bastard!” or whatever they say. You know what I mean. A bastard is just somebody illegitimate. But…you’re illegitimate, you came in here as My son, and I chastened you and you wouldn’t take it. And I’ll say this, for the first phase of the fire…here’s what God will say to him—“You bastard. Get out.” And then it won’t be cursing.
“If you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons…” and then it talks about, our fathers did it when we were kids: “For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure [and so forth]” (vs. 9).
Now, verse 11: “Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto to them which are exercised thereby.” There are going to be some people who can’t take it and it’s going to feel unfair—“This is incredibly hard!”—when this monster comes at them personally. And maybe they watch their wife killed. WOW! Or their husband killed, or however it goes. “This isn’t right!” There are people…The clay starts, you know, talking to the Potter about how He should have done it differently. Be careful…

Dave Pack: I Am So Hot I Am About To Go Viral!


Superfantabulous Dave and the greatest side show on earth today.  No COG minister has ever understood the Bible more completely than Dave does.  More importantly, Dave is the ONLY person alive on the earth today who understands the ANTICHRIST!  He is soooooo amazing that he and his message are about to go viral.  The entire world will soon take notice of him and the Restored Church of God. Wadsworth will have a celebrity in their midst!  How awesome is that!!!!
And I’m going to say what Paul did—because I know what Paul believed was right, in the wrong time setting. I look out and see wars, rumors, commotions of all kinds and I know time is close! And it is my job to proclaim it, because nobody understands Habakkuk or all of the verses. Have you heard anyone else on Earth explain the Antichrist? This horrific monster—no one understands him. One man read plain on the tables—that’s the reading part—and I rushed, I literally preached it at the conference over a year ago, the day I discovered it. And of course, I discovered much, much more and presented it to the Church the day before Pentecost a year ago.
I proclaimed it! And I’ve been doing it and you’re going to find hundreds and hundreds of thousands and millions of people are going to watch this. At some point, it’s going to go viral. We had more good financial news this month, without getting into it, besides the Pentecost offering. That’s not the only good thing that’s happened and we’re only on the 10th of the month. And a lot of it happened before anybody even heard last week’s sermon, never mind this week.
You know, there’s an old saying, “Go big or stay home.” We’re going big—because we’re not staying home. This thing is ON and as a result, we’re going to proclaim it as loud as we can, but it’s going to get hot and some could be tempted to draw back. The context is it’s going to get hotter and hotter. So, as a result of getting hotter and hotter do you want to draw back so you can get thrown into a fiery furnace, which is the Man of Sin arriving, or the relatively moderate heat…it’s going to be hot for us; it’s going to get hot now, you see? So I leave you to think about this. These are powerful points to understand.

Dave Pack The Bully



We have all witnessed over the years the intense bullying that Dave Pack does towards all those under his command.  From the church members who suffered under him in Akron and other cities where he kept getting transferred, to his members, employees, and ministers of his new superfantabulous Restored Church of God.

We have watched over the years as his group of 16 men from his headquarters rubber stamp all of his actions and prophecies.  None of these men have the testicular fortitude to speak up and confront his lies and abuse.  They sit there and watch members ruin their lives selling homes and possessions in order to send Dave their money.  They sit there as Dave wrecks families and marriages.  They are men with no integrity, ethics, or morals.  They are all spiritually bankrupt.

Pack has on occasion voluntold his minister to receive pay cuts, then tell the Church they are of one heart and mind and are willing to take pay cuts, to disagree means your out of a job. 
Meanwhile, those same ministers afraid to protest the pay cuts, are already struggling to take care of their families. They are endeared to this man. They fear to lose their Jobs as they have already given much up and if they disagree they fear their good character/Personality traits which are all they have left will be completely bashed to the entire church by Pack.  
Pack has laid off huge numbers who sold houses and assets to move and work for the HQ. These people have nothing to go back to, not even family who they completely shrugged off thinking they'd work at HQ until the return of Christ and fix family issues later when their minds would be opened to the truth.  
He personally bullies his ministers and criticizes them for having fine things, especially if he does not have them. He bashes them for having excess. When in reality anything that they get for themselves is not excess but a much-deserved treat considering the huge pay cuts. 
These ministers are not motivated by love to take care of the flock, they are moved by fear of man to correct and keep in line the people.  
If you so much as act like a Berean and at some point question his preachings even as a minister you will see the worst side of him. He occassionaly boasts to the entire church that all of the minister agree with dates he sets or phrophecies he unlocks. He never apologizes for error because to apologize means that he gives people the power to discredit him.
August 25, 2017 at 10:53 AM


Thursday, August 24, 2017

Dave Pack: I truly fear for those who don’t sell all that they have. You can’t play games!



Dave Pack needs your retirement money, your IRA, your investments, the money from selling your home, your business, your vehicles, your personal property, and more.  It is all God's Dave's money, anyway.
The book of Revelation…Daniel is unsealed at the time of the end. We actually started unsealing the book over a year before that, 13 months before that. So one of the things I always wondered about…Wait a minute now, Daniel 12:9 and 10 show the book is unsealed, immediately there’s the fire. How many times you heard me say that over and over…there appears to be no gap. Now I understand there is no gap. As a matter of fact, before we finished…because we’re not quite done, even yet…before we finished the unsealing of Daniel, God began to test us.
When you announce this monster’s coming, we’re going to look like lunatics. Nobody believes that! Even the people who believe there’s an Antichrist at all. They’re going to mock and scorn, and it’s going to get hot. And as we throw fuel on the fire and the flames get bigger, you’re going to feel the heat before anybody else does. But the big flames come later, after we don’t feel any more heat at all because we escape. That’s the way it works. You can’t possibly announce this monster, at any powerful level, without taking heat! You know the term: You’re going to “take heat” for that. Well, it’s going to be literal heat in a way. Now, I know it’s figurative heat; it won’t feel like the temperature went up outside. So I would leave you to understand that.
Turn over to Luke 12Luke chapter 12…and we’ll pick it up in verse 32. Finally, I understand this, Luke 12:32: “Fear not little flock….” Now, Christ tells…speaks generally to all his servants…don’t be terrified and don’t be troubled, but here it’s phobeō—don’t fear little flock. How many times have you heard me…The ministers must have almost gotten bored, if you will, at how many times that…there’s something there. Is it just wars, rumors and commotions? Maybe. Maybe. But what else? Just actual fear: “…little flock…[it’s] your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” and then three things are said, in context.
Of all the things Christians are to do, it says, first, in two long verses actually: “…Sell that you have, and give alms…[Now, I’m going to be a little stronger about this.]…provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that fails not, where no thief approaches…[There’s a thief coming! How many thieves do we need to read about in the Bible? There aren’t that many!]…neither moth corrupt. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (vs. 33-34)……
There are four things: Fear not; sell all; keep your loins girded, and your lights burning. And the “early birds” do this first. I’m going to show you that everyone who comes back into the flock, into the sanctuary, has got to do this as well, but in a different context. So you’ve got to do it, the question is: How hot do you want it to get?! How many phases of the fire do you want to go before you have to do it? Because you can’t be saved—what must I do to inherit eternal life? Matthew 19. You’ve got to do that. Some of you have already done it.
I just want to take a moment here, because we’ll just dwell on this. I normally don’t. I give it a “lick and a promise,” a sentence here, a sentence there, but I truly fear…I truly fear for those who don’t sell all that they have. You can’t play games! And now you know it isn’t, you can sort of play games—you’re going to be forced to make a decision—I will…or I will not…obey that command found all the way through the New Testament and sent out in articles. That’s the fuel for the fire.
You can begin to understand, if people begin to delay, God might, for a little while, hesitate because not enough fuel hit the fire, or maybe they’re not, for some other reasons, ready. And it may hesitate, not of what God decides, but on what we do, what we decide. So “if it hesitate” makes perfect sense. It depends on what we’re going to do. I could never get comfortable…What would God do to hesitate? Is the world not ready or something? What?
If we’re announcing it and we’ve been announcing it, and picking up speed, and we’re about to juice it—tomorrow—and I’m telling you today, which is a day before for you and six days later for others…We’re going to start to turn it up, to the ability that we can. 

Dave Pack: I Was Such A Good Minister That I Led 15,000 Out Of Apostate WCG



Superfantabulous Dave, not a humble bone in his body. His awesome tapes led 15,000 out of WCG and eventually 100,000, or so he claims.  The funny thing about Dave during all of the changes, his name was never mentioned in Pasadena.  The talk was about UCG forming, not Dave.  Dave was irrelevant.

Now, maybe the day…If you wanted to make a comparison…Because I’ve long believed…Over the year since I introduced the Man of Sin, I’ve long believed, now, that the leader of the Worldwide Church of God was a type. But he stood up on December 31, 1994…Here’s what he did…in Atlanta and he gave a sermon…I got the tape, transcribed it—the whole thing…and he said, “The Law’s done away; the Sabbath’s done away; the Holy Days are done away; tithing, clean and unclean meats…it’s all gone. It’s all Old Testament.” Everything—gone.
And within about four months, 25,000…23,000, something like that, had gone with United. It dwindled down later. More thousands came with Global, where I was. I was very involved. I helped about 15,000 families get out of Worldwide, with my tapes. And basically, over the next months, about 100,000 people, and eventually it way above that, left the Worldwide Church of God. That’s almost like the Abomination sat in the temple on December 31, 1994. I’m just giving you a kind of rhetorical parallel. It wasn’t some absolute biblical type that I know of, but boy, there were a lot of parallels.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Dave Pack: God would have to send a final, analytical servant. That’s yours truly, the son of Jane Crowl Pack.



Now look at Revelation 22 and verse 6. At the end of the book, and this is what you’re stuck with…Brethren of God, around the world, I fear God. We are before His Word, and Isaiah 66: 2 says we had better tremble. God looks to people that are poor and of a contrite spirit, and tremble at His Word. I tremble to add or subtract from a book that says I get it…I get the plagues or I lose eternal life, if I add to it, particularly, I guess you’d add, if you needed to, and He said these sayings are faithful and true. But there has to be a way they’re true.
God would have to send a final, analytical servant. That’s yours truly, the son of Jane Crowl Pack. If you were my mother’s son, you are not allowed to dis-analyze or ignore analyzing anything! My mother picked my logic to pieces from the time I could say “Mommy, please, I want to go play ball.” You see…I’m telling you. And so, I sit and analyze and analyze and analyze and it just doesn’t fit. The book just didn’t fit. I’m the same analyst I was years ago. I mean, there are qualities that all of you have that I don’t have. I envy some of you. Mr. Armstrong had qualities I don’t have.
But I am an analyst in the extreme, like no one I ever knew in this regard. I mean, I beat the Greek up and beat the Hebrew up, and timelines…and work and work and work and work at all the unexplained questions, whether we knew them or didn’t. And there has to be a way that things that were going to happen shortly…are shortly. And that’s impossible to say it’s true—and I don’t fear to say that. I do not fear to say that it’s impossible to say that things that were written 2,000 years ago are at hand.

Dave Pack: When Jesus Returns He Will Be A Human And Will Be So Busy He Won't Have Time To Watch Cable TV




When Dave Pack's "jesus" returns for the second half of the 3 1/2 years, it will come back as a man - while Dave and his crew of merry members will have glorified bodies and be ruling over five to ten cities.  Oh, and his "jesus" is NOT watching cable TV at this time.

Now, something else that’s very exciting. I’ve just never had a natural time to be able to fit it in and talk about it. There’s two things that I want to make clear here. When Christ came the first three-and-a-half years and He confirmed…began to confirm the covenant of a seven-year week…We all know the other three-and-a-half years is still to go…He was out in Judea and Galilee, sometimes leading, or sometimes with, or sometimes trailing the disciples, Himself. So the natural question all of you have should be, “Well, what is Christ going to do during this three-and-a-half years? Is there any indication of what Christ is going to do?”
Well, the first indication you have is He’s going to do the second half of a week that likely looks an awful lot like the first half. I can prove to you that one of the reasons Jesus Christ comes back as a man…And this is going to apply to all of you who have glorious bodies…is Christ, Himself, is going to move through the cities of Israel and work with people face-to-face, and they’re going to treat Him, in some cases, exactly as they did the first time. I’ll show you that. So He’s not going to sit in Zion, you know, watching cable television. He’s going to be out and about. Those of you who, of course, receive salvation in the little flock, you’re over five or ten cities, but you’re not in some kind of heavenly hammock swinging over the cities. You’re down on the ground working with teams of two under you in large areas. But Christ is going to be on the ground, too.

Dave Pack: Animals Do Filthy Things



Dave Pack has issues with big bad meanie animals.

“Abomination” means “filthy.” God is going to put a filthy man and a filthy the system into the Church and see how many people want to follow. That’s what abomination means. In the New Testament, the Greek is “detestable;” here, it’s “filthy”—the astonishing filth that is coming into the Church. And God wants to see how many want to go back and wallow in the mire—that’s filth—and how many want to go back and eat their vomit—that’s filthy.
Animals do filthy things. I had dogs and cats, and I watched my dogs…a big dog and a little dog…I watched a big dog do something to a little dog you wouldn’t even believe, and…as a kid, I couldn’t even believe it. And I won’t even tell you what it is. It would turn your stomach. But what dogs and pigs will do is unbelievable. And they can be very violent, by the way. People are killed, because of what dogs do, and every single year, in the United States, multiple farmers died, because they got on the wrong side of sow who was angry and felt threatened, and killed them. When a 600-pound angry sow comes after you and you’re trying to get out of the muck, you don’t escape. So, there’s another side of it besides the filth; in many cases, it’s death. So, that’s a fascinating element, if that’s the right word, fascinating. I mean, it hardly is, but you can see the connection.

Felon and False Prophet Ron Weinland Struggling to Maintain Control As Members Leave And Speak Out



Ever since Ron Weinland made his prophecy that failed in 2008, he has been steadily losing members.  The exodus quickly sped up once he was imprisoned for 3 1/2 years and his crazy wife and money laundering daughter took over and started preaching.  Now that the felonious false prophet is out of jail, he has been making the rounds of his dwindling churches.  His latest live broadcast of his sermon only garnered 190 people.

More and more members are exiting and publicly ridiculing the moron.  Here is one such person:

Enough is Enough says:
I have a message for you ronald william miller weinland.
You were, at one time, a darkness surrounding my spiritual life and I now rejoice that your shadow of darkness and evil is no longer in my world. My world is now bright and beautiful since the moment I rejected you and cast you to the ground!! You are a dark and evil element that is destructive to any who come near you.
In my eyes, your life is meaningless and will end in disgrace and failure. You are a liar and deceiver and will pay that price at the end of your pitiful and decaying life. Your time is short weinland!! Your “Great Disappointment of June 9, 2019” is the approaching storm that will end it all for you. As of now, you are naked before the world because of all of your lies and deceit – you are now exposed –
You are a curse to yourself and those you have taken advantage of over the years. Destroyed marriages, financial ruin to innocent people for all of the deceit and lies that you spewed prior to May 2012. And yet you still are lying and stealing from any who will listen to you. You will curse the day of June 9, 2019!!! It will be a day of reckoning for you weinland!!! A day I look forward to and I will see justice for all of the arrogance by you and your twisted wife. My stomach churns at the claim of you two as being the “chosen ones” of these times!! I have a clear view of you and it sicken me to think that the both of you have the gull to claim such a thing!!! The two of are nothing more than human debris. 
The mere though of you and your wife is vomit in my mouth!!

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

New Ronald L Dart Evangelistic Association



With all of the recent controversy with the Church of God Big Sandy scandal with the Havirs and others and the recent death of Allie Dart, many COG members were concerned about a possible merger between COGBS and Christian Educational Ministries.  That is not happening, to the relief of many.

The following press release was sent out today:

Press Release
Ronald L Dart Evangelistic Association
August 22, 2017

We are pleased to announce the formation of a new religious entity called The Ronald L. Dart Evangelistic Association (RLDEA).   It is a non-profit 501c3 corporation that is not a church. 
Before Allie Dart (widow of the late Ronald L. Dart) had her cancer surgeries, she arranged for the creation of the RLDEA.  The RLDEA held its first meeting of the board of trustees on June 29, 2017.  At the time of that board meeting, the RLDEA board of trustees was composed of Mrs. Dart, Wes White, Gary Gibbons, and Cathy Gibbons.    
Mrs. Dart, over the last year of her life, decided to use a portion of the assets from her estate to fund RLDEA.  
Mrs. Dart stipulated that the RLDEA’s mission statement should be the preaching of the Gospel by promoting the works of her late husband, Ronald L. Dart.  And, while Mrs. Dart’s will prohibits the assets of her estate from going directly to Christian Educational Ministries (CEM), the mission of the RLDEA allows and encourages this new ministry to assist CEM as long as CEM properly and efficiently promotes Mr. Dart’s works.  
The proposed assistance of the RLDEA can only be to the extent that CEM will allow it.  The directors of the RLDEA have requested a meeting with the leadership of CEM so that together they can explore areas where CEM will permit the RLDEA to assist it. 
The current composition of the RLDEA board of trustees is:
Wes White, president
Gary Gibbons, vice president
Cathy Gibbons, secretary-treasurer

Wes White is currently the president of Dynamic Christian Ministries, a non-profit ministry which already promotes the works of Ron Dart thru his live Friday night show called “Start Our Sabbath.”   He is a graduate of Ambassador College in Pasadena, California where he served on the Ambassador faculty from 1976 to 1981.  His original ordination into the ministry came from United Christian Ministries which, at the time, was headed by the late Ray Wooten. 
The Gibbons are owners of GG Media, a respected, long time advertising agency and production studio in the Tyler area.  Mr. Gibbon’s voice is heard on radio stations across the US.  Since the inception of CEM, GG Media has produced and distributed Mr. Dart’s “Born To Win” radio program and CEM’s Friday night Bible study.  GG Media has also done many gratis services for CEM.  
For more information about the Ronald L. Dart Evangelistic Association, contact Wes White at wdwhite49@yahoo.com.

Living Church of God: Public Presentation Flops, Income Down, and LCG University Expands To Amazing Numbers



Living Church of God has been spending a considerable amount of money on Tomorrow's World presentations in various cities.  In the latest Weekly Update, Gerald Weston is bragging about the number of people attending their presentations in three cities.  The city names and population estimates are below. 
Binghamton, New York   45,672Charleston, West Virginia  49,138Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada   110,984
LCG had a potential audience of 205,794 people who had the opportunity to come and hear the "good news" about the LCG and how once they join they will be required to pay 30% of their income in tithes, then send in another tithe on the tithe, and to regularly give special offerings and contribute to the building fund or some other emergency fund set up so the elite can do their pet projects.  Ultimately, these presentations are about bringing in new money streams.

So just how many people showed up at these three presentations?
Last Sabbath we held Tomorrow’s World Presentations in Binghamton, New York; Charleston, West Virginia; and Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada; with a combined total of 57 guests and 79 members.
With all of the money spent on cable broadcasting spots, advertising, magazine articles, mailings, and co-worker letters, they were only able to draw in 57 people.   Of those 57, LCG claims some were former WCG members checking out LCG.
We are pleased to see a number of former Worldwide members trying to reconnect with the Church and who are checking us out. There are also a number of brand new people who express great enthusiasm when learning we actually have services nearby.
Let's see how long that "great enthusiasm" lasts as these people find out how much money they will be required to give. 

Next, Gerald Weston talks about the greatest University in the United States, if not the entire world, Living University.  This mind boggling University now has 8 on campus students!  Count them, 8!  Add to that the number of online "students" and you have the most astounding university the world has ever seen!  COG colleges and universities are the BEST!
Living University classes began this past week with approximately 170 online students and eight on-campus students.
Gerald Weston also mentions he just finished the latest member/co-worker letters.  As usual, it is all about money.  Money, money, money!   Can't' discuss Jesus with you, but, "give us your money!" 
I finished a co-worker letter and a letter regarding the fall Holy Day offerings, which you should be receiving shortly. 
One of the reasons Weston is writing about money, again, is that income is not what they want it to be.  As usual, the members are slacking off with their donations.  It seems it was more important for families to have fun over the summer and to save some extra for the Feast vacation time that they have not been sending in as much.  Without that extra money, LCG has not been able to get their "good news" out on as many stations as possible.  God has been standing there holding the door open and they have not been able to enter. Sound familiar?  Blame the brethren!
We have contracted for a new station in New Mexico and are looking at another one in the Tampa, Florida area. Budget limitations hold us back from doing much more.
Weston then ends with at least one encouraging thing for members to consider, and it is going to be a hard one for some LCG members:
On another note, brethren, let us make sure we do not get caught up in the spirit of hatred that is descending on the United States at this time and will become more apparent all over this world in the near future. We are members of the Family of God and must never become distracted from the big picture.—Gerald Weston 

Armstrongism: "...you wanted it, you took it, you enjoyed it, so why the heck are you complaining now? "



Every once in a while we have Armstrongites pop on here all messed up because people are criticizing different leaders or the church as a whole. They just cannot wrap their brains around the fact that many people were abused in the church and are now not afraid to speak out about their abusers. In their minds, everything has always been rainbows, unicorns, and cotton candy. First century love is the only thing they ever experienced, at least in their minds.

The latest one is from the thread with the memes from a PCG survivor.

What say ye?
Anonymous said...
They say, There are no victims only volunteers. So, stop complaining all of you! You deserve every bit of everything you had ever experienced in Armstrongism. It's not like someone kidnapped you, it's not like it's a human trafficking, you wanted it, you took it, you enjoyed it, so why the heck are you complaining now?
Leopold CM

Monday, August 21, 2017

Let's Not Take It Literally



Much of New Testament theology is based on ideas drawn from the literal creation and existence of Adam and Eve This common, seldom questioned, oft repeated, historical fallacy of a literal Adam and Eve in a literal garden, with a literal talking serpent antagonist, has been the foundational explanation of how mankind arrived on the scene and ultimately fell from grace. However, the story serves as more of a political statement of what Israelite culture was not to be. It is a clear placing of blame for sin, evil and disobedience clearly on women (matriarchy) and a societal shift to correct the damage (Patriarchy). In fact, we have no choice, as this one literal act was supposed to have condemned all future humanity to eternal death without recourse! But did it? If it never really happened in time and space, then perhaps we need another look.

To set the stage, anyone who is familiar with the elements of the higher criticism knows that there are two creation of man stories in Genesis. The first, or Priestly Account, was written in the fifth century B.C. and extends from the beginning of Genesis through verse 3 of chapter 2. The second, or Jehovistic Account, begins with verse 4 of chapter 2 and extends through the third chapter. This version of the story was written in the eighth century B.C. It is interesting to note that the second account is about 300 years older than the first. They are two different accounts and are not compatible with their "facts." Orthodox Christians insist that both stories must be true and compatible, even though they contradict each other on many points, as do the birth, death, and resurrection accounts in the New Testament. Admitting this, however, would hurt faith and faith always comes before facts to literalists. "Faith" sometimes, is what covers the facts so we are not uncomfortable. When all else fails, you will be lashed with "the wisdom of man is foolishness with God". That will pretty much end the discussion.

The simple fact is however, Adam/Eve and Original Sin never LITERALLY happened in space, time and history. The idea that man literally came in an instant just 6000 years ago in the form of an Adam and Eve is simply not based in FACT. It is mythology, and not an original one at that.
The hypothetical first man of the Bible was rightly named Adam, since the first Adam , which means "MAN" was made out of "adamah" which means "earth". Adam was not so much who he was, but what he was. The Romans called men "homo" since he was made out of "humus". And other mythologies have man made of clay and blood mixed and formed. It is a common origin story, not unique to Genesis. Taking a woman from male parts is also not unique to the Bible account.
Now all through the pages of the Bible, of course, it is considered a real event. That is the nature of the Bible. Or at least that is the nature of the Bible when read by literalists, who perhaps are unaware of any deeper, though not literally intended meaning.

A couple of years ago, while teaching an anatomy class for a massage class, I reminded them that they needed to know that humans had twelve pairs of ribs, ten fixed and two floating pairs. Several students brought up the with the Biblical story of human origins being literally true, informed me that "of course, men have one less rib than women " I said no, that women did not literally come from the rib of man , an expendable part, no matter how close to his heart the smooze might have you believe. The Genesis story was not explaining biology and human origins. One girl said she was telling her father and he'd be calling me. He never did... darn!

Paul clearly plays off his belief in the literal truth of Adam and Eve to make a very ignorant point of supposed truth to the early Church. This "truth" is designed just as much to keep women out of the male church as the OT law was designed to keep women out of the male system.

"Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. FOR (this is the reason why to Paul) Adam was formed first, THEN Eve. And Adam was NOT deceived, but the woman being deceived, FELL into transgression. Nevertheless (I, Paul, still have a role for her to fulfill), she will be saved in childbearing (though painfully which was part of the punishment in Genesis), IF they continue in faith, love, and holiness with self control. I Timothy 2:11-15


Do you honestly believe this is why women should not speak in a church, or if they have questions, go ask their husbands? So plainly Paul bases his teaching on a mythology that he believed to be literally true.

Perhaps you think I think they were all lying. I don't think they were lying for what they knew or believed, any more than I think Elijah or Jesus knew that remains of Neanderthals lay under their feet in Jerusalem or in Caves of Carmel. (They do). The answer is, of course Jesus believed it was literally true, or at least the writers who put their own reflections on Adam and Eve in Jesus mouth believed it. This was a COMMON practice in the writings of the time Western Christians are most unfamiliar with. "God said it, I believe it, that settles it for me" is the phrase that indicates a general ignorance as to how many conversations in the Bible are written. It is often written as fact, what the author imagines the character to have said in such an instance. Jesus' alone time in the Garden of comes to mind. Who wrote his prayer down? Did he tell the sleeping disciples what he said in his personal prayer minutes before his arrest. No .  An author made up what he imagined Jesus would say in such a predicament.

It might also help to point out that Paul also believed that marriage was to avoid fornication but the best choice was to remain single like him. Do you believe that is valid thinking? I don't. Ask a Catholic Priest! Paul says a true widow, who lives in pleasure, is dead while she lives. (I Tim. 5:6). Do you believe that is a balanced truth about widows? Paul says younger widows will weaken and grow wanton against Christ and cast off their faith and marry, the marriage being the proof of her wantonness. Do you believe this? I don't.

Paul says weak people marry and single people think only of Jesus, while married people think only of pleasing their mate. Do you believe this? I don't. I know lots of mates who don't. I don't remember a lot of wives telling me ask their husbands to stop paying so much attention to them.

I don't remember any singles so caught up with Jesus and the Church, I had to tell them stop it. Paul was naïve about relationships in the extreme. Perhaps because he seems not to have had any quality ones in his personal life given what we have about him. Paul said he had the power to lead around a wife. I doubt most women were interested in his power to lead them around.

In another place Paul says "for the man comes not from the woman, but the woman from the man" referring back to the Adam myth. Do you believe that biologically? I don't. No one does today, at least no one with an open, functioning mind not clouded by years of superstition, fear and compliance to the expectations of others.

One of the benefits of making mythology literally true is that one can formulate laws to prevent the literal problems from happening again. In the origins stories it is WOMEN who take the biggest hit. It is not possible to make laws against various things, or institute whole religious systems if the origin stories are perceived as mythical. They must to have literally happened to enforce literal laws and control people.

While not literally true, the story of the fall of woman and matriarchy, which it really is, has been used by the men of the Old Testament, predominately the controlling priesthood, to re-institute patriarchy and protect Israelite men from the dangers of surrounding Goddess worship.

Minoan Snake Goddess

It is no coincidence the great counselor to the female Goddesses (Astarte, Ishtar, Isis, and many more) of the nations around Israel, was the wise and benevolent Serpent. In a Goddess oriented society, birth and reproduction was the sole function of the female. This was real mystery to the male who could not connect the events of nine months previous to the birth. Women were mystical. They could produce humans. Remember, the male spermatozoa was not discovered until 1677 by Hamm and Leeuwenhoek and the female ovum by Baer until 1827! It is no coincidence that once the woman was again connected to the how of birth process after 1827, women began to demand equal rights again with men.

In a Goddess oriented society, women get a lot of respect as well. The Goddess could give her property to all her children. It did not matter who the fathers were. Specific paternity with multiple partners could not be proved. If they were hers, and she'd know, they were family! But this would not do in Israelite society. If Israelite men cohabited with "pagan women", property could go to these women when the man died and this was unacceptable. The nation was in danger. Matriarchy had to be prevented in Israel and Patriarchy installed to enforce paternity and the laws of inheritance.
The Goddess concept had to go. God now HAD to be male. And with a male God, only marriage could prove fatherhood and property rights of children. One woman to serve the one man. Any children would be his children and only his children would get the land. It would not be lost to a pagan wife or unmarried woman.

Remember too that women in the Patriarchal Israelite society were basically property. Much like we still see today in the Middle East. "You shall not covet your neighbors house (thing), your neighbors wife (thing), nor his male or female servants (things), or his ox , nor his donkey (things), nor any (thing) that is your neighbors" (Ex 20:17) .

In Genesis, Lot was able to barter his things, (daughters), to the town folk so that his guests would not be raped. (The rape of strangers was not sexual, it was to humiliate and warn them to not endanger the clan hometown). Lot was concerned about his image as being a safe and hospitable man to these men. When he fled Sodom he begged not to go Zoar, but rather the mountains, as he knew what his fate would be at the hands of some of the men of Zoar, symbolic humiliation.

In war, it was fine for Israelite soldiers to take the girls who could show signs of their virginity (don't even imagine it), and kill those who could not prove it. You can take your enemies' "things", just not your neighbors.

Most laws against sexuality were enforced, often fatally, to serve as warning to others and insure paternity. A woman was not stoned if raped in the country because she is assumed to have cried out for help and no one could hear. She was stoned for not crying out for help if raped in the city as this might indicate she was enjoying herself, and the paternity of the baby might not be known.

You might notice the pattern through history of first the Goddess alone, fertile and a mystery. Then as suspicion of a male role in birth arose, the Goddess takes a male consort, though always portrayed as smaller and less powerful than her. Then as connection between the male contribution to birth is more suspected, the consort becomes her equal and the shift that she becomes his equal occurs, as we see in Egyptian culture.

Egyptian Menkaura and Queen

Next, the male begins to feel that he alone is the cause of the mystery of birth and the female is a mere incubator. Now we have the death of Matriarchy and the Goddess and the birth of male dominated Old Testament Patriarchy. We now have a God that doesn't even have a consort, needs no company, knows no female and reproduces all by himself.



From this we have the story fall of the goddess in Genesis 2, and her evil (though never alluded to as Satan... that was added later) serpent counselor. The fall, caused by Eve (the goddess) is the reason for every evil thing to come and why humanity is the way it is. Therefore, she now only gets to have babies painfully and be subject to the one man. This is the meaning of Genesis 2 and 3.

Let me be perfectly clear. The story of the fall of man or woman or both never literally happened. It is a mythology written for the purpose of derailing and dethroning goddess worship in ancient Israel. It is to avoid the attendant risks of losing land to pagan wives and men finding more theological satisfaction in Goddess worship and fertility rights than in being controlled body, mind, spirit by a male Priesthood with all it's attendant obligations.

New Testament authors reach back to The Fall as literally true for the same reasons. Modern Christian do the same, some thinking it is literally true, and many other individual pastors KNOWING it is not, but hey, "I'd lose my job".


So why do I bother to write about the mythology of Adam/Eve and Original Sin, and invite the scorn of literalists? Well first of all, I used to believe and teach it faithfully myself as a literal fact. As a pastor, I did not have the guts to publicly question church teaching. And by church, I mean all denominations. I am past that stage now and am seeking the simple truth for me and my life, which I will never again give over to the group, the organization or "the church". Had the information available to me today been available when I was younger, I never would have gone into the ministry. All denominations only teach what supports the view of some founding individual.



I have learned that when science makes a mistake, they generally examine it, admit it, change it and appreciate the information that can still be used. When religions make a mistake, they simply kill the person who pointed it out, and perpetuate the Dark Ages. It is no coincidence they arose shortly after the establishment of literalist Christianity with its torture, forced conversions, state sanctioned edicts of truth and deeply troubled want to be's. I suggest a study on Martin Luther's attitude toward Jewish people to properly curl your toes and give you insight as to how the holocaust could have come about in Germany.

So back to the original premise. Adam and Eve did not literally exist in space and time. There was no Garden of Eden in the salt flats in southern Iraq. There was no talking serpent (a sure sign of a mythology). The events of the Fall have the deeply political and theological intent to dethrone goddess worship and thus all women from any special treatment or adoration save for having babies painfully and serving men. We, meaning every human to come along since, did not fall into sin because of Adam, from which we must be theologically extracted by bloodletting of any sort. If the events did not literally take place, the consequences did not either. Perhaps one can now feel they were born right the first time.

It's a long and painfully negative road to attempt to go from a being whose "heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it" to the absolute requirement to become "perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect". No pressure to perform there!

I spent 26 years with these concepts. I met NO perfect people, "like your Father in heaven is perfect"--NONE. None were close. None were much on their way.(Nor were they "mature" as their father in heaven is "mature")

 I met a lot of wonderfully normal people, but also, a lot who never could feel quite good enough to be who they are, and a feeling somehow this is just not achievable.

Being told that it is God and the Holy Spirit that will now do this for us, or maybe to us (whether by unconditional love, which seemed to have lots of conditions, or by grace, which in practical fact had a lot of laws), never really helped. Even Paul, depending on the book he may or may not have literally authored, never quite seems sure where law and grace, faith and works converge, or if they do.

This is what literalist Christianity does to people. Literalist, Patriarchal Christianity thrives on division. If it has no enemy, it has no purpose or motivation. There can be no "we only" without a "not them". There can be no "chosen" without the "unchosen" . There can be no "converted" without "the unconverted". And certainly no "true church" without the "false church".

When it finally discovers (don't worry, it won't) that the inerrant and literally true Book is neither inerrant nor literally true, it will have to face the fact that literalist teachings, Christian or Fundamentalist Islam, have been responsible for more damnable repression and destruction of the body, mind and spirit than a literal Satan could ever dream of.

We're all here to learn. I don't ask you to see the world of religion and theology through my eyes, nor would most. I got here with my own experiences, curiosity and need to know. However, I do encourage you to see it through your own eyes, and not as interpreted for you by Apostles, Ayatollah's, Prophet's, Priests and King's , AKA Gerald Flurry, Dave Pack or Robert Thiel, James Malm and the entire  host of theological midgets and  misfits.