There is one thing that the Church of God has always been good at and that is finding something wrong about everything. The world is going to hell as depravity takes over. Everything is soooooo evil that the church almost demands that WWIII happened and burn to a crisp all of the evil people outside the church.
Rarely, if ever, do you see any of the splinter groups celebrate the beauty in the world, the goodness and kindness that flow though human beings, and all of the other amazing and delightful things to celebrate.
The eyes of the church have been so focused on vengeance, thanks to adhering only to the law, that they totally miss out on the beauty and delightful things that happen when grace and mercy are given precedence.
That is why every single letter that the Living Church of God sends out is always filled with consistent depressing news or referencing some major trauma or catastrophe.
The need for many people to have a mighty warrior god ready to strike down all adversaries and depraved people is strong in the church. So many members feel act like they are wounded martyrs for the truth and they want to see those not following the enlightened way get punished. They have had to suffer for the truth and they are not too happy.
The only breath of grace, at times, has been Doug Winnail who seems to find goodness in people. But if you have been paying attention to LCG's website, Winnail has been conspicuously absent in posting since before the Feast. Ever since
I think we all know that our world is in trouble. Stock markets around the world may be up for the time being, people in some countries may have full wallets and purses, but this does not indicate all is well. Precious few people are alive today who remember the “Roaring ’20s” of the last century, but we might do well to remember that those days were followed by the Great Depression and World War II.
We are living in a world filled with conflicts, moral degradation, and in our Western World, a lack of awareness of God. God is lampooned at every turn, and those who stand up for morality and godly values are equally despised and put down. Where this is leading, is not good! God will not put up with this depravity forever! “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:7-10).
Dear brethren and co-workers, let us work while it is day, for “the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). Jesus referred to His own Work, but if He is living within us, it must surely be a message for us to take to heart. The Work He refers to is “the works of Him who sent Me….” God calls us to do a Work. It is difficult to see in every detail how events will play out, but free speech is under assault, and there is this sobering prediction: “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord God, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it’” (Amos 8:11-12). Is this a warning for us?Let us work the Work of God while we have time. And thank you for your prayers and generous support. I look forward to that day when we will stand together before the throne of God and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servants!” May that day come quickly!
Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Gerald E. Weston
44 comments:
Talk about repetitive. That's a 2000 year old member letter.
This may well be the moral equivalent of the roaring twenties, and all of us should be investing carefully and protecting our assets, but it all has nothing to do with Armstrongism, other than exemplifying their typical pattern of recruitment by fear mongering.
That is the way it has always been with them. In the 1950s, it was “God is soon going to punish modern Israel (sic) for forgetting their identity and their covenant with Him. He has been richly blessing them to fulfill His promises to Abraham, but that is soon going to end in the calamities prophesied in the pages of your Bible, and ultimately with the return of Jesus Christ! YOU can “qualify” for protection, by becoming part of the group whom He has given the keys to understand Bible prophecy, but you are going to need to make some changes in your life. To learn what you can do to be protected and spared, send for your free copy of the Plain Truth magazine, and our free booklet “1975 in Prophecy!””
And then, as 1972 rolled around, and nothing was happening, the tune was “Why brethren, how could you be such dumb sheep? We never set dates!” Many eagerly repeated this mantra as they reprogrammed themselves.
Armstrongism has always been an exercise in extremism. So, it comes as no surprise at all that in dealing with the aftermath, some would decide that since they had imbibed of contaminated milk, logically all milk must be contaminated. Where we used to be told that “if you agree with us, it confirms that you have received the Holy Spirit and now have the gift of discernment”, there has been a switch to different experts telling us that “if you agree with us, it demonstrates that you have critical thinking skills.” In some ways, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Polarity is one of the basic laws or principles of the universe. Balance, and safety are found between the two poles, and not at the extreme found at either end. People at either opposing pole are very easily manipulated.
BB
Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Gerald E. Weston
Weston, you are taking God's name in vain!
Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Me.
Gerald Weston's letters seem to be quite predictable. They vary in details, but can be paraphrased as follows:
1. Your money won't make you happy.
2. Make me happy by sending me your money.
"Gerald Weston's letters seem to be quite predictable. They vary in details, but can be paraphrased as follows:
1. Your money won't make you happy.
2. Make me happy by sending me your money."
I think the last line should read:
2. Make God happy by sending me your money.
HWA told people not get a divorce, but when he wanted one, he just went ahead and did it anyway. Drumpf is one of the most profane men on the planet, and my parents, still staunch COGlodytes, embrace him as though his election were the long awaited advent of Jesus, even though he exemplifies the polar opposite of everything they ever taught me to grow up to be.
Cult leaders can always get away with doing everything they tell their followers never to do, and that includes not only Gerald Weston, HWA, and Drumpf, but extends even to the God they profess is worthy of worship.
Byker Bob stated a profound truth. "Balance, and safety are found between the two poles, and not at the extreme found at either end. People at either opposing pole are very easily manipulated."
The saying at the top of this post is a good example of sitting at either pole. There are more than "two types of people". Reality, balance, safety, if not in fact, wisdom, is found in the middle.
Can anyone really "always find good in everything"? Murder? Theft? Can anyone really "always find bad in everything"? It's true some seem to be nothing but a fountain of negativity, but always? There is probably something in their life that they find "good". If there are those that DO find good in everything or bad in everything...it's a perfect example of being stuck at the poles and "easily manipulated" even if in their own mind.
Pollyanna's and Grinch's are not balanced.
Anon 1:49 PM wrote:
Cult leaders can always get away with doing everything they tell their followers never to do
Weston recently announced that LCG will air its TV program on the Newsmax network. For those of you unfamiliar, Newsmax is a media company very friendly to the alt-right. I have searched and searched in my Bible, but I haven't found the part where Jesus tells His followers to take His message to those of one political persuasion or another. Jesus took his message to Roman soldiers and Jewish priests. He took His message to promiscuous women and to tax collectors.
Compare this to LCG, which consistently directs its message to people who believe that a whiter America is a better America.
Jesus (and our atheist friends are certainly welcome to interpret Him as a literary character if they wish) spoke of the narrow path, 2:52. I’m convinced that that’s the narrow band directly between the center of the two poles. Balance appears to be one point on which He was attempting to enlighten the Pharisees.
BB
Signed-- "Gerald E. Weston"
You aint nobody in the Church of God unless you have a MIDDLE INITIAL as part of your name moniker. Good see that Gerald has the big "E" going for him so that he can join the likes of ...
Roderick C. Meredith
Herbert W. Armstrong
Ronald L. Dart
Joseph W. Tkach
Dr. Herman L. Hoeh
Raymond F. McNair
David C. Pack
Donald L. Ward
Gerald R. Flurry
ETC...
The saying at the top of this post is a good example of sitting at either pole. There are more than "two types of people".
Actually, there are 10 types of people.
Those who understand binary.
And those who don't.
..
..
..
Gerald R. Flurry
William F. Dankenbring
Franklin D. Roosevelt
John F. Kennedy
Winston L. Churchill
Donald J. Trump
Ivana M. Trump
Two kinds of people in America today, because as Pat Buchanan says its two countries now, poles apart, split down the middle, alienated from each other, divided, and a lot of people wanting out. And those are only the two mainstream groups.
"Gerald Weston's letters seem to be quite predictable."
Unless you are an evangelist, that's Gerald E. Weston to you bud.
That's a great letter by Weston. I couldn't agree more. Well done.
Gerald is right about the roaring 1920s followed by the depression analogy. There are many YouTube presentations claiming that a worldwide economic collapse is a mathematical certainty considering today's debt levels.
XCOG leaders aren't wrong about everything.
9.34 PM
You didn't identify these two groups, so I'II do it for you.
Groups A, which has a entitlement mentality and feel that they own other peoples lives.
Group B, which believes that they own their own lives, and that what they earn belongs to them.
Definitely irreconcilable.
There are three types of people, those who can count and those who can't.
You know what? God forbid you get the churches into regular volunteering to help make their part of the world a better place! Never do you see or hear about any major push to spread the "word" by good works and deeds on a regular basis,never. Never do they set up shelters or food kitchens, never. Never do they offer counselling for drug abuse of mental health or unplanned pregnancies, never. These COG's, all of them, expect you to just send in your $ and let them decide where it goes, mainly to the pockets of the ministry. All the COG's do is tell you to wait for the end, watch for the signs, be prepared to flee. What a crappy way to live.
It's true what they say about Viviente, the church preaches the gospel as a testimony to the world, to people like this blog, it's true that it says what happens in today's world .... by the way, someone from you . Can you find kindness and genuine love in today's society ?, Of course, the picture is gray, the church only says what happens in this era.
What do you think the people of Noah said in their time?
"What a depressing man, build an ark where there is no sea to navigate", "What a depressing man, as a warning to the world of things that will not happen" ... "How is it possible that it rains in such a way that we flood?
This blog should take care of what it says, because it is a smart blog and knows the truth ... !!!, prudence please.
What I want to know, is when is Weston going to get down to the really important matters, like teenagers who insist on chewing gum during sabbath services!
LOL!
BB
Nice list Connie. And to think, most of them are spiritual losers. A fancy name means squat.
Armstrogism is always proclaiming coming doom and gloom. I recently listened to a recording of HWA predicting impending wars, financial disaster and flooding in the US that never came to fruition.
This is just more of the same fear mongering.
All these splinters are obsessed destruction and mayhem. Their messages are so depressing and tiresome.
It's a classic cult mind control technique. Research any dooms-day cult and you will see that Armstrongism utilized the exact same principles.
I recently escaped Armstrongism. I no longer focus on each disaster as prophecy. I no longer fear the destruction of America.
Now I live in the moment with joy and gratitude. The present is all we really have. The past is gone and tomorrow is guaranteed to no one so I choose to be grateful that I am in this great nation, with my amazing family, living in peace and happiness.
I'M FREE of the bonds of Armstrogism and its negativity!!!
BB, I'm sure the important chewing gum issue will be addressed after their Hawaii pre-pre-feast registration windfall is counted. They're going to make a new inspired department to manage both, namely the Department of Redundancy Department. It has been proven by the cogs that the rebellion manifested by gum chewing is the pathway that leads to fornication. Remember that revealed and inspired knowledge from the days of youth? As a teenager once myself, in the glory days of wcg, the hypocrisy of GTA intoning against such great evils as gum chewing and hair covering the forehead while being both the foremost adulterer and moral authority in wcg was not lost to my discernment.
The GEWman, Weston, reminds me of Putin in looks and tactics. Time for a purge, or at least a lampoon.
Ellen G. White
..
..
..
Oprah G. Winfrey
Hillary R. Clinton
Monica S. Lewinsky
It’s funny to watch Armstrongites always deflect conversations away be claiming those sin the “world” do the same thing. It makes the COG abusers more legit in their eyes.
Continuing where Connie and Anonymous January 28 7:19 PM left off:
Stanley R. Radar
Raymond C. Cole
Dr. Charles V. Dorothy
Dr. Benjamin L. Rea
Richard D. Armstrong
Charles F. Hunting
Gerald R. Waterhouse
Richard F. Ames
There are also those COG "somebodies" who used their INITIALS on the front of their complete name moniker. They are:
C. Wayne Cole
C. Paul Meredith
And, let's not forget those COG "somebodies" who used their complete full names as their moniker without the middle initials. They are:
Garner Ted Armstrong
David Jon Hill
Richard
Anon 6:49AM says
"God forbid you get the churches into regular volunteering to help make their part of the world a better place! Never do you see or hear about any major push to spread the "word" by good works and deeds on a regular basis, never. Never do they set up shelters or food kitchens, never."
Never is not quite true. I'm with UCG and our church does food donations to the local Food Bank and another UCG group I attend actually does a "food kitchen". But it is still minimal in my opinion. We are very small and spread out so it not that easy to do out reach, but that's the example Christ left for His followers. Math. 25 I believe is talking about feeding and clothing the poor and I didn't see Jesus limit His giving based on what "group" you belonged to.
Misspelled Stanley R. Rader's last name in my last post. After I posted, I easily thought of several more COG "somebodies" with middle initials in their name moniker. Shows how right Connie's point actually is as it was prevalent everywhere in COG land. Everybody who was anybody used a moniker of some sort in their name:
Paul S. Royer
Robert L. Kuhn
Richard F. Plache
Albert J. Portune
Kenneth C. Herrmann
Norman A. Smith
Dibar K. Apartian
It's funny how these names stayed with me all these many decades.
Richard
How's this? There is one 'kind'. Human kind. And billions between the poles.
Ellen G. White (aka EGg White) was listed, what about Loma D. Armstrong?
I hope Baron Guttenberg isn't the beast guy since his name is so long and hard to remember. We have been fortunate with simple names such as Hitler or Stalin. Lets hope our luck continues.
What's with the Germans and their long names?
9.54 AM
I'm curious. Do you still have a relationship with God?
"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
pretty certain the apostle Saul was scoffed at by his contemporaries as well...
c f ben yochanan
6.49 AM
I remind you that most western countries tax their citizens at about 50% in the name of the poor. In Christ's day, society was agrarian and poor. That is not the case today. Philosophers have called the 20th and 21st century, the age of the thieving poor.
They are the ones responsible for the high taxes and wealth redistribution. Since Lyndon Johnsons 'war on poverty,' America has spent 15 trillion dollars on this cause. This approximates the 20 trillion dollar national debt.
The poor are bankrupting the country. In summary, screw the poor.
Well, the honeycomb abortions ruined the grounds during my tenure at Embarassing College, and I remember being horrified at the shocking difference in architecture between the original historically significant mansions and these gauche buildings. They might have been wonderful as stand-alones, or been appropriate to the lower campus, but as they were, they looked like something the Beverly Hillbillies would have added to a classic neighborhood in attempting to go high-brow. But, further, these were pretentiously named the “Loma D. Armstrong Academic Center”, a mouthful even with my abreviation “the LD double AC” (same number of syllable sounds as neutering it to “the Academic Center”). You could get it down to four by calling it “the new buildings”, or “the new classrooms”. Obviously, students with “the proper attitude” never indulged in such critiques back in the day, and continued to pretend that the emperor actually did have new clothes.
A friend of mine who worked on the night custodial crew related that one night while working in the building, as he entered the lower level, his nostrils had been suddenly assaulted by what seemed to have the aroma of intense cow flatulence. Of course, in those sheltered days on campus, you couldn’t just demand something like “What the hell is that?”, but when he asked something as similar as you could come to that without sinning, a red-faced student explained that he was making cheese. Which, is of course the way the Beverly Hillbillies would have treated the new buildings! (And students had complained about me spraying a Candy-Apple paint job on an old beach cruiser bicycle in the basement of 380 Grove the previous year!)
BB
9.54 AM
I'm curious. Do you still have a relationship with God?
January 29, 2018 at 4:54 PM
9.54 here - My relationship with God has improved exponentially. I shed the falsehoods of Armstongism and stopped forcing myself to sit through uninspired, repetitive, boring sermons in LCG (or beating myself up with guilt for not going). I began to read a fresh Bible (sans Rod Meredith/ HWA commentary in the margins) and my 1st love was renewed. The fire that LCG put out a little more each year began to re-spark. I am so grateful for God's love and for His every day presence in my life that words fall short.
LCG hooked my with the line about following the "entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation" but it was a farce. They don't follow the whole Bible any more than the Catholics do.
The liberation that came when I finally left Armsstrongism was unbelievable. I am so much happier and my relationship with God is greatly improved.
It'd be interesting to know Weston salary at HQ. Probably in the six figures. That's what he made in Canada.
Great experience you shared, 9:20!
Anyone who was raised by the Armstrong child-rearing principles had their concept of God horribly warped by the example of their parents, especially if those parents were uber- zealous “philadelphians”. As below, so above. Our parents gave us a fractured, demented image of God as an angry judge, just salivating over any opportunity to swoop down and punish even the smallest offense of the law. So, yeah, obviously anyone leaving Armstrongism would have a much better image of God (even atheists who no longer believe He exists!), and the potential to have a more wonderful and real relationship with Him.
BB
9.20 AM You were really right. Rod Meredith's sermons were really tiring. Around 1993 when we went out of WCG before it imploded I started in our home church with GCG. After 6 months I gave up with him. His sermons were always "uninspired, repetitive, (and) boring."
There were so much more to learn.
it is Written: "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
just because ur parents may be deceived doesnt automatically disqualify them from being among the elect...
c f ben yochanan
Jean regular LCG Evangelists over $100,000 so there's no telling how much Gerald Weston is making.
I'm pretty sure Lil' Jimmy (not an evangelist) is also making 6 figures.
So whatever you do... keep sending in those tithes so they can make headquarter's payroll... er, uh, I mean... so they can do the work more powerfully than any other church on EARTH!
Rod Meredith was making more than $150,000 a year when he died. As noted above, other evangelists and "leading men" made more than $100,000. That's just income, not counting the parsonage income tax deduction that gives most of those men another $20,000+ per year tax free.
In 2016, the most recent year LCG has reported on, they took in more than $19,000,000. More than $1,000,000 went to salaries for the top ten "leading men" at LCG HQ. I wonder how the LCG "worker bees" privately feel about that?
@ anon 9:28
The LCG worker bees have been trained that it is none of their business how the church spends their tithe money. Bob League preached, and I quote, "if Mr. Meredith decides to put the money in a big pile in the parking lot and catch it on fire it's really none of your business". He went on to explain that the every day average member doesn't have the full knowledge of everything RCM has and then blathered on and on about how it's our duty to just trust that the ministry are led by Christ and so whatever they do is A-Okay.
I personally don't care if men like Weston or Winnail make 6 figures. Honestly they work 24/7 so they deserve it. Jim Meredith... not so much.
In my opinion the amount of tithe payer money LCG wasted on Living University is a far worse offense.
Mr. Meredith, once LCG was established, made it a priority to pay back any loans incurred by the Global Church of God. This is highly questionable both legally and ethically, which is probably why Mr. Meredith never made any announcement concerning this to the church. Imagine me coming into LCG in 2000, expecting my tithes to be going toward the stated missions of the church when instead they are going to pay a debt incurred by an entirely different organization, a debt that LCG has no obligation to pay, a debt incurred due to mismanagement in that other organization some 3-5 years earlier, and is only repaid out of a personal obligation felt by Mr. Meredith. Does Mr. Meredith have the authority to distribute my tithe money (or, more accurately, God’s tithe money) to anyone, even his friends, as he sees fit? Apparently so. And, Bob League agrees. Further, what about "the Work" that was the supposed top priority? I guess, when it comes to money, RCM's actual top priority is using church money to cover his personal obligations.
This goes directly to the ministerial infallibility taught at LCG. It goes like this: "Jesus Christ is the head of the church and he can remove me anytime He wants. Since He hasn't removed me, whatever mistakes I might have made must not be enough for Him to remove me. Therefore, if you leave the church because of my behavior, you are actually judging Jesus Christ for failing." Mr. Meredith doesn't mention that every minister in every church in the world could make the same claim. God is not inclined to interfere in these absurdities of men. If you're in LCG and you can't figure it out yourself, God will let you be an idiot.
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