Even the youth of the church could not escape Dave's self-righteous judgement!
As was the case with brethren in the Church during the 1970s, the youth programs in Buffalo and surrounding areas had become liberal, and mirrored the permissive leanings of the Church and a deteriorating society. Larger youth activities in the Church degenerated into breeding grounds for bad attitudes and unacceptable behavior before Mr. Armstrong directed radical changes be made. Sports programs had become overly competitive, with spectators sometimes hurling insults at opposing players and stomping wildly on the bleachers, as would happen at a worldly high school game.As doctrines were watered-down, youth constantly pushed the limits of tolerable behavior. Without guidance and clear standards, their behavior, as well as their appearance, soon became almost indistinguishable from teenagers in the world.In many congregations, teens and preteens ran wild, giving themselves over to inappropriate music, underage drinking—even drug abuse and fornication. The situation became so appalling that Mr. Armstrong temporarily shut down the Church’s regional youth activities and national tournaments, as he prepared to doctrinally straighten out the Church.From 1978 forward, the Pastor General worked to re-insert God’s Way back into youth programs, starting with new leadership at Ambassador College, and reorganization at the S.E.P. summer camps. Next was the introduction of a groundbreaking youth magazine (called Youth 81, 82, 83, etc.), which taught teens how to strive against the pulls of the world and attain their full potential. It also provided instructions to the ministry on how and what to teach young people.Along with removing teens who clearly did not belong in the Church, the introduction of new activities with the right focus caused young people to once again bear the fruit of living God’s Way.“I came to understand that the spiritual health of the youth was directly connected to the focus of the local minister. Congregations in which the minister looked to God—and Mr. Armstrong’s direction and example—for guidance brought huge rewards. Conversely, ministers who allowed permissive attitudes to permeate their local youth programs reaped what they had sown—and previously (before Mr. Armstrong’s course correction) so had the entire Church.“The Church as a whole was not performing its God-given duty to its young people during these years. Teenagers are incredibly perceptive. They immediately notice hypocrisy when leaders allow certain behaviors in one congregation, but not another.”The field pastor stressed holding to God’s standards and insisted that parents train their children properly. This was a big reason some viewed him as too strict.Much to the chagrin of some youth, Bible studies were also held for parents on the trends of the day regarding rock music, dress, alcohol and drugs. These candid discussions gave parents the assistance they needed to teach their children properly.Mr. Pack remembered countless times when he nicely, but firmly, told teenagers, “I do not care what’s going on with your friends outside the Church or who is allowed to attend, and what is permitted, in other congregations. You are here. If you want to hold to right standards of conduct, wonderful. If not, you will be happier elsewhere, meaning outside the Church.”While some may think this harsh, obeying God is always a choice—for adults and teens.Along with explaining to teenagers what they were not to do, it was always a priority to show them the right way to live. Campouts, canoe trips, talent shows, sports programs, special group trips and other activities were held—all with the correct focus. A tremendous amount of effort was exerted in reviving the youth programs to God’s standards.
12 comments:
How awesome! Some of the teenagers had the opportunity to opt out! Of course, this was probably meaningless, because they most likely still had to live at home with their parents, who would probably double-down on the misery factor until the teenagers were reinstated by Dave.
The extreme ways in which teenagers were handled by Armstrongism gave birth in many cases to a dual lifestyle, also known as Eddie Haskell Syndrome. Once you grow up and realize what has happened to you, this syndrome can become a real challenge to root out when trying for a more honest approach to the authority figures in all of our lives as we recover from Armstrongism. If this type of disingenuousness isn’t classified as a personality disorder, it certainly should be.
BB
While Dave and his people are participating in their yellow pencil lifestyles over there in Stepfordsworth, smiling on command as he extols the benefits of “common”, I’ve been reminiscing about how I survived my own WCG childhood, and I’ve got some workable skills to pass along, just in case any oppressed teenagers are copping a glance at this totally illegal blog!
Basically, you use activities from the high road to create a little space for yourself, which, translated, means more time outside of your oppressive home.
Being an athlete requires hours of practice, meaning you’re going to arrive at home hours after school lets out. The challenge is the sabbath. You’ve got to find a sport which doesn’t have games, matches, or meets on the sabbath. In my school, track fit that bill. In our school, there was some form of track through the entire school year. We had Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track. Running for hours on end helped me dissipate the extreme anger caused by my parents’ anal retentive system of punishment. Had it not been for all of the running, I doubt that I would have made it through my teenage years without some sort of unfortunate incident.
The second method of creating space is working a part time job. With their extreme gluttony for money, what ACOG dictator is not going to approve of a kid with a job who tithes??? Also, believe me when I tell you that developing a good work ethic at an early age will set you on an excellent course for life!
Worried about those long summer months spending 24-7 with the parental units? Canvas your neighborhood. Set up your own landscape business, babysitting business, car detail service, or any other service that suits your interests. Do anything to get you out of the house for a couple of extra hours of freedom. I once used up many hours taking a train from the ‘burbs into the city to get a Lifeguard Certification at the Y that I never used except at the Feast.
Also, a word about clothes. Teenage years are all about learning to relate to your peers in ways that will set you up for success or failure throughout your working years. It’s difficult to do that in 1940s clothing styles. These days, with the proliferation of “Savers” and other used clothing outlets, it’s easy on the cheap to pick up school clothes that can be hidden in your locker to change into for class.
Whatever you do, keep these activities secret from anyone associated with the church, no matter how cool you think they are. Even siblings are not to be trusted. If you try to “turn” them, it is very likely that they will rat. Someone gets a twinge of guilt, rats on themselves, and takes you down the rat hole with them. Also, speak two separate languages. Keep the “cool” slang and jargon amongst your peers at school. It just freaks out people in the ACOGs if you use expressions that originated in the ghetto or barrio.
There is a price to be paid for all of this. Later, when you are free, you’ll need to shed the subterfuge, and to learn to be the same person to all people so that others can trust you. Remember, all this stuff I just shared is for your temporary survival. Good luck! Hope you get to be some of the lucky normal ones, unwarped by the cult!
BB
Eddie Haskell Syndrome - great tag!
I found this existed in the non-COG youth groups I was obliged to attend when I lived at home.
In the WCG, the members of the adult singles group I attended were very enthusiastic at meetings, but hardly anyone showed up at the planned activities.
Dave 'nicely but firmly told teenagers..' Ha, ha, ha, ha. Since when do ministers talk to members this way. This is Alice in Wonderland writing.
Rather, ministers abuse, insult, threaten, name call, attacking teenagers and adults alike.
Perhaps this book is all about David Pack. But how interesting to see him expose warts and problems in WCG that other church writers (maybe even HWA) didn't want to bring up.
I didn't know Dave Pack personally. I've never heard him live or on recordings that I can recall, However, this blog seems to be all about him right now. Is he really that important? Seems like a goofy, self-absorbed and self-important travesty to me. I pity anybody so dumb and unaware as to give him the time of day. Aw, but I have to admit that for over twenty years I was just that dumb and unaware.
Is this the David Pack blog, seems like he gets all the attention here.
At Sabbath services in Charlotte, today, Gerald Weston made a shocking admission that makes me think of Pack's teenagers. He said:
"I understand, everybody has a double-life to some degree."
What Weston seems not to understand is that LCG (and Armstrongism in general) encourages people to maintain a double-life, and to be more and more two-faced as they continue in the church, unlike many other churches that allow people to feel that they don't need to put up a false front of near-perfection.
There are of course a few brethren who for a while try not to live a double-life, and who try to admit their weaknesses honestly and sincerely as they repent and strive to be better Christians. Before too long, these people either run away from the falseness of ACOG spirituality or learn the two-faced ACOG standard and become twice the sons of hell they were before they joined their ACOG (Matthew 23:15).
In his sermon today, Weston made it clear that he is going to set a standard, and if you can't fake it you won't be allowed to make it in LCG. Does he not realize that this won't actually make the brethren holier? It will just make them more fake. Weston would rather have a church filled with people who know how to fake a certain level of Godliness, rather than a church filled with imperfect people striving honestly to reach a greater level of Godliness.
Perhaps the saddest part of the sermon came when Weston attacked innocent children and their mothers. He mentioned that when he was pastoring one large WCG congregation, there were perhaps 14 young women who had children out of wedlock and brought their babies to services. To Weston, this was a sign of scandal and liberalism. Other pastors might rejoice that a woman had learned a hard lesson, and that instead of aborting the baby or abandoning her responsibility she had repented of her damaging sin and was now seeking to live a better life. But that's not what Weston said today. Instead of praising the women for their repentance and desire to grow in difficult circumstances, he described them as if they were a terrible embarrassment to the congregation.
How will repentant sinners thrive in LCG, if they know deep down that Weston and their pastor see them as embarrassments and failures because of prior sin, instead of seeing them as God's children striving to atone for their earlier mistakes?
All in all, it was a sickening sermon that I would have expected from a man like Pack. I was one of the many who thought LCG would become more balanced after Meredith's death. I was wrong.
6.39 PM
'Is this the Dave Pack blog.'
This blog is about the scoundrel ministers from the Scoundrel Churches of God.
Scoundrels are a species, so if one becomes intimately familiar with a scoundrel like Dave, it enables one to immediately understand other scoundrel ministers.
So you see, it's very educational to familiarise oneself with Kim Jong-un Pack.
"All in all, it was a sickening sermon that I would have expected from a man like Pack. I was one of the many who thought LCG would become more balanced after Meredith's death. I was wrong."
I have a simple question for you -- why are you still there? Another question: Are you supporting the travesty with your hard earned money? That whole mess hasn't gotten a dime from me in any of their disgusting splinters since 1974. Tithing is illegal for Christians even if I still believed in that made up god. I don't, and never will again. You know, "Once bitten, twice shy."
Allen, what about the marriages that the ministry has broken up when one spouse is less brainwashed than the other? Maybe this poster has a happy family and doesn't want to see Rod McNair try to break it up as he has done with others?
Is this the David Pack blog, seems like he gets all the attention here.
Dave doesn't have a monopoly here. Come back in a few days and you might want to ask if this is the Gerald Weston, Gerald Flurry, James Malm or Bob Thiel blog.
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