If you watched the video about Stephen Allwine (Web of Lies: The Murder of Amy Allwine) that was posted earlier, you would see mentioned several times that the courtroom was filled up almost every day with United Church of God members who were there to support Stephen during his murder trial. You will also hear the prosecutors surprised by this large show of force. The video even shows them showing up at the trial with their faces obscured.Many years earlier than this, United Church of God members showed up in force at another trial for a stalker that was harassing COG women. They too showed up to support the stalker and essentially were blaming the victims as the cause of the problem and not the stalker.
Several years ago, in Bluefield WV, a UCG woman who was a bank manager, embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the bank she worked at. She essentially stole the life savings of hundreds of elderly people and bank account holders. She bought her husband numerous motorcycles and cars, that he paraded through the town daily on, they also built a fancy house. They built a permanent church building for her local UCG congregation which was alter repossed by the govenment. At Feast times she passed out envelopes filled with money in them to help the less fortunate UCG members. UCG members flocked to her trial and supported her like she did no wrong.
This does not include some of the other court trials that I have heard mentioned over the years where UCG members were on trial and regular member supported them, regardless of their crimes.
Why are they so supportive?
(She) even passed out envelopes prior tot he Feast each year with money in them to help ...
ReplyDelete>>>How do I get on her mailing list? ;-)
I was in UCG the time that woman in Bluefield did that and I DID NOT support that thieving b**ch!
ReplyDeleteAs HWA showed numerous times in his life stories, the COG MO must be the ends justify the means.
ReplyDeleteThe first word that came to mind as I read this was “balance”. There seems to be a wide variety of imbalance amongst the ACOGs. In LCG, you have the single mothers who apparently have repented and allowed back into the church being held in a sort of limbo or purgatory by the ministry and members, while at UCG, practicing criminals are treated as if they were pillars of the church. At PKG, the prophet or apostle is a convicted felon whose followers won’t even read summaries of the trial transcripts. These go beyond the normal flock-fleecing practiced by various wolves who have been forced to base a “work” on the financial resources of fewer members.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, does anyone expect good to come from any of the splinter groups? If today were the 7th of Sivan 5995 instead of 5778, would any of us expect a single one of these splinters to have a high profile end times ministry ushering in the return of Jesus Christ? Imbalance is yet another indication that the time and date expiration stamp on Armstrongism was for thirty years ago. We’re probably the only ones on the face of the earth outside of these churches who even know that they exist.
BB
Why are they so supportive ? because wrong has become right in UCG and right is wrong. The more of the world you are, the more you will get on in UCG.
ReplyDeleteThe more good natured, well meaning the more despised and falsely accused you will be. You cannot do a good deed without being duly punished.
Its all about money. Desperation to save armstrongism from becoming irrelevant is what all the acog's are doing. Someday soon the membership needs to come to grips that they have been in the shadow of con men who care nothing for them. They only want the money..
ReplyDeleteWe know it already thanks.
Delete11.10 AM
ReplyDeleteWhat you describe was my experience in the WWCG during the 1980s. Perhaps other congregations were less evil. Just one example, I was stalked by a married woman who also kept slandering me non stop. There was no reaction from the minister (who in fact protected her) and the congregation even though many knew what was happening. The church was a paradise for the criminally minded.
Stalking or whatever you wanna call still happens. I think it comes from the higher ups. Thats why they do nothing. They like to decide amongst themselves who should be married to whom.The fact she was already married does not deter them. Their view on marriage is very screwed up. They think they have a right to decide who you should be paired with.
DeleteBecause the so-called church is sick from the head down.
ReplyDeleteA fish rots from the head down and so do the various COGs, each of them in their many goofy incarnations.
Because COG's have taught in general that they are the "persecuted church." Thus, the government is out to get the brethren - even if the brethren have done the damage to themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe statement from Peter Eddington after the guilty verdict was stunning, because it told UCG members NOT to judge Allwine even though the jury had convicted him. Whatever happened to the common COG argument to "judge righteous judgment" when it comes to other people?
“...... not to judge Allwine even though the jury had convicted him”
ReplyDeleteIn practice, that’s what Ron Weinland’s people have done. It’s pretty much what all partisan people do.
BB
ACOG groups definitely believe that they have the right to decide who you can marry and who you can.....I know this from personal experience.
ReplyDeleteIt is a little strange for them to support people who are convicted. Showing mercy and compassion, sure.....although, they show little compassion to those outside their groups.
It is fine, given their demographic (lots of older brethren and very few young ones), it is only a matter of time before they are reduce to nothing, even more so than at the moment. Some COG groups are basically gone already such as Charles Bryce Eternal Church of God and Raymond COG 21st century.
Jeremy
Is it not a principle of the legal system that a person is innocent until proved guilty.
ReplyDeleteSteve Allwine was pleading not guilty, so isn't it reasonable to support a colleague at a trial in which they claim to be an innocent party?
After hearing all the evidence, there may well be a change of mind, but that would be at the end of the trial, not before it, or during it.