Today, I want to talk a bit about the methodology that Herbert Armstrong used when it came to how he interpreted the Bible to those who subscribed to the Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, and listened to his sermons and messages. In Volume One of the 1955 Correspondence Course, Herbert outlines four different ways that one could approach studying the Bible properly. They are:
1) What the Bible is, how it was written, how to study it, and why "no one understands it."
In reality, the Correspondence Course was full of this, in extremely detailed, specific instructions, down to exactly what Bible to get, and what pencils to use, how long to study, and the methods of indoctrination (i.e. meditation, habit, writing, etc.) So, to say this was not used as an approach isn't correct. This approach was used in combination with their chosen approach. So yes, they did use this as a methodology, detailed, specific, and exact.
2) To start at the very beginning, with Genesis.
They say they did not adopt this approach - but in reality, they kind of did, just not with the Correspondence Course exactly. They used this approach with the Youth Bible Stories/Studies, leading the children through the tumultuous and violent Old Testament, punctuated with intensely graphic illustrations by Basil Wolverton, Church member and illustrator of MAD Magazine Fame. After a full childhood of indoctrination of the horrors of the wrath of God, the opening of the Earth, David, Samson, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Balaam, Rachel, Esau, Jacob, Rebekah, and others - finally, around 11 or 12 years of age, they received the lesson called "The Introduction to Jesus Christ".
3) The New Testament.
This is the method nearly every Christian Church has adopted - the foundation being Jesus Christ, the foundation of the Christian Church, the Gospel of Salvation, the Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline Epistles, the writings of other Church leaders, and the symbolic and controversial Book of Revelation, and using this understanding to understand the books of the Old Testament, whose books pointed to and were a shadow of Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of all that the Old Testament pointed to. This was the one method that was completely rejected as the approach for the Correspondence Course.
4) To begin with the very present.
The chosen method of how to study the Bible was number four - "the one we have adopted". Which, truly, is not "Bible Study" at all.
This approach first and foremost was a "fear tactic" of speculation, inconsistencies, falsehoods, and irregularities. Below, you will see the text of how they rationalized their approach.
To Begin with the Very Present
They begin by saying "the whole world seems suddenly to have erupted in chaos in physical violence".
Sadly, chaos and physical violence has been going on for millennia. Ignored are countless world wars, plagues, diseases, famines, pestilences, persecutions that have been far, far worse than the 20th century that Herbert lived in. It does not take a lot of research to look back and see generations and periods of time that make our current time look absolutely blissful.
Remember, this was written in 1955. Just about everyone who read this in 1955 (assuming 18 or older) is extremely old or, frankly, dead. The intonation is the Bible would mean more to them as it's related to THEIR LIVES. Of course, things turned out very, very differently, as we all know. Besides some serious localized conflicts, diseases, and a wide range of social issues, the generations ahead of them in their prime of life (1955 -2005) were to be some of the most prosperous and bountiful years for many of the readers in many years. What Herbert Armstrong indoctrinated them with, on the other hand, was a fear and paranoia of the future which was doomed to imminent and total annihilation at virtually any time, within the next three to five years on a constant, ever-moving, but never-reaching timetable.
Instead of studying the Bible, with the foundation being Jesus Christ, the foundation was fear. The foundation was prophecy - most of which was completely incorrect. The foundation was British Israelism, which, again, has been proven (through DNA and genetic analysis) as completely incorrect. The foundation was based completely on Herbert's worldview through HIS eyes - through HIS life - conveyed and transmitted to others through this course.
Quotes That Immediately Followed This Text: (Said to a 1955 Audience.)
"YOU LIVE IN A WORLD OF CHAOS" (we still do, we always have.)
"Mass Destruction of the Earth's Inhabitants Appears Imminent" (FALSE).
"The Outlook Grows More Serious" (WE'RE HERE.)
"This World's Civilization Has Come to a Crisis!" (WE'RE HERE)
"It is Time to Be Concerned" (ALL of those who read this were able to live out their lives without Armageddon.)
"You will Learn The Only Way To Avoid the Dire Events Shortly To Fall." (They Didn't.)
"In our Generation the Entire Earth is Endangered" (We're Still Here).
"The World's Population Can Be Wiped Out in a Few Hours". (It Wasn't.)
"This World is CRASHING to it's DOOM!" (We're Still Here.)
Lesson One said the Following in BOLD LETTERS. (Remember the Psychological Condition Herbert taught)
WHAT would HAPPEN if HE WERE NOT TO RETURN (Fear Inducing)
NO SOUL would be SAVED ALIVE (Panic Inducing)
SUICIDAL ATTEMPTS (Negative Thought, Fear Inducing)
CUT SHORT (Cresendo, Emphasis)
TIME OF TROUBLE (Fear Inducing)
ONE CLIMACTIC PERIOD
MODERN SCIENTIFIC WARFARE (Fear Inducing)
HYDROGEN BOMBS, ROCKETS, GASES (Panic Inducing)
MASS MURDER (Fear-Inducing)
DESCRIBING WAR WEAPONS OF OUR DAY (Panic Inducing)
FORCE OF THE EVIL NATURE (Negative Thought, Fear Inducing)
Does MANKIND REALLY KNOW THE WAY TO PEACE (Doubt Inducing)
WITHOUT HEEDING WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN (Fear Inducing)
The first lesson of the AC Correspondence Course was designed to make you afraid, to fear, to panic - and if you believed what was written, to try to escape what was said to about to happen. The problem? Nothing like this happened in their lifetimes.
Another thing to mention: In this one lesson, the order of scriptures were all over the place without context:
Matthew, Mark, Jeremiah, James, Luke, Proverbs, Romans, Isaiah, 1 Corinthians, II Timothy, II Peter, James, Micah, Isaiah. (Cherry-picking/proof-texting/find scriptures that fit what we're saying).
Some may say I'm giving HWA too much credit for this methodology. Intentional, or unintentional - he knew what he was doing. Herbert Armstrong made a choice to use fear and worry - unfounded fear and worry - a psychological manipulation of mind conditioning to use the world at that time as the foundation of interpreting the whole entirety of scripture. That was the trap - a trap many in the splinters are still trying to use today.
Finally, let me reiterate that this was written in 1955. History and time has proven everything written here was false. The predictions were incorrect. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was not the foundation. Fear, panic, worry, and doubt - and money - were the foundation. This was intentional manipulation. This was spiritual extortion. This was a SCAM, plain and simple. This is 2018. My hope is people will not fall for the trickery any longer.
submitted by SHT
25 comments:
The Jews start with Genesis without scaring everybody to death. Guess it depends on your motives in how you present the material.
Coming out of World War II with the Korean War and the Cold War, people must have been far more receptive to a scary message.
Hey mister Dennis Dhiel, I have a couple of questions.
1.Why did you leave the Worldwide Church of God?
2. Do you believe humans existed eternally or that life came into being somehow? I'm just kind of curious. Sorry if I offended you.
3. What's your favorite thing about life?
For people who are "free" of the WCG "cult", they sure do invest a lot of their time speaking out against it. And on top of that, not changing anyone's mind about any of it. You people are just preaching to the choir when it comes to your anti-HWA/COG posts. And the minds of those who are not against HWA and the COG will not be changed either. So what is the point of any of this? Just a waste of time for everyone involved. Y'all need to get out and enjoy life before circumstances take you out of life.
Thanks SHT for tbis lengthy expose about what made a 1950's person tick.
The parents of the Grease generation.
Indeed a confusing world with mass annihilatiom of people on an industrial scale. A world on the brink of nuclear destruction. A denial of all things natural and defiance of laws of physics.
Other people wrote about this too
I believe Tolkien made it the main theme of lord of the rings. The simple and plain folk of the shire engaged in world war on industrial scale. Not surprisingly written in the 1950's making use of old celtic, norse, germanic lore.
Nck
The article on bible study states that the condition for understanding the bible is SUBMISSION to its teachings. It doesn't use the word being teachable, which would be the accurate word to use, but rather submission. Submission in church culture is allowing oneself to be dominated by ones minister. So technically, they have created a deceitful package deal of teachability and blind obedience to ministers, calling it 'submission.' My Bible (but not the ministers 'true' bible) condemns subtracting or ADDING to the Bible. So who is it that's not being submissive?
YES! --- I would like to order the "Correpspondence Course" that teaches you how to "Study the AC Correspondence Course!
November 27, 2018 at 12:47 PM,
Thank you. (For being an ignorant dick.)
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
No doubt about it. Herb was intentionally deceitful. A true psychopath. A sneaky devil. Fear was one of his tools. Exalting himself to the level of an apostle was another. And he used lies to do it.
For people who are "free" of the WCG "cult", they sure do invest a lot of their time speaking out against it. And on top of that, not changing anyone's mind about any of it.
How do you know that nobody's mind is being changed?
... the minds of those who are not against HWA and the COG will not be changed
What made so many people leave then? Might the internet have influenced some of them? Even if not, could it be keeping the cults from getting new people?
So what is the point of any of this?
Mostly to annoy people like you?
12.47 PM
If this is blog is just a waste of time, why are you posting here.
The COGs leaders would like nothing more than having the information monopoly of old. This made it easy for them to deceive and imprison members minds with their lies and distortions.
And why are some of the comments posted here, appearing in COGs literature. It appears that ministers are getting input from 'dissident' sites.
Hey, Anonymous12:47
Just the fact that you are reading here shows that you are a hypocrite. You tell us to "get out and enjoy life" which is to say 'quit wasting your time writing'. Well, quit wasting your time reading then. Are you really enjoying life? Or are you living in fear of upsetting your superiors, or waiting for the "tribulation" to start at any moment, or afraid your god is going to burn you in the lake of fire if you don't give everything to whichever splinter group you belong to? I feel sorry for you. SMH
The total members in all the WCG offshoots today are nowhere near the glory days of the 1970 and 1980s. The total output (radio, tv, print, internet) is a drop in the bucket compared to the old days. How many new members are replacing the old and soon to be dead members? In our lifetime, this will pretty much become extinct. This site and others provide information not readily available to the general WCG member in the peak WCG years. When David Pack dies, so will his church. When Mr. Flurry dies, so will his church. When Mr. Weinland dies, so will his church. When Mr. Thiel dies, so will his church. And guess what the world will not even notice.
If you put a ton of notes in your bible then lose it you will want to jump off a cliff.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Well, that's safe to say, since nobody can go to heaven to prove it wrong.
Hey mister Dennis Dhiel, I have a couple of questions.
1 ...
2 ...
3 ...
That was three questions.
"For people who are "free" of the WCG "cult", they sure do invest a lot of their time speaking out against it. And on top of that, not changing anyone's mind about any of it. You people are just preaching to the choir when it comes to your anti-HWA/COG posts. And the minds of those who are not against HWA and the COG will not be changed either. So what is the point of any of this? Just a waste of time for everyone involved. Y'all need to get out and enjoy life before circumstances take you out of life. "
It is not up to me, or any writer, to change anyone's mind. What is being posted is truth. The evidence is thorough. The lies are exposed. If a person rejects truth, that is their choice. It has been told. If they did not know, they could not make a choice. Now that they know, they make a choice. If someone intentionally chooses to believe lies, then that is what they have chosen to do.
Go ahead and give me proof that anything written here is incorrect. Tell me how Herbert was correct. Tell me that what he said to the audience he intended this writing for happened. Tell me with fact, and with clear reasoning. If you can tell me, and not resort to name-calling or other juvenile methods, I'm all ears. If you cannot, I've told you the truth. If I told you the truth and you reject it, than that is on you. My writings are not to change minds. They are to give those who read it a choice. To believe it, or to reject it.
It would appear that Anon 12:47 PM comments has triggered several of our resident religious snowflakes (i.e. Anons 1:51 and 2:45).
@ 12.47 PM,
It is good for anti WCG postings for the purpose of enlightenment and sharing of past WCG experiences. I for one is a big fan of Armstrongism since my youth and now following one of the splinters. Before Internet we do not have both sides of the story. Now we have. We can compare and weigh the facts and fallacies in light of the Bible. Each if us must decide what is best for us in working out our salvation.
Keep posting, guys!
Over the past 18 years that I've been on these blogs and forums, there have been numerous people who have changed their stances, and have left Armstrongism, often as a result of the information presented on the "dissident" sites. Some sites, such as Painful Truth and Exit and Support Network, regularly publish letters of thanks from such folks. These letters become part of the testimonials as to the effectiveness of the information.
The other factor that is effective in causing people to leave is the level of badness or ridiculousness of many of the leaders. They are getting desperate. They want their tribulation, and they want it now! Every time some ego-infested tyrant announces that he is an apostle or prophet, and either demands more than reasonable, or makes some ludicrous prophecy, the words here and on other sites suddenly become oh so much more attractive, ringing true, and forcing people to face realities against which they had erected such strong defenses, often for decades. The reason people come here to voice complaints about those who trash Armstrongism is that they know deep down that as a group, we have been very effective. That can make some types feel endangered enough to want to strike back, and when they do (like 12:47), we recognize that yet another person is on the defensive.
1955 was a cool time to be growing up. The nightly family morality plays on TV were a relatively new phenomenon. Exciting musical genres were replacing discordant classical music and boring big band music. Teenagers were achieving new identities of their own, as opposed to being carbon copy miniatures of their parents. Cars were all getting powerful V-8 engines, two and three tone paint jobs, and taking on design characteristics of rockets and jets. I enjoyed all of this, and tried to remember and continue to enjoy it when Armstrongism temporarily made the sun go behind the clouds, as my parents succumbed to fear of the prophecies which they learned from a fanatic on the radio with a booming authoritative voice. HWA destroyed any vested interest or attachment his followers had in the present world, all the things that made life enjoyable. Then he replaced these things with a very poor, tenth rate substitute. His church.
I'm just thankful that there are people around who care enough to help make the sun come back out, to emerge from the horrible storm clouds. Because it's a beautiful world, life is great, and most people truly are good, well intentioned, and looking out for the best interests of their friends, loved ones, and fellow man.
BB
Agreed.
The only real threat to society was the pelvis of the one from tupelo.
We had to ship him to the land of muss i denn, after smashing his records and stop elroy, judy and jane from screaming.
Nuclear!
Nck
9:56 PM , You are just weird. Perhaps you should be shipped off.
10:23
Are you saying I am a Looney for having a crush on Jane?
Shipped off. I'll have Sabrina deal with you!
nck
Elvis was a threat mostly because in integrating black stylings to white music, he began a process of bringing the races together. There had been a long tradition before him amongst musicians of accepting one another as being real and equal human beings. Elvis was simply the most articulate in his era.
BB
Yes.
The history of George and Ira Gershwin is fascinating too in that regard.
PorgyandBess of course but much more. The First to make American music.
Perhaps a documentary at the holidays.
We tend to look back at history and especially youth as a blisfull time. (Hence the current babyboom vote for Potus.) In reality this is the best time ever (World Tomorrow in embryo as my thesis goes.) Never been better according to the statistics of health and education.
nck
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