Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Only 10 Years Left Till Jesus And Certain Select COG Members Are Rulling In Jerusalem



These days, Church of God self-appointed false prophets are a dime a dozen.  So many now think they are conduits of secret knowledge from their pissed off little god who is perpetually angry about everyone and everything imaginable.

This is the latest from the sleazy false prophet Wade Cox.

  1. 2013-2019 "Week of the battles against 'Amaleq"
These years did indeed see the wars of Amalek develop full scale and the Churches of God and the Chosen people will be engaged in pitched battles and conflict both spiritual and physical with those that seek to destroy them.
In  2012 we told the world of the Arab Spring and its spread into the wars which spread from North Africa all over the Middle East.
From the end of this period we expect the wars to develop to the wars of the Fifth and Sixth Trumpet and the sequence build up to the establishment of the Witnesses of God of Revelation 11 for the Fourth Reading of the Law and the return of the Messiah thereafter, and the last great battles of Armageddon or Meggido and the wrath of God.
The Biochemical war of the Fifth Trumpet is developing now in Syria and will explode into the nuclear conflict of the War of the Sixth Trumpet over the last year of the sequence.  This war will kill a third of mankind.
  1. 2020-2026 "Week of standing at Mt. Sinai"
At the coming of the Messiah after the Witnesses between 2020 and 2024 Satan is placed in the Bottomless Pit of Tartaros. His religious system is then destroyed completely and the nations purged of the false religions both in Christianity and Islam.
No priest of the Sun system of Baal and the mother goddess Easter that does not repent will be left alive.
This week is the last period of the consolidation of the saints waiting on the Messiah as they did at Sinai when they spoke to him face to face and they had their leaders appointed over the tribes and the Council of the Elders of Israel were appointed. They were given the law progressively and their leaders were educated over the six months from Abib to Elul, where Moses went up the mountain six times to converse with Christ (see the paper.  
In the Seventh month they kept the feast and in this Seventh year the Trumpet is blown for the Atonement of the Sabbath year, and the Jubilee year begins and the restoration of all things is accomplished.
The Treble harvest follows the completion of The Wars of the End and the Vials of the Wrath of God (No. 141A).
In 2028 the Millennium begins and all people are back in their inheritance and the world is run by Christ and the Saints from Jerusalem for the next 1000 years.
2028 begins the Fiftieth or The Golden Jubilee and the Millennium (No. 300) of the millennial system measured from the final restoration under Ezra and Nehemiah. In this period the Temple will be rebuilt by Christ and the structure of Ezekiel will be established at Jerusalem. The Jewish false systems of the Rabbinical Priesthood and their false structures will be eliminated completely and those who say they are Jews but are not will repent and/or be removed. That involves over 90% of the Jewish people. They will be made to acknowledge the Philadelphian Church and the Calendar of God (No. 156) (cf. Rev. 3:9). The Hillel System and the oral traditions will be purged from Israel forever (see Hillel, Babylonian Intercalations and the Temple Calendar (No. 195C)).
We will explain how that will be commenced from the Witnesses in a subsequent series.
The Bible is clear that the only warning given is from the voice of Dan/Ephraim which forms the tribe of Joseph in Revelation chapter 7 (cf. Jer. 4:15-16), (see The Warning of the Last Days No. 044)). Then the warning is by the Two Witnesses for 1260 days.
These things will happen suddenly and God will deal with the earth for man’s sin and unrighteousness.
Can you imagine the pure hell of living through WWIII and then be put under the authority of Wade Cox and his little minions?


Friday, April 20, 2018

Living Church of God Education Classes: How To Waste A Year Of Your Life



That fun loving Jonathan McNair, who got his job because of nepotism, is back encouraging the young men of the Living Church of God to waste one year of their lives, taking classes he helped design. Seriously!  Why?
Living Education
One of the most common questions asked about our on-site program in Charlotte is this: Why should a young man take a year out of his life to come to Charlotte to study the Bible? That won’t help me get a job.” This is a good question. For a young man, whether just leaving high school or in the young adult years, his focus should be primarily on acquiring skills, knowledge, and experience. Without these three elements, he won’t be able to lead and provide for a wife and a family. But here’s a challenge to you as a young man: Don’t get so caught up in the rush to make a living that you forget the importance of learning how to live. This is what makes Living Education unique. Your local community college, the university you’d like to attend, or the apprenticeship you’re applying for will not teach you how to live. We will. Give us one year and we’ll give you a foundation for a lifetime. What about young women?  We’ll address the benefits of Living Education for you next week!—Jonathan McNair
Is Rod McNair going to teach a class on how to find demons in nursing homes among the elderly? Or how about teaching the young men that they can't be proper witnesses of the gospel unless they have an org chart telling them who is in charge and what to believe.  Will they have a class on how to malign church members characters and reputations, from the pulpit, like they did the Scarborough's?

Next week we will be blessed by the highly encouraging message from McNair to the young women of the church on why they should attend for a year.  What better place to learn how to cook for their husbands to be or to learn how to set a pretty place setting for dinner.  Oh the joy!

Is This The Greatest Sex Book Ever Written, After The Bible?


So says Gerald Flurry:
Educator Herbert W. Armstrong authored the greatest book about sex of all time, after the Bible. It is called The Missing Dimension in Sex. “Now comes the big truth!” he wrote. “Sex was designed and created in humans for purposes other than reproduction—for purposes totally foreign to animal or plant life! But the world has continued in unhappy and wretched ignorance of these glorious and God-bestowed purposes!”
Mr. Armstrong wrote this near the end of his life. He knew and lived God’s purposes for sex, and he yearned to rescue mankind from the pain and suffering that comes from using sex the wrong way.  The Beautiful Truth That Would Solve The Sex Scandals
Herbert Armstrong did nothing of the sort!  The first issue of this book came out in the 1964's as God Speaks Out On The New Morality.  Charles Dorothy and others at Pasadena contributed to the book.


Then to dump the 1960's theme, the name was changed to The Missing Dimension in Sex in 1971.



Then, like Herbert Armstrong was prone to do, he took all credit and reissues the book under his name in 1980.



Who can forget those kinky pictures!  It was the Worldwide Church of God's official book of porn for the teenagers!

Anyway, back to Gerald Flurry's idolatrous take on the book is:

Look around. It is plain to see that humans have sex for reasons other than just reproduction. Some of these reasons are perverse and should be avoided altogether, or sex scandals may result.
“Now reproduction, merely as such, is, of course, common to animals and plants, as well as humans,” Mr. Armstrong continued. “But, in humans, reproduction has a sacred and God-plane meaning not applicable to any other kind of life!”
With animals, reproduction is nothing more than reproduction. With humans, reproduction points to a marvelous spiritual parallel. Human babies are very different from animal offspring. Only humans are born as heirs of salvation—heirs of God! Marriage, family and sex have God-plane meaning!
People have sex so they can become god's.  Who knew!   Oh, and that it might be pleasurable as something other than for reproduction.  Unless of course you were Rod Meredith and Gerald Flurry and sex was dirty (most of the time).

According to Flurry, sex is essential for salvation. Forget Jesus, a good romp in the sack will bring salvation.
Humans are not animals! We can be spiritually begotten by receiving the Holy Spirit, and then spiritually born as sons of God! No animal or angel has such a potential!
Satan works diligently to hide God’s purposes for sex from the world because they point to our salvation. He wants to hide God’s plan of salvation, which is all about family.
That's because you are going to marry Jesus and become a god!  Woo Hoo!
“This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (verse 32). These principles apply to physical marriage, but mainly they are about spiritual marriage (Revelation 19:7). We can marry Christ, if we obey Him today. Physical marriage and sex prepare us for that glorious future.
For a book that was supposed to illustrate godly sex, the church was sure filled with some of the biggest sex fiends imaginable, starting with Herbert himself.  Sex was the biggest occupier of time in the church hierarchy.  From Garner Ted's G3 flying  whorehouse, to Rod Meredith's frequent visits to the Le Sexxe Shoppe in Old Town Pasadena (only for research, of course), and how can we forget the wife swapping ministers. the child molesters, stalkers and rapists in the church.

Just one more sad legacy of the "One True Church" that was supposed to be practicing first century Christianity.







Why is the Church of God Fertile Ground for Baseless Conspiracy Theories?





There is one gospel message that many in the Church of God are good at and that is spreading conspiracy theories.  Due to the endless stream of sermons, articles and videos pumped into the minds of church members on the "Prince of the poser of the air" who was actively seeking to thwart humanity in every aspect of life. Church members found the bogeyman hiding all over the world in books, TV, movies, papers, magazines, music, businesses, religion, and in the minds of every human on the earth, except of course, in the enlightened  COG members.  They and they alone could see though all of the corruption and subterfuge going on the world around them.  Satan was busy as hell and they were having none of it!  Expose him and his agents of darkness with  everything you could. So stories were dreamed up, exposes created, all breathlessly whispered or broadcast on Facebook as truth.

Case in point is the photo above circulating on various COG members Facebook pages and on conspiracy laden  conservative Christian pages.

One of the hallmarks of the Church of God is that it always claimed it NEVER lied about things to the membership or the world.  It was all God's truth directly inserted in the mind of Herbert Armstrong and every single minister that ever preached a sermon.  Yet, church members post crap like the above picture on their blogs and FB pages in self-righteous indignation.  Never once do any of them ever check into the facts surround some conspiracy.  If there might be the slightest grain of "truth" in the story then it is good for posting.

Matthew Herper from Forbes Magazine writes about this controversy:


The fetus-derived cell line we’re talking about was created around the time I was born. This is 35-year-old technology. And it is widely used in cell biology. And there is no way you’ll consume them or that the cells would cause any health problems.
The cells, called HEK 293 cells (that stands for human embryonic kidney) were taken from an aborted fetus in the 1970s in the Netherlands. Bits of chopped up DNA from the adenovirus, a virus that causes a pretty severe cold. The kidney cells were forced to take up bits of DNA using a technique invented in 1973 that used a calcium solution. The resulting cells don’t act much like human cells at all, but they are very easy to work with and have become workhorses of cellular biology. That’s why they’re used in the development of drugs and vaccines. No new fetal tissue has been used to keep the cell culture going; the use of this cell line isn’t leading to new abortions.
A tiny company called Senomyx has been working to use this new technology to create food additives. Senomyx has isolated receptors found on cells that detect taste, and added them to the HEK cells. This allows them to test thousands of potential taste additives to see whether they might taste sweet or savory with a speed that would be impossible with human taste testers. Synomyx has announced collaborations with Pepsi, Nestle, and Coca-Cola.    Famous Food Companies Caught Using Aborted Babies for Flavor Additives











Philadelphia Church of God: So Paranoid They Are Now Using Technology To Automatically Delete Sermons



Remember the days gone by when local churches had tape libraries filled with hundreds of tapes from HQ sermons, feast sermons and local sermons?  Member who were not able to make services could check them out the following week to listen to them.   Those tapes soon disappeared as CD's entered the technology scene.  CD's were sent out from HQ to local areas who them lent them to members to listen to.  Then MP3's, podcasts and live streaming hit the scene and CD's were outdated.  Tech savvy member soon learned how to download those to CD's that they made for fellow members. 

All of these technologies have come back in one form or another to bite various COG's in their royal keisters. Living Church of God scrambled as fast as they could to delete Rod Meredith's sermons that drove Terry Ratzman off the deep end when he shot and killed LCG members one cold Sabbath morning in Milwaukee.  Then when Stephen Allwine, an elder in United Church of God, poisoned and then shot his wife, UCG quickly started erasing Allwine from UCG memory.  The same has happened in Philadelphia Church of God when horrific stories of abuse or the sermons on prohibiting members from associating with ex-member family members and friends started being circulated.    When the outrage piles on, sermons quickly disappear, but by  then someone has saved a copy somewhere.

This has led the Philadelphia Church of God to resort to a new feature regarding their sermons.  PCG has spend tons of money on new audio equipment for each of their congregations that automatically deletes the previous weeks sermon from HQ from any access.  Since only a few select people have access to this machine and the sermon it will no longer make it into the members hands. 

In 2017, the field audio department purchased 151 mp3 players in bulk at a discount. Tauer and Information Services manager Patrick Hogan developed and installed a secure application on them for playing PCG recordings, and the units were distributed to all field congregations over the course of the year. (Regional offices purchased and distributed the devices for their respective congregations.)
The department uploads encrypted messages to the players, which are brought to services by contact people who have been assigned by regional directors. The devices plug directly into sound systems and play the recordings. The following week, old audio is automatically deleted and new audio becomes available.News of the Church of God
All of this subterfuge in the various COG's to keep their sermons out of the public domain shows how embarrassing their messages truly are.  Deep down they know it.  Forget the fact they all claim to be boldly proclaiming a message of the Kingdom of God, that is soon to be coming. That message gets lost in between the idiotic sermons where members are castigated for one offense after another.  That is what they are afraid of the public hearing.  If the public finds out that they can't respect members, they are going to have second thoughts about joining up and bringing their money with them.  That is what embarrasses them the most.  The "love" they claim to have for their members is embarrassingly absent. If the public sees how they treat members then the public will have second thoughts about sending money in as co-workers or even listening to the "warning" message.

Atheism - How many gods do YOU not believe in?



Anonymous Anonymous said...


"Atheists are just religious freaks like most other religious nutters. Enough said."


Since not believing  makes one a religious "freak" and believing makes one a religious "nutter", what's the third conclusion one can draw from experience with religion?  Believing, not believing and____________?

A-gnostic doesn't count.  Belief is a conviction as well as non-belief is a conviction.  If one is convicted about not knowing then they are also a a-theist or without a belief in God.  Hanging out in the middle is either a Theist between religious beliefs or an Atheist softening the descent by kidding themselves.  Also, friends and family are much more likely to give one a pass if they use the word Agnostic or "I don't know."  That at least sounds hopeful to them you will come to your senses when you finally know the right things and their truth.  They will not be so kind to one who has the conviction that they live and think "a", without, Theism. 

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Church of God, The Eternal's Jon Brisby Sinks To A New Vile Low



One of the vilest teachings of the church that was brutally enforced over the decades was the "divorce and remarriage" doctrine/teaching.  Countless stories have been told over the decades of loving couples and families ripped to pieces by the Church of God's vile stance.  Most had probably thought those days were long gone, but it is not.

This letter was posted on Exit and Support and describes the vile and unChristian teachings of Jon Brisby:

I wanted to write and thank you for helping people who have left or will leave the "Armstrong cult groups." I was born into the WWCG. It helped to destroy my whole family--my parents, my siblings, and up until this year, even me. We all made some mistakes and bad choices on our own but Herbert Armstrong and his ministers, splinters, and even some members, helped destroy my family emotionally, just with the judgmental attitudes, being made to feel we were in "hot water" with God, telling us that outsiders were of the world, etc. My most recent minister Jon W. Brisby (Church of God, the Eternal) has even told me that my lack of financial comfort is the result of my "not living in a pleasing enough way for God." I was also told that my family is the "church" now and no longer my kids, since they are not members. Luckily, my kids grew up against the Armstrong teachings and have their own beliefs. As for me, I am finally what I consider to be "out of the dark" of these Armstrong worshippers. I emailed my minister two weeks ago and explained my decision to leave. He has yet to respond. 
Church of God, The Eternal (COGE) is a small group. The lead minister is Jon W. Brisby (age 55). He has some wild ideas. A married couple came to the group from LCG a few years ago. They had been married for about 18 years. Brisby soon found out that the man had been married briefly to someone else when he was a really young man. They divorced and his ex married someone else. Anyway, this married couple of 18 plus years were instructed to split up and live separately but not get divorced. Jon Brisby told him that if his ex wife happens to die then and only then can he and his current wife live as a couple again. The couple have remodeled their home and made it into a duplex. They each live in one of the side by side units. They are allowed to go back and forth to each other's apartment for meal times but not allowed to sleep, shower or linger at each other's place. At the Feast of Tabernacles and Pentecost they were not permitted to sit together for services. This couple is in their 50's also.
There is another man, a single man around age 60. This man was also married but years ago his wife left him and married a Seventh Day Adventist. Brisby told him he must never remarry. This man said God would not allow him to marry unless his ex died. Brisby stays in total control of the dating and marriage relationships in the group. He comes off as very intensely and genuinely kind, but if he feels you cross him, then he gets an attitude and can be very arrogant. 
--Kandice Cunning (Child survivor of WCG; Former member of COGE)
Church of God, the Eternal has on its page the following which is used as a weapon to stop members from writing such things as was done above.  They seek to create the myth that all of the things they teach are directly from Christ, passed down through the apostles to Bisby and others today.  To deny what they teach is blasphemy and denial of the truth which separates the "rebellious" from God.

What God gave to Moses, He gave to Christ. What Christ taught to the apostles, He commissioned them to proclaim in their designated areas. What Christ and the apostles taught was the same as was revealed to Paul. And what all those servants taught is exactly what was given to an end-time servant (Matthew 28:19–20). For those who will hear, our purpose is to honor and proclaim that same way of life—the faith once delivered. In that way is found no part of the way given to Gentiles—people of the world (Deuteronomy 12:1–3; 4:1–40, Acts 14:16). We want the ways of God. We are not interested in any of the traditions or customs of this world. God’s servant of these last days at no time made the pagan customs of this world a part of the doctrine. The spirit which introduces change, and/or a relaxation of the doctrine is as much at work today as it was in the past. The called of God must be on guard incessantly. That spirit is a deceiver. He will do anything to destroy.
One concluding observation seems to be necessary. Those who believed and loved the Truth of God have remained strong, loyal, and faithful. On the other hand, it seems that everyone who was “argued” into acceptance of the “faith once delivered” has failed ultimately. It, indeed, seems like God is separating those who believe and love the Truth from those who must surely have accepted only on the basis of their own personal intellectual prowess.
Satan and his demons hate the ways of God. They will do anything to disrupt, challenge, and destroy. Such behavior is a manifestation of who and what the true people of God are all about. They persecuted Christ. In like manner they will do the same thing to those in whom Christ lives. The faithful of God will count it a privilege to suffer for the cause of righteousness. They will be persecuted and lied about with abandon, but these chosen children of God will know who they are. They love the Truth and will for no cause allow themselves to turn from it. They are the ones who will endure to the end.
Who are we? We are estranged members—a remnant (Romans 9:27–33; 11:1–5, Isaiah 1:8–9, Revelation 12:13–17)—from the apostate body (2 Thessalonians 2:1–3) who sincerely love God’s revealed Truth from the heart (2 Thessalonians 2:10), willing to remain faithful to the end (Matthew 24:13). That Truth which was taught by Christ (John 14:6; 12:48–50), that Truth which Christ commissioned the Twelve Apostles to teach (Matthew 28:20). Which was the same message taught by the Apostle Paul (Galatians 1:6–16, 1 Thessalonians 2:12–14). Which was the same message taught by an end-time servant (Matthew 28:19–20). Which had significant beginning with Moses (Hebrews 4:1–3). The Truth which is now obeyed from a spiritual premise (2 Corinthians 3:1–11).
These are the people that God’s true ministry desires to serve. It is our purpose to give you our energy and our love.  Letter from Raymond Cole



LCG Member Asks: "Gerald Weston, if you are reading this, please wake up and do the right thing."

Rod McNair's file cabinet filled with details of 
LCG members lives.


For years now, Living Church of God members have shared stories of abuse at the hands of certain LCG ministers.  For years now, the LCG headquarters in Charlotte have been monitoring this blog.  For years now they have read first-hand accounts of the despicable ways LCG members are treated at times.  For years now, they refuse to correct the issues.  For years they continue to ignore the members while back-slapping one another for being such beacons of morality and spirituality.

LCG members see through all of that and are constantly asking when will they wake up and do something about the abuse?

Another reader here writes:


Anon says, "The ministers have the duty to instruct, correct and discipline the people".
LCG ministry, in particular Rod McNair do not practice righteous judgment. Their egos and vindictiveness taint their ability to be fair.
God says to leave the 99 to go after the 1. If a member is going astray, LCG MINISTRY SHOULD TRY TO HELP THEM not harm them by cutting them off from the body.
So often the "punishments" of these men is so heavy handed. So often they behave punitively when love, mercy and help/shepherding is what's called for. So often they react based on unconfirmed gossip or personal opinion instead of fact. 
I mean what kind of man keeps file folders in his office of every conceived misstep of the members he personally doesn't like? Year after year. I'm still not entirely sure how Rod McNair makes it through Passover services without a bold of lightening striking him.
Rod McNair, if you are reading this, take heed, you will reap that which you have sown. It's not too late. Make amends with those that you know you have treated unfairly. Apologize for you heavy-handedness. Repent.
Gerald Weston, if you are reading this, please wake up and do the right thing. LCG is hemorrhaging people because of this pharisaical behavior. The right message will get nowhere when the messengers are so corrupt, harsh and right in their own sight.

Is British-Israelism An Inherently Racist Teaching?


Is British-Israelism An Inherently Racist Teaching?

If you want to provoke the ire of folks in the Armstrong Church of God culture, then all you have to do is tell them that the doctrine of British-Israelism is inherently racist in nature. The staunchest defenders of this teaching take immediate offense at anyone who has the audacity to suggest that their belief is racist at its core. Sure, some of them will admit, that a "few" folks have carried the teaching "too far" and have manifested the classic characteristics associated with racism (they love to cite the dictionary definition of racism); but they will insist that they do not share those "extreme" views, and that it would consequently be inappropriate and unfair to characterize their belief as being racist in nature.

In February of 2005, the Church of the Great God attempted to directly address this question in an article on their website. In the article Is British-Israelism Racist?, Richard Ritenbaugh admits that some of the folks who adhere to this doctrine exhibit "a weak and prejudicial nature" and "could carry this to the point of snubbing, abusing, or persecuting individuals of these supposedly lesser ethnicities." He goes on to say: "Sadly, some advocates of British-Israelism have done just this, shining a bad light on other believers who do not share their racially motivated hatred and violence."

Unfortunately, this line of reasoning has obscured the issue of racism for many years and has allowed the phenomenon to continue to flourish among many "white" Americans to this day. It's a neat trick - If you define racism as extreme and associate it with hatred and violence, then you can disassociate the more subtle manifestations of the phenomenon as having anything to do with racism.

In his article The Easiest Way to Get Rid of Racism? Just Redefine It, Greg Howard noted how the definition of racism has evolved in America. He wrote: "Soon, nearly everyone could agree that racism was the work of people with hate in their hearts - bigots. This was a convenient thing for white Americans to believe. Racism, they could say, was the work of racists." He went on to say: "Racism ceased to be a matter of systems and policy and became a referendum on the rot of the individual soul. Calling people racist was no longer a matter of evaluating their opinions; it was an accusation of being irrevocably warped at the very core."

In his article defending British-Israelism against being labeled as inherently racist in nature, Ritenbaugh states that "the irrationality of a handful of kooks does not - or should not - malign the majority of sincere believers who base their understanding and practice on true biblical principles." He must marginalize the "handful of kooks" who hold extreme views so that the vast "majority of sincere believers" aren't tainted with the label of racism. For him and the other "sincere believers," it is crucial that we recognize that their beliefs are based on "true biblical principles."

Hence, we can see that Ritenbaugh's apologetics for the doctrine of British-Israelism depend on what I consider to be two very dubious premises: 1) a narrow definition of racism which eliminates any association of the term with systemic policy/thought, and 2) the notion that the doctrine is derived from God/the Bible and consequently cannot be characterized as racist. Ritenbaugh explains that: "God did not choose Israel because of anything they had going for them - in fact, they were a small, insignificant people. He chose them because He loved them, and that love has its basis in His relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Most Israelites have lucked into God's blessing, as it were, by being born of Israelite stock; they have done nothing to deserve what God has bountifully given. Their receipt of the blessings is based solely on God fulfilling the promises He made to the Patriarchs."

According to Ritenbaugh, the belief cannot be characterized as racist because the special status which these folks enjoy is derived from God. They simply "lucked" out! God decided to love them more than anybody else. How then can anyone dare to question God or characterize them (or anyone who accepts this teaching as legitimate) as racist? These folks enjoy this special status by God's choice - they don't have any voice in the matter. Hence, it is absurd to question their status or characterize anyone who recognizes this "truth" as racist!

Oh sure, Ritenbaugh goes on to state that the Israelites "are bound by their 'lucky birth' to be a model nation to the rest of the world of God's way of life," but that constitutes their responsibility in the matter as far as he's concerned (and he does go on to acknowledge that these folks have largely failed to do this). In fact, he goes on to say that "Because of Israel's rejection of God, He is now working with select individuals whom He calls, makes a New Covenant with, and converts to His way of life. To these He gives His Spirit, and they become His witnesses among the nations." In other words, Israel's failure to be that example to the world has resulted in a change of plans

Even so, Ritenbaugh continues to be oblivious to the implications of what he's saying and returns to the importance of the special status of these folks. He asserts that "God is not finished with the Israelites," and that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God was intended mainly as a message for them. For those acquainted with the racist teachings of Herbert Armstrong and his Worldwide Church of God, that should sound familiar. And, if you still can't see that such a view is inherently racist, then you must be one of the unfortunate few who still adheres to the teaching of British-Israelism.

By Miller Jones from God Cannot Be Contained blog

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Bob Thiel Tells Another Whopper About Rod Meredith



Almost arrested, but not arrested Elijah, Joshua, Thiel is back again telling another whopper about a supposed conversation he had with Rod Meredith.  I can guarantee you that Rod Meredith would NEVER have agreed with Thiel about this conversation or Thiel's interpretation on how it went down.

Notice the way Thiel phrases this:

04/17/18 p.m. The late Dr. R.C. Meredith used to state that LCG was only "half a peanut shell" in the Pacific Ocean. The last time I attended LCG in San Diego (in 2003, this is before the move by LCG to Charlotte, North Carolina), I came up with him and essentially said:
You've said that LCG is like a half of peanut shell in the Pacific Ocean. So, if LCG doubles its television coverage, then it is only about 1 peanut shell. I don't believe that Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled by buying television time. This is not second guessing your decisions to be on television stations, but your own words show that television like LCG has been doing is not enough.  
How Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled will be from one of us, like me, identifying the coming King of North, saying the Great Tribulnation is about to beging, and telling people that he is about to destroy the USA and UK, then the King of the South, and he will be in league with the Antichrist, as he puts forth a false message of peace by human means. The media will cover us, and this will get people's attention. Enough so, that this will fulfill Jesus' 'gospel of the kingdom to the world' prophecy.
Dr. Meredith essentially agreed with me then. This was something that I also covered with the then three other LCG HQ evangelists in meetings later in Charlotte, North Carolina--all of whom (Richard Ames, Dibar Apartian, Doug Winnail) gave me their concurrence.
How can anyone believe this conversation took place when no one believes God spoke to him in a dream and told him to start another splinter group? Even Gaylyn Bonjoir disagrees with Thiel's interpretation of events regarding the supposed double blessing.
SaveSave

LCG: Rod Meredith Church History, Can You Trust It?


The Church of God News has an interesting post up about Rod Meredith's recent series of articles that Living Church of God has been publishing as the most earth-shattering series on church history that has ever been written.  When any COG ever makes claims like that, the red flags should go up immediately.

Over the decades the Worldwide Church of God published several series on church history by Meredith, Blackwell and others. So the things Meredith has written are not something new that he pulled out of his hat over the last couple years of his life, as LCG is implying.


Gerald Weston wrote on April 12th 2018:
“Dr. Meredith’s article series on the Protestant Reformation is being put together in booklet form. We believe this is an important statement by Dr. Meredith and the Church regarding Christianity, showing the difference between the true Christianity of Christ and the Apostles and the counterfeit Christianity of Revelation 17.”
The editorial of the March-April 2017 issue stated:
“Roderick C. Meredith, the Editor in Chief of the Tomorrow’s World Magazine and Presiding Evangelist of the Living Church of God, is uniquely qualified to write this series. His ministry spans almost 65 years, from the earliest years of Herbert W. Armstrong’s worldwide work to today’s multi-media continuation of that Work of reaching the world with the Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God. Dr. Meredith has long been an expert concerning the history and significance of the Protestant Reformation, and this series collects his research on this highly misunderstood subject. It will explain the truth about the Reformation—a truth that will make you see the last 500 years of the religion called Christianity in an astonishingly different light.
We hope you will enjoy this brand-new series!”


Church of God News writes:

Gerald Weston and his editorial staff knew that Roderick Meredith had not collected “his research on this highly misunderstood subject” during “his ministry (spanning) almost 65 years.” He had written The Plain Truth about the Protestant Reformation in 1956, when he was a student at Ambassador College. His thesis was written in ‘Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts in Theology’.
The first article in this “brand-new series” comprised chapters1-3 of this thesis. It was almost word for word, with some slight (or should that be ‘sleight’?) amendments by the editors, e.g. “thesis” changed to “series”; “the following chapters” to “this series of articles”; and “the present work” to “this series”.
Yep, honesty and integrity are the highest qualities of the current LCG regime.

If any COG member wanted to read about the history of the church there are countless books available that make mincemeat of the COG biased version that Meredith is presenting.  Like most any COG "scholar" who writes about COG history, they seek to find events in Church history that they feel best corresponds to the "official" COG version they wish to present. The more anti-catholic it is, the better.








LCG: Humberto says, "...and of course you're not going to publish this, because you're a coward."




A reader writes:

Humberto has left a new comment on your post "LCG: Rod McNair-Brethren, Are You A Person of Inte...": 

The only thing that has turned on is your own envy towards a religious group that does not defend itself from your attacks, you attack in a cowardly way, hidden behind a website, you are lax, lukewarm in your ideas and you let yourself be carried away by your own root of bitterness. 

The ministers have the duty to instruct, correct and discipline the people, they will give an account of the flock and God does not want anyone to be lost. Did Jesus reprimand Peter? Did God reprimand Moses? Was Jesus dictatorial with temple merchants? Was God with Sodom dictatorial? Or do you want something like Tkach? You want anarchy where nobody govern anyone? ... That's Laodicea, that's the kind of blog that you have ... and of course you're not going to publish this, because you're a coward. 

Finally, is this your work? .. to put in people false ideas to discredit a group that does not hurt you? 

Monday, April 16, 2018

LCG: Rod McNair-Brethren, Are You A Person of Integrity and Walk In A Godly Way Like I Do?



Lots of LCG members were none too happy to see Rod McNair's pre-Passover posting about getting certain types of "leavening" out of their lives.

Given McNair's harsh treatment of members and his appalling comments about the elderly, LCG members feel he is talking out of his hypocritical ass once again, especially when he wants members to be people with integrity like he presumably is.  Or, are they like he is and put on a good show wanting to impress members and receive their accolades?

The LCG source who sent me this said,  "McNair is one of the most envious and strife causing men at LCG headquarters.  If any HQ employee is full of illusions about himself it is McNair. McNair is never capable of taking stock of his life and repenting before Passover.  He will still be the same vindictive strife causing man he was before Passover."  The LCG source also went on to say that, "McNair is prideful about his spiritual accomplishments and feels he has an inside track with God since he is God's mouthpiece as a minister in the church and that we as the dumb sheep need to heed everything he tells us to do."

McNair writes, "...acknowledge our continual need for the precious blood of Christ to cover our sins and give us new life. Thank God for that awesome privilege!"  Seriously?  When has the LCG EVER acknowledged Jesus other that using him as the source for "preaching the kingdom of God" and nothing else?  Nothing Jesus did ever has truly struck a nerve with LCG leaders, including Rod McNair. Other than saying Jesus Christ preached about the "soon coming kingdom of God" the church places no emphasis on the man.  The law is the god of the LCG.

LCG members should be emulating the characteristics of Jesus as they sit with prostitutes and drug addicts as they wash their feet and then eat a meal together.  They should be helping the poor and the destitute and those without any hope in their lives.  They should NOT pretend to be anything like the fake leaders of the LCG and above all, be NOTHING like Rod McNair!


Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees: Jesus said in Luke 12:1 “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” What about us? Are we men, women, and children of integrity, or do we live a double-life? Do we talk in a godly way around “Church people” but then act selfishly at home, work, school or on social media? Are we like the Pharisees, who put on a good show to those whom they wanted to impress, but in private were full of envy, strife and the works of their own carnal nature?  
As we come to this Holy Day season, we must have no illusions about ourselves. We must be honest and open. We must courageously admit where we’ve fallen short in the past year. And we must throw ourselves on God’s mercy and cry out to Him for His help, to go forward! Passover is not the time to show God a list of all our spiritual accomplishments. Rather, it is an opportunity to once again, as individuals and as a Church community, acknowledge our continual need for the precious blood of Christ to cover our sins and give us new life. Thank God for that awesome privilege!
Have a refreshing Sabbath,
Rod McNair

Sunday, April 15, 2018

LCG: Dramatic Readership Decline

  

The Living Church of God has had huge issues over the last few years in its ability to retain readers of its flagship magazine, Tomorrow's World.

News of the Churches of God has this up:

Living Church of GodThe March-April 2018 issue of Tomorrow’s World magazine is now on-line. 
The circulation figures continue to tumble 
March-April 2016: 539,000 
March-April 2017: 417,000 
March-April 2018: 257,000

Now that its namesake Rod Meredith is no longer around, the magazine does not have much appeal to members or to those from other groups interested in LCG.  Gerald Weston is not the draw people thought he would be.  Given his track record of mistreating people in his field churches he was assigned to and his overbearing strictness towards the youth in his areas he has has not garnered many accolades from those people.

LCG is creating its own decline due to the distrust many members have with Headquarters leadership and the blatant nepotism and financial waste of the elite.

Giving Away Your Power Is a Really Bad Idea







We have all done it. We are all guilty of it. We have all turned against ourselves by allowing it.
One of the problems one faces in belonging to and being a member of an organized Christian Church is that, either consciously, or subconsciously , one places themselves under the authority of others. We say we do it willingly. We believe that there are special people groups and leaders under whose supervision we need to be. It is others who tell you how to think, what to do, how to act and what to believe based on some criteria that they got from those "over" them, or those who came "before" them. For some, this works. For many, it is a formula for physical, psychological and emotional disaster.
In the case of believers, the Bible is used to proof text any particular perspective one wants to promote. Whether we can admit it or not, within the Bible are enough speeches, personalities , stories, personalities and dramas, which if manipulated properly and with enough conviction and showmanship, are justifications for just about every human endeavor in the name of God, Jesus and the Church. Many have the near crippling inability to conduct their lives without knowing what God, Jesus, the Bible or their church would have them do or how to think.  Their own views and common sense are just not good enough.  "My ways are not YOUR ways" and all that, keep them well in place.
This fear based chain is kept in place with appeals to biblical authority, fear of consequences for disbelief or misbehavior based on select criteria. It is reinforced with guilt (I did a bad thing) for failure to meet the standards set and paid for with an appropriate amount of shame (I am a bad person). The control factors are kept fresh every week with sermons or studies and every day with admonitions to study to show oneself approved or "pray about it." The "it" can be your attitude which is not in sync with the system and your success with "it" is compliance and a good attitude. If you forget the criteria for success you can now go to a Church website and replay the sermons of those that control your mind and do your thinking for you. Throw in the idea that a human can have the unreachable goal of becoming perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect, which whether meaning real perfection or maturity, and you have formula for major guilt and shame and the control stays in place. I have never met any human being who is remotely mature or perfect like a god, and neither have you. 
In addition, others tell us that we are to grow in Grace (actually a nice concept few grow in) and Knowledge (a good thing but one which, in reality, the organization prays to God you don't grow in), and one can never get out of the box without grievous consequences. Usually what growing in grace and knowledge really means is growing in adherence and compliance graciously and knowing that what you are being told to think is the truth and you need look no further. Personal looking and personal conclusions based on that looking, is bad for the individual and best left up to others who are more in tune with the conclusions that need to be drawn for your own good.
When we come to realize how manipulated we have been on the topic of religion, we usually get angry at others for doing this to us and get depressed, which is the anger we are directing at ourselves "for being so stupid" that we will not express properly.
I believe the reason depression is so prevalent for those who come out of a bad religious experience is that we are so programmed not to express our anger, doubts and simple "hell no, I don't believe that," that it has no other place to go but inward and provoke the depression. "Be angry and sin not" often means keep it to yourself and don't show it, unless of course you are higher up the authority chain.
One additional fact we need to keep in mind is that the  Bible itself is the source of every organizational and mission blueprint no matter how people use it to advance their perspectives. Most men and organizations aren't out to deliberately deceive others. They too are the victims of the system before them and keep it going with their own fears, shame, guilt and hope for reward and peace. Peace is really what the soul craves but we go looking for it by repeating such tried and proven unworkable perspectives.
When confronted with the stark facts of how the Bible has been and can be used to control, shame, frighten and organize individuals, whether by early church father types, governments, modern churches or ministers, it is all to easy to say, "well they are not REAL Christians." Well, yes they were and yes they are, just ask them. They do these things because they are using the book as their guide. They appeal to the examples of God, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Paul and Jesus, usually in that order. They are "living by the book" as they would say and the fruit is rotten, as we could say. They are doing what God would have them to do. Bible Atrocities They think that there is one continuum of truth that can never change, be clarified, reworked, or even dismissed and negated as ignorant. There is nothing new to know and keeping blinders in place is the same as being faithful. If God can say "I change not" and Jesus can be "the same yesterday, today and forever," that works for them and better work for us too, context not withstanding
Where do we go wrong when we allow others ideas of how things are to control us? It's like so many who take long trips to meet family holiday obligations. You don't want to go. It's expensive. It's tiring and we have other things we need to do. The kids want to play with their friends and we want to just do nothing with the time we have off. It's not that we don't love or appreciate, though sometimes we don't and the attitude we get home in is not the one we went with, but it is just too much effort.

On top of that, we go because it is too much costly not to go. The tribe will be mad. Feelings will be hurt. Uncle Louie will be disappointed that John's wife wasn't there to leer at. And grandma won't have the chance to drive you nuts yelling at your kids to be quiet and stop having fun. Dad won't talk as usual and your sister will have that look that makes us all so pleased she came. But we did it... we gave away our power of choice and we did what we were expected to do for the benefit of others to  keep the illusion alive. Where do we go wrong?
We go wrong by giving up our own personal power and common sense. We go wrong by negating our own doubts. We go wrong by keeping that niggly question deeply stored in the back of our brains, never to be asked. We go wrong by saying we agree outwardly when we hate the idea or concept inwardly. We go wrong by letting things go and ideas we think are stupid pass. We go wrong by allowing some ancient text, idea or opinion pass as the only way to be. We go wrong by letting other humans with legitimate "authority" or only imagined to intimidate the reality and common sense out of us. We go wrong by letting others use the Bible to makes points that the Bible shouldn't make in this day and age. We go wrong by finding meaning in a scripture that the scripture never meant for us to take. ....take a breath....ok... We go wrong by letting doing what our heart is not in and repress where our heart is. We go wrong belonging to something outwardly that hurts us inwardly. We go wrong saying yes to sermons we should say no to. We go wrong by letting advice become a command. We go wrong by letting another human being think that whatever they come up with to do or say is fine with us.
In short, we give up our power of discernment and choice. I know that some get very angry when phrases like "take responsibility for your choice" is said. We don't like to hear that. I have hated it because it is costly and embarrassing. We come up with a dozen reasons we could not and that we HAD to give up our power. Realizing we did give our power to others is very very painful! "You weren't there" is usually a good lead in to why one had to comply. "I'd get did-membered" or "I'd be demoted." "God would be mad at me." "I might end up in the Lake of Fire." "The Bible says..." We all understand how that worked. I participated in it. I preached it. I enforced it. I wish I had not. I am glad it was not personally for me as bad as it could have been had I not been willing many times to quietly ignore what I did not agree with and encourage others to do the same.
We wanted to do the right thing as perceived by others so we gave them our power. We even gave the Bible God our power by counting on everything from healing and good health to financial prosperity through generous giving. There were PLENTY of texts in the Bible to motivate us to do the right thing and believe it. Don't blame men for twisting the Bible out of context. That happens enough. IN context, the Bible can promote plenty of grief. It makes promises it doesn't keep and that is painful to admit. We still think that somehow we must still be at fault and that the Bible, or the Church or God, as defined by the Bible, can't possible be a source of our miserable experience.
Whatever power I gave, I gave by choice. I can only speak for myself. Fault is not the issue here. It just is. People give up their power every day. Wives give up their power to say "enough," to abusive husbands. Men give up their power to employers who abuse their time and capitalize on their fear. Members give up their power to Churches and Hierarchies that really don't care much what you do as long as you are there when needed to give the appearance of credibility and the physical support needed to keep it going. And on and on.
Every day, and in may ways, both in general living and, in this context, in religious affiliations, we have the power to keep or relinquish our power. Anger, depression and the inability to move along in life are directly related to the skill of holding onto our power when we simply don't agree or believe what the tribe, the government, the boss, the church or the minister say.
Yes goes with no just like oceans go with sand. Every time I say yes when I mean no, every time I agree when I don't and every time I am sitting down on the outside while standing up on the inside, I am giving away my power. Sometimes it may be temporarily discrete to do this. But as a life habit and practice...No. For the times we did, forgive yourself and don't be the monkey on your own back. Giving up our power doesn't serve us in the long run and will impede our progress in life in the search for peace and truth. If we weren't looking for that in the first place, we probably would not have had this experience and I would probably not be writing anything about it.