Even Lee Majors Is Shocked!

2,500-3,500 hits a day

Who would have ever thought...

Survivor of Sexual Misconduct of Philip Shields

Light on the Rock

From a reader:

As a mandatory reporter, it is my obligation to report any knowledge I have of sexual deviance with minors. In the state of Washington and Oregon, the same standards apply today as they did 20 years ago. Yet, the Global Church of God, which and evolved into the Living Church of God, did not report the child abuse. Further, they stonewalled me as a mother. What does stonewalled mean? It means when I called headquarters, the evangelists and ranking ministers refused to take my calls. It means when I went to my brother (the then acting pastor of the Global Church of God who has now move on to another affiliation) I was systematically diminished in the eyes of my friends. Those members who had previously said they would testify for me in a civil lawsuit, they all bailed. He, the minister at that time, said I did not need him as I had enough laymembers. In short, I had to sue Philip Shields on my own. My minister would not help me. The laymembers at that time told me no later. And even today, the wife of this minister is telling one of my children that they were ready to support me. But the reality is is that I was left completely alone to fend for myself. There was no minister or his wife to support me. They jumped ship. Is telling my adult daughter that they were there for me, when they were NOT, teaching my children to honor me? Well, respect and obedience to ministers and their wives take priority over the commandment to honor your father and mother. Yet, these ministers tout their service to God, as they lie about what really happened.

Anything that is said contrary to this is an absolute lie. If you believe the Bible, it says that you will stand before the judgment seat. What I testify is true. My minister and his wife bailed on me. As I watched those who hated Philip systematically bail as well.

Of course, I planned all of this myself. Right? 

Bob Thiel on Happy Satanday!

Throughout life, the typical year of an Armstrongite or a child born in Armstrongism is pretty bland. Besides the annual year-after-year COG traditions, most celebrations are shunned, banned, or ignored. Birthdays have never been any different.

Of course, our doubly-blessed prophet Bob Theil of the improperly-named "Continuing Church of God" continues assaulting the practice of avoiding birthdays within the Church - this time, those who celebrate birthdays with - you ready for this? Satanism.

He continues to try everything in his glorious scholarly ability to point out what he considers valid reasons why birthdays are so dastardly evil. He looks into as many historic sources as possible to prove his already set in stone bias, to confirm his position. From astrology to Catholic theologians to now even trying to pull out the Satanism card - he keeps hitting the birthdays with his foam sledgehammer over and over and over again. It's the same song and the same story - even though he clearly admits the Bible has no specific commands that prohibit the celebration of birthdays! His latest drivel clearly seems to attempt to provoke fear among people that they might be inviting demons just because they are honoring the day of someone's birth. 

Of course, this is absolutely and totally ridiculous. Celebrating a birthday has nothing to do with either astrology, or the writings of Catholicism, and to even compare it with the practices of Satanists is beyond absurd. It's just plain ridiculous. And here's why.

The celebration of a birthday - especially for a child - is an act of love, acknowledging thanksgiving and gratefulness to God for another year of life for a person. It is a time of family and friends to gather and reflect on the year, enjoy friends and fellowship, give gifts of recognition, and enjoy a great time. Not only this - it's absolutely helpful to help build a sense of belonging, self-esteem, and value among friends and family. It is thrilling to see friends and family come together on this special day, to acknowledge that you - you as a person - are valued, and are loved.

More than this, it is a freedom that all people have a right to choose on their own as to if, how, and when and why they should or shouldn't celebrate it. Certain personalities may not want to have a birthday celebration - and that's fine. Certain persons may benefit from one - to help them out of a depression, or out of a bad time - or to just know that they are valued. Whatever is done, as long as it is done in love toward one another - against such there is no law. Perhaps this is why the Bible never mentions it - because it's personal! It is a decision that can only be determined by a person and a family. It is not a theological issue, or an issue any church needs to get their nose bent out of shape over.

The bottom line is: Because birthdays have no specific command for or against it, Bob should keep his unordained, self-appointed opinions to himself. But since he will not, I would hope that any who read it will recognize that it is their decision, their lives, their families, and is solely between them and the God whom they serve. Birthdays can be of great value if done in the spirit of love to one another. It's time that members of the Churches of God take back their lives from those who do everything they can to dictate decisions people are more than capable of making for themselves.

submitted by SHT

Are the COG's Fundamentalists?

Roger Olsen, a writer on Patheos has an entry up with the title: "Who’s Really a “Fundamentalist?” Again—the American Media Gets Religion Wrong".

He questions, rightly so, how the term "fundamentalist" is tossed around by the press and others when labelling religious groups. He goes on to explain how the word is used to label religious extremists of any religion and conservatives. It is true that the label does not apply because true fundamentalists are defined as thus:

Anyone who knows anything about fundamentalism knows that it arose in America (with simultaneous corresponding movements in Great Britain and Canada) as a militant (not violent) re-assertion of Protestant Christian doctrines in the face of the rise of liberal Protestantism.

What makes his posting interesting is that he uses the United Church of God as an example.  He apparently has relatives in UCG.

Most recently a prime time American television “crime documentary program” called the United Church of God—which follows the teachings of the late Herbert W. Armstrong—a “fundamentalist church.” True fundamentalists would consider any of the denominations that follow Armstrong’s teachings a cult (in the theological sense of the word). (The United Church of God was formed by former members of the Worldwide Church of God (now named Grace Community) when that denomination changed its theology be orthodox and evangelical—after the death of founder Armstrong. (Nothing I say here about the United Church of God is meant in any way to insult or demean it or its members. I have cousins who are members of the UCG. I only mean to point out that its doctrines are not consistent with true, historical fundamentalism.) Earlier in the two hour episode the presenter of the mystery referred to the church as “strict.” I assume, although I remain open to correction, that the writers of the program consider any “strict church” fundamentalist.

There are many problems with this use of “fundamentalist” but the main one I want to point out here is that this is simply dumb. I mean, it is part of the overall and general “dumbing down” of American culture about religion. There are too few labels and categories used and the ones they use become too “thin” to be very descriptive. To call the United Church of God “fundamentalist” is to loosen the label and category “fundamentalist” from history and theology entirely. It becomes nothing more than a label for any religious group that really takes its beliefs and life standards seriously. In that sense, then, one could label some liberal Protestant churches and people “fundamentalist!”

What spurred this on was the 48 Hours recent piece on the murder Amy Allwine by her husband, a UCG elder.

Most know very little, almost nothing, about any church or denomination other than their own (if they have one). Those who are “nones” are woefully ignorant of religion. And part of the blame for that falls on the media who do not even seriously attempt to “get it right” when talking about or portraying religious groups and individuals.

P.S. The particular “crime documentary” program in question here has my e-mail address; the producer knows me and could easily have suggested that the writer(s) e-mail me about The United Church of God so that they don’t misrepresent it. The fact that the married couple at the center of the story belonged to the United Church of God was played up as important to the particular segment of the two hour episode. So what would I have told them to say about it? “Strict” is okay, but I would have suggested they say it is a church that follows the teachings of the late Herbert W. Armstrong who was a famous televangelist considered unorthodox in his teachings by most Christians. That would have been informative. Calling it “fundamentalist” was misleading.

Of all the hundreds and hundreds of splinter groups of the old Worldwide Church of God, UCG is the more "liberal" of them all. even though they stick to the fundamental" roots of Herbert Armstrong.  UCG members tend to believe and practice their belief in many different ways and many times not in alignment with the "official" stance of the church.   This is what infuriates the Pharisaical legalists like James Malm and Bob Thiel.  They look at UCG as "Laodicean", lukewarm in their message and actions.

UCG certainly is not fundamentalist, extremist or even conservative in their beliefs. What exactly would you call them?

Wes White: HWA's Sex Book In Spanish

HWA’s Sex Booklet In Spanish

By Wes White

            1979 was a tough year for the Worldwide Church of God.  Lots of tumult.  Garner Ted had just bolted from the organization the year before -- taking hundreds of members with him and setting up the Church of God International.  Then in January 1979, the receivership crisis began.  

            History seems to have forgotten another traumatic event that exploded in the midst of those turbulent times.  I’m speaking of the WCG Spanish department’s translating of HWA’s book, “The Missing Dimension in Sex.”   

  

Sex?!?  Now you know the story is going to get interesting. 

            My late wife, Linda Hardy White, was the editor of “El Communicado,” the Spanish language version of “The Good News” magazine. (She died of ALS in 2003.)

            Linda learned that the translation of HWA’s sex book was far from accurate.  And it wasn’t just poorly done.  Worse than that, the translators were putting things into the Spanish version that actually went totally opposite of what HWA had originally written! 

As a pompous, true believer, I was indignant when she told me of this.   It’s not that I believed HWAs’ writings were necessarily sacrosanct.  In fact, I thought HWA’s two books on sex were quite silly and lacked any real understanding of sexual relations.  Here was this old man telling us what we should and shouldn’t be doing in the boudoir!   It was actually quite creepy. 

But I did believe back then that HWA was God’s anointed.  Obviously, I have repented of that today. 

            Linda’s problem with the translation was not so much indignation that people would go against God’s apostle.  Her concern was more academic.  She felt that no author’s translation should contain inclusions that went against his original work.   I mean, you don’t even have to be a Christian to buy into that.

            So Linda approached her boss, Fernando Barriga. He privately acknowledged to Linda that this translation was something that HWA would not approve, but he justified it by saying that HWA didn’t understand the Spanish-speaking culture.  Linda suggested that they at least explain this to HWA so he wouldn’t find out later – after the book was in the hands of hundreds (if not thousands) of people. 

            Barriga became furious.  He shouted at her, “I am a minister of Jesus Christ!  How dare you question my decisions?”

            Linda backed down and said, “No problem.  You’re the boss.  We’re done talking.”

            She then asked me to mention this to my boss, Raymond McNair, who was the deputy chancellor of the college.  I was Raymond’s flunky assistant.   Naturally, he became quite alarmed.  

So here is what we did.  Linda verbally translated portions of the book from Spanish to English onto a cassette tape.  Not the whole book.  Just the offending chapters.  Two of the Ambassador College secretaries then transcribed Linda’s words from the cassette into type-written pages.   McNair then took these pages to HWA in Tucson.   

            HWA was initially perplexed.  He found it unfathomable that the Spanish department would do something like this.  So he had another Spanish speaker confirm the accuracy of Linda’s translation.  

And then, boy, did it hit the fan!  Needless to say, HWA was livid when he realized what had been done to his sex book. 

            Within a few days, Linda and I found ourselves on a flight to Tucson to see “the apostle.”  We flew down there with Joe Tkach Sr and Kevin Dean.  (Another story for another time.)  We met with HWA in his home and Linda went over the whole thing with him.  

Since it had taken several days for him to confirm the accuracy of Linda’s translation, the Spanish department in Pasadena continued on with this project.  During this time, the booklet went to press.  I don’t know how many thousands of copies were printed before HWA lowered the boom. Once he closed down this project, Walt Dickinson had all the copies of the book thrown into a dumpster behind the Office Facilities building.  

I couldn’t resist taking one.  I believe I have the only one left in existence today.   Here are pictures of the opening pages. 

            Walt Dickenson was removed from the Spanish department and sent out to the field to pastor a couple of churches.  It was probably just as well.  He barely spoke Spanish.  He was in his position “because he was loyal.”   And I think because his family had once owned Dickinsons Jellies and Jams.  When the family sold out, a big chunk of the profits was donated to “the work.”

            Leon Walker (who at the time was Dean of Faculty) was placed over the Spanish department.  In a sense, he is still over it today.  He joined up with United at its inception and brought over many Spanish-speaking churches from Mexico and South America.  (Churches that had been CG7 for decades originally.  Another story.)  When United wanted to replace him as director over their Spanish department, he refused – saying that HWA put him over the Spanish work and that no man could remove him.  (Kinda like a third world dictator who is in power for life.)  So he left United and joined COGWA.  To this day, I believe he is still “over the Spanish work.”

            But I digress. 

            Looking back, I regret getting involved in this Spanish department dust-up.  In retrospect, so many of us now see how dysfunctional the WCG was.   I should have counselled Linda to just let it go and let things work themselves out.  Sooner or later, HWA would have learned about this mistranslation and dealt with it. Of course, then there would have been a bloodbath with people being fired, disfellowshipped, and marked. Linda was genuinely trying to save her departmental peers pain and humiliation.  

           

 If these folks would have listened, Walt Dickinson would have stayed in his job.  Even though he could barely speak Spanish. 

            Finally, why do I bring up these things from almost 40 years ago?  Two reasons:

            First, I like history.  I want to know the why’s of history.  When I read about a historical figure performing a certain action, I want to know why he took these steps that he did.  What motivated him to do that?   I want future historians to have as much information about the WCG as they can, so they can better understand it.  We must preserve our history – warts and all.  I continue to confess the imperfections of my past.  On this blog site and in sermons, I have admitted things about which I am embarrassed and ashamed.  History needs to know these things.

            Second, those of us who have survived those days need to learn lessons from what went on back then.  If we fail to learn from our past mistakes, we’re going to keep repeating them over and over again.  Too many of our organizations have brought their WCG dysfunctionality in with them. This cancer needs to be removed from the COG movement.  

Enough is enough.  Haven’t enough people been hurt already over the decades?  Let’s learn from the past so we can avoid hurting others today.  

            Wes White lives in Big Sandy TX and may be reached at 

wdwhite49@yahoo.com

GCI on living in a pluralistic society

The Bible thumpers in the COG who love to use the law (Malm, Thiel, Pack, Flurry, Weston) as a weapon will be getting their Pharisaical knickers all in a knot over some things said below.

First, Christians can honestly and forthrightly promote societies and governments that defend the right of all people to spend their lives seeking truth, goodness and beauty, and the ultimate Source of those values. To seek this God, who is revealed in Jesus Christ, is a task given to all people, as declared by the apostle Paul in a public square in Athens:

From one man [God] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. (Acts 17:26-27)[1]

When it reaches out with humility, respect and freedom, the church can help people (even those who hold views and moral convictions in conflict with Christianity) to seek and discover truth and life, and the true object of worship. Members of the church do this by first listening and coming to understand, then looking for opportunity to share their own journeys and convictions concerning the faith, hope and love given them by grace through the gospel of Jesus Christ according to Scripture.

The second corollary to the fifth point is that as Christians we should resist attempts to close the public square to honest, respectful and humble interchange, especially when it involves excluding people whose voices are already marginalized. Everyone who values an equal right to justice under the law, and the free exchange of beliefs and ideas (religious or not) should be welcomed in the public square, no matter what the basis or lack of basis they have for their viewpoints.

As Christians, we can, in good conscience, advocate for pluralism in the public square that is descriptive rather than prescriptive. While descriptive pluralism respects all viewpoints, prescriptive pluralism excludes all claims to ultimate truth (seeing them as mere human constructions that are valid only for certain individuals or groups). Descriptive pluralism serves the common good and allows the church to freely and openly fulfill its mission of worship and witness.

As Christians, we believe there is only one way to a right relationship with God—through the grace and truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life. His name alone indicates the eternal, personal and particular source of salvation. He alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Though we are firm in this belief, we see in the New Testament that God, in his providence, leads persons over time along many pathways to Jesus. Therefore, we should respectfully and patiently allow room for God to draw people to himself, through Jesus, by whatever means he chooses. Until Christ returns, descriptive pluralism in the public square will continue to be a necessary and good way to provide a place where all people, no matter their background or point of view, can have opportunity to encounter the Source of all truth, goodness and beauty.

In a truly pluralistic society, all who value freedom and show respect and humility toward others are welcome in the public square, while ideologues who seek to control, manipulate, threaten or shut down public discourse are resisted. A truly pluralistic society makes room for all to seek what is true and good, and thus contribute what they have to the public square. As Christians, we have good theological reason to promote descriptive pluralism within the public square and to support the governments and institutions that uphold this pluralism. We know that the Triune God is patient and kind, making time and space for us to seek him and know him, and for the church to proclaim salvation in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so that all might reach repentance and know and worship the living God.  Church, Kingdom & Government part 3

About that picture...

I knew that when I posted the picture of the Trashed Bible from the 1969 Envoy that it would gather a reaction. And it most certainly did. Some even doubted this picture even came from the Envoy. Others rose to righteous indignation pertaining to the quote that I had graphically inserted over the picture. I would not expect anything less. But let me make a very pointed and clear point: What I said - the one statement - is absolutely nothing like the Church did regarding every other religion on the planet, besides theirs, for over 50 years.

Here is the full text which was printed below the trashed Bible picture. This is just a very small ample of the kind of vitriol that the Church displayed to all other religions over it's 50 years. They charged every other mainstream church with vicious slander - stating they have not converted, nor saved, nor reformed the Western world - ensnared in "pagan" customs, and ignoring the customs Jesus practiced - forgetting that Jesus practiced them in a world that was still under the Law! 

The largest point of the text above is that all the "world's Churches" have lost their AUTHORITY. Indeed, authority was the one thing that the Church used the most in the propagation of their agenda. They accuse mainstream Christianity of twisting and distorting the Bible to read their "human-devised" teachings - and say that their formula - the formula of "reading the Bible without interpretation" - "makes sense". 

A better way of saying "without interpretation" is "without context". The method that Armstrongism has always used was to read scripture like a book, from front to back, with absolutely no proper historical and religious context as to what and how each section and book meant - and then hiring their own experts with already programmed bias (i.e. Herman Hoeh and his B.I. bias) to confirm what they already believed. As such, they turned the word of God in it's proper perspective and context into a book that both promoted an obsolete code, and demoted an active Jesus christ. The Law was always paramount, and Jesus was stuck in heaven until his second coming letting Satan loose on the earth ruling the world until Jesus decided Satan had had enough, and comes down to rule with super authority, forcing the world to be happy by the full weight of law for a thousand years. 

Yes, what I said drew a reaction. I expected no different. 

But let's look at it from the other side of the story.

Herbert Armstrong, and the Church, have charged the churches of the world with every possible horrible charge you could ever imagine. They have accused the churches of being satan's churches, while their own church was full of satanic attitudes from the top down and the inside out. They have accused the other denominations of slandering the word of God - twisting and distorting it to meet their own man-made interpretations - while they have doneexactly the same thing (consider the marked up Bible of Richard Ames to illustrate exactly what I mean here.)

Armstrongism has a history of hypocrisy. They would never have any problem accusing everybody else of such horrifying spiritual charges - but refuse to look at themselves and the main reason they were doing what they were doing - using religion as a crux for physical and corrupt gain of mammon. They dared accuse other churches of satanic influence when the burgeoning nest of hungry demonic creatures infested their own dark castle with a web of deceit, lies, greed, crimes, covetousness, lust, and envy. They dared blast the likes of Billy Graham and Oral Roberts - certainly not perfect people, doctrinally or otherwise - but never applied the same condemnation to themselves. The focus of Armstrongism has always, without hardly any cessation - been completely and malignantly physical. 

What I said they did to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true - if you read the scriptures and see exactly what Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross for all of mankind. If you read the verses for what they say, you will see that Jesus accomplished far more in His first coming than Armstrongism ever acknowledged. They took the spiritual power of the Gospel of Christ and weakened it to the energy of a flea on a bad day with no dog or cat as host. They took the life and deity of Jesus and reduced his reign and rule to "on hold" for "4,000" years, because they refused to acknowledge the work of the Spirit of God (or that the Holy Spirit even IS God - but I will not open that can of worms!) in the New Testament (covenant) age of the dispensation of grace. And grace is another thing the church refuses to fully acknowledge - placing law and authority on a much higher footstool than grace ever had within Armstrongism - a religion that placed burdening, stifling emphasis on the Law without realizing that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8) - which promises no condemnation for Christians - when all the Worldwide Church of God ever did was condemn not only other religions, but their own people for their own inadequacies and failures under the burden of law and authority - the burden of tyrannical government. 

It really amazes me how one picture of a trashed bible with one quote can bring such a response when used against the ones who made the picture - when the Church has done nothing but charged everybody else with enough charges you could make an encyclopedia out of it if one sets their mind to it. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of love, because God is love - the purest, holiest love you could ever imagine. And while we always preached true love is obedience to the commandments of God, the physical interpretation of such always and every time took precedence over the spiritual execution of what love is all about as Jesus mentioned in Matthew 25, and all throughout the New Testament. A timeless love that transcends anything physical on this earth today, especially as to how we treat people of all ages, races, and genders - and certainly what physical church denomination one belongs to. 

The photo and the caption I posted did what I intended it to do - expose the hypocrisy of one of the most hypocritical movements of religion in the 20th century - using the very method they used on everybody -  and about a handful of remnants trying their hardest - unsuccessfully-  to revive that greed-filled, mammon-oriented, Jesus-denying, spiritually HARMFUL way of thinking. This little blog is a world-reaching stumbling block to that movement simply by showing what they have said and done over the past 60 years, how they did it, and what they are doing in the splinters now.

submitted by SHT

God's ONLY True Prophet Has A New Look

...ghastly days!

PCG: Post Feast Let Down? It Is YOUR Fault!

Once again, the members of the Philadelphia Church of God are the ones who are at fault for that "post-feast letdown" feeling that many get after spending time at a feast site for eight days.  Those pathetic members who have that feeling have it because they enjoyed themselves too much instead of spending eight days talking about Gerald Flurry and the mind-numbingly boring sermons they were subjected to.  I can guarantee that every single sermon preached is exactly the same thing we all heard 30-40 years ago. Not one thing original has been added to those reused sermons.

Those pathetic members used the feast time for "self-enjoyment" by indulging in things they normally would not have an opportunity to do. If the PCG does not want this to happen then don't book feast sites in exotic locations or popular tourist areas.  Make them go to a campground and live in real temporary dwellings for eight days.

How can PCG members focus upon "spiritual blessings" when people around them are dying from the spiritual teachings of the PCG?  When they have to separate themselves from family members, children and parents, how can anyone truly have a "spiritual blessing?"  The overindulged Flurry clan and the top ministers of PCG live lives of luxury with no accountability to anyone other than sucking up to Gerald Flurry.

MaryAnn McCullough: Philadelphia Church of God Causes ANOTHER Suicide In Milton, Ontario Congregation

The Church of God community has yet another back mark on its soul due to another suicide because of how the church mistreats its members.  This time it is once again the Philadelphia Church of God.  This is the second suicide in the Milton, Ontario PCG church.   When you read the story below you will see that not one single PCG member had the decency to attend her service.  Real Christians did attend and still to this day support her husband and their children.

Of the many sick Churches of God out there today, the Philadelphia Church of God has to be the vilest organization to ever split off the Worldwide Church of God.  The vile doctrines and teachings of its alcoholic leader and his abusive ministry seem to know no boundaries of human decency or Christian mercy.

From Exit and Support:


Another PCG Milton Ontario Suicide
October 3, 2018 

It is with great sadness to announce another PCG suicide from the Milton, Ontario Cult ("church"). MaryAnn McCullough, 25 year member, took her life Sunday, Sept 23, 2018 approximately 10:55 while Randy and her son Caleb where at church, yes, on Sunday! praising and worshiping our creator God. Randy has been waiting 25 years for his wife to attend with him and now each Sunday she will be there with him in spirit.

After being kicked out of her congregation when she needed them, the most was too much for her to bare. This most precious of women left a husband, 3 kids, and 3 grandchildren, in tears and disbelief. Flurry's dictatorship style teaching falsehoods of God’s word pushed this beautiful wife and mother to her grave. Matthew 18:6 says if anyone causes one of these who believe in me to stumble it is better for a huge stone to be hung around their neck and be drowned in the sea.

After 4 months of suffering and no flowers, cards, or phone calls other than her husband’s church who has and still is reaching out with God's love and compassion, sending flowers, food and cards over the last several months. People and family members just can’t believe she could be brainwashed into believing such doctrinal lies. Her husband believes she has accepted Christ and in Him alone and will see her again someday, hopefully soon.
The Rcmp Opp and other law informant groups are well aware of what Flurry's teachings are doing to innocent people. This is the 2nd suicide from the Milton, Ontario cult. You have to ask yourself what the hell is going on. With well Over 200 family and community people gathered, yes, on Saturday September 30 to show their love and support to the family and not one word from the PCG. Wow! Trust me, no one from this area will be joining that cult for sure. I beg all of you who are still drinking Flurry's Kool Aid to get out! The pastor who married the McCulloughs, George Alfeldt, 27 years ago called and sent his condolences and stated he feels Satan has entered that cult. I have so much more to say but with half my heart missing I am at a loss for words right now. I pray this will cause one, if not many, to GET OUT!!!!! --MaryAnn’s Loving Husband Randy

To further illustrate how SICK the PCG is, they regularly run articles on suicide, never noting that their vile unchristian policies AND its abusive ministry are the leading cause of PCG suicides

Dennis Leap offers this tidbit of filth as suicide prevention: The Truth About Suicide

Suicide is not a disease or physical illness. It is a weakness of mind and character. Suicide will not stop until mankind experiences a spiritual renewal of mind and character. 

There is way of life that produces true happiness, peace and lasting success. There is a way of life that teaches us how to face and overcome problems rather than resorting to suicide. 

The Incredible Human Potential will provide you the solution and inspiration you need to make it through life’s tough times. In particular, this scintillating book will prove to you that Jesus Christ will return shortly and establish a new world order that will open the way for every human being to live a life filled with unparalleled happiness, health and lasting success.

Imagine that, The Incredible Human Potential book is the solution and inspiration a person needs.  No mercy and love of Jesus, but a damn book that was written by another COG leader who has also drove people to suicide!



Also, see:

Philadelphia Church of God "No Contact Policy" Causes Another Suicide

Philadelphia Church of God Causes Another Suicide

PCG Suicide

Suicide in the Philadelphia Church of God

The Kitchen Clan Are Accusing Another COG Of "Stealing" Items They Themselves Have Used Without Permission

Screenshot of the Kitchens accusing another COG of using "their" videos.  The Kitchen clan's entire website is filled with Worldwide Church of God material that they themselves stole without asking permission. So much for keeping the law and showing brotherly love in the churches of God!

Barry Buwa responded with XD and commented with the following.

Barry Buwa - "How can Worldwide Church of God still Worldwide Church of God's materials? The content of the video belongs to the Worldwide Church God and it's only the World Tomorrow Telecast that have such reserved right to make such broadcast and not Elijah TV. So, we only thank Elijah TV for teaching from our booklet and past sermon of Dick Armstrong to warn those who were called."

"If you truly believe Mr Armstrong was the END-TIME APOSTLE, Then you are welcome to God's Church. Start showing it by stop fighting over nothing."

That did not sit well with Tim Kitchen.  Nope, not at all!

Timothy Kitchen Jr. - "If you truly believe God's Word and obeyed it, you wouldn't steal from others, and take a video that is not yours. Did you create it? Did you have any part with the creation of it? NO!!! Mr. Armstrong would stand with God and His Law and would not agree with your Sin. You are not the Worldwide Church of God, otherwise you would act like it. Instead of labeling yourself God's Church call yourself for what it is, the "Synagogue of Satan", which say they ARE God's Church but do lie, WHY? Because they do not obey God's Law! Stop stealing the Worldwide Church of God's materials and Name so you can run your own church masquerading as God's. When it is not. The TRUE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD KEEPS GOD'S LAW. REPENT! And Pray to God that thine iniquities be forgiven you. For you heart is not right with God.

In Jesus Christ's Name,

Timothy Kitchen Jr."

Yep, just accuse someone of disrespecting Herbert, or that they are of the "synagogue of Satan", are liars, are stealing, are refusing to keep the law, all the while using Jesus name in vain, solves all of the COG's problems and makes everyone all kissy-poo. So much for the millennial days, they just celebrated.

Petra is going to be a bloodbath when all of these various COG buffoons show up at the same time claiming they have the original truth. The Jordanians sitting on the hills sides of Petra will be laughing their heads off at all the STUPID self-righteous Americans.

Satan Attacks Feast Sites With Chemtrails

Where would the Church of God be without a good conspiracy theory or urban legend to make its members paranoid?

Chemtrails are the new way for Satan to lead people astray.  Who knew!

They Couldn't Have Done a Better Job Displaying Their Own Theology

courtesy of SHT

"48 Hours" Expose on United Church of God Elder Stephen Allwine

"Never in my journalistic career have I ever been involved in a murder investigation 

that led us to prevent other future potential killings," says correspondent Peter Van Sant

"48 Hours" explores the alarming world of murder-for-hire on the mysterious dark web and exposes an international criminal organization in a hunt for a self-described murder mastermind who uses the  name Yura.

A six-month investigation spans the globe and leads "48 Hours" to information in the U.S. and beyond, about murder plots bought and paid for -- but not yet carried out.

"48 HOURS" DISRUPTS ALLEGED DARK WEB HITMEN IN POTENTIAL MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOTS

The Royal Pretender

Herbert Armstrong always had a passion for wanting to be royal. 

I've discussed in the past his dream and ambition for having his own royal palace - many decades before such an edifice was raised into being. He even traced down his lineage to see if he had any link to royalty. Importance - to Herbert - was not in what the fruits of the Spirit were. Importance had to do with how monetarily successful you were, and how well you appeared to other people, and most of all - what you controlled and managed well. 

Herbert collected many, many physical treasures over the years. To specify for this article's purpose: 

One of the types of treasures to induce the appearance of royalty were expensive oil paintings. When he had the funds to have paintings of his family produced by those who painted actual royalty, he jumped at the opportunity. He commissioned oil painters in the development of many of these paintings. One of which was a particular S. Morse Brown, a "leading painter" who resided in the United Kingdom. 

I looked up information on S. Morse Brown and his paintings. He was commissioned in the paintings of many "important people" in Britain and elsewhere, including the Right Hon. Lord Davies, Admiral Edward Evans, 1st Lord Mountevans of Chelsea, and David Davies, 1st Lord Davies of Llandinam. Auction sales of his paintings generally sold in the thousands of dollars. In other words, he was a very important painter. 

The painting above by S. Morse Brown of Loma Armstrong was painted in England in the year 1961, no doubt on one of their many shopping excursions "for the College". It was this year, or shortly thereafter, that Herbert Armstrong conceived the master plan of the College, including the Ambassador Auditorium. Many of his overseas or international trips were full of many such elaborate shopping excursions well beyond the scope of "Gospel Proclamation" on his quest for luxurious living as an important person. In fact, As early as the 1940s, Herbert Armstrong was not modest on his excursions all over Canada, shopping at Hudson's Bay, one of the oldest Canadian department stores in existence. The stores, according to Wlkipedia, have a "focus on high-end fashion apparel, accessories, and home goods". 

Other personal portrait paintings of the Armstrong Family were featured prominently within the Ambassador College Campus of Bricket Wood - which hung a large painting of Dick Armstrong to grace one of the Campus's main buildings. 

Of course, these were not the only oil paintings that took place during the emergency crisis' of the 1940s to the 1970s. Nor were they the only extravagant purchases that occurred during the times when members and co-workers were being drained to the last penny under constant salvation-ending pressure. 

Herbert Armstrong's sales technique and plans were nothing sort of masterful - in the business sense - in the creation and quest of his royal and kingly lifestyle. Look, for instance, at how he created "crisis" and "emergency" perceptions to the public when it came to his building program. (Mirrored applications in how he built his media empire could also be shown.) 

First, overbook students. In other words, intentionally crowd them into a dorm for the following year, or a goal of such in the next few years - accepting more than it could currently house. This creates a need, and a sense of urgency. In such, it's an intentionally created "man-made" crisis or emergency, intentionally designed to motivate people to give more, to avoid the appearance of a "backwards" step in "the Work", something that would bring shame to a work that was said to have divine favor and origin. 

With more students, other "man-made" emergencies would erupt. Now, dining rooms were filled to capacity. The escalating "crisis" now needed more money to be spent on other buildings, like a larger dining room - otherwise, the dining room would be over-capacity and the college could get into code violations. He'd often see the need, and instead of doing the "right business thing", he'd green-light the project to build what was needed even without the finances on hand - and then guilt the heck out of the members to their breaking point to support this "Work of God". All while building up and purchasing royal treasures or expensive items in existing structures, and paying existing employees lavish incomes (consider Raymond McNair's Jaguar in the 50s/60s.) 

This pattern started from the very beginning and carried on into completion - but it was the Auditorium that launched the fundraising program into what the Church remembers so well as the "Big Push". It was during this time period that Herbert felt he had no choice but to pull out the worst business trick possible - the imposition of massive lies and extreme fear to extort finances out of spiritual people to raise enough money that the bank would approve the loans to sign off on the dream of the Auditorium. 

Herbert had an addiction to, and a passion for, the high life of material wealth. A life of fancy, luxury living with the finest of all physical treasures well beyond the auditorium. He wanted to be an important person. He knew that the only way to "be" an important person was through physical impression and physical appearance. The buildings, the clothes, the grounds, the music  - and yes, the property and treasures - all of this had to meet the high class life he always so desperately needed and wanted since he was 16 years old. Even on the personal appearance campaigns, his son Garner Ted was constantly looking for just such type of people - and would overtly ignore anyone who did not meet that mold. Those who were common poor folk were beneath them. 

His "world tomorrow" was a physical manifestation of the world based on physical interpretations of scripture that he most desperately envisioned as the reality of what world peace would be. A world of high-class, kingly living, where gold and silver jeweled treasures were everywhere, fountains flowed all over, everyone had the personality of royalty and the flair of royal manners - royal music like Strauss everywhere - all in the mold of the acceptable culture of life as part of the collective drone-like personalities imagined as appropriate under the rule of Herbert Armstrong. Spiritual enforcers - royal beings of the highest rank and position - would always keep an eye out for any who would possibly dare to express their own personality and creativity, under the rule of his interpretation of the governance of what he considered the law to be. There would be no shortage of royalty. 

Many times, Herbert would call the members of the Church future kings and queens in his world tomorrow. He would also call the children of the Church princes and princesses. And for the elite of the College who were seniors, these future royalty were given the rare opportunity to eat with the king to be himself, Herbert - on and around royal treasures worth nearly half a million dollars - a chance to play king with the great royal pretender himself. 

Real life was never like the world Herbert wanted so desperately to be. Certain splinter groups continue in the illusion and delusion of such a royal life. But such endeavors arealways to the detriment and the harm of the common people. Those who have been suckered in under royal pretense.That they would, too, someday, share in the rank, and position, and power, of those who are currently benefiting from those who believed their smooth talk. They believed that if they gave up what they had now, that they could be royal later - in a year, maybe two or three - that they were specially chosen for royalty. Only to find years later that they were victims of what can only be described as a royal scam. 

The truth is, scripture says that God is more precious than silver and gold. Scripture says that the things of the spirit and are of far more value than any earthly precious mineral or gemstone, or monetary wealth. Scripture says to store your treasures in heaven, where rot cannot destroy. True royalty is not what Herbert thought he was - because right now, Herbert has absolutely nothing. True royalty can best be described in the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have people do unto you. True royalty is encapsulated by the example of love. It's not in BMW's, or gemstones, or gold - like one particular splinter leader tried, and failed, miserably. 

The Great Pretender's treasures of gold and silver have scattered to all corners of the earth, as have the people, ministers, and buildings he treasured so much. But those who through it all have lived a lifestyle of love are like the building which was never washed away in the storm. And if there's one thing Herbert's legacy taught us, it's this: What seems physically unbreakable in one generation may be a distant memory the next.  A lesson all of us, in whatever we may believe and hold on to, should hold dear.

submitted by SHT