This was on Facebook the other day and illustrates another example of why the Armstrong Church of God movement is doomed to utter destruction. When the current churches cannot even educate their 20 - 30-year-olds about its past history, then there is no hope for them.
Actually, on second thought, I am GLAD the church is filled with these kinds of people. It ensures the utter destruction of the churches! It's like reading the COG version of Dumb and Dumberer!
reprinted with permission...enjoy!
About 5 years ago, I came across a group named; "Cult Survivors of WCG/GCI the Dark Years". Most all the members were born during the 80--90's. I never posted there. It vanished a few months later. I copied some of the conversations in the group. I spent some time this morning removing names and replacing them with numbers. I ran out of time but will post more later. Enjoy.
100; "Was Herbert Armstrong a minister or member? I heard he was terrible."
101; "Herbert, was ordained by Tkach Sr, in the mid 1970's. He split with the church in the mid 1980's. I think he died or something happened to him. He's not with GCI anymore."
102; "My mother went with Rod Meredith's church. I think Armstrong is a minister in Meredith's church."
101; "Meredith is Herbert's grandfather."
100; "You're right 101, I remember now. Thanks."
Admin; "Armstrong was NOT related to Meredith! He was pastor of the Big Sandy local church. He died the year I was born 1986."
100; "Admin, thanks for setting the record straight. Wow, you really lived during the dark years in the cult. Thank you for setting up this group as a place to share our deep wounds we received in the cult."
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104; "This group is clueless about the old teachings. Why not just create a site called the Clueless of WCG/GCI?"
Admin; "104; you're a troll and will be removed from the group. I was born in 1986. I've lived through the strictest period in the cult."
100: "Why do trolls come into a victim's group then try to hurt our minds with their BS?"
Admin; "Some idiots get their jollies doing it. He's gone now."
100; "he reminded me of the other troll from last week. Telling everyone they used to pay three tithes. What a hoot! Nobody could afford to pay that. Trying to play us for fools."
101; "trolls spins things just to get a reaction."
105; "Admin, I want to thank you for providing a safe place so we can get facts."
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106; "Radio Church of God was it connected to WCG/GCI?
102; "Yes, when they were doing the broadcast on Radio that was the name they went by. Then they changed it to Plain Truth Ministries.
Admin; "102 & 106, It was also called the "World Tomorrow".
102; "I forgot about the WT."
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106; "Wasn't there another Armstrong preacher that was killed in a car wreck?"
Admin; "Garner Ted was his name he was Herbert's son."
107; "Did Tkach ordain him too?"
Admin; "Herbert ordained him."
107; "A father ordaining his own son? How strange. Did Tkach or the church board approve it?
Admin; "107, I'll check on that."
What the hell did I just read? How can people be this stupid? You are right that there is no hope now for the church.
ReplyDeleteOi.
ReplyDeleteThat hurt to read.
ReplyDeleteThe Plain Ignorant
If that was not somebody’s idea of satire (it was hilarious!), then alas! We are sorely needed to set the record straight!
ReplyDeleteThank God for the innate resistance to scam of the millennials. If it weren’t for that, the clueless people in this version of a 100 club could be told virtually anything by the COGlodyte leaders, and would believe it.
The only thing funnier would have been if perhaps 111 thought that Dorothy was Gerald Waterhouse’s daughter!
BB
Is that the Wizard of Oz Dorothy?
DeleteYou made my day with "COGlodyte". Did you originate that?
Isn't "HWA" an all girl group of hotties?
ReplyDeleteWikipedia says so! Fact chick it for yourself!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HWA_(group)
We all have to learn somewhere. Recent years have proven social media isn't the best place to do it.
ReplyDeleteIt is painful to read. My first thought was that more knowledge would be required to have been badly hurt by the wcg, but then again if you are born in the WCG in the early to mid 80s you might be up to 15 when the 1995 split occurred. And, maybe your parents went with some splinters for some years after that, so yeah, that is more than enough time to do some damage.
ReplyDeleteIgnorance is better than teaching about the HWA years, though. Even COGs such as UCG and particularly COGwa still teach the importance of "knowing your spiritual roots". So it is encouraged that the youth read HWA's autobiography and learn church history including ties to the Waldensians (but that is a spurious tie as there is no connection nor were they sabbath keepers). Ironically, despite their claiming the Waldensians are central in tracing their "spiritual roots", the Waldensians would not be allowed to attend services with COGWA today.
It's all very strange when they could instead focus on a loving God that died for our sins, rose again, will live in us and separate us from our sins.
Excuse the diversion, but I just heard that Doris Day died. She was 97. RIP.
ReplyDeleteI've pondered whether some singers like Elvis will be temporarily resurrected for Christ's wedding feast.
Jim, you've stumped me. What does (or would) COGWA have against the Waldensians?
ReplyDeleteWhaat? That's some of the most off the wall drivel I've ever read.
ReplyDeleteIgnorance is not stupidity. They didnt know something. I could google a hundred things people posting here would not know. Laughing at your for your ignorance would be foolish.
ReplyDeleteEducate with patience or it may ne your fault these poor saps end up back in a cult.
Honestly if those statements are genuine they reflect woeful ignorance on the part of those who made them about the history and personalities of the COG movement. I'd recommend they go to sites like http://www.exitsupportnetwork.com/resource/books.htm#Herbert%20Armstrong to obtain free downloads of various histories of HWA and WCG. These resources among others online helped enlighten me about the painful truth about HWA and WCG and to transition out, re-study various traditional Armstrongist doctrines and practices without the bias of HWA's interpretive lens, and now enjoy my independence as a born-again Christian knowing what I know now and the many fallacies and man-made traditions of HWA's eclectic theology.
ReplyDeleteIf these young people fail to take the time to learn about the wrongs of their church's past then like Santayana put it: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Weren’t sabbath keepers though the cogs try to say that hey are. Didn’t keep holy days and we’re trinitarian. Just pointing out that they would not be welcome in cogwa services because their beliefs are so different. Yet because the cogs don’t want to have their history include Catholics or Protestants, they try to make out that cog history goes thru waldensians and that they might have kept the sabbath. The waldensians themselves say they were never sabbath keepers.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like some talented satire!
ReplyDeleteI liked that joke about former minister hwa splitting from cgi. (gta's cgi?)
Anyway, it might also resemble how "the Saints in heaven above" look upon some of our scholarly musings on Paul, Peter, James.
Like us they (st peter, st paul et all) might think, oh boy, it wasn't like that at all. Like, WHAT are they talking about.
7:02 Elvis is alive and resides in Mexico. He is shaking his jowls and pelvis in laughter, but likes the idea of a feast, I believe, as his unofficial and unappointed spokesman.
Nck
After re reading the topic I find it as funny as the "you might have grown up in wcg if...." series.
ReplyDeleteIt is very clearly a late afternoon exchange of funnies after a week of hard work. Nothing in it has any base in reality but rather bored funny people.
It reminds of the blogs I participated in early 21th century with participants like "Dibar A Party Man". On those blogs we had a complete "real" generation who had genuinely played chess with Bobby Fisher as kids etc etc. Kinda like all the people there were BB but then not disgruntled and from one later generation all moving on with young kids and good jobs.
nck
ReplyDeleteThe Waldensians weren’t sabbath keepers though the cogs try to say that they were. They didn’t keep holy days and were trinitarian. Just pointing out that they would not be welcome in cogwa services because their beliefs are so different. Yet because the cogs don’t want to have their history include Catholics or Protestants, they try to make out that cog history goes thru the Waldensians and that they might have kept the sabbath. The waldensians themselves say they were never sabbath keepers.
Would you mind deleting my typo filled comment from May 13 at 10:28?
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the time i had a glorious crosswired conversation with a exWCG pastor (now deceased) about the dark days in the church.
ReplyDeleteWe both agreed on much, until we both realized he was talking about the dark times in WCG 1990s and i was talking about the dark times in WCG 1970's.
typical of that generation.
ReplyDeletethey manufacture their own truth, and when someone comes along telling The Truth they ban him....lol
you see it every day in all areas...manmade climate change, choose your gender, same sex marriage, Trump colluded (even though their own guy said there is no evidence of it) etc, etc...
Truth will not be tolerated!
I also have it on good AUTHORITY that gorillas were sabbatarians.
ReplyDelete6.29 PM
ReplyDeleteLike someone said "what is truth?" An age old problem found even in the garden of Eden.
Did Adam eat the apple because he loved Eve and didn't want her to be 'alone' with the consequences of her sin???
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"typical of that generation.
they manufacture their own truth, and when someone comes along telling The Truth they ban him....lol
you see it every day in all areas...manmade climate change, choose your gender, same sex marriage, Trump colluded (even though their own guy said there is no evidence of it) etc, etc...
Truth will not be tolerated!"
May 14, 2019 at 6:29 AM
Well said! It's like the saying "You don't convert a man by silencing him!" Just because they suppress cold hard facts and censor painful inconvenient truths doesn't mean what they're telling everyone is correct and has majority support.
well, now: so much for the efficacy and influence of this blog...
ReplyDeletec f ben yochanan