This was too good to leave just as a comment:
Some years ago, my son attended an LCG Teen Camp led by Gerald Weston.
My son, because of family circumstances, had to take on a lot of adult responsibility even in his teen years. He was a good kid, mature for his age, and instead of driving himself to Teen Camp he selflessly went out of his way to pick up some other boys who needed rides to camp. He generously took responsibility for these younger teens, despite some inconvenience to himself.
When my son arrived at Teen Camp, Weston confiscated his car keys. What a statement of distrust! Favored counselors were allowed to drive to nearby stores when they liked, and sometimes took favored campers with them. To make matters worse, during the two weeks of camp my son saw counselors driving our family car more than once! It's not that my son had wanted or expected to go driving during camp. He wanted to take part in all the activities with his friends, and he didn't even know that driving away during the camp was an option until he saw counselors doing it.
At the end of camp, my son saw that our car wasn't where he had parked it. Shockingly, instead of praising my son's sense of responsibility for his parents' car, Weston denied any knowledge of counselors using our car, and treated my son very badly for asking about it.
Weston seems to live in a dream world where he is always the victim of childish brethren or malicious outsiders. Accountability and self-examination do not appear to be his strong points.
As for Australia? Rod Meredith, whatever his other problems, seemed to know how to push the limits effectively when dealing with censorship. Weston and McNair come across as crybabies by comparison. If you look up Australian broadcast regulations, they are strict about what kinds of programs can air at different times of the day, and about the different kinds of disclaimers required of producers whose programs may address certain sensitive topics. To put it bluntly, McNair's program got censored not because of Australia's evil, but because of McNair's (and Weston's) laziness and arrogance.
12 comments:
All of these stories and LCG members comments prove that Weston has lost control of his church and cannot stop the abuses getting out. Every day that people share these things proves more and more that Living Church of God is a complete fraud.
I am shocked that Weston felt so little concern about camp counselors STEALING your car for joy rides without your son's permission. If something had happened, your son/you would've been liable. Weston would have denied any responsibility again.
Sick!
Most LCG members I know completely ignore Weston and his edicts. He is not held in high respect by many.
Who decides what is a sensitive topic or what should be politically correct? These days it's a hysterical leftist that never grew up.
9:53 -
In the COG Mindset, they didn't care about the stealing of the car - they cared more about the "respect of the decisions of those in authority" of the teenager. In COG World, you don't ask what anyone does with anything. You simply trust that the leadership knows what they are doing and say "Yes, sir.", and if you say anything different or stand up for yourself, the old "Causing Division" or "Disrespect of Authority" can be brought up. This is a mindset that goes down in the COG's time and time again with many different scenarios.
I don't know the exact verbiage that went down when the writer says that the teen was "treated badly" for speaking out about moving/using the car without permission. Regardless, what they did (the counselors/staff, and Gerald for allegedly treating him badly) was absolutely wrong.
Gerald said recently that he has never bullied any member. There really isn't much of a psychological difference between physical bullying (which to my knowledge, Gerald has never done), emotional bullying, or simply just being a $%$$#. It all has the same effect of tearing one down at the end. COME ON WESTON! Grow a pair and recognize that when you break one law, you break the entire law. In other words, whether you "treat someone badly" or outright "bully" them, it's wrong. Justifying yourself with your pithy arrogance doesn't change the reality of what people think about you and how you act, and I couldn't give two craps in a bucket if you are considered a "minister" or not. You shall know them by their fruits, and I've heard (and seen) enough. Thank God I'm not under your spiritual charge, and if I was, I wouldn't be any longer, that's for sure.
I can see that as a matter of camp security , that a car would be off limits , and perhaps keys checked for the duration of the camp... IF ...and only if, the driver was a minor. Both for legal protection of the org, and for the protection of the kid and other campers as well.
To have the car being used by others is absolutely WRONG, could cause legal and insurance issues if there was an accident, and frankly is THEFT.
If Weston covered for this , then he is an absolute jack ass.
Tonto, it is very possible that the kid lied to his parents for some reason, or that campers used the car without Weston's knowledge or permission. It is well-known that kids at Weston's camps got away with lots of stuff they weren't supposed to.
What a cheap shot to call the kid a lair. Weston is always the innocent one and everyone else are liars. More proof the church culture is sick to its core1
May I make a suggestion for future reference? To the young man and anyone who entrusts their car and particularly car keys to another next time make sure you take a photo or video of the odometer reading and even spot where you park your car. That way when you leave the venue and your car’s been moved and/or the odometer is different to your arrival take further shots prior to your departure to confirm your testimony. They won’t be able to deny the offence then.
8:30
That is very good advice to the youngster when later he will use valet parking at restaurants and especially airports or send for repairs. An odometer photo doesn't proof who drove the car however. Just that it was driven.
I am not accusing the responsible young man. But I admit to have lied to my parents for fearing the reaction to the truth even as 20 witnesses said differently.
What a great lesson for life for the young boy that if you are confronted with bad and you are going to make a case, it is imperative that one gathers, proof or you will be destroyed in the process.
The one lesson I would like to convey to all humanity.
Without substantive proof of your and any claims on any topic I might just deem you insane.
Nck
The proof wouldn’t have mattered in an ACOG, nck. If the young responsible teenager had embarrassed high level authorities in the LCG by catching them in the act and in lies with photos of the odometer or even videos from a concealed motion activated camera in the car, what do you suppose the mofos would have done? ‘Fess up? Hell no! They would have unleashed anger of the magnitude of Nebuchadnezzar’s burning fiery furnace on the kid. Gag order, wall of silence, as the kid and his parents were expelled from “God’s True Church”. That’s just who these cretins are, and what they do to their own members! These churches have dna seeking magnets that automatically attract ministers of this personality pathology. Why it’s an occasional accident when Armstrongism attracts good ones like Dennis, Jim, AZ, and Allen!
BB
BB
Well, I do remember Stan's reaction being confronted with taped material on CBS. Major embarassment there.
Despite BB's rant I stand by my warning for valet parking at airports and rental cars in some nations where they speaketh in tongues.
nck
We agree on the valets, nck. I've been known to park a half mile away on the street and walk rather than suffer a security breach such as a valet. Course, I've got about $10,000 worth of parts and tools in my trunk at all time.
BB
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