Another Year on Banned: Some Business Needs to Be Minded

"HOWEVER-- isn't our interest then in Thiel also a matter of US "not minding our own business"?? "

"Calling out the lies of Bob Thiel is not "meddling in his business" if Thiel was doing good for others instead of deliberately lying about his double blessings, dreams, and his self-appointment, then there would be no need to call him out. People's lives are at stake because of his lies...."

Anonymous

Posting:  Mind Your Own Business

Knowing that Gary is up to his earlobes in preparation for the Rose Parade, I just wanted to wrap up my own year here on Banned with the above quote from the previous posting  and reason why we all keep coming back here.

Some business needs to be minded as lives of loved ones and friend are at stake their continued association with the self appointed and grievously unqualified  "God chose me" types that have climbed out of the wreckage of the WCG.  Such teachings as "Fleeing" and "All things Common" are not minor or harmless teachings. On top of that, they are false teachings and an unnecessary burden in the lives of the sincere who are being mislead, either deliberately for gain or sincerely so out of the ignorance of their pastors. 

We have watched men of no renown or theological education creep step by step into every imaginable Biblical title the Bible has to give. It is  not through the hard work of a proper Biblical and Historical training, but through sheer ego and an addiction to prophecy and yet more of the same end time this time for sure focus.  Without an emphasis prophecy, real or imagined, understood or misunderstood, the Churches of God would have no message. We kid about them not having read the NT, but sometimes you have to wonder. 

 They endeavor to grow their churches by being different than all others, which appeals to some who think all others have missed the boat. Leaving one sinking ship to get on another is not going to turn out well.  

So as not to go long on this, simply put men like Dave Pack and Gerald Flurry are dangerous men in fake positions of theological authority.  Bob Thiel is harmless, in my view, unless, believing in the "when we flee" concept, imagines himself the one to signal the exodus. Then he becomes just as dangerous.  Pack and Flurry are dangerous NOW.  LCG seems stuck between the Craziness of RCG and the desire to mellow of UCG trying to please all in attendance and probably pleasing none. They can't. 

United Church of God, to me, seems WCG Lite.  They try to not major in the minors of days gone by but they have taken in many for whom majoring in the minors is a mental and spiritual habit and it comes with all the associated conflict they experience. I also feel for a ministry stuck in a life choice that I know not too far beneath the surface they wonder how they ever let themselves get into this. 

For myself all I can say is I was young, interested in all things Bible by birth into a Dutch Reformed Setting and it was the 60's after all. I am so grateful to myself for not going on to pastor in a splinter, as I was asked to do, and moved on to something that still fit my nature but without the drama and trauma of religion and role playing.  It does become too late in life to become anything we finally realize that perhaps we should have been or could have been but gave it up to follow the One True Church not knowing that in reality there never has been any such thing for very long before the blow ups in doctrine and belief began.  Each of course reserves the right to claim Trueness while others are the apostates from their point of view. 

I figure if Angels aprostates fall, what hope do we mere human have?  :)

So yes, the above anonymous quote is why most of us are here.  We may pick at each other for beliefs expressed and a lesson learned here for me has been being a pastor in WCG invites all sorts of emotional venting, projection and labels.  Ministrud, Dennis the Spiritual Menace, Apostate Former WCG minister (Bob Thiel's view) and in the Synagogue of Satan (Dave Pack's view I hear) are favorites.  A well known but goofy apologist outside the WCG experience called me "The High Priest of Marduk".  Has a nice ring to it. I'm actually a pretty sensitive to others type person. I went into both WCG as a teen and ministry in my 20's sincerely so thinking, as did most, that was what I was supposed to do and where I was supposed to be. 35 members of my family followed in and then out as I did. None are in any of the splinters for which I am grateful. All have moved on with their lives in divergent ways. 

Some business needs to be minded and this is why we most are here caring and sharing.  From John's of spoken ending of "Time will tell" , which it will to "Stop censoring me!", Banned is a good outlet to continue to process all our experiences.  My hope is that as we all mature in even that, we will do so in a kind, loving and compassionate understanding that we all deserve to extend to each other divergent experiences notwithstanding.

I wish you all a Happy Pagan, Drunken, Orgy filled, Anti Biblical, God hates you for it, You'll change your tune in the Lake of Fire you totally apostate, fallen away, twice dead, over to Satan turned for the destruction of your flesh that we can at least salvage your spirit someday New Year.

Don't go far. There is still some business to be minded...

And no, it doesn't actually matter if a New Year begins as Winter turns to Spring or Spring to Summer.  If the harvesting of crops is your signal, great!  If the return of light taking away the darkness of Winter is yours, in my view, even greater!   

(But that's just the Apostate Cosmologically and Astro-Theologically oriented and Axial Tilt is the Reason for the Season  me again:)

And too:
Apologies and Handshakes to those known and anonymous  I may have snarked back at along the way. That is not me nor my nature when it's all said and done. I don't see labeling and name calling as a positive purpose in life.  Also, a respectful thanks to John of Time Will Tell out of respect for his age and experience.  BB's insights and experiences have been a real help along the way here as well as well as Retired Prof , TLA and many others with Avatars or Anonymous.  I envision quite an interesting gathering if we all ended up at the same table for a meal!