Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
The "new knowledge" that ruins most COG ministers after a few years, when they get close to old-time insiders, is:
"Herbert Armstrong didn't practice what he preached. He ate on fast days and had sex with his own daughter. He lied about the formation of his own church, and his Autobiography contains large passages of outright fiction. God would no more use him to restore the truth than he would use Charles Manson or Al Capone. Yet here I am, having made the ministry my career. If I act on this knowledge, I'll end up as a Walmart greeter or a masseuse, with no career and no respect from the friends and family who will shun me."
So called "new knowledge" about the calendar or some detail of Greek or Hebrew pales in comparison to the above, even though it is sometimes one way that ministers try to cope with their disappointment.
There has ALWAYS been a liberal bias within the mainstream media. It was there fifty years ago, and it's there today. Were our parents and grandparents reckless and irresponsible to use and trust it for information? If you recognize the bias and are careful with the information, that bias is actually a good thing; because it inclines toward science and objectivity. Right wing media, on the other hand, inclines toward religion and subjectivity. In the hands of someone who is intellectually lazy or careless, which one is more dangerous? Sure, both camps are going to bring a perspective to the table, but the folks on the right seem to be much less careful about ensuring a multiplicity of sources and much more amenable to untethered speculation (conspiracy theories). Good reporting must be based in fact. The quality of the information you receive is inextricably tied to its relationship to fact. You may prefer the editorial opinions of Fox, but you're more likely to get fact-based reporting from CNN or The New York Times. And, finally, it is dangerous to live in a bubble that continuously reinforces your own biases and inclinations. In other words, how can you lay any personal claim to objectivity if you refuse to listen to what the other side has to say. Reality encompasses the left and the right and usually lands somewhere between the two. There's a reason we call it mainstream - the term implies an avoidance of the extremes.
Miller Jones, the capital you function on in news media is TRUST. You lose some of that every time your viewers figure out you sold a lie to them. This is why The Ministry of Truth is slowly dying. Today, people can go straight to the sources and think things through for themselves. You CAN'T monopolize truth.
Yep, with complexity, knowledge can be paralyzing. Which is why God's way is the narrow gate. And which is why the COG ministers prefer the redneck broad way of Simple Simon theology, together with informal book burning.
I lost confidence in the USA forever when secretary Powell tried to convince the UN on WMD in Iraq based on what I knew, flimsy evidence, which was substantiated by the terrible briefing to the Security Council with the flip over.
I cannot regain confidence in this lifetime.
People do however not go to the sources. Many stick in their facebook bubble for news sent to them by the Ministry of Truth.
You must remember that George Orwell wrote 1984 and the Ministry of Truth based on his personal experience working for the BBC and as an interrigator for the British Empire.
Anon 425 noted" I'll end up as a Walmart greeter or a masseuse, with no career and no respect from the friends and family who will shun me."
Fucketh thou you my friend. 22 Years in my own practice. Know my stuff. Lots of issues addressed with clients and plenty of after screaming stress headaches "man you know your stuff". I ended up just fine though late in the game to be what I would have preferred in life, I find that regret in most people in hindsight.
and too..forgot to mention in my annoyance with the crack, oncology patients on chemo at the infusion center, shakes calmed in Parkinson's patients, amputees with circulation problems, Down's Syndrome kids who need some help, calm and kind talk and touch to moms whose children have committed suicide, veterans with severe PTSD and a host of other mental, emotional and even spiritual maladies humans can come up with and respond to informed touch.
Add to that hundreds of dollars a year on continuing education classes and licensing. Master Therapist credentials with NCBTMB, at a national level and assorted credentials in Neuromuscular, Deep Tissue, Myofascial and protocols and procedures for cancer patients and I don't consider it "ending up" in the demeaning and condescending manner you placed it.
Defensive? Damn right... At least I did not take the offers back in the day to take my own church or joint a split, splinter or sliver. I would have gone on with my Paramedic training but the job is depressing and no one has your back if you screw up though you are expected to do it right every time. I did take an advanced life support class because I was told to and all the rest of the class were ER types working full time in it. At the end of the class the instructor said "I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that you are only an EMT-Intermediate and not Paramedic yet. The good news is that if you were, I'd ask you to help me teach the class"
So yeah, I did miss several callings because it was the 60's and the topic of "The True Church" captured my interests above all as it can in the young and naive.
Dennis, I think you're misreading 4:25. You made the courageous and honorable choice that many others wouldn't make. The AC class system instilled in young ministers the idea that working with their hands was a deplorable low-class fate, never mind the contrary example of the Apostle Paul. Most of them fell for that prejudice of Mr. Armstrong's, but you knew better, or at least discovered better.
and finally, a trip to the hospital upon request of a client to calm her mom down for the removal of 6 feet of her intestines due to an impacted colon for over two weeks that was going to kill her without intervention. Permission to do abdominal massage simulating peristalsis in the colon and "Viola" two hours later it saved her $15,ooo in medical bills and six feet of colon and she went home. amen.
You could have picked car salesman, insurance guy or truck driver, but I guess I took that personally and deliberate, right? Go ahead and start from nothing with nothing at 48 after fake Jesus worked his great miracles and years of "what the hell is next" scandals compliments of the Armstrongs and Tkaches and see how you do, when you do it and what you do next to remedy it personally
People want to hear what pleases them. What pleases them is complex. They can want to be lied to or they can want ardently to hear the truth or anything in between these two poles.
Armstrongists leaders have always aggressively managed information. They took the inputs and crafted an information product that they wanted their congregations to hear. But it should not be neglected that the congregations in many cases wanted to hear information creatively fabricated in that way. It is a symbiotic relationship.
But something throws a hand grenade in the midst of this delicately balanced information symbiosis: The Internet. Armstrongist leaders have always struggled with controlling "The Grapevine". They characterized the functioning of this unfettered word-of-mouth information channel as murmuring, gossiping rumor mongering or talebearing. Often The Grapevine transmitted the truth or a version of events that was more accurate than what came from the official sources. The talebearing often came from the pulpit.
The Internet is a highly developed, fast, digital version of The WCG Grapevine. And it is less controllable and more easily accessed. Sadly, it is the closest thing that Armstrongist congregations have to an unbiased Press. It is to Armstrongism what the Pentagon Papers were to the Johnson and Nixon Administrations. And its message to all the Armstrongist leaders is that "you are not winning the war and the body count is not nearly as high as you like to think."
What kind of trust are we talking about? Should we completely trust any news provider? Do any of them have a 100% accuracy rate? Trust, like respect, is a cumulative thing (often building over the course of many years. Moreover, because humans are imperfect, we are forced to give our trust based on a preponderance of the evidence. In other words, if you're going to withdraw your trust at the first instance of disappointment, you're probably not going to end up trusting anyone or anything. Ronald Reagan used to quote an old Russian proverb: Trust but verify. As NCK suggested, it's probably always a good idea to check sources for ourselves (don't forget the Bereans). We must, however, also remember that all sources are not created equal. There's no substitute for listening to a speech or reading a transcript, and a peer-reviewed article published in a scientific journal is superior to something that appears on Breitbart.
Dennis, "Permission to do abdominal massage simulating peristalsis in the colon and "Viola" two hours later it saved her $15,ooo in medical bills and six feet of colon and she went home"
Cool. There are a lot of alternative ways. Many of the old ways should be considered first.
"New knowledge", "New truth" are COG terms which in layman's language mean "oops" or "we made a mistake". As measured by the size of his articles and content of his sermons, Dr Bob doesn't understand the term "too much information" (and misinformation).
1236 - I agree. When Bob alters or adds new information to an article or booklet he tends make "stealth corrections". He plays the "know-it-all" card as a trump if he doesn't have solid data to support him.
For those of us who think any new source is accurate, I recommend you visit the Epsilon Theory web site plus subscribe to his twitter feed. He puts forth a convincing argument that we need to follow the narrative each source is pushing - this is how they persuade their followers to their viewpoint. Al of these news sources - and churches - have their carefully laid nuggets of truth sprinkled in to guide you in the way they want you to think.
9.49 AM Steve Jobs tried alternative medicine for his medical condition. The delay in using the proven surgical procedure cost him his life. Using the old ways is not always that simple.
Former News Exec: The ‘Liberal Leaning’ Media Has Passed Its Tipping Point
“News organizations that claim to be neutral have long been creeping leftward, and their loathing of Mr. Trump has accelerated the pace. The news media is catching up with the liberalism of the professoriate, the entertainment industry, upscale magazines and the literary world,” former CBS News President Van Gordon Sauter writes in The Wall Street Journal.
“There’s probably no way to seal the gap between the media and a large segment of the public. The media likes what it is doing. Admires it. Celebrates it. There is no personal, professional or financial reason to change. If anything, the gap will expand. Ultimately, the media finds the ‘deplorables’ deplorable.”
Anonymous Anonymous said... 9.49 AM Steve Jobs tried alternative medicine for his medical condition. The delay in using the proven surgical procedure cost him his life. Using the old ways is not always that simple.
May 26, 2020 at 8:25 PM ----------------------------
Yep, experienced that first hand with a serious cancer. 95% success rate with surgery is the route I took. With other health issues I use other methods with a great deal of success. The NIH has a great deal of stuff if you have a idea of what to investigate. I looked up the dog dewormer some people use with full spectrum vitamin E to cure cancer. Dog -dewormer has been none to vets for decades that it dissolves tumors. Looked it up at NIH and once again saw its effectiveness against tumors and the words 'more study needed' which means they are shelving it. More money in chemo products.
Keep in mind that altruism is like communism. They are not natural to the human being. Everything is done for either profit or the self. Its the way we are wired.
James, exactly which is why capitalism works so well among imperfect humans. It's not perfect but neither are we. It's still the best system, with a little socialist tweaks thrown in, very little, to help those who truly can't help themselves.
If you're interested in another "requires more study" just search "The Borax Conspiracy".
Very true Anon 4:25.It's more common place than anyone could imagine. Instead of turning to God they repeatedly get stuck in a sort of Anti Herbert obsession timewarp cycle whilst all the time having Gods words on their lips for their job. They can never move on from Herbert, he becomes a wound that will not heal.
32 comments:
It is reckless and irresponsible to get your information from known liars, and yet the COGs continue to turn in to the mainstream media.
9.22 PM
Most COGs regard the mainstream media as the despicable media. I'm not aware of any that warms up to the MSM.
The "new knowledge" that ruins most COG ministers after a few years, when they get close to old-time insiders, is:
"Herbert Armstrong didn't practice what he preached. He ate on fast days and had sex with his own daughter. He lied about the formation of his own church, and his Autobiography contains large passages of outright fiction. God would no more use him to restore the truth than he would use Charles Manson or Al Capone. Yet here I am, having made the ministry my career. If I act on this knowledge, I'll end up as a Walmart greeter or a masseuse, with no career and no respect from the friends and family who will shun me."
So called "new knowledge" about the calendar or some detail of Greek or Hebrew pales in comparison to the above, even though it is sometimes one way that ministers try to cope with their disappointment.
There has ALWAYS been a liberal bias within the mainstream media. It was there fifty years ago, and it's there today. Were our parents and grandparents reckless and irresponsible to use and trust it for information? If you recognize the bias and are careful with the information, that bias is actually a good thing; because it inclines toward science and objectivity. Right wing media, on the other hand, inclines toward religion and subjectivity. In the hands of someone who is intellectually lazy or careless, which one is more dangerous? Sure, both camps are going to bring a perspective to the table, but the folks on the right seem to be much less careful about ensuring a multiplicity of sources and much more amenable to untethered speculation (conspiracy theories). Good reporting must be based in fact. The quality of the information you receive is inextricably tied to its relationship to fact. You may prefer the editorial opinions of Fox, but you're more likely to get fact-based reporting from CNN or The New York Times. And, finally, it is dangerous to live in a bubble that continuously reinforces your own biases and inclinations. In other words, how can you lay any personal claim to objectivity if you refuse to listen to what the other side has to say. Reality encompasses the left and the right and usually lands somewhere between the two. There's a reason we call it mainstream - the term implies an avoidance of the extremes.
Miller Jones, the capital you function on in news media is TRUST. You lose some of that every time your viewers figure out you sold a lie to them.
This is why The Ministry of Truth is slowly dying. Today, people can go straight to the sources and think things through for themselves. You CAN'T monopolize truth.
DBP
Yep, with complexity, knowledge can be paralyzing. Which is why God's way is the narrow gate. And which is why the COG ministers prefer the redneck broad way of Simple Simon theology, together with informal book burning.
7:50
True DBP.
I lost confidence in the USA forever when secretary Powell tried to convince the UN on WMD in Iraq based on what I knew, flimsy evidence, which was substantiated by the terrible briefing to the Security Council with the flip over.
I cannot regain confidence in this lifetime.
People do however not go to the sources.
Many stick in their facebook bubble for news sent to them by the Ministry of Truth.
You must remember that George Orwell wrote 1984 and the Ministry of Truth based on his personal experience working for the BBC and as an interrigator for the British Empire.
The US empire was the successor of that Empire.
Nck
Anon 425 noted" I'll end up as a Walmart greeter or a masseuse, with no career and no respect from the friends and family who will shun me."
Fucketh thou you my friend. 22 Years in my own practice. Know my stuff. Lots of issues addressed with clients and plenty of after screaming stress headaches "man you know your stuff". I ended up just fine though late in the game to be what I would have preferred in life, I find that regret in most people in hindsight.
Butt thanks for your insights
and too..forgot to mention in my annoyance with the crack, oncology patients on chemo at the infusion center, shakes calmed in Parkinson's patients, amputees with circulation problems, Down's Syndrome kids who need some help, calm and kind talk and touch to moms whose children have committed suicide, veterans with severe PTSD and a host of other mental, emotional and even spiritual maladies humans can come up with and respond to informed touch.
Add to that hundreds of dollars a year on continuing education classes and licensing. Master Therapist credentials with NCBTMB, at a national level and assorted credentials in Neuromuscular, Deep Tissue, Myofascial and protocols and procedures for cancer patients and I don't consider it "ending up" in the demeaning and condescending manner you placed it.
Defensive? Damn right... At least I did not take the offers back in the day to take my own church or joint a split, splinter or sliver. I would have gone on with my Paramedic training but the job is depressing and no one has your back if you screw up though you are expected to do it right every time. I did take an advanced life support class because I was told to and all the rest of the class were ER types working full time in it. At the end of the class the instructor said "I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that you are only an EMT-Intermediate and not Paramedic yet. The good news is that if you were, I'd ask you to help me teach the class"
So yeah, I did miss several callings because it was the 60's and the topic of "The True Church" captured my interests above all as it can in the young and naive.
Dennis, I think you're misreading 4:25. You made the courageous and honorable choice that many others wouldn't make. The AC class system instilled in young ministers the idea that working with their hands was a deplorable low-class fate, never mind the contrary example of the Apostle Paul. Most of them fell for that prejudice of Mr. Armstrong's, but you knew better, or at least discovered better.
and finally, a trip to the hospital upon request of a client to calm her mom down for the removal of 6 feet of her intestines due to an impacted colon for over two weeks that was going to kill her without intervention. Permission to do abdominal massage simulating peristalsis in the colon and "Viola" two hours later it saved her $15,ooo in medical bills and six feet of colon and she went home.
amen.
You could have picked car salesman, insurance guy or truck driver, but I guess I took that personally and deliberate, right? Go ahead and start from nothing with nothing at 48 after fake Jesus worked his great miracles and years of "what the hell is next" scandals compliments of the Armstrongs and Tkaches and see how you do, when you do it and what you do next to remedy it personally
People want to hear what pleases them. What pleases them is complex. They can want to be lied to or they can want ardently to hear the truth or anything in between these two poles.
Armstrongists leaders have always aggressively managed information. They took the inputs and crafted an information product that they wanted their congregations to hear. But it should not be neglected that the congregations in many cases wanted to hear information creatively fabricated in that way. It is a symbiotic relationship.
But something throws a hand grenade in the midst of this delicately balanced information symbiosis: The Internet. Armstrongist leaders have always struggled with controlling "The Grapevine". They characterized the functioning of this unfettered word-of-mouth information channel as murmuring, gossiping rumor mongering or talebearing. Often The Grapevine transmitted the truth or a version of events that was more accurate than what came from the official sources. The talebearing often came from the pulpit.
The Internet is a highly developed, fast, digital version of The WCG Grapevine. And it is less controllable and more easily accessed. Sadly, it is the closest thing that Armstrongist congregations have to an unbiased Press. It is to Armstrongism what the Pentagon Papers were to the Johnson and Nixon Administrations. And its message to all the Armstrongist leaders is that "you are not winning the war and the body count is not nearly as high as you like to think."
DBP,
What kind of trust are we talking about? Should we completely trust any news provider? Do any of them have a 100% accuracy rate? Trust, like respect, is a cumulative thing (often building over the course of many years. Moreover, because humans are imperfect, we are forced to give our trust based on a preponderance of the evidence. In other words, if you're going to withdraw your trust at the first instance of disappointment, you're probably not going to end up trusting anyone or anything. Ronald Reagan used to quote an old Russian proverb: Trust but verify. As NCK suggested, it's probably always a good idea to check sources for ourselves (don't forget the Bereans). We must, however, also remember that all sources are not created equal. There's no substitute for listening to a speech or reading a transcript, and a peer-reviewed article published in a scientific journal is superior to something that appears on Breitbart.
Dennis,
"Permission to do abdominal massage simulating peristalsis in the colon and "Viola" two hours later it saved her $15,ooo in medical bills and six feet of colon and she went home"
Cool. There are a lot of alternative ways. Many of the old ways should be considered first.
Thanks Miller for the remark despite my jab at the beloved country.
My friends at Bellincat are always looking for skilled volunteers.
Nck
"New knowledge", "New truth" are COG terms which in layman's language mean "oops" or "we made a mistake".
As measured by the size of his articles and content of his sermons, Dr Bob doesn't understand the term "too much information" (and misinformation).
11:49AM, Bitter Bob is a know-it-all. He'll never admit to "new truth" because that would acknowledge he didn't know something before.
1236 - I agree. When Bob alters or adds new information to an article or booklet he tends make "stealth corrections".
He plays the "know-it-all" card as a trump if he doesn't have solid data to support him.
I've had my fill of all this calendar Garbage
Do what Mrs Armstrong did?
For those of us who think any new source is accurate, I recommend you visit the Epsilon Theory web site plus subscribe to his twitter feed.
He puts forth a convincing argument that we need to follow the narrative each source is pushing - this is how they persuade their followers to their viewpoint.
Al of these news sources - and churches - have their carefully laid nuggets of truth sprinkled in to guide you in the way they want you to think.
9.49 AM
Steve Jobs tried alternative medicine for his medical condition. The delay in using the proven surgical procedure cost him his life.
Using the old ways is not always that simple.
Some alternative medicine works, some does not.
Some mainstream medicine work some does not.
I never liked Steve Jobs anyway.
You need to listen to a WIDE range of information sources. VERY few people actually do that. That's why the vast majority are BRAINWASHED.
Nowadays FB is information controlled. Only PC views and WHO approved views are permitted.
Dennis, you have my respect what little that's worth.
kev formerly km
Former News Exec: The ‘Liberal Leaning’ Media Has Passed Its Tipping Point
“News organizations that claim to be neutral have long been creeping leftward, and their loathing of Mr. Trump has accelerated the pace. The news media is catching up with the liberalism of the professoriate, the entertainment industry, upscale magazines and the literary world,” former CBS News President Van Gordon Sauter writes in The Wall Street Journal.
“There’s probably no way to seal the gap between the media and a large segment of the public. The media likes what it is doing. Admires it. Celebrates it. There is no personal, professional or financial reason to change. If anything, the gap will expand. Ultimately, the media finds the ‘deplorables’ deplorable.”
Anonymous Anonymous said...
9.49 AM
Steve Jobs tried alternative medicine for his medical condition. The delay in using the proven surgical procedure cost him his life.
Using the old ways is not always that simple.
May 26, 2020 at 8:25 PM
----------------------------
Yep, experienced that first hand with a serious cancer. 95% success rate with surgery is the route I took. With other health issues I use other methods with a great deal of success.
The NIH has a great deal of stuff if you have a idea of what to investigate. I looked up the dog dewormer some people use with full spectrum vitamin E to cure cancer. Dog -dewormer has been none to vets for decades that it dissolves tumors. Looked it up at NIH and once again saw its effectiveness against tumors and the words 'more study needed' which means they are shelving it. More money in chemo products.
Keep in mind that altruism is like communism. They are not natural to the human being. Everything is done for either profit or the self. Its the way we are wired.
James, exactly which is why capitalism works so well among imperfect humans. It's not perfect but neither are we. It's still the best system, with a little socialist tweaks thrown in, very little, to help those who truly can't help themselves.
If you're interested in another "requires more study" just search "The Borax Conspiracy".
kev
For those with arthritis, give it a shot. I can almost guarantee that in 6 weeks you'll be in less pain.
http://www.health-science-spirit.com/borax.htm
kev
Here's another one of those things that will kill you. According to the AMA that is.
https://whitakerwellness.com/2015/05/back-in-the-daystill-true-today-dmso-for-pain-relief-more/
https://www.nutrihealfoundation.com/information-highway/what-is-dmso-aspirin-era/
kev
Very true Anon 4:25.It's more common place than anyone could imagine. Instead of turning to God they repeatedly get stuck in a sort of Anti Herbert obsession timewarp cycle whilst all the time having Gods words on their lips for their job. They can never move on from Herbert, he becomes a wound that will not heal.
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