Almost all of the various COG splinter groups have set up ways for members to turn over their estates to the church upon their death. Most of them do not care if family members are shut out of wills and inheritances. The only concern is the money that they would get. The Worldwide Church of God was notorious for doing this, so all of the splinter groups are following suit. WCG was taken to court numerous times over the decades by family members disinherited and left with nothing, including some left destitute. In each instance, the WCG fought vigorously to keep the money, and most of the time they prevailed. The Ambassador Report has several stories about this appalling behavior by the church. The greed inherent in so many COG groups has them doing the same thing today. The more you give the more your blessing will be and your place in the Kingdom of God. Your chance of becoming a god depends upon it!
Surprisingly, Fred Coulter does not approve of this. He recently said the following:
And I can tell you this right now, too many of them are in the same mode as Worldwide doctrinally and also monetarily. That they're doing everything to keep the money coming in. And the great sin of some of the Churches of God is that they work out end-of-life wills so that the money will go to the Church. That is stealing from the families and the inheritors the inheritance that is due them. That is evil, that you would take the inheritance from those who die in the faith. Before they die you talk them into leaving all their funds to the Church for the retirement of the elders!
You let that sink in for a minute! What is God going to do? The day will come, because you're robbing the families of their rightful inheritance!
This has to be about the only thing worthwhile from this man. His theology is just a sick as Bob Thiel's, Pack and Flurry's.
Not a fan of Fred Coulter but I applaud �� him for speaking out about this.
ReplyDeleteIt is wrong, looks wrong and how are newbies seeing this?
UCG has even put 'planned giving' along their main header on their website. Right next to members section. They are not the only ones pushing this but the first to bring it mainstream on a UCG website.
Living Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God, Restored Church of God, and COG Worldwide Ass. do the same exact thing. They are such sleazy organizations. Haven't checked to see if Bob Thiel does, but as weird as he is he probably covets that money too.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone wills their property to a splinter, they will go through their personal effects, and gossip to other members about what they find.
ReplyDeleteRights such as the right to privacy, are pearls before swine in these churches.
The Voyeuristic Churches of God.
Fred Coulter was the first minister in WCG I ever heard give a sermon. I was visiting my sister in Boise, Idaho at 14 years old and he gave a sermon on the "Universe". Well, that did it for me! No one in the Dutch Reformed Church ever gave a sermon on that! I got hooked. I also as a teen found Fred to be quite austere and scary.
ReplyDeleteGood on Fred for this. Perhaps it will make others realize that there are topics in the lives of members too numerous to mention that are none of the churches business. This is one of them. It is a reprehensible pitch.
Recall Dave Pack's unique twist in his classic "Clarion Call" sermon. You won't need it when you die and that's no sacrifice, so go ahead and send it in NOW.
(1:42:30) "Now let’s talk about Wills. Naming the Restored Church of God in your Will sometimes might cause an individual to think they’re doing the right thing. That’s good, that’s wonderful. But they feel comfortable that they’ve done their part. Think about it. How much faith does that require? The Church gets everything when you die and you don’t need it anymore? Where did you sacrifice anything?? Now again, that’s a nice thought. But all you’re saying is since you’re dead you don’t need anymore financial security. No faith. Get it now— When it requires faith. When you’re dead you don’t need it. We have people who have hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars— some even millions— they’re telling us they’re going to give us in Wills. We’re kind of put in a funny position when you think this through. Do we pray that people die so we can get it? We can’t do that! I’m going to get an inheritance from my uncle some day. I don’t pray that he dies— I can’t do that…Don’t put God in the position where you have to die, where He must say “I need that money” and you won’t turn loose of it now. If you named us in your Will, it could take months or years, particularly if there’s litigation before we have it. Think it through… [talks about the natural “cycle of death” bringing funds to the church]
(1:45:40) We live in a strange, different, final generation—final generation. Don’t look for excuses to hold on to your treasure! We don’t have the luxury of waiting years…Today, leaving everything in your Will doesn’t work!"
Con't Dave's Creepy Christ and God, in their weakness as Deities, evidently needs the money.
ReplyDeletehttps://exitsupportnetwork.com/expose-of-clarion-call-the-time-is-now/
Proverbs 13:22: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” (NKJV)
ReplyDeleteDavid C. Pack has a booklet about this subject for members.
ReplyDeleteFor being near genius in logic and critical thinking taught him by his mother, as he tells it, Dave's reasoning is not only flawed but that of a con man.
ReplyDeleteBasically, he asks, where is the faith and sacrifice is just giving to the church when you die. You don't need it then anyway. Why not show some faith and sacrifice NOW! As if one might not actually need today what they own and have today! What a fool. And don't put God in a bad position where you have to die even when GOD needs the money now! I bet he does pray older wealthy members die asap! lol. Dave reminds us of the "raca...fool", meaning "worthless", the NT speaks about that no one is supposed to call anyone. And yet.... RACA can mean R-eally A C-riminal A-ttitude.
...or better yet "R-eally A C-on A-rtist"
ReplyDeleteMoney in an estate is not the family's "rightful inheritance" if the person dying chooses, of their own free will, to leave it to a church or charity. Some family members are not deserving of an inheritance or they don't need it. Some people think that a charity that does good needs it more than their grown children who may have been provided with a good education and are doing quite well for themselves. Some children may have been provided for during the person's lifetime.
ReplyDeleteCharities are notoriously inefficient. Without the discipline ship of profit and loss, they are often 10% or less efficient. There's been endless lawsuits against foundations which departed from the founders goal. Once a donor is deceased, there's scant checks and balances on the monies use. Which is why charities often have lavish grounds and generously paid boards of directors.
DeleteWills are often successfully contested because the donor ignored his/her moral responsibility to provide for their family. Especially in religious mind control cults where they've been 'persuaded' that their eternal reward is preportional to their financial contribution to that group.
Agree with the 5:10pm comment. And some famous people have taken that approach with their estates.
ReplyDeleteNPR and the Salvation Army are thankful for one of them.
The average ACOG member is not as affluent as Mc Donalds founder. C'mon now the is NOTHING in scripture about Christians leaving all their possessions AFTER DEATH to the Christian mission.
ReplyDeleteWhen scripture talks about 1st century Christians sharing everything that happened when ALIVE.
God takes inheritance very seriously, if you look in the old testament. Therefore I don't think he's be pleased with churches taking inheritances from members instead of inheritances going to their families. Also, while I'm on it, the idea of giving a tithe of an inheritance doesn't seem biblical either. If you are left a house in a will, to tithe on it, you would need to sell it - and would therefore not have the house, only 9/10 of the value less other expenses involved in selling property. So to churches that try to take inheritances from people, I say, just stop it and don't be so greedy and uncaring. It's a disgraceful thing to do.
ReplyDeleteGiving ones life savings to an organization that robbed them of their rights is profoundly wrong. They are not real charities.
ReplyDelete942 noted "When scripture talks about 1st century Christians sharing everything that happened when ALIVE."
ReplyDelete=================
It also was a short lived practice due to the immediacy and momentary return of Jesus. When the more wealthy Greeks started showing up , "Hell NO!" took over and the rest is history.
The church would usually acknowledge that certain things were right. . .
ReplyDelete--Proverbs 13:22
--the entire 2nd tithe was for the feasts
--3rd tithe was reserved for the poor
--a person's pension was for retirement
--getting one's teeth fixed
BUT, because of the critical times we are living in, we are operating under Marshall Law and these things are suspended!!
I noticed that the third tithe in the OT makes no mention of these funds being administered by the Levites. I got the impression that it was up to each person to decide whom they gave their money to. Like in all charitable giving.
ReplyDeleteThe religious establishment of Jesus’ day called that “corban”
ReplyDeleteMark 7:11
Anon 7/9 @8:25am,
ReplyDeleteDeu 14:28-29 “At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your PRODUCE of that year and store it up within your gates. And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that YHVH your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
Based on the above passage, the 'tithe of your PRODUCE' (3T) is 'stored within your gates', meaning within your community/neighborhood. It is possible that in biblical times, there was/were common place(s) where the 3T produce was stored, sort of a community/neighborhood food bank(s).
(It is the 2T that has the instruction to 'exchange it for money' IF the journey is far.)
People entitled to this 3T, who 'may come and eat and be satisfied', are the Levites, strangers, fatherless and widows who are 'within your gates/community/neighborhood'.
Is it a separate 10%? It depends on who you ask. A few believe that the three tithes are speaking about the same 10% which is used in different ways - pilgrimage feasts, support of the poor, etc.
The thing to remember is the Levites are entitled to the 1T (Num 18:21), 2T (Deu 14:22-27) and 3T (Deu 14:28-29). Note that for 2T, you 'share' it with the Levites.
Num 18:21 [1T] “Behold, I have given the CHILDREN OF LEVI all the TITHES IN ISRAEL as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting."
Deu 14:27 [2T] You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.
Deu 14:29 [3T] And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you,...
If it is a separate 10%, why are v27 and v29 still speaking about the Levite not having part of inheritance when he already has the 1T?
According to Nehemia Gordon's logic ...
"In other words, why does he (Levite) need my 10 percent that I use for my pilgrimage feasts if he's got the 10 percent I gave him last week? Why does he need this part of the second 10 percent, if he's already got the first 10 percent?"
There is no 1T, 2T, 3T, verbatim, but only a tithe given every third year (what's third is the year, not the tithe) to the Levites because they were only about 2% of the population - Num 31:30 - and 10% of an entire country's produce every third year and stored up was enough to feed them. Another 10% every year was kept for use by the tither for the festivals and to share with the Levite at the festivals. There was no 1T annually as churches today extort by false doctrine.
ReplyDeleteAnon on July 9th @7:34pm wrote, There is no 1T, 2T, 3T, verbatim, but only a tithe given every third year (what's third is the year, not the tithe) to the Levites because...
ReplyDeleteIt is clearly stated in the Deu 14:28 I explicitly quoted - "At the end of every third year ...". We are former members of WCG and/or it's splinter here who knows what 3rd tithe is and when it is saved/given. I'm using terminologies/conventions that a former WCG member is familiar with - 1st tithe, 2nd tithe, 3rd tithe (year).
I have to correct what you said. This 3T is NOT given to the Levites. It is BROUGHT OUT FOR the Levites, strangers, fatherless and widows (Deu 14:28-29). Interlinear of Deu 14:28 shows the prase 'you shall bring out' from the Hebrew yatsa ('to go or come out', H3318).
You bring it out of your house and store it somewhere within the gates/community/neighborhood. It is a community or neighborhood food bank/pantry where the 4 types of recepients CAN COME to get what they need. This is what's written in Deu 14:29 where the word COME is from the Hebrew bo ('to come in, go in', H935).
Anon said, There was no 1T annually as churches today extort by false doctrine.
No tithing, whether 1T/2T/3T, is required today. Not even required for Jews today. There is no Temple standing.
1. Num 18:21 states 'tithes in Israel'. It is only in Israel, the produce of the land.
2. Num 18:21 states 'tithes in Israel' are given to the Levites as inheritance in return for the work of the tabernacle of meeting. There is no Temple standing today. This is 1T which is different from the 3T which is brought out FOR the 4 types of recepients every 3rd year. This is also different from the 2T which one consumes and shares with the Levite during pilgrimage feasts. What do the Levites eat during the 7th and 1st and 2nd years before the 3rd tithe year? How about during the year when it's not a pilgrimage feast?
Although I've said 'different', what I mean is different uses. Here's what I wrote earlier - A few believe that the three tithes are speaking about the same 10% which is used in different ways - pilgrimage feasts, support of the poor, etc.
3. Deu 14:22-26 2T is used for pilgrimage feasts. Again, there is no Temple standing today. It is only in Jerusalem where God last put His name.
When you leave your estate to a church, you are showing your family that they mean nothing to you - that you don't care about them and what happens to them. That is how i see it. Why would your family want to follow "your religion" if it is so unloving and uncaring. People need to show love to others and to their family members not just blindly follow religious leaders We need to look at what religious leaders do, assess their behaviour and teachings in the light of the words of Jesus Christ Himself. If the behaviour doesn't match up, then they are not servants of Christ, but maybe they are servants of themselves. Take responsibility, don't hand over your life and your money to other people. Look at the words of Jesus Christ and follow them. He provides the light for you to follow so you don't fall down in a heap.
ReplyDeleteTonto, are you sure that doesn't say:
ReplyDelete"Proverbs 13:22: “A duped man leaves an inheritance to his children’s church.” (NKMV)
?????
Lol
KM
Fred speaks the TRUTH!! Sorry if you would prefer cleverly concocted myths!! You will not find them on Fred’s sites!! More FAKE NEWS!!
ReplyDelete