Breaking in the new year, The Two Witnesses podcast presents: Episode #3 "Walk This Way"
If there was anything the Worldwide Church of God was really good at (besides collecting member tithes), it was telling members that they'd better Walk and Talk as the leader Herbert Armstrong and the ministry taught (but notably did not necessarily do themselves). In the specific case of the WCG, and in many of the splinters, members knew and know that they'd better toe the party line or they are to be expunged from the organization and most likely disfellowshipped, which means being estranged from their friends and acquaintances in the church.
This is one of the identifying features of any cult, and in this episode, the Two Witness hosts go through several characteristics that define a "cult", discussing how their own experiences demonstrate these characteristics being manifested in the WCG and its daughter churches. Certainly, many readers here will be able to relate to it.
In this episode, you'll also hear:
HWA railing against any sinful Jezebel-like women who would dare to put on makeup!
Rod Meredith screaming like a madman against what was apparently his favorite subject, sex and the "homosexual queers"!
HWA's obsession with his own importance, and his lackeys and worshippers who even now still lap it up.
Members being put in fear of not being able to escape to the "place of safety" in Petra when HWA gave the word.
Garner Ted Armstrong scaring baptized members by explaining that leaving the church is... the Unpardonable Sin!
At one point Witness Ralph tries to declare himself the new Apostle, but we're having none of that! :)
There's also a shout-out to John Trechak (RIP) that some may know from the once-published Ambassador Report, and another to this very blog, BannedByHWA.
With one more episode being planned after this one, this is the penultimate. We hope interested listeners will find it worth their time, or at least fodder for further recollection or discussion.
Michael
16 comments:
John Trechak"s "Ambassador Report" has now been shown, in historical retrospect, to have been extremely accurate and well researched.
It was a labor of love and duty, and certainly well ahead of its time prior to the internet era. It had to operate like a free underground press would have to in North Korea, which was no easy task.
Even reading it or subscribing to it could result in disfellowshipment. Cults and oppressive governments of any kind HATE free communication and review.
All that background noise that they have playing throughout their Two Witnesses podcast makes them sound like noise addicts with scrambled brains.
I agree with the cogs obey your minister or get disfellowshipped its cold hard discipline that keeps order in the church.
They point out the belief that since HWA was God's apostle, therefore all his judgments came directly from God. Then how do his followers explain 1975? Where was Herbs God inspired infallibility?
Yes, the background music is annoying. Do they think that it's teenagers who are listening in to their programs? I remind the authors of these programs that older people have lower mental energy and tolerance to all annoyances.
They point out the belief that since HWA was God's apostle, therefore all his judgments came directly from God.
Judas was God's apostle for a while. Look how that worked out!
The background music in and of itself is not loud enough to be annoying. Unlike some of the latest TV programs in which style dictates that dialogue be less loud than the music or the general white noise of the settings, you can actually hear these guys voices and what they are saying quite easily.
My problem with the music is the sheer lack of variety. I longed to hear Led Zeppelin doing Communication Breakdown at an appropriate junction, and the Who doing "We're Not Going to Take It!", and "The Seeker". Elton John's "All the Young Girls Love Alice," would have been great during the discussion on homosexuality. And, when Ambassador College was being mentioned, Guns n Roses "Welcome to the Jungle," would have added to the general ambience. In discussing the period of confusion a member experiences upon leaving, Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home" would have illustrated the angst nicely.
What the heck, I'm not going to write the sound track formthe whole hour and a half, but you get the general idea!
Anon wrote:
"My problem with the music is the sheer lack of variety. I longed to hear ..."
LOL. Too much music or not enough, can't please everyone :)
This is meant to be entertaining as well of course, although the content is intended to be foremost!
Tonto wrote:
"John Trechak"s "Ambassador Report" has now been shown, in historical retrospect, to have been extremely accurate and well researched. "
I wish I 'd know about it when I was in college. (although like you said, I'd have been disfellowshipped on the spot if found out).
I only learned about AR after already having left, but I still gobbled up every issue as it was information about the organization I had no inkling about otherwise.
Anon wrote:
"All that background noise that they have playing throughout their Two Witnesses podcast makes them sound like noise addicts with scrambled brains."
I don't know how to respond to this except: LOL :)
(Except for the interjectional interludes, the background music is actually set pretty low.)
Anon wrote:
"I remind the authors of these programs that older people have lower mental energy and tolerance to all annoyances"
Fair enough. By "older people", though, are we talking >70 or just middle aged?
I'm assuming middle-aged people wouldn't have too much of a problem with a few audio embellishments.
Anon wrote:
"Then how do his followers explain 1975? Where was Herbs God inspired infallibility?"
Yes, 1975 somehow got swept under the rug while no one was watching. Whereas it seems that's all we heard about in the late 60s-early 70s.
But Herb already had experience in dropping one prediction and jumping to the next, judging from his WWII-time predictions that Hitler would take over and Christ would return in the 1940s.
2.31 AM
I recalled Oprah Winfrey saying on one of her programs way back, that she was noticably more intolerant to abuse after age 40. That was my experience as well.
I have found that the older I get, the more my mental energy (and physical energy) goes down, and the more irritable and intolerant to annoyance I have become.
Older people aren't often portrayed as crabby by Hollywood for no reason.
Have you seen the movie 'Driving Miss Daisy?'
I thought HWA & GTA were the 2 witnesses. 🤯
Oh, there have been many more 2 witnesses since. Maybe modern COGlodytes will hedge and say it's "two witnesses or two groups of witnesses" soon.
Anonymous 8:49
HWA was more than one Biblical character. GTA was more than one Biblical character. Franz Josef Strauss was The Beast. I think Stanley Rader was somebody. Armstrongists were never much good at figuring out the dramatis personae of the end of the age drama.
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Finally had a chance to sit down and listen.
Well done, gentlemen.
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