Ronnie Weinland failed COG prophet and one of the two witless witnesses, in his January 8, 2022 sermon to his basement Church of God group had this to say about people who leave the church, particularly his church:
“So this is what this is about. It’s about a process. It’s about people who leave God’s Church, they don’t become happier. Their lives don’t get better. They don’t become more joyful inside. It doesn’t happen. Anybody who believes that is nuttier than a fruitcake and doesn’t get it spiritually. Because when people leave they think they can grasp some kind of happiness out there. “If I go with this person I’m going to be happier.” “My life is going to be better if I leave the Church because of another person, because we don’t want ‘this,’ we don’t want ‘that,’ and because it isn’t right that I should have that relationship. But it’s going to make me happier, more fulfilled.” Boy, do you have a lot to learn. Boy, do you have a lot of suffering to go through. And if you have children and they grow up in that environment, so will they. The protection and the blessings from God, they won’t be there in the same manner whatsoever. And so it was with the children of Israel. …visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth.” In God's Presence – Part 3
This has been a lie that COG leaders and ministers have broadcast for decades. All it has ever been is a weapon to try and keep their followers under control. If people fear living lives of misery then they will never leave and will keep the money stream coming in. This is really what it's all about. Money. Not some salvation issue, but money.
The ‘Leadership’ within the cog movement are acutely aware of the ‘cashflow’ issue, members = cash.
ReplyDeleteCash = salary.
That aside this ‘commentary’ is sorrowful reading.
I have no doubt that many who have left the church ‘collective’ are in fact happier in their day to day lives than before.
Leaving the church is not abandoning Jesus. For many of us it is rediscovering Him and His joy and peace with grace and perhaps even for the first time.
"Wherever you go, there you are!" The problem is that wherever we go, we take ourselves with us. We take our problems and defects into the next situation each time. Weinland is getting into the act way late!!! He thinks the process starts with his church, but he has come in in the middle of the movie. The fact is that if you join a church group imagining that it will bring you great happiness and a sense of deep fulfillment, you are destined for disappointment! Happiness has to come from within, from deep inside of you. You don't just get it from something you do, something you join, or a new mate! If you are toxic within, you will pollute every new place you could possibly go. I believe that every human knows this deep down. The problem is, people join an ACOG (amongst other things) because they believe they will receive healing from this. The carrot or silver bullet. When they don't, when Armstrongism also fails them, the angst persists and they take it with them into the next thing they believe will be a solution. The problem is much deeper than Weinland and other teachers of Armstrongism could possibly imagine. Like so many other placebos, they are in search of a much greater concept!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI believe the ACOG leaders and their ministers are motivated by money plus power. Some of the ministers I had followed members around like dogs, being their resident critic and judge. This is carnal, bully behavior. These ministers need "to get a life" rather than stealing their members lives.
ReplyDeleteI felt I had escaped from prison when I stopped attending services. Good riddance to these corporate churches.
Why , if the experience is so gloriously wonderful would anyone leave?
ReplyDeleteNo one is trying to become an illegal immigrant to North Korea or to Cuba. Nobody was trying to get into East Germany from West Germany.
Such wanrings from a guy like Weinland and others , shows that you really are in an oppressive situation like North Korea. If it is really a happening and fulfilling to the soul kind of place, there should be people lined up wanting to join, and you wouldn't worry at all about losing people.
The day I stopped attending WCG/GCI and joined the Seventh Day Baptist Church was the best decision I've ever made.
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ReplyDeleteRotten Ronnie Weinland is just worried that if everyone left his cult there would be nobody left to pay for his own travelling and dining out expenses. Also, who would read his prophetic fantasy fiction books?
Generally there is some initial suffering and pain when leaving a cult, particularly if family members still remain. Most of the people now in the cogs are second generation and do not know the pain and suffering experienced when someone first began attending the cultish cogs; stress on marriages, family, friends. The cogs used to praise new members love for god evidenced by their willingness to join the worldwide church of god despite the stress and pain their decision to join the cult produced in them and their family and friends.
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