The Living Church of God has produced a lot of crazy ministers over the decades and some of them we make fun of here, like Bobby Thiel. There is another crazy LCG minister running loose in LCG, Mario Hernandez. He had a poor reputation when he was in WCG so it is only natural that he jumped ship into LCG. He recently lectured students at the most astounding COG college ever to exist, Living University Education, on why people get sick.
Read this in awe and wonder at the magnificent thinking of Mario. You will be astounded!
Mr. Mario Hernandez opened his recent lecture by commenting on why he thinks so many people are getting sick.
He believes that God might be foreshadowing what is to come. He spoke about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, reminding the students of what each horseman symbolizes and the order in which they appear. He stressed the importance of knowing and understanding these things, since these horses will begin galloping in the future. We are to take the illnesses occurring around us as a warning, especially considering that the first horseman, symbolizing deceptive religion, has not yet intensified his ride.
Now admit it, that made a lot of sense, right?
He strongly urged us that we need to take the opportunities that are provided at Living Education seriously, because God will require more from us than He will from those who have not had these opportunities. We cannot allow the distractions of the world to keep us from doing what God wants us to do. We must have zeal to do the work of God. He mentioned that we live in a world filled with perversion, and that these sins are spreading like wildfire. He stated that God is being provoked by humans and that He will bring punishments once the children are completely corrupted.
The god of LCG is such a weak impotent god that it is getting provoked, ignoring the fact that they believe that same god knew from before the foundations of the world that people would be rebellious and thus had to make a plan of redemption through killing Jesus Christ. If that god knew people would be doing these things in this age, why is it being provoked now?
Developing Integrity and Character
Mr. Hernandez encouraged the students by stating, “Your future is bright.” If we are able to resist the temptation around us, we will be protected from what is coming. He mentioned that no society has been exposed to so much evil, in such concentrated amounts, and in such a short period of time, as our society today. We must have integrity and character, which are defined by what we do when no one is looking at us.
Mr. Hernandez pointed to Ezekiel 14:12–23 to show that God will punish the nations for their perversions and sins. In the days of Noah, God preserved him along with his wife, sons, and sons’ wives. Yet, in our generation, a father will not be able to save his son by his righteousness, but only himself. But, as Mr. Hernandez also noted, God does offer protection.
Overcoming the Dragon
Mr. Hernandez read 1 John 2:12–14, reminding the students of the importance of overcoming Satan, the dragon. He stated that even in many stories written for younger audiences, the dragon is slain with a sword, and this case is no different—we need our sword, the word of God, in order to overcome the adversary. Mr. Hernandez stressed the importance of “putting oil in our lamps” daily: “Do you know who the foolish virgin is? The one who does not read his or her Bible every day.” He urged the students that if we do not read our Bibles daily, our lights will be so dim that they will not be useful to us.
Satan, the devil, the dragon, etc, is the most powerful god of Armstrongism. Way more powerful than that guy they call Jesus Christ.
We must offer our spiritual incense daily as well, by praying to God. Aaron physically offered incense to God in ancient Israel, and we are given the same duties as the priesthood on a spiritual level. He also encouraged the students to quickly go to the Scriptures whenever we enter temptation. He closed his lecture with this inspiring sentence: “The key to enjoying life is to obey God.”
Never once does Mario even mention finding rest in Jesus, that inconvenient dude that the LCG dislikes talking about. Resting in confidence in the one that redeemed humanity should be something that the LCG and Mario encourage the students at Living Education to be doing instead of living in fear. That is the belief of Christians around the world, down through the centuries, have consistently understood, but not LCG.
Instead, it is a constant stream of gloom, death, and damnation constantly lurking in the shadows just waiting to destroy people.
30 comments:
Dang, I hate to say it, Bob Thiel makes more sense than this guy does! What a nut job.
Living Education……
Mission:The fundamental purpose of ‘Living Education’ is to support the leadership of LCG in building and reinforcing the knowledge of the way of God.
Books available include Autobiography of HWA, Mystery of the Ages……….for students………….
Nothing to see here.
Simply the same old same.
Everything you would expect to find in an unaccredited institution which endorses Armstrongism.
And most certainly not a blueprint pointing the way to vigorous growth and expansion.
Hernandez thinks he is the greatest gift to the Spanish work in Latin America like Dibar Apartian thought he was a gift to the French-speaking nations. The Latin Americans dislike Hernandez like the French did Apartian.
The Living Church of God has had a ton of insane pastors over the years and even some crazy brethren like Terry Ratzmann they don't have the spirit of God such organizations are even dangerous.
Mario, the reason so many in LCG are getting sick is that they are refusing to get vaccinated. Most of the younger people weather an infection with not much trouble, but they don't bother with quarantine, so they pass the bug to older and sicker brethren.
They are all clueless as they seek to explain what they see happening around them based on an Armstrongite interpretation of the Bible.
All of these supposed spiritual leaders continue to appear to be quite ridiculous. Interestingly, partisans of both political parties are not really doing any better, and activists are too limited in their narrowly focussed scopes to see the big picture.
Until some fairly obvious situations bring those who deny them to total capitulation, just as does the armistice of any war which has exhausted its participants, or a selloff on the stock market, things will continue to become worse.
NO2HWA struck just the right note. It amounts to the following list:
1. It is not wrong to warn congregants about immorality.
2. It is not wrong to characterize immorality as something that God disapproves.
3. It is not wrong to consider dire punishments that might come about because of immorality.
4. It is wrong to make this alternate gospel the focus of your denomination's homiletics.
As I read the transcript of the message attributed to this Splinterist preacher, I had visions of Basil Wolverton's more grisly drawings. In support of point 4 above, we have this statement from Hebrews 2:
"Therefore, we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?"
My reading of this:
1. The first sentence speaks of "drifting away" from the message of salvation. It states that care must be taken to focus on that message. This is as if the natural tendency will be to lose focus. But it is instructive that it is speaking not of drifting away into immorality but into preaching an alternative Deuteronomic gospel. See the next point for the Deuternomic concept.
2. The first clause of the second sentence is a reference to the Law of Moses. It refers to the Deuteronomic concept of relating to God. You do what is right and God blesses. You do what is wrong and God punishes. The author indicates that this WAS a valid message, but the remainder of the sentence indicates that it is no longer the focus. The Deuteronomic model is cited by the author as a foil or contrast for what comes in the last clause.
3. The last clauses closes out the thought. The escape from bad things is not assured by preaching the Deuteronomic message as this Splinterist preacher has done. The escape is in focusing on the positive message of salvation. And the author of Hebrews does not condemn just the outright denial of the message of salvation. He states that you get into trouble if you just "neglect" the message of salvation. You're in trouble if you preach it but not as much as it really deserves to be preached. My guess is that this invalidates the overall homiletic stance of Splinterdom.
It is clear that the much desired escape from all the bad things is not found in focusing on the Waterhousean "gospel" of the horrors of end time events ("the stick") but in preaching the Gospel of salvation ("the carrot") brought to us by Jesus.
******** Click on my icon for Disclaimer
Logic Lesson 101:
Just because B follows A, does not mean A caused B.
I have yet to meet any Christian ministers within the ACOGs.
What we need is church reform we need to reform them and get better training for the ministers.
I knew Mario when he was around Pasadena. He thought he was god's gift to the church. Very arrogant and filled with self-importance. LCG finally gave him a position that the WCG never was going to. Now he has "power" over Latin America. As someone mentioned above, he is intensely disliked by many due to his arrogance.
I think all that black hair dye has sunk into Mario's brain and clouded his vision.
Deceptive-hair Mario wrote:
"We are to take the illnesses occurring around us as a warning, especially considering that the first horseman, symbolizing deceptive religion, has not yet intensified his ride."
Who, beside Mario, says we are to interpret illness as a warning?
Mario did not cite scripture; did God speak these things to him personally?
It's difficult to believe that LCG members have an appetite for Mario's useless conjecture, but yet they do seem to be deceived by Mario's fake hair.
I hope LCG is not charging members for a class full of time-wasting speculation -but, that's what deceptive religion does.
The COGs always strive to whip up their followers with the doom and gloom.
Mario wants to scare people with the current pandemic and make them automatically link it to prophecy of horrors to come.
There has always been illnesses - 100, 200 years ago, the world was much more full of every type of illness before vaccinations and other medical advancements.
How should we, despite the current pandemic, interpret the health of modern humanity?
Mario pushes deceptive science to pair with his deceptive religion.
El puto payaso Mario es tan vanidoso y arrogante.
Y su cabello es ridículo.
This piece is so COG-odd and proof of LCG's cult status.
Contrary to Holy Scripture, Mario wrote:
"Yet, in our generation, a father will not be able to save his son by his righteousness, but only himself."
So, Mario is espousing the official LCG doctrine that people save themselves by their own righteousness.
LCG has no need for Savior Jesus who saves by his righteousness.
COG members are trained to recite Matthew 6:33
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
However, they have also been brain-washed to be oblivious to the command within that verse to seek the righteousness of God.
Instead, they have been instructed that they must save themselves by their own works.
This denial of the Savior and attempt to save themselves, be their own savior, breaks the command to have no other gods.
Romans 5:21
so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
At the old dirt track speedways, it used to be said that "So and So is driving over his head tonight!"
In Armstrongism, there was no shortage of ministers who used to talk above their heads. These guys used to speak as if they were much more intelligent than they actually were, and about subjects of which they had very rudimentary understanding at best. This would not have been a problem, excepting the fact that it was our job or calling to heed their words as if they actually were just as intelligent as they imagined they were. The sheeple took a passive position, went along to get along, and just sort of assumed that God would funnel intelligence and wisdom into their heads as the millennium began, depth of experience that they should have accumulated, learning as all humans have, by thinking and then making decisions and learning from the bad ones. Sometimes the baddest decision was the one in which you did exactly as the clueless minister had told you, even as you knew that your way reflected much more intellect, experience, and wisdom.
When I first read Orwell's 1984, I immediately recognized the character Tom Parsons. I had grown up around 'Tom Parsons' throughout my teenage years and early twenties. Tom was the quintessential male Church of God member! As you read of his activities in 1984, his actions and words bear uncanny resemblance to what a male Armstrongite might say and do. This character was nailed so well that one might have imagined Orwell as having attended sabbath services, or the Feast of Tabernacles, and having fellowshipped with the brethren! The wannabe leaders of ACOGs who are featured in the various posts here are Tom Parsons as well. Mario is Tom Parsons. Bob Thiel is Tom Parsons. Gerald Weston is Tom Parsons, big time!
Come on, COGgers, deep down you know this, right???
Anonymous said...
Mario, the reason so many in LCG are getting sick is that they are refusing to get vaccinated.
Maybe. Or maybe they are getting sick because they WERE vaccinated. After all, didn't the unvaxxed go with Monson?
"I think all that black hair dye has sunk into Mario's brain and clouded his vision."
LOL! I think it is hilarious that he thinks none of us know he dyes his hair. The best part for me happened one Sabbath after he had one of his shouting sermons where he got all worked up and hot and I watched as his hair dye started to run down onto his white shirt collar. What a fool!
So, Mario is espousing the official LCG doctrine that people save themselves by their own righteousness.
LCG is messed up, it is true, but Mario espouses a LOT of stuff that LCG doesn't teach. He's a loose cannon. And he is really good at undermining other ministers who serve in Spanish-speaking countries. Meredith liked men like Mario.
Technically, LCG counts on it's aging membership to get sick ... and die.
Deceased members' estates account for a large portion of LCG's income.
However, that doesn't stop Mario from concocting all kinds of crazy speculations to snooker those too feeble-minded to realize he's pulling his conjectures out of his thieving ass.
LCG members are sick of pompous ass Mario Hernandez!
RCM liked Mario's Ambassador-worthy vim, vigor, and vitality.
Furthermore, although RCM had a huge ego and Mario's ego continues to loom - Mario never missed an opportunity to kiss RCM's ass.
Mario figured that RCM's ass was the surest ticket to feeding his own ego.
So entering a moniker after one post is the right path to take?
Those remaining in the leadership positions most likely have already stored money away to suit that time period. The average member will be left behind (supposing this fly away is ever to come about), while the leadership runs for their lives.
They would draw the conclusion that 'Yeah it was good while it lasted but now it's the time to save my own ass while I still have a chance.
RCM liked Mario's Ambassador-worthy vim, vigor, and vitality.
For someone with such vim, vigor, and vitality, Mario sure calls in sick a lot.
LCG is a classic FALSE RELIGION!!
"For someone with such vim, vigor, and vitality, Mario sure calls in sick a lot."
Exactly! Mario is a weakling even though he tries to be bombastic and super masculine all the time. He is such a joke. Some leaders in Charlitee wonder why people don't like him. Total blind to what Mario is doing.
I got to the point that whenever Mario was speaking I skipped church or had some other job to do when he was speaking to employees and students here in Charlotte.
Some of the dumbest sermons I have ever heard have been delivered by Mario. I am shocked that HQ continues to let him speak. Some of his stuff does not even line up with official church teachings.
"... whenever Mario was speaking I skipped church..."
I get that; I wouldn't waste my time on a Mario sermon either.
But, who in LCG is worth listening to?
Doug is so goofy, and the stick up Scott's but makes him too uptight.
Weston's facial expressions give the impression he's constipated and just can't squeeze any inspiration out, no matter how hard he strains.
I'd rater stay home and read Paul, Peter, James, or Luke.
I am so glad to find out that I am not the only one who can't stand this pompous jerk. He is a bigger narcissist than Bob Thiel is and that's saying a lot! I was around both of them when in the church. They made you feel like you needed to go take a bath after you were around them for a while. He expects us to be in awe of him when he is in our presence. I walk away when I see him coming anymore.
I had Doug as a teacher at AC Pasadena. I was totally bored out of my skull in his classes. One hour of speaking and you walk out knowing just as much as you did when you went in. Imagine Winnail teaching biology, which should have been a fascinating subject.
Perfect description of Scott Winnail! LOL!
Weston reminds me of a snake oil salesman in those old movies from the '30s and '40s. He gives me the creeps listening to him.
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