Those rebellious youth of LCG have decided they would rather get an education from an accredited college or university than the unaccredited so-called Living Education program the church offers in Charlotte. Words fail me, I CAN NOT understand why???????????? WHY??????????????
Apparently, it is not only the youth that ignores Living Education but their parents are UNAWARE (according to Weston) of the magnificent Living Education course! After all of these years of being bombarded in church publications and sermons about this supposed "education" church members finally woke up and realized it had little worth in the long-term life of their children. As a result, church members are sending their children off to real colleges and universities.
Even worse, when these kids head off to college they usually never return to LCG to attend church. I CAN NOT understand why??? WHY????
Dear Brethren,
We held an online ministerial conference this Wednesday, and one of the topics I discussed was Living Education. Many parents are unaware of how much education has changed in the last decade. Too many young people go off to college or university and do not come back to Church.
This has always been a problem, but far more so today. This is why Dennis Prager, a highly educated and articulate man, advises not to send your children to college, but if you do, do not expect them to come back with your values. Of course, this advice, as I’m sure he knows, has some caveats. Some young people are best suited for careers that require a university education. Those who seek such careers are usually more motivated toward study and may fare better than those who haven’t figured out what they want to do in life. So, what to do?
Mr. Herbert Armstrong did not have a college education, but he was highly educated, self-educating himself in the field of his interest prior to God’s calling. Not everyone should be pushed into seeking a formal higher education, but those who do, need to do so in a smart way. Moving out and taking up residence at a university right out of high school is a prescription for disaster. We have seen this movie played out far too many times by young people and their parents who thought they could handle it. Here are some points to consider.
Weston goes on to tell the youth of LCG to ONLY go to college if it is for SPECIFIC future employment. Male youth in LCG are apparently better suited for trade schools. Talk about dumbing down your youth!!
Only go to college if it is a requirement for specific future employment. Many young men, for example, are better suited to a job in the trades (construction of all kinds), and a trade school or apprenticeship should be considered. If seeking a university education, do so by living at home, carefully choosing your friends, and knowing what you believe about God and why.
To this latter point, LivingEd–Charlotte should be seriously considered. This short, nine-month course will help you become more grounded in the truth and develop a deeper relationship with God. It helps prepare you emotionally, socially, and academically for whatever you choose for the future. Classes are reasonably demanding, on par with a freshman college level, but with a lot more individualized attention. Soft skills such as speaking, writing, and learning to think critically are of great value and will help any student, no matter which direction he or she goes afterward.
Taking a year to go through LivingEd–Charlotte should not be viewed as a sacrifice, but a valuable enhancement for the future. It is not a ministerial training program, but a program to teach young people a way of life that will serve them well for this next stage of life as godly adults ready to be leaders and examples to the world.
Weston has instructed his ministers to corner all soon coming graduates and their parents to steer them into Living Education. Where would the COG be without sticking its nose into members' lives?
If you are a young person and are interested or even curious about this program, please contact us for further information. If you are the parent of a young person, it is important for you to be involved in guiding your son or daughter at this critical time in their lives and I have asked our ministry to make themselves available to sit down and discuss this with you. We believe that for young people who take advantage of this unique opportunity, the greater their success in their future career, marriage, and life will be. This will also strengthen the Living Church of God, helping to fortify a generation of young men and women who know the Truth and have the understanding to defend it.
Sincerely, in Christ’s service, Gerald Weston
What hypocrisy!
ReplyDeleteWeston and Ames are childless. Winnail and Smith sent their kids to public colleges. The guy running their Canadian church taught for many years in Canadian public school. The guy running their UK church went to public college. But that's not acceptable for YOUR children!
What do you call it when the elites of a group are not required to abide by the standards forced on the ordinary members? IT'S A CULT!!!
When I was growing up, in the 70/80/90's, I was told that as a female, my only career choices appropriate for the 1000 year reign, was as a mother/homemaker. I MIGHT be approved to go to college to become a teacher. This abuse by this cult of the youth has got to stop.
DeleteHow many graduates of LU and LE have remained active in LCG? Why won't Weston show us the numbers?
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that for every LU/LE graduate who has become an LCG minister or employee, there are two or three who have left LCG altogether.
Most ministers prefer that at least one of their kids goes to public university so there's a family income stream not dependent on the church. It's the opposite for church families who aren't bigwigs, who know they would be better off with a child in the ministry. The problem Weston doesn't acknowledge is that when kids come to Charlotte they see for themselves the corruption, politics, compromise, and double-standards promoted by LCG leadership. If your kid doesn't come from an elite church family, his chance of advancement is small, and as soon as he is in a conflict with an elite family he'll see how LCG really works.
Because of this, Weston will soon find that his advertisement has backfired. LE leaders are dissatisfied with the overall low quality of their current students, but they don't have room for a big increase in the student body. Now that Weston has pushed the importance of LE, how will he explain to parents that their child's application was rejected in order to make room for a more promising child of a more influential LCG member?
I see Weston doesn't want to talk about one of Living University's first graduates, who got pregnant out of wedlock and married a kid with no ministerial prospects. Yes, college is dangerous for your children, as proved by Living University!
ReplyDeleteMr. Herbert Armstrong did not have a college education, but he was highly educated, self-educating himself in the field of his interest prior to God’s calling.
ReplyDeleteHWA wasn't able to count Pentecost correctly until he was more than 80 years old.
So much for self-education. Most kids learn to count in elementary school.
Well, he lost me with his citation of HWA, whose ignorance is totally responsible for Armstrongism, and all of the unnecessary things which we suffered while we took part in that!
ReplyDeleteSecondly, Weston is advocating the wholesale censorship of the education of church youth. I mean, he doesn't even attempt to mask or veil it! He as much as stated that keeping them ignorant will ensure that they remain in the church! The smart and resourceful young ones will pick up on that, and some may self-fund an education of their own choosing. However, others might react poorly to their diminished horizons, become depressed, see no point in life, and embark on a self-destructive path. How could he not realize that this is a very probable unintended consequence of this blanket edict which he has just laid down?
How dare he sic the intrusive goon squad (ministers) on the soon to graduate? These are not professional guidance counsellors, do not have access to all of the standardized tests which the kids took throughout their school years, and know nothing of their general aptitudes. The church would like to program their likes and dislikes, but that can lead to square pegs in round holes.
And of course, what kind of discussion would we be having if we didn't factor in the good ol' end times and tribulation that was supposed to start in 1972 according to the "highly educated" Mr. Herbert W.Armstrong? 'Cept it didn't, and the whole baby boomer population of the church collectively exclaimed, "Oh Shit! Now what do we do??? We're actually going to have to live our lives!!!"
Go to college, kids! Watch out for the pitfalls, and be careful of racking up college debt, but definitely get your education. Do you really want to end up being just like your minister?
TOTALLY on point!
DeleteLCG members, see where Weston is taking your church:
ReplyDeletePoor education leads to lost dreams and low income for many Jehovahs Witnesses
I graduated from AC in 73, left the church in 74. I teach part-time at a local university. There are many students who should not be in college. They are getting what I call "recreational" degrees, degrees that are of no value in earning a living. Many other students should be in trade schools or apprenticeship programs rather than spending money on a degree which is a poor investment in many cases. As for "Living University", what would they receive there other than a rehash of everything they have already learned over the years. Living University is nothing more than what AC was without the campus, an indoctrination center where critical thinking and questioning ideas is not allowed. It must be difficult enough to sit through a sabbath service once a week, I can't imagine sitting through classes all day and hear the same nonsense presented by arrogant and ignorant instructors.
ReplyDeleteWeston insists that LCG members are "spiritual Jews."
ReplyDeleteJews have a higher rate of educational attainment than any Christian denomination. Any group of people who claim to be spiritual Jews but who run away from higher education is highly suspect.
It has always amazed me how ministers and evangelists who have never had children come out with these asinine edicts. It's no wonder the youth in Canada dislike Weston so much. They were delighted when he left. Now the youth of the church are delighted when they leave!
ReplyDeleteI AGREE WITH WESTON! ---
ReplyDeleteWhen you can become a DOCTOR or a PROPHET , with all of titles and benefit by just receiving a mail order college degree in India, like Bobby Thiel did, then why bother with the time and money of the accredited college system! ??
April 1, 2022 12:44 PM said, "Go to college, kids! Watch out for the pitfalls, and be careful of racking up college debt, but definitely get your education. Do you really want to end up being just like your minister?"
ReplyDeleteMY COMMENT - I agree with this advice with two caveats which I will add for young people in the Armstrong Churches of God: First, get a meaningful College education in a field where there is high demand for the educational skills acquired upon graduation. My daughter double majored in Chemistry and Biology from a public University and has had no problem getting a job in the BioTech industry upon graduation. She has been recruited by multiple companies. Start building your resumes on the professional networking site Linkedin.com.
Second, there is nothing wrong with a Trade school education either. Diesel and marine mechanics can often write their own paychecks in todays economy. Air conditioning technicians are in high demand particularly in Southern states like Florida where they are busy year round. With the supply chain issues, a CDL truck driver can make a six figure income.
Jesus didn't go to College. He learned a trade that seems to be always in demand - Carpentry. A good carpenter can make good money. I am reminded how Herbert Armstrong seemed to look down on people who worked with their hands. Yet, Jesus was smart enough and self taught to teach in the Synagogues on the Sabbath as was his custom. Jesus taught on the Sabbath WITHOUT an Ambassador College degree or a Living University degree - both institutions which are now defunct. Jesus did not attend Living Education.
I have posted many times here on Banned about myself. I am an Ambassador College reject. I still have AC Registrar William Stenger's rejection letter to remind me how a different path for my life might have transpired had I been accepted to Ambassador College. Instead, I applied to the University of Maryland and was accepted concentrating in Business Finance and Accounting. Then I went on to earn my M.B.A. from Drake University. My payback came many times over from the Fortune 100 company which employed me. While employed in the private sector, I tithed! Yes, I tithed to myself almost every paycheck. I topped out as a Vice President of Financial Operations. The money that I tithed on became seed money for my own company which I am the CEO to this day.
I thank God very much for steering me in the right direction away from the Worldwide Church of God and Ambassador College. Although it hurt very much at the time, today I wear my Ambassador College rejection as a badge of honor. If the truth were known, I suspect Weston put the plug in for their Living Education program because someone lobbied him to do the recruitment plug in order to justify their existence on the LCG payroll. No students, then no need for Living Education. No need for Living education, then no need for anyone on the LCG payroll associated with the program.
Richard
Amazing that he thinks that LE teaches one in "learning to think critically". In my personal experience, it is has nothing to do with thinking critically, but regurgitating what one has been told- the less questions the better.
ReplyDeleteYes, 3:24, you are quite correct! Depending upon the circumstances, and the person to whom they are speaking, they also use a few synonymous phrases. If your thoughts line up exactly with theirs, you are said to "have the Holy Spirit", or to be "deeply converted".
ReplyDeleteIt's Pavlovian word games. They don't want the kids to go to real colleges because they know that what they learn there will immunize them against ACOG influences. Education exceeds the effectiveness of all the tools that brought their parents under control.
Most young people who grow up in Kenneth Copeland type churches, discard most of their religious beliefs after attending college. From memory, it's something like 80%. Speaking as a devout Christian, this doesn't surprise me since contemporary Christianity, including the ACOGs, are heavily morally compromised. Scratch the surface of their bible quoting, and one finds neo Marxism, together with its accompanying tyranny. By refusing to use the bible as their true reference point, they have built their houses on sand rather than on rock. The college experience brings this house down.
ReplyDeleteFrom the point of view of these churches survival, the solution is to discard their Pharisaic culture and genuinely obey their bibles.
You wrote: Male youth in LCG are apparently better suited for trade schools. Talk about dumbing down your youth!!
ReplyDeleteMust agree with Richard's well-balanced comment on this one.
People in trade schools are NOT necessarily "dumb." They can be very smart, but in different things. Things, in fact, that could save your life - say if you're in Texas and another February cold wave knocks out your heating unit or cracks your pipes.
The 2nd most powerful man in WCG's (a later evangelist) children became "judges of the land" and richer than Abraham.
ReplyDeleteOf course Stan Rader let them decide their own career courses.
Nck
So according to the geniuses who run this blog having a 'trade' is 'dumbing down.'
ReplyDeleteWell that says more about the small mindedness of the ones running this blog than it does about LCG and Weston pushing a youth programme.
I have a 'trade' but I also have a degree in this 'trade'. I studied for 5 years. Maybe the geniuses off this blog would like to define 'dumbed down trades' for all us stupid dumb failures out in the real world with jobs and careers.
Stupid me with my 'dumbed down trade' paid off my home mortgage 15 years early. Did not Jesus Christ himself on earth have a trade? Would the geniuses who run this blog call carpentry a 'dumb trade' ?
It's no good pointing the laughing finger at LCG and Weston for trying to instil a bit of a bible education into their youth when you end up with 20 fingers pointing back at you.
"Mr. Herbert Armstrong did not have a college education"
ReplyDeleteThat's because he was a high-school-dropout-turned-Great-Depression-charlatan
...predicting the end of the world in the 1940s, and again for the 1970s!
What does LU teach about how to approach a False Prophet?
Youth who've sat through at least one year of LCG sermons have already been exposed to everything that LCG has to teach.
ReplyDeleteLivingEd is just an intensive indoctrination camp based on the power of repetition and group dynamics.
LivingEd is just as shallow as Doug Winnail's continuous repeats of his "Have a profitable Sabbath" messages.
Youth who feel that going to LivingEd would help them hook-up with like-minded hotties should know that LCG ministers will be constantly trying to block your best moves.
Ministerial interference being a reality, you could just move to Charlotte to attend a legitimate postsecondary institution, while also checking out the local talent, under the radar of the goon squad.
Regardless of where you live, youth should explore campus Christian groups or Young life - take time to evaluate the messages of other Christians, how they express themselves, and whether they may be attempting to live Christian principals with a passion you don't see in your church.
Before considering dropping cash on LivingEd, LCG people of all ages should methodically evaluate their beliefs and the effectiveness of LCG.
I recommend people make a simple spreadsheet and read through the entire New Testament.
As you read, record every verse and concept you encounter that is not taught by LCG.
Next, consider if any of your time or money should be spent on an organization that does not teach the entire New Testament/New Covenant.
If LCG and LivingEd are worth anything, they can withstand an intense evaluation.
Weston, is betting he can get people to passively accept LivingEd without giving facts on its quality or results.
If there was quality or results to cite, you know Weston would be bragging about them - the fact that he did not even give that the ole' COG try is telling.
The people who've posted here have demonstrated more wisdom and concern for youth than Weston does.
ReplyDeleteTo reiterate some of the points made above, there is no one right path for all - and exploring what may be best for you, as a unique individual, is worth the effort.
Advice should be considered from people who've achieved success, as well as those who've explored multiple paths.
It's always best to be suspicious of advice from those who have ulterior motives and limited experience - like Weston.
Those who do not treat you like a unique individual - like Weston - should be ignored.
As stated above, attending a vocational school may be a tremendous option for many.
Consider the advantages of state-sponsored schools over the slicker for-profit schools - state-sponsored schools are less expensive and specifically geared toward teaching what is required to earn state-recognized certifications and licenses.
If you choose a vocational path, consider if there are options for turning some credits/experience toward a college degree.
For example, someone who pursues certification as an auto mechanic should explore whether they can transfer any classes/experience earned in their choice of vocational programs toward a four-year degree in automotive technology.
Some vocational certifications are stackable and can lead to making huge incomes; for example, a welder can make decent money, but a welder who also obtains an under-water certification can make a lot more.
College may be the best option for many - take aptitude tests to learn about yourself and your career options.
Many experts recommend that students take their freshmen and sophomore years at a less expensive community college or state college.
Then, consider transferring to a more prestigious college for the final two years.
For some with limited college funds, saving money on the first two years can result in more money left over for a career-defining, or life-long treasured learning event, such as spending a couple semesters abroad on a research project.
Explore; enjoy!
Words mean everything! Trades are great. There is considerable variety, and there are many levels of trade, so you can't make a blanket statement that they are dumbing down. That would, once again, be black and white thinking, which was part of the lasting education imparted by Armstrongism. I'm in a very technical trade, not a lot of people can do what I do, and one of the perks is that I get to be a hero every single day, even to college grads.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, the big problem that I have with Gerald Weston's edict is that he does not leave educational matters up to the young person involved, and guidance counselling professionals. Young men and women are on the cusp of adulthood. They are able to reason and make decisions, and many of the decisions being made at their age will affect them, the families they start, and the lives of their own children when they have them. So, they should get a say in these educational matters, and their parents should be supportive, and encouraging in the choices made. However, Armstrongism has always taught "conditional love". A less kindly way of expressing this is "My way, or the highway!" The ministers take away choices which should be personal, made by the individuals that those choices most directly affect.
I watched a documentary several years ago which related to the Chicano struggle. I don't happen to be of the Chicano persuasion, but I could certainly see how blanket policy, if wrong and unfair, can hold people back, to rob them of being what they could and should be. Back in the 1950s thru '70s, it was presumed by the administration of public high schools that the white students would go on to further education in colleges and universities. They were groomed for this. The students with Mexican surnames were guided away from college prep courses, and were guided towards industrial arts and other courses that would prepare them for trades. The parents in most cases just took the school administration at its word, even if their childrens' test scores indicated that they had the potential to succeed in college. Fortunately, there were some outstanding LatinX individuals who had bucked this system, obtained higher level degrees, and became advocates for change. The focus of the schools then changed, facillitating the elevation of an entire race of people.
One of the societal problems which I see today is that people of a certain mindset want to turn back the hands of time. They cannot see or they pretend not to see the error of the policies of the 1950s which often held people back in order to perpetuate the prevailing agendas of that day. Gerald Weston is in a profession, and a system which is involved in a deep struggle for its own relevance. Education is one of the factors which has rendered what he does as irrelevant. When young people are made to face reality as a result of higher education, they want to leave, and to go on to something much better. Gerald Weston is willing to gamble with peoples' lives, to trade away all of the benefits which education brings in order to keep the young people artificially in an oppressive system. It is not right that he should be allowed to make these decisions. The young students themselves should make them, because the decisions made now will affect them their entire lives. And, the parents should learn and practice unconditional love, and support and encourage their kids as they pursue their dreams.
12:03 wrote:
ReplyDelete"So according to the geniuses who run this blog having a 'trade' is 'dumbing down.'
Well that says more about the small mindedness of the ones running this blog than it does about LCG and Weston pushing a youth programme."
There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with a person having a trade or being highly skilled in a trade. In this day and age, those people are almost guaranteed a job and a good living, which of course, is the main reason Weston wants its youth to get trade skills rather than degrees. Trades bring in more money and that means more tithes.
Armstrongism has been highly anti-intellectual over the decades. Nothing pleased COG leaders and some ministers more than mocking those who went for higher education. "Piled Higher and Deeper" was the favorite mocking point of church leaders of those people who were better educated than they were. Those that have a good education have been exposed to both sides of an issue and are well-read on those issues made mincemeat of COG leaders. COG ministers and leaders have been spoon-fed doctrines and teachings and cannot defend them outside of the COG circle of dumbed-down theology.
Far too many look at Herbert's 6-month study in a public library in the 1920s as the equivalent of a degree in theology. Public libraries in the 1920s were not known for their intellectual stimuli in reading materials. Those that study at seminaries are exposed to both sides of the theological debate (unless it is a fundamentalist seminary/school) and spend years studying religion. Armstrongite leaders have never done that. If you gave a COG minister or a leader a brand new unmarked bible and took away all of their booklets, articles, and church propaganda none of them could prove their church teachings.
By all means, get well-deserved training in a trade and use that money to take care of your family and not fund a church leader and their self-serving organizations.
COG leaders and ministers cannot handle the fact that people in their congregations are smarter and more educated than they are. They will do everything in their power to denigrate those people and make their lives miserable. How dare you be better educated than us! I have seen it happen over and over in my congregation. A Ph.D. from Ambassador College or an Indian diploma mill is as worthless as the paper it is printed on.
ReplyDeleteNo2HWA wrote, "Weston goes on to tell the youth of LCG to ONLY go to college if it is for SPECIFIC future employment. Male youth in LCG are apparently better suited for trade schools. Talk about dumbing down your youth!!"
ReplyDeleteMY COMMENT - I had a completely different interpretation of Weston's statement that was consistent with No2HWA's comment about "dumbing down your youth" and is what I thought Gary was referring to when I first read it.
When Weston wrote: "Many young men, for example, are better suited to a job in the trades (construction of all kinds), and a trade school or apprenticeship should be considered"; he completely EXCLUDED WOMEN. I am seeing many more women in skilled trade jobs than ever before. Why did Weston exclude women if it wasn't to dumb down your youth and ignore women's participation in the workforce?
Richard
Only a couple of posters here have acknowledged the "elephant in the room" in Weston's message.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a time when around 2/3 of college graduates are women. More than half of college students are women, and men drop out more often than women, leading us to the present circumstance in which, each year, there are now about twice as many women graduating as men.
For Weston to achieve his HWA-utopia, not only do the men need to start earning more money; the women need to start earning less and finding their fulfillment as housewives. As hard as it may be for a young man in LCG to hear his minister say, "You'd be better off learning a trade and not honing your intelligence," imagine how much harder it is for a young woman to hear, "You should not develop your mind and enter a learned profession. Instead, you should learn to cook and clean and be submissive so you'll be able to be a good wife, maybe even a minister's wife"?
Fortunately, Weston's cruel plan is self-limiting, in fact it is self-defeating. LCG runs on member tithes. If LCG could enter the 21st century and teach all members to get the best education possible, wouldn't we expect to see two-income households tithing healthy five-figure sums each year? What Weston is going to end up with are couples who both must work minimum-wage jobs because they lack marketable skills, and single-earner families where a man earning little more than minimum wage obeys the minister and forbids his wife from getting a job outside the home.
So, why does Weston prefer a congregation of uneducated low-wage zombies to a congregation of intellectually fulfilled men and women earning their full potential? He must know, deep down, that he is preaching a message that no intelligent person can accept, and that even most of the present members are holding to LCG for family and social reasons, not because they used their God-given intellects and proved the truth and value of LCG teachings.
Yes, Weston is a fearful man. And any LCG member knows that a spirit of fear doesn't come from God, and that perfect love casts out fear. But don't worry. His message is going to backfire. When many more parents than usual have their kids apply to Living Education this year, most of them will get rejection letters. When parents compare notes and see whose kids got in, many will be disgusted that Weston dared to make Living Education sound so valuable, then denied it to most of the kids who applied.
My understanding of the posts is that it is Not the bloggers who are dumbing down the trades people. It is Gerald Weston himself. As for Weston, he was trained from a young age how to clamber about in the church byzantine labyrinth, and that's all. Weston could never have gotten a job outside the church if his life depended on it. Weston's phrase "self-educating himself" sounds like Weston himself needs a course from Living Ed's department of redundancy department.
ReplyDeleteAncient Israel was an agricultural theocracy. The tithes were on agricultural increase, and were designed to ensure that the Levites had sustenance for the work which they did. Obviously, some of the Israelites would have been better better farmers or ranchers than others, and their firstfruits would have been larger than those of the less skilled.
ReplyDeleteWe do not live in a theocracy today, our government is secular, we have taxes to fund the government, and the very rich hire Einsteins to counsel them on how to avoid the taxes most of us are forced to pay. There are no Levites, and there is no Temple, and God never intended for the people He used as leaders to be multimillionaires who live as kings. That sort of wealth, that rich man mentality, separated people from God. It makes them say and do stupid things to keep the money coming in. It whores up the entire relationship in ways that God knew in advance it would, which is why He is not the author of the HWA financial model for members and ministers who seek to serve Him!
I've never seen a ministurd who works anywhere near up to the level of a Levite priest. All that butchering and washing and cleaning? Sit down, ministurds, you can't step to that.
DeleteSaturday Anon @ 2:32. Tithing is dead and has been for years. All the church splits have destroyed tithing, as the destruction of the physical Temple in the Babylonian captivity in the fall of Jerusalem destroyed tithing. As for comparing min wage earners to zombies what a hoot you must be.
ReplyDeleteSunday Anon 2:32 AM, you misunderstand. They are minimum-wage earners BECAUSE Weston's teachings have zombified them. It's not a comparison, it's cause and effect. Evil cause and sad effect. Bright minds that might have cured cancer are instead working retail jobs and mopping the floor, because they've been taught that this is the way to ensure a GOOD JOB in the afterlife.
ReplyDeleteAnon 2:32 AM Sunday is clearly not attending LCG (lucky for him!)
ReplyDeleteWeston talks about tithing more strongly and more often than Rod Meredith ever did. And, from what I've seen, he checks into people's tithing records much more often than Rod Meredith ever did. You see, Rod didn't know how to use computers, so when he wanted to check on people's tithes he had to go to one of his assistants, who would then know he was checking (and who would also see the printouts themselves before giving them to Rod). Weston can use the church database to look up people's tithes whenever he wants to.
Oh Jesus maybe their tithe money is lowering and they will cease to exist
DeleteWhat do the HWA worshipers reply when confronted by the enormous evidence that disqualify HWA? What about his numerous failed prophecies, his blatantly selfish behaviours, his spending on his selifish desires, his worthless overseas trips to despots like Ferdinand Marcos or the Communist Chinese & finally his overt and KNOWN sexual perversion. All his family and close kin will tell you it happened. Don't be fooled by some fake news shoveled out by Thiel.
ReplyDeleteWhy, 6:36, I believe you know the answer to those questions! They treat the personal information on HWA just like they treat science, archaeology, history, the research of other theologians, etc.
ReplyDeleteAnything which has the potential to invalidate Armstrongism is simply ignored, denied, or rejected.
At one time, well into my post-Armstrong years, I would occasionally wonder, "What if he was right?" Since the advent of the internet, I've processed so much information from a wide variety of sources that I no longer wonder about that. It is absolutely impossible. To believe any of it, you have to blank out and reject so much valid information. It is a massive self-blinding process.
The people who believe that they are taking HWA's prophecy game to the next level alone have proven that they are clueless fools. It is a much more satisfying educational exercise to treat Armstrongism as a spectator sport than to actually get into the game as a participant, wishing and hoping that the things you've based your life upon will eventually happen. The reason Armstrongism does not grow is that people with greater resources than we ever had are able to easily and quickly obtain the information which counters all of HWA's major premises, before they ruin even a few weeks of their lives. How is it that these folks can quickly find such information, while those inside the various splinters remain ignorant of them? Ignorance has many causes, but willful ignorance is one of the hallmarks of our times. People don't listen to facts when those facts counter their agendas.
You can't study Christianity without being confronted by the very Christian consensus that democracy and freedom provide the perfect environment in which a Christian can flourish! Our nation's founding documents speak of inalienable rights. H.W. Armstrong did not believe in democracy. He said that his church was NOT a democracy. He did not promote freedom of speech at Ambassador College. He literally hated freedom of the press. He taught that segregation is God's way. He loved all those tithes, but taught that women should be keepers at home, and should not have authority either in the workplace, or in politics. He imposed an entire layer of extra government and authority over his church members preventing the very things that most other Christians actually celebrate about our country. If you didn't like that, you could cop a bad attitude and go to the lake of fire, because he and the god he created only knew conditional love. How can people not see that???
ReplyDelete