This is how Gerald Weston ended his letter to his members and coworkers in mid-August:
There is coming a time when the One who rules over all will intervene more powerfully than ever in world affairs. He will remove the current “ruler of this world,” but that will not happen until we come to the point of no return (Matthew 24:21-22). Only then will He step in, but mankind is in for quite a “spanking” before that happens. Mankind must learn the lesson that human reason is not the path to peace, prosperity, happiness, and safety. Proclaiming this truth about the future world under the rule of Jesus Christ is what we are all about. This is what you are supporting with your fervent prayers and generous tithes and offerings. Thank you, dear brethren and co-workers, for what you have done and what you continue to do.
Isn't that so encouraging? That just makes you want to send in all the money you have! Where's my checkbook, Honey? We need to send in as much money as we can so God can punish the world around us!
This spanking crap started with their spiritual daddy, Rod Meredith when he bragged in Pasadena during a sermon that he spanked his teenage kids (at least from his first marriage) and that he also spanked his wife on occasion when she was rebellious. Right on cue the happy lemmings in attendance thought this was a good thing and some of the misogynistic men in the congregation thought this would be a good thing for them to do too.
Meredith did not originate this nonsense but learned it at Ambassador from Herbert Armstrong and other crackpots who were encouraging men to dominate women. Submission was the name of the game. Of course, they couched it as loving men, lovingly correcting their wives since as men they were the head of the household and all things on earth were under dominion to them as men.
One would have hoped Meredith and his Global/Living Church of God would have wised up and gone a new direction and actually become Christian in their actions towards his/their members. But the old ways die hard, or in Living Church of God's case, never died at all. They need an angry good to come down and punish all those grievous sinners around them who do what they want to do while they, as the "chosen ones" the elite of the world, do everything right. It really frosts their butts that people have more fun than they do.
Human reason is not the path to peace... Weston says?
ReplyDeleteThen why did he rely on it when the whole world shut down during the covid pandemic?
What? Was it divine reason to shut down on the Sabbath during covid?
The solution to either a pandemic or epidemic is to hide in your basement by yourself?
Did Moses and Aaron run and hide when the plague broke out among Israel?
Good comment 1057. Of course the reason for the plagues was that Moses told Pharaoh that they were going to go and keep a feast unto God as He had commanded, Exodus 5:1.
ReplyDeletePharaoh said no so Moses dropped the bombs on him.
I bet Weston would love to have that kind of power wouldn't he?
I've said it before that Leona McNair told me that Meredith was an s-m porn affectionio. Whether the porn was the original reason why he got turned on to spanking, or it just reinforced something that was already there, I don't know. The sad fact is that his spanking obsession poisoned the minds of hundreds of WCG ministers and laity, and traumatized two generations of church kids who had to suffer under Armstrongism.
ReplyDeleteMeredith was known to frequent the porn store on Colorado Blvd close to the campus. When he got caught there once by a student as he was coming out, he said he was there gathering information for an upcoming article. Yeah right.
ReplyDeleteStudents, employees and church members kept that place in business through the years till it became "legit". Now it presents itself as a mainstream adult pleasure store.
Couldn't he have settled for the pantyhose ladies in the old Sears & Wards catalogues
DeleteBob T. adapted a vague loose form of spiritual spanking too in LTB regarding if members make it to F.O.T. or not, when he said : "do NOT make excuses"
ReplyDeleteMeredith was gay. Just like Waterhouse and others.
ReplyDeletedoes Meredith's group still claim the future Beast will be comprised solely by 10 currently existing European nations
DeleteIn my mind, I've cracked where this ACOG condemnation of "human reason" comes from. Just look at the Jehovah's Witnesses who pull no punches and are open about this matter. The JWs nine person governing body teach that God communicates exclusively to His church through them. They alone have a direct phone line to God. So anyone who disagrees with their decrees is putting "human reason" before words from God's mouth. Hence the demonization of reason.
ReplyDeleteThe ACOGs are more fearful, so the claim that God communicates exclusively through church leaders is implied.
Btw, as JW dissident sites point out, the scripture pointed out that God supposedly communicates only through their governing body, says no such thing. Not even vaguely. They are banking on their members blindly believing the claim without looking up the scripture. This is a common cult ploy.
Secondly, the dissidents point out that the veil in the holy of holies splitting in two on Christ death means that every Christian has direct access to God the Father. No middlemen governing body or minister is required,
This is also the hidden chink in the JWs armour. Members can go directly to God in prayer and ask whether the JWs are the claimed one true church.
Meredith was always know as being a rather weak man physically. I doubt he ever put in a hard days work were he actually got calluses on his hands and had sweat running down his forehead and back. My favorite story when I was a student was when HWA said Meredith was the most effeminate man on campus. That's probably why he tried to act so butch, but when you are weak and effeminate acting butch makes you stick out like a sore thumb. Meredith's appalling articles on gays is straight from the playbook of a man struggling with his own sexuality and takes those pent up frustrations out on others.
ReplyDeleteHow cruel is that Y. E. S. Lesson?
ReplyDeleteWhen someone suffers the loss of a child, are they supposed to think God is “spanking” them because they were bad?
Bad things happen too good people.