When it comes to the Philadelphia Church of God and its members it is all about control. Every minuscule thing members might do is under scrutiny by the spiritual deviates in control of the church. It is particularly worrisome for younger church members. Many are refusing to let the church dictate what they can and can't do and are leaving the church, others are like pigs at a slop trough and will gorge themselves on any and everything the leaders say as if it is directly from some god.
Ryan Malone, who has his own questionable issues, seems to think he is an authority on dating. God forbid though if you use your phone to text someone, particularly if you use a smartphone. PCG is against smartphones because they allow members easy access to articles and dissent sites condemning the abuses in the PCG. However, this ban is only for members and not the HQ leaders who all have their smartphones.
Exit and Support Network has a letter from one of their readers telling about Malone's recent article on dating expectations:
“What Counts as a Date?” and listed things such as texting or chatting and how there are things you “really shouldn’t share at all.” To give all this more validity he brought that Prophet (GF) into the picture and said: “Pastor General Gerald Flurry would like it stressed that texting is not a good way to date and can be a dangerous way to form a relationship.”
“The dopamine hits that come from sending and receiving texts can stir up thoughts and emotions that are problematic when trying to build wholesome and solidly founded friendships … [it] tends to draw you away from interacting with and building actual relationships in the real world around you.”
He instructed how (in the case there were not a lot of “available singles”) it would be wise not to text with anymore frequency than you might encounter someone on the Armstrong College Campus as a student. It shouldn’t be anything “lengthy or deep” and having a longer conversation over a meal at Sabbath services is “simply simply impossible to replicate through texting.” He said “e-mails and chatting—shouldn’t be used for dating.” His admonition was that they shouldn’t fool themselves into thinking this is not a date, because before they realize it, they have “BUILT SOMETHING. And they’ve built it on a shaky foundation, through a decidedly superficial form of communication.”
Some of this “advice” seems to be in contrast to a 2013 article1 found on PCG’s church site that states: “Use online dating as a tool to get to know someone in a unique way, and you will overcome many social barriers in your life.” And this was written by a single in PCG who was “dating” a lady through e-mail (later Skype) who said their relationship had “been built almost entirely online, across an ocean!” Of course, it was brought out that their “dating” was all under the direction of their local ministers.
Why does so much of Armstrongism devolve into sex? If only they talked about Jesus as much as they do sex-related topics they might be happier people.
One thing is for sure when it comes to Armstrongism, it is a "dope-mine" of some of the biggest controlling idiots the world has ever seen.
In order to have friendships, or for that matter close personal relationships of any kind, one normally forms an emotional connection or attachment. While PCG is an extreme example of suppressing normal human emotional connections, there is a history of this in Armstrongism which goes back decades. Members are instructed not to build strong personal friendships or family relationships with those not in the church. If someone close to you is disfellowshipped, you are expected to suddenly "turn off" the emotional connection as if it never had been real. Love is conditional, and always based on whether or not members or their children do as they are told. One's love is always to be primarily directed towards the church, its members, and the ministry, and if ever a situation turns into a contest between a person or the church, the person does not even matter. How can people pervert their faith to the point that it is used against one's fellow human beings? In Armstrongism, the first Great Commandment of the Lord is actually pitted against the Second Great Commandment of the Lord, as opposed to them complimenting one another. Love is love. The truth is that you will love God in the same way as you love fellow man. The two commandments in reality are one and the same. If you lack the capacity to get close to humans, it spills into your relationship with God because you won't have the ability to get close to Him either
ReplyDeleteTruly, these cretins do not realize the damage they do with their so-called religion. They kill off one's ability to love God or man, and then harp on the attitudes that are a direct result. A better approach would be to teach people how to properly handle emotional attachments instead of suppressing them. It is normal and healthy to be capable of emotional attachments. If these are suppressed or killed, It becomes an Axis II borderline personality disorder as defined by DSM IV.
I would say any article that is written by Gerald Flurry, Turdgeon, Hiliker, Cal Culpepper or Flurry's other goons should be taken with the George Constanza disclaimer that it is likely wrong & you should take the 180 degree opposite of what they are ORDERING you to do.
ReplyDeleteDopamine hits that come from receiving envelopes of tithes and offerings can stir up thoughts and emotions that are problematic.
ReplyDeleteNEW DATING APP AVAILABLE FOR PCG MEMBERS--
ReplyDelete"E DisHarmony.com"
"Members are instructed not to build strong personal friendships or family relationships with those not in the church. If someone close to you is disfellowshipped, you are expected to suddenly "turn off" the emotional connection as if it never had been real."
ReplyDeleteNeeds to be underlined, circled, and bolded.
Many offer only superficial fickle friendship anyway. It's no real loss when they start snapping necks to snub you. No loss of any genuine friendliness.
Delete“Dating” in a SATANIC FILTH CULT like the PCG
ReplyDeleteThe power-hungry local tyrants in the PCG cult are total control freaks. They cannot mind their own business and simply leave other people alone. They ALWAYS have to be doing evil to other people. They NEVER do any good at all, only evil all the time.
The local control freaks will try to pair up any children of their own with normal people of similar age, but will try to pair up other people's children with the mentally challenged types and horny, fucked up, old perverts two or three times their age who cannot keep their hands off them. If the other people's children are wise enough to know better and refuse to go along with the selfish and immoral agendas of all the old male and female sex maniacs, sex perverts, and predators in the PCG cult, they can actually get kicked out and told indignantly with raised voice about how the local tyrants and perverts have “done so much for” them and tried so hard to “help” them. The PCG cult is full of ungodly control freaks, old sex perverts, and malicious outright liars.
The PCG is a SATANIC FILTH CULT.
Wow, 10:02! We've heard of people not being allowed to take Passover because they dabbed a little Neosporin on a cut, or an elderly woman going blind because she was made to throw away her glaucoma medication.
ReplyDeleteI don't doubt that what you say is true, but does Flurry slack up on his medical prohibitions when it comes to Viagra and Cialis? I'm thinking that one of the writers from AARP The Magazine needs to go to Edmond to do an expose!
Yes… all of this coming from Ryan Malone, whose issues are “questionable.” I used to question that particular “issue” quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteJust about all my church "friends" were pretend friends. It's people on the outside that truly loved me.
ReplyDelete