Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
Maybe in this case the W really did stand for a name whereas in the case of the deluded apostle and forecaster of wrong things I understand the W was merely an affectation for some reason?
Herb's original name was Herbert Armstrong and he later changed it to Herbert W Armstrong. When he changed his name, he might have been aware of another person having this same name. He probably changed it to make himself sound more distinguished, but the official line I've heard is that Herb's original name was being confused with another nearby Armstrong, which created mistakes by the local post office. So he changed his name to solve this problem. In my view, this explanation lacks credibility.
I've got a famous name, and I have to deal with it all the time. But, it's actually a kind of a good famous name, someone who was very good at what they did, fed people, made them feel good, and happy.
Yesterday, I was in the auto parts store, and when the parts lady saw my name, she smiled and recited the key words from my namesake's commercials and ads, thinking as most people do, that she was being original. I smiled and said, "Do you realize how many times I've heard that today?" She was apologetic, but then I reassured her. "It's actually a good name to be associated with!" I explained. "Imagine if my name were Charles Manson, Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon, or (glancing around the store to check for rednecks) Donald Trump!" We all had a good laugh as I picked up my 6 quarts of Mobil 1 oil and filter and walked for the door, anticipating a good holiday weekend oil change.
"For many years, most Worldwiders in Pasadena knew the current Pastor General only as Joe Tkach. But when Herbert W. Armstrong died, some observers noticed that something new was immediately added to Tkach’s name – a middle initial. For a few days in January 1986 Tkach’s middle initial was a K.16 Shortly thereafter, however, in public announcements, the WCG replaced the K with a W, and before long the WCG’s ministers began saying the W stood for “William.”
Recalling how Herbert W. Armstrong had not been given a middle name by his parents, but had himself adopted the W for effect,17 some wrote the Report and asked if Tkach had done the same thing. Knowing that William is not a common name among Russians and that working-class eastern European immigrants in the past often did not give their children middle names, I, too, wondered. So I checked the Tkach birth certificate provided me by the Cook County Department of Vital Statistics. The document gives Tkach’s name as simply Joseph Tkach. There is no W or William. However, Tkach’s marriage certificate of March 31, 195 , reveals that by that date Tkach’s name had acquired a W. Why, I don’t know. Nor do I have a clue as to why Tkach appears to have begun publicly using the W only after HWA’s passing."
"...Tkach’s name had acquired a W. Why, I don’t know." It's called the star power fallacy. Tkach wanted to ride on Herb's coat tails by associating his name with Herb.
I also stumbled on the plain truth fallacy. Ring a bell? "The Plain Truth Fallacy; (also, the Simple Truth fallacy, Salience Bias, the KISS Principle [Keep it Short and Simple / Keep it Simple, Stupid], the Monocausal Fallacy; the Executive Summary): A fallacy of logos favoring familiar, singular, summarized or easily comprehensible data, examples, explanations and evidence over those that are more complex and unfamiliar but much closer to the truth. E.g., "Ooooh, look at all those equations and formulas! Just boil it down to the Simple Truth," or "I don't want your damned philosophy lesson! Just tell me the Plain Truth about why this is happening." A more sophisticated version of this fallacy arbitrarily proposes, as did 18th century Scottish rhetorician John Campbell, that the Truth is always simple by nature and only malicious enemies of Truth would ever seek to make it complicated. (See also, The Snow Job, and Overexplanation.) The opposite of this is the postmodern fallacy of Ineffability or Complexity (also, Truthiness; Post-Truth),, arbitrarily declaring that today's world is so complex that there is no truth, or that Truth (capital-T), if indeed such a thing exists, is unknowable except perhaps by God or the Messiah and is thus forever inaccessible and irrelevant to us mere mortals, making any cogent argument from logos impossible. See also the Big Lie, and Paralysis of Analysis."
Unless one were actually given a "W" name at birth, taking on the initial "W" could be either overt or subconscious self-aggrandizement.
Think about it, and how it enhances your name. In the English language, all of the letters are pronounced as a single syllable, "W" is pronounced as three syllables. It elongates your name, and makes it sound more significant. Even GTA had to take a back seat to his father. Now if Herb had named him Garner Theodore Armstrong, he would have granted his son syllabic equality, but alas, poor GTA had to live with only five syllables.
Most people will pray for their lusts, selfishness and greed. They want God to conform to their dictates. They pray the gimmies: God, I want you to gimmie this, and give me that. Do it now! That's wrong. God made us, and He knows best what's good for us to have and do. But we don't. He never denies us anything that's good for us to have and do, but only those things that will harm and hurt us. He tells us in the Bible that we should pray according to God's will, what He has promised to give us. Read the Book titled the Holy Bible to learn what God has promised to do for us, and to give us, if we obey God by keeping His commandments.
What is Joe Junior’s middle initial? Is he really a junior or does he have a different middle name? That would explain why he started using the W perhaps.
Six-Four, HWA was a pathological liar, so his explanation for his W is suspect at best, and most probably worthless. You seem to look up to HWA the same way that the Japanese regard their emperor.
You have no idea whatsoever about what you are writing about. So typical. So, what is your basis for your two basic points? I don’t look up to HWA as you ignorantly claim. And, it appears you may be the pathological liar yourself. Neither of your two points carry any weight. Just a typical critic to make self feel superior.
Thursday, May 23, 2024 at 9:09:00 AM Such trivia over nothing! When will posters do a little real research before presenting assumptions as fact? Indeed it is trivia and in a blog such as this they don't all have to be serious issues. It's the nature of a blog. It likely never will be certain - even by doing ''real research'' - why the self appointed apostle chose a certain initial. It doesn;\'y matter but a bit of light banter does not need to be derided. This individual that is the SAA seemed to be a type who copied and pasted things than ever undertaking real research , something which is most apparent in his falsified history of celts, saxons , and other pagan tribes of Europe.
22 comments:
Can you imagine having to send your life denying you were a cult leader! Horrendous situation.
Maybe in this case the W really did stand for a name whereas in the case of the deluded apostle and forecaster of wrong things I understand the W was merely an affectation for some reason?
Herb's original name was Herbert Armstrong and he later changed it to Herbert W Armstrong. When he changed his name, he might have been aware of another person having this same name. He probably changed it to make himself sound more distinguished, but the official line I've heard is that Herb's original name was being confused with another nearby Armstrong, which created mistakes by the local post office. So he changed his name to solve this problem. In my view, this explanation lacks credibility.
My understanding is the W was used so his initials were not HA.
I've got a famous name, and I have to deal with it all the time. But, it's actually a kind of a good famous name, someone who was very good at what they did, fed people, made them feel good, and happy.
Yesterday, I was in the auto parts store, and when the parts lady saw my name, she smiled and recited the key words from my namesake's commercials and ads, thinking as most people do, that she was being original. I smiled and said, "Do you realize how many times I've heard that today?" She was apologetic, but then I reassured her. "It's actually a good name to be associated with!" I explained. "Imagine if my name were Charles Manson, Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon, or (glancing around the store to check for rednecks) Donald Trump!" We all had a good laugh as I picked up my 6 quarts of Mobil 1 oil and filter and walked for the door, anticipating a good holiday weekend oil change.
As well, From Dennis W Diehl :)
What’s in a Name?
https://www.friendsofsabbath.org/reader/ABC/The%20Apostasy/Tkach%20information/The%20Joseph%20W.%20Tkach%20Story.pdf
"For many years, most Worldwiders in Pasadena knew the current Pastor General only as Joe
Tkach. But when Herbert W. Armstrong died, some observers noticed that something new
was immediately added to Tkach’s name – a middle initial. For a few days in January 1986
Tkach’s middle initial was a K.16 Shortly thereafter, however, in public announcements, the
WCG replaced the K with a W, and before long the WCG’s ministers began saying the W
stood for “William.”
Recalling how Herbert W. Armstrong had not been given a middle name by his parents, but
had himself adopted the W for effect,17 some wrote the Report and asked if Tkach had done
the same thing. Knowing that William is not a common name among Russians and that
working-class eastern European immigrants in the past often did not give their children
middle names, I, too, wondered. So I checked the Tkach birth certificate provided me by the
Cook County Department of Vital Statistics. The document gives Tkach’s name as simply
Joseph Tkach. There is no W or William. However, Tkach’s marriage certificate of March 31,
195 , reveals that by that date Tkach’s name had acquired a W. Why, I don’t know. Nor do I
have a clue as to why Tkach appears to have begun publicly using the W only after HWA’s
passing."
re HWA discussion:
Perhaps it bests stands for Herbert Wanker Armstrong - aka little black book. Just a suggestion.
"...Tkach’s name had acquired a W. Why, I don’t know."
It's called the star power fallacy. Tkach wanted to ride on Herb's coat tails by associating his name with Herb.
I also stumbled on the plain truth fallacy. Ring a bell?
"The Plain Truth Fallacy; (also, the Simple Truth fallacy, Salience Bias, the KISS Principle [Keep it Short and Simple / Keep it Simple, Stupid], the Monocausal Fallacy; the Executive Summary): A fallacy of logos favoring familiar, singular, summarized or easily comprehensible data, examples, explanations and evidence over those that are more complex and unfamiliar but much closer to the truth. E.g., "Ooooh, look at all those equations and formulas! Just boil it down to the Simple Truth," or "I don't want your damned philosophy lesson! Just tell me the Plain Truth about why this is happening." A more sophisticated version of this fallacy arbitrarily proposes, as did 18th century Scottish rhetorician John Campbell, that the Truth is always simple by nature and only malicious enemies of Truth would ever seek to make it complicated. (See also, The Snow Job, and Overexplanation.) The opposite of this is the postmodern fallacy of Ineffability or Complexity (also, Truthiness; Post-Truth),, arbitrarily declaring that today's world is so complex that there is no truth, or that Truth (capital-T), if indeed such a thing exists, is unknowable except perhaps by God or the Messiah and is thus forever inaccessible and irrelevant to us mere mortals, making any cogent argument from logos impossible. See also the Big Lie, and Paralysis of Analysis."
Unless one were actually given a "W" name at birth, taking on the initial "W" could be either overt or subconscious self-aggrandizement.
Think about it, and how it enhances your name. In the English language, all of the letters are pronounced as a single syllable, "W" is pronounced as three syllables. It elongates your name, and makes it sound more significant. Even GTA had to take a back seat to his father. Now if Herb had named him Garner Theodore Armstrong, he would have granted his son syllabic equality, but alas, poor GTA had to live with only five syllables.
Such trivia over nothing!
When will posters do a little real research before presenting assumptions as fact?
HWA explained the reason for the W in both writing and verbally. Besides, facts are more compelling than assumptions.
Six-Four
Most people will pray for their lusts, selfishness and greed. They want God to conform to their dictates. They pray the gimmies: God, I want you to gimmie this, and give me that. Do it now! That's wrong. God made us, and He knows best what's good for us to have and do. But we don't. He never denies us anything that's good for us to have and do, but only those things that will harm and hurt us. He tells us in the Bible that we should pray according to God's will, what He has promised to give us. Read the Book titled the Holy Bible to learn what God has promised to do for us, and to give us, if we obey God by keeping His commandments.
What is Joe Junior’s middle initial? Is he really a junior or does he have a different middle name? That would explain why he started using the W perhaps.
Six-Four, HWA was a pathological liar, so his explanation for his W is suspect at best, and most probably worthless.
You seem to look up to HWA the same way that the Japanese regard their emperor.
HWA in Chinese and other far east languages means "flower".
GTA stands for Grand Theft Armstrong!
10:20
You have no idea whatsoever about what you are writing about. So typical. So, what is your basis for your two basic points? I don’t look up to HWA as you ignorantly claim. And, it appears you may be the pathological liar yourself. Neither of your two points carry any weight. Just a typical critic to make self feel superior.
Six-Four
IIRC, Herbert added the W because he and another Herbert Armstrong in his area sometimes got each other's mail...?
I mean, makes sense to me, Ive got an inattentive postal service in my neighborhood too.
Hey. Sixty four: Shhhhh. We're having fun! What a buzz kill you are!!!!
Thursday, May 23, 2024 at 9:09:00 AM
Such trivia over nothing! When will posters do a little real research before presenting assumptions as fact?
Indeed it is trivia and in a blog such as this they don't all have to be serious issues. It's the nature of a blog. It likely never will be certain - even by doing ''real research'' - why the self appointed apostle chose a certain initial. It doesn;\'y matter but a bit of light banter does not need to be derided. This individual that is the SAA seemed to be a type who copied and pasted things than ever undertaking real research , something which is most apparent in his falsified history of celts, saxons , and other pagan tribes of Europe.
I wish Horace had been into Astronomy, and had named his son Herbert Uranus Armstrong!
That would've nipped the false evangelism in the bud!
ROTFL!! Some EXTREMELY hilarious comments on here, especially the last one!!
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