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
▼
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Ex-Member Shares Her Worldwide Church of God Story
This channel is for the Cultimatum podcast & it's episodes. This is a podcast dedicated to bringing awareness to cults and human trafficking.
Sad indictment on humanity as a whole. The ‘kingdom of cults’ is so terribly alive and well worldwide (pun intended). I have read much about JWs, sadly having family tied up in this horrendous organisation. Their ‘love’ for their fellow JWs is entirely conditional, as long as one adheres to their ‘doctrinal purity’; and that for their fellow man is dismal abet couched in politeness. We got off lightly I believe. That is not to deny obvious trauma that many did encounter and suffer from still to this day. We can be thankful for the internet that has opened up a new world for us all in combating these insufferable groups within and outside of Armstrongism. It says something about us as a ‘species’ that we are so, not all, inclined to religious and political ‘saviours’ of every ink and colour. Our remarkable search for Eldorado on earth. Perhaps that is an unspoken acknowledgment that we are sinners all and live in a ‘fallen’ world and seek delivery from its suffering.
HWA and GTA were arguably good marketers, and had dynamic radio voices for the 1940s thru the 1960s. Where they failed miserably was developing a working management structure, with empowerment and delegation.
They should have stayed in their first estate, and just be "The Radio Church of God", but the seeds of failure were there. Developing a healthy autonomous community was not in their talents. Instead, they tried to create a centralized communist type of hierarchy, and the fruits of such and economy are not only apparent in the "world" , but also manifested itself in the eventual breakdown of their fiefdom.
Makes one sickened to hear of the terrible culture all over again.
It's seen as like a bad dream. Wondering how one ever got involved in this Armstrong cult with its lies mixed with self congratulatory beliefs. The fancy words of this father and son team was no more when all is said and done, the flim flam men of earlier times.
I like to use this word as it is most apt. "Flimflam" first entered English as a noun meaning "deceptive nonsense" in the second half of the 16th century. A sense meaning "deception" or "fraud" soon developed.
The verb use didn't show up until well into the next century. In addition to general deceiving or tricking, the verb "flimflam" is often used specifically to refer to swindling someone out of money.
The ultimate origin of "flimflam" is uncertain, but the word is probably of Scandinavian origin and may be related to the Old Norse flim, meaning "mockery." Indeed a mockery not only of God but all the sincere believers for whom they had no love at all.
Those od us who followed Armstrong brought ourselves into the orbit of more modern flim flam men, but we will forgive our sheer stupidity and pray to God that we have guidance and instruction of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and living Christian lives.
“They should have stayed in their first estate, and just be "The Radio Church of God", but the seeds of failure were there. “
I agree but Armstrong was an ambitious salesman , driven to build a religious empire. Recall once , can’t say what year it was , this person was reported to have said to one of his former associates. “I’ve done very well haven’t I”.
I wonder if being a high school drop out he had an inferiority complex which drove him to succeed. His success was somewhat superficial. The college was not a real college, but it looked great from the outside. He wasn't a scholar or theologian, but he was a good salesman of his ideas. He "did well" but there was little substance to it and it died out quickly.
More likely than not the things you mention drove his ambition. Coupled with an immense vanity and self assuredness how else does one explain his broadcasts where he dogmatically asserts things that aren’t in the Bible. Perhaps I should say stupidity as he wasn’t introspective or smart enough to work out the depth of the matters.
"I wonder if being a high school drop out..." You keep beating this old insult to death yet fail repeatedly to acknowledge the generation Herbert was actually from. What age they went to work and his generations entire outlook on life.
Whilst exposing your own age group ...you may well cherish your own degree as the single most important achievement in your life and look down through your nostrils at any who you think don't have the educational achievement as equal as yourself..but that reflects age and generation.
That's why Jesus Christ is the judge on humans lives and thankfully not you.
The thing is, many doctors and other scholars do respect salesmen who operate at a higher level. Degrees can be helpful in the sales field, but in some cases can be waived if a candidate has equivalent experience. Personally, I never listed Embarrassing College on job applications, but with experience in our industry, most people I've dealt with assumed that I had further education.
Agree wasn’t intending to describe all salespeople in the sense I applied it to Armstrong. He was of the dishonest sales type variety made all the worse by mixing it with the scriptures creating an immense hypocrisy. Many salespeople are honest hard workers.
One thing I regret is I had some friends who were in Worldwide. It was really a difficult situation for young adults & singles, as you were expected to date & marry within the church. I remember a young black male who was really a nice guy & I remember feeling sorry for him because there were even fewer black girls for him to meet. I remember one jerk minister really interfering with people dating. I think some of my friends ending up being bachelors or spinsters unnecessarily because of their rules.
Sad indictment on humanity as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThe ‘kingdom of cults’ is so terribly alive and well worldwide (pun intended).
I have read much about JWs, sadly having family tied up in this horrendous organisation.
Their ‘love’ for their fellow JWs is entirely conditional, as long as one adheres to their ‘doctrinal purity’; and that for their fellow man is dismal abet couched in politeness.
We got off lightly I believe.
That is not to deny obvious trauma that many did encounter and suffer from still to this day.
We can be thankful for the internet that has opened up a new world for us all in combating these insufferable groups within and outside of Armstrongism.
It says something about us as a ‘species’ that we are so, not all, inclined to religious and political ‘saviours’ of every ink and colour.
Our remarkable search for Eldorado on earth.
Perhaps that is an unspoken acknowledgment that we are sinners all and live in a ‘fallen’ world and seek delivery from its suffering.
HWA and GTA were arguably good marketers, and had dynamic radio voices for the 1940s thru the 1960s. Where they failed miserably was developing a working management structure, with empowerment and delegation.
ReplyDeleteThey should have stayed in their first estate, and just be "The Radio Church of God", but the seeds of failure were there. Developing a healthy autonomous community was not in their talents. Instead, they tried to create a centralized communist type of hierarchy, and the fruits of such and economy are not only apparent in the "world" , but also manifested itself in the eventual breakdown of their fiefdom.
You left out mentioning the family community angle 'Tonto'.
DeleteMakes one sickened to hear of the terrible culture all over again.
ReplyDeleteIt's seen as like a bad dream. Wondering how one ever got involved in this Armstrong cult with its lies mixed with self congratulatory beliefs. The fancy words of this father and son team was no more when all is said and done, the flim flam men of earlier times.
I like to use this word as it is most apt. "Flimflam" first entered English as a noun meaning "deceptive nonsense" in the second half of the 16th century. A sense meaning "deception" or "fraud" soon developed.
The verb use didn't show up until well into the next century. In addition to general deceiving or tricking, the verb "flimflam" is often used specifically to refer to swindling someone out of money.
The ultimate origin of "flimflam" is uncertain, but the word is probably of Scandinavian origin and may be related to the Old Norse flim, meaning "mockery." Indeed a mockery not only of God but all the sincere believers for whom they had no love at all.
Those od us who followed Armstrong brought ourselves into the orbit of more modern flim flam men, but we will forgive our sheer stupidity and pray to God that we have guidance and instruction of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and living Christian lives.
“They should have stayed in their first estate, and just be "The Radio Church of God", but the seeds of failure were there. “
ReplyDeleteI agree but Armstrong was an ambitious salesman , driven to build a religious empire. Recall once , can’t say what year it was , this person was reported to have said to one of his former associates. “I’ve done very well haven’t I”.
I wonder if being a high school drop out he had an inferiority complex which drove him to succeed. His success was somewhat superficial. The college was not a real college, but it looked great from the outside. He wasn't a scholar or theologian, but he was a good salesman of his ideas. He "did well" but there was little substance to it and it died out quickly.
ReplyDeleteMore likely than not the things you mention drove his ambition. Coupled with an immense vanity and self assuredness how else does one explain his broadcasts where he dogmatically asserts things that aren’t in the Bible.
DeletePerhaps I should say stupidity as he wasn’t introspective or smart enough to work out the depth of the matters.
"I wonder if being a high school drop out..."
DeleteYou keep beating this old insult to death yet fail repeatedly to acknowledge the generation Herbert was actually from. What age they went to work and his generations entire outlook on life.
Whilst exposing your own age group ...you may well cherish your own degree as the single most important achievement in your life and look down through your nostrils at any who you think don't have the educational achievement as equal as yourself..but that reflects age and generation.
That's why Jesus Christ is the judge on humans lives and thankfully not you.
The thing is, many doctors and other scholars do respect salesmen who operate at a higher level. Degrees can be helpful in the sales field, but in some cases can be waived if a candidate has equivalent experience. Personally, I never listed Embarrassing College on job applications, but with experience in our industry, most people I've dealt with assumed that I had further education.
ReplyDeleteAgree wasn’t intending to describe all salespeople in the sense I applied it to Armstrong. He was of the dishonest sales type variety made all the worse by mixing it with the scriptures creating an immense hypocrisy. Many salespeople are honest hard workers.
DeleteOne thing I regret is I had some friends who were in Worldwide. It was really a difficult situation for young adults & singles, as you were expected to date & marry within the church. I remember a young black male who was really a nice guy & I remember feeling sorry for him because there were even fewer black girls for him to meet. I remember one jerk minister really interfering with people dating. I think some of my friends ending up being bachelors or spinsters unnecessarily because of their rules.
ReplyDeleteReally dumb rules applied by ministers who enjoyed lording it over people
Delete