Who's Gaslighting Who?
CGI's Jeff Flanick (of Bill Watson's Medina, Ohio congregation) delivered a broadside against the Olympic games in Paris this past Sabbath. He joined the chorus of voices expressing disgust with the opening ceremonies of the 2024 games and claimed that it was the epitome of what CGI has been preaching against for years. According to Mr. Flanick, the ceremony underscored the pagan origins of the games and glorified those unsavory LGBTQ folks! You see, for Jeff and his peeps, those WOKE folks at the IOC are trying to gaslight an innocent and unsuspecting humanity.
Like his mentor, Pastor Bill Watson, Jeff is appalled at the fact that these leftist folks have the audacity to characterize Donald Trump and J.D. Vance as weird! Men dressed like women and competing as women - that's supposed to be normal and acceptable? Heaven forbid! is Mr. Flanick's response. He went on to suggest that the opening ceremony had desecrated Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting known as "The Last Supper." Although he went on to admit that this work of art may be inaccurate in its depiction of that event, he proceeded to suggest that an artistic interpretation of that work in the opening ceremony was probably sacrilegious - an intentional affront to Christians everywhere!
Indeed, he went on to compare the whole thing to what traditional Christians have been doing for years. According to Mr. Flanick, the vast majority of these people are among "those who think they are Christians" (implying, of course, that they are no such thing). He went on to say that these folks disregard scriptures which refute their errors. Flanick then proceeded to cite several examples of the clear evidence which these people fail to confront - like Matthew 5:18, which he insists proves that Christians should be keeping the commandments of Torah. He also quoted that favorite passage of Armstrongists to nail down his thesis: Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." In other words, if he gave it to the Israelites, he must have intended for Christians to have it to!
In similar fashion, Mr. Flanick attacked those traditional so-called Christians for their use of the cross as a symbol of their religion. He went on to liken it to someone deciding to revere the gun which had murdered their loved one! Do you suppose that Mr. Flanick is disregarding all of those New Testament references to the cross of Christ? OR Let's be generous, maybe he just forgot about those?
He went on to remind his audience that those traditional Christians also embraced those nasty pagan holidays like Christmas and Easter! Flanick pointed out that revelry and alcoholic beverages are associated with those celebrations, but he doesn't want you to look to close at how CGI folks celebrate their Feast of Tabernacles! He even proceeded to point out that true Christians are supposed to come out of Babylon and be separate, and he saw absolutely no irony in making clear that God really meant those nasty, leftwing globalists!
It occurred to me as I listened to Mr. Flanick's presentation, "I wonder if he's ever seen the classic movie which gave rise to the term "gaslighting"? Ingrid Berman's husband (Charles Boyer) embarked on a plan to make her think she was going crazy. "Paula, Paula, Paula, you are tired, you are weary..." In keeping with the custom of CGI ministers and speakers, Mr. Flanick was divorced and remarried; but those LGBTQ folks are insane - trying to make us all think that they can actually love each other and be faithful to one person! Yes, I'm wondering "Who's gaslighting who?"
Miller Jones/Lonnie C Hendrix
It's hard for some folks to look into the mirror, like Mr. Flanick. I guess he's forgiven.
ReplyDeleteHow's the fake Facebook accounts going?
ReplyDelete" In keeping with the custom of CGI ministers and speakers, Mr. Flanick was divorced and remarried; but those LGBTQ folks are insane - trying to make us all think that they can actually love each other and be faithful to one person! Yes, I'm wondering "Who's gaslighting who?"
ReplyDeleteWe get it Lonnie, really! You despise divorce, but embrace perversion, homosexuality, encourage it, attempt to point out wonderful and apparently endorsed by your god. No matter if you point out shortcomings, (even correctly), of others in CGI, you have to insert how wonderful perversion is before your god is, because you support such. Here is the problem I see that you are having in getting your point across! You need to use MORE explanation marks!! Really! Really! Somehow your points are falling flat, because you tend to usually end up in the same area of your belief and that 'gospel' you want to spread. Sooooo , try more explanation marks!
Of all the things to defend, drag queens would be way down on my list. Particularly when they were intending to mock Christianity, the dionysus defense was an excellent example of gaslighting from the left.
ReplyDeleteEven if the shot composition (if not the subject matter) was inspired by da Vinci's Last Supper, last I checked that was a painting by a "Christian falsely so-called" at best in the service of other "Christians falsely so-called ham-eating Sunday-keeping actually part of the great false church Mystery Babylon Whore"? Why would COG folks care about this?
DeleteBased on what you reported, I agree with what he says, except for the analogy of the gun.
ReplyDeleteIf Jesus intentionally took a bullet for my salvation, then yes, I would hold that bullet as precious -- as the immediate instrument of my salvation.
Anti-Cross sentiments are nothing less than anti-Jesus sentiments. His physical death on the physical Cross was the world's greatest act of love. It wasn't just a loving movement of the mind, but love that was enacted in the pysical world -- the world in which we live. Physical realities are not insignificant. By definition they are SIGNificant.
What's it like, Lonnie, to have CGI living rent free in your head?
ReplyDeleteI love this comment.
DeleteThanks for the advice! I'll make a real effort to use exclamation points more often! COG Catholic agrees so much with these ACOG folks that I'm wondering why he ever left! These are folks who call your church the Great Whore, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth! I evicted CGI from my head long ago!!!!!!! The problem is that I still have family and friends who let it live rent free in their heads!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFinally, I'm personally very sympathetic with folks who experience divorce (my own family has been afflicted with the phenomenon). It is Jesus of Nazareth who didn't like it and said it was inconsistent with God's intent and will!!!! Moreover, Paul said that it should disqualify a person from Church leadership, not me. Nevertheless, if I'm being honest, I do like to bring it up - it provides such a perfect sense of irony for all of those folks who claim to espouse "family values"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Isn't the Greek word "stauros" (stake, pole) the word that many misuse as "cross"? A stake or pole does not necessarily have the top T-bar or crossbrace found in Constantine's "glorious" vision. It does not share the symbolic cross "shape" held so dear to so many over the ages.
ReplyDelete"In similar fashion, Mr. Flanick attacked those traditional so-called Christians for their use of the cross as a symbol of their religion. He went on to liken it to someone deciding to revere the gun which had murdered their loved one! Do you suppose that Mr. Flanick is disregarding all of those New Testament references to the cross of Christ? OR Let's be generous, maybe he just forgot about those?"
In case anyone had any doubts, that was me at Sunday, August 11, 2024 at 5:09:48 PM PDT! Yes, Sunday, August 11, 2024 at 5:09:50 PM PDT, originally the Greek word signified an upright stake or pole. However, as the instrument of a Roman crucifixion, it contained a horizontal beam near the top. The symbol is associated over and over again in the canon of the New Testament with Jesus of Nazareth. Moreover, by the Second and Third Centuries, the symbol was widely associated with the Christian faith. Finally, as a Roman Emperor, Constantine would have been very familiar with the instrument used in Roman executions (as in, this method had been used for centuries by the Romans).
ReplyDeleteSince when is anyone from these little cults an authority on theology? Why do we even dignify their sermons with notice and comment here? They are simply irrelevant.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteArmstrongist ministers do not seem to be able to recognize true paganism. Nobody that I know of believes that the modern Olympics pays homage to Zeus as the ancient games did. You just don’t hear anybody talking about Zeus. Almost everyone I have ever encountered believes that Zeus is a character in ancient Greek mythology. And this ancient mythology is used to adorn a modern, international athletic competition. It’s just ornamentation.
I watched parts of both the opening and closing ceremonies for this year’s Olympics. I was not swept away by paganism. I thought some of the theater was novel and beautiful. Other parts I was not “into” because I am not a big fan of modern dance. I did not think of Zeus until I read this post citing this Millerite preacher's concern about paganism.
I am reminded that years ago that I knew some WCG members who thought a certain large statue in northern Oklahoma was Nimrod. In fact, it was a statue in dark stone of a Native American chief. I think the statue was located in a park. Why anyone would think that the people in this region would have a statue of Nimrod created for a park seems absurd. But I am sure for the WCG members involved, it probably seemed really churchy.
There is real paganism in the world. HWA used to visit world leaders who ruled over nations whose national religions were pagan. His Japanese “sons” were probably followed Shinto. I do not recall HWA being concerned about paganism in an outspoken way either in his visits to these leaders on in his sermons I heard in the Field House in Big Sandy. And Trump and Vance both claim to be traditional Christians of some sort which the WCG defines as pagan. This is really a lot of confusion – seeing paganism where one wants to see it and ignoring where it might bring advantage.
Scout
"Armstrongist ministers do not seem to be able to recognize true paganism."
DeleteNo, they don't, and they tend to fall for similarities between two ideas with no actual known link, or some patently false information that they didn't check out first before spewing it from the lectern. We can all probably recount some silly story of that type that we heard from ministurds or wannabe ministurds doing sermonettes. It's not a unique phenomenon to them in general, but it does highlight their lack of knowledge and training, as well as their willingness to go bearing false witness for the sake of sensationalism.
Personally, I think that this was just another opportunity to go for the low-hanging fruit. After all, everybody hates LGBTQ folks, right?
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that everybody hates LGBTQ folks. With all of the exits from the closet over the past decades, and people living openly as LGBTQ, almost everyone knows and works with at least one LGBTQ person, or has one in their family. As a business owner who works with all members of the public, I know numerous individuals of that orientation. White Christian Nationalists want their votes, they just wish that there was some magic cream called "Been Gay" that gay conservatives could rub on that "healed" them.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes. Like anonymous 11:53's quip above, these conservatives will continue to go after this low-hanging fruit.
Yeah, one of the absolute best workers on my team is a young man who was technically born female. I dont know his exact medical status or history and I have not asked - as his boss, i feel thatd be wildly inappropriate for me to do. But he's a very skilled worker with great intelligence and the talent just love him because hes so well mannered and capable. And a work ethic that wont quit - he leaves a lot of other team members in the dust. I wish I could clone him!
DeleteOne in every 5,500 human live births involves vague or inconclusive genitalia. In most cases, doctors will make best guess and perform sex-assigning surgery to these individuals. And that's what goes on the birth certificate.There can still be residual hormonal and chromosomal discrepancies with which the individuals must deal. I understand that this was the case with the controversial boxer at the recent olympics.
DeleteFor religious reasons, believers often state that God does not allow people to be born gay. The fact that there are so many intersex people born would seem to disprove that statement. I believe that there are many aspects to human sexuality which are not yet known or understood.
I wouldn't blame God or His natural birth process for the mess we have today. You can't throw a rock that doesn't land on something which is not polluted, corrupted, and contaminated by some kind of forever chemical, pesticide, drug, hormone or antibiotic.
ReplyDelete1/5500 inconclusive genitalia
1/36 children with autism. (1/16,000 in 1960)
Drug use, cancer, diabetes is off the charts.
That's just the tip of the iceberg! It's a long list.
Man and his greed wouldn't have it any other way!!!
And yet, we're still overpopulating the earth, BP8!
ReplyDeleteWould that ACOG leaders were only gaslighting. That's just manipulation. What they're really doing is just plain gas-letting! Raising a horrendous, toxic stench in members' lives. Either way, they're certainly not helping things.
Isn't the TX border over-populating TX &/or U.S. city relief agencies & limited vacant housing?
ReplyDeleteOverpopulating the earth according to who? Is that a real problem or just another example of gaslighting?
ReplyDeleteOf course, the ACOG leaders gaslight. Who doesn't? Every human institution has its own agenda and narrative to advance it. That's how this "world" operates and why it is passing away.
The Bible tells us it's every man for himself. We as individuals are responsible for who we trust and who we believe.
"Let no one deceive you by any means", 2Thess 2:3. See also Matt.24:4.
Even though we don't have enough information to do this perfectly, there is enough Godly wisdom available to minimize the damage, if one will use it.
827, it sounds like you, with your healthy skepticism, are on the right track.
It would not be a matter of overpopulating the earth if mankind practiced just a little self-discipline. With such self-discipline in place, planet Earth could most likely accommodate an even greater population.
DeletePeople of today refuse to accept restriction, including powerful political and business interests. The minute any common sense laws are enacted, these interests go into overdrive, employing their Einsteins to circumvent them. They also point to others who are allegedly doing worse as a reason not to be observant. Using an example which is measurable, we are killing our oceans, decimating the creatures which live within, and overheating the life giving waters of which the oceans consist. Big interests attempt to deflect by citing long cycles, but there is no long cycle creating the plastics that compose the huge garbage gyres in the center of each major ocean. We did that. These cycles have not invented the huge factory fishing vessels which are overfishing the oceans beyond their normal ability to repopulate. We did that.
Everyone seems hell bent on getting theirs at the expense of the greater community. That's what the nationalism of the 1930s was all about! Each nation was putting themselves first to the exclusion of everyone else. We fought a great war to end that mentality. Now, it's resurfacing.
I don't know if everyone in the country used the same vernacular as we did, but when there were diaper wearing babies present, if the baby began to cry, the first relative picking the baby up would sometimes exclaim "Phew! He left a load!"
ReplyDeleteI don't know what triggered this memory. Probably it was the picture of the baby. But Armstrongism has certainly left more than it's share of loads.