For decades, we have had pounded into our heads that as the true church, we were the epitome of Philadelphian love. Anyone with even minimal contact with any of the Churches of God know this is not true.
Check out this comment on Exit and Support Network about a person's recent contact with an LCG minister:
As a Sabbatarian looking for an acceptable congregation, I contacted a pastor of the local Living Church of God. He seemed protective of his congregation in a way that appeared unwelcoming. It was a very strange response. It did sound quite controlling. What bothered me was that it is the opposite of a hospitable and loving God. –[name withheld]
13 comments:
I think the key is to do your research.
There is plenty of info about HWA and his ‘offspring’ online to start alarm bells ringing.
For those unaware of this movement do ya homework.
There are plenty of options out there for Sabbath keepers. Do ya homework folks.
The pope--the man of sin--is sick. If the pope ever dies it will be the fulfillment of some prophecy by somebody somewhere at some time. It will be proof of the HOLY scriptures!
Likely protective in the event you were a ex member of another offshoot and would be a troublemaker? Yes, agree with the comment above to do your homework if you have to attend a sabbath keeping church linked to the self claimed Apostle. Mind you I can't think of any one of them that stands out as OK. (Or any other fringe church such as the Yehovah Witnesses who fall into the similar control category).
When you see a picture depicting well scrubbed, happy people who want to become and replace your own family, the one into which you were born, run quickly! Don't walk. The banner they are displaying should warn you that they are a cult. Once entrapped, if during after-service fellowship you mention your own genetic family one too many times, you'll be hearing "Let the dead bury the dead" over and over and over, and they're not talking about Jerry Garcia and the boys, either!
Probably the worst damage Armstrongism inflicted upon us was the total obliteration of the normal human concept of family. I can't tell you how many times we heard that you just can't have the same deep love for your family members as you can for the church brethren. We were enccouraged to distance ourselves from them, and my parents got all the reinforcement they needed to do so in that the family tried to talk some sense into them by pointing out that Mr. Armstromg was a fanatic. Shunning family conditions one to have double standards for the ways in which people are treated. It is not a fruit of the Spirit to treat any fellow humans as being less than.
The love of the cult was all a lie, just part of the power and controls they exerted. Back in the day, we had these little F/T stickers on our cars at Feast time. On two different occasions, when we broke down on the highway, we watched as countless others with the orange F/T stickers passed us by. One time, some kind old hillbilly type guy stopped and pushed us down the highway to a service station, and another time a Native American couple in a 4 By drove us to an auto parts store and back. At the time, I was thinking that wow, the brethren wouldn't help us so God send some kind worldly people our way! What a shame that it had to be that way. Any of you people who still believe in Petra should probably take a lesson from that! It ain't gonna be no 3-1/2 year Feast of Tabernacles! Well, based on my own experiences out on the highway, maybe it will! Some kind Arabs might be the ones who come to your rescue when the ministers banish you from Petra for some inconsequential oversight or unintended disrespect.
BB
The day the pope dies will be the day Bob Thiel goes into overdrive, claiming he was right about everything. New idiocy will be spouted, and his head will be bigger than ever.
I agree with the perception that the WCG and its offshoots did not show the fruit of brotherly love. In view of all that’s taken place Sardis would be a better description of this church now. I am of the opinion that the SDA are also Gods church and if you look at their great works and the prophetess who was teaching things in that church which were not right it fits the letter accurately for the Thyatita era.I believe the prophetess spoken of here is Ellen G White. The CoG 7th day are also part of that era .
The WCG is the next one down in terms of succession and the discription fits the WCG accurately. If I am correct a Philadelphia church will come about but not yet. This is what I think has happened prophetically to the WCG/GCi.
Everything Herbert Armstrong taught will have to be looked at again. Spiritually speaking he threw the dart and got the darts board.We now need to throw the dart and get the bulls eye .. May God provide the leadership to help us to do this.If we view things through a hardened Armstrongite mindset we will never be able to make sense of what’s happened so a fresh approach is very much needed. I would encourage anyone to do their homework and research the SDA .You may well find yourself asking why are they not Gods church? However the answer is they are part of Gods church.
It leaves the another question which is how with end time events moving so quickly how is it possible that there are two church eras left to go with works.The church at Philidelphia is short lived because Christ says to that church I
Behold I come quickly. Who a Laodician church is l don’t know and it would be wrong to make such a judgement.
I hope my comments will a least be thought provoking
See, I knew you were a Grateful Dead fan, hopefully not a Black Sabbath.
By the way, something exact happen to me like that in your last paragraph.
Tank
I will say that when I came into the LCG years ago, there were quite a few members that were very hospitable to me in more ways than one. It was very heartwarming. Unfortunately, the minister was very controlling and cruel. He eventually ended up kicking people out of the church who disagreed with him. I will never forget their hospitality and how they privately tried to warn me about that minister. It was something else, because he I am trying to keep the sabbath with this group and then there is all this personal history stuff that these individuals have with with one another from worldwide, then global and now this with their personalities.
Great post 3:32, From my studies in my estimation, within Armstrongism the church eras become murky after the Thyatira era. All of them vying to be the Philadelphia era, all admitting to be in the laodician era striving to justify themselves. The splinters all put Armstrong in the Philadelphia church era. Oh
Personally I can see the direct correlation of the OT church and the NT church eras from Ephesus to Thyatira (with the seven candlesticks). But after that even I can't call it.
Anon 3:32:32 AM PST
No church eras.
Simply another Armstrong cog myth lacking credibility and simply highlights a lack of understanding of scripture. Can be put in the same bin as the BI nonsense. This has been addressed here on site in the past.
No Tank, NEVER a Black Sabbath or an Ozzie fan! The only thing I ever liked that Black Sabbath ever did was the cough that echoed at the beginning of "Sweet Leaf".
BB
re the comments of church eras...
these presume the messages in the early chapters of Revelation pertains only to Sabbatarian churches, which was the doctrine of Armstrong and others like him.
This is just conjecture, the letters may not even represent messages directed to certain organizations or persons. Some even work it out to specific periods ending at precise dates and this is futile as well.
So true. The supposed love of the cult is just part of their Sabbath mask. It's an act with no substance. I recall reading a comment on a Jehovah's Witnesses dissident blog where a long time devout member was in hospital, and was surprised when no members came to visit him. It's universal in cults.
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