Crackpot Prophet On How Crosses, Tattoo's, And Good Luck Charms Equal Witchcraft And Lead To The Fall Of Civilizations

Nothing pops the corks of our resident crackpot false prophet and Church of God leaders more than the cross does. They search high and low to find whatever pagan connotations they can connect to it. The more vile it is, the better. It's pretty much how many of them react to the New Covenant over the required law-keeping they bow down to.

It should come as no shock that our resident crackpot false prophet is getting his holistic knickers in a sacred knot right now over lucky rabbit's feet and crosses. People who have either of these two are wallowing in witchcraft.

Those of you who have a lucky rabbit's foot on a key chain had better get on your knees and REPENT, fast for a week, and donate all of your money to the true church.

Our Chief crackpot searched long and hard until he found a 2018 article by Voice of America—not known for their hard-hitting journalism—that goes on to quote Elle magazine, another bottom-of-the-barrel "news" source, on how certain actors and musicians have lucky necklaces they wear (as if anyone really cares).

Voice of America (VOA) ran the following: 

 

Nearly Quarter of Americans Carry Lucky Charms 

 

Nearly one in four Americans carries a good luck charm at least occasionally, according to a new survey. 

 

According to a YouGov poll, seven percent of Americans carry a lucky charm every day, four percent said they carry one frequently, and 13 percent said they carry one occasionally. 

 

Seventy percent said they don’t carry a charm. 

 

A lucky charm could be a shirt, a pair of shoes, a coin, a bracelet or a piece of ribbon. In fact, at the World Cup, star Lionel Messi tied a ribbon given to him by a fan around his ankle.

According to Elle magazine, actress Cameron Diaz wears a lucky necklace, as does Lindsay Lohan. Actor Benicio Del Toro is reported to have a lucky ring. 

 

Women are slightly more likely to carry a charm, with 26 percent saying they carry one at least occasionally, compared to 20 percent of men who say they do. 07/13/18 

The crackpot false prophet then goes on to say this about crosses:

However, if you include religious icons like crosses, the amount of Americans who carry ‘good luck charms’ is much higher. Plus, various tattoos are considered to be ‘good luck.’

Armstrongism has had a long history of despising the cross, which stands to reason since it is a works-based performance belief system. It shouldn't surprise us that the same goes for the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses, two groups Herbert borrowed beliefs from..

A Facebook group on Christian Doctrine and Cults had this to say:

All cults and false religions have one thing in common they make the cross of Christ of no effect. 

 

When a cult or a religious group tells you what you have to do to earn salvation they make Jesus' sacrifice on the cross of no effect. Hebrews 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;, Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.

Besides leading to witchcraft (Crackpot Bob should be well-versed in this since he has followers in Africa who practice it), these kinds of things lead to the downfall of civilizations. Crackpot Bob includes this little tibit by Lester Grabbe:

One of the major causes for the collapse of Rome was the decay of religion from the status of moral judge and champion to a hollow shell of ritual and liturgy. In desperation, people turned to astrology, sorcery, and divination, the natural refuge in a time of confusion and collapse. (Grabbe LL. The New Fad: MYSTICISM and the OCCULT. Plain Truth, November 1971)

Crackpot Bob then adds this:

The amount of superstitious Americans has seemingly increased over the decades. 

 

Good luck charms are a form of idolatry. 

 

They bring to mind something that the prophet Jeremiah wrote: 

 

5 Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them for they can do no harm–and they cannot do any good. (Jeremiah 10:5, CSB)

Look at how Crackpot Bob and other COG leaders have created their own magic spells and idols to make people feel safe. Bribing God with good works is foundational to Armstrongism.

You must belong to the one true church to be saved.

You must follow me to understand prophecy.

You must keep the Sabbath as a prerequisite for salvation.

Celebrating Christmas and Easter is paganism and is a salvational issue.

You must drag out Herbert Armstrong's books and booklets whenever you study the Bible. Without his magical interpretations, you cannot understand the Bible..

Your child must be blessed at the Blessing of the Little Children to set them apart for God's protection.

Your salvation revolves around not eating pork and shrimp, or a big, luscious ham sandwich.

Then there is this to consider:

Modern day Christian "tithing" is an abomination. This practice assumes that God can be bribed. It assumes that God is a transactional accountant. It assumes that the Old Testament economy of truth was never replaced by the New. It assumes, in effect, and blasphemously so, that the cross of Christ either never happened or has no meaning. God forbid! 

 

Groups which tithe have in common that they put money over everything else – the leadership by preferring a non-biblical means of getting more money over the truth; the congregants by showing that they will do anything to become prosperous – but we know that no one can serve both God and Mammon (Matt.6:24; Lk.16:13). 

 

Church of God leaders and crackpot false prophets need to keep their self-righteous mouths shut before they start condemning others, especially when their own groups are cesspools of filth and false doctrines. 

2nd John 1:10-11 tells us not to pretend that individuals who pretend to be servants of Christ really are – just because they say so – and therefore not to support them in their efforts because their efforts are not of God. 

Jesus taught that His yoke is easy and that unless we come to Him like a child, we will not enter the kingdom. Being under the law, however, is not an easy yoke and does not reflect the simple faith of a child, so it contradicts what Jesus taught. Even Jesus performed work on the Sabbath, declaring that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The issue with reverting to being yoked under the law is that it often makes people so obsessed with following rules that they neglect two essential things: loving God and loving their neighbors. Jesus identified these as the greatest commandments. Notice He didn't list keeping the Sabbath as the most important—or even the second most important? If you truly love God and your neighbor, it naturally fulfills the other commandments. That's why Jesus is so perfect and why God's gift in Him is so profound.

Understanding that then sets you free from crackpot false prophets and the other agents of deception that seek to control members' lives.

UPDATED: Gerald Flurry Has Competition: New Stone of Scone Discovered In Scotland

UPDATE:  

African 'king and queen' evicted from Scottish Borders forest

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The Kingdom of Kubala claim they have settled in a forest in Jedburgh, with the intention of reclaiming land that was stolen from their ancestors 400 years ago - and the tribe's King has today even claimed to be a descendent of the Messiah.

Their presence has left locals baffled although the tribe claim to live a simple life, bathing in a nearby stream, living in tents, and connecting with nature.

However, they said on Tuesday that they 'don't recognise local laws' and have faced persecution from those who don't understand their ways.

They have been served eviction notices, and have even suffered an attack on their camp when their tents were set on fire. However, instead of bowing to local law enforcement, they say they only recognise the laws of their God, named Yahowah.

King Atehene, 36, who was previously an opera singer under the name Kofi Offeh, leads the group, which consists of his wife, Queen Nandi, and their handmaiden Asnat. They claim they are a lost tribe of Hebrews, with their King descended from David the Messiah, and say their ancestors were cast out when Elizabeth I deported native black Jacobites. 

The group say they live a simple life, and aim to fulfil a prophecy to establish their kingdom and bring other "lost tribes" back into the fold. 

King Atehene said: "The prophecy said, after 400 years, when my ancestors are destroyed from the land of Scotland, from the land of Great Britain, they will go into captivity and lose their identity.

Their presence has left locals baffled although the tribe claim to live a simple life, bathing in a nearby stream, living in tents, and connecting with nature.

However, they said on Tuesday that they 'don't recognise local laws' and have faced persecution from those who don't understand their ways.

They have been served eviction notices, and have even suffered an attack on their camp when their tents were set on fire. However, instead of bowing to local law enforcement, they say they only recognise the laws of their God, named Yahowah.

'Lost African tribe' set up home in Scots woodlands as locals left baffled

 

It is truly amazing to be alive in the 21st century and to witness all the new and extraordinary discoveries around the world and the greatest minds, like Bob Thiel, revealing new truths to us daily, how did we ever cope in the past?

Now, in a major blow to Armstrongism and especially Gerald Flurry, we are now able to understand that the world now possesses THREE coronation stones.

There is the legitimate one in Scotland, the illegitimate one in Edmond, Oklahoma, and now the new and improved one back in Scotland.

The LOST Kingdom and the LAST Kingdom of Scotland have now been established in the wilds of Scotland. Naturally, a lunatic American has joined the group—a missing Texas woman.

African couple who lay claim to woodlands in Scotland as their Kingdom of Kubala lament what they call persecution while "reclaiming" their ancestral lands stolen from them 400 years ago.
Africans they say are natives to the UK, not whites.https://t.co/ZMucyjVIdJ pic.twitter.com/DLcSG45OHe

— Felix Rex (@navyhato) August 20, 2025

Missing Texas woman Kaura Taylor found living in lost ‘African’ tribe in Scotland pic.twitter.com/KZaAXub9W0

— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) August 21, 2025

A missing American woman has been found living among a lost 'African' tribe in Jedburgh’s woodlands in the UK. Members of the tribe say they plan to reclaim land in the Scottish Highlands taken from their ancestors about 400 years ago. pic.twitter.com/Bb4qs5Nqdz

— Creepy.org (@creepydotorg) August 21, 2025

This new LAST KINGDOM did not last too long. Local residents burned it down. Now if only the local residents in Edmond, Oklahoma had the same idea...

The people of Jedburgh Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 are fighting back against the African wild tribes that have invaded their homelands and burned down their tents 🏕️

The UK is the laughing stock of the World. The Government have completely lost control of their borders.

#EnoughIsEnough pic.twitter.com/TVnUMtLTBr

— Arthur (@ArthurSXAI) August 18, 2025

What Exactly is: "I"m Spiritual But Not Religious"?

 

 

 

I believe this is a conclusion drawn when, for whatever reasons, one has grown tired of or disillusioned with organized religion.

I would consider myself in the category of "spiritual but not religious" and by that mean nature, life, the sciences, cosmology, deep time and such leave me in awe of it all. 

I do not mean by that any connection with gods and their plans for mankind. I personally see no evidence of them nor their role in reality.  And my views do not include, and never would again, include organized religion, creeds and middlemen who think they know. 

You're experiences may vary and no doubt do.  

I don't mind having not much hope in any afterlife nor do I fear or find it depressing to think there has to be "something" when there really isn't. Believing that something just has to be true does not actually insure that it is true.

 I personally also don't find any great need for meaning as in "there has to be meaning in all this." There really doesn't have to be anything other than it just is. Any meaning to life is what meaning one assigns it minus the intentions of the gods, which I find missing in action everywhere and all the time. 

======================

That said, Just what is Spiritual but Not Religious?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_but_not_religious

"Spiritual but not religious" (SBNR), also known as "spiritual but not affiliated" (SBNA), or less commonly "more spiritual than religious", is a popular phrase and initialism used to self-identify a life stance of spirituality that does not regard organized religion as the sole or most valuable means of furthering spiritual growth.

Historically, the words religious and spiritual have been used synonymously to describe all the various aspects of the concept of religion,[ but in contemporary usage spirituality has often become associated with the interior life of the individual, placing an emphasis upon the well-being of the "mind-body-spirit", while religion refers to organization or communal dimensions. Spiritually sometimes denotes non-instituionalized or individualozed religiosity. 

The interactions are complex since even conservative Christians designate themselves as "spiritual but not religious" to indicate a form of non-ritualistic personal faith.

Anti-institutional and personal

According to Abby Day, some of those who are critical of religion see it as rigid and pushy, leading them to use terms such as atheist or agnostic to describe themselves.[

For many people, SBNR is not just about rejecting religion outright, but not wanting to be restricted by it.

According to Linda Mercadante, SBNRs take a decidedly anti-dogmatic stance against religious belief in general. They claim not only that belief is non-essential, but that it is potentially harmful or at least a hindrance to spirituality.

According to Philip D. Kenneson, many of those studied who identify as SBNR feel a tension between their personal spirituality and membership in a conventional religious organization. Most of them value curiosity, intellectual freedom, and an experimental approach to religion.

Many go as far to view organized religion as the major enemy of authentic spirituality, claiming that spirituality is private reflection and private experience—not public ritual.

 To be "religious" conveys an institutional connotation, usually associated with Abrahamic traditions: to attend worship services, to say Mass, to light Hanukkah candles. To be "spiritual", in contrast, connotes personal practice and personal empowerment having to do with the deepest motivations of life.

] As a result, in cultures that are deeply suspicious of institutional structures and that place a high value on individual freedom and autonomy, spirituality has come to have largely positive connotations, while religion has been viewed more negatively.

According to Robert Fuller, the SBNR phenomenon can be characterized as a mix of intellectual progressivism and mystical hunger, impatient with the piety of established churches.]

According to Robert Wuthnow, spirituality is about much more than going to church and agreeing or disagreeing with church doctrines. Spirituality is the shorthand term used in Western society to talk about a person's relationship with God.

For many people, how they think about religion and spirituality is certainly guided by what they see and do in their congregations. At a deeper level, it involves a person's self-identity—feeling loved by God, and these feelings can wax and wane.

===============

Categories

1. "Dissenters" are the people who, for the most part, make a conscious effort to veer away from institutional religion. "Protesting dissenters" refers to those SBNRs who have been 'turned off' by religious affiliation because of adverse personal experiences with it. "Drifted Dissenters" refers to those SBNRs who, for a multitude of reasons, fell out of touch with organized religion and chose never to go back. "Conscientious objector dissenters" refers to those SBNRs who are overtly skeptical of religious institutions and are of the view that religion is neither a useful nor necessary part of an individual's spirituality.
2. "Casuals" are the people who see religious and/or spiritual practices as primarily functional. Spirituality is not an organizing principle in their lives. Rather they believe it should be used on an as-needed basis for bettering their health, relieving stress, and for emotional support. The spirituality of "Casuals" is thus best understood as a "therapeutic" spirituality that centers on the individual's personal wellbeing.
3. "Explorers" are the people who seem to have what Mercadante refers to as a "spiritual wanderlust". These SBNRs find their constant search for novel spiritual practices to be a byproduct of their "unsatisfied curiosity", their desire for journey and change, as well as feelings of disappointment. Explorers are best understood as "spiritual tourists" who take comfort in the destination-less journey of their spirituality and have no intentions of ultimately committing to a spiritual home
4. "Seekers" are those people who are looking for a spiritual home but contemplate recovering earlier religious identities. These SBNRs embrace the "spiritual but not religious" label and are eager to find a completely new religious identity or alternative spiritual group that they can ultimately commit to.
5. "Immigrants" are those people who have found themselves in a novel spiritual realm and are trying to adjust themselves to this newfound identity and its community. "Immigrants" can be best understood as those SBNRs who are "trying on" a radically new spiritual environment but have yet to feel completely settled there. For these SBNRs, although they are hoping to become fully integrated in their newfound spiritual identities, the process of acclimation is difficult and often disconcerting.

 

LCG: Remember boys and girls, the ministry is here to edify you, but your pride has filled you with contentions and disagreements.

 

Well, it's another day in the Living Church of God, where members are treated like naughty little children—as if that's anything new.

They're constantly reminded that the ministry exists to edify and build up the body of Christ, yet these wayward members refuse to heed their messages because they're supposedly filled with pride, contention, and disagreements. Worst of all, some members dare to have their own ideas, which are often better than those of the ministers they have to deal with. But the absolute worst are those who spread negative comments to others—something the ministry would NEVER do!

Members apparently forget they need to learn humility and be open to "reason" from the ministry.

How great it would be if Winnail and the upper elite actually praised the members for once. 

 

Humility—a Key to Unity: David wrote, “How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). The Apostle Paul urged Christians to “walk worthy” of their calling “with all lowliness and gentleness… endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3). He also stated that the work of the ministry is to edify (build up) the body of Christ (the Church) “till we all come to the unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:12–13). Yet the Scriptures reveal that pride causes contentions and disagreements (Proverbs 13:10) and that promoting our own ideas and passing on negative comments about others fosters division (Proverbs 16:28). However, humility and being willing to listen to reason will promote peace and unity (James 3:17–18). Let’s grow in humility and unity.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail

Is The Abomination Among Us?

 

Church of God propehcy addicts are a dime a dozen any more in COGland. Every day a new one seems to crawl out of the rotting carcass with new and absurd predictions.

Anyway, none of these guys can top our Great Anyway Bwana Bob Mzungu Thiel, the biggest prophecy addict and record-setting failure, right after Dave Pack.

Anyway, imagine having to sit through fourteen plus hours with bouncing Bob on the screen in front you you, arms flailing, and his big fat bbile thrust in your face. Anyway, the licking flames of the lake of fire would be more merciful than having to listen to this for over fourteen hours.

The Great Bwana Bob writes:

Anyway, here is a list of links to the ten sermons in this series:

Daniel 1-3: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Daniel 4-5: The Handwriting on the Wall

Daniel 6-8: Four Beasts and the King of the North

Daniel 9:    70 Years & 70 Weeks Prophecies

Daniel 10-11:32: Prophecies Fulfilled in History

Daniel 11:24-31: Events to Watch For

Daniel 11:32-38: Philadelphian Persecution and Witness

Daniel 11:39: Conquering of the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, part I

Daniel 11:39: Conquering of the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, part II

Daniel 11:40-12:13: End of Islam and the Beast, 1260, 1290, and 1335 days

I do not think we need to look very far for an abomination spreading falsehoods and deceiving the brethren when it lives among us, right now. 

COGWA Secures Loan To Start Building New Auditorium/Education Complex

 

The Church of God a Worldwide Association, COGWA, has secured its loan for its new auditorium/education center and is getting ready to start building in in 2026.

I also want to confirm that all the building permits are in place, and on Tuesday, Aug. 5, we closed on a loan, which should be the last document needed to allow us to begin construction on the new auditorium/education center. Even though we have the funds to fully pay for the new building, we have chosen to take out a construction loan for half the amount rather than using our own funds. The construction loan will consist of interest-only use of funds during the construction period. When the building is complete, we will pay off the construction loan either right away or within a short period of time as we did with the office building.

COGWA has been experiencing record numbers and income levels, unlike their mother church, the United CHurch of God, which seems to be languishing due to inner turmoil and its recent ouster of its President for a new one, which is not sitting well with many UCG members. Comments are not kind to the new president on many Facebook groups.

 

Are Todays Natural Disasters A Foretaste Of How Things Will Really Be When Angry God Unleashes His Wrath?

Prophecy addicts and many Church of God leaders seem to get giddy with delight anytime a natural disaster strikes people around the world. They view these disasters as divine retribution from an angry God so pissed off that He has to deliver continual warning signs before He really loses it and obliterates one-third of humanity and the natural world. It's a God with lightning bolts in His hands and a big thick ledger in front of Him where He's been writing down every single failure we've committed.

This kind of reasoning is understandable when a church is based entirely on old covenant belief systems—and which, for some unknown reason, does not take delight in a new and better covenant that eliminates the old one.

An angry God is always predictable: Do what's right, and God is happy; do something wrong, and God is angry. It's relatively easy to navigate the world that way. Black-and-white, either/or worlds are simple to maneuver in—they don't require thinking. Someone else has laid out what you're supposed to believe or do, and you know that if you don't, something bad will happen. We need someone in charge, keeping score. Because He can be so quick to do that, it gives us the perceived impression that we can do it too.

Is an angry God really a projection of our own guilt and shame? Church of God leaders have told us for decades that we are unworthy and condemned, and that we should expect God to be angry. Using this kind of flawed thinking, church leaders and members search the Bible looking for ways an angry God is just itching to punish us. That's the kind of God that Armstrongism has created—one that punishes and excludes, just like we do when slighted by someone or when we're angry with them.

Rod McNair, in the July LCG member letter, remarked on how the Texas flash flood that hit the youth camp and killed so many was just a foretaste of what an angry God has in store for the world

Mr. Gerald Weston has asked me to write to you, as he and his wife are currently working with our young people at our two-weeks-long teen summer camp in Athens, Texas. Athens is about 300 miles from the devastating floods that occurred two weeks ago, along the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country. Tragically, 134 people perished—and 101 are still missing—from the tragic flash flooding that occurred in the early morning hours of July 4. As we read reports of the tragedy, it’s astonishing how quickly the water levels rose, and the awesome power it unleashed on hundreds of unsuspecting victims. Be sure to remember the victims and their families in your prayers in their time of need. And we must all pray daily for God’s protection, as these types of natural disasters are only a foretaste of what the Bible says will come in the times ahead.

He then jumps to the US supporting Israel in their fight with Hamas, and then he has to interject with this about his angry god, and as usual, it's all about sex. It is the Living Church of God, after all:

But at the same time, the descendants of Judah and Joseph have squandered the overwhelming material blessings they both inherited as sons of Jacob. God intended the descendants of Jacob to become model nations of decency and integrity, showing the rest of the world how to obey God’s laws (Deuteronomy 4:6). Instead, both the U.S. and Israel today are known around the world for their promotion of immorality and sexual deviance. 

 

God is not mocked. Just as He has blessed our nations remarkably, He can also bring us down, with breathtaking speed, because of pride. And Bible prophecy shows it will happen. The book of Hosea details a prophecy of Joseph and Judah that seems to have dual application. In ancient times, the northern House of Israel (led by Ephraim, one of Joseph’s sons) collapsed, overthrown by the Assyrians in 721 BC. The southern House of Judah followed after, conquered by the Babylonians, in 586 BC. Hosea writes, “The pride of Israel testifies to his face; therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them” (Hosea 5:5). 

 

LCG, like so many legalistic churches, regularly gets mocked for its hypocrisy, and that does not sit well with church leaders. So, they unleash their "God is not mocked" comment to justify their own anger at being mocked. An angry God has a right to be angry, and so do they!

They so desperately need to see a national chastisement that placates their angry God.

This is speaking of the Great Tribulation, a time Christ prophesied of, which will be like no other in human history (Matthew 24:21). It will be a time when nations that should have known better will be punished for their refusal to follow God’s laws, as revealed in the Bible. 

 

But if you read on, you see the context also shows that this time of national chastisement will be followed by a widespread and profound national repentance. Notice the next verse: “I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me” (Hosea 5:15). Many modern theologians and pastors emphasize that the church needs to move beyond a simplistic view of God's anger and focus on the broader biblical narrative of love, redemption, and restoration. 

 

Why is McNair so angry that "modern theologians" seek to move beyond the simplistic God of the absolutists? Jesus irritates the hell out of legalists. How dare God love a sinner! How dare God redeem a sinner before them, the one true church? How dare God bring restoration and wholeness to them when an angry God wants to spank them? Armstrongism loves to talk about a soon-coming Kingdom of God where everyone will live in harmony and peace, and a true Sabbath rest will be the theme of the day. Yet, hardly any COG leader or minister ever tries to bring forth that kingdom as a reality to those in the world around them. Bringing love, redemption, and restoration to the world around them is not a present reality, but it should be. They should be so excited to share that love that they can't shut up about it.

McNair ends with this:

Joseph and Judah will together acknowledge their sin and seek the true God, in sincere repentance and worship. How can this be speaking of any time other than the coming millennial reign of Christ? Jesus Christ will have returned to earth to set up His glorious Kingdom, and there will be a time of prosperity and peace like the world has never known. Just as the sons of Jacob will fall together because of their sins, so they will also earnestly repent together and finally seek God. 

 

You who are reading this letter are part of a Work that is boldly proclaiming these events to the descendants of Jacob and to the world. Your support of this Work helps our dear friends and neighbors understand the why behind today’s news. And it gives them vitally important information about what is to come and what they can do about it now 

 

Imagine what kind of world we would have if those who claim to be the truest Christians on this earth today actually believed in that kingdom so much that they sought to bring it to the world around them in this very moment in time? That would inspire people to the repentance that COG leaders want to see happen. Instead, it is an endless drone of an angry God just itching to spank the world with vengeance and anger.

Sadly, that kind of ungodly character is not shaped by the teachings of Jesus, who emphasized love, compassion, and forgiveness—the God who dishes out unconditional grace.

Perhaps Jesus did not come to change God's mind about us, but for us to change our minds about God? 

Nothing infuriated 1st-century and 21st-century legalists more than Jesus sitting down with sinners to share a meal, laugh, have a good time, and—worst of all—forgive those who had failed to live up to all of the rigid rules. Legalists back then, just as today, need an angry God ready to smite their enemies. They needed Jesus to step in and smite the sinners and unbelievers; instead, they got a God who sat down and ate with them! Scandalous!

Jesus exemplified the God who was slow to anger, overflowing with mercy. Compassion was the action of the day. Just like today, the only people who get angry with Jesus' actions are those who need an angry God dripping with retribution—a God who excludes while backslapping the truest Christians on earth today. In their eyes, the cross never satisfied that angry God; in fact, the cross is widely mocked in Armstrongism to this very day.

The cross carried this message: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” 

Isn't it about time that COG leaders and ministers practiced that simple phrase instead of gleefully getting their rocks off at all of the destruction their angry God is ready to dish out?

The entire point of the gospel message is that God seeks to draw us in, instead of a so-called gospel about a God seeking to keep sinners out. How dare those Catholics and teetotalling Baptists be the first to arrive in the Kingdom of God to greet them when they finally arrive! Scandalous!

Grace isn't for those who have it all right; it is for those who admit they don't. The Christian walk is not about proving yourself at the feet of an angry God who might have an eraser in His hand and crosses off a few lines here and there.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. NIV Isaiah 1:18