This happened to my family when Mr Cocomise was minister of the Philadelphia Church of God congregation in Lexington Kentucky..
The PCG’s “Rule of 7”: When Even Dinner Required Supervision
Dan Mofett
One thing we enjoyed during my years in the Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) was eating together. Almost every Sabbath, many members of our congregation would meet at a local restaurant after services. It was an opportunity to visit, share a meal, and enjoy one another’s company.
Then something changed.
One Sabbath, someone asked which restaurant we were going to. I told them and went ahead to save some seats. My family of six sat down, expecting others to join us.
No one came.
I thought it was strange, but when the same thing happened the following week, I began asking why nobody was joining us anymore.
That was when I was told the church had implemented what they called “the rule of 7.” As it was explained to me, if more than seven members gathered together at any time, a minister had to be present.
I asked the minister about it, and he confirmed the ruling.
With six people in my family, just two other members joining us would put us over the limit. What had been an ordinary meal among friends now required ministerial supervision.
What troubled me was not simply missing dinner companions. It was realizing that the church’s control extended beyond services and into our personal friendships. Why should members need a minister present just to share a meal?
To me, this was another example of the controlling culture I experienced in the PCG. Even something as simple as eating together became subject to a rule.
31 comments:
if more than seven members gathered together at any time, a minister had to be present
Sports just got a lot more complicated for PCG members, both because of the numbers required for a game of basketball, baseball, soccer, or football, and because many of the PCG ministers aren't exactly the kind of manly men you would want on your sports team.
7 & a minister! I'll bet he'll want to inspect the cookies too!
These rules are NOT Biblical. They sound like a bunch of Jews, making rules about everything. Control, control, control.
Sad, but true. I think the PCG fear is that the brethren will begin to become close, start questioning doctrine, treatment, ministry, amongst themselves and leave- to fellowship and keep the Sabbath among themselves. Also, any events outside the church that are more than 7 required a minister’s knowledge and approval. We used go out in larger than 7 groups (Like minded friends) … no snitches invited and just not tell them. Glad to be away from that control.
How did they keep the Night to be Much Observed with this rule? Congregations only have so many ministers. Does PCG only have all-congregation dinners?
Quite bizarre. I surprised they didn’t pass a rule that you were only allowed 7 sheets of toilet paper per sitting, in that little room out the back lol. Dan I just wanted to vomit on reading this. Yes sir, it is all about control. The Law was still in effect in pcog, and ruled, damn grace and mercy and that inconvenient gospel of Jesus Christ. Sad reading. Cheers.
Be fair- the minister was probably only trying to cadge a meal😳🤡
Be fair—the minister was probably only trying to cadge a meal 🤡
It's the same here with the Living Church of God LCG. Whenever we had dinner parties at the FOT a minister always had to be there. One time it was Jeff Fall, another year it was Dexter Wakefield, and so on. If they just link up and join us informally for a nice evening then that's fine, but not as an oberleutnant or a gruppenführer. There was a nice lady here who had women in the community meet up in her home a few times a month, and they would have sisterly lunches and Bible studies, yes according to LCG teachings. Well now, the ministers told her she could not have her visits with the ladies without a minister being there and without their approval. So good for her she left LCG and attends another Church of God that is not controlling and insecure freaky type. I wonder what our LCG brothers and sisters and gauleiters think about that.
Oh dear.......my son and wife with 7 children don't PCg qualify.
I am so so glad that I left the PCG. When I look back on it they are ALL about control. Always making rules to protect their money and lifestyle. Gotta keep those blinders on the members. So sad they do this in the name of religion. I remember rule of 7 well.
Sad reading some of the comments above, about the control these groups exercise. No wonder they are dying. Cannot come quick enough. Feel sorry for those still trapped within these cults. I had a Rabbi tell me never let a Rabbi tell you how to live. I was surprised. He had insight there that many leaders within Christian and Jewish communities miss. Jesus came that we might have life more abundantly, not control. Cheers.
I've been consistently amazed by experiences that normal people have, and how they differ from my imprisonment in the old Armstrong concentration camps. Years ago, I was invited to a party at one of my female coworkers homes. When I walked in, I was kind of blown away to see that she had invited the nuns from her church. They turned out to be the life of the party!
During my tenure in the WCG, I believed and practiced the doctrines. But I avoided the ministers like the plague. I don't believe God created us to respond well to micro-supervision or arbitrary authority. It was like having an extra layer of cops in one's life.
Of course Rabbi and other ministers can't tell members how to live. They've never had real jobs and next to no training regarding marriage problems and similar. My imposed "counseling sessions" took the form of the sky is blue and water is wet. The ministers got their jollies by pretending that I was a village idiot. At the time I felt I was talking to a teenager, and believed that I should be the one doing the counseling. My ministers were knuckleheads.
Thatall followed the rule is the most telling thing of all. Did the rule envisage children being present?
Sounds like the rules in the "Postman" movie. Except law 7 - anyone can challenge for the leadership of the clan. But then again maybe it's in the perfect place .
Announcing the death of a member at services is not appropriate because it's the Sabbath, BUT going out to a restaurant is????? I always knew Flurry et al was messed up, but sheesh....
Maybe this rule shows how liberal PCG really is.
After all, Jesus said: "where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)
I'm a member of LCG, and have been for many, many years. I've never heard of that. We often get together with more than 7 for dinner after church, and sometimes that many or more at the Feast. No minister has ever told us we had to have a minister present at dinner. Are you sure the minister wasn't invited by one of the many attending the dinner? I have heard rumors about not having Bible studies without a minister present, but I don't know anything about that for sure.
That's another thing, 9:15! These idiots have a history of using the Sabbath as excuse, or cover for their most unChristisn acts! Like the parents who make their children hate ice cream, they fomented hatred for the Sabbath. They are f*@€ing up their own stuff, and then blaming those who take a few steps away!
A few weeks before TNTBMO, there is a sign up sheet, and you and your family would put your name on it if you were not hosting or immediately invited. Then, if you were not invited to a home within a week or so, you were “assigned” by a minister or a deacon with the minister’s approval to a Host’s home, that had room, or who’s guest list was short. For many, because of cliques and the lack of Agape,- had to drive hours in traffic away from a closer host because that host nearby had a full house (again cliques) which gave the host their numbers of approved guests. A lot of those people sadly were the elderly, single parents with children, the disabled, poorer brethren and large families with babies and toddlers. So much for godly love and concern. It didn’t matter to them. Brethren don’t matter. Agape doesn’t matter. Numbers do.
Hey, In the business world, the executive picks up the tab for the lunch or business meeting over which he presides, Are we to assume that the minister picked up the tab for these meals from his expense account, or did Flurry make the brethren pay for the miniter's tab???7 Uh, the minister he ordered?
No need to answer. We all know the answer to this rhetorical question.
It is a well known fact that having more than 7 people in a group exponentially increases the risk that stupid rules and rulers will be discussed.
5:07 sounds not unlike the FOT ie mandating people travel far away from home to spend time and money basically to support the COG ministry even though it’s done under the guise of “obeying God” when in fact they’re obeying man—particularly the government of cult leader HWA and his cultish traditions to control his people.
Just goes to show that claiming to be Church of God doesn't make it so.
The PCG Rule of 7 -- so if a family consists of 8 or more people, they cannot even eat together without a minister?
I have heard of similar nonsense from ministers saying that people could not get together to study the Bible without a minister present. So how can any Christian learn unless they read the Bible and discuss it with others? Ministers are not so numerous that we can just invite one over when we want a Bible study.
UCG has a rule that you can't have a bible study at home with other members without a minister present. A few years back we were having regular bible studies with friends and someone higher up found out, told us we couldnt do them anymore without a minister there.
As mentioned in a Comment I made on the "Why I am Ex-PCG" Post, the WCG, as bad as it was, was never as extreme as some of the Splinter ACOGs appear to be. Flurry's PCG (which is supposed to be the Church of brotherly love), shows ZERO brotherly love. Separation or shunning of family members was never, to my knowledge, practiced by WCG. The fraud Dave Pack's Common theft doctrine was never a belief or practiced by R/WCG.
Here is another extreme example that was never preached or practiced by the parent R/WCG. The PCG Rule of 7. I know firsthand because my family frequently hosted the Night To Be Much Observed (Remembered) in the 1970s when local WCG Washington/Baltimore congregations became too large to have NTBMO together - all in one venue. There were about 1,200 brethren between the two congregations. The Church decided to break down the NTBMO into smaller groups at members' homes. My recollection was between 10-20 members in our home WITHOUT a WCG minister present. We did have a deacon and wife attend (Roger and Kay), but that was our family's choice as they were very good friends of our family.
As stated, the parent R/WCG, as bad as it was, was never as extreme as some of the Splinter ACOGs appear to be. The PCG Rule of 7 is a man-made absurdity. What does the PCG church executives have to fear?
Richard
True Richard.
Some idiots here used comments directed at PCG to lash out at HWA and Armstrongism in general. They seem to have no clue of the level of malice PCG leadrrship has heaped upon their members. It's diabolic. It cannot be compared to anything bad that may have occured in WCG.
Ok Dave Pack might be the worst thief. Yet I doubt even Pack has wrecked as many families so completely and teared apart so many.. PCG leadership is contemptible.A despicable charade of evil characters, Hailing from drunken runts and suicidal bloodlines they have completely failed in even attempting to create balance or even goodness on earth.
They deserve to be eradicated and have their bones exposed to the sun so at least their vermin kin may enjoy the foul smell of their entrails filled with their disgusting extra biblical soul destroying dogma.
Nck
Re: What does the PCG church executives have to fear?
What they fear is the reflection of their empty dark Satanic souls as compared to normal human behavior and social interaction.
They cannot help it but protect themselves from ordinary light as even a riple of witnessing normal interaction between humans would cause extreme damage to the darkness of their inner world. They are so fearful they must seek approval for any normal non evil decision with their Satanic superiors since they are weak men. They are not even men because they cannot protect their families and especially rheir wives from the evil curses and diseases that are heaped upon them. And they cannot understand why. It is the Universe fighting back, seeking compensation, seeking balance for the havoc they cause.
Nck
If HWA were alive today, the rules these stricter COGs have adapted would redefine him as Laodicean!
BB
Post a Comment