tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226103369043606765.post1849435022979736733..comments2024-03-28T01:47:50.775-07:00Comments on Banned by HWA! News and Observations About Armstrongism and the Church of God Movement: Dennis On COG Summer CampNO2HWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018654662518613623noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226103369043606765.post-80867387045475811722013-06-24T10:04:25.868-07:002013-06-24T10:04:25.868-07:00I just talked to my sister who helped set up camp ...I just talked to my sister who helped set up camp at Loch Lomond.<br /><br />She said she's glad there were none of those asswipes there who later formed the UCG.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226103369043606765.post-26464092328095244412013-06-24T08:24:17.041-07:002013-06-24T08:24:17.041-07:00Dennis, your second paragraph, IMO, is the takeawa...Dennis, your second paragraph, IMO, is the takeaway we would all hope that the brave people from Flurry and Pack's groups would glean from visiting here. <br /><br />Flurryism and Packism are much more extreme than the Armstrongism under which I attended summer camp, and therefore, the potential for permanent damage and setback on journey, is far greater. Those two hosers (as our Canadian friends would say), have reinvented HWA's teachings, amplified them, and have become distorted caricatures, Pharisees' Pharisees, if you will. And they are actually proud of it and point to it as a sign that they are the anointed one.<br /><br />I think in some ways, the WCG used SEP as an advance screening process for Ambassador College. I know for a fact that files were developed on the campers, because during "work week" I was on the janitorial crew, and charged with dusting the executive offices. While dusting a desk, I became aware of a stack of "swat reports", and though I knew it was "wrong" to read them, my curiosity overwhelmed me. And, I got caught by my crew supervisor, the late John Robinson, who chastised me, but then inexplicably sat down and began reading them himself! We got a good laugh out of one of the reports. Three campers had received swats for "Causing an offensive odor at the movies, i.e. passing gas". The number of swats has faded from my memory, but just imagine having this on your permanent record! I also remember the names of these campers, and I can assure you, they never made it to AC!<br /><br />Sometimes, it's easy to get caught up in the fun we all have here from time to time, and to forget the very serious predicaments, and horrendous tolls being paid right now, in real time, by the people still "in the system". I appreciate your words today, because they are of a nature where they will help us to refocus!<br /><br />BBByker Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15602697337552385535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226103369043606765.post-54681435850163767752013-06-24T03:58:38.027-07:002013-06-24T03:58:38.027-07:00Note: While my writing style has a passive aggres...Note: While my writing style has a passive aggressive element to it the intent is to help sincere folk who find themselves seeking meaning , as do we all, in COGs that are less than stellar in their encouragement of inquiry.<br /><br />A "minister" like Dave Pack hurts people in their journey. While we can kid about it, the "send it in," "pull big triggers," "I mean ten , twenty, fifty or a hundred thousand dollars," "seel your home," "give your estate NOW!" and the abuse of women as having no say in their family finances is simply wrong and borders on criminal.<br /><br />Perhaps I gave Armstrong and Tkach passes on their own ridiculous self views or enforced theology, but I can't do that anymore. I'd be happy to see others of you write on this blog and encourage others in their journey no matter where they are in it.<br /><br />Encouragement should actually be encouraging to the one needed encouragement is my view of ministry. There is nothing encouraging or even inspiring about these one man ego centric shows. They are ultimately dangerous to body, mind, finances and spirit. The victims of it call and write me for help and understanding and by nature , I am a helper with tendencies to defend the underdog in an unfair situation.<br /><br />I don't like what "helpers of their joy" like a Gerald Flurry or a Dave Pack stand for or how they go about pretending to minister. I don't intend to give them a pass on their delusions theological or otherwise. <br /><br />Ultimately what does it matter? Not much maybe but it helps me process my own experience and perhaps gives a bit of meaning where it is missing in helping others wake up , trust their own instincts and views and set boundries for these vampire theologians to respect or else.<br /><br />thanks for listening.<br /><br />amenDennisCDiehlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10417850852638492246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226103369043606765.post-61945129664513620882013-06-23T19:56:47.121-07:002013-06-23T19:56:47.121-07:00You hit the nail on the head Dennis. As parents w... You hit the nail on the head Dennis. As parents we thought we were sendig our kids to a" godly" environment. it was nauseating to discover the experience to be the anthisis of that for one child at such an impressionable age. I'd suggest the scouts!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226103369043606765.post-28552693454222721202013-06-23T17:11:23.988-07:002013-06-23T17:11:23.988-07:00They may be gulags, but at SEP, the instructors ne...They may be gulags, but at SEP, the instructors never got the upper hand. This reversed itself for those later entering Ambassador college, but at SEP, the rebels always ruled!<br /><br />BBByker Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15602697337552385535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226103369043606765.post-12409775881873859432013-06-23T15:27:26.345-07:002013-06-23T15:27:26.345-07:00Everyone knows that religious summer camps are jus...Everyone knows that religious summer camps are just gulags of indoctrination. If, as a parent, it's indoctrination to something you're already indoctrinated with, then it's just "training up your child in the way that he should go." You can dress it up with archery and games, but that's just a pretext for the boring stuff. I bet all the COG kids look forward to going, because they remember the fun stuff, then they get there and remember all the indoctrination, and it's face-palm time. "Oh no!" I forgot about THE ZONE!!!"Head Ushernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226103369043606765.post-30296644215333345242013-06-23T15:13:07.924-07:002013-06-23T15:13:07.924-07:00Arbeit macht frei: Davey's Youth Camps (some m...Arbeit macht frei: Davey's Youth Camps (some may die!).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226103369043606765.post-70911812736556221622013-06-23T15:12:01.819-07:002013-06-23T15:12:01.819-07:00The counselors at camp were far more lenient and l...The counselors at camp were far more lenient and less brutal with the corporal punishment than were my parents, so I really enjoyed the three summers I spent at SEP as a camper. A goodly number of the students with whom I developed friendships later turned up at Ambassador College.<br /><br />But there were some negatives. In enough cases to cause concern, students with illnesses or disabilities were thought by the administration to be either goofing off, or laying some sort of con to get out of undesirable activity, like let's say early morning calisthenics and running. I was terrified when an asthmatic camper who had fallen way behind, was commanded under threat of "swats" to stop wheezing, and to keep up with the rest of the group, or when one of my booth mates with a bad case of flu was forced to run the 600 yard run that was the "before" part of before and after testing. Neither was an injured back from waterskiing considered to be worthy of any additional consideration, as another friend found out. The three times a day trek from booth city to the old redwood tabernacle for meals damn near killed him. And, then there was the guy who travelled poorly, somehow becoming very constipated on the bus enroute to Texas. The second day of camp, he saw the nurse, and was given all manner of fruits known to alleviate this sort of condition, as everyone prayed for him for days. Unfortunately, natures call came in the middle of sabbath services, and when he asked his authority-loving monitor's permission to go to the restroom, it was refused. You guessed it! There was a rather explosive accident, and he had to be carried out, thus causing a much greater disruption than there would have been if he had simply been allowed to go to the restroom.<br /><br />Kids did what kids do. Making out with the fairer sex, and getting busted, smoking, racing motorboats checked out for fishing, hopping a freight train to escape camp, the inevitable shaving cream fights, vicious teasing, stealing ice cream, furtively keeping up with "Satan's" music on the top 40, and there were incidents of amusement with flatulence due to the cafeteria's bad habit of regularly serving up beans.<br /><br />I think that in many cases, the parents of the campers had unreasonable expectations that if their child could only be exposed to God's ministers, God's counselors, other youth from the church, and God's Imperial Schools students, it would end up being some sort of transformational experience, and in most cases, that just didn't pan out. A lot of duplicitousness was learned, and in many cases, the relatively small number of kids who appeared to have gotten with the program were considered to be "kissies" or rats.<br /><br />I really can't imagine that indoctrinating teenagers has become any easier in the intervening decades, but to the extent that they enjoy the water activities, archery, hiking, camping, horseback riding, and friendships, it won't be a total waste. <br /><br />BB<br /><br />Byker Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15602697337552385535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226103369043606765.post-9236165888262089842013-06-23T14:25:34.465-07:002013-06-23T14:25:34.465-07:00May thee who have not ever touched thyself in the ...May thee who have not ever touched thyself in the shower , cast the first soap. <br /><br />Joe Moeller <br />Cody, WY Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08762918803284340960noreply@blogger.com