Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
Bob seems oblivious to the obnoxious and this absolutely horribly produced and presented screed on the horrors of observing Valentine's Day. Of course, we would expect this just as we would expect "God Hates Football" that will precede the Super Bowl. Would it ever cross his mind to review it and conclude, "No, that sucks. Let me try again"
God forbid, well evidently He does, expressing love, appreciation, and emotions towards those one actually loves. He loves to be worshipped, praised, prayed to, obeyed, and paid, but a day He didn't think up expressing love towards those loved, and not Himself, not so much.
Pagan religion is more real, fondly memorable, and very much more fun
Bob's God needs to lighten up...
And too...someone needs to explain to Bob the Babylonian, Sumerian, Assyrian and Canaanite origins of the Hebrew spun Old Testament practices and beliefs he carries over into his version of Jewish Christianity. Judaism and the God of the Old Testament did not spring from the vacuum of itself no matter how the tales are told.
Other than the miraculous birth of Bob Thiel, which was planned before the foundations of the world had been set so that he could bring about redemption to the faithful in the end times, there is no other date in Church of God history as significant as December 7.
EDMOND—On the Sabbath of December 4, thousands of Philadelphia Church of God members around the globe marked the December 7 anniversary of the founding of the Church.
In Edmond, Evangelist Stephen Flurry gave a sermonette reviewing the history and accomplishments of the “32-year miracle” of the Church. His father, Pastor General Gerald Flurry, delivered a sermon about Bible prophecy and the radical political movement to revolutionize the government of the United States.
The 32-year-old miracle came about because Lil'Stevie read his daddy's plagiarized Malachi's Message while camping at Robber's Cave, Oklahoma. The earth stopped at this moment, just like when Bob Thiel was born, as God's mighty plan was put into place.
Gerald Flurry always fails to mention how he was disfellowshipped for insubordination which removes his ordination rank in the church. A church that he was essentially a nobody in.
December 7 was the beginning of a spiritual war that the true church has supposedly been fighting, all thanks to Gerald Flurry and HWA. For some reason, they left Bob Thiel out. What a bummer!
“This day serves as a reminder to all of us that we are to be persistent in this spiritual war,” Ohio prospective member Adam Williams said, “and to never give up believing in God’s Word, like Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Flurry.”
December 7 marks the date that Mr. Flurry and his assistant, Preaching Elder John Amos, were fired from the Worldwide Church of God for remaining loyal to the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong and Mr. Flurry’s manuscript that would become Malachi’s Message. The Church has since raised up the ruins with 32 years of a Bible prophecy magazine; 29 years of youth camp, 28 years of a Bible prophecy radio/television program; 20 years of college; 18 years of holding copyrights to 19 books and booklets by Mr. Armstrong, including Mystery of the Ages; and 13 years of a K-12 schooling; as well as regional offices, personal appearance campaigns, a corporate airplane and other milestones. Philadlphia Church of God Celebrates 32 Years
The Philadelphia Church of God has an article up by Joel Hilliker about being single in the church.
Here are some of the convoluted beliefs of the PCG:
What is your big goal in life? Like it or not, for true Christians, the answer is family.
We are destined to be born into the God Family as Gods! Our entire lives today are meant to prepare us for that future—to teach us to become more and more like God!
Righteous character is God’s greatest, most magnificent creation—His masterpiece! And He is working on that masterpiece within you. However, this requires your acquiescence, your full cooperation, your total submission. That is what makes it so challenging for Him.
Your part in allowing God to create His character is your greatest, noblest challenge!
Physical human families are the first thing God uses. Physical family is one of His most powerful tools for destroying human nature and helping us grow in godly character.
The Church family is a fantastic way to crush your human nature and get you ready for the God Family! Those in the Church are people with whom God wants you regularly practicing His love!
Confront the shallow notion that “single” is opposite of “family.” God is preparing you for eternal family life—and He wants to use your experience as a single in His Church to help in that process!
Your spiritual family provides you unique opportunities to confront your carnality and to build righteous thinking and godly character.
The women in the Church—the women you date—are sisters first! “First of all, she’s a sister—a member of the Family of God! The Family of God comes first!
Mr. Flurry continues, “Do you fellows look upon the woman you want to marry as a sister? Is she really like a sister to you, spiritually? Or do you just skip over that part?”
Dating is a service—an act of giving to the family. It is a way of providing companionship to brothers and sisters in Christ. When you serve in this way, you are drawing those you date closer into the spiritual family and enriching their experience within God’s Church. And on top of that, you are also taking a hammer to your own selfishness! You are becoming more like God! ‘Single’ Is Not the Opposite of ‘Family’
As with all things in Armstrongism, the goal is to look inward to the closed system instead of outward to the world, bringing the kingdom into a reality one person at a time.
Recently Gerald Flurry declared a fast in order to force his god into allowing the Philadelphia Church of God to open a new institute in Israel. That fast was a deliberate attempt to force the god of Flurryism to do what Flurry wants, after all, "he is Eliakim and that God gives him “extra authority to open and shut doors”; that he is a father to the inhabitants of Judah, and that God has a work for him to do in Israel."
It is always so delightful to watch these self-appointed fools leading COG's today get their comeuppance.
Concerning the November 21 letter “Members Fasting Today / GF’s Need for New Stimulation,” it looks like God may have responded to their fast.
GF said in his co-worker letter [see November 8 and November 13 letters above] that he wanted to make sure God is behind what they had decided to do.
First of all, he said that he already decided to start his Armstrong Mazar Institute in Jerusalem, rather than seek God’s will on this fast day. He wanted to make sure God was behind his decision and, in other words, he wanted to petition God to get in line and back his decision.
It seems God has responded with a big fat NO! Within a few days of their fast, an omicron [i.e., small] variant of the coronavirus was identified, and now Israel has shut their borders! How will they do this work in Judah that they keep going on about?
As Flurry stated in his December 5, 2019 co-worker letter, referring to Isaiah 22:20-22, that he is Eliakim and that God gives him “extra authority to open and shut doors”; that he is a father to the inhabitants of Judah, and that God has a work for him to do in Israel.
Never mind the fact that he thought the first building was the “open door”; then that fell through so he switched to another building and when that, too, fell through, he said there was no building and that the relationship with David Be’eri was the open door.
Once coronavirus hit the scenes, he was shut out of Israel and his work came to a stop there. Once again, he’s trying to dupe his followers into thinking that God is opening up Israel for him.
It is clear to even “blind Freddy” that God is not with the PCG, that God is not supporting their work, that God is not answering their prayers and that Gerald Flurry is a mere weak man with no authority to do anything in Israel. History has proven this and history tells us that he will never to do a work in Israel and his followers are deluded to believe so.
It is time for people to wake up to the fact that there is no open door and that Flurry and his goons are con artists and scammers. They have no interest in doing anything for God. They are simply in it for themselves. There is no reward for those who follow him. –M.K.
It is Thanksgiving here in America where people celebrate the freedoms that allow them access to so much they can be thankful for.
Sadly, for some pretend COG leaders and self-appointed spokesmen, this day is not one that should be celebrated and if you do, you must REFUSE to participate in the Satanic observance of turning on your television and watching Satan's minions play football while being cheered on by scantly clad cheerleaders who are leading the men of God astray.
Where would we be without these hypocritical loudmouths with their endless spiel of pharisaical diarrhea?
Today, God's most highly chosen man from the entire history of Christianity is once more getting his homeopathic knickers in a knot. His very first paragraph is one whiny little bitch-fest of negativity:
Today is the national holiday in the USA called Thanksgiving. And despite certain claims, its specific origins are not pagan. But, of course, no Christian needs to celebrate national holidays like it if they do not wish to (cf. Romans 14). And the Bible does condemn gluttony. And with COVID-9 this year, government officials have warned about family gatherings.
I have never seen God's most amazing prophet ever decry the gluttony of members at the Feast of Tabernacles, at church picnics, or at the annual COG Christmas Party Weekends. Like many in the COG those are times of a foretaste of the kingdom to come and members should enjoy themselves to their best ability.
One thing that I have noticed on the day called Thanksgiving by those in the USA, is when I have been at many other places than the home I lived in, American football has been playing on television.
For many, other than food and family, football is a major focus of the Thanksgiving holiday for many in the USA.
The heavenly realm is weeping at this very thought right now!
The Chosen One then goes on to quote President Obama and others about their concerns over tackle football and then whines that real Christians should not be endorsing it.
He even goes on to quote that other authority on everything, Herbert Armstrong.
Football (American football) is a violent body-contact sport. It is often played with an attitude of hostility and is dangerous and is fraught with physical injury. (Plain Truth, July-August 1984)
Wherever a game in sports involves ANTAGONISTS–in HOSTILE ATTITUDE to harm the other and/or to “GET” from the other–to get the best of the other–then a harmful, Satanic and evil attitude enters in, and the sport is EVIL, not good…football,
(American football)…because football is such a violent body contact sport, it TOO OFTEN is played in an ATTITUDE OF HOSTILITY, and is too DANGEROUS and fraught with PHYSICAL INJURY . Therefore it must be BANNED so far as participation by God’s Church or people is concerned…This is sufficient to illustrate the application of the PRINCIPLE of God’s Law to sports. That participated in with an attitude of HOSTILITY toward the opponent is evil. That which HARMS mentally or physically an opponent is evil.
Satan is the author of COMPETITION based on hostility, harm to the opponent, GETTING by taking FROM an opponent–to his harm or loss. God’s way is LOVE TOWARD neighbor equal to love of self. (Armstrong HW. Not all sports are banned. Pastor General’s Report, Volume 2, Issue 36, September 5, 1980)
And yet, Herbert watched American football, soccer, "professional" wrestling, and the Lakers basketball games, all of which are filled with attitudes of hostility and vile satanic COMPETITION which TAKES from the opponent. The hypocrisy of COG leaders is appalling but never shocking.
The so-called doubly-blessed apostate then ends with this as he accuses all who watch football of being Laodicean.
...many (including Laodicean Christians) are too selfish to stop watching and encouraging the playing of American tackle football.
Christians should give God thanks, but not encourage violence in sports like American tackle football.
Everything in this world is Laodicean to these pathetic whiny little men leading Churches of God today. "Laodicean" is the favorite perjorative of COG leaders, falsely so-called.
COG members were given brains so they could make their own decisions WITHOUT any of the spiritually bankrupt diarrhea that currently flows from the self-appointed leaders of COGdom today.
So give thanks for your blessings, enjoy your family and friends, enjoy good food and enjoy a game of football on television or in person. God isn't going to turn his back on you if you do, even if these whiny men say otherwise.
I was just cleaning my desk out and found an old CD of one of Dave's sermons. I miss Dave, so I had to play it.
What did Dave have to say? He asked do you know what makes God's church different than all the other Christian churches? We obey all that God commands us to do including obeying the traditions established by the righteous servant and apostle Herbert Armstrong.
He then went on to explain that a number of ministers and members had left the church in the last two weeks. One of the ministers was found to be quite bad in his conduct but Dave and headquarters never knew.
To fix this situation from never happening again, he went on to quote Paul who told the brethren to mark them that are disorderly and sow division. This is a command the THEY have to obey he told them, even if that person is a minister.
It only takes one quick glance into the RCG to see who is perpetrating great disorder and division.
For the past 10 years the "all brethren reunited" and "greatest story never told" series has amounted to at least half of all of those sermons being either completely thrown away or completely reinterpreted. I would say that is division.
For the past 10 years Dave has defined himself as the person or role fulfillment of at least a dozen named individuals in the Bible. That means 12 people just got kicked out of the Bible to make way for Dave. I would call that division.
How many marriages, how many families and how many homes did Dave divide in half for his take of the money via "Common"? That is called division.
How many people were terminated, excommunicated and publicly humiliated for calling out his lies? That is disorder.
Who has unashamedly led his membership on a wild farcical Adventist ride that has been nothing short of shameful? That is a disorder which creates much disorder.
According to the master, prophesy is an "enigma" and an "obscure saying". So, I suppose this means that God was simply drawing our attention to these enigmas for the last six years, not actually solving them through His chosen apostle of glory. Huh, you still get disfellowshipped for respectful disagreement with his interpretations. I'm confused, is God's authority behind His word or the man He so obviously has chosen? Interesting times.
Also of note, shout it to the whole world... we are "swimming in metrics"... we are IN the season of the anti-christ. But not to worry, 100 Billion people will soon be resurrected to face the judgment of David C Pack in a 75 day window in an environment of paradise.
We are left to ponder the addition of a new glass to the table and an ominous question mark indicating its time signification.
A personal note: I know most of the people sitting in that hall, attending these insane Bible studies. They are in a hopelessly trapped position, unable to speak anything that would even remotely undermine the authority of the series while at the same time planning Church events months into the future, ie into a time which they are duty bound to believe and speak as though will be a time of prophetic fulfillment.Many of these individuals/couples/families have liquidated their assets and given the proceeds to the Church. They now live in homes owned by the Church and they derive their household income from the Church. One misstep or misspeak and they lose it all... they're out on the street with nothing. They have fallen into a trap that is very difficult to get out of. Pack has them right where he needs them, constantly lending their credibility to the derangement of the RCG with no ability to escape.
Let’s see… the archaeology is being undertaken by Zionist extremists, the City of David Foundation and Christian Zionist students at an unaccredited college of the Church of God, under the leadership of Eilat Mazar, who holds a Bible in one hand while she digs with the other.
Is it any wonder that the excavation comes up with the oddball proclamations they do, when they involve such one-eyed zealots? Unfortunately, their utterly unfounded proclamations are then uncritically accepted by an ignorant and profit-driven mainstream media, a gullible Christian public, and an equally gullible and also nationalistic Israeli public.
Given such a widespread dissemination of misinformation, it is well worth pointing out the highly suspect groups behind the dig, the routine failure to apply accepted archaeological method, and the completely fanciful and wishful nature of their identifications of archaeological sites with biblical stories.
Why is it that Armstrongism has so many bloviating fools who think they are authorities on everything and that they need to "educate" the world? The world is too dumb to understand things and certain COG leaders feel the need to run off at the mouth about how they think things should be.
Gerald Flurry in his attempt to imitate Herbert Armstrong, searched for years to establish a connection in Israel in order for his HWA College students could participate in an archeological dig like the Ambassador College students participated in in the 1970s. He soon found that person to work with, Dr. Eilat Mazar, in various digs in Jerusalem.
There is a huge archeological park in Jerusalem called the City of David and has been the site of archeological digs since the 1800s. Flurry was anxious to get this college and church involved in the digs there:
Before she died this past May 25, we had worked for years with archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar in and around the City of David and had developed a very close relationship with her. (If you don’t have one, we would be happy to send you a free copy of our latest Watch Jerusalem magazine, which we devoted entirely to Dr. Mazar and her findings.) There are some very talented archaeologists in the world, especially in Jerusalem, but I believe Dr. Mazar will be remembered as one of the greatest archaeologists of all time.
A few years ago, we reached out to Dr. Mazar to see if she could arrange a meeting for us with David Be’eri. Mr. Be’eri established the City of David Foundation and is renovating the City of David archaeological park. His foundation also purchases properties and owns a lot of real estate in the City of David. He is quite an authority over that area, and we wanted to see if we could talk with him to understand his plans for future archaeological excavations, when those would occur and who would be involved. We have always felt that excavation of the palace of David is incomplete. We wanted to help finish it, and we wanted to see if Mr. Be’eri and others were thinking the same way.
Flurry makes it sound like the folks doing the archeological digs there were too stupid to understand what was under their feet. However, as you can see in this video they are well aware of what is there.
Flurry continues:
We really wanted Dr. Mazar’s support, but she wasn’t totally comfortable with helping us arrange a meeting and did not want to accompany us. We prayed about it and tried hard to persuade her, but she remained unmoved.
But then, in February 2019, I visited Jerusalem. We met with Dr. Mazar and talked with her for probably an hour—and we saw her totally change her mind. She was now pleased for us to meet with Mr. Be’eri and arranged the meeting for us!
We met Mr. Be’eri at his office the following day. We quickly saw that he is a mover and a shaker in Jerusalem, even more than we were expecting. He trained with the Israeli commandos in the famous 1976 raid in Entebbe, Uganda, where 100 Jewish hostages were freed. One of the other commandos, the only one who was killed, was Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu’s brother. Mr. Be’eri is still close with Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr. Be’eri has accomplished some wonderful things in the City of David archaeological park. As part of his job, he goes to wealthy people and asks them to support his work in the City of David. When they ask, What’s in it for us? he tells them, I want to give you something that will give more meaning to your life. What a beautiful and noble answer! This man sincerely seeks to bring Christians and Jews and everybody else together. He even has a working relationship with archaeologist Israel Finkelstein, who disagrees quite a bit with Dr. Mazar’s findings and has serious doubts about David and Solomon’s presence in the City of David and on the Ophel. But Mr. Be’eri is a strong man, like Zadok, who was a warrior before he became a priest. He tells it like it is, and it’s refreshing to meet somebody like that.
We showed him pictures of Herbert W. Armstrong’s involvement with Prof. Benjamin Mazar and his meetings with Israeli prime ministers and presidents. He told us he expected excavations at David’s palace to resume in two years (this was before COVID-19 brought everything to a standstill in Israel). At that time, he told us Dr. Mazar would be the one doing the digging. And since Dr. Mazar said previously that she would not dig without Herbert W. Armstrong College participation, we hoped that we would be involved in this dig at the City of David.
But things have been in a holding pattern for some time because of coronavirus lockdowns. Then when Dr. Mazar died this past spring, we wondered how that would further affect things.
On the surface having an opportunity for his college students to participate in a dig is a worthwhile project, but being that Flurry is a megalomaniac COG leader, he has a deeper motive and that is to insert his biblical interpretations into what he thinks should be said about the archeological excavations. He also sees this as a prime opportunity to gain a footing in Jerusalem so that they are center stage when the battle of Armageddon happens and the two witless witnesses (always COG members - most likely Bob Thiel and Laura Weinland) will be preaching the message of Herbert Armstrong in the streets of Jerusalem. This will be the message that Herbert supposedly restored and not too much about Christ.
Flurry sees this as his mission now to dump hundreds of thousands of dollars in tithe money into establishing his presence in Jerusalem, because once again, he deems the Israelies too stupid to understand their own archeology. They need the COG version of archeology.
Of course, we want to be involved in this next phase of ongoing excavations in the City of David and would like to get there as soon as possible! We are working even now to visit Israel so we can meet and discuss how we can assist. But when great doors like this open, there is always great opposition. I’d like to ask that you be praying and fasting about this potential opportunity.
I believe that we are going to be moving more and more into Jerusalem to get involved in a dig very soon.
Israel is experiencing a lot of bad news these days. Many Israelis are in despair about their nation’s future. But there is a message of great hope in their own archaeology— and we want to do all we can to share this great hope!
I believe we can and must use ARCHAEOLOGY as a means of reaching the cities of Judah. Because we understand and believe the Bible, we can add incredible meaning to the archaeology of Jerusalem and Israel!
Flurry claims he will not be proselytizing with any of Herbert's theology and just wants to let the stones speak for themselves. We all know that is a lot of deceptive crap. Or maybe not, considering how Herbert Armstrong himself was too embarrassed to discuss Jesus Christ and could only talk about " a strong hand from someplace". Flurry is the same way. He can talk about Irish dance, Herbert's coronation stone, British Israelism, and loads of other non-essential crap, but rarely is Jesus ever mentioned.
During our meeting, Mr. Be’eri gave us approval to give tours of Dr. Eilat Mazar’s archaeological discoveries in the City of David and on the Ophel. We explained to him that we do not intend to proselytize or preach, that we simply want to take the history as it is recorded in the Hebrew Bible and put it alongside the archaeology. To use the words of Dr. Mazar, we simply want to “let the stones speak.” He agreed, and in essence supported us taking this message of Dr. Mazar to the cities of Judah.
Never fear though, the great Savior from Oklahoma, the anointed King of the Church of God and owner of the very throne that Christ will return to, is setting up a new foundation to educate Israel on how things should be:
For many years, I have talked with our Jerusalem department about the need for a new archaeological institute in Jerusalem. Based on feedback we have received from Dr. Mazar and others in the world of biblical archaeology, this field is presently in deep trouble. Biblical archaeology as a field of study is not growing—it is rapidly shrinking. Some of the great biblical archaeologists and professors, like Eilat Mazar and Hershel Shanks, the founder of Biblical Archaeology Review, have recently died.
Worse than this, the spirit of secularism and intellectualism so prevalent in the world has crept into the field of biblical archaeology. There are still biblical archaeologists working today, and some are very good at what they do—but some simply don’t use the Bible enough. Many don’t give it enough credibility or view it as a true authority in their work. In addition, the number of young people getting into the field of biblical archaeology is diminishing. Many just don’t see a future in biblical archaeology.
I believe we need to take action to help solve this problem: There is a desperate need now for some sort of institute or organization to come on the scene and revive biblical archaeology! We need an institution that promotes the Bible as a credible and essential historical source in the practice of archaeology in Israel. More importantly, this institution needs to make biblical archaeology available to the largest audience possible—especially the people of Israel!
I am pleased to say, we are creating just such an institute!
We plan to call it the Armstrong-Mazar Institute of Biblical Archaeology. Right now, our Jerusalem team is creating the website for this new institute. As you are probably familiar with, we already operate watchJerusalem.co.il. Soon we will have two websites for Israel: one that focuses on news and prophecy, and the institute website, which will focus on archaeology.
Church of God archeology and interpretations of that history through the lens of a COG cult leader. This is a train wreck ready to happen!
Flurry is changing the name of his current Watch Jerusalem to a new name to reflect this new education program:
In addition, we are planning some major changes to our print magazine Watch Jerusalem. Starting with the January-February issue, the magazine will be renamed Let the Stones Speak. This will be the magazine of the new institute, and it will focus solely on biblical archaeology.
He then adds this blatant lie:
Let me repeat this point because it’s important: The purpose of this new institute is not to proselytize or convert. The goal is to connect archaeology and the Bible and to show people how much hope there is in archaeology!
This is nothing more than a way to promote Armstrongism, though it will be the PCG version of Armstrongism which bears little resemblance to anything Herbert said or did now that Flurry has rewritten everything.
The Church of God has sadly become a clown show with crazy leaders saying and doing crazy things. As the years go by and they get older, the craziness will intensify till they reach a snapping point and COG members will feel the brunt of that craziness.
Isaiah 40:9 says, “Get thee up into the high mountain” to proclaim this message. The City of David area is mountainous. One time we were in a vehicle trying to navigate through the cars in a parking lot. As Dr. Mazar was trying to turn, she pulled right up to a cliff where you could look down, and it was scary how far down the cliff went into the Valley of Jehoshaphat! I BELIEVE THE PLACE OF THE DIG—INCLUDING EVERYTHING HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG WAS INVOLVED IN AND EVERYTHING WE ARE DOING NOW—IS THIS “HIGH MOUNTAIN.”
Open your wallets and checkbooks, boys and girls! It's time to give Flurry some more money! New buildings need to be bought, display cases made, a room for a library needs to be built, and more.
If we are going to create an institute in Jerusalem, then we really need a building or some sort of office space. We need a space to display our exhibits and to office our staff, who will be producing the magazine and website, as well as engaging in important research. We need a space where people can come and book tours of ancient Jerusalem.
Here is another reason I believe we need some real estate in Jerusalem: This summer we purchased the combined library of Benjamin and Eilat Mazar! This is an incredible blessing for us and a huge sign from God! When a scholar dies, it’s not unusual for his or her research library to be consolidated and then sold at auction. Many institutions and wealthy collectors are prepared to pay good money to own the personal library of an esteemed scholar.
Needless to say, we were thrilled when Dr. Mazar’s family agreed to sell us her library—without it ever going to auction! When we first purchased the library, we believed we were receiving around 3,000 books. As it turns out, the number was closer to 4,000.
Like Herbert Armstrong, Bob Thiel, and Dave Pack, the need to be seen as important weighs heavily on these cult leaders.
That’s not all: In October, Mr. Nagtegaal was at the archaeology department at Hebrew University and noticed boxes upon boxes of books on archaeology and the Bible. We told him to inquire about these books and see if they were available for purchase. Hebrew University gave them all to us free! The number of books in this collection totaled around 4,000!
Last spring, our office in Jerusalem had maybe a hundred books on archaeology and the Bible. By August, that number had grown to 3,000, by September it was 4,000, and by the end of October it had grown to 8,000!
Do you think God wants us to start a biblical archaeology institute in Jerusalem? Owning the library of Prof. Benjamin Mazar and Dr. Eilat Mazar will provide a massive boost to our credibility! This library will be an important part of our institute.
As part of the purchase, there is a stipulation that the libraries must be accessible to the public. This will again necessitate a larger office presence for God’s Work in Jerusalem. God will have to show us how to do this. But it does seem He is telling us to put more emphasis on the archaeology message! Because maybe that is going to be at the heart of what we do from now on, in the most efficient way we possibly can.
Flurry goes on to say:
We have to realize, as Mr. Armstrong said: God’s Church is a miracle! The PCG is a miracle! You are a miracle! Everything this Church is doing in Edmond and around the world and in Jerusalem is a miracle of God! How else could you and I be doing what we are doing? God must really be involved in this Church!
This has to be so humiliating to Bob Thiel, shuttered away in a dingey little brick building in Central CA and relegated to the sub-continent of Africa instead of in Isreal where they heed to hear his message.
Things may not go too well with Flurry's newest escapade.
The foolishness of our current leaders in the COG is appalling.
There is one thing about Bwana Bob Thiel, the great savior of 299 Caucasian and 3,000 Africans, is that he is consistent in the fact Jesus is the most ignored Bible topic he never speaks about. There are hundreds of useless irrelevant articles on nothing but just plan crap that top his priority list for his few followers.
Here is the list of articles that he is bragging about that are now available in the Spanish language. Jesus is nowhere to be seen.
Not one single article talks about grace, justification, or sanctification. Not one single article about why none of the crap posts below would be worrying to any follower of Jesus. Not one single article about putting one's faith in things higher than the worthless crapfest of worrisome things he posts daily and that not one single person in Africa gives a rats ass about.
Jesus has always embarrassed Bob Thiel and a host of other COG leaders. They would rather play themselves as painted whores to the law than ever delight in being a follower of Jesus.
The Continuing Church of God continues to get additional materials translated into the Spanish language. Here are links to the latest news posts we received today:
‘Is Biden’s relationship with Europe beyond repair?’ ‘Está la relación de Biden con Europa más allá de toda reparación?
‘Gold Will Explode; The Dollar Will Implode When The Markets Figure This Out’ ‘El oro explotará; el dólar se desmoronará cuando los mercados entiendan esto’
BBC: Mass protests in Poland amid EU exit fears BBC: Masivas protestas en Polonia en medio de temores de salida de la UE
CG7-Denver member decried loss of doctrine Miembro de CG7-Denver condena pérdida de doctrina
ZH: “So Deeply, Deeply Wrong” – Lithuanian Without Vaccine Pass Describes Life Under Medical Tyranny ZH: “Tan profundamente, profundamente malo” – Lituanos sin pase de vacuna describen la vida bajo la tiranía médica
Evidence of the Great Flood from China Evidencia del Gran Diluvio desde China
DW: EU-UK trade war looming as Northern Ireland Protocol tensions hit boiling point DW: Guerra comercial UE-Reino Unido tejiéndose mientras tensiones por el Protocolo de Irlanda del Norte alcanzan el punto de ebullición
FT: Europeans Should “Prepare For Demographic Replenishment By Arabs And Asians” FT: Los europeos deberían “prepararse para reabastecimiento demográfico por árabes y asiáticos”
WND: Jonathan Cahn finds remarkable ‘harbinger’ in Afghanistan withdrawal WND: Jonathan Cahn encuentra notable ‘presagio’ en la retirada de Afganistán
JR: THE GREAT DEPRESSION OF 2021 JR: LA GRAN DEPRESIÓN DE 2021
Jewish perspective of the role of Christianity in God’s 6,000 year plan Perspectiva judía del papel del cristianismo en el plan de 6,000 años de Dios
First Baptist Pastor Alan Rudnik posted seven reasons he feels that a Christian should celebrate Halloween Primer Pastor Bautista Alan Rudnik publicó siete razones por las cuales él siente que un cristiano debería celebrar Halloween
Forbes’ article predicted 2020’s could be worst USA decade–it will get even worse than we have seen Artículo de Forbes predijo que los años 2020s serían la peor década de los EE.UU. – ella será incluso peor de lo que nosotros hemos visto
‘BREAKING NEWS: More Than A Dozen Shot, One Dead After Shootout In St. Paul Bar’ ‘BREAKING NEWS: Más de una docena de hridos por disparos, un muerto tras tiroteo en bar de San Paul’
UK and USA want more surveillance, yet do not consider them privacy invasions. What about 666? El Reino Unido y los EE.UU. desean más vigilancia, no obstante no consideran que ello sea invasiones a la privacidad. ¿Qué hay acerca de 666?
104th anniversary of the ‘miracle of the sun’ 104° aniversario del ‘milagro del sol’
‘China’s Xi Vows ‘Reunification’ with Taiwan, but Holds Off Threatening Force’ ‘Xi de China expresa votos por la ‘reunificación’ con Taiwan, pero rechaza amenazar con la fuerza’
Clean and unclean meat arguments, COVID, and scripture Discusiones sobre carnes limpias e inmundas, COVID, y la Escritura
NTEB: Yes, Bill Gates Is Working Around The Clock To Bring A Global Identification System Based On The COVID Immunity Passport To Every Nation On Earth NTEB: Sí, Bill Gates está trabajando contra el reloj para conseguir un sistema global de identificación basado en el Pasaporte de Inmunidad COVID para toda nación sobre la Tierra
The Hill: The real reason Biden is going to the COP26 climate summit The Hill: La verdadera razón por la que Biden va a ir a la cumbre climática COP26
WND: Catholicism’s ‘final trial’ before Jesus’ return? WND: ¿’Prueba final’ del catolicismo antes de que regrese Jesús?
CBS: Biden-Harris Administration unveils $1.75 trillion spending plan; PCG: When America Defaults, How Will Europe React?; COGwriter: PCG left out Habaakkuk CBS: Administración Biden-Harris revela plan de gastos por $1.75 trillones; PCG: Cuando América se quiebre, ¿Cómo reaccionará Europa?; COGwriter: PCG dejó por fuera a Habacuc
‘Vatican conference convenes experts to study early Christian history’ ‘Conferencia vaticana convoca expertos para estudiar la primera historia cristiana’
Metaverse and ‘Europe’s Digital Services Act: on a Collision Course With Human Rights’ Metaverse y Acta de Servicios Digitales de Europa: En curso de colisión con los derechos humanos
ZH: MEPs Protest “Oppressive” Vaccine Passports, Question Why “Political Elites Push This Agenda This Hard” ZH: MEPs protesta por “opresivos” pasaportes de vacuna, pregunta por qué las ‘élites políticas impulsan esta agenda tan fuertemente’
AP: UK’s Johnson warns of ‘doomsday’ as climate summit begins; BB: France Says Britain Must Be Punished for Brexit, Leaving EU Should be ‘More Damaging than Remaining’ AP: Johnson del Reino Unido advierte del ‘día del juicio final’ mientras comienza cumbre del clima; BB: Francia dice que Betraña debe ser castigada por Brexit, dejar la UE debería ‘ser más nocivo que quedarse’
YouTube censors: COVID-19: Eat what is good! Censuras de YouTube: COVID-19: ¡Coma lo que es bueno!
Joe Biden pledges to 2030 at COP26; Moshe Feiglin warns climate, like corona, is the ‘new paganism,’ Joe Biden se compromete para 2030 en COP26; Moshe Feiglin advierte que el clima, como el corona, es el ‘nuevo paganismo’
CBS: A potentially faster-spreading Delta variant, A Y.4.2, has been spotted in 8 states; CMI: Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant A.30 efficiently evades vaccine-induced immunity CBS: Una variante Delta que potencialmente se esparce más rápido, AY.4.2, ha sido detectada en 8 Estados; CMI: Variante emergente A.30 de SARS-CoV-2 de manera eficiente evade inmunidad inducida por vacunas
US voters push back against some ‘progressive’ matters Votantes de los EE.UU. presionando para echar hacia atrás algunos temas ‘progresivos’
Revelation 2 & 3: Seven Churches and Messages Apocalipsis 2 & 3: Siete Iglesias y Mensajes
How did early Christians view the Godhead? ¿Cómo veían a la Divinidad los primeros cristianos?
‘Iran Warns Nuclear Talks Would Fail Unless Biden Provides Guarantees’ ‘Irán advierte que conversaciones nucleares fracasarían a menos que Biden dé garantías’
Metaverse religion, Big Tech censoring, WND de-monetized by Google: What’s next? Religión metaverso, censura de Big Tech, WND desmonetizado por Google: ¿Qué sigue?
Boris Johnson and Franklin Graham: Doomsday, 1 Minute to Midnight? Boris Johnson y Franklin Graham: ¿Día del Juicio, 1 minuto para la media noche?
Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero and 666 Alianza Financiera de Glasgow por Net Zero y 666
DW: Can Africa achieve universal internet access by 2030? COGwriter: There are still many open doors with the Internet DW: ¿Puede África alcanzar acceso universal a Internet para 2030? COGwriter: Todavía hay muchas puertas abiertas con el Internet
There is one thing that self-appointed Church of God prophets are good at is tap dancing around certain subjects. Unlike the real prophets of old, who actually predicted things, our crop of self-appointed ne'er-do-wells, tap dance around and make ambiguous thought-farts on how they think things should be.
Today, the Church of God's biggest know-it-all is trying to get you to believe that Petra may not be the final place of safety. Nothing sets Armstrongsm apart from most of Christianity than this pet doctrine. For decades, thanks to Loma Armstrong, the church has taught that right before the tribulation hits that all of the countries of the world would expel Church of God members and ship them off to Petra where they would receive special training to be kings, priests, and god's in some magical world to come.
Then the church imploded and hundreds of self-appointed gurus set themselves up as the one and only true Church of God. This created a massive public relations crisis in the COG movement. How could they ALL claim that they alone were going to Petra? Who was going to be in charge when they all showed up at once and started their little bitch fests and power struggles. What a nightmare scenario this presented! Then, to top that off, there were Christian outside the Armstrongite movement that also belive in Petra as a place of safety. How can the true Christians share Petra with so-called Christians?
James Malm solved that problem and claimed his few followers were going to go to Pella. Other COG ministers claim people will be protected in place, wherever they are. Today, we have the Great Bwana to Africa and Savior of 299 Caucasians trying to convince us that Petra may be just a stopping off point as true believers move on to a new location at Bozrah.
Where might the place of safety in the wilderness be?
Someone asked me about the possibility of Bozrah being the “place of safety.”
Many have wondered if Petra could be the place.
After doing some scriptural research, I ran across the following warning about Petra and Bozrah possibly being the place from Tim McHyde:
Is Petra the “Prepared Place” of Safety For Israel or You?
Petra, Jordan was once the stronghold of the Edomites and later the capital city of the Arab Nabateans. …
Will Petra become the number one safe destination of Israelites in the end times, as well? Some people think so and feel they have Bible prophecy to back this up.
The most popular version of the speculation around Petra is that the Jews escaping from the Battle of Armageddon will find refuge there. Some Old Testament passages mentioning the city are used to support this idea …
Others, believe Petra to be the place that the “true church” will be protected in fulfillment of Revelation 12.
Both views argue based on Scripture and the city’s excellent defensive structure. It is mountainous and its main entrance is a long narrow rock wadi, called the Siq. What better location for people to be safe from attack, right?
Supporters also claim that the city could hold 144,000 people, the number of Israelite evangelists listed in Revelation 7 and 14. The Worldwide Church of God believed that there would be 144,000 of their members who made it to there.
The Petra theory has its appeal. But is it truly grounded in Scripture or even realism? …
If you search the Bible for the name of the city Petra, you will not find it. Instead of that modern Greek name for the city, you have to search for the Hebrew equivalent, Sela (or Selah). Both words mean rock. …
It seems like the main basis of the Petra speculation is the area’s natural features. .. The springs have dried up long ago. …
As far as how many people can comfortably live there, it’s woefully inadequate. This is a small city with an estimated past top population of 20,000. Whether you think Israel or Christians will be sent by God there, it equals far, far more than 20,000 or double that. The remnant of either Israel or the church is more likely to be in the millions. …
As for the theory about Israel fleeing the land before Armageddon, that also is problematic.
A little later the doubly-blessed self-appointed prophet proclaims:
While I do agree, based upon many scriptures, that Jordan seems to be the place and God will likely use a prophet to say when (and where), I disagree with the author’s view on many points–Jordan, to cite one example, will NOT be evacuated. But I do agree that Revelation 12:14-16 is talking about protection for faithful Christians and NOT physical Israel. As far as the old Worldwide Church of God goes, it speculated, but did not insist, on Petra being the place.
Petra is large enough for the Philadelphian Christians to be protected–and they are the ONLY Christians promised protection from the Beast (cf. Revelation 3:7-10)–most Christians will NOT be protected (cf. Revelation 12:14-17).
Nothing frosts the butts of self-appointed COG prophets more than having to accept there might be other non-COG Christians, or worse yet, other COG members there when they arrive.
The reason I found this article was because of looking for views of some on the place of safety and Bozrah.
As far as Petra or Bozrah go there are several clues in the Bible that suggest that a Jordanian location makes sense. But part of this is based upon where the place of protection is not.
Isaiah thus indicates this place will be a fortress of rocks for those that escape from the nations (note: the escaping from the nations suggests that groups with origins in CGI, such as ICG and CEM, are in error for teaching that God intends to protect people where they are).
It is also of interest to note that those that escape will be assembled–they are not lone independents–this is also consistent with Zephaniah 2:1-3
Gather yourselves together, yes gather together, O undesirable nation, Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the day of the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you! Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger.
The Hebrew words translated as Zephaniah means “Yahweh Hides” or “Yahweh Has Hidden” (Holy Bible: Vine’s Expository Reference Edition, p. 826). Notice that a decree is issued, apparently by a church leader–and I believe that the leader will be part of the Continuing Church of God. This would seem to happen after the gospel has been preached enough to the world as a witness (Matthew 24:14), Jewish sacrifices are stopped, and the abomination is set up (Daniel 9:27; 11:31) per Jesus’ statements in Matthew 24:15-16.
It remains my prayer that those who are Philadelphians and are scattered in groups will soon assemble together, before it is too late.
A little later Bwana Bob talks about Bozrah.
In terms of its location from Jerusalem, Petra (Sela on some Bible maps) is mainly south and slightly east of Jerusalem. Bozrah is also in the right general direction, as are other locations in Jordan.
Now it is also possible that the actual place of protection could simply just be near Petra or perhaps the location will be far from it.
In the early days of Armsgtrongism, Petra was not that much of a tourist destination. Now it is packed with hundreds of thousands of tourists a year. Bwana Bob can't have those tourists coming in and gawking as his 299 Caucasians and their 3,000 Africans.
Realize that Petra is one of the leading, if not THE leading, tourist destination in Jordan, hence there could be economic and other factors against that precise location itself (though if only a small amount of Christians flee, that might be tolerable, and even helpful to, the tourist industry possibly as a ‘side-show’ or to be of cultural or prophetic interest). Other than the aspect of caves (which does not mention the amount of caves), it should be noted, that many other areas in Jordan also are in the right direction and fit the description of the place–so it is possible that the Church may flee into Jordan and not stay in Petra, but somewhere else in Jordan or a neighboring area.
It is also possible that the true Philadelphian Christians will stay in Petra for a time and then go elsewhere–and that is something I have written about before.
The thought of having to spend 3 1/2 years listening to Bwana Bob preach as he bounces and flounces is not a sight to imagine or desire.
The boys in Edmond Oklahoma have been looking for quite some time in opening an office in Jerusalem where they can be at the center of the soon coming tribulation that they want to happen to the City and the world.
The Philadelphia Church of God actually had an office there for a while which was the home of Lil'Stevie until they had to sell the building in order to buy the Edstone mansion and start a new cult college in England. By that time Gerald Flurry's grandkids were becoming immersed in Celtic dance competitions and needed transportation around the world and by the fact that Gerald Flurry could not fly commercial jets because he would have to sit next to unclean people or possibly a Laodicean ex-WCG member. So PCG had to spend more millions of dollars on a personal jet for Gerald and Lil'Stevie.
But now, as the end-times are only a few short months away, at least in PCG speak, the PCG thinks they need an office in Jerusalem where they can be front and center for terrible end-time events soon to hit the world. It also gives them immediate access to the streets of Jerusalem where they think the two witless witnesses (PCG members, of course) will preach in the streets, be martyred, and then be resurrected live on television for the world to see.
In order for this to happen PCG needs to brainwash its members into fasting for the day and then will be hit up with financial requests to buy new buildings in Jerusalem.
Exit and Support Network reports:
GF Declares Worldwide Fast for November 21: November 8, 2021 This is from a short letter from GF: “We are facing several major decisions that have to be made. One of those decisions is what all we need to do in Jerusalem. There are other decisions to be made that we will discuss with you later. We want to make sure that God is behind what we decide to do. Therefore, I am declaring a worldwide fast for God’s people on the 21st of November. Please pray fervently for us to do God’s will and finish His work.” –N. S.
Another reason that PCG needs access to Jerusalem is that they and they alone will be working with Christ in the new Temple to be built there where they will work with their "husband" dispensing the law.
The Millennial Temple
The Prophet Ezekiel describes that temple in wonderful detail. It will be patterned after God’s heavenly temple, the seat of His throne today. It will have a footprint of half a million square feet, occupying about 13 acres. That is where God’s Philadelphians of today will live!
The outer precinct around the temple, described in the last nine chapters of Ezekiel, will occupy about one square mile of land. The headquarters city itself will only be about 7½ miles square. Considering that it will be the command center for the whole world’s system of governing, that is quite an efficient headquarters facility.
God’s law will begin flowing from that city to the wide world. Word will spread—person to person, family to family, town to town, nation to nation—about happenings in Jerusalem. News of its construction projects and activities, of classes being taught there, will supply headlines around the globe.
The living waters of God’s Spirit will flow from there (Zechariah 14:8).
“And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one” (verse 9). All peoples will have one supreme King—one world government—one religion. They will begin to see the benefits of righteous leadership. They’ll experience the joy of living under God’s government.
Jerusalem will become “the joy of the whole earth”! (Psalm 48:2). God’s earthly headquarters will set the standard for the world!
Where Will People Get Nourishment
What an exciting future we have to look forward to, living and working with our Husband in that headquarters facility. Being a priest at headquarters is a wonderful thing—even today. It is a great blessing to be stationed right in the middle of all the action. In that future headquarters, surely we will often shake our heads and say, What a privilege!
”Only these Philadelphians from the end-time firstfruits will rule from God’s headquarters temple forever!” Mr. Flurry wrote in Ezekiel—The End-Time Prophet. “Why won’t the Laodiceans be at headquarters in God’s Kingdom—even if they repent in the Great Tribulation? Because they are not qualified! They don’t have a headquarters mentalityTODAY! The people who will be at headquarters in God’s Kingdom are the people who have a strong headquarters focus now.” We are receiving specialized training, developing that headquarters focus with this parcel of land in Oklahoma. That is why God plans to place us in the Jerusalem temple and says we will go no more out (Revelation 3:12).
Only devout and true PCG members will be able to live in this temple and have direct access to Christ. they will be the ONLY ONES who will be able to draw near to God.
Those who remain loyal to God today will inhabit special rooms in the headquarters temple. Our offices will be near God’s office. We will have special access to Christ—the only ones who come near to God (Ezekiel 40:45-46; 44:15-16). As His helpmeet, we will serve Him—seeing to His needs, helping Him directly. A Visit to Millennial Headquarters!
“This highway leads to the shadowy tip of reality: you're on a through route to the land of the different, the bizarre, the unexplainable...Go as far as you like on this road. Its limits are only those of mind itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, you're entering the wondrous dimension of imagination. . . Next stop The Twilight Zone.” ― Rod Serling
It's another sunny day in California and the Grover Beach Prophet Extraordinaire is beating his chest with his flailing wrists proclaiming to us all how magnificent he and his little group is. Never in the history of the entire world has there been a Church of God that is as glorious as his.
Not since the original apostles walked the dusty Galaleeian hills has there been a church leader as our Great Bwana to Africa, the doubly-blessed, the self-appointed incarnation of Elijah and Elisha, the modern-day Joshua and Amos, the soon to be first Witless Witness who will be killed by the Great Beast of Europe Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg in the streets of Jerusalem so we can all watch him be resurrected at the start of his armageddon.
Once he lets 2/3 rd's of humanity die, he will immediately begin working with his creature called "christ" to set up the proper church government to rule the remaining heathens of the world. Both his "christ" and Herbert Armstrong will be his right-hand men in this planning process, though they will have to defer their power to him because he is so magnificent.
But in the meantime, it is important for all true believers to understand which is the right Church of God to belong to and who that leader is.
Notice a way to tell which church is the correct one:
4 For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in truth. (Psalms 33:4)
Only a church that does God’s work in truth would possibly be the one that God endorses. Jesus said that knowing the truth sets one free (John 8:32).
While it is difficult to measure which church has the most truth, let me state that when it comes to church history and prophecy, that would have to be the Continuing Church of God in the 21st century. There are many links in the Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God. To see some more details on that consider Continuing History of the Church of God and The Laodicean Church Era (prophetic differences between CCOG and other COGs are summarized there). For longer versions and more details, there are numerous articles at the COGwriter.com and CCOG.org websites that go into more depth on matters of history, doctrine, and prophecy.
The smooth talk and lies just roll off the tongue of this self-appointed false prophet!
There is more truth about church history and prophecy at the COGwriter.com and CCOG websites than any other group that I am aware of.
How can you know if that is actually true?
Well, we would recommend that you be like the Bereans of old:
10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:10-11)
If you search the scriptures diligently you will find it IMPOSSIBLE to not follow Bwana Bob Thiel! Yeah right, Buckwheat! Tell us another tall tale. Also, do NOT spend your time trying to disprove him, it would be impossible to do.
The Bereans did not know whether or not the Apostle Paul was who he claimed to be, but after hearing him, they thought he could be a teacher from God. They did not spend their time trying to disprove him, but searched the scriptures daily to verify that he was teaching the truth. That is what we in the the Continuing Church of God suggest you do today.
Did you know that one of the reasons Bwana Bob and his little band of Merry Men are so significant is that no one in the history of the church had real books with pages you can turn, such as his, and computers to search for information on?
Of course, if you are willing to be like the Bereans of old, it will take more than five seconds to check if something is true. Particularly since the scriptures in the Bereans’ day were written on scrolls that had to be unrolled. You could not flip to a page in a book or do an electronic search in those days.
Or, watch the most amazing animated gospel messages that the world has ever seen!
Anyway, with God’s help you can change as the Apostle Paul taught:
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
How?
The New Testament teaches:
6 … “God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:6-10)
Do not let pride get in the way. Do not be double-minded–do the right thing.
Proverbs teaches:
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-8)
You might not think you have any evil to depart from, but if according to the word of God, you are not a real Christian or a Laodicean one (Revelation 3:14-19), you do.
You are not a real Christian if you follow Bwana Bob and are a member of the improperly named "continuing church of god". It is impossible to be one. To remain in his group is to be just as spiritually sick as those who are in the Restored Church of God and the Philadephia Church of God. God desires his followers to be free, not bound up in some legalist claptrap personality cult of Armstrongism.
