Wes White: There Is a Lack of Love Within Too Many COGs

     

                                    

There Is a Lack of Love Within Too Many COGs

By Wes White

Suppose you lived during the founding of Jamestown in 1607 and you suffered from hypertension (high blood pressure).  You were basically screwed because back then the medical professionals had no cure for this disease.  In fact, they didn’t know this disease existed.

            The invention of the sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuff) by Scipione Riva-Rocci in 1896 was perhaps the greatest breakthrough in diagnosis of this disease.  The development of oral diuretics in the 1950s was perhaps the biggest breakthrough in the treatment of this disease.  

            In medicine, accurate diagnosis and correct treatment are both required in order to cure a disease.  One without the other will not allow for beating the illness.  

            It’s the same in religion.  If a church suffers from a sin and doesn’t know it, then all the cures listed in the Bible are not going to enable these Christians to overcome that sin.  That group must first understand they are suffering from the illness.  

The malignant disorder of mistreating people is still rampant among many Armstrong COGs. This contagion is still as epidemic today as it was at any time since the creation of Armstrongism in 1933.

And this religious pathology is not going to go away as long as the leaders and the brethren refuse to recognize there is a problem.  Like any medical disease, it is only after recognition of a sin that removal of the sin can begin.  Again, you’ve got to have both diagnosis and treatment. 

            The Bible can help Christians who need to do better in their treatment of others.  The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, and 7) is the perfect antidote for the spiritual malady of lacking proper love for others.  But this cure is no good if the afflicted church doesn’t understand that it has an illness.  

Your bathroom medicine cabinet can be filled with the wonderful drug Lisinopril.  But it does your hypertension no good if you don’t know that you need this medicine.   After all, how can you know to pop one of these pills into your mouth every morning if you have not been properly diagnosed?

            This is the problem in so many of the Armstrong COGs today.  The very Bibles that sit on their laps during church services every Sabbath have the perfect cure for what ails them, but they have no idea they are infected. 

            And infected they are!

            In addition to the typical maladies that bedevil Armstrongite churches (headline theology, setting or implying dates of Jesus’ return, racist beliefs against interracial marriage & interracial dating, 2nd & 3rd tithes, church eras, judging another’s heart, love of revenge, authoritarian church government, end-time apostleship, humiliation thru marking & disfellowshipping, harsh D&R administration, one true church, condemnation of non-Sabbath keeping Christians, banning members from voting, anti-doctor/anti-medicine/anti-science teachings), many COG people also suffer from either possessing insufficient love for others or a total lack of love for others.  

We see this particular Armstrong illness demonstrated in the following ways:

n  Inability or unwillingness to resolve conflict;

n  Showing interest and loyalty only to those who are in their own organization;

n  Imputing motives;

n  Falsely accusing others;

n  Name-calling of those they disagree with;

n  Unwillingness to tolerate even the most minor of doctrines differences;

n  Refusal to acknowledge the sins or errors of their leaders;

n  Undo loyalty to fellow elders within a ministerial brotherhood;

n  Denial of any responsibility to help those in need in their communities.

            

And it gets worse.

Alongside of their inability to recognize their lack-of-love illness, many of these folks work from the faulty premise that, the more biblical knowledge of certain doctrines you have, the more morality you possess.  They then assume the converse must be true which is that, the less biblical knowledge of certain doctrines you have, the more immorality you possess.  These Christians don’t understand that atheists and agnostics can indeed possess honesty, kindness -- AND LOVE!  Further, these misguided Christians don’t understand that people who are irreligious can actually live their lives being more in line with the loving precepts of the Sermon on the Mount than many Christians! 

History has shown us that understanding truths like the Sabbath and unclean meats is no antidote to the affliction of lacking love.  The hard-headed Pharisees were the perfect example of this principle.  Like the Pharisees, love-lacking Armstrongites seem to have this problem within their very DNA.  

A COG leader once confessed to me that his church needed more of Matthew 5, 6, and 7. At the time, he was trying to place emphasis on these Gospel chapters in his sermons.  That was several years ago.  Today, I am convinced he has not succeeded in that mission.  And I fear he has given up on the whole idea.  Lack of love may very well be too deeply embedded within the DNA of that congregation.  

            For those of us with faith, it becomes more and more incumbent on us that we pray daily for those who claim the name of Jesus, but fail to have love for their fellow man.   Those of us who follow Jesus and embrace God’s Law have a responsibility to reach out to the spiritually ill – even those with the very disease that inspired them to run us off or write us off.  

            As one who has had to overcome the disease of lacking love, I can speak about it candidly in the same way that a recovering alcoholic can speak of the disease of being addicted to liquor.  I don’t bring up the subject to condemn others. I am discussing it only because I want my brothers and sisters in Christ to know that they can overcome it.  But you can’t overcome it until you have admitted you have a problem. 

            And just because your church organization refuses to overcome this sin, it doesn’t mean you as an individual can’t.  If a Christian has this problem, his first step is to admit that there needs to be more love within himself and the COGs. Only then can he truly follow the admonition, “Come out of her my people,” and have healing.  And it is only then that Jesus will be able to truly say, “By this will all know that you are mine.  That you have love for one another.”

            Make yourself a committee of one which has been tasked with the job of promoting Christian love for all other people. 

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            Wes White is president of the Ronald L. Dart Evangelistic Association (RLDEA.com), a Sabbath-keeping Christian ministry which preaches the Gospel of Jesus thru the works of the late Ron Dart.                       

LCG: They Wrote the Book on Religious Hypocrisy. They're Still Selling it.

They Wrote the Book on Religious Hypocrisy. They're Still Selling it.

Recently, the Living Church of God has, with the force of a snail pushing a sailboat, declared a voluntary fast for their membership to be held maybe on October 20th, or around there, whenever. It was the most apathetic of any ecclesiastical decisions any Church of God could make. But for what reason? Why? And the bigger question is - on what spiritual basis? Do these Churches of God really show God, or who He is? Do they really obey His Commandments? Are they authorized, really, to ask for a church-wide Fast? Will the members who see the wickedness around them really respect the calls to fast of those who don't take their concerns to heart? And if they do fast - will it be in prayer against the leaders who proclaimed it, because they claim to know God, but by their actions deny Him? 

Titus 1:16 - They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for anything good. 

The word "Hypocrisy". It's defined as the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform. (Google definition). Hypocrisy is one of the very things that has caused many scores of individuals to leave their particular form of Christian faith. It has been observed from all corners of organized Christianity - from the laity clear up to the governing bodies. It's one of the strongest condemned behaviors of Jesus himself. Since the Worldwide Church of God claimed to be the One True Church, you'd expect the hypocritical behaviors of this organization to be reigned in, wouldn't you? 

In the Plain Truth of 1952, a question was asked about the wearing of Jewelry. Of course, the thought was, "is it wrong"? The response is quite clear. 

August 1952 Plain Truth 

No, it was not wrong to wear Jewelry - or wedding rings - the church deemed. Why was it not wrong? Here is the way the Church taught the brethren: 

"The wearing of gold ornaments and pearls in connection with costly array is forbidden by the apostles. Gold and pearls are not sin; for God sanctified the use of Gold in the temple.But their great expense was not becoming to Christian women who were to put their treasures into spiritual traits of character which God views as much greater worth. These two verses contain no prohibition on wearing a moderate amount of relatively inexpensive, but not "Cheap" adornment. A string of inexpensive pearls would not be violating the principle which the apostle lays down. For women to bedrock themselves with cheap objects for vanity is just as wrong as to put one's treasure in expensive jewelry." 

Well isn't this interesting. 

The wearing of gold ornaments and pearls in connection with costly array is forbidden, the church wrote. Though God "sanctified the use of gold in the temple", it was the great expense that was sinful to a woman because the "spiritual traits" are of greater worth than the gold. 

Beautiful, timeless, and humble pastoral counsel, isn't it. I'm sure every woman in the church at the time followed it expressly. It would have been a great example for the church to practice what they preached, wouldn't it. 

What happened? 

It took only around two decades to find out what happened. 

As the Church continually chastised the brethren around the world for the accumulation of wealth - what did they do? They accumulated wealth. Why did they accumulate wealth? For the purchase and use of expensive property. Yet, we know that it went far beyond just expensive property. 

It was Garner Ted Armstrong who - just a couple tens of years later - was flaunting, according to one of our readers here - a thirty thousand dollar watch (in today's monetary value) as if it was a small toy out of a cereal box (remember those days?). I'm pretty sure he thought it was okay because of the extremely expensive furnishings, paintings, and apparel purchased by his father for the college. His mom was photographed in a denominationally-famous large wall art wearing an expensive fur wrap. In fact, GTA was so used to wealth, that in one large, negative missive from the ministerial Bulletin, he was complaining about being trapped in the four walls of "the little condominium" he had to stay in. 

It was Herbert Armstrong who was continually obsessed with the accumulation of wealth. He never was "getting enough", it seemed - discouragement was always on him like a dark, musty cloud from a dingy, ratty basement. His plans were always costly - never inexpensive. 

But it wasn't the large, expensive, gold-leafed, wool-carpeted, extravagant Auditorium that wasn't sinful. It wasn't the million-dollar buildings that was the sin. We all know that the Campus was awarded as one of the most beautiful in the world. What was sinful was the absolute, blatant, carnal, disgusting hypocrisy that rained down from Headquarters like a tropical torrent, that flooded the life out of the members who hardly could have 60 percent of their own money to themselves. 

The very church that told woman to put their treasures in spiritual worth put all their treasures in physical riches. The very church that said that such an accumulation of wealth was violating the apostles' mandate went full steam ahead violating the same mandate's spirit of the law in snatching the finances of their members in the most threatening, abusive ways possible. 

Though women were commanded in the church to be temperate in expense and modest in apparel, (and even strip them of any form of make-up as soul-exterminating), the church was anything but temperate and modest. Time after time, they'd take out loans for expenses beyond their means and thrust the bill on the members with the force and weight of a beach-ball shot out of a cannon. Time after time Herbert would beg, plead - and finally threaten members with eternal damnation for not giving enough. He'd call them slackers or not fully converted. He'd make them feel like a dog's freshly defecated dinner from lunch in so many letters about how they're not "in it" or helping enough. Herbert would lower their standard of living while increasing his, letter after letter, year after year, decade after decade. 

Eventually, Herbert would be living in the lap of luxury with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tableware, an auditorium worthy of the greatest kings and queens, a Gulfstream Jet worthy of a Fortune 500 for-profit organization , with his son Garner Ted reaping all the benefits. 

This was hypocrisy. And what did Jesus say about hypocrisy? 

Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:27-28)

Luke 20:46 says these "teachers of the law" devour women's houses. Who is it that had no problem taking the homes of the elderly and asking for their wills? Was it not the WCG, the "teachers of the law"? 

Matthew 15 says "these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me". How accurate this is, when GTA constantly made fun of people who "gave their hearts to the Lord". No, that's pansy pansy, love love talk, he would say. 

2 Timothy 3 condemns those who are "lovers of money". It also condemns the abusive, the conceited, the proud and the brutal. The WCG is well-documented to have been ALL of these things. .

This all from a church that claimed to be the One and Only true Church. This all from a church that claimed to hold the keys to the Kingdom of God - This from a church that claimed to hold the bindings and loosing of ecclesiastical power from heaven. A church that became rich and powerful in the ways and wealth of the world by lording it over the weak, and using the tithe as a way to financial gain and accumulation at the oppression of the poor, the needy, the hungry, and the sick - even denying the sick health care to gain more finances, which in some cases led to death. This is the very definition of wickedness. This is the very definition of injustice. This is the very definition of ungodliness. Yet, in this same church - this was all okay - because they were "the True Church who was keeping the Law - the Sabbath, and the Holy Days" - and called themselves "the Church of God". 

Hypocrites.By their actions we know they didn't know God. By their actions we know that their hearts were on the things of this world. By their actions we know that their minds were on material positions. And by their words we know what their intentions truly were. 

These attitudes continue these days in the organizations that remain from the mother, the old Worldwide Church of God. From Edmond to Wadsworth, the same hypocritical passion for material wealth and the oppression of the people continues. The same spiritual starvation emanates from the leaders who were trained by the worst hypocrites of them all.

And people still go to church to have fellowship with those who scripture clearly says by their actions deny Him. Those ministers who claim they are ministers of Christ, but are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for anything good. 

Yes, I do think that Living Church of God - and the other COG's - need a fast. But not the members.Those who stand behind their lecterns and take the tithes of the people need to fast. The only "fast" that needs to be done by the members is the setting on the level of speed required by their legs on their exit. 

-by SHT, Contributing Writer

Herbert Armstrong : Most of the world is too dumb to understand my message

(Bulletin, June 1975)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ was never worthy for the common person. 

At least, according to Herbert Armstrong. 

Those who are illiterate, cannot read or write, whose minds are like "dumb animals" were not worthy to comprehend Herbert's Message. Herbert wanted absolutely nothing to do with such stupid people, I guess. 

They have NO middle-class people. I guess you have to be middle-class to enjoy a meeting with God's One and Only Apostle. 

The educated are at the top. The "Tragically poor and ignorant" are at the bottom. These are Herbert's words, not mine. 

So Herbert only wanted to talk to the "important people". Not the ones who are on the same level as "millions of cows, horses and chickens". Whatever happened to "Feed my sheep"? Oh, wait. To Herbert, they were "DUMB sheep". 

Comparing the people of India, the South-east Asian Nations, and those in Africa and South America to cows, horses and chickens, calling them ignorant, illiterate, and with minds not much above dumb animals - well, what else could you expect from Herbert Armstrong. No wonder he wanted them segregated. Because they're different from those in the United States. Of course, they are. 

You wanted nothing to do with them, Herbert Armstrong. To you. their minds were undeveloped. 

You would much rather preach a gospel that wasn't a gospel to those at dinners, and luncheons, and Rotary Clubs, and in Lions Clubs then ever be around those who you thought had minds not much greater than dumb animals - like preaching to cows and horses and chickens. 

The crap that cows, horses and chickens lived in was so much better than the disgusting crap that I read here. And if Herbert were any sort of a Christian, he would have regarded those from India, Asia, Africa and South America as God's Children too - not the dumb ignorant poor people he wanted absolutely nothing to do with. 

But, after the conversations we've had the past few days, I think I understand. 

Yes, I know Herbert's dead, readers. But allow me the opportunity of expression here at Banned. 

submitted by SHT