UCG Sells Out to COGaWA Pressure and Reverses Sabbath Paper

UCG honchos in Cincinnati watching their church blow up in their faces and disintegrate to nothing changed their stance on the Sabbath controversy in a blatantly political move.  With close to 160 some ministers and elders jumping ship to Jim Frank's new splinter cult, UCG was set to loose thousands of more members when the Church of God a Worldwide Association holds it's conference in the next week.

In the same hypocritical backstabbing and lying  that went on when UCG split from WCG, COGaWA had the upper hand.  It was the conservatives vs the liberals all over again. The deciding factor on both sides was money.  The COGaWA's had to form a new splinter cult in order to receive income once UCG terminated them.  UCG had to do whatever it took to maintain a steady flow of income into their HQ to maintain their salaries.

Both sides now will continue to keep the members of UCG/COGaWA in bondage to a day no longer required under the New Covenant.  Both sides will continue to rule over and abuse their members with legalistic bullshit.  Neither side has the balls to really sit down and examine Sabbath keeping without using HWA's writings or other COGlet materials spread out in front of them.  But we should never expect such in depth study since COGdoom is intellectually and theologically bankrupt.

So the sheep still continue to suffer because they won't examine things either.  If HWA or a minister said it, so let it be done.

UCG statement:

January 4, 2011

After studying the material that has been provided from a couple in Chile, the Council of Elders, after full review and rendering due diligence, is prepared to issue the following statement in regards to observing the Seventh-day Sabbath and Holy Days in a proper manner to uphold the Fourth Commandment.

The United Church of God, an International Association, has a long-standing teaching on the subject of owner-operated businesses in relation to the observance of the Sabbath and biblical Holy Days. If a business is solely or majority owned by a Church member, then the business should close on the Sabbath and the Holy Days.

There are some exceptions, as Jesus Christ gave Sabbath-keeping principles in Scripture in this regard, which would apply to healthcare and retirement facilities and dealing with dairies and farm animals. But, day-care centers and schools do not fall under these categories. Therefore, the Council of Elders stands by the authority of Scripture in our lives and the consistent position of the Church which requires that such businesses, as long as they are solely or majority owned by a Church member, be closed on the Sabbath and the Holy Days.

We deeply appreciate the sincere request of the members in Chile in asking for the Council of Elders to render a judgment.

Melvin Rhodes—Chairman, on behalf of the Council of Elders

A Messianic Jew Looks at Armstrongism

I received a link a while back from a Messianic Jew who seems to have had a lot of contact with various splinter cult ministurds of Armstrongism--or at least knows a lot about how they operate.
Unfortunately she stills seems to think there was good teachings in some of Armstrongism.

Traits of Cults
Some of her comments were:

Many cults have started with "good" intentions, but with human nature and
Satan at the bottom of them; they usually deteriorate very quickly.

For instance many religionists did start out with high ideals, until the
money started rolling in
"A few of the traits of the cultleaders"
Most cult leaders are people that have inferiority complexes, some of
them, but not all of them being of short stature.

It is interesting to note that almost all the various splinter cults of Armstrongism (including Herb himself) were/are lead by short, over-compensating tyrannical men.
Many of them have come from low backgrounds; with very unloving Fathers,
three dictators that I can recall, were beaten unmercifully by their
fathers... Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Saddam Hussein.

They didn't receive mercy, so they never learned mercy.

Many cult leaders are very intelligent and have a gift for speaking,
unfortunately, most of them do not have a great proclivity for telling
the truth, except when it is to their benefit.

Most cult leaders learn very early, that they are very convincing to
people (Mainly gullible people), so therefore these "leaders" think that
they have found their calling.

The people that they prey on, are usually the old, the weak, the lonely,
the gullible and the mentally unstable, but another group that they prey
upon, is those that have money.
Many Cult Leaders have a "Messianic Complex", and now that they have
followers, they really start believing that they are God's "prophet or
messenger", then they start deluding themselves.

If anyone or anybody affronts them in any way, then they get paranoid,
and they set up an enforcing arm, usually other deluded people; most of
them inherently violent; to police their great "kingdom"

One of the last things these " false messiahs" do, is completely isolate
their followers, and set up spy networks, and if there is any hint that
their converts are trying to "desert", then they get them and even
threaten them with "Hellfire", ex-communication ( hell) or even bodily
harm.

When the cult followers are completely isolated, then they are nominally,
or literally held prisoner.
The Unproved "Petra" doctrine was a way WCG could hold people nominally
captive, by threatening, that they would not get to go there, if they got
out of line.

This doctrine will probably be used against the brethren again, by some
of the COG leaders; at least to get the people's money.
This happens very often in churches, it has even happened in some of the
Churches of God.

There was all kinds of duplicty, there were sexual scandals; money
scandals; varience; power struggles; harangues; false prophecies; spy
networks and every other kind of problem.
Right now, some of these cult leaders have gotten hold on some of God's
people, Gerald Flurry is one of them; he follows most of the classic
traits of having a messianic complex.

He has his Scapegoat (The Laodiceans), and he is into the isolating the
members from everybody else.

David Hulme and Ron Weinland are several of the others, who are trying to
isolate their members (tithe paying dupes) from the other commandment
keeping brethren; and they do this for control, mainly of the tithes;
this though is completely opposite to Christ's outgoing service to all.

Did One UCG Minister Forsee the Current Debacle 15 Years Ago?

From a Yahoo board:

When UCGaia was created there was one individual, unknown by me, who knew about
the potential for "fractions and factions" to occur. How do we know that?

For what it is worth, there was a special memo written by a concerned minister
regarding his "Hopes for Indianapolis." That memo, which follows, was read to
all in attendance on the last day of the Indianapolis Conference, May 2, 1995,
by Victor Kubik, to all of us there.
------------------------
CAN IT EVER BE? That cohesive, Christ-led entity that we all want so dearly?
Or does Indy seal our fate to fractions and factions? The hopes are high, the
stakes are critical. Indy will be either a dawning of a New World Tomorrow, or
the proof of our folly.

PIE IN THE SKY is what the detractors say. Some of them are us, you know.
Our "leaders" have already laid foundations and are even laying superstructure.
The meek words of just a few weeks ago... "We've just started this in case it's
of any help, but we'll gladly dissolve it" are seemingly replaced with corporate
structures lauding the wisdom of "follow me." Has "unity" already slipped to a
cliché, a buzzword of egotists? I've seen that once people invest time, money
and gain supporters they "have God's blessing." After all, they prayed about
it.

Dissolution of their structure for a greater cause becomes too great a defeat.
The show must go on.

WHAT IS INDY? It's a chance for a ground up, New Testament organized body of
believers.

WHAT WILL INDY BE? I know what you and I want it to be. But do you know what
many see it as? Separate leaders of several pre-formed groups pushing their
system at each other, followed by the winner selling it to the ministry. The
ministry is invited to view the outcome and cast in their lot, depending on who
"wins" and if they like the smell of it.

WHO LOSES IF INDY FALTERS? The churches back home. The little flocks who are
staking their faith in Indy. The loyal pastors who have forfeited everything to
wait on Christ and to come learn His will for their next step. I hope He's
there. He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

Just some concerns and fears ... I don't know what it WILL be, I know what it
MIGHT be and what it CAN be. I'll be there in support. Be careful who gets
control. Make sure it's God.