The look like a normal family. A mother and father with beautiful looking children. The also appear to have some intelligence and education. Reading a few blurbs about them in the Daily Mail (London) you see a mother and father who believe so deeply in Camping's nonsense that they have the ability to tell their children that they are going to be left behind to suffer through the apocalypse while they (mommy and daddy) are whisked off to heaven for eternal bliss.
One U.S. family in particular will be stunned that the Rapture failed to happen.
Two years ago Robert Carson and Abby Haddad gave up their jobs to preach for the Family Radio church at the centre of the May 21 Judgment Day campaign.
They even told their three children - Joseph, Faith and Grace - that they were going to die.
Speaking to the New York Times, 16-year-old Grace Haddad said: 'My mom has told me directly that I’m not going to get into heaven. At first it was really upsetting, but it’s what she honestly believes.'
Another dedicated follower is Michael Garcia.
After spending months travelling the country to put up Judgment Day billboards and hand out Bible tracts, he planned to spend Friday evening with his family at home in Alameda, near the Christian media empire's Oakland headquarters.
'We know the end will begin in New Zealand and will follow the sun and roll on from there,' said Garcia, a 39-year-old father of six. 'That's why God raised up all the technology and the satellites so everyone can see it happen at the same time.'
Their beliefs are exactly like the silliness that permeates Armstrongism to this day. Armstrongism still looks at the idea of fleeing to Petra for a final training to be god's and goddesses. Parents of unbaptized children will be made god's while their kids will be left in Petra to continue to live as mortal human beings. Unless of course, they have not been killed by the invading armies that hate the true church so much that they nuke the place. Oh wait, the stupid pagan's can't even do that! Petra will be covered by a cloud that makes it invisible to airplanes. That cloud will scramble the radar of planes so no one will ever be able to find Petra. Sound stupid? You bet! That was actual teachings of Armstrongite ministers!
Even the callousness of the parents telling their kids they will not make it is exactly in line with Armstrongism. We proclaimed the same thing. Your child's only chance was to have had a prayer said of him/her at the Blessing of the Children service. If that happened then they at least had a chance! Otherwise they were doomed. And, god forbid if you child did not get baptized by 18. They were immediately destined to the lake of fire.
One WCG minister who left during all the changes wrote a book about his journey out of Armstrongism and into Lutheranism, Misery Synod. He also made the same claims about his kids. Because they had not converted to Lutheranism, Misery Synod, they were not going to make it into heaven. Eternally damned, lost, beyond redemption.
What a sad, impotent little god that would cause parents to make such comments to their kids!
