Is It A Sin To Watch American Football?

The COG numbnuts are out in full force today!  Prophet Thiel has this to say about American football:

Should Christians support violent sports like American football?
The late Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:

All Sports Not Wrong
Competition and not cooperation, is the attitude which Satan inculcates human minds. But that does not mean that all sports are wrong or to be banned. The law of God is based on the way of righteousness…The basic law is love, out flowing toward God above all else, and secondarily, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
To harm the other fellow and to gain by doing so for self is a kind of competition that is wrong. Hostility toward the other is sin…
Boxing at Ambassador College is definitely banned. God did not create the human brain and head to be pummeled and knocked senseless by an antagonist.
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) 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)

I guess Prophet Thiel conveniently forgets that HWA loved to sit in front of his TV on Friday nights and Saturdays watching WWF Wrestling and old classic Westerns.  I guess body slams, headlocks, shooting cowboys and Indians scalping settlers was great Sabbath entertainment!  But according to The Prophet since these are all fake, it is OK.  However football play involves injuries and injuring an opponent is a sin. Plus, football involves competitiveness which is a major sin.  I see the Lake of Fire smoldering in eager anticipation......

The Prophet goes on to say:

After seeing the injuries that some of my high school football-playing colleagues suffered, I could not reconcile the scriptures with American football.   There are better ways for Christians to learn principles like teamwork from other sports or activities than watching actual violence.

John the Baptist taught, “Do violence to no man” (Luke 3:14, KJV), so what about violent sports?  The New Testament also warns Christians against being violent or approving of those that are (Romans 1:28-32), while history records that early Christians would not watch violent sports (e.g. Theophilus of Antioch. To Autolycus).

Years ago, Dr. Roderick C. Meredith wrote that avoiding bodily harm was an important health law (Seven Laws of Radiant Health).  Since it is best to avoid bodily injury, should Christians encourage others to put themselves in harm’s way?

 Unlike stories of violence in books or movies, American football involves actual violence and often physical injury–including brain damaging ones that are often not obvious for years...

Now how widespread brain damage from playing football is can be debated (and probably will be). But everyone has to know that crashing into other human beings in order to knock them down and/or stop them from running or throwing is not harmless.

While “love does no harm to a neighbor” (Romans 13:9), what do sports like American football and boxing do?

This is something that Christians, and others, should think about.

Are UCG Members Being Encouraged To Particpate in a Witchcraft Ritual? UPDATED

Beware the next time you are in a UCG church service and you are asked to hold hands with the person next to you in prayer.  It seems that Denny Luker has been over taken by the spirit of witchcraft and is encouraging the membership to join him in bringing forth demons........

Did you know by clasping the hand with another in prayer that you will be participating in witchcraft! I have never heard that one in all the years I was part of Armstrongism!  Little did I know that UCG is being invaded by pentecostal witchcraft!  The Apostle Malm seems to think that you are indirectly participating in a seance to bring forth demons!

HOLDING HANDS IN PRAYER is a Pentecostal custom coming from witchcraft which is very popular with Denny Luker and is creeping into the UCG.  The pagan concept behind this tradition is to demonstrate UNITY by holding hands together.  This is believed to multiply the power of the prayer by indicating to the deity that many are fully united in making the request.  Seances to contact demons are always accompanied by hand holding.  This also creates an emotional bond between the participants.  Hand holding is a definite emotional bonding between people; instead of a personal contact with Almighty God.

The holding of hands during prayer degrades a spiritual matter of contact with God, into an emotional experience.  Prayer is degraded into an emotional experience; indeed much such prayer is not to seek God, but to impress those present by voluminous flowery and impressive language.  Such prayer may impress some people but it does NOT impress God.

It is certainly not wrong to touch others, to cry on someone’s shoulder if the need is there, or to hold hands; however to do so as a means to try and influence people or God in prayer, is most definitely wrong and has its roots in witchcraft [Satanism].

It's no wonder people in the world look at Armstrongism with such derision and non-interest!  Who in their right mind would follow such idiots?

UPDATE:

The Apostle has had several of his acolytes write in with questions.  The appalling thing is that people actually value The Apostles' opinion on this matter!

How dare men hold the hand of a man or a married woman in prayer!  Does this imply you will turn gay or be committing adultery?  The idea that any person needed to ask such a question shows how simple minded Armstrongism has become!

Do you mean brethren holding hands with each other during opening and closing prayers at UCG Sabbath and Holy Day services ?? If so this is complete madness and would cause all manner of problems and it’s so weird.
Would a married man have to hold the hand of another man ??? Or another married womans hand ??
What will they think of next …. the mind boggles…….
It might eventually come to that, but right now it is more a matter of a few more pentecostal type elders who ask for this in smaller meetings and also tend to want to include this type of thing in counselling sessions etc. james

Concerning the issue of holding hands.
As a family, we have always held hands as we give thanks over a meal as well as when we ask God to watch over us as we travel. Since our children are small this helps them to focus their attention on what we are doing. It does foster a sense of being together as we do this. As a family we do a many things together to foster unity – especially to teach our children the Faith (Bible studies, singing hymns, etc).
Other than that some “pagans” hold hands in their practices … is there a reference in scripture condemning the practice? I wouldn’t want a family tradition to replace Scriptural commands or examples. I am sure there are many things that non-believers do when they come together that we might unknowingly imitate in our practices and worship. Is the fact that they also do them make them inherently wrong?
We have been for the last year looking at a great many things we do in the practice of our Faith. Some areas are stall wanting – some areas have been strengthened. Above all, we must do all we do in Faith to our Father within the bounds of His commands. Is this a matter a practicing sin or a matter of personal conscience?
We are commanded not to learn the ways of the heathen to do them. We are not to use paganisms in our worship or religious practrice. We are not to worship our God as the pagans worship theirs. We are to keep all Gods commandments and are not to add or take away from them. We are to worship God ONLY as HE directs. Our children are learning what we teach them and if we teach them the ways of the pagans it will need to be overcome later in life. We are to dilligently teach our children to serve the Eternal as he commands and not by our own methods and the imaginations of our own hearts. It is not necessary to point every single possible false way in scripture; for we would run out of years in which to read the list of errors that men contrive. There are millions of counterfeits and the only need is to teach the real thing, then the false will be recognized as anything that deviates from the real thing. We are to cleave to God’s commandments and to worship him as he commands, not as we devise for ourselves. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is death. James

Life With Gerald Flurry

The following are quotes from the "Philadelphia Trumpet", the mouthpiece of Flurryism

1. As a Philadelphia church member you must realize   that you need to be led by the ministry. Christ has not allowed for independent Christians doing their own work. All of us must come under authority!

2. The Laodiceans don't have revelations from God while God has given abundant revelations to the Philadelphia Church of God.

3. From the time God raised up the PCGin the Laodicean era, we have fully supported God's end time Elijah. All of the Laodicean churches reject Mr. Armstrong.