A. Boocher: "Will History Be Repeated?"

Will History be repeated?

 

I am not a historian, but I read a lot of history. What we are seeing today is a magnification of what happened in the early years of what I will refer to as “the story” of Christianity.

 

First, I want to point out that I personally believe in the existence of an “eternal intelligence” that is the source of everything that exists, since “total nothingness” cannot produce something that has existence. I believe this an over simplification of what is defined as “God”.

 

I personally do not get involved in arguing over the many ideas and thoughts that people have regarding this “eternal intelligence” beyond the point that it is “perfect” in producing a universe that is so integrated that everything that exists fulfills a role in the “present condition” at any moment in history.

 

Having said that I will point out that much of what is going on in the area of religion today happened in the “early years” of the beginning of what is loosely defined as “Christianity”. It doesn’t matter what we believe about the source of “Christianity” but it should be noted that there was a “battle for survival” that began when the information regarding Jesus and those defined as “apostles” was being recorded in those early writings. This battle dealt with many of the same questions being asked today. There were “Cults” and “Critics” going head to head, creating confusion over the same issues that are still yet to be resolved. Since the teachings of the “apostles” were the primary source for Christian beliefs in this battle for survival there was a need for development of “authoritative” letters to be used as a guide to what was “orthodox” and what was “heresy”. These letters became the New Testament and were used along with the establishment of an “authoritative” system to bring order and stability into this “Christianity”, but those who were actively involved in this “battle” never succeeded in a complete rooting out of the “heresy” and confusion promoted by the “Cults” and “Critics”. History reveals the ongoing battle for survival and while what the early church believed and understood may not recognized; what is defined as “Christianity” is still struggling to fill the “spiritual” longing in our human nature.

 

I personally believe it is natural for a human being to need a belief that promotes moral standards that exceeds the human expectations the most perfect mind can imagine, but we also need to recognize that such perfection will never be realized in this present life. It is this realization that has promoted the Christian theology of a resurrected life that enters into a system where such perfection can be experienced.  We as an individual can choose to believe it or choose not to believe it, but as long as there are human beings with fleshly desires the continuation of the battle between the “Cults” and “Critics” will be repeated over and over again.

 

A. Boocher

The World's Most Humble Man

This was sent to me today.  There is a movement on one of the legalistic yahoo groups to start up a list of praise worthy things to say about HWA.  It is to counteract all of the blogs and web sites that ridicule and mock all things HWA. It's a virtual slobberfest.  Do you agree that this story portrays the man as the worlds humblest apostle?

Your note below reminded me of the Feast in Eugene in 1983. It was the 50th. anniversary of the beginning of the Eugene congregation, and Mr. HWA made an appearance at the Feast site. One evening, everyone was gathered to hear him speak. There was quite a crowd standing around. Soon, Mr. HWA entered, led by a group of young ministers who quickly walked through the crowd of people to the front of the room, leaving Mr. HWA to find his own way. Mr. HWA followed behind walking more slowly as his vision wasn't very good. He was carrying his large bible under his arm, and soon stopped as there was a young boy about 8 years old kneeling down on the floor tying his shoe in front of him. Rather than pushing his way around him, Mr. HWA just stopped and patiently waited for this child to finish tying his shoe before proceeding.

As an important man as Mr. HWA was, I thought it was a humble thing for him to do, to consider a child and wait for him to finish. I saw this clearly as I was close by. It was one of my sons who was in the way, but I couldn't get through the last few feet to move him aside for Mr. Armstrong.

In his autobiography, Mr. Armstrong admitted to being vain in his younger days. Having personally known a number of people who knew him back then, I remember they often mentioned his ego; which is a turn off to people.

One could see that in his later years, Mr. HWA was a very humble and loving man; a testament to the conversion process, God's working with him over those many years.

Flurry Cult Cavorting With John Birch Society?

A reader sent this in about a recent tweet by the Philadelphia Church of God cult where they are bragging about HWA videos being on YouTube.

So this brilliant tweet is posted on the front page of thetrumpet.com (Flurry):

                                                                    

“YouTube now has a channel devoted to the United States of Europe ... even has a couple of clips of Herbert Armstrong!http://t.co/HRaXiurK”

Follow the link to the dedicated YouTube page, and you’ll see that the HWA videos (posted by “hwatv” – a Flurry thing, perhaps?) are keeping company with the likes of the John Birch Society, something called the AllanWattResistance (from an author who appears to have his own fringe ideas about the things controlling the world), and someone called “Sir Leonard Wells,” a high school graduate (recently deceased) who identified himself on Linked In as an “online media writer & broadcaster, logistical thinker” and, the clincher…”transport specialist.”

 

Good grief.