Why Are Church of God Members Sooooooo Special?

Apparently the Yahooists are all a twitter about a story out of France that claims that Coke has alcohol in it.  What's a poor Jew to do or even a Muslim?  But never fear, if you are true called out Church of God member you have nothing to worry about.
Since COG  members are the 1% set-apart ones and so significantly special above all the rest of humanity that specialness means you cannot die from eating poison or by being bitten by a poisonous snake. Plus, if you happen to eat a pork product in your food, that you did not know about,  God is not going to zap you for it.

Yet, if you get a burger on Saturday after church you will burn in the lake of fire.

God is going to save you from a snake bite but will let you die a painful death from cancer. 

God will heal you when you ingest poison yet will let your child die from a disease. 

How does this magical god choose who gets his special touch?

...inasmuch as the amount of alcohol in sodas is not worth mentioning. Bringing it to anyone's attention is simply ill intent to play with their conscience much as if you are in the middle of eating a burrito and someone tells you it was cooked in lard. Naturally, you then become upset. Happily, we are informed by Paul that if we eat poison or are bitten by snakes.... we will remain unharmed, and we know God does not hold us responsible since we were innocent of wrongdoing. Not so for many other religious folks.

"Not so for many other religious folks."  Really?????

That translated into Church of God speak: 

Because we are Church of God members we are way more special and set apart than the rest of the fake Jews and Christians out there.  They are just deceived idiots that know nothing.  We know everything, especially how special we are in our god's sight.  God is on our side and not yours!  Ha Ha!

(Hat tip to Frank for this)

Do You Dare Question Church Authority?

For well over 80 years now the members of the Church of God have been told over and over to never question the ministry, doctrines or visions of the leaders.  To do so was equated as rebellion against God.

Healthy faith involves questioning, doubt and anger.  Armstrongism has always made these qualities to be tools of Satan to deceive the brethren.  Any look through Hebrew and Christan scriptures quickly points out the men and women who questioned God, argued with God, and got angry with God.  COG members would never exhibit or admit to these qualities to other COG members.  To do so would make them feel "weak in the faith" in the eyes of others.

That's part of the reason so many in the COG's get angry with the "anti-COG" sites.  They feel their faith, their beliefs and understanding are being questioned. It is easier to sit there week after week and be spoon fed than it is to dare to step outside the box and use critical thinking.  Being bombarded by booklets, magazines, taped sermons, bible studies, TV programs,and members only chruch activities allows them to do the thinking for you which is much easier than daring to doubt.

I know many who sit in COG services week after week, even though they do not believe it anymore, because all their friends are there.  They know full well that if they were to leave they would be shunned. It is better to "suck it up" and suffer for a couple hours each week than it is to step out and fly free.

Steping out and questioning does not mean you have to loose faith.  Many find their faith  grows even stronger.  Others, need a break from religion all together.  That is good too, especially after what we have all been through while being part of the COG.

The Silenced blog has a great posting today about this very topic.

They write:

In fact, COG leaders are abusing your belief, taking advantage of your faith for personal monetary gain. Ron Weinland’s conviction, David C. Pack’s constant hustling, UCG’s insistent demand for newer, bigger toys built on the backs of the brethren and decades of WCG’s golden flatware, mansions and private jets are evidence of this systemic abuse of your beliefs. Without your faith and support, including that of tithing and offerings to the organization, the COG’s senior leadership wouldn’t have jobs, their numerous unearned perks or be in a position to abuse their power.

By associating personal beliefs with loyalty to an organization, you are providing fuel for an engine of dishonesty, something we know so many of you don’t want or intend. We know these aren’t your wishes based on all of the splits and schisms in the church whenever there’s alleged corruption or a doctrinal change. Most of those passing through UCG’s exits to join COGWA did so because they realized the vile way their former organization had been conducting itself.

Check out the article here:  The Appeal #1: Beliefs vs. Affiliation

Honda EV World: Ex WCG Minister Takes Trip Down Memory Lane

Check out this article from Honda's electric vehicle web site.  Bill Moore was a WCG pastor who left Armstrongism in 1980.

Driving the Honda Fit EV Down Memory Lane:  EV World's publisher takes Honda's new EV back thirty years in time.

 It's been 34 years since I last walked the campus of Ambassador College in Pasadena, California. It was early Summer 1978 and I had just spent a year on a ministerial sabbatical after more than five years serving as a church pastor in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia. Now we were preparing to move back to Illinois to assume a new church assignment, but that year would prove a major turning point in our lives. It had opened my eyes to the world of Biblical scholarship, as well as offered me the opportunity to become a published author in two of the church's international publications. The first would lead me to begin questioning church doctrine, the second would prove to me that I could be a writer.