It was February 18, 1970. A small group of ministerial students were
spending an evening with Herbert W. Armstrong, the founder of the Worldwide
Church of God. Those of us who had been invited were given a glimpse of a
life-style which in today's world only a very few are able to afford. At his
home, a small mansion on Pasadena's South Orange Grove Boulevard (once
nicknamed "millionaire row"), we were surrounded by rare antiques, expensive
paintings, and Steuben crystal. The carpets were luxuriant; a Steinway grand
stood in the corner of the drawing room.
The gourmet cuisine served at dinner was excellent as were the European
wines-all four of them. We had been shown a large number of expensive
paintings and
objets d'art and, as was his custom, Herbert would
relate what he paid for each and what they were now worth. That theme
carried over into the conversation at dinner. Then, as the servants began to
clear the table, he turned to one of the guests and said, "What do you think
all of these beautiful things on the table are worth?" Of course, none of us
had even the slightest idea. And so, he was able to proudly proclaim, "Over
$125,000!"
He was quick to point out, however, that art objects of this quality were
so rare that they were in fact "priceless." The sculptured, foot-high,
solid-gold saltcellars were, for instance, the only known copies of those
once owned by Louis XIV. (They had been specially made for Herbert by
Harrod's of London.) The crystal goblets were identical to those found on
Queen Elizabeth's table. The supremely crafted cutlery was of solid gold.
The tablecloth was made of the finest Belgian lace. The gold-covered china
was of the finest craftsmanship and formerly belonged to Czar Nicholas II of
Russia.
As we sat there sipping our four different wines and eating off the
czar's china, I couldn't help but think of the incredible contrast all this
presented to the meager existence of so many members of Herbert's church-the
very ones who were, through their tithes and offerings, making all this
possible. I had personally known many Worldwide Church of God laymembers who
were barely able to keep their families fed, let alone properly clothed,
because of the large amounts they felt compelled to contribute to the
Armstrong organization.
Ironically, just five days after the above occasion, one such beleaguered
church member, a dedicated employee of the organization, wrote his minister
and outlined the tragic financial straits he had come to as a result of
obeying the church's teachings. The following excerpt, though a bit lengthy,
shows in detail the type of deprivation inflicted on many who have come
under the influence of the Armstrong organization and its teachings:
1. Automobile: The automobile is unsafe to drive.
A. The brakes are in poor shape; sometimes they lock
the right or left front wheel, and to unlock it one must back up. This
happens while driving.
B. The engine is too heavy for the front suspension,
and I am in fear of the front suspension collapsing.
C. The exhaust system is leaky and fills the auto with
oil smoke and fumes while driving.
This automobile must be replaced. I risk my family's
life every time we drive in it; I had Mr. Schreiber check it, and he said
to replace it this year before the Feast.
2. Clothing
A. My wife has no underwear, has had none for a
year or more. She has only one brassiere and one slip and both are in very
sad shape, ripped up, etc. She has no nylons and only one pair of socks.
B. She only has one good dress and with constant wear
it is going fast. She has only one pair of shoes, and they are one size
too big. When she stands in them, there is a one-half inch gap at the
heel, she only has one coat, and it is all ripped up inside. My wife needs
clothing badly.
3. Clothing
A. My clothing is in sad shape also, but better than my
wife's. I have only one suit I can wear. It is a summer suit I got from
used clothing, and when the seams go, I will have none. I have no pants I
can wear anywhere. If it were not for the uniforms at work, I would have
none at all; to change clothes I have a choice-a uniform from work, my
suit, or one pair of levis with holes in them. My shoes need repairing. My
socks are all full of holes at the heels; I do have three or four sets of
underwear that are good.
B. My children's clothes: If it were not for used
clothing, they would have none. We do good to keep them in shoes as they
need them. Their feet already have corns because of the wrong shoes in the
past; we are finding that used clothing is not able to supply their
present needs. They are growing to a size that is not available. There is
no money available to go to a Thrift Shop.
4. Our Furniture
A. Most of what we have will be usable for some time,
but some items need replacing.
B. The bed my wife and I sleep in is 23 years old, and
we are continually being cut by springs coming through the mattress. I
woke up one night with a spring stuck into my thigh and had to lift
myself straight up off of it. We cut out an average of one or two springs
a week; I feel it is also a cause of my constant back problems, but I have
no money to replace the bed.
C. We have only two dressers for seven people and this
is not enough; because of this we keep the children's clothes in cardboard
boxes in the closets. The rest I feel we can get by with.
5. Entertainment
We rarely go any place through the year except to the
Feast [of Tabernacles]. I have taken my wife out to dinner once in the
past five years. I don't recall that I have ever taken my children any
place except at the Feast of Tabernacles. We have gone to the zoo with the
children once since being in the Church and that is 10 years or so.
6. Medical/Dental
My wife needs dental work badly. We owe Dr. Howell
$35.00 now, but we don't have any money to pay him. My children have never
had a dental or eye checkup and they need it. I need glasses. I went to
the eye doctor two years ago and was told this but no money. I also need
some dental work, but mine is small.
7. Imperial Schools
We owe Imperial [the Worldwide Church of God's now
defunct private schools, offering grades 1 through 12] $577.20, and it
will take $65.00 per month to pay them off by next school year. We are
currently paying $40.00 when we have it. We will have another child in
school next year, plus our three.
Summary
I am sorry to be a burden to this work, but I do have a
large family to feed; my children eat like adults, and they do wear clothes.
If we lived on a ranch in Arizona, we could probably live cheaper, but we
live in Los Angeles and there are just more expenses here. I am not
demanding. I am only showing you my condition as it is. I will get by as
long as I can, but we are getting close to the end of our rope. Please
advise me!!
This poor member's dedication and "good attitude" cannot be denied. But
he shouldn't have been suprised by his poverty. Not when you consider that
he was giving away nearly 40% of his net income in first tithe, second
tithe, third tithe, regular offerings, holy-day offerings, special emergency
offerings, church emergency loans, building fund contributions, and
Spokesman Club dues! And this doesn't include the income he lost by passing
up employment opportunities to keep the Old Testament sabbath and holy days,
as the Worldwide Church of God teaches.
The Armstrong organization has always been quick to publish letters from
individuals claiming all kinds of financial success ("blessings"), divine
intervention, and good luck that supposedly resulted directly from obedience
to the church's teachings concerning tithing. However, letters such as the
one we have quoted above somehow never made it into print. In our Letters
section in this issue we have included a number of letters that describe
some of those cases the Armstrong neglected to mention.
This Is the Life! The $60,000,000 per year tax-free income that
the Armstrongs are able to garner and that they exclusively control attests
to the effectiveness of their methods. As Herbert has often stated, "Tithing
pays off!" On of his editorials was once titled, "This Is the Life!-Real
Abundant Living!" True, for the one receiving the tithes tithing does pay
off. But life has been a lot less abundant for thousands of those who have
diligently applied Herbert's tithing laws as found in his booklet
Ending
Your Financial Worries (often jokingly referred to by some WCG
higher-ups as "Ending
Our Financial Worries").
You can read the rest of this eye opening article here: Fleecing the Flock
Apostle Malm responds accusing them of digging the meat out to eat.
Another acolyte is incensed at these sinners actions so The Malm responds:
The Malm is so pissed at COGWA and UCG that he has this to say about how God is going to destroy them in his soon coming tribulation.