Given the extent many of us were entrenched in Armstrongism
I am sure we all heard how evil crosses were. Armstrongism has had a deep
hatred for crosses over the decades.
Years ago there was an opera in the Auditorium. The
opera was TOSCA. The first act of Tosca takes place in a chapel.
Traditional European chapels contained crosses. This opera company had a
large cross set up on stage in the stage sets. HWA was in the habit of
coming down to the auditorium to play the piano early in the morning.
When he walked in and saw the cross he just about lost it. He started screaming
and yelling that that cross had to be removed or the opera would be
cancelled. The shit hit the fan rather fast and flew all over the place.
It made the headlines in the local papers and the Los Angeles Times.
That hatred still carries over to this day to the Living
Church of God where we saw the disgusting articles put out by Bob Thiel after
the Milwaukee LCG murders. Local citizens erected crosses in memory of
those killed. Thiel went ballistic about the pagan crosses and how
inconsiderate and unthoughtful the citizens of Milwaukee were to the LCG
members. He made a royal ass of himself and caused LCG more problems.
Today, I received a note from a reader telling me about
Gerald Flurry's cult and it's latest article condemning crosses. Flurry's
lap poodle, Wayne Turgeon, has a short blurb on PCG's web site about how evil
crosses are.
He writes:
First, are you sure that Christ died on the cross? History,
and more recently archeology, show that the cross was used as a religious
symbol centuries before Christ. The shape of the two-beamed cross had its
origin in ancient Chaldea and was used to represent the god Tammuz. Tammuz is
the deified Nimrod, the first man to lead the opposition against God after the
great Flood. He founded the city of Babylon, and along with his mother/wife
Semiramis, founded the pagan Babylon mystery religion—the origin of all false
religion today. The Egyptians used crosses in abundance, as did the Hindus. The
British Museum, for example, exhibits statues of the ancient Assyrian kings
wearing almost perfect Maltese crosses around their necks.
He is so concerned about pre-Christianity’s use of crosses,
yet never discusses the feast days and holy days that were observed by the
"pagan" nations that surrounded the Israelites who basically copied
those dates and re-imagined them for a new purpose that fit the story of the
Children of Israel.
With Armstrongism's deep hatred of the cross they need
something for what they call "Jesus Christ" to be killed on. So
they pick a few verses that call the instrument of Jesus’ death a
"stake."
Turgeon writes:
The New Testament does not specifically describe the
instrument upon which Christ died, but the following accounts all use the Greek
word xulon, which can be translated as “tree,” but can also mean “a
stick, club … or other wooden articles” (Strong’s).
·
“The God of our fathers raised up
Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree” (Acts 5:30).
·
“And we are witnesses of all things
which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and
hanged on a tree” (Acts 10:39).
·
“And though they found no cause of
death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they
had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree,
and laid him in a sepulchre” (Acts 13:28-29).
·
“Christ hath redeemed us from the
curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every
one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13).
·
“Who his own self bare our sins in
his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
Unlike Wayne and PCG, when Christians wear a cross, it is because they have
unashamedly chosen to pick up their cross daily and follow the person they
claim as Savior.
Jesus said this to his followers:
Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me,
is not
worthy of Me.
Luke 9:23 And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let
him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me,
cannot
be My disciple.
These people would not be ashamed to have carry a cross or
even wear one. Of course this makes no difference to those entrenched in
Armstrongism. They have no idea who the man is, they can't comprehend any
thing about the guy, what he supposedly was here to accomplish or even what it
means to be the People of the Way.
Philadelphia Church of God leaders and followers worship a
man. There are buildings built in his honor, rocks dedicated to his name,
sculptures and crystal bought by him, and much, much more. Herbert
Armstrong is the face of the PCG. Jesus is not. HWA's face and name are on everything. Booklets, books and articles
glorify his name and his writings as on par with the Gospel. They have
whored themselves out to a rock, some metal birds, and a false man.
I think what really pisses off the Armstrongites the most is
the understanding that Christians have that the law passed away at the
cross. The law in Armstrongism is far more important than the
cross. The law is far more important than Jesus. Jesus to them is
like an annoying zit. You see it there and ignore it for a while and then
you have to pop it open so it will go away. They begrudgingly have to
mention Jesus once a year at Passover and then conveniently do away with him
the rest of the year.
Since Wayne and Gerald Six-Pack claim to be Christians I
wonder why ignore this:
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them
that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
