United Church of God and It's Culture of Division

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Keep in mind that this list is from 1997 and that

 there are hundreds more splinter personalty groups that have emerged since then.

From a reader here:

Clicked through on Dixon's site to the old articles under the "In Transition" section -- the forerunner of The Journal. There's an article posted from the August 1995 issue that is an interview with David Hulme. He was president of the new UCG at the time:

http://www.thejournal.org/in-transition/v1issue5/chairman-discusses-ucg-future.html

If you scroll down you'll find this interesting quote:

"We'll only break up into arguing factions if God's Spirit is not present."

Wow. Guess that's one quote the UCG/COGWA groups would rather not recall.

By that standard, it's quite an indictment that UCG has, indeed, broken up into many arguing factions over the years.

It's remarkable: For years, we always heard the question asked, "Why so many denominations?" A look at the history of Christianity shows that church group after church group divided and went their separate ways because of various differences of opinion. But we in Armstrongism were quick to condemn that as evidence that these were groups of men, not of God.

Now, 20 years after the WCG's breakup, splits and breakaways are accepted. "As long as we keep the Sabbath and Holy Days," people say, ignoring the reality that careful observance of those things has not, historically, produced peace. It's reminiscent of the late '70s, when HWA loved to proclaim how there was finally real peace and harmony at headquarters, even while the people who worked there knew better.

One could say that Hulme set the stage for the UCG's splits when he was quoted in the article as saying that United's significantly different form of government was better suited for modern times and was a departure from HWA's form of government, which was more suited to a "military structure" of the mid-20th Century. It's also ironic that he talks about listening to people, something UCG and its offshoots haven't really been prone to do.

"We'll only break up into arguing factions if God's Spirit is not present." I wonder what he/they would say today?

How Ambassador College Used One of Satan's Greatest Books

Satan's FAAAAAAAAAAVORITE Book!

The mind of an Armstrrongite is a terrbile thing to waste....or make fun of:

From a conservative Yahoo Group that worships HWA:

I blame lots of this confusion on the way people hang onto the teachings of Books like. “How to win friends and influence people.” 

It is all about selling by manipulation. Starting on commonly held idea’s. Leading people to lower their guard. Then when fully mesmerised, to throw in the deceitful selling pitch. Then get out quick.  Before the people realize they just bought something they never wanted.

 

Compare that to how Mr Armstrong advertised and sold things. He gave the facts, explaining in detail.

 My wife was talking to a Protestant Minister a few years ago and he asked what Church did she attend. She answered something like a part of the Old WCG. Now this is where the story gets interesting.

He said that at the Ministers college  they taught from his books. Etc.

So this would mean that they learn how to twist what he taught. How to bamboozle people’s minds. Of truth and error to confuse.

 

Quite a few years ago, I started to studied many books like. “How to win friends and influence people.” Just to learn how people (and Church Ministers) use mind control tricks to sell ideas.

I have heard how one WCG Evangelist said. “That after Ambassador College started to use the Book. “How to win friends and influence people.” That he was never able to tell if anyone was telling the truth or lying”.

 I believe that those types of sales book are based on the spirit as stated in. (especially the words I have underlined below) Gal 5:20  idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

 

One of Satan’s greatest Books was taught in Ambassador College.  Everyone needs to get those idea’s completely out of their minds.

 

Christ talked lots about the Truth. We need to get back to Yes is Yes.  Not the “Yes” of those Selling Books that means. “Tricking you. Sending you to sleep”.

 

Everyone should read these. “How to lie and manipulate People”. Books to find out how to be on guard to the methods of the power of the air.  

 

In short. Confusion comes from Satanic idea’s.

 

UCG's Epic "Why Were You Born" Media Failure

UCG went into hyper-drive recently touting a new lecture series featuring Gary Petty.  The topic they picked has been a favorite one that has occupied Armstrongites for decades.  Why Were You Born?  Only Armstrongites seem invested in this and that is tied directly into HWA's obsession with it in the 1940-50's.  Coming out of the War people were asking this question in light of the atrocities and millions of lives lost.  Today, hardly anyone even worries about this, yet UCG claims it is the most asked question in all of humanity.

UCG released the facts about this wondrous campaign the other day including numbers of attendees.

Attendance at the event was over 200, including some local United Church of God members and Ambassador Bible College students. (Due to space limitations, the majority of local church members were not able to attend.) In addition, almost 400 webcast connections watched the event live online—representing more than a 1,000 people.

Particularly encouraging, was that the seminar drew 74 new guests, most having reserved tickets ahead of time, with a few showing up at the door for the event. Everybody who attended received a free seminar-themed notebook with pen and a copy of the United Church of God booklet Why Were You Born? (which was previously titled What Is Your Destiny?).

Notice what was said above:  attendance was around 200, 126 attendees were UCG members, employees and ABC students.  74 people were non-COG.   With an urban population of 2.2 million,  74 people is a horrendous payoff for the amount of money dumped into this failed campaign.

Billboards in the Cincinnati area through Lamar cost around $2,500 each for a four week period.  Their impact is the number of vehicles that drive by in a given period of time times the number of occupants in the vehicle.  UCG bought  eight of these billboards. Other costs were to rent the hotel room at the Holiday Inn for the meeting and for the free pens and notebooks given to the attendees.

Pandora radio ads were paid for, 746 ads were paid to run on Time Warner Cable in the Cincinnati area.  UCG had to pay for over 1,000 Google click-through ads.  5,400 letters were mailed by the USPS to household in the Cincinnati area.  This does not include the employee cost that it used to run Facebook and Twitter accounts or to plan the event.

Only in Armstrongism can it be declared a success they 74 people out of 2.2 million show up. It just goes to show that all the millions they are dumping into booklets, magazines and television shows is having a negligible impact worldwide.  No one knows who UCG is or what kind of silly message they are promoting.  It still plays mainly to a COG base that is constantly shape shifting from one group to the next.

Read the glowing report by UCG here:  “Why Were You Born?” Event Draws 74 New People in Cincinnati