NPR All Things Considered January 29, 2018

For Heaven's Gate Podcast Host, Cult Tragedy Hits Close to Home

Twenty years ago, in 1997, a bizarre story hit the national news: Thirty-nine people had killed themselves by drinking poison in a mansion near San Diego. All 39 were dressed identically and had the same haircuts — and they were all members of the Heaven's Gate cult.

In their videotaped farewell messages, they insisted their suicides were not a final death; they were simply shedding their earthly bodies in order to meet a UFO they believed was trailing the Hale-Bopp comet — a UFO that would transport them to the kingdom of heaven.

Their story had a powerful impact on Glynn Washington, host of WNYC's Snap Judgment. "I couldn't stop watching," he says. "I was staring ... because it, in a lot of ways, it felt like that was something that my group could have done."

When Washington was growing up in Michigan in the 1970s and '80s, his family belonged to a different apocalyptic faith organization called the Worldwide Church of God. Washington recognized a lot of what he saw in that 1997 news story, and now he brings that recognition to Heaven's Gate, his 10-episode podcast about the cult and its members.

.......Continue

https://www.npr.org/2018/01/29/581532036/for-heaven-s-gate-podcast-host-the-cult-story-hits-close-to-home

And to be continued:

Gerald Weston Gets Down on Depravity, Moral Degradation and Lampooning

There is one thing that the Church of God has always been good at and that is finding something wrong about everything.  The world is going to hell as depravity takes over. Everything is soooooo evil that the church almost demands that WWIII happened and burn to a crisp all of the evil people outside the church.

Rarely, if ever, do you see any of the splinter groups celebrate the beauty in the world, the goodness and kindness that flow though human beings, and all of the other amazing and delightful things to celebrate.

The eyes of the church have been so focused on vengeance, thanks to adhering only to the law, that they totally miss out on the beauty and delightful things that happen when grace and mercy are given precedence.

That is why every single letter that the Living Church of God sends out is always filled with consistent depressing news or referencing some major trauma or catastrophe.

The need for many people to have a mighty warrior god ready to strike down all adversaries and depraved people is strong in the church.  So many members feel act like they are wounded martyrs for the truth and they want to see those not following the enlightened way get punished. They have had to suffer for the truth and they are not too happy.

The only breath of grace, at times, has been Doug Winnail who seems to find goodness in people.  But if you have been paying attention to LCG's website, Winnail has been conspicuously absent in posting since before the Feast.  Ever since Hermann Goering, Rod McNair was brought back to Charlotte, grace and mercy are seldom found.

I think we all know that our world is in trouble. Stock markets around the world may be up for the time being, people in some countries may have full wallets and purses, but this does not indicate all is well. Precious few people are alive today who remember the “Roaring ’20s” of the last century, but we might do well to remember that those days were followed by the Great Depression and World War II. 

We are living in a world filled with conflicts, moral degradation, and in our Western World, a lack of awareness of God. God is lampooned at every turn, and those who stand up for morality and godly values are equally despised and put down. Where this is leading, is not good! God will not put up with this depravity forever! “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:7-10). 

Dear brethren and co-workers, let us work while it is day, for “the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). Jesus referred to His own Work, but if He is living within us, it must surely be a message for us to take to heart. The Work He refers to is “the works of Him who sent Me….” God calls us to do a Work. It is difficult to see in every detail how events will play out, but free speech is under assault, and there is this sobering prediction: “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord God, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it’” (Amos 8:11-12). Is this a warning for us? 

Let us work the Work of God while we have time. And thank you for your prayers and generous support. I look forward to that day when we will stand together before the throne of God and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servants!” May that day come quickly! 

Sincerely, in Christ’s service,

Gerald E. Weston

Point Taken...

Concerning Bible Criticism

 Anonymous said...

Articles like these are the kind that makes it easy for the abusive leaders to convince their members to avoid this site.
I thought the whole purpose of this blog was to expose Armstrongism and help members trapped and also provide potential members of COGs with information that would help them make an informed decision. Dennis I know you believe the Bible is not what Christians think it is, however if this site is interested in helping those you believe to be trapped in Cogs, articles like these could do the opposite giving the impression this blog is a cover for athiestic views. Imagine someone barely getting the courage to defy their leaders brainwashing, visit this site and this is the first article they see, it could play right into the hands of their leaders claims of this being an anti -God, satanic blog. This blog helped me to see some of the things that were wrong with the Cogs but remember members are cautioned against going on the Internet and how satan will use it to turn them away not just from the church but from God. I think there should be another blog for articles like this( just my opinion). What is the purpose of this site? Who is it suppose to help?? What is it suppose to expose? Now I am in no part bashing this site or anyone for their views I am just asking will things like this really help to open up the eyes of indoctrinated church members or will it reinforce their sometimes abusive leaders analysis of this site and others like it. Articles like the one challenging tithing, exposing the corruption(cough cough private jet),and various other doctrines of the church are the kind that can stimulate critical thinking in the minds of many honest cog followers like they did for me. I believed that was the original aim of this blog correct if I am mistaken. "

Me says:    Thank you and that was well put.  

My intentions were probably more personal and part of bringing myself some closure with the whole messy experience.  My thinking was simply to study and learn what it was that Embarrassing College, which when I signed up as a Presbyterian kid at 18 for, thought was a legit seminary like the one I turned down to attend in NY didn't teach me.  I also assumed that others mostly thought the same way about church, sermons and what it was that also could have been taught better and wasn't.  In this I am mistaken and it's ok. 

 I was an idealist when a kid for many reasons I have no doubt sprinkled throughout my writings over the years. I still am for better or worse.  The drama and trauma the Armstrongs and Tkaches inflicted upon me personally as I perceive it and their ultimate destruction of every last congregation I felt , at the time, I sincerely grew, as a pastor was hard on the boy. It's not easy to think what a waste of time that was.  In two years, the Tkach debacle took my last congregation from 450 to 16.  Every other one of the 13 previous, of course, are gone. 

From the moment I left college to go into the ministry (1972) as "for you Dennis, the sky is the limit" which seemed to me at the time even a very strange comment but was the results of leaked manpower comments which got back to me, it was one damn thing after the next. One damn scandal, move and angry congregants after the next.   I grew to hate my choices long before I began to doubt I had even the right view of scripture and the Bible itself.  I stayed to care for people I cared about with information and encouragement I thought was helpful.  I also, naively so, thought that I could be a part of the churches maturing but the bozos got to be in charge with their authoritarian dictates right to the end.  No Shepherds ever rose very high in "that church" to inspire what any one could see the NT spoke more about than the rituals and judgements of others people were taught to embrace.  Only dictators and ego infested wanna be's got those jobs.  

I always had a good laugh over the minor fact that I wanted a break from the ministry a few times and knew I could teach for a summer as other ministers did at SEP. I didn't realize I wasn't in the inner circle of those who got invited.   I wanted to teach swimming.  I taught swimming all my teenage years for the Red Cross.  I had all the high swimming teacher credentials. I was a water safety instructor by 18. I taught CPR , First Aid, Automatic External  Defib use,  and Water Safety for the Red Cross as a minister.  But I never could get to SEP to teach swimming.  Ministers who never taught it and probably could not swim taught it!  lol.  I gave up.  I was never in any loops that I perceived.  

Anyway...
Banned has not proven to be a place where I can pursue Biblical realities and so I will not continue to do that here.  To those who were more than mildly offended and defensive, I apologize.  Being perceived as one who is out to steal crowns or destroy faith was never the goal.  I had the inaccurate  idea that others thought like I did and would be fascinated with actual Bible origins and issues etc.  Just because we all had a similar WCG experience with prophecy, end time living and financial sacrifice does not mean we would all be drawn to the same conclusions and interests that remedy that for us individually.

I am not one to spin and spend my time bitching and moaning year after year about my WCG experience. I have my moments when certain topics come up and butttons can be punched of course, but it is not essentially who I am nor the kind of person I wish to be the rest of my life. It was an experience. I chose it, I participated in it and I learned from it though I wish I had gone another direction much earlier in life.  It cost me my marriage, for which I accept responsibility and my sanity at times.  You haven't lived until your boss shows up at a Charter Hospital where I was taking break in deep depression, (for me repressed anger I thought I had no right to express or that the price would be to high to do so) and trying to save my ministry at the same time, and announces he doesn't want to hear anymore about how my only brother, who is blind, deaf and can't speak affected me, and how I spent every Sunday afternoon as a child thru teen going to the State Hospital seeing and smelling the sights and sounds of it all  and how it molded the fixer, caretaker and rescuer in me. All I got was that "we were going to fire you and think you are just here hiding out."  He wasn't even on my list of people I had to approve to let in to see me.  Asshole.....  I had to address several issues of handling stress badly to get myself back to the real Dennis.  WCG could make a nutcase out of anyone that worked for the Armstrongs or Tkaches. 

Thus..it is what it is. My view is what eats you...eats you, so getting past the drama and trauma of the church is more important to me for a better life now than constant reminders of who did what or how bad it all was. That is waste of good lifetime from my perspective.

So I will not continue to assume I could be a theologically stimulating break at times while Gary hunts up the information that does help those still stuck to move out and up of the COG trap. This group don't stimulate! lol. 

I have tried to back out in the past only to show back up again with Biblical topics outside the box.  For all our similarities and our differences, you are my last friends who halfway understand me and the experience.  That's hard to walk away from.  I will not, however, post any more topics outside those which address the purpose of exposing the ridiculous personalities and demands of the splits, splinters and slivers left of WCG.  I promise. 

My Favorite Dave Pack Quote: 

 

    "I want to make a statement about...me...now, if I became deceived, I will never tell you what I'm going to tell you now...I am telling you if I go off into strange ideas, misconduct, rebellion, you name it, don't follow me. I want to tell you that now, because if I start doing that I'm gonna try to get you to follow me! I'm gonna come to you and tell you it doesn't apply, it doesn't mean me, no, no, no, no, no, no, it's OK to follow me because ABCD and XY and Z. Do you understand what I'm saying? Listen to me now, when I tell you don't follow me if I go off into weird ideas, or if I get off into other things that are total absolutely unscriptural conduct, because if I do I'm gonna paint it with a different face and try to get you to follow me. Do you understand what I'm saying brethren? Please remember that, because I promise you that if I become deceived, I'll forget it, and I'll want you to forget it...And I hope you'll remember it well enough to quote it right back to me...But I'll tell you what, I'm not going anywhere."

David C. Pack 

  paraphrased:

 

    "I want to make a statement about...me...now, if I  ever go back to posting Biblical Criticism, , I will never tell you what I'm going to tell you now...I am telling you if I go off into strange ideas, misconduct, rebellion, you name it, don't follow me. I want to tell you that now, because if I start doing that I'm gonna try to get you to follow me! I'm gonna come to you and tell you it doesn't apply, it doesn't mean me, no, no, no, no, no, no, it's OK to follow me because ABCD and XY and Z. Do you understand what I'm saying? Listen to me now, when I tell you don't follow me if I go off into accepted theological understanding of the text, , or if I get off into other things that are total  and absolutely true historical realities, Biblical origins and  errancy issues and showing the political agendas of prophets, priests and Apostles in the text,  , because if I do I'm gonna paint it with a different face and try to get you to follow me. Do you understand what I'm saying brethren? Please remember that, because I promise you that if I become en-lightened, I'll remember it, and I'll want you to remember it...And I hope you'll remember it well enough to quote it right back to me...But I'll tell you what, I'm not going anywhere."

David C. Pack /Dennis C Diehl

Best wishes to all on our shared journey out of pious convictions backed by marginal information  :)
Den

PS  I find it ironic I find myself walking, biking and driving the same streets, going to the same library, drive the same streets GTA was born on and having to pass the Church where HWA got his start in baptism here in Portland.  The Karma Fairy is messin' with me!