What good was your brain when the church did all of your thinking for you?

Contributed by SHT.

When The Church of The Non-Mentioned God was Only an Extension Program of Ambassador College.....

When reading of the booklets for analysis - the booklet "This is Ambassador College" published by the Ambassador College Press in 1968 and 1969. This was three years before the big 1972 incident. Eleven years into the attempts to fund the Auditorium. Thirteen years since they were pressing forward the idea of the nineteen-year time cycle. Nearly every building was completed - except for the Crown Gem of the campus. And well into the glory years of the Church - just before that scandals of GTA and 1975 were about to rip a gash in the fabric of the Church. This is the background of this submission. 

First - some pointed facts of what is NOT in the booklet. 

There is ZERO mention or acknowledgement or praise of God, Jesus, the Church, or any hint or semblance of any religious affiliation whatsoever in the growth or the building up of this college.  There is zero mention of any of the traumatic money-pushes that were going on at the exact same time this was published (of course). In fact, you cannot find any hint at all that this college was even religious. It's not there. In fact, the Church behind the college was such a secret at the time that you could not even find where they were meeting,or who the pastors were. Of course, we all know the story behind this - or at least how it was portrayed to the members. It still stands a strong, solid fact: God was absolutely excluded from any part of the founding or the story of Ambassador College. All glory was given only to Herbert Armstrong - for everything. 

Here we see the "Business aspects" that claimed help Herbert start Ambassador College and the Church. This is actually very good information to what Herbert was learning behind the scenes - once you take off the religious charade that cloaked what he was learning and doing. 

He traveled all over the country, it says, interviewing business owners, and executives - millionaires  - searching out "ideas that had been successfully used by businessmen", gathering material for the Trade Journal. He was also internalizing this material for his own benefit - storing the advice and material wisdom from some of the brightest - and wealthiest - men of that generation. 

Notice what this work involved. He had to literally question businessmen (and Herbert must have been in his glory here) to learn "the reasons for the success of the few and the failure of the many". The definition of success here, of course, was financial success - becoming "an important person", as he so often says he strove with all of his energy to be. He did many surveys to learn the psychology of why people buy what they buy, and spend what they spend. He was able to learn the act of marketing - how to sell a product, and to determine what needs to be said to what group of people to merchandise - to get them to buy whatever product people are trying to sell. Sales was an art form - and he was in a position to learn and employ every psychological formula to cause people to want to buy ANYTHING. 

The wealth of information that he learned - make no mistake about this - was WORLDLY. He spent time classifying and analyzing all types of people and knew exactly what to write, in his ads, or say, in person, to convince a person that they needed a product - desperately. This knowledge would have cost much money to learn in a college environment. Herbert had the chance to learn these worldly ways directly from the ones who have used them the best. The Autobiography clearly states the financial advice he got in regards to money was advice he took with him for his entire life - employed and used in business, by a businessman. 

Here, it is very obvious what Herbert was trying to do: Mix, as a hybrid, the worldly ways of financial success with the Bible as he saw it. This, in my view, is how he approached scripture. He allowed the worldly laws of finance and business to rule over the spiritual laws of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

It is BUSINESS that employed the top-down model of government. It is BUSINESS that employed the strict, dictatorial, my way of the highway approach that he used. It is BUSINESS that determined the ministerial policies of strong-handedness among the "management". The only way that he knew how to run a business was to run everything as a business - even if it was supposed to be "God's True Church".

It was business that caused Herbert Armstrong to use sales product pitches in every co-worker letter to obtain finances. It was business in the way he organized the very structure of every division. And it was as a businessman, and a boss, in how he viewed the baptized members of the Church - and the co-workers as an arm of funding. 

The fruits of what happened are exactly what you would expect from a business, not a church. 

Scandals. Debauchery. Immorality, Contentiousness. Power Struggles. Deceit. Lies. When you understand that the Worldwide Church of God was merely an "Extension Program" of Ambassador College - the fundraising arm through tithes, and offerings, under a pretense of religion - and you see clearly that all this was going on while the Church was fully deceiving it's membership as a means to an end - it begins to put every puzzle piece together. 

Let me emphasize this once again for clarity. 

Mention of God? Zero.

Mention of Jesus? Zero. 

Mention of the Church? None. 

This was intentional - until changed by Garner Ted in the 1970s, in an attempt to make the church "more visible" - and eventually, after everything was accomplished and completed as far as the master plan of the college goes - when nothing else was to be gained - the Church did become more visible, and the name of the Church was added to the World Tomorrow Program. But you did not find this happening until after the fact - when there was a massive shift from fundraising and establishing to simply maintaining.  

Herbert was a pioneer in strategically using a worldly business model to combine with a religious organization to create the appearance of a Church. And without any doubt whatsoever - he used fully worldly, fully carnal, fully business-like methods to accomplish this task - using the business training he received from successful businessmen to do so. 

When people joined into his "Church", they entered into a reverse business. 

Instead of getting paid, they paid the business. Instead of getting health benefits, their health was taken away. Instead of getting support from the ministers, they were chastized. Instead of the ministers seeing themselves as servants, they saw themselves as bosses. 

Once they got you in their business, then the psychological training was on. 

You were told if you left the Church, you would lose the business benefits. Which were:

• A Security Detail that would Protect You from the Outside Wolves 
• The Office of a High-Ranking Manager in the World-Ruling Government
• A Pioneer in a World-Ruling Government 
• A Yearly Vacation in a Business Conference, Which is paid by You, not the Corporation
• Mandatory weekly training sessions

Or, you could be terminated from the business by:

• Failure to comply with the Standards and Practices of the Organization
• Failure to pay dues as required by the Organization
• Failure to follow the Code of Conduct required by the Organization
• Disloyalty to the organization, or to it's management
• Failure to follow the Corporate Dress Code
• Self-Interpretation of Business Law or Dissemination Thereof to other members
• Failure to adhere with the Policies of the Organization
• Insubordination of Managers within the Corporation

In addition, you agreed to:

• Follow orders without question, every time
• Refrain from grumbling, complaining in any measure
• Maintain the highest level of productivity and efficiency within the organization
• Forego any "union" representation
• Refrain from personal interpretation of the Master Code of Regulations used by the Corporation
• Agree to not participate in the activities of the competition
• Agree to non-disclosure on corporate material to the competition; instead referring them to Management
• Agree to on-call, twenty-four hour service as required by Management
• Agree to pay for any business projects beyond dues as requested when required out of pocket
• Agree to zero compensation at all times
• Agree to a lifetime, irrevocable membership unless terminated by Managers

In the event you revoked your membership:

• You forfeited all rights, privileges, rank, and fellowship with the Corporation or other members of the Corporation, without eligibility of rehire, unless reinstated by the Management upon intent of compliance with the Polices, Standards, and Procedures of the Corporation. 

In addition. You would be, according to the policies of the Church, convinced:

• You forfeited all spiritual, eternal, everlasting cohesion inside the mortal Universe, and as punishment for the Crime of Rebellion against the Corporation, you would be supernaturally obliterated into absolute nothingness as if you have never been, on the sole whim and judgement of the Managers of the Corporation. 

"This Is Ambassador College" seemed to be absolutely EMBARRASSED a religious organization was behind it. About as embarrassed was as Herbert was to go to Kings and Prime Ministers and completely leave Jesus and his first coming out of it. 

Herbert Armstrong took all the glory for the business with this booklet. God and Jesus got none. And this - 3 years before "1972" - all while deceiving the membership about what was to come - and here you see the College - and the Church - for exactly what it was. A worldly enterprise with an Extension Program,  a "Church" as its main fundraising arm somehow not even mentioned here - with the most worldly senior management you could imagine running the whole business. 

God wasn't in this. 

Also, seriously, I'm being totally literal here. 

GOD was NOT in this. 

Contributed by SHT.

Mark Armstrong on the prophetic accuracy of his Dad and Grandfather.

Mark Armstrong has never had the qualities that his dad and grandfather had and has to resort to pretending his dad is still alive and republishing his works on a daily basis. Apparently, those in the Armstrong family all think they are from a long line of prophets.

This end-time Work of the Watchman has a well documented history and tradition. It began with my Grandfather, some 70 years ago. All involved or familiar with this Work know of his lifelong contribution; and of the long and productive Work of his son, my Dad; Garner Ted Armstrong.

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong gained an understanding of Bible prophecy through reading, study and divine revelation back before many of those active in this phase of the Work were born. He had the understanding necessary to look into the Bible, and into the future, compare those prophecies with world events extant at the time and see the trends which would lead to an eventual culmination. Beginning in the early 1950s his son, my Dad, Garner Ted Armstrong began to take an active role in writing and broadcasting that message of witness and warning. Consider the strong message and accurate prophetic prediction written by Mr. Herbert W. in 1957. It was an article which recognized that Eastern European countries under the control of the USSR were already beginning to adopt policies which were outside the Communist dogma, policies which would pave the way for them to eventually leave the Soviet orbit and join in a coming United Europe. Early in the article, he quoted some rather humorous definitions of Communism, Fascism, Democracy, “New Dealism,” Capitalism and Theocracy.

“Communism: You have two cows. The government takes both and sells you the milk.

“Fascism: You have two cows. The government takes both, feeds the milk to the army, and shoots you.

“Democracy: You have two cows. The government buys one and sells it to an enemy on credit.

“New Dealism: You have two cows. The government buys both, shoots one, milks the other, and throws the milk away. “Capitalism: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

“Theocracy: You have two cows. You milk them both, sell the milk, pay God His tithe, keep the other nine tenths and God gives you a bull.”

Nobody ever accused Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong of having no sense of humor! But his article went on to highlight serious issues of that era, and into the frightening scenario which the United States will ultimately face according to Bible prophecy. Mind you, the year was 1957! The following quote appears under the subhead, “Germany is Risen Again!”

“The factor is this: Germany is once again a major world power- and we don’t know it!

“While we innocently suppose the Russians are as mighty and dangerous as their words of bluff, we remain sound asleep to the FACT that Germany is fast emerging as a far GREATER power than Russia.

Those nasty Germans have been the bane of the Armstrong family for 80 some years now. From Hitler being alive in South America to invading German armies who set up concentration camps and hang Church of God members up on meat hooks, finding themselves being toss into crematorium ovens or taken as slaves to Europe where they will serve in the homes of the Germans as a final humiliation. For 80 some years now those prophecies have never come to pass.

Never fear though, Mark's Grandfather had travelled to Germany and knew for a fact that they are rebuilding their empire.

“Already Germany, in actual resources and sustained industrial power, has actually passed Great Britain, believe it or not! Twice in the past three years I have visited and toured over Germany. Never have I seen such dynamic energy for WORK- for the work of production- of restoring a whipped, beaten, depleted Germany to the pinnacle where the Germans can shout triumphantly, Deutschland UberAlles!

“Our people have forsaken GOD! And, for our own good, to bring us to our senses, GOD IS BEGINNING TO PUNISH! …While we PROFESS to be the leading `Christian’ countries, we (the U.S. and Britain) have actually turned God’s Holy Bible upside down-we have rejected the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, as Christ Himself delivered and proclaimed it-we have set up PAGAN sun worshiping practices and we call them `Christian’ festivals-we have adopted false and hellish doctrines that make God’s ways and His laws appear to be evil, and make evil appear to be righteousness!”

WHEW! Grandpa Armstrong sure knew how to make the words leap off the page! 

Mark goes on to quote his dad and his utterances as prophetic truth. It is a rather long article with Mark adding a few comments here and there as he ends with this:

If you’ve been a reader or a listener of much that my Dad, Garner Ted Armstrong wrote and said, you’ve already got a very good idea how all of this will turn out. He predicted a coming “New World Order,” one in which, sadly, the United States of America will not fare well. Talk about patriotism! He loved this country deeply. Was proud to have served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, and he knew World War II inside out. Occasionally he’d run into somebody else well versed in the many facets of the second World War, and the conversation would be incredible.

He knew his history and his geography backward and forward. And he knew his Bible even better. He wrote and spoke volumes at every juncture of world events, every twist and turn since the early 1950s, describing what was transpiring and where it was leading. He was acutely aware of every aspect of this continuing evolution of the European Union. And he looked at history and at Bible prophecy as his guide to understanding it all. And he shared that with all of us.

We may be lulled into a sense of security for now. But moves are underway which will affect our role in the Middle East ultimately, our economy, and yes, our sovereignty. We will continue to draw attention toward these relatively unrecognized trends with the perspective Garner Ted Armstrong, and Herbert W. Armstrong before him, brought to so many. You may request publications and tapes (free of charge) by calling the offices of the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The work of witness and warning will continue via radio, television, the Internet, and the printed page as long as God provides the strength and support. Thank you for the role you play in the fulfillment of the great commission!  

The Long Tradition of Prophetic Insight and Accuracy