From "Good News, August 1966"
In case you ever wondered the totalitarian authority state of the Church of God back in the "Glory Days", this article by Paul Royer should confirm it for you. Besides checking medicine cabinets in homes during ministerial visits, inspecting home cleanliness, and other police-state activities within the Church by overzealous "ministers" - check out exactly to what detail they monitored people who were attending the Feast. Monitoring was tedious, excessive, and unrelenting for all - children and adults alike.
The "GN" reported that 6,139 People attended the Feast on October 17, 1965 at Jekyll Island. Of this amount:
723 People got up and left the tent for one reason or another. Well, here's one thing the Festival Deacons were "ticking" on their little notepads and pencils!
What else were they looking for and jotting down? Here's the scoop:
Over 1,000 people left the tent during services the morning before. Yup, they were watching!
94 who left were children and parents "from the Spank Room".
Yes, there were spank rooms!
One woman took her child out 15 times in one service... Scribble, jot. You best believe her minister was informed! Think she got a talking to?
223 went to the restroom. Could it possibly be that some of the material just wasn't appropriate, or they were sitting way too long for a Waterhouse message?
82 mothers and children went to the mothers' room.
324 were "milling about" outside the tent and the parking lot.
"many" in their seats "not paying attention".
"out of 7,042 registered, perhaps 4,000 were awake"
During the Feast:
30 people went fishing. Ohh, let's watch and see what everyone is doing. Fishing rods! Jot, jot, jot.
Others slept in their camp and in their rooms.
Security found an adult couple sound asleep in the car.
An elderly couple was seen shopping across the street during services.
One young man was doing laundry listening to church on the loudspeakers.
A car with three church members were in bathing suits leaving a motel just prior to services.
Another family spent time in the motel room. The children were questioned as to why.
Another family left services because they were corrected for bringing their dog against Armstrong's will.
A deacon heard a member through the wall say "to hell with you, I need half an hour in the bathroom."
One was smacking loudly on a piece of gum, fidgeting, and sighing.
Everything you did and said outside of expectations was being watched and noted.
The Festival Monitors were watching, spying, seeking, listening, reporting anything and everything they could find to the "ministers" that were not "in line" with the commands and authority of Herbert Armstrong and company. Adults were not treated as adults, but as privates and subordinates in a military camp. I'm pretty certain this level of scrutiny still exists in some of the splinters still in existence today.
Submitted by SHT
