Saturday, December 21, 2019

Philadelphia Church of God Creates a New Holy Day for its Gullible Followers



COG News has this little tidbit about the ongoing idolatry that makes up the Philadelphia Church of God.  

They have created several special days for historical moments in the history of the PCG cult.

One of the those special days is the one that draws the faithful to gather at Robbers Cave, OK. It is in this place where Lil'Stevie supposedly read his dad's essay called Malachi's Message and had the realization that he would eventually inherit the mantle of his dad and the empire he had created and therefore agreed thatMalachi's Messages was the greatest thing he had ever read.

Now the cult has created another idolatrous day:

The 7th of December was High Mountain Cake Day in the PCG.Members in congregations around the world also celebrated the day with special displays and cakes of their own, many of which were decorated with a theme of a “high mountain,” a reference to Mr. Flurry’s November sermon regarding the Church’s work in Jerusalem.

Friday, December 20, 2019

UCG Doesn't Want To Let Its Light Shine During Its Annual Winter Family Christmas Weekend



Its that time of year again and all through the Church of God the creatures are stirring as they ready themselves to go to decked out resorts and hotels to celebrate Christmas weekend together, because after all. it is sooooo convenient to meet together over Christmas.

The hotels and resorts will be decked out interior finest holiday decorations. Wonderful Christmas carols fill the air and wonderful scents from Christmas cakes and foods delight them all. Yet through all of that, Living Church of God, United Church of God and COGWA foolishly claim their members never listen to the Christmas carols and never notice all the Christmas decorations.

This year, United Church of God has laid down the law.  No more bringing friends to enjoy the weekend, NOPE! God forbid if you let your light shine for the dirty, filthy, unconverted so-called Christians.
Winter Family Weekend (WFW) is a United Church of God (UCG) sponsored event. Its primary objective is to serve our UCG members and those members of other groups with similar standards and beliefs by allowing these members to take full advantage of everything WFW has to offer. A new participation policy is being implemented for this coming year. All performers and sports participants must be regularly attending members of UCG or a Sabbath Keeping Church of God organization or be a spouse or minor child living at home of someone who is such a member. 
Apparently UCG members and other COG members automatically close their ears and minds and NEVER listen to carols, but Never hum along silently and sing the words as they go from one boring

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Adult Sabbath School: There was no time in history where ignorance was better than knowledge


Waiting for Sunset...
Last evening was the first time in 45 years I was once again out in the yard with a telescope for an cold night of just observing what cannot be seen with out it and what was never seen before it.  It is a time machine and with it I can relax into a calm recognition that life is short and the Universe is oh so very large.  Back in the 70's, while going through my first round of church scandal and chaos, I often simply sat with my 5" Celestron on Summer and Winter nights keeping my own perspectives in difficult times. Winter or Summer I knew the sky well and I have not lost that need to see it all even better now at the other end of life. 

 Our parents were taught the Universe was simply the entire Milky Way Galaxy. That as it. We now know it is but one of perhaps 10 to 20 trillion each with hundreds of billions of suns and many more planets.  

I choose to first find our closest galactic neighbor which I had not seen for decades in a telescope. The Andromeda Galaxy, visible to naked eye if you know where and how to look, was directly overhead. With a bit of star hopping memories I was able to find it in the new 10 inch Reflector.  There it was. Two and half million light years away. Twice the size of our Galaxy and containing perhaps one trillion stars and trillions of more planets.  It's companion galaxy just barely visible, being much smaller off to the side in the field of view. 

From there a brief look at the Pleiades which are mentioned in Job 38:31 along with the stars in Orion's Belt which also lead to the Orion Nebula, a stellar nursery that is amazing in a 10 inch scope. 
These two constellations have fascinated humans for a couple hundred thousand years and they are the stuff of many myths and star lore.  

Job 38:31
"Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion's belt?

So nothing controversial here as the year winds to a close on our sharing of church experiences, lessons learned and snark.  

Just a reminder that when it is all said and done. And it will be done in time, we are left with the fact that we live in an amazing place in an amazing time discovering and appreciating amazing things which should give us pause and perspective .

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." – Maya Angelou



NASA Megapixel Images of the Heart of Andromeda
Caution:
View only if you want to make your brain hurt



A beautiful overview of Andromeda for those with a bit more time



The lesson staring us all in the face
Humility
Carl Sagan