Peeling the onion

 from Facebook

You have been warned! GOD IS BOSS IN ALL OF THIS so STOP picking on Bob Thiel!

 

This made my day!

From a loyal reader:

Whoever wrote that about Dr. Thiel, Richard, Steve, and Warren, I hope you don't fall into God's hands when He is angry. Pastor Bob Thiel preaches what the Bible says and doesn't hold anything back. God is definitely working through him and make no mistake about it, GOD IS BOSS IN ALL OF THIS...I hope y'all keep that in mind.

 

 Oh, I am so scared!

How A Marked and Disfellowshiped Employee of Living Church of God Is Making A Difference In The World

Back in 2013 the Living Church of God was in a disfellowshipping tantrum and was kicking out members and employees that Rod Meredith deemed unworthy to be in his presence.

A reader here in 2013 had this to say about the endless disfellowshipments going on in the various COG's:

Mini-lesson on ostracism: historically social ostracism has been the traditional way to protect the tribe from individuals who are deemed as dangerous by the leaders. It probably reached it's most sophisticated height as a cultural mechanism during the period of Athenian democracy of circa 500 B.C. The group psychology of ostracism has been defined as “any behavior in which a group or individual excludes and ignores another group or individual.”

Think about this definition carefully, and you'll see that it pretty much describes the history of the modern-day COG's - except that the procedure is just referred to by a different term, disfellowshipment.

The church has always used marking and disfellowshipping people as a way of "protecting" the church from the ravenous wolves they imagined were seeking to devour it. In the vast majority of the cases, it was about people waking up to the lies of the church and the leadership and taking a stand against some abuse going on. Spiritual and physical abuse in the Church of God had/has been going on for decades and people were and still are sick of it. That is why fewer and fewer people stay in the spiritually abusive cults of Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, Ron Weinland, and other groups. Even the so-called "enlightened" groups led by Weston, Theil, Kilough, Kubik, Thiel, Hulme, and others, who imagine themselves to not be spiritually abusive, have been unable to keep members or draw in new cash cows members. After all, what this really boils down to is money flow. Disfellowshipping puts fear in "good standing" members and their wallets open continually open.

Those who have been under Rod Meredith's heavy hands over the decades have shared endless stories over the decades about how nasty and vindictive the man could be. One would have thought after his humiliating exile to Hawaii by Herbert Armstrong and his equally humiliating defeat in court after slandering Leona McNair and having the Worldwide Church of God pay all his legal fees, that he would have humbled himself. But no.  His nastiness carried over into breaking apart the Global Church of God after they got sick of his abuse and carried over when he lined up with other dissenters to form the Living Church of God. There his nastiness had a full reign as he was FINALLY in charge after so many decades of being sidelined and patted on the head as he was sent to field churches.

LCG members thought that finally after all the turmoil from the split from WCG to the break up of Global that peace had settled on the church. It did not last long.  The heavy-handedness and authoritarian control of Rod Meredith and the nepotism displayed through his family members brought about more dissension.

One of the people Meredith disfellowshipped was Tom Bacca from that worked in LCG's television department.

Bacca sent out a letter in 2013 preempting Meredith's soon coming "marking" from the pulpit.  Bacca wrote:

I know many of you will hear about me being declared an "enemy of the Church" which is NOT true... I've already been declared an "enemy of the Catholic Church" by my family many years ago... yet, I am actually an enemy of nobody except the evil one! 

I LOVE God's people, I do discuss biblical topics and issues, and if something is not 100 % according to God's word—I will say so... how horrible of me! I know LOTS of things that I could say, but I do NOT make it a habit of giving specifics about those things that I know... I just don't! I will NOT attack anyone, nor have I personally attacked anymore publicly already—I have been attacked myself though, by MANY for YEARS, and could have filed slander lawsuits against individuals... I never did, and I never will either—God says that we should NOT take our brethren to court, and that is why I forgave and forgot those incidents... even though I had many witnesses that would have testified in MY favor! 

I do understand if many of you, not knowing ALL the details or facts, do decide to unfriend me or block me—I will not be upset with any of you... I love you all, and I know that you will probably do as you're instructed. PLEASE do as you feel is best, that is what God would want you to do. I will be vindicated in time, I will trust in the God of Israel, He is my shield... so, I have total peace in this matter. 

Again, I love you all brethren... see you down the road :)

In Christian faith and love,

Thomas Baca II

One of the big myths that the church tried to pawn off on members over the decades was that when a member is kicked out of the church and disfellowshipped they would never have God's favor again and would live a life of misery and dejection.

Tom Bacca has bucked that trend and has done extremely well for him and his family AND  for those around him in the "world".

A reader here sent this:

I​ know​ Thomas​ Baca​ II​ very​ well, he​ has ​spent the​ last​ several years volunteering to​ help​ individuals and​ families​ suffering from​ homelessness and​ many​ other issues​ and​ teaching them​ about​ God.​ He​ served in​ Michigan for​ about​ 2​ years​ and​ then​ continued​ helping people​ in​ Asia.​ He​ is​ a​ giving and​ loving​ man.​ I​ have​ seen​ him​ serve​ others​ with​ my​ own eyes.​ He​ is​ honest and​ kind....He​ drove​ people​ in​ need​ of​ help​ during​ Michigan​ snowstorms​ during​ midnight and​ 3​ am​ to​ get​ to​ their​ jobs​ o​n farms and​ at​ dairys.​ He​ consuled people​ want​ing​ to​ commit suicide and​ helped them​ start​ their​ lives again.​ He​ gave​ money​ and​ care​ to​ elderly and​ widows.​ He​ helped​ people​ in​ other​ countries too.​ So​ much​ to​ say​ also​ but​ my​ English​ is​ not​ good​ enough.​ Follow​ link​ to​ see​ video​ Thomas​ made​ to​ also​ help​ a​ Michigan​ shelter.