UPDATED Links to Deborah Armstrong, Larry Gott, and Verne Mattson's stories
Originally posted in 2017
When individuals research
the history of the Worldwide Church of God, they generally turn to the
Internet. The Internet allows the
efficient gathering of facts, truths, and insights. The Internet can also be a rich source of rumors,
lies, and innuendo. For most WCG issues,
separating the facts from the fiction is fairly straightforward. There is typically enough documented data for
individuals to make informed decisions without buying into lies or unsubstantiated
rumors.
When it comes to evaluating the allegations of Mr. Herbert
W. Armstrong (HWA) committing incest, however, the situation is more challenging. The act is repulsive, the implications are
significant, the burden of proof is high, and yet the documentation is somewhat
sparse and hotly contested. His critics
tend to dogmatically claim HWA committed incest and offer this as proof that HWA
was not a man led by God. Some ministers
have acknowledged that HWA did commit incest but they tend to downplay the
significance of it. Other strident HWA
supporters have dogmatically claimed that the allegations are false and these
individuals typically attack the integrity and motives of the accusers.
Is it possible to sort through all of the contradictory claims on this topic? This document was prepared to summarize my own efforts to do so. It was compiled from information that is available on the internet. I’ve also included additional material regarding my discussions with some of the ministers who had been at the Pasadena Headquarters just before and after the accusations were made public around 1980.
PART 1 – SUPPORT FOR THE ALLEGATIONS BEING FALSE
A number of
individuals have indicated that the charges against HWA are false, unfounded
and evil spirited. Common positions include:
1.
LACK OF EVIDENCE - the evidence
presented by his accusers would not stand up in court. An example of such a position is discussed in
further detail below.
2.
INCONCEIVABLE - it is inconceivable
for a man of integrity, a man of God, to have done such a thing. This type of defense is also addressed below.
“Not guilty” due to lack of evidence. Bob Thiel is an individual who
finds HWA not guilty of incest due to there being insufficient evidence to
prove the incest had taken place. His
full, in-depth explanation can be found at the following link:
Herbert W. Armstrong & Incest: Not Guilty!
Bob reported that he personally investigated the issue. He claimed that not only could the accusations not be proven, but some aspects were actually disprovable.
He concluded that the accusers had
merely perpetuated the charade with no
direct information and that
HWA would be found not guilty in any real court of law.
In essence, Bob believes that all
accusations about HWA and his daughter stem from the charges first aired in David Robinson's
1980 book, Armstrong’s Tangled Web.
A significant point Bob made
included that Art Mokarow would not stand by previous comments about personally
hearing HWA's alleged confession in the "Lochner tapes"
Note that
in Bob’s investigation, he did not discuss the allegations with several
individuals who had reported learning about the incest directly from Armstrong
family members.
“Not guilty” because it is inconceivable. It makes no sense
that God would have imparted spiritual knowledge to an individual who, at the
same time was violating his own daughter.
This is the position many take, including the
individual behind the "HWA Library" site and Frank Nelte. In response to questions I raised, they both argued
along the lines of: God only works
through men of integrity. God obviously
worked through HWA. Therefore, HWA is a
man of integrity and these claims must be false.
Although
many strongly believe this to be the case, circular reasoning proves nothing.
PART 2 – SUPPORT FOR THE ACCUSATIONS BEING TRUE (GENERAL)
Lack of
Denials
It would
have been reassuring to find clear denials of the incest at the time these
claims had been put into print in books (e.g., Armstrong's Tangled Web) or when
they appeared in newspapers (during HWA's divorce trial and when the church
divided in 1995). However, the
allegations were never denied publically by HWA, by his family members, or by the
WCG.
Is the lack
of denials proof that the incest occurred?
No.
"David
Defense"
Some HWA supporters
have acknowledged (without getting into the specific 'proofs') that he had
committed incest with his daughter but then have offered excuses such as the
"David defense" to minimize the transgression and to imply that it had
no impact on his role. Such statements
are telling but they neither prove nor excuse the alleged incest.
Are
non-specific acknowledgments of incest proofs that the incest had occurred? No.
PART 3 – SUPPORT FOR THE ACCUSATIONS BEING TRUE
(SPECIFIC)
1. Nov. 19, 1979 Letter from David Robinson. David Robinson, a former WCG
evangelist wrote a letter to HWA
that alluded
to the incest and other sexual issues and requested that HWA resign for the
good of the church.
While some have attacked David Robinson's integrity, others have
defended him. This is not
surprising. This is often the case when
individuals speak out about controversial topics and every individual could be
praised or criticized depending on what attributes or actions a supporter or
enemy would choose to focus on.
David Robinson wrote from firsthand knowledge of the WCG and with deep disappointment. He came to agree with Solomon who advised against putting their trust in men. Chapter XX of the book covered HWA and the incest story. An excerpt is provided below and the entire book is available in PDF form at the following link accessed from "The Painful Truth" website:
"Incest is
a terrible and unnatural crime, an extreme perversity. That is why I was
shocked beyond measure to hear that Herbert Armstrong was himself, guilty of
this vile sin. I learned of this in the summer of 1979 from members of his own
family. The story, sordid beyond imagination, was told in awful detail.
One family
source was Garner Ted Armstrong. Last summer, as HWA attacked his own son in
such savage fury, his son was in the depths of despair. His emotional mix
included anger and deep hurt. In such a state he told family secrets that
otherwise would have been locked within him forever. He said he had learned in
1971 of his father's incredible conduct during the '30's and '40s. The story
came directly to him in lurid detail, but he kept it sealed in his own
consciousness for all those years. But, in the spring of 1978 while in his
father's house for the last time, his father had threatened to "destroy
him." Ted, in response, replied, "Dad, I will destroy you. I know
about you and -----." (He was speaking of the younger of his two sisters.)"
...None who have
objectively heard the incest story in its awful detail doubt it. This is a
vital chapter left out of HWA's autobiography. This sin occurred over a long
span of years, a decade after his ordination to the ministry, according to his
own family members. No wonder he was not receptive to
David Antion's "qualifications for the ministry" paper back in 1974."
Such
matters should not normally be mentioned, but this is by no means a normal
case. The welfare of thousands is at stake, and thousands who look to HWA,
idolizing him as if he were God himself, must come to understand how dangerous
such a view is. Thousands around the world have been hurt by blindly following
this man. Now people must be given enough information to make an intelligent
decision on whether this is the man who is going to lead them to safety during
the "crisis at the close," or whether he is just going to continue
taking their money and calling them "dumb sheep"!
"...The way a man
talks in private is the way he is. His public utterances alone aren't enough to
judge a man's character—his trustworthiness. It is especially necessary to know
what kind of man you follow when he promises to lead you in the kingdom of
God."
Although this book may not have been the most
well written account of the church, much of the material was consistent with
other sources and confirmed through my personal discussions with ministers who
had been at headquarters during this period.
Is
the incest claim credible? Since Mr.
Robinson stated that he had learned about the incest directly from several family
members (although he named only GTA), this leaves us with just a few choices:
·
Mr. Robinson was lying.
·
GTA (and others) had lied to Mr. Robinson
·
Mr. Robinson had told the truth
No
matter how disgruntled an individual had become about WCG in 1980, it is
difficult to imagine that they would be willing to make such a claim if they
knew it were to be false. WCG was very
well-funded and litigious and it would have put an individual at great
financial risk to make such a claim in print.
Mr. Robinson went ahead and made the claim and also explained why he did
so.
Although
Herbert
Armstrong never sued David Robinson for publishing his book, two of his
employees (Henry Cornwall and Sherwin McMichael) did sue Mr. Robinson. The suit was settled with WCG having to pay Mr.
Robinson $25,000.
3. December 1, 1980 Ambassador Report
The incest story was also mentioned in Ambassador
Report #14, December 1, 1980 ("HWA incest allegations not
denied").
Many AR readers who have read David
Robinson's book Herbert Armstrong's
Tangled Web have written to us expressing absolute shock at some of the
allegations it contains. Especially disturbing to many are the allegations
contained in chapter 20 entitled "Incest."
We sincerely wish that we could report
uncovering evidence to negate Mr. Robinson's charges, but unfortunately, that is
not the case. Herbert Armstrong has not issued any statement discounting the
charges, nor has Stan Rader. Dorothy Mattson, Herbert Armstrong's daughter, has
not come forward to deny the allegations. And Garner Ted Armstrong has also
refused to deny the charges. The Toronto
Star, Sept. 20 (p. F4) wrote:
"Contacted by
phone in Tyler, Texas, where he heads his own new church, the Church of God
International, Garner Ted Armstrong said he had 'no comment' regarding
allegations of his father's incest ...."
All Ambassador Reports
are available at: Ambassador Report
Jack Kessler was
WCG's CPA who worked directly with HWA and Rader and his letter detailing a
number of corporate irregularities contained the following references to the charge of incest:
“The human condition is such that it would
shock probably only just a few to learn of the moral depravity that is reported
commonly among you. Although others, such as Dave Robinson* and Floyd Lochner,
apparently thought it might work to their advantage to report Mr. Armstrong's
admission (which he's made to several) that he had engaged
repeatedly in incestuous intercourse with his daughter during the first 10
years of his ministry, as well as more recent, self-confessed sexual perversity..."
The entire letter available at: http://hwarmstrong.com/kessler.htm
This
letter was credible in a number of areas.
Was it true regarding the incest allegation? In addition to mentioning Mr. Robinson as a
source, Mr. Kessler also brought up Mr. Floyd Lochner. Floyd Lochner had allegedly taped HWA, hoping
to get a denial regarding the incest allegation on record, but instead, HWA had
confessed to the incest.
This
evidence would be incontrovertible. But many
ask, “Where is the tape?” Who had heard
it personally? If someone claimed to, are
they credible?
Art
Mokarow is one individual who has publically stated that he had personally heard
this tape.
5. April 1984 Ambassador Report #27 "HWA confesses to incest".
This issue provided additional material beyond
what David Robinson had mentioned and named others that were aware that the
incest had taken place. This was because
Dorothy had told friends about the incest and that others had confirmed with
HWA after reading David Robinson’s book.
Some excerpts:
“The Armstrong
organization, through surrogates, attempted to use the courts to block the distribution of the Robinson book but failed miserably (Ambassador Report, Sept. 1980). It is
most remarkable, however, that in attempting to stop the distribution of the
Robinson's book, never once was it asserted that the incest allegation was
untrue. Nor did Dorothy Mattson, HWA's younger daughter, ever come forth to
deny the incest story (and she has repeatedly refused to respond to queries
from the Report regarding the
matter). In spite of all this, it seems there are still some who prefer to
believe that the incest story was fabricated. Let us briefly review the facts.
In 1971 Garner Ted Armstrong
paid a visit to his younger sister Dorothy. He had long been suspicious of the
kind of relationship his father and sister maintained during his youth. They
chatted over a few drinks and then Ted told her bluntly of his suspicions. She
did more than admit the allegations. With candor, she related detail after
shocking detail.
For a number of years, GTA kept
the information to himself. But Dorothy did not. She divulged the same
information to many others including David Antion (GTA's brother-in-law) and
Lois Chapman (who had been married to the late Richard Armstrong, Ted's older
brother).”
And…
“The last meeting between GTA and his father in 1978 was not the
only time HWA confessed to the incest allegation. In 1980 Henry Cornwall, then
an aide to HWA, read the Robinson book soon after it appeared and asked HWA
directly if the chapter on incest was accurate. HWA told him it was. He then
instructed Cornwall that his wife Ramona was not to see the book or learn of
the incest story. Unfortunately for Herbert, Ramona already had a copy of the
book and was in the next room listening to the Cornwall-HWA discussion. Shortly
thereafter, she too confronted HWA about the incest allegation. And once again,
Herbert admitted it was true, but begged and pleaded with Ramona not to let
this fact get in the way of their marriage. The cause of the problem, he said,
had been Loma, his first wife.”
6. Lakeland Ledger May 12, 1984 newspaper article about HWA’s
divorce with Ramona mentions an “understanding” the couple reached about
Armstrong’s “prior incestuous conduct with his daughter for many years.”
The
reference within this article was quite significant to me. This is not the type of comment a newspaper would
make carelessly. If the lawyer had spoken
in error, it would be logical to expect that HWA's attorneys would have corrected
the record.
7. April 19, 1993 Letter by Mark Thorton
Dear friends in the Worldwide Church of God,
In late November of 1992 I read an incredible
account of Herbert Armstrong carrying on an incestuous relationship with his
youngest daughter Dorothy from 1933 to 1943, the year she married Verne
Mattson. Later, in January I read another account of it in a book by former WCG
minister David Robinson. It was Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web published in 1980.
At the time I discounted the story as fiction. But over the succeeding months
leading up to last April 12, I'd learned of many other serious moral sins in the
man's life. They were widely reported on by many former ministers who knew him.
But I still doubted the incest allegations -- that
is until Mr. Gary Antion confirmed that they were entirely true when I talked
with him after his sermon on the last day of Unleavened Bread, April 12. I'd
asked him if he'd read David Robinson's book. He said he had. I told him that
I'd read in another publication that Dorothy Mattson told his brother David
Antion (a former WCG evangelist) all about the incest. (They were and are
in-laws.) He nodded. I asked him if David ever said anything to him about it. "Yes,"
he said.
"What did he say?" I responded.
"He told me the story was true," he calmly
said. "But before you get all upset and say how could he have done such a
horrible thing, we should remember that we don't know what went on in his mind.
We don't know if he repented or not. Maybe he repented in 1980 after David
Robinson's book came out."
He went on to say that God gave king David time to
repent and that if Mr. Armstrong repented, that he'll be in God's kingdom and
if not, he won't be there. He also said he'd known about the whole thing in
1978. I asked if his brother David knew about this before he left the church in
1974 or after. He said David knew before. Antion was casual and relaxed with
his words and never hesitated with any of the information.
He said that this should show us not to look to a
man for our salvation which he said the church had done in the past. Finally,
he asked me why I'm here; meaning the church. I said because I believe what the
church believes, for the most part. He smiled, nodded and encouraged me not to
let the matter bother me.
But as you can see, it does bother me a great deal.
HWA claimed that God used him to raise up the Philadelphia era of His true
Church beginning in 1933. I don't think so. In addition to raping his young
daughter for many years, the "apostle" was widely known to have
habitual sexual sins throughout his life including fornication, adultery, and
masturbation. He frequently lied, misused church money, and had a serious
drinking problem. And despite his appearing public image, Joe Tkach is not much
of an improvement.
So there you have it. I've sung my swan song, thus
ending nine years as a loyal WCG member.
By Mark Thornton (Wisconson)
April 19, 1993 (snail-mailed to 35-40 others, including ESN)
April 19, 1993 (snail-mailed to 35-40 others, including ESN)
This
letter is available at the following site:
8. 1997 letter from GTA in response to an inquiry about
the incest
The Church of God International
Post Office Box 2530,
Tyler, Texas, 75710
Garner Ted Armstrong, Founder
July 28,1997
Post Office Box 2530,
Tyler, Texas, 75710
Garner Ted Armstrong, Founder
July 28,1997
Dear Mr. (Name Withheld by Request),
I'm sorry, but I really have no comment about the
very lengthy letter from Jack Kessler. The entire situation is completely moot
at this time, of course. My father died at age 93 1/2 back in 1986, eleven
years ago, and I certainly have no desire to resurrect a lot of ancient ghouls
from their graves and engage in a lot of criticism involving the actions of
individuals in that organization decades ago.
Nothing my father did, negative or positive,
matters to my personal salvation, or to yours.
For the last twenty years, I have continued to
preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God as a witness and a warning to the
world, and I have never engaged in the kind of spiritual "grave
robbing" that exhumes ancient sins of fifty or sixty years ago, and
attempts to defile and defame the memory of individuals who themselves are long
since dead.
Sorry if this proves disappointing to you, but I
simply have no further comment.
Sincerely,
Garner Ted Armstrong
This
letter is available at: Garner Ted Armstrong Letter Regarding Herbert W. Armstrong's Incest
This letter comes across more as
"I do not want to talk about it" than as an "It did not
happen" response. This letter
proved nothing but it also did not contradict earlier statements made by GTA to
others which acknowledged HWA had committed incest.
9. Dec. 4, 1997 article in the Los Angeles New Times.
The article continues…
The
thing that drove Carrozo and others to leave, however, was the leader's double
standard regarding his own edicts. In accord with Armstrong's teaching, church
members could visit doctors to obtain a diagnosis, but not (except in a few
special cases) receive treatment. "As a pastor in the field, I had seen
people die [for lack of medical attention]," Carrozo recalls. "And
yet, as I came to find out, whenever he [HWA] became ill, he would slip away to
a doctor for treatment." But such matters paled compared to another
secret.
According
to former church officials, and the founder's own grandson, Richard David
Armstrong II, Herbert's younger daughter, Dorothy, began to tell family and
friends during the '70s that, years earlier, her father had molested her. John
Tuit, an ex-church member living in North Carolina, recalls Garner Ted
Armstrong telling him of his sister's startling revelation and that Herbert had
not denied it when his son confronted him.
The
allegation surfaced publicly in a book written by David Robinson, a former
Worldwide minister in Oklahoma. The church tried unsuccessfully to suppress it.
Robinson recounted a bizarre late-night conversation with the then-widowed
Herbert during a church festival in the Poconos. Armstrong, who had been drinking,
was alleged to have confessed to Robinson that he had molested his daughter
between 1933 and 1943. Then, to the astonishment of the younger minister,
Armstrong was said to have produced a small black book in which he had
carefully documented the many times he had masturbated, a practice he had
frequently railed against from the pulpit. "It was a shattering experience
for my dad," says Mark Robinson, a Dallas-area businessman, whose father
died in 1995. "Until then, he had no reason to doubt Mr. Armstrong's
spirituality."
The
issue arose again in 1984, during divorce proceedings between Armstrong and his
second wife, Ramona Martin, a former switchboard operator 46 years his junior.
The breakup, after seven years of marriage, was nasty. Armstrong, playing
hardball, had accused her of stealing church property and was pressing criminal
charges while refusing to bend to Ramona's demands for a large settlement,
including a large amount of cash and the couple's sprawling ranch-style home in
Tucson, Arizona. Until, that is, shortly before a court hearing at which her
lawyers had threatened to introduce a purported "understanding"
between Herbert and his wife regarding the alleged incest. The divorce was
quickly settled to Ramona's satisfaction, and the criminal charges were
dropped.
Although
damaging, the fallout from such disclosures didn't debilitate Worldwide for as
long as Herbert was alive. The amicable and grandfatherly Armstrong continued
to enjoy the adoration of rank-and-file members. Among those who heard about
his shortcomings, many chose not to believe. "You blocked those kinds of
things from your mind," recalls Joyce Renehan, who grew up in the church.
(She and her husband, Bruce, left in the early '90s). "You might see a
newspaper headline, but you were told not to read that stuff or Satan would get
you and you'd be out of the church, and then where would you be?"
Looking
back, it is amazing how ill-informed we church members were and/or how willing
we were to avoid unpleasant facts stated by “outsiders”.
10. 1999 Letter from Bruce Renehan
Bruce Renehan had interviewed some members of the
Church of God 7th Day who had reported that they were aware of the
incest.
"I'm
not exactly sure what constitutes proof to everyone. Before I began to author
my book, my wife and I visited the Church of God, Seventh Day, both in
Bakersfield and in Fresno. That is the church that Herbert Armstrong started
attending in 1927. I first heard of the incest from some of their members, two
of whom--Israel Hager and John Keiss--had known Armstrong in the 20s and 30s.
Keiss, who was Armstrong's closest friend in the COG7 had actually discussed
the incest with Dorothy Armstrong who confessed to him. Not wanting to believe
hearsay from just one group, I placed a call to a friend of mine (Bob Mizell)
in Pasadena. Bob was a very close friend to Joe Tkach Senior and, if anyone
would know if the stories were true or not, he certainly would. Bob told me
openly that both he and Joe Tkach had known about Armstrong's incest with his
daughter and then he quickly brought up the David was a man after God's
heart" ploy. "
The full letter is available at:
In
the letter, Bruce Renehan comes across as sincere, specific, and credible.
11. Statement by Keith Hunt
"Oh indeed, the WCG was going to SUE
Ambassador Report a NUMBER of times over the next years, especially over HWA
having an affair with one of his daughters way back when, that came to light
[and for those who still say it was all slander and lies; I personally heard
GTA say he confronted his dad on the matter and HWA admitted it was so, saying,
I was not always close to God"].
What was the reply from Ambassador Report to the WCG stating they were
going to sue them, it was "Come on do so, will be happy to see you in
court." The WCG NEVER did sue
Ambassador Report!!"
Keith’s comments about the incest allegation may
be found at:
A
direct confirmation from GTA is significant.
12. WCG ministerial confirmations (various dates):
· Many have reported that David Antion (GTA’s
brother-in-law) has acknowledged that the incest occurred (apparently to all
that are willing to ask).
· Art Mokarow had confirmed that HWA committed
incest while in a public setting.
· Other COG ministers have acknowledged the rumor
to be true when asked by members, including Gary Antion and at least one of the
current UCG Council members (2016).
13. 2014 Interview of HWA’s niece Deborah
In a radio interview, Deborah related that the
family had kept quiet about Dorothy to protect her. Deborah’s mother had told her it was
true. She was also was told by her
grandson. Interestingly, Deborah noted
that the only thing HWA had given her was a hand signed copy of his “Missing
Dimension in Sex” book.
Start at minute 50:00.
This
admission by family members is significant and consistent. It is difficult to imagine that Deborah would
have been deceived about this or benefit from lying about it.
14. 2014 Interview of HWA’s grandson Larry Gott
In a radio interview, Larry Gott said that the
incest was an accepted as fact within the family and that it had started when
Dorothy was 14 or 15. When asked, what
kind of character was HWA, he said, “He was tyrannical… He was a person who
craved and used authority over other people.
That was sort of the essence of him.
Nobody was really close to him – ever – including his wife. He was an authoritarian and I would tell
people that he was not completely honest with everybody about himself.”
Start at minute 1:01:20.
15. Statement by Verne Mattson (Dorothy's husband)
A
December 2015 letter to Exit Support Network related how one man's father had
contacted Mr. Mattson to discuss the incest allegation and how that Verne had
confirmed it.
16. Supplemental material related to above references
“Inconceivable”
is how many feel about the allegation that HWA had committed incest during the
beginning period of his ministry and this was also my own response upon first
hearing about it from a WCG minister in 1995.
At the time, it seemed too convenient for the pro-Tkach people to bring
this ugly rumor up just as individuals were deciding whether they should stay
in WCG or leave. If true, why had it
not been a problem all along? I gave
the allegation no serious consideration for the next 15 years.
While
researching the history of the church during the UCG/COGWA split, the
allegations came up again and again. It
was unpleasant and again tempting to ignore but after confirming most of the
allegations about financial impropriety in Ambassador Report and other books,
and after reading mention of the incest
in the Nov. 12, 1984 Lakeland Ledger newspaper article about HWA’s divorce, it made sense to consider the incest allegations
more seriously.
There
was substantial ‘proof’ available on the internet but it required one to
believe that the referenced individuals had really known and said what was
being alleged. Could these individuals
just have been repeating an unfounded rumor as Bob Thiel had concluded, or was the
rumor actually true? I wanted to speak
to somebody in person to remove the shadow of doubt. In the end, it was possible to discuss the
allegations with several individuals mentioned above:
1) Al Corrozzo (July 2014 discussion at the UCG Doheny Beach
activity). Mr. Carrozzo confirmed that
that he did author, and stood behind, what one could find credited to him on
the Internet (e.g., “Al Carrozzo’s Resignation Letter to Ministry” and “The
Profligate Son” post in Ambassador Report). When asked about the incest allegation, he
answered without pause, “Yes, that rumor is also true.” He explained that he knew for certain because
his good friend Art Mokarow had heard HWA confess on Floyd Lochner’s tape.
2) Art Mokarow (Dec. 2014 phone conversation). After learning that, when asked in a public
setting, Art Mokarow had confirmed the incest had occurred; I called Mr.
Mokarow to determine if this report had been true and, if so, how had he known
for certain. Art said that he knew for
certain that HWA was guilty of incest because he had heard his taped confession
that had been recorded by his friend Floyd Lochner (confirming what Al had told
me earlier that year).
3) Keith Hunt (by phone in April 2015 phone
conversation). Mr. Hunt confirmed that
he had personally heard about HWA’s incest directly from GTA.
4)
Art Mokarow (May 14th, 2016 phone conversation). I re-read Bob Thiel's "proof" that the
incest had not occurred" in 2016.
The
statement about Art Mokarow backing away from his claim bothered me. I again contacted Mr. Mokarow on May 14th,
2016. Art did not back away from his
statement at all. Yes, he had heard the
tape himself. He also had heard Mr.
Armstrong confess the incest directly to him to some of the other leading
ministers. This had occurred close to
the time when David Robinson's allegations had surfaced and were being
circulated. Apparently, HWA had wanted to
address the issue and move past it.
Essentially, he had said, "Yes the incest had occurred, I had not
always been close to God, but I've repented and now I need to know who is going
to continue to support me at this time?"
Some ministers stayed, Art Mokarow moved on.
I
believe this is likely why other ministers had felt
comfortable in acknowledging the incest allegation to have been factual when
asked by church members.
5) David Antion (Dec. 2016 discussion after
services in his Altadena congregation).
Mr. Antion confirmed much of what had been stated in AR#27, what Mr.
Kessler had mentioned, and what had been documented elsewhere on various
websites. It was true that Mr. Armstrong
had committed incest; that the abuse had begun around 1933, that the abuse led
to incest and had continued into the early 1940’s; that Dorothy had confessed
to family members, friends and specifically to David Antion (in 1979/80 when
the charges became public); and that GTA had told other ministers.
All of the individuals above
were found to be credible and their individual stories were consistent when
evaluated as a whole. These
individuals were sincere and candid and spoke without bitterness. Although most of the initial confirmations
occurred close to the timing of the release of David Robinson’s book, these
confirmations did not stem merely from David Robinson’s allegations as had been
concluded by others. It is logical that
once the incest became public knowledge, many would have sought confirmation
from members of HWA's family and that some of his family members would again
discuss something that had been left unsaid for years.
Summary
Although a lot of information has been
presented but it can be easily summarized:
· Dorothy had
spoken about the incest to family and some of her friends long ago
· Dorothy had also
confessed to John Keiss of the Church of God 7th Day
· GTA had learned
about the incest from Dorothy in 1971
· Keith Hunt had
heard about it directly from GTA in the early 1970’s
· Mr. Robinson
heard about it from GTA other family members in 1979
· HWA
confessed to Art Mokarow and other top ministers (and Dorothy had spoken with
David Antion about the incest) in 1979/80 just before the release of Mr.
Robinson’s book
· Mr. Robinson
published Herbert Armstrong’s Tangled Web in 1980
· Floyd
Lochner recorded HWA after he heard the allegation
· Art Mokarow had
heard HWA confess the incest on the Lochner tape
· Al Corrozo
confirmed that Art Mokarow had heard the tape
· Jack Kessler
had heard the rumors, and learned about the Lochner tape, in 1980 and then had asked
HWA directly about the rumors and HWA admitted to the incest
· Ramona's lawyers
mentioned HWA’s incest in the divorce trial in 1981
· GTA did not
refute the allegation when asked in writing in 1997
· HWA's niece
Deborah had learned about the incest from her mother long ago and recently confirmed
this during a 2014 radio interview
· HWA's
grandson Larry Gott stated that the incest was an accepted fact within the
family and did so during a 2014 radio interview
Conclusion: Was
there a big conspiracy to denigrate HWA’s character or were the allegations
factual? Simpler explanations are
generally better than more complex ones. After looking into this topic in greater
detail, it became clear that the allegations were factual. I found no reason to fault the credibility of
Al Corrozo, Art Mokarow, Jack Kessler, Keith Hunt, Deborah, David Antion, and
Larry Gott on this subject.
-Kevin
