LCG's Gerald Weston Misses The Irony In His May/June Personal

In Gerald Weston's May/June letter to the LCG membership, he comments about a recent trip he took for Passover and the music he listened to in his car while travelling with his wife.  On his way there he heard songs of Elvis and had this to say:

Dear Brethren, Carol and I recently traveled by car to New York for Passover and the beginning of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, looking forward to joining more than 200 brethren who shared a few days together as one large family. Long road trips are challenging, and to amuse ourselves we alternated between conversation, listening to the one family-oriented comedy station on satellite radio, and enjoying some music. 

A station on the radio devoted to Elvis Presley played a mix of recordings and stories of the deceased “King of Rock and Roll.” There is a mystique about him in the minds of many. His music was part of my early years and I personally like his voice, but the virtual worship of the man and the desire of his most ardent fans to live in the past is a bit over the top. Enjoy his music if you care to, but please—the man was mortal. He is no god! He is dead!

Two guesses as to who else Weston has a "mystique" in his mind about...

The way the LCG hierarchy and some members virtually worship two men from the past is exactly the same as diehard fans worshipping Elvis.  Weston and others look to the past with flickering nostalgic memories of days gone by as the "glory days" of the old Radio Church of God/Worldwide Church of God. Herbert Armstrong and Rod Meredith could do no wrong.  The worship is more than "a bit over the top".  Both are elevated to heights of worship even worse than the Elvis fans.  One has to stop and wonder if both men are still alive!  HWA and Meredith were not God!  They are dead!

I am still looking for Weston and LCG to place Jesus on such a pedestal and worship him, but...

Dave Pack: As Direct Result of the Immaculate Conception, He is a Descendant of David, Herod the Great, Kings, Queen Elizabeth, and Adam and Eve

When a person runs the most superfantabulous church in the entire world, one must have an impeccable lineage to PROVE to the unwashed masses as to how special their leader is. Everything about Dave has to be presented in extraordinary ways in order to impress his gullible members.

Dave writes:

Herbert W. Armstrong was excited to learn at a point that he was a direct descendant of the ancient King David of the Bible. David, who died in approximately 962 BC in Jerusalem, was the renowned king of the 12 tribes of Israel. Mr. Armstrong shared this knowledge with the membership of The Worldwide Church of God, who found it fascinating.

Mr. Pack learned that he was also a direct descendant of King David, and that this could be traced through two separate branches of the Davidic line, one through Mary, Jesus’ mother. This was made plain through the well-known genealogy of Queen Elizabeth II, coupled with other historical sources.

This link was made clear when genealogical research revealed that Mr. Pack is a direct descendant of the royal line of Wessex kings. Wessex was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in England from the sixth century to the 10th century. For instance, Cerdric King of Wessex, who founded Wessex and died in AD 534, is Mr. Pack’s 47th great-grandfather. Other examples include Cynric King of Wessex—Ceawlin King of Wessex—Ceowald Prince of Wessex, and a great many more.

After this information was found, Mr. Pack’s cousin also learned that they are related to certain kings of Scotland. For instance, Eochaid IV King of Scotland (lived AD 747-819) is Mr. Pack’s 37th Great-Grandfather. He is also related to Kenneth I MacAlpin, the Conqueror of Scotland (reigned AD 843-858) and King Kenneth II of Scotland (reigned AD 971-995).

This royal line also included some of the kings of England, such as Henry II, Mr. Pack’s 24th Great-Grandfather. Henry II became king in 1154 and occupied the throne until his death in 1189.

Early historian and politician, Sir Winston Churchill (1620-1688), ancestor of the famous 20th-century British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, wrote that Henry II was “…the very greatest king that England ever knew…” (Divi Britannici, 1675). Historians record that he had tremendous energy, an incredible memory, a love of history and is seen by many as one of the most effective English monarchs. He is also credited for founding English Common Law due to his care for and attention to justice, which was virtually unknown during his predecessor’s reign. Mr. Pack can also trace his roots to William I (1028 to 1087) and Henry I King of England (reigned 1069-1135).

Tying into Elizabeth II’s genealogy by itself means one can trace his or her roots directly to Adam and Eve. The reader may enjoy perusing Elizabeth II’s royal genealogy, posted on the Internet on various websites.

Tracing the line much further back, it also came to light that Herod the Great, king of Judea (lived 73-4 BC) is Mr. Pack’s 63rd great-grandfather (and Henry II’s 37th great-grandfather). Considered the wealthiest man in the world in his day, Herod married into the lines of the Caesars. Within the Roman Empire, Emperor Marcus Aurelius (lived AD 121-180) is Mr. Pack’s 56th great-grandfather. Commodus, Marcus Aurelius’ son, becomes his 55th great-grandfather. Many other Roman emperors after Commodus are in a direct line to Mr. Pack’s family as well. The same is true of Mr. Pack’s 38th great-grandfather, Charles Martel (AD 688-741), a Frankish military and political leader who “reunited and ruled the entire Frankish realm and stemmed the Muslim invasion at Poitiers in 732” (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

A Bit of Perspective on the Church of God Experience

NASA's Curiosity captures Earth about 80 minutes after Sundown on Mars.

"They argue about gods and theology there"