With all the drama and trauma leaders like Gerald Flurry, Dave Pack and even minor Church of God one man shows bring to the table for their members, one has to ask "why do they stay?"
You'd think after Dave Pack's periodic yet consistent prophetic debacles, self absorbed sermons, crazy title taking and eating up "all things common" (Except for him I imagine) to build a Legoland Replica Headquarters, people would just wake up and move on.
Gerald Flurry and PCG have seemingly inflicted about as much damage to families, relationships and more false prophecy about the unknowable future as one should normally be able to stand without simply concluding this place is toxic to myself and everyone else that touches it.
Even in the more stable, and I use the word loosely, splinters like UCG and LCG (doomed to fizzle as they are) you'd think the average member would die of boredom and being subjected over and over to the same sermons with predictable and appropriate proof texting, which has not changed or learned anything new ever since HWA uttered the meaning of it all.
You'd think one would tired of turning BACK into the Old Testament for inspiration and how to be rather than AHEAD into the NEW would grow old. Making doctrinal mountains out of molehills and majoring in the minors might also wear thin by now.
I know the case can be made for no matter what, it is still the true church or the fact that the church from day one has had all the same types of problems with people and the politics of men. For sins and crazy behaviors we can always appeal to King David and the no matter what of him being "a man after God's own heart." Makes you wonder what's in God's heart. That one scripture alone kept men in high places telling everyone how it all was and will be going even as they lived out their actual lives, shortcomings, human tendencies no matter who you are and shenanigans. And it always will I imagine.
"You don't want to end up in the Lake of Fire do you?" also seems to still work on the psyche of many who simply know of no place else to go or way to think about their own spiritual needs and beliefs. How many of the COG members go along to get along? How many stay because that's where all their friends are? "What will my family think if I share my real thoughts on all this?" also is a powerful place holder, not to mention, "Where would I go?"
The average minister and member does not see and would not recognize the politics and competition between the divergent teachings of the Jerusalem Apostles and Paul. That would be a bridge too far. And so there will always be endless bickering and proof texting all over the New Testament to show they all spoke the same right thing and not to worry of it.
But why do they stay in the face of years of abuse and failed ego centric and self absorbed leadership, especially when it comes to men like a Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry or Ron Weinland? There certainly is no lack of information that could help someone struggling with the mistaken leadership and teachings of the splinter or sliver they attend to make a decision to move on.
The answer is simple...Or complex depending...
"As my friend was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not. My friend saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.
“Well,” he said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size of rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.” My friend was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.
How many of us are being held back by old, outdated beliefs that no longer serve us? How many of us have avoided trying something new because of a limiting belief? Worse, how many of us are being held back by someone else’s limiting beliefs?"
Evidently lots of people are held back by the beliefs of their ministers which override their own suspicions and unasked questions which often when asked are given very unsatisfactory answers in the face of available evidence to the contrary.
"Pssst...I'm tellin' ya. I don't think we're tied up near as tight as we have been led to believe"
I asked myself , in hindsight, why did I stay so long? It's complex. I thought no matter what that it was the true church with the true teachings. I was fearful of consequences both imaginary and very real. Contrary to opinion, I did not stay "for the paycheck". It wasn't that great. I could have done much better when young on the roads not taken. Part of me felt that HWA would die as all do no matter what Waterhouse said and the church would grow up and progress. I felt that I and my peers would be the next and more practical generation of ministry. The STP changes were right along that line in the 70's and it floored me HWA canned it. The 70's were simply chaotic in WCG as one might recall, but then so were the 80s and 90s. I picked a lousy time to ever hear of the Wildworld Church of God and believe I was supposed to be in ministry.
So I get it that we can all come up for reasons to stay in a toxic setting whether it be a church or in a workplace. I just quit a rather toxic workplace and am staring overt in a more peaceful one myself. It did not serve me and I learned my lesson in staying too long from my past experiences.
I have learned that "if your head tells you one thing and your stomach tells you something else, your head is lying to you" is pretty darn accurate. I imagine a lot of COG folk will know that feeling as they sit week after week hearing their leader muck up over an over and poison the well of genuine spirituality and joy in the only actual life one has.
But when it's all said and done, the tie that binds is a weak one indeed and can be broken should the need to escape come to mind...
