Glynn Washington: NPR's Great Black Hope

From The Atlantic:

NPR’s Great Black Hope

The radio network’s stereotypical listener is a 50-something white guy. Can Glynn Washington, the fastest-rising public-radio star in memory, change that?

Glynn Washington is a former COG member who shares stories of his life growing up in Armstrongism.

Many NPR hosts come from NPR-ish families. Not Washington. “I grew up in a cult,” he told me. His parents were members of the Worldwide Church of God, a sect founded by Herbert W. Armstrong, an apocalyptic radio evangelist based in Pasadena. Washington got out—a story he tells with an escapee’s pride—and went on to the University of Michigan and its law school. He studied in Japan, then worked for the State Department, then ended up directing a program at the University of California at Berkeley. Some of the best Snap Judgment segments are drawn from his own life, and you get the feeling he could carry several episodes a year by himself.

Read the full story here.

More stories that appeared  here on Banned:

Glynn Washington weaves his childhood in the WCG into his stories on PBS

Losing My Religion

Glynn Washington: Apocalypse 

Glynn Washington: The Reunion

Glynn Washington: The Son of Ham

Glynn Washington Snap Judgment: Choosing Sides

Dave Pack: What Life Is Like On The Restored Church of God Compound

A comment from the  Dave Pack's Land Grab  posting:

We are RCG survivors who were also in the ministry.We never worked at HQ but we can easily see that the HQ ministry's allegiance is expected to be that your heart, mind, money and time go to Dave Pack with little scraps of time for your family. 

These men and women are stressed out from wearing many hats and constantly having to take on extra tasks to make up for the losses of the revolving door of employees at HQ. They are even expected to help out with planting, mulching and weeding at HQ when that needs to be done so there goes their Sundays! 

We have known many of those at HQ and the changes we have seen in them over the years is sad - their lives are not their own - they are tired and stressed and there is no joy in their eyes.At the last conference we attended, we could notice obvious changes in some of the ministers and wives personalities.They are so programmed that they don't even realize it!!They are automatons!! 

Now that Dave Pack has most of the ministry moved into the string of houses surrounding his compound those ministers are now paying the rent to pay the mortgages on houses they will never own. They work for Dave Pack and live in his houses. So, basically he owns them, or at least has a very unreasonable amount of control over their lives. They fear to disagree with him or they would lose their job and place to live in the same day. This has happened! 

It breaks our hearts to see these young people devoting their lives to a false apostle who will praise them to the skies if they please him and kick them to the curb if they ever dare disagree with him! 

How we wish they would realize that there is life after RCG, a life of peace and freedom to serve God and not a man who thinks he is Christ himself! They could learn what it is to have a life and function as a normal family!

We pray daily that these deceived brethren will see Dave Pack for the wolf he is and run for their lives away from him and his destructive hold on their lives!

All of the things mentioned above are classic cult indoctrination and manipulation tools in order to wear people down and to instill fear in them.

Loaded language

The jargon in cults has multiple effects. 

1. The group members feel understood because they all use the same words and it generates a sense of camaraderie (and elitism - see below). 
2. New people may feel left out and often want to learn what the words and phrases mean, drawing them deeper into the mindset of the cult. 
3. Complex situations are often reduced to a few words, and this begins to shut down the critical thinking of the members. 
4. The words and phrases can dictate how the members should act in certain situations without having to make decisions. For example, one group had a phrase that meant that seniors in the hierarchy of the group were always right. So if there were any problems or disagreements, the phrase sorted everything out! 
5. When the jargon is second nature, talking to outsiders may become tedious and awkward and this keeps group members isolated from outside influences.

Elitist mentality 

As part of cult tactics,  members are made to feel special. They are part of an elite group that is going to, for example, change history, save the world, change humankind in some way or be saved by god. They have a strong sense of mission or purpose which binds them together and keeps them working hard and giving of themselves - in other words, slaving and sacrificing!

This sense of elitism makes them feel more important or superior to those outside the group, especially to people in other cults, which they can easily spot! 

This gives rise to one of the many contradictions in cults. While members are obedient and humble before the leadership, they can be arrogant to outsiders.

This elitism also brings responsibility, because they feel more responsible for saving the world. And of course, this sense of responsibility can be used by the leaders to manipulate them even further, inducing guilt if they don't properly perform their duties, earn enough money, recruit enough people, and so on.

The end justifies the means 

Because they are doing very important things like god's work, or saving the earth, rescuing mankind, or simply doing 'The Work, members are led to believe that lying, cheating, and deceiving outsiders for money or getting them to come along to the group is justified.

And remember that many group leaders are psychopaths. This means they have no empathy, guilt or remorse. Ever!

Add to this their inflated sense of self worth, grandiosity and sense of entitlement, and they believe they can do whatever they like, take what they want, abuse whoever they please etc. etc. without any consideration for others. For them the end always justifies the means.

And then consider that the leader is creating clones of himself...!!!

Think you might know a psychopath? Here's a quick test...

Group dominates individual 

In destructive groups, the group comes first. Loyalty and obedience to the leadership are very highly regarded parts of the cult psychology. 

Members learn with to distrust themselves and trust the authoritative leader, looking to him or her for direction and meaning in their lives. They put aside their own wants and needs in favor of those of the group. To a large extent, cult control causes their own well-being to become enmeshed with the well-being of the leader.

Sense of community 

When a new member first joins a destructive group, there is a very strong sense of community, unconditional love, joy, happiness etc. Later, when the member is indoctrinated, he or she learns that this sense of belonging very much depends on good behavior.  

If they break the rules, criticize the leadership, express negative emotions such as anger or distrust of the leader, they quickly find themselves ostracized by the group until they sort out the 'problem' (any problem is usually the fault or responsibility of the member, not the leader!) 

It's another contradiction in groups that while everybody is encouraged to be equal and the same, competition is used to shame members who are not working hard enough, and to spur the hard work workers on even more.

The members feel quite close to each other, in fact, they may feel closer to people in this group than to anyone ever before in their lives. However, closer examination shows that the relationships are quite shallow (they tell on each other; they can be hyper-critical of mistakes; members may know little or nothing about each other's pasts, families or friends; there is often little or no consideration for the problems or needs of others, unless there is a benefit in it for themselves; and when members leave a group, it is often as if the remaining members simply forget about them; and in reality all they know is the pseudopersonality, they have little real contact with the real identity!) 

Besides, true friendships are discouraged because the leader wants all the adoration and attention for himself.  

On top of this, if one person leaves he may bring his friends with him. Of course, if someone does leave, the anger, frustration, disgust and hatred are directed towards them. (In these situations, anger and hatred are encouraged, of course!) A supposedly close bond between ' friends' can change in an instant if one person becomes a nonbeliever or a traitor!

Understanding Cult Psychology

COG False Prophet Makes A Prophecy About Global Warming

The world's foremost authority on EVERYTHING has weighed in on global warming and says that the world has 0% chance of ever correcting it.  Humanity can not correct it because his god is really pissed at the world and is going to let it fry.

Our very own false prophet of Arroyo Grande, CA is the one who made the 0% prophecy.  Almost arrested and almost jailed, Elisha, Elijah, Amos, Joshua, Habakkuk, doubly blessed, world renowned Mayan/Fatima/Catholicism authority and very bitter "son" of the late Rod Meredith, has put forth his divinely inspired prophecy on global warming.

Bitter Bob quotes a Washington Post article:

The Washington Post reports one study finds that there is a 5% chance to reverse ‘dangerous global warming’:

We only have a 5 percent chance of avoiding ‘dangerous’ global warming, a study finds

July 31, 2017

In recent years, it has become increasingly common to frame the climate change problem as a kind of countdown … 

Two new studies published Monday, meanwhile, go further towards advancing this pessimistic view which asserts that there’s little chance of the world will stay within prescribed climate limits. 

The false prophet of Africa then has this to say:

There is a 100% chance that the Earth will have a greater than 2 degree rise in heat this century. Before quoting scriptures, consider that another study says that many to die from high heat by the end of the 21st century: 

Where would a COG splinter cult leader be without having to throw in his cherry picking of scripture?

The false prophet of Doom then quotes another article:

By 2100, Deadly Heat May Threaten Majority of Humankind 

Up to 75 percent of people could face deadly heatwaves by 2100 unless carbon emissions plummet, a new study warns.

A new study has found that 30 percent of the world’s population is currently exposed to potentially deadly heat for 20 days per year or more—and like a growing forest fire, climate change is spreading this extreme heat.

Elijah Thiel then says this dogmatic statement:

Will 3/4 or more of the planet be affected by deadly heat this century? 

Yes, though not quite for the reasons many believe.

Yes, humanity will fry, but not from global warming, but because his god is eternally pissed off. Just who is his god pissed off at?  Is it lying and abusive COG leaders?  Rapists, murderers, stalkers?  As his Daddy, Rod Meredith ingrained in Elisha Thiel, its those glittery gays, transgender's who are more masculine than Bob and many COG leaders, porn - that a large percentage of COG members look at, including his own members, and anything else he can label as immoral...like football. God is going to let the world fry because of American football!  Who knew!

...those warners of climate change do not seem to be able to conceive of the idea that weather problems could be a curse from God for things like the LGBTQ agenda, pornography, and other aspects of immorality...

So be warned!  The lying prophet of Arroyo Grande cherry picks this out for you to mull over:

The Bible warns that God uses weather to send a message. Sometimes God uses drought and then sometimes sends mildew if people will not turn to Him as the following show:

7 “I also withheld rain from you,
When there were still three months to the harvest.
I made it rain on one city,
I withheld rain from another city.
One part was rained upon,
And where it did not rain the part withered.
8 So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water,
But they were not satisfied;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.
9 “I blasted you with blight and mildew.
When your gardens increased,
Your vineyards,
Your fig trees,
And your olive trees,
The locust devoured them;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord. (Amos 4:7-9)

The false prophet then claims to have made some highly accurate "prophecies" that have come to pass:

As regular readers of this page are aware, I have repeatedly warned of weather problems coming. Back in 2009, in my book, 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, I wrote that the following was about to happen:

Odd weather patterns result in food shortages and natural disasters.

Matthew 24:7

The world is actually in a berserk transition, as the real age of peace is not yet here. It may be a period of chaos. It is the beginning of sorrows.

Matthew 24:8

Since that was published, we have had record smashing heat and odd weather problems. These weather issues should serve as a wake-up call.

What about deadly heat?

Well, the reason I wrote that there is a 100% chance of high heat this century is because of the following biblical prophecy:

8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory. (Revelation 16:8-9) 

Now, the above prophecy is for several years into the future–we are not too near that yet. But I believe that this will happen in the 21st century. Since it would take a greater than 2 degree increase to scorch people with high heat, the models that ‘climate change’ advocates have pointed to are clearly missing something–but part of that is that those looking at the climate tend to not rely on Bible prophecy.

The Arroyo Grande is apparently a prophet without honor in his own country.  No one listens to him and we mock him.  But he warns us again:

Most will ignore weather changes and simply believe that weather changes all the time and the changes do not have to do with God or disobeying His laws.

Yet, the Bible shows that weird, severe, and odd weather patterns are part of the warning messages that God gives.

Are you paying attention to those messages?

LCG and in Africa with his

Almost jailed Thiel has ZERO qualifications to be making any such predictions.

Living Church of God Men's Training Camp, Edition 2

The Living Church of God has having another "men's training camp" in order to make their men be men and to rule their households. LCG men have never been able to measure up to the high standard that Rod Meredith set for men to be masters of their dominions and heads of their families and spouses.  Far too many LCG men have been labeled as milquetoasts and have been inadequate leaders.  Add to that the bed hopping examples of the McNair and Meredith boys and some LCG ministers in Charlotte, then yes, there is a crisis in leadership.

LCG men MUST be leaders of their families and pillars in the church and the community.  What's that?  Leaders in the community?  Since when has any LCG member been a community leader? LCG members don't vote, they have been encouraged to not be a part of the world and not get involved in leadership.  What example have the men of LCG ever set in their communities?  What example has the church leadership EVER set in the communities they've had their HQ's?

Northeast Men’s Training Camp 2017: “Following Christ”—Change in Deadline: August 1

As husbands, we’re commanded to be the “head” or leader of our families. Elders are given the duty of leading in their congregations. And as pillars in our Church and community, we’re given the task of setting the pace, being examples, influencers, and leaders. Yet, can we lead well without ever learning how to be a good follower? Did you know that Christ was and continues to be the most powerful example of the perfect follower? Can you and I be followers like Christ? These questions and challenges will be at the heart of our 2017 Men’s Training Camp. Come prepared to wrestle with these real-life issues as we face the challenge of being better, more Godly men.  

On the main web site it states these themes for the weekend:

We live in a time of crisis for men in our society. But there are ways to fight the demise of the Godly role of men in the family, community and society. The best mechanism is to have Godly fathers and male role models in the church. We can also offer education in sermons, Bible Study topics and Spokesman’s Club. But a concentrated, focused “Spiritual Training Camp” is another mechanism that is a real help for our men. 

The COG, under Rod Meredith, has always been living in a crisis mode.  The world is evil, the gays are flinging glitter everywhere and transvestites are proving to be more masculine than many LCG men. The world is coming to an end!

Therefore, Jonathan McNair will be teaching the LCG men how to be REAL men!  He will be training them in the fine points of how to be a man. Jonathan McNair?  Seriously?  Imagine sitting down for a weekend and having Jonathan or Lil'Jimmy lecture you on how to be a man.  It is vomit inducing!

The purpose of this weekend activity is threefold. 

First, to gather men together with other men to build bonds of brotherhood, building and deepening friendships. Men need to know and respect other men in the church. That takes time and face to face contact. 

Respect men in the church?  Where and who?  Who have been men of integrity in the LCG?  Look at the corrupt men who organized Global, then took all their money as they then corruptly started LCG. What about the abusive ministers who have treated members like shit for decades?  Is that who LCG men are supposed to respect?  Who is Terry Ratzman supposed to respected after the perverse teachings of Rod Meredith drove him off the deep end?

Second, we need to continue to learn together how to be better and sharper tools in God’s hands. In other words, this weekend is a time of “continuing, concentrated education.” 

"Concentrated education?" On what? Keeping the law better? How to be submissive to Gerald Weston and all of his commands?  How to bow down at the altar of HWA and Meredith?

Third, we need to worship God together. We need to do this. We face a society that is hostile to God. The challenges and temptations create a minefield for us and we, together, need to beseech God for His help to navigate this spiritual minefield. 

Worship God?  But in the meantime ignore Jesus and anything he taught.  I can almost guarantee that Jesus will get the short shift of the weekend. A few mentions of his name and everything will be ok, but the law will be promoted all weekend.

This weekend will be a “spiritual bootcamp”! 

See you there!
Jonathan McNair 

For more information and to register, go to www.nelcg.org (not an official LCG site) and click on the “Activities” tab on the top of the page. Then click on the “Men’s Training Camp 2017” in the menu. If you are reading this online, you can go directly to http://nelcg.org/?page_id=28417 (not an official LCG site). The deadline to sign up and pay is August 1.—Jonathan McNair

The best thing any real man could do in the Living Church of God is take his wife and children and LEAVE the church and set he and his family free!

LCG Starts New Russian Web Site And Immediately Gets Spammed?

The Living Church of God premiered a new web site geared towards the Russian people. Apparently, they feel the need to subject Russian Christians to their "truth."

New Russian Website

We are also very pleased to release the new Russian-language Tomorrow’s World website: www.zavtrashnimir.org. This was also a major upgrade and includes additional content and new functionality. Our Russian-language website has proven to be a vital tool in supporting the worldwide satellite transmission of the Tomorrow’s World telecast in the Russian-language (voice over), and we often receive new literature requests, not only from throughout Russia and eastern Europe, but also often from the United States, China, Canada and elsewhere. The “average time” that people spend on the Russian website has historically been about twice as long as on our other websites, and the feedback from our small but growing numbers of Russian subscribers has been very appreciative of this resource.—Wyatt Ciesielka

LCG also proceeds to mention that their uptick in "viewership" on their Youtube channel.  Russia has a reputation of spamming and hacking web sites around the world.  Several LCG members have mentioned that this is most likely Russian hackers fishing around to find out what LCG is all about.

We are seeing some interesting numbers for several of our full-length telecasts showing up on YouTube. The French program, “Seven Signs of the Antichrist,” has seen 375,124 views. The Spanish version of “Seven Proofs God Exists” has generated a whopping 1,259,096 views. On the English side, “Ezekiel’s Message Unlocked” has now surpassed the 400,000 mark, with over 1,000 subscriptions generated. These are significant numbers, and a number of Spanish programs are in the hundreds of thousands. It is actually encouraging to see that not everyone gives us a thumbs-up: some give us a dislike, which indicates we are reaching an outside audience. 

American cult religions are frowned upon in Russia and you can be guaranteed that they are monitoring all the things that LCG publishes.  If Russia clamps down on them at some point, they will scream persecution just like Almost arrested and jailed Bob Thiel does.

Dave Pack's Land Grab

Double click to enlarge

It was mentioned sometime back that Dave was buying up land around his compound Wadsworth. In addition to the housing development he is building inside the compound for he and select ministers, he has also bought 10 homes on Akron Road.  Akron Road is at the lower bottom of the screen shot above.  You can see many of the driveways.  This is providing nice homes for the elite who never question any of his actions or teachings.  Before long all 16 of his advisory council of elders will be living on the compound. Being a rubber stamp is more important than integrity, but that has been how the COG has operated for 80 some years now.  Never question the Dear Leader, but they sit there and agree with everything, even though deep down at least a couple of them know there is something terribly wrong.  The almighty paycheck trumps every time.

Has Church History Been Lost and Restored By Continuing Church of God?

Is the deluded false prophet of the improperly named "continuing" Church of God the only true remnant who has the only true church history in its lineage?

The almost arrested and jailed One, is mocking Gerald Flurry for claiming that there is a "lost century" in the lineage of the "true" church.

Was there a lost century in early Christianity?

Some affiliated with the COGs seem to think so.

Today, I saw part of PCG’s Key of David video/telecast titled The Lost Century. In it, the announcer makes the following statements:

No one has reliable detailed accounts of God’s church after the deaths of the original apostles.

Then in that video, PCG’s Gerald Flurry said the following:

Did you know that the history of God’s true church was blotted out in the period from roughly 70 A.D. to 170 A.D.?

No, I did not know that as that is not accurate. In the video, Gerald Flurry then says that although there were extensive records, that we do not know what happened to the Church of God then. He also claimed that the truth was not proclaimed for another 1900 years.

He is wrong on those points. Especially when you consider that there was not suddenly more historical information beginning 170 A.D., as opposed to the 5-6 decades prior to that, related to the true church.

As usual, Elijah Thiel is the authority upon everything and yet knows nothing.  He trots out thoroughly discredited Herman Hoeh as the authority on church history in the COG. Then makes the claim that "Protestants" willfully have ignored Sabbatarian history.  Even as idiotic as this is, Thiel claims he knows so much more than theologians who have documented church history for 2,000 years.  Amos Habakkuk Thiel knew soooooooooo much about it that he claims to have talked to Dibar Apartian about it and supposedly proved to him that LCG was wrong and needed to correct their teachings.

Dr. Hoeh, however, realized that there were certain available records, but that they were not properly understood by the Greco-Roman-Protestants. People like the Protestant Jesse Hurlbut, however, did not understand them. 

Yet, if PCG and the Greco-Roman-Protestants would honestly look at the available records on the first couple of centuries since Jesus’ resurrection through the light of the Bible, they would have a different view about early history. 

That being said, there was a limit to how much church history the old Radio Church of God, then called the Worldwide Church of God, was able to restore. Plus, with certain archaeology progress there is information available now that was not available during the time of the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God. 

Church history, especially second century A.D. church history, was something that I discussed on several occasions with the late WCG/GCG/LCG evangelist Dibar Apartian. In the 21st century, he told me that various ones in the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God tried to figure out which early leaders/writers were in the Church of God and which were more likely to be with the apostate groups. He said that none in the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God had succeeded. He initially urged caution on my research along these lines. 

Later, after I had put much on second century Christianity together, Dibar Apartian repeatedly encouraged me to get LCG to eliminate errors it was teaching on church history and to teach historical information that I had restored. Despite repeated promises from LCG leaders for many years, LCG made almost none of the corrections, etc. 

So there you have it.  Doubly blessed Thiel is now the world's foremost church historian.  When will the lies of this charlatan ever cease?

Dave Pack: God Was Blind Before He Created Angels

Dave on God's blindness and who he uses as his eyes now:

Now you read that, over in Chapter 5…And I want to explain something…these are the eyes of God. Let me go back one more time and show you something. Chapter 5 and verse 6…where it talks about these seven…Revelation 5:6: “And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne…the four beasts, and in the mist the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns [seven governments] and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” Those cannot be angels. There, it’s capitalized. It’s “Spirits of God.”

It’s always been hard to understand. How does Christ use seven angels to be His eyes? It’s sort of like seeing God come down the street and he’s got seven, not…not one dog in front of Him, but seven angels, and they’re seeing for Him. Anybody ever wondered why? That’s strange…You know, I guess, some guys use a stick, but God, God has seven angels out there telling Him what’s going on. That is not what it’s saying!

These are literally Spirits of God—capital “S.” These are the Holy Spirit—this is part of God’s own Spirit—that function as His eyes. If not, how did He see before He made angels? It has nothing to do with angels. Angels had a beginning. God’s eternal. God does not see through the use of seven angels! This is one side point. It’s not really relevant to the sermon, but it’s important. Because, in a minute, we’re going to see a reference to seven beings that clearly are angels. Okay, now let’s keep reading.

UPDATED: David C Pack and his MODEST home on his cult compound

 Dave Pack's compound in Wadsworth 

with its new exclusive housing section for the RCG elite

Double click on pictures to enlarge to full size

God's greatest living prophet in this latter day dispensation is David C Pack, or at least he thinks he is.  As God's chosen man through whom God reveals all things about the Bible that has never been shown to any man in human history, Dave Pack is also the most the most humble man ever to lead a Church of God.

When Dave and God decided to establish God's earthy headquarters in Wadsworth, Ohio, Dave bought a house on Pheasant Run, in an exclusive neighborhood.

As Dave's cult compound grew into the most mind boggling campus the world has ever seen, even though it remains unfinished, Dave decided to sell his modest home and give all of that money to the church, as he commands his members to do, since all things are in common, and since all things belong to God, and since Dave is God's chosen, it all belongs to Dave.  You and I both know he did no such a thing, but that is another story.

Dave's modest home on the upper right of the picture.  

Notice his minions have much smaller homes.

Dave sold his house on Pheasant Lane once construction began on his "modest" home in the woods of his compound.

As you can see, Dave's home is the largest of those presently built.  More homes will be built in the wooded lot, in the vacant spaces cleared, for the chosen elite of the church leadership.  As members sell their own homes, and businesses, liquidate savings and retirements, in order to send it all to Dave, he builds things like this.

Apparently, Dave is making sure that when Jesus returns first to Wadsworth, he will at least have a nice house to live in for a while.

Double click to enlarge the most superfantabulous church HQ in the entire world!

This will give you an idea of the "City on the Hill" that Dave Pack talks about.  To the left is the Giant Eagle Market.  Then you cross over the high tension electrical lines cutting through the campus, a most lovely addition to the landscape. In the lower part of the picture is the pollution belching freeway where drivers happen to look up and see the most mind boggling campus the world has ever seen.  To the right is the start of the housing lots for the elite of the Restored Church of God. It is all just Superfantabulous!