Church Science Falsely So Called: : A Whale of a Tale Revisited and Updated

Ambassador College and all offshoot versions were not and are NOT places to learn anything about how the real and natural world works.  Ambassador did not teach one how to make a living, how to think critically or anything remotely true about science and how the world came to be.  It also did and still does a terrible job with theology.   Reading the Bible and endless comments and speculation on mythological tales and Bronze Age perspectives do not, and cannot lead to truth in the sciences.  

"A Whale of a Tale" was the Churches clever and easy to read answer to what some perceived as the impossibilities of whale evolution.  A quick read and "poof!" , the average church member and student had THE answer to it all.  Of course, they did not.  They had a scientific apologetic to get them through the need for the Church to be correct and scientific inquiry mistaken, but they failed miserably and do to this day. 

We have learned more in the past 25 years than in the previous 25,000

"A Theory of for the Birds" was also the shallow church version concentrating mostly on just how could a woodpecker not knock itself out pecking and just how could feathers not just poof into existence to facilitate flight.  We now know feathers, evolved long before they ever were also adapted to flight.  Feathered dinosaur fossils are a regular discovery these days and it was not because they needed to fly.  But that's another story.

The totally discredited and long ago outdated text for Second Year Bible At Ambassador

The deep study of the topic was to outline the book and hand the outline in at years end.

But that's another story too....

The Shallow and Mistaken Church version debunking Whale Evolution

"Disagreements between incompatible beliefs cannot be settled by reasoned argument because reasoned argument is drummed out of those trained in religion from the cradle."

 Richard Dawkins

(Sorry, I think this is hilarious)

A Short Course in Whale Evolution for those so inclined

For those willing and able to pay attention for more than two minutes

"Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence." Richard Dawkins Correct! The Bible tells me so. Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. Meaning... "Now faith is the assurance of what we hope is true, based on absolutely no evidence that it is true." Faith has no place in Science and true scientific inquiry does not rely on faith for its conclusions.  Church or Church Schools may be a place to muse on the Wonderful World Tomorrow, but they fail miserably in their understanding of the Wonderful World Today, and always will.

Living Church of God Finally Admits A "Worldly" Education Is Not Wrong

Living Church of God has now decided that it is not always wrong to get an education in so-called "worldly" colleges and institutions of higher learning.  Now that LCG's so-called university has had to be shut down, like most of the other COG's so-called college/universities, it now admits that God just might be using "worldly" educators for a higher purpose instead of them all being agents of Satan.

But, like any good COG out there, there is an ulterior motive behind this new direction in thinking...the better the education the better the money, thus more tithes can be sent into HQ to keep the Meredith and McNair boys supported in their expected lifestyles.

The Value of Education

Over the years, some have concluded that worldly education is of little value for true Christians. Since Satan is the god of this age, and Christians are to come out of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4; 6:14–18), some have assumed that getting an education in this world is ungodly, a matter of vanity and/or a waste of time. Such ideas overlook the fact that God used individuals who were schooled in this world in powerful ways. Moses was raised as a prince in Egypt and was “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22). Solomon was knowledgeable in many fields—including botany, zoology, and human relations—and he collected wise sayings in the book of Proverbs (1 Kings 4:32–34). Daniel was one of a group of intelligent young Jewish captives who were educated in Babylon before they were used by God (Daniel 1:3–4). Paul studied at the feet of Gamaliel, the leading rabbi of his day, before being used by God to write 14 books in the New Testament. Numerous studies show that more education can result in higher incomes that can enable Christians to provide better for their families. In today’s world, in pursuing an education, we must also be alert to the social, moral and intellectual pitfalls that are also part of academic environments. Christians who understand the Truth of God and the Plan of God should wisely take advantage of the opportunities to gain an education—whether academic or vocational—that will help them prepare to serve others now and in the Kingdom of God.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

PCG Suicide: More Information on Errol Concepcion and the Disastrous PCG "No Contact" Policy

The Philadelphia Church of God's NO CONTACT POLICY has just pushed over the edge a young member after having cast him out of the fellowship and mandatorily shunned by his own family for around 5 years.

Errol Concepcion, the firstborn son of Mrs. Lai Cruz and stepson of PCG Deacon Alvin Cruz of Tandang Sora, Quezon City hanged himself to death in his grandparents' home in Harvard Street, University Village, Lucena City, Quezon Province. The incident happened on May 29, 2018 and his remains were laid to rest in Lucena last Friday, June 1, 2018.

Errol has been feeling the pain of being cut off from his own family as mandated and continually perpetrated by the Ministry of the church (PCG) where he was raised by his grandparents (guardian), Mr. and Mrs. Roberto Concepcion. Since then, he has been living a life of constant struggle with emotional distress and with the difficulty of living alone. He wasn't really ready yet to face that kind of life at a very tender age when the PCG ordered his family to cast him out of their home and to let him fend for himself and to deprive him of any kind of support. The NO CONTACT mandate is absolute and a clear indication of tyrannical rule in the cult. Outrageously, the ministry of the PCG considers it an ACT OF LOVE!

Mr. Pedrito Cara is the Associate Pastor of the PCG in the Philippines with office in Cutcut, Angeles City, Pampanga. He is the man responsible for perpetrating the continuing ordeal of Errol which finally pushed him over the edge. He gave no room for mercy and compassion to the young man despite having been informed that Errol was already suffering from Dementia and could no longer live on his own. He did not agree that Mr. and Mrs. Concepcion should take him back and provide him the love and attention he needs. He has not relented in continuing the immoral and abusive implementation of the vile NO CONTACT POLICY which has wrecked many lives, split up marriages and destroyed families in the Philadelphia Church of God not only in the Philippines but in many other countries around the world where they have congregations.

Thank you,

United Church of God: Chief Pharisee Has Melt Down Over Perceived Doctrinal Teachings

A sure indication that a Church of God may be potentially heading in the right direction regarding "grace" is when you see the Official Pharisee of the Church of God get his Levitical bloomers all in a legalistic twist.

Pharisee and Zealot James Malm is all in an uproar over a paper Mark Mickelson presented to the UCG on who the God of the Old Testament was and its relationship to Jesus.  The Chief Pharisee has been screeching for many months now that UCG was changing its doctrine on grace.

Zealot Malm writes:

This article deals specifically with the UCG Doctrinal Statement claiming that God the Father was the God of the Old Testament together with the Being who became flesh as the son.  

United Church of God has specifically denied that they considered Mickelson's paper. 

Council of Elders Statement

The Doctrine Committee and its subcommittees completed review of the paper titled “The God of the Old Testament” submitted by Mark Mickelson. The conclusion reached by the Doctrine Committee was that God the Father and the Word were and are both very active in all of Scripture. The [Mickelson] paper did not receive support to move forward. The Council recommends that everyone read the UCG study paper “The Nature of God and Christ,” to gain additional background on this subject.

The Zealot writes:

All of you KNOW that I get my doctrine directly from the Holy Scriptures and that I do not blindly follow HWA, yet he did teach the same as I do on this matter; often clearly stating that Jesus revealed the Father. 

It is true that the Father’s existence is implied in the scriptures, but he was NEVER actively involved and was not active or known before the physical life of Jesus Christ who revealed the existence of the Father and the Being who became the Son as two separate God Beings.

For years Mark Mickelson has been falsely cloaking himself in the name of Christ and of Herbert Armstrong to teach the Protestant error that God the Father was the God of the Old Testament who was the Lord of Hosts.  

This is not the teaching of Herbert Armstrong, it is not my teaching and it is not scriptural;  it is gross error. 

Nothing infuriates the Chief Pharisee more than grace, particularly the accepted understanding of it.  As with all things when zealotry is involved, Pharisee Malm's grace comes with lots of conditions.  So when people say that grace trumps the law, the spittle starts flying.   Your computer screen almost gets wet from it flying!  

The Pharisee attempts to end any discussion on grace by spitting out that it is "evangelical" anytime it does not require keeping all 613 laws and HIS interpretations along side it.

Mark’s position is very evangelical, presenting the Father as the uncompromising God of the Old Testament, with Christ adding Grace later. In reality Mark has been allowed to openly teach this heresy and his paper was a “Trial Balloon” on the subject.

Many brethren would not agree with the idea and so these same folks who brought this error into the Tkach WCG  came up with a more subtle statement that accepts the evangelical position that God the Father was the God of the Old Testament, but added that Christ was also active then to pacify the brethren. 

What this statement does is to promote the evangelical heresy that God the Father was the God of the Old Testament and that he was the God of Moses and the Mosaic Covenant and the laws of Moses.

In due time the other shoe will drop that Jesus brought grace through his sacrifice thereby freeing us from any obligation to keep the laws of Moses. Then the heresy long taught in UCG at ABC and elsewhere that “We keep them because WE want to, not because we have to” will kick in and very many will decide that if they don’t have to, they will simply decide not to. 

UCG is now rapidly becoming a Protestant Sabbatarian organization.    Make no mistake, this seemingly innocuous Doctrinal Statement is earth shattering in its implications for UCG!

Pharisees, Zealot's and legalists are all about condemnation through the law. In the Church of God, condemnation has always been the driving force in all matters of the church understanding's. Divine punishment and retribution is the expectation or so many in the church today that they actively seek to see people they deem "lost" to be destroyed.

The Subtle Power Of Spiritual Abuse, 1991; David Johnson/Jeff VanVonderen 

"The legalist will always want to see another punished, or made to perform as a compensation for weakness or sin."

A perfect description of Pharisee Malm:

The New Manners And Customs Of Bible Times 1987 Ralph Gower 

"Pharisees . . . Their name means 'those who separate themselves.' . . . They wanted to be legally pure, separate from any form of defilement. They believed that the difference between being 'clean' and 'unclean' depended upon that law. What was 'clean' was obedience to the law; what was 'unclean' was disobedience to the law. This position regarding the law created problems, however, for although there are 613 commandments in the Torah (the books of Moses), they are not always specific. If the Sabbath day is to be kept 'holy,' then exactly what may be done and what may not? There were lengthy discussions on such subjects as whether or not it was lawful (or unclean) to eat an egg laid on the Sabbath. The Pharisees developed a set of regulations designed to save people from breaking the law itself . . . the Pharisees had failed to understand what the law was all about . . . The Pharisees seem to have taken the law and changed it . . . into a great burden -- 'This is what you have got to do; if you fail, God will punish you' . . . It was so out of tune with what God intended that Jesus attacked it."

Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke (the law) upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled in the yoke of bondage. [the law]

Rightly Dividing The Word 1920 Clarence Larkin 

"THE LAW demands holiness" 

"GRACE gives holiness" 

"THE LAW says--Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them" 

"GRACE says--Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sin is covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute iniquity." 

"THE LAW declares--That as many as have sinned in the Law, shall be judged by the law." 

"GRACE declares--That there is no condemnation (Judgment for Sin) for those who are in Christ Jesus for they have passed from death unto life."

Living Victoriously 1987 Victor Paul Wierwille

"A believer's peace is lost when he allows sincere, religious people to put him under the covenant of works of the Old Testament [legalism]. And when a believer loses sight of the truth of his standing in Christ then he loses sight of grace, mercy, love and the power of God. Then he gets into confusion as to the truth, and his peace evaporates, and it is gone."

Legalism destroys your peace, and it leads to confusion as to your state and standing with God. The sincere religious legalists love to tell people that they are unworthy and that God is displeased with them, or that God doesn't love them, or that God wants to punish them.

See more here:  

Legalism vs Grace

Legalism vs Grace: They Lying Truth

Lesson 57: Why Jesus Hates Legalism (Luke 11:37-54)

A LOGICAL LOOK AT LEGALISM/Bad Christian

LEGALISM VERSUS GRACE: A Study of Two Contrasting Lifestyles Within The Christian Church

UPDATED: "The Negro brethren had their own social and picnic..."

Please check out the article on the Painful Truth that delves further into the past racist teachings in the Church of God.  

You can also listen to the complete sermon by Herbert Armstrong here:  Interracial Marriage 

The Painful Truth has this:

The Plain Truth magazine was trumpeting these teachings to hundreds of thousand...maybe millions of readers right during the 1960s Civil Rights Era. Herbert insisted he wasn't "taking sides" in the Race Question that was the greatest problem of the d...his magazine wouldn't be promoting the demands of the Negro, nor would it be endorsing the approach of the segregationists of the Deep South. It was, he insisted, just telling the "Plain Truth" about what God thinks of it all, about what the Bible says about it all, and about what the Bible predicts for the future. The reality, of course, was that Armstrong did, indeed, "take the side" of the white anti-integration southerners. Often using some of the same arguments, the same "scripture quotations" that showed up on their protest signs. "God hates race-mixing." "God is the author of segregation."-–Myth America by Pam Dewey

These quotes below and many more are on the Painful Truth site.  Far too many in the COG today continue to claim the church was never racist, but the track record proves otherwise.

Herbert W Armstrong 

Racist

Dave Pack on how two-faced the new leader of United Church of God was (and still is)

After Dave gave his farewell sermon and scores of Akron members reported him to Pasadena, Dave began the process of joining up with Global, Church of God and Rod Meredith.  After Pack was disfellowshipped from the WCG, his replacement came into the Akron to do damage control.  This man, while in WCG was busily disfellowshipping WCG members for not agreeing with the new teachings while all along he did not believe in them either. Then, just like many other of the top boys of UCG, he jumped ship with his severance package and straight into a paid job as a UCG minister. Later this same man rebelled once again and split off from UCG to form COGWA. 

Of course, Dave is just as big a hypocrite as they all still are.

“But Joseph Tkach’s statement demonstrates that I had anticipated most of the false teachings that would come, and Worldwide did make the changes that he so vehemently denied in Columbus and elsewhere. It was humorous, while also tragic, that my replacement was actively teaching new doctrines that supposedly ‘had not yet been presented by the WCG Headquarters.’

“Such was the deceit of the time—deceit attributed to me and others by those who were the real deceivers. And I include in this both the type of deceit from the Pastor General above and the type offered by my replacement who taught false (deceitful) doctrines. I wondered why my replacement never felt shot in the back by the Headquarters for whom he was so ardently cheerleading.

“My replacement would 26 months later ‘stand up for the truth,’ and leave the WCG to enter the largest splinter with over 200 drowsy Akron brethren happily following him. Incredibly—and this is its own statement about his new organization—he became its president in 2005!

“Let’s summarize. The friend I spoke with in Big Sandy would become the initial leader of the ministry in the largest splinter in 1995, and is still on its Council of Elders, and is still a regional pastor.

“The Indianapolis friend, having left his foxhole, would soon become this man’s replacement in the Cincinnati-based group, and would lead for many years the over 450 ministers that would join that organization.

“The Cleveland East friend would become the regional pastor of its headquarters region (one-tenth of the United States).

“The upset son-in-law minister who confronted me in Indianapolis about his in-laws’ concern, would go on to anchor the television program for the new splinter.

“And my replacement would quickly be a regional pastor, before going on to become president over the entire church of 20,000 attendants.

“No story of my life is complete without such facts. Of course, that these men ‘rallied in understanding’ and ‘found their voice,’ and ‘courage,’ at the last minute would only be known later. If this sounds like mocking, it is because it is. Remember Elijah with the prophets of Baal. And then remember how strong was Mr. Armstrong—and the apostle Paul—in describing grievous wolves coming among God’s flock.

“I have more respect for those who sold out completely and stayed in the Worldwide Church of God, openly accepting the changes, than for those who left professing to stand for the truth, while secretly holding to a host of false doctrines, as do their organizations.

“Oh that God’s people would look more closely at those whom they follow! But Adolf Hitler’s rule of leadership again presents itself, ‘What luck for rulers that men do not think.’”

The Great Monarch In Prophecy

God's greatest self-appointed prophet who knows everything about everything, is letting the world know that there is a Great Monarch coming along with 50 other Beasts.  Oh, noes!  What will we do?????  Oh, wait!  When has a single prophecy or prediction made by ANY COG minister or leader EVER been true?

Almost arrested, but never arrested, constantly harassed and maligned, self-appointed, homoeopathic pill pusher, and world-renowned authority on Mayan and Fatima prophecies, Elijah Amos Bob Thiel has weighed in on the Great Monarch in world history along with 50 prophecies about OTHER beasts!

The amazing power of God at work in prophecy! 

The true reason for the nations!


Here are some of the shocking Beasts that are rampaging around the world at this moment
as PROOF of prophecy!

 Prophetic beast attacks Laodiceans

Oh, what a tangled web we weave...the origin of the downfall of Herbert Armstrong
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web

Unclean meats enforced upon true believers

Collecting Americans for deportment to concentration camps!  Horrific!

Foretold in Revelation!

Scorpions of Revelation attack satanic beast


You too can listen to this amazing sermon here:
Great Monarch and 50+ Beasts Prophecies
WARNING: Lot's of jazz hands and jumbled curtains!

"Since the fourth century, it has been claimed that an Emperor of the Romans, also known as the Great Monarch would rise up. He is prophesied to eliminate Islam, Protestantism, and heresies. He is also prophesied to essentially bring a Catholic-form of world peace and prosperity to the world. Although he is predicted in Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic writings, some Catholic writers have warned against him. Is the Great Monarch sent by God or is he on the side of Satan? Will he bring in utopia or tribulation? Does the Tiburtine Sibyl, where some say this leader was first predicted, have pagan origins? Does he have the true message of the gospel of the kingdom or will he and his supporters be pushing a false gospel? In this sermon, Dr. Thiel goes over predictions about the Great Monarch, Hindu & Chinese prophecies, Catholic teachings, and scriptures that seem to have a connection with the Great Monarch. Will the Great Monarch truly be Catholic or an apostate? Will he work with a pope or anti-pope. Dr. Thiel addresses those issues and also goes over a list of 50 predicted characteristics of the Great Monarch that tie in with biblical prophecies. Sadly, when people see signs and lying wonders associated with the Beast/Great Monarch, nearly all on earth will accept him, despite the biblical warnings. Dr. Thiel also goes over predictions related to his rise, name, and some physical characteristics."

Adult Sabbath School: Romantic Relationships in the Bible.

                                   

2 Samuel 12: 

1 "And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: 3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. 4 And there came a traveler unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him."

Great story here! Enough to make any caring man angry which is exactly what it was intended to do. It is a story about having "one little ewe lamb," even though she was evidently one "ewe la la" type ewe! But it was his. She belonged to him and was his prize possession. Middle Eastern men possessed their women like farmers possessed cows and sheep, oxen and asses. Not committing adultery in the Ten Commandments was a function of it being wrong to take a man's property. Coveting was a function of taking a man's property, animals and oh yes, wife. If he trashed her, you could take her.

A married woman was property and all laws punishing her unfaithfulness were designed to prevent not knowing who the father of her children were and associated inheritance rights of those children. Before DNA testing, there was the fear of stoning to keep a woman having only the children of the one man. It insured a positive DNA test! The one man, however, could enjoy as many wives as he could afford. Stoning kept women honest about whose child that was. 

5 "And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: 6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. 7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man."

! David fell right into that trap. He became  compassionate toward the little lamb, angry at the man and pronounced judgement on him...actually on himself, for having taking Bathsheba from Uriah and gotten Uriah killed in the process. But now it get's interesting.

"Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon."

Notice what the issue here is. David killed Uriah and took his wife Bathsheba. This is bad stuff to be sure. But it is not an issue of the rightness or wrongness of having multiple wives. David already had that and evidently, if he needed more houses, power and wives, God would have been more than happy to do that. Just don't kill a man and take his! The issue seems more one of killing off a great soldier than taking his wife in the process. But no matter. God is saying that if David needed more wives, more women, more variety, all he had to do was ask and "I would have given thee such and such things." Such and such is almost code for "the women" Guy to guy stuff more than God to guy stuff!

10 "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die."

Well David now has to be punished. So he gets "the sword not departing from his house." Never mind that the sword was a part of every kings house and war has raged between them all since there were kings. This is really nothing new. It's not like there was great peace in the land and now it would get nasty.

Notice also that God was going to take David's wives. David had wives a plenty. He could afford them. No one minded and it was rather expected and God never brought it up until he took one from a favorite soldier and got him killed doing it. So God says that his wives would be raped that very day in front of David. No evidence this ever happened, but notice, the poor women pay for David's "sin" not David. Would have been more real if God said, "now David, today YOU will be raped in front of your people." But that's not how it works. The women always pay and get to be the rapee to punish the guy. Notice that David quickly says, "I'm sorry." and just as quickly, Nathan says, "No problem, we forgive you, we had to say this, you'll be fine." See how easy it is for guys? Meanwhile, the ladies are out in the yard getting raped by who knows who and how. I hope this did not really happen.

Continuing...

14 "Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. 15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. 16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. 17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. 18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died...... 24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him."

Well, once again, it's not David that gets punished, but an innocent baby that never gets to survive David and Bathsheba's relationship. Maybe it was a girl anyway so easier to let go of. I suppose they were sad, but they graciously accept it, get back to worship and have another cute little boy who goes on to be Solomon, the wisest guy on the planet so they say along with being the most wealthy who has 500 wives and 700 Concubines in his own stable in due time.

(I often wondered, as do many, just where was the man "caught in the very act" with the woman taken in adultery in John 8?   The man is never the issue in the Bible.

Maybe a deformed or handicapped child would have taught David and Bathsheba a  better lesson, as that was also the ignorant belief of the day, but not so this time. (The Presbyterian Minister told my parents that they must have done something wrong because of the birth of my brother who ended up blind, deaf and unable to speak.)The Lord ends up loving them all and David gets to be "a man after God's own heart." So see it all works out!

It is common to say that they did have these multiple relationships but that it was only allowed because of the hardness of their hearts. Well, who's in charge here!? God seems to give up rather easily when humans won't go with the program. "Ok, since you don't want to do it, go ahead. But I don't like it." Divorce also was only permitted because the men did it anyway but "from the beginning it was not so." But actually from the beginning it has always been so.

Marriage in the Old Testament was not the romantic one on one affair that is required to be in our time. In our day, the Church demands that a young couple promise upon pain of eternal judgement and death that they will never change, ever. Then the Church conveniently forgets to mention that from the moment they make their vows, everything else in the universe will begin to change. A little unrealistic.

Even the New Testament says that the Elder must be the husband of one wife, as if other members did have more than one but could not be an elder unless they pared it back to one. But the New Testament, unlike the Old where men have multiple female relationships, is a book where the leading men have little  or no real relationships, romantic or otherwise. Twelve men, with no female relationships, save maybe Peter, following  the no relationships Jesus around and then celibate (who knows)  men telling everyone else how to be married, raise kids and enjoy a relationship "God's way". 

After the restoration of Da Vinci's "Lord's Supper" it became obvious the artist believed Mary Magdalene had a personal relationship with Jesus . She is seated on his right hand.

Makes no sense. There are no male/female relationships in the New Testament of any worth. It's the unspoken taboo.  The Gospel of Philip indeed describes Mary M. as the "one who was called his companion", i.e. the companion or wife of Jesus. Jesus "loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often on the mouth....The rest of the disciples offended by it and expressed disapproval. They said to him, 'Why do you love her more than all of us?'..." Jesus is said to have replied, "why does she love me more than you?" You can see why this book did not make the cut! 

Catholic priests, in time past, were married and even had multiple relationships but that was ended in the Middle Ages by the Church so that any properties amassed by the clergy in their lifetimes would go to the church and not the wife. In time, celibacy was required across the board for Priests, but that was a value added law by the Church and not Biblical in any way. An unmarried Rabbi in Judaism had little credibility and it didn't happen from what I understand. Makes one wonder what was left out when Jesus was called "Rabbi". 

Men got off rather easily with many perks, while women paid and paid and paid for the sins of the men by having to be raped, thrown out and sent into the desert to teach the man a lesson. Women were basically worthless possessions in scripture.

Only in the Song of Solomon do we see any one on one emotional and dedicated love expressed. Of course if any Solomon really wrote this, and some historians see no place for a real Solomon in history,  I imagine he heard "I bet you tell that to all the girls" quite often. So much so that many churches see the Song of Solomon , out of embarrassment , as an analogy of Christ's love for the church.   Go figure. Taliban Christianity is not much different today.

The Bible is not  a primer on loving and caring relationships.  The New Testament picks of the male/female themes of the Old Testament with regards to the "role" of women in the church. because "the woman sinned and not the man", (I Timothy 2:14) but that's another Adult Sabbath School lesson.

Dave Pack Exposes the Duplicitous Actions of United Church of God Leaders As They Started Up UCG

After Dave Pack rebelled against Pasadena and WCG due tot eh doctrinal changes he decided to join forces with Rod Meredith.  What he describes below proves once again how duplicitous the leadership of the United Church of God was.  Not only did Kubik and others sit in church-owned housing, while still on WCG payroll as they planned UCG, they also manipulated the church in order to get as much money as they could before that left for UCG.  Pack's comments below also show what a total jerk Rod Meredith was in starting up Global Church of God.

It was March 7, 1993. For the first time since 1972, Mr. Pack was unemployed—only this time the family was also without a vehicle! The Packs could not afford and never had a second car. He also had no computer to communicate through email.

The Worldwide Church of God gave him only two weeks severance pay for his over two decades of service in the ministry, plus a few days of any unused vacation that all terminated ministers received by policy. The small severance was because the Packs had officially declared that they were going with another organization. This made them, also by policy, “opponents” of the WCG. Virtually all other ministers, most of whom that would leave would do so two years later, would receive one week of pay for every year that they were in the ministry—because they did not immediately declare their new allegiance. These waited until the larger check had cleared the bank. This was made possible by high-ranking sympathizers in Pasadena carefully coaching them step by step regarding exactly what (and what not) to do, and when.

Mr. Pack took a deep breath and resolved to move forward—regardless of giant obstacles ahead.

But what about a car? The Packs had insufficient money to buy one.

Since the Global Church of God had been in existence for just two months, there were only about 275 members worldwide. There were a handful of deacons and local church elders to help, but no full-time ministers had yet been hired into the field. Mr. Pack was the first. The fledgling organization had limited resources. The tithe-paying base was small. The headquarters could not afford to advance a down payment for a car.

Understanding the crucial juncture facing God’s people, Mr. Pack could not let days, let alone weeks, go by. There was work to do!

His very first action as a yet unpaid minister was to go obtain a $4,000 cash advance on a personal credit card. He then sent these funds to the Global Church Headquarters so they could purchase a car in the Church’s name with this money. The promise was that they would try to repay the principal amount when and as they could.

Thrilled to get back into the field and to visit brethren, Mr. Pack charged into this unique, new assignment with gusto.

“Someone was kind enough to loan us a car until we could get a new one. We were most grateful. It allowed us to run errands and buy groceries for about 10 days.

“We had faced obstacles in the past where the only path was that of faith. This decision was easy. But what choice did we have? We needed a car, and the Church could not afford to buy one. So I offered to act as an agent to purchase the vehicle on their behalf. There was a Ford dealer nearby and we got a brand new Aerostar exactly like the one that had just been driven from our garage.

“It would look better for Global if it had purchased the vehicle, rather than I having done so on my own behalf, or even on their behalf. The goal was to have other ministers be able to see that Global was a legitimate organization—that all manner of familiar procedure, activity and support was present. We were happy that no other Global ministers had to do as we did. I would certainly do it again.

“I would only learn later about how the many scores of ministers went with the new splinter in 1995 with a tremendous amount of money—sometimes tens of thousands of dollars—simply because they did not declare their affiliation until the larger ‘severance’ check had been cut for them.

“These men would wait in the back of the hall for one Sabbath, officially ‘undeclared’ in terms of organizational destination. Of course, everyone knew exactly where they were going in a couple of days, and could not understand why they were delaying the changeover. There were always salaries, cars and expense accounts waiting from the start for these faithless, hypocritical appeasers because large numbers of tithepayers followed them out the door to the same new organization.

“There was a very early surprise, however, in all of this. Instead of a thank-you for buying the car from my (borrowed) funds, the Global leader was disappointed that I had only brought an initial group of 38 people with me. It was absolutely stunning. I was not bringing enough human ‘booty’ right out of the gate to suit him.

Dave Pack: I was so good as a minister that it made other ministers jealous

What else could we expect from the most superfantabulous man who has ever existed in human history!

Jealousy Breeds Resentment

There was another reason the transformation of the Rochester and Syracuse congregations stood out: Many ministers in surrounding areas were not following correct doctrine and policy. This created a double standard with discerning brethren. Also, these areas were not being blessed in the same visible way.

While multiple, large activities regularly occurred in the Rochester area, the lack of such activities in the surrounding pastorates made a huge statement. Brethren from other pastorates often expressed how wonderful it was to see unity, organization and participation so evident. Since so many WCG ministers preferred to idly coast along and were slack in their ministerial responsibilities, resentment arose. Their comments would on occasion be reported back to Mr. Pack from Church Administration. (Remember, the apostasy demonstrated that two-thirds of all ministers readily gave up everything they had professed to believe, and did so easily and quickly, so a lack of zeal in such matters is not difficult to understand. And most of the rest of the ministry would later prove themselves to be lukewarm at best.)

Another critical element in transforming these congregations was the attention paid to the local youth programs. Previous programs had been overly tolerant of worldly influences when it came to appearance, music and conduct. Programs were purged of lowered standards that mirrored society in the late 1970s. Parents and teens were educated about God’s Way. Youth programs were built, which lessened the problems among young people.

But despite the positive results, a select few (locally and in neighboring pastorates) harbored the feeling that Mr. Pack was “the hard guy.”

Looking back, Mr. Pack recalled:

“When you draw a line in the sand, and the ministers around you do not, you stick out like a sore thumb. Some saw me as harsh compared to others. Never mind that I was tall, and from a high-profile family in the Church because I had married Mr. Armstrong’s secretary. I simply could not hide—nor did I seek to. Decisive leadership was necessary. Of course, I could never have imagined that merely administering standards the Bible taught and Mr. Armstrong adhered to could be so problematic and controversial.

“I was sent into these troubled areas time and again where many were ‘lying in wait.’ Tares were everywhere, waiting, ready to explode when true standards were re-introduced. And it seemed surrounding pastors always grew resentful. All of these factors made my ministry a tremendous challenge.

“Cleaning up programs and standards was interesting and rewarding as I saw the many positive effects on people’s lives, but it was also extremely difficult, and wearying, dealing with the constant politics of what later were understood to be, for the most part, a carnal-minded ministry that had grown up throughout the Church. Of course, this was later evidenced as true in the same large percentages among the lay members.

“I just could not always put together the great overall meaning of what I was observing—and enduring—at the time. None of us could know until later how right was Mr. Armstrong when he said, ‘90 percent of you do not get it.’ However, I was sure getting good training for all that would come.”

UCG: Why are Kubik and others in Cincinnati turning a blind eye to problems with the ministry

Like normal in may COG's, the membership see what is going on and yet the leadership are so set on their agenda's that they ignore the debacles they have created.  UCG has had to do a major amount of ordinations to replace the men who left with COGWA. It now looks like many of the men they have ordained are not qualified to be leading congregations.  The members know this, but Cincinnati does not. And UCG wonders why members are leaving.

Comment from another thread:

UCG has not wholesale changed doctrine, but those of us here who watched the rush to ordain men to replace all the elders who left know that it just isn't right. We have people serving as elders and pastoring congregations now who many UCG members know have no business doing those things. There are still good, solid people in UCG, but the effect of Victor Kubik's leadership has set this organization on a bad course that probably cannot never be reversed or fixed.