Exploiting Widows—The Restored Church of God Offloads $2.8 Million Debt onto Its Members (Part 1)

 

Exploiting Widows—The Restored Church of God Offloads $2.8 Million Debt onto Its Members

Second Update May 3, 2025: This article on the exrcg.org website has been updated to reflect the additional property that listed as sold on May 3, 2025. The total sales are now $3.1 million by twenty-three people for thirteen houses.

Update May 2, 2025: RCG sold two more houses valued at $465,000 to members, bringing the total to twelve properties. One of the new buyers is also a widow.

Keep an eye out for 341 Akron Road to be sold soon. The two other external Campus properties are not viable options for new buyers. No one attending The Restored Church of God can afford the $500k Eyesore, and the Hartman Road property hosts the horse barn and pasture.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Pastor General David C. Pack gleefully declared during “The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 568)” on April 5, 2025, that the Restored Church of God is officially out of debt with extra funds in the bank. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization turned a profit while perpetually teaching that the imminent return of Jesus Christ was only days away.

Part 568 – April 5, 2025
@ 00:23 I wanted just to tell everybody, and I trying to remember if it was April 1st or 2nd, but the debt is gone. Completely gone, and income is still pouring in. And not only that, we're growing faster, literally, every week than the week before.

@ 01:04 Again, in not just no debt, but a lot left over. I couldn’t have dreamed. …The number was not huge that we needed, but it was large.

In addition to public donations by non-member “co-workers,” approximately 1,250 adult members globally pay first tithe, excess second tithe, tithe of tithe, third tithe, Holy Day offerings, free-will offerings, fundraisers, and the “sell all” doctrine known as Common, The Restored Church of God now enjoys a debt-free 104-acre Headquarters Campus in Wadsworth, Ohio.

During “The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 536)” on September 18, 2024, David C. Pack pressured the entire church to pay Common before Jesus Christ was to return 15 days later.

Part 536 – September 18, 2024
@ 44:50 The best you can do if you sell all the best you can do is save yourself. You can no longer benefit God’s work. It’s too late. You can benefit yourself, and whatever God says about you shoulda done it sooner, and He will judge you for that.

@ 45:34 I hate to put it that way, but I’m here trying to save your life. There’s no way we’re going to benefit.

@ 1:08:55 If you won’t obey this great test of faith, you simply do not believe the Kingdom of God is coming.

Founded in May 1999, The Restored Church of God publicly claims it preaches the Gospel of the Kingdom of God through a "vast array" of free literature and videos and holds a unique, true understanding of the doctrines of the Bible. However, privately, David C. Pack has set 125 failed dates for the return of Jesus Christ since August 2013.

The Restored Church of God’s Headquarters Campus is out of debt. How did they do it?

The Restored Church of God sold twelve Campus houses
worth $2.8 million to Headquarters members
to offload its debt.

Two of those members is a widow.

The Restored Church of God’s debt relief was carefully coordinated by David C. Pack and negotiated behind the scenes.

While preaching that the Kingdom of God would arrive within days and claiming that neither he nor the church would benefit from the money, David C. Pack quietly approached select members in the Headquarters congregation from early 2024 through April 2025 and asked them to buy houses adjacent to the Campus worth $2.8 million along Akron Road and Hartman Road.

David C. Pack got out of debt by putting two widows into debt.

2 Peter 2:3  
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.

The great irony of this financial arrangement is that David C. Pack teaches that only faithless members have not yet paid their Common. Fortunately for him, seventeen faithless people at Headquarters could afford to buy a Campus property.

This information is publicly available on the Medina County Auditor’s website. Under the Advanced tab, type in the Seller's Name field: "restored church" to find the property records.

March 20, 2024 – 852 Akron Road – Pablo Ruiz
RCG Bought 5/22/20: $105,000
RCG Sold: $200,000 [+$95,000]

April 3, 2024 – 754 Akron Road – Justin Frazier
RCG Bought 5/16/18: $252,000
RCG Sold: $325,000 [+$73,000]

April 24, 2024 – 8421 Hartman Road – Raymond & Kirsten Garb
RCG Bought 8/4/17: $85,000
RCG Sold: $154,700 [+$69,700]

March 11, 2025 – 303 Akron Road – [Widow]
RCG Bought 1/18/12: $100,000
RCG Sold: $199,000 [+$99,000]

March 27, 2025 – 383 Akron Road – Garrick & Larissa Oxley
RCG Bought 1/20/15: $140,000
RCG Sold: $222,000 [+$82,000]

April 2, 2025 – 293 Akron Road – James & Sarah Habboush
RCG Bought 7/18/12: $220,000
RCG Sold: $240,000 [+$20,000]

April 2, 2025 – 331 Akron Road – Samuel & Angela Baxter
RCG Bought 7/31/15: $145,000
RCG Sold: $253,500 [+$108,500]

April 2, 2025 – 321 Akron Road – Charlie & Brandy Sarracco
RCG Bought 7/21/15: $156,500
RCG Sold: $253,000 [+$96,500]

April 3, 2025 – 313 Akron Road – Frank & Jody Lydick
RCG Bought 12/3/15: $220,000
RCG Sold: $330,000 [+$110,000]

April 25, 2025 – 361 Akron Road – Samuel & Nicole Maiden
RCG Bought 9/5/14: $132,000
RCG Sold: $235,000 [+$103,000]

May 1, 2025 – 351 Akron Road – Chauntel & Calah Houk
RCG Bought 2/27/18: $150,400
RCG Sold: $220,000 [+$69,600]

May 1, 2025 – 369 Akron Road – [Another Widow]
RCG Bought 8/10/15: $135,000
RCG Sold: $245,000 [+$110,000]

RCG Sold Properties to RCG Members Worth $2,877,200

 

RCG’s Debt Cycle Summary

1–Members gave David C. Pack their money to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

2–David C. Pack used the members’ money to secure bank loans to buy houses, upgrade, and maintain them.

3–David C. Pack asked members to move into those houses and charged them rent. Members paid rent to RCG on houses that were bought with their money.

4–David C. Pack asked members to buy the houses he bought with their money after they had been paying rent on them.

5–The Restored Church of God escaped corporate debt by putting members into debt while profiting from the increased home values.

6–David C. Pack has taught 125 failed dates, and The Kingdom of God has not arrived, but members continue to pay RCG tithes, offerings, and Common.

A Tale of Two Exploited Widows

Directly motivated by David C. Pack’s greed, there are heartbreaking stories in RCG’s history about the treatment of widows. Their identities will remain anonymous, but their cautionary tales are a warning for others.

Matthew 23:14
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore you shall receive the greater damnation.

Zechariah 7:10
And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor…

Exodus 22:22-24
You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry; And My wrath shall wax hot…

God has a special affection for widows. Pastor General David C. Pack does not.

David C. Pack built his religious empire using other people’s money and said behind closed doors, “You never use your own money to build a business. Use other people’s money.” This is how The Restored Church of God’s Campus was financed.

Widow #1

In March 2025, Widow #1 paid $199,000 for a house connected to the Headquarters Campus to help The Restored Church of God get out of debt. But this is not the first time she has been asked for thousands of dollars by David C. Pack.

She received an inheritance after her mother died. Her husband was a deacon, and they had assets, including a nice trailer on 1.5 acres. Her husband was diagnosed with bladder cancer, but he refused treatment so he could “walk in faith.”

Complications from the untreated cancer caused a blockage in his urinary tract. He became debilitated when he suffered a stroke from a blood clot. She was her husband’s caretaker until he died.

With direction from David C. Pack, agents of The Restored Church of God pressured Widow #1 to pay Common to The Restored Church of God. She pledged her funds, but moving assets through probate and real estate banking entities takes time. The Pastor General has a poor understanding of how long financial matters take to execute, even with willing donors. Multiple sources confirm that David C. Pack often expresses frustration that receiving funds “takes too long” and has accused members of stalling.

David C. Pack told the minister involved, “She’s procrastinating. Get that money.” The former employee also noted, “Pack lusts after money. He kept telling me, Get that money. Get that money.”

They got her money from the real estate sale and inheritance from her mother. She is now a Headquarters employee who purchased a $199,000 home so David C. Pack can ride his horse in peace, knowing the Campus is debt-free because of the generosity of a widow.

But she is not the only one with a story worth telling.

Widow #2

Widow #2 once enjoyed a house by a lake with her two children and her husband, an insurance broker. After he died suddenly, she was left with over $900,000 in a life insurance policy payout. Her husband planned to ensure she and their children would be cared for after he was gone.

Then, David C. Pack sat her down alongside two other ministers and pressured her to give it all to the church. Because she was a faithful woman who believed RCG was “the one, true church” and David C. Pack was an apostle, she was willing to give “until it hurt.”

The scheme that David C. Pack pitched was for her to think of giving all her money as an investment. Her spiritual reward would be in the Kingdom of God, but since he wanted to make sure “she was taken care of,” RCG would grant her permanent third tithe assistance each month of around $2,000. That was half the monthly budget for all third tithe assistance in the church.

One of those ministers privately urged her to keep a portion large enough to protect herself from a rainy day, pay for future healthcare, and have the ability to afford a small home. She would have gladly given most of it if he had not warned her.

She sold her original home, moved, and bought another one in Wadsworth. She gave RCG funds from the home sale and her husband’s insurance payout.

She has since remarried after giving her Common and remains a member of The Restored Church of God. She was not the second widow who bought a Campus home.

David C. Pack tells the brethren of The Restored Church of God who and what he is. If only they had eyes to see and ears to hear what their Pastor General said to the church in 2024 when he urged them to send in their Common before Jesus Christ returned on Trumpets.

Part 536 – September 18, 2024
@ 32:17 And and and brethren, it should be pretty clear, there’s no way I am doing this so the church can benefit from it unless I am an unbeliever and do not believe the Kingdom is coming this fall. So, there’s no way I could be doing this. It's impossible, unless I am a grand liar, that I could be saying, "I don't want your money." I don't get your money. I don’t get a pay raise. 

James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

We are commanded to visit a widow in her affliction, not cause it.

Psalm 146:9
The LORD preserves the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

David C. Pack does not relieve the widow but exploits her.

Isaiah 10:1-2
Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

Common is an unrighteous decree. Widows are prey for David C. Pack while he says, “Get that money.”

Malachi 3:5
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, says the LORD of hosts.

David C. Pack oppresses the widow without fearing God.

The Headquarters hirelings in The Restored Church of God are no less guilty as they silently stand by, complicit in a system of spiritual and financial exploitation.

Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Bradford Schleifer, Carl Houk, Edward Winkfield, Jaco Viljoen, Frank Lydick, Salasi Jezhi, James Habboush, Andrew Holcombe, Raymond Garb, and that notable coward, Ryan Denee, refuse to plead for the widows.

Ezekiel 22:27-29
Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus says the Lord GOD, when the LORD has not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy…

Bradford Schleifer, Carl Houk, Edward Winkfield, Jaco Viljoen, Frank Lydick, Salasi Jezhi, James Habboush, Andrew Holcombe, Raymond Garb, and that notable coward, Ryan Denee, are ravening wolves supporting dishonest gain.

These enablers willfully disregard the blasphemy, hypocrisy, and lies of their human idol so they can maintain their positions of power in a spiritually corrupt yet debt-free organization.

David C. Pack’s “The Greatest Untold Debt Story!” is far from over. This is Part 1.

Marc Cebrian:

See: Exploiting Widows—The Restored Church of God Offloads $2.4 Million Debt onto Its Members

For Enhanced Credibility

The little tidbit below is from a forward in COGWA's Discern magazine titled, Christianity’s Strange Story, by Clyde Kilough that covers articles about Christianity, Pentecost, and Constantine.

It starts off about Pentecost and makes the claim that almost all Christian churches today claim Pentecost as part of their story. They supposedly do it to "enhance their story" about themselves, unlike the Churches of God, who use it to...uh... enhance the story about themselves. Armstrongism is sooooo fun!

Pentecost—it’s an odd word with a strange story.
Its Greek origin simply means “count 50” (referring to calculating its timing), but there is nothing simplistic about its Old Testament origin and New Testament explanation. Together they reveal some of the deepest meanings of God’s work with humanity. 

 

Today virtually all Christian denominations commemorate Pentecost, claiming (for enhanced credibility) to trace their lineage to that holy day in the first century that clearly marks the beginning of the Church.

Armstrongism is also guilty of this! It claims direct lineage to the 1st century church and claims to practice 1st century Christianity, which it clearly does not do.

Armstrongism has taken in all kinds of myths and stories to enhance its credibility and perfect image over the pagan so-called Christians that they see surrounding it. We have the absurd British Israelism myth, the one true church, the becoming God as God is God, church eras, church government, and many more extra-biblical enhancements that make Armstrongism unique.

Kilough goes on to say this:

That day’s events literally altered the course of world history. We cannot fathom what today’s world would be without the impact of the religion(s) that emerged. Even hardened skeptics are forced to admit that something powerful occurred. How else could a body of believers suddenly appear, quickly permeate the Roman Empire, and so upset the established religions that they would rail against Christians as “these who have turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6)? 

 

Today, though, it’s the world that appears to have turned Christianity upside down. Or is it possible that an imposter “Christianity” that Jesus Himself forewarned us about is now reaping the fruit of the seeds it sowed long ago? That’s another topic in this issue: “How an Emperor Corrupted Christianity.”

What about today's imposter Christianity that permeates the Churches of God? We see men like Bob Thiel, Dave Pack, and Gerald Flurry who have made a mockery of Christianity, the church, and Jesus himself. Liars in the Chruch of God are given places of honor in today's COG movement, so Armstrongism shouldn't be so quick to condemn the "worldly" Christians around them. 

That’s part of traditional Christianity’s strange post-Pentecost story. It’s akin to a “switched at
birth” shocker, with the aged Christianity not much resembling its infant counterpart. What happened?

If you want to see a "switched at birth shocker," then look at the abysmal mess that Armstrongism is in today! How can any of them honestly believe they are practicing 1st-century Christianity? How can any of them claim to be heirs of the Holy Spirit sent at Pentecost?

Are You Tired Of Constantly Having to "Qualify" In The Church Of God?

Anyone who has been part of a Church of God for even a small amout of time will have heard numerous sermons on "qualifying" or read countless articles exhorting you to make sure you are doing all kinds of things in order to "qualify" yourself before their angry god snuffs says you out or says you arent allowed into their kingdom.

I found this quote below the other day while surfing some of the COG websites. When I copied it for a later post, I forgot to write which group it is from. It really doesn't matter who wrote it because this is standard COG thinking, and like most other things, the demands of it are totally wrong.

For one to enter the kingdom of God one must qualify! Just like Jesus Christ had to qualify! We must qualify before God can trust us to run & rule his universe and his kingdom. The same as when we are called it into God's Church we must prove to God upon repentance of turning from our own selfish way and walking and living God's way of life! In repenting we are qualifying! Qualifying to receive the Holy Spirit! For the terms for receiving the Holy Spirit is to repent and to believe. If we do not repent through the action of turning around and no longer walking our own way but now walking according to God's way, the Holy Spirit cannot dwell within​ us. Upon repentance then upon believing God's word you have been qualified yourself to be baptized and to receive the holy spirit of God! So ask yourself this, are you turning to God and repenting of walking contrary to his way everyday? One way we can disqualify ourselves is by not repenting! God's way is not our way! The natural mind as mr. Armstrong has taught is hostile to God's way of life! That is what the Bible teaches! So one way to disqualify ourselves is to go on thinking and walking in our own ways! According to what we think is right because we agreed with God. Simon magus believed the gospel. But he did not want to stop his own way to turn around and start obeying God! He did not want to repent! What about you question mark what about me? Do we study God's word just to make us to feel good about ourselves? Or are we seeking to obey God and to walk in all his ways? Constantly repenting of any change of course? Are we daily qualifying so that God may give us the Holy Spirit everyday? Or is it just one day a week type of thing? You won't enter the kingdom of God will be in just a Saturday church goer! We must be qualifying and all the booklets and all the sermons and writings of God's chosen apostle and his church are there to help! What the worldwide Church of God preaches and teaches is a very Living Word of God! Those very words in your Bible are words of life and words of spirit as Christ has said. They are for us and for our learning. The purpose of God's Ministry is to build up and to edify the Church of God. And that is being done by and through the holy spirit of God in the membership! If you attend some other church and listen to a minister that is not teaching exactly what Christ gave to the apostles then you will receive another spirit and another gospel and you will follow another Christ as Paul warns! So are we qualifying? Are we repenting and turning to God without whole heart? Are we obeying God and all things? If you are led by the holy spirit daily God will lead you! And then you will be called the people of God and then you will be a part of the Church of God. 

 

Basic Christianity understands that Jesus does not call the qualified; rather, he qualifies the called. Calling the unqualified has always been God’s specialty. We can look to the heroes of the Christian faith—David, Solomon, Joseph, Esther, Ruth, Moses, Miriam, Deborah, Lydia, and the list goes on.

Sadly, Armstrongism valued works over Jesus. The law trumped everything, and that is why Jesus was not discussed all that much, and when he was, he was constantly angry about something, and lo, we had better get our act together if we expected to rule with him.

Members were seldom told to to step out in faith, embracing Jesus' calling and trusting him to guide us every step of the way. 

 

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1 

 

We may not be worthy or feel worthy, but there is only one who is truly worthy, and that is Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:17-18.

No one needs to live in fear of being disqualified or losing one's salvation because one did not follow the endless checklist of some COG group. Their own ministers and leaders can not and do not do most of the things they demand of their followers, so why should you waste your time?

He saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which has now been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” 2 Timothy 9-1 

 

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 Living Bible

The Message says it best in more contemporary terms, especially those burdened down by Armstrongism:

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:28-30

 

 

Ai-COG: Suspicious Lies: You're caught in a cult, you can't walk out.

 

The Cult’s Gaslighting Playbook: Blame Your Nature

Garner Turd Armstrong, the WCG’s golden boy, had a message for members in the 1965 GN Article: “So - You're Suspicious?” Simple, he says it’s because you’re broken. In a piece dripping with manipulation, he told the flock they were born with a “nature” that makes them doubtful, skeptical, and stubborn—a nature they must overcome to stop being suspicious of God. He grilled them on their reactions to Co-worker letters, tithing demands, festival attendance, the Visiting Program, and disciplinary actions. Hesitate to open your wallet for the Building Fund? Dread the Gestapo-style visits we exposed in “Gestapo in God’s Name”? Question why someone got disfellowshipped? Sorry, that’s not Christlike—you’re still “human,” not converted. Welcome to the WCG’s gaslighting playbook: your doubts aren’t valid; they’re a sin, and you’re the problem.

But here’s the kicker—members had every right to be suspicious, and their instincts were dead on. The cult was hiding a cesspool of corruption, from financial scams to personal scandals like GTA’s massive college harem at Ambassador College, where he preyed on young women while preaching purity to the flock. The WCG shamed members for their justified suspicions, turning legitimate concerns into proof of spiritual failure while the Armstrongs’ dirty secrets piled up. For everyone still caught up in these cults: It’s time to see through the con and stop letting them guilt you into silence.

Setting the Trap: A Suspicious World, a Suspicious You

The GTA article paints a grim picture of the world you were born into—one full of “hate, crime, jealousy, intrigue—suspicion.” Teddy says you’re the product of your environment, shaped by experiences that make you disillusioned: your best friend betrayed you, your first love cheated (with a celebrity country singer minister?), politicians lied, even governments deceive. By the time you’re an adult, you’ve accepted the lies—advertising scams, charity drives, all the “sham and mockery” of the world. Then, if you’re “really converted,” you turn that suspicion inward, realizing you’re a “liar, a cheat, a two-faced, selfish, conniving, grasping, vanity-filled collection of sensuality and lust” (Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 8:7). But wait—did you really? Or are you just suspicious of others, especially the WCG’s work? If so, Teddy says, you’re not converted. Boom—gotcha.

This is gaslighting 101. Ted takes a universal human experience—doubt born from a messy world—and weaponizes it against members. It’s not the WCG’s fault you’re suspicious; it’s yours, a flaw in your nature. But members weren’t wrong to doubt. Their suspicions were confirmed time and again, most infamously with GTA’s college harem at Ambassador College. While Garner Ted preached righteousness, he was using his position to target female students, building a notorious reputation for sexual misconduct that eventually led to his 1978 disfellowshipment from the WCG—by his own father, no less. Members who felt uneasy about the leadership’s behavior weren’t unspiritual; they were onto something. Yet GTA had the gall to shame them, ensuring they’d stay quiet while he and the cult kept up the charade.

The Laodicean Threat: Doubt and You’re Damned

GTA doubles down with a terrifying prophecy: the Laodicean Church, the final remnant of God’s people, is coming, and it’s “mighty serious.” He cites Revelation 3:14-15, describing the Laodicean as lukewarm, self-righteous, and complacent—neither hot with zeal nor cold with unbelief. This type, he says, has lost their “first love,” drifting into spiritual lethargy. They don’t pray much, don’t get “fired up,” don’t care about the world’s abominations or their brethren’s pain. Worse, they’re suspicious of the WCG’s motives, wondering where the money goes, doubting if things are “run right.” They’re especially skeptical of “physical things”—buildings, pledge cards, college expansions, property purchases, trips abroad. If you’ve ever questioned the cult’s endless demands, Teddy says you’re Laodicean, and you’re in big trouble.

Here’s where the gaslighting gets vile. Members had real reasons to question those “physical things.” The college expansions Teddy mentions? That’s Ambassador College, where he ran his harem, exploiting young women under the guise of spiritual leadership. The money they wondered about? It funded the Armstrongs’ lavish lifestyle—while members struggled to pay triple tithes. Their suspicions weren’t a spiritual failing; they were a gut check, and they were right. Teddy’s Laodicean label wasn’t a warning—it was a threat to silence legitimate concerns, making members feel guilty for seeing through the cult’s facade. The WCG didn’t want you to dig into their scandals; they wanted you to feel like a failure for noticing them, ensuring you’d keep the cash flowing while they hid their sins.

Fear as a Weapon: The Tribulation Stick

The article’s real gut punch comes with the Great Tribulation. Teddy warns that the Laodicean attitude—your suspicion—will leave you unprotected when disaster strikes. He cites Ezekiel 5:1-4, where God tells Ezekiel to take a few hairs (symbolizing the remnant of God’s people) and bind them in his skirts for protection, then cast some into the fire—the Tribulation. Revelation 12:17 backs this up: Satan will make war on the “remnant” who aren’t protected, those who’ve fallen into the Laodicean state. GTA’s blunt: if you’re suspicious, you’re part of the 50% of WCG members who’ll face “horrible tortures and ultimate death” in the Tribulation to realize your “lethargic spiritual condition.” He drags in the foolish virgins (Matthew 25), who didn’t “watch” and pray (Luke 21:36), missing their chance to escape.

This isn’t a warning—it’s a terror tactic, and it’s especially cruel given what members already suspected. They weren’t wrong to worry about the cult’s integrity—Teddy’s college harem was just one scandal among many, from financial mismanagement to failed prophecies like the 1972 Tribulation that never came. Yet instead of addressing these betrayals, Garner Turd weaponized fear to shut down dissent: doubt the cult, and you’ll suffer God’s wrath. It’s the same fear we exposed in “Fear Religion?” —the WCG preached against fear while wielding it like a club. Garner Turd’s gaslighting here is next-level: your justified suspicions aren’t just a sin; they’re a death sentence, and only blind faith in the cult can save you, even as their corruption festers.

The Watchman Con: Loyalty or Else

Teddy pivots to the WCG’s role as a “watchman,” citing Ezekiel 33 and Matthew 24:1-4 to claim the cult is Christ’s body, tasked with sounding the alarm about world conditions and impending disaster. He quotes his father: you’ll grow in grace “just to the degree your heart is in the work of God.” That “work” means supporting the WCG’s programs—buildings, magazines, broadcasts, colleges, baptizing tours. If you’re a true “Philadelphian,” you’ll be “enthusiastically responsive,” rejoicing at every new project, every ordination, every radio station. If you’re suspicious—wondering about money, doubting the need for another building—you’re a “foolish virgin,” not watching, not praying, and doomed to the Tribulation.

Here’s the gaslighting climax: your suspicion isn’t just unspiritual—it’s disloyalty to Christ Himself. GTA frames the WCG’s work as a “prophesied event,” led by Christ, so questioning it is questioning God. But members’ suspicions were confirmed by the very programs Ted defends. Ambassador College, which he calls a “need” of God’s work, was his personal hunting ground, where he abused his power over “foolish virgin” female students—a scandal that blew up in 1978 when he was disfellowshipped for his behavior. The money for buildings and broadcasts? It funded the Armstrongs’ luxuries while members went broke. Garner Turd Armstrong gaslights members into thinking their doubts—about tithing, buildings, or the Visiting Program—aren’t valid concerns but a betrayal of Christ. The WCG didn’t want you to uncover their scandals; they wanted you to feel like a traitor for suspecting them, ensuring you’d keep funding their empire while they hid their sins.

Splinterdom, Your Suspicions Were Right—Now Break Free

The WCG’s gaslighting in “So - You're Suspicious?” is a masterclass in control: your natural doubts are a sin, a sign you’re Laodicean, and a one-way ticket to the Tribulation—unless you blindly support the cult’s every demand. But members had every right to be suspicious, and their fears were confirmed by the Armstrongs’ corruption—like GTA’s college harem at Ambassador College, where he exploited young women while preaching holiness, a scandal that led to his 1978 ousting. Turd wasn’t helping members grow in faith; he was shaming them into silence, turning justified suspicions into proof of spiritual failure while the cult’s dirty secrets piled up. Stop letting the cult shame you. Your doubts weren’t a sin—they were your survival instinct, and they were right. Ditch the gaslighting, and walk away from the con for good.

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Suspicious Lies © 2025 by AiCOG is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0

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By Ai-COG · Launched 2 months ago

::Armstrongism investigated:: takes a Deep Dive into the cultic murky world of the Worldwide Church of God and its offshoots. If you love investigating cults stick around and prepare to dive deep!