Friday, January 20, 2012

Guest Writer Andrew on "What Is Wrong with the COG's?" UPDATED




What Is Wrong with the COG's?


In short, the thing that is wrong with the COG's is they are crazy. Crazy does not describe the splinters themselves, so much as it describes what you become when subjected its many contradictions. When I say contradiction, I mean, when your senses, your instincts, and your innate intelligence all tell you one thing, and every human being you come in contact with offers a totally contradictory account of the same or similar experiences. You become divided, one half believing your observations, the other half believing the social proof. We have good reasons to believe both, even though we know, somewhere deep down, that both cannot be true simultaneously, nevertheless, we bend everything else around to rationalize them, to try to make them both make sense simultaneously. That is how people who are searching for something, can become more lost than ever. Organizations that they trust will help them make sense out of life, instead create environments that facilitate the twisting of young, naïve, or weak people's psyches until they resemble a carnival's hall of mirrors. For anyone who has seen the film, just like the talking computer HAL from Stanley Kubrik's "2001: A Space Odyssey," who went crazy from contradictory instructions, so too do we became "crazy" in exactly the same way.

The biggest example of crazy I have come to perceive within Armstrongism (the recognition of which has begun to shepherd me in the general direction of sanity) is as follows:

1) The only things that are recognized as sins in COG's are not tithing, not keeping the sabbath or holy days, keeping the world's holidays, eating unclean meats, murder (that's criminal), not showing sufficient deference and respect for a minister (the eleventh commandment), and sexual dalliances (although those are "private" matters, which should be covered up). And then there are the pet peeves that are splinter-specific, like sacred names, new moons, calendar, etc. Everything else is just a shoulder issue, like hair length, proper attire, substance abuse, or not praying and studying daily, which might be regarded as sin technically, but in practice no one ever makes a big deal about. That's the whole enchilada right there.

2) But by anyone's standard, you can lie, cheat, steal, and abuse others in COUNTLESS other ways, and no one is even going to raise an eyebrow, so long as you otherwise put on a show of niceness, reasonableness, and otherwise general respectability. The Golden Rule is, "Do unto others before they do it unto you." Even though the bible is pretty clear that these things are all sins too, (lying and stealing are part of the Ten Commandments even) the reason why this is not recognized as being sin within the COG's is because this type of behavior is the "minister's" bread and butter. They make their living off of abusing other people and making it seem "reasonable," and as a result, it becomes "normal" and "acceptable."

When we try to rationalize these two sets of facts, and force them to make sense in relationship to the bible, the result is we start to become "crazy." And rightly so, because if we succeed, then we have lost touch with reality. It doesn't matter whether you're talking about Armstrong, Meredith, Pack, Flurry, UCG, COGWA, or the bounty of self-appointed prophets and apostles. They are ALL like this.

But I wrote "by anyone's standard" because, if you go to any other religious organization, the Catholics or Protestants, or any other Christian outfit, some of the things in the FIRST paragraph are going to change, but NOTHING in the SECOND paragraph will change. (Notice that I numbered these paragraphs for easy reference. I will keep referring back to them.)

Jesus said that the pharisees were hypocrites because they tithed and were careful about all the nitpicky observances, but completely neglected "the weightier matters of the law." And that is my point. The FIRST paragraph is the obvious, but "non-weighty" portion, while NOT DOING the SECOND paragraph is the less obvious perhaps, but definitely "weightier" portion. If the general outlines I have laid out here are essentially correct, then Christians, by and large, are basically hypocrites. Using that definition, there are approximately 2 billion Christian "pharisees" in the world today. How sad.

But why stop there? Let's consider all the secular organizations too, including for-profit corporations, governments of all sorts, and, heck, why not even throw in the Mafia for good measure. Hey, there's honor, even among thieves. Just change the FIRST paragraph. Simple. Everybody does the SECOND paragraph. Everybody.

Christians are different though. No, it's true. Just not in the way that they would have you believe. They will TELL you they're different because they play by the rules of Jesus, instead of the world's rules. They would have you BELIEVE they are different UNDERNEATH. But this is just a charade. Certainly at the organizational level, if not the individual level, people don't play by Jesus' rules. The only thing that makes Christians different is the charade. The REAL difference with Christians is that they're the least likely to be HONEST about themselves. The real difference with Christians is the charade. Al Capone may have been a murderer, but one thing he wasn't, was a hypocrite. The bottom line is we're ALL the same underneath because we all do the SECOND paragraph. Yes, even Christians.

HWA and all the COG's trying to preserve his legacy have always thought of themselves as being so DIFFERENT from the rest of Christianity, but from this point of view, they are actually quite MAINSTREAM. Perhaps even ORTHODOX. From this point of view, there's just as much difference between a COG and the Catholics as there is between the Catholics and the Mafia. Which is to say, the differences between all three of them are superficial. When it comes to how they LIVE as opposed to merely what they preach, COG's have much more in common with everyone else in the world than they would like to believe. For example, during the process of copying and pasting the Evangelical's FIRST paragraph over to become WCG's FIRST paragraph (becoming "doctrinally" mainstream), the Tkach's made HEAVY use of the WHOLE SECOND paragraph as though there was nothing wrong with doing any of that. And no one even noticed.

How come? Because Christians, not just the leaders, but the lay members too, think the stuff in the FIRST paragraph is ALL there is to being a Christian. They are literally BLIND to HALF, the more IMPORTANT half, of what SHOULD BE their doctrine! Maybe it's not half, but let's just say half for simplicity's sake. Anyway, because they are blind, they cannot see anything wrong, AND because of their blindness they DECEIVE themselves into believing they can see BETTER than anyone else! Tragic really.

I could here use the bible to eviscerate not just the COG's, but also the entire establishment of Christendom regarding blindness, being deceived, Laodicea, Emperor's new clothes, and so forth, but will limit myself to the earlier statement of Jesus that I have already cited, regarding hypocrisy, which is my point.

Not being distracted by all the petty "doctrines," non-religious people can see both halves clearly, but generally think that avoiding doing the SECOND paragraph is the only part that is important, and so they merely DISPENSE with the entire FIRST paragraph. Not coincidentally, while that wasn't exactly what Jesus said to do, it might be CLOSER to what he said than what Christians do.

Is it possible that non-believers who don't participate in formal religious observance, but nonetheless make a good faith effort to live moral and ethical lives, are actually better at practicing the teachings of Jesus Christ than those who profess to be Christians? I didn't say they were perfect. True, they don't tithe on their mint, anise, or cumin. Also, don’t forget that everyone practices the SECOND paragraph. But here's the rub: non-believers don't have the same vested interest in being DISHONEST about that fact.  Unwittingly, they are free to be MORE observant of the "weightier matters" both because they are not blind to it, and because they believe that is where the emphasis should be placed. I suppose there remains the issue of faith still to be resolved. I wouldn't expect even a "good faith" non-believer to claim faithfulness. On the other hand, are they any LESS faithful than the pharisees? If we just called that particular death-match a draw, it seems that the "good-faith" non-believer comes out ahead of the average professing Christian by a fair margin. Notice, I stopped short of declaring any "winners" here though.

If it were not for this terrible example of hypocrisy that Christianity sets, there would probably be a lot fewer atheists and agnostics. Christianity certainly puts a lot of wind in their sails. I am sure part of the calculations of the typical non-believer include the fact that they find the abuse in religious institutions morally and ethically objectionable, and can't fathom that any higher power could possibly be at work there because the whole thing is so sickening. That sickening feeling may be the foundation upon which they then conclude that the religious are silly people who will believe anything without good reason, atheism's major talking point today. Or maybe it's just the main reason why people wind up leaving Christianity to become non-believers.

Despite all the money Christians spend trying to get out the "gospel," their example powerfully negates their message. What a waste! How counterproductive! But isn't that exactly what we should expect from people who are so deeply divided within themselves? Shouldn't we expect self-sabotaging behaviors to be among the symptoms of being diagnosed as a certifiable Christian?

Whenever people form any organization, secular or religious, the scum always seems to rise to the top. Everyone else either follows or they get forced out, thus purifying and concentrating the scum. But only the Christian variety of scum claims that the only suitable preparation for an environment (heaven) where no "sewage" can seep in, is to spend the rest of your life soaking together in "sewage!" But then the COG’s declare that not just any "sewage" will do. No, it must be THEIR specific concoction of "sewage!" Did I say crazy already?

If Jesus is who he said he was, then I cannot imagine that he would sponsor ANY Christian organization, because such organizations don't seem to be able to stop themselves from teaching through their example that a life of systematic lying, cheating and stealing is "God's way." They don't seem to be able to help but to lead people AWAY from what everyone EXCEPT Christians intuitively seems to know are the weightier matters of life. Organizations always seem to be hostile environments for practicing the teachings of Jesus Christ. They're great places for practicing Christianity though. Isn't it crazy that those two should have so little in common?

Crazy, yes, but when you are finally able to sit down and think it all through clearly, and in the proper context, it all winds up making perfect sense. That's when the confusion subsides and you can begin moving to the next stage of the grieving process: anger.

"Men go crazy in congregations, they only get better one by one." -Sting, "All This Time"

Speaking Truth



ht: Dennis

Are You " Lukewarm, Wishywashy" Tired and Listless?



If you are you need a healthy dose of Elijah Message

The Apostle is on a tear this morning about the Elijah work and sinful, filthy, pagan embracing, commandment breaking, do-gooders in the Church of God.  I think he is a little ticked that no one is paying any attention to him.  He certainly is NOT an apostle nor is he here with any Elijah message.
Elijah did not preach some watered down message about a coming Christ or kingdom! NO indeed: he preached repentance and a turning back to the Holy One of Israel!  He did this with POWER and AUTHORITY ; the AUTHORITY of God’s commandments!
 Any man who comes up with a prophetic interpretation and then uses the teachings of the pagans to support that position IS a false prophet! (Three guesses on who this is aimed at: Bob Thiel!) Any man who teaches to tolerate and overlook sin IS a false prophet and will be destroyed by Christ if he does not repent.
Elijah was a true man of God, because he was passionately zealous for his God! He was not a fearing to offend wishy washy spiritual wimp, nor was he preaching a tertiary gospel about a coming kingdom:  He preached REPENTANCE and OBEDENCE to ALL of God’s commandments!
The primary commission of God’s people is tp teach all men to keep ALL of God’s commandments (If Malm is setting himself up to be some kind of Elijah he is mistaken and a liar!)
Or are we  lukewarm wishy-washy and  careless about God’s commandments.  Do we boldly declare what sin is and boldly preach repentance from sin?  Or do we present self help messages and speak of a coming kingdom that will solve all our problems, without any real reference to the need to keep ALL of God’s commandments?

Do we even keep God’s commandments ourselves with any degree of zeal?  We walk all over God’s Holy Sabbath day and His Holy Days and we exalt the traditions of men; above the word of God.

Those who are NOT as passionate as Elijah was, could never do an Elijah work!  If we are not filled with that same spirit of passionate love for God and his Law  it would be impossible to do a similar work!

If Elijah were to appear today: He would be rejected and called: Extremeist; Self-righteous; Pharisaical, Over Righteous;  and the COG Groups would demand of him:  Just who do you think you are to criticise God’s church and people as being less tan spiritually perfect?  If he were to try to turn them to the Eternal they would just declare: We are spiritually rich and have need of nothing,  you are crazy to disagree with us!

Van Robison on "Why Are So Many People Religiously Seduced?"



Why Are So Many People Religiously Seduced?


When I was 18-years old and in the Air Force, I heard the "World Tomorrow" broadcast on radio for the first time (about 1961).  The voice on that program was either Herbert W. Armstrong or Garner Ted.  They offered "FREE" literature, booklets and a "Bible Correspondence Course."  I was intrigued that I could get this material for "free."  I was captivated by what I heard on this radio program and so I sent for various "free" booklets and the Bible Correspondence Course.  Little did I know at the time, that what I was hearing and reading was the "mind-set" of Herbert W. Armstrong and those who influenced him.  I was young, gullible and naive and thought I was learning "Biblical truth."  I read the material and devoured it with zeal.  I was indoctrinated and programmed to believe a great deal of false doctrines and teachings, based upon Herbert W. Armstrong.

After my honorable discharge from the Air Force, I made a beeline for Pasadena and within a few months became an employee.  Twelve years later, my wife and I and two children took an exit from this cult, and found great relief of mind to no longer be associated with a religious organization that controlled the lives of so many gullible and naive people and families.  Many years later and thinking about it, I still wonder what it is that causes people to be seduced by man-made religions (?).  Perhaps it is partly that people need social contacts, need something that is missing in their lives and find comfort in just being a part of something.

Another strange aspect is that there is something in many people, that seems to find comfort in being told what to think and what to do with their lives.  Maybe it is the lack of having parents in their lives, as I did.  My dad and mom divorced when my two sisters and I were very young children and we lived with our loving Dad and then he passed away early in life at about 32-years of age.  We were lost sheep in the world.  Perhaps it is that reason that I found comfort in the Worldwide Church of God and one of my sisters found "truth" in the Mormon Church.

Sometimes perhaps we are driven by reasons we simply don't understand, at least at the time we become involved in cults.  Perhaps the need is fellowship with other people.  Whatever the reason, the odd and strange thing is that in time many will exit these church groups and yet others will stay within for life.  The same is true of so called "main-stream" churches.  One can find on the Internet websites by ex-church goers of almost any group, including not only the Worldwide Church of God and its many clones, but also ex-Roman Catholics, ex-Mormons, ex-Jehovah Witnesses, ex-Church of Christ, ex-Seventh Day Adventists, ex-Gospel Assembly, ex-Pentecostal, ex-Charismatic, ex-Baptist or name your religious flavor or fill in the blanks.

What drives many to exit while many others never do?  There are many ex-Christians who have turned to atheism.  There are some former atheists who are now Christians.  Indeed life is strange!  Many are convinced God does not exist, while many others are totally convinced He does.  Why is that?  Some are Deists, meaning that they believe in God based upon observation in the world and universe, but not in revealed knowledge, such as "the Bible." And then of course there are religious beliefs outside of the realm of so called "Christianity" (which I call man-made Churchianity).



The religiously indoctrinated mind is in my opinion a closed mind, meaning that this person can only think and "reason" within the parameters or walls of their particular programming, and cannot entertain alternatives.  I have found that so called Bible apologists are in this category and it would seem apparent that their house of cards comes tumbling down, unless they believe that "the Bible is infallible and inerrant."  Their faith in Jesus Christ is based upon "Bible infallibility."

Perhaps one of the strangest things to contemplate is why so many people are like sheep that bah bah bah to religious leaders, thinking that these people represent God Almighty/Jesus Christ for no other reason than that they stand in pulpits and spew and spout forth their personal  opinions on what "truth" is.  Is it because humans are taught from birth to "obey" and to NOT THINK?  It is the same with the world of politicians, politics and human governments, and none of them have the answers to human issues, human problems or represent God on earth, even though they may proclaim that they do.

I would suggest that one of the greatest weaknesses in human beings is to follow men or women who speak in public and vocalize that what they teach is what "truth" is.  Millions fall prey to those who stand in pulpits.  Millions fall prey to those who speak from political platforms.  However, if indeed Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, then no one else is.  Does anyone grasp this?  For those who think the "apostle" Paul was God in the flesh, and infallible and inerrant, does it seem strange that in the four Gospels, Jesus NEVER mentioned the name of a man named "Paul?"

It is a great human failing to follow men who themselves will wind up kissing the grave and all the financial sacrifice to support these clowns, will wind up blowing in the wind.


Van Robison

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Lou Maschio: Going "Knockers for the 'Vigilant' Church of God"





I received a letter today from a reader giving me some information about Lou Maschio, the guy that runs the Christ's Knock web site and  the originator of the Vigilant Church of God.  One would get the impression by reading the Christ is Knocking web site that the Vigilant Church of God is a powerful ministry run by thousands of members doing a mighty work.

It looks like the VCG is not as big and important as they let on.  Is it just another living room church that seeks to con members out of money?  Is it another out of work COG man who is eking out a living by living off of gullible church members money?  Armstrongism has a long history of men doing this.

There is not a lot of information about Lou Maschio online and weeding through his incredibly BORING films and articles is  mind numbingly dull.

Like so much in Armstrongism, first appearances are deceiving.  Read on:





Thought you might be interested in a small fish in a small pond already mentioned in one of your blogs early last year.

Lou Maschio formed his Vigilant Church of God to Seize the Hour and Knock for Christ as Christ's spokesperson. He is another one that believes Jesus Christ directly communicates and inspires only him.

He joined the RCG in 2002 where he was ordained a church elder in short order. While in RCG, he was the proverbial pompous, brown nose type (you know, sitting in the front row, raising his hand every opportunity, laughing at poor jokes, kissing butt repeatedly, etc).

When Lou came into RCG, he was unordained with a very brief history in the greater Church of God. Although he somehow claims differently at times (when advantaged to do so) to have roots in the WCG, he was never a member; and in fact did not become a member of any organization until 1998, when he went into the PCG. It was there he was baptised. It took about two years for their autocratic leadership to begin to direct Lou, at which time he left to go off on his own.

He began to distribute some of his own sophomoric material to the general public in the Chicago area, although he was loosely associated with Don Roth and his group for a couple of years until joining RCG.


Now that would not be a problem, were it not for his current agenda.

He has acquired a small following claiming to be knocking, and asking scattered COG members to "rise". Anyone that was with PCG in the early 1990's would hopefully see that this "knock" ideology was preached by Flurry long before Lou reused it with a twist. He has also somehow managed to translate some of his propaganda into spanish,as well, with uneducated, Latin America the obvious target. It is clearly a stategy to decieve some of the most simple.

The Seize the Hour videocast is an irritating, amateurish flurry of over-dramatised speaking theatrics, complete with exaggerated head bobbing, including an introduction that reminds older men of old Italian WWII recruitment films.

A late development concerns his name. Previously Lou Maschio, but now "Frank" Maschio. The website has changed all bylines to "L Frank Maschio". This should afford him more opportunity to rewrite his own past, as Lou Maschio will not be as searchable.

I don't think there's any other modern  instance in the churches of God of someone claiming to be THE minister for Christ that has had such timidity, and been as pigeonhearted so as to use a fake name in order to keep his personal life inconspicuous.

You can see from his history that he seems to be one that has never taken direction, but certainly wants to give it.