Dennis On: "Final Curtain on the One Man Show?"

Final Curtain on the One Man Show?

 

 

There is a wonderful awakening going on today in the world of politics, at least in some places.  The One Man Show is in grave danger.  Egyptian, Syrians, Yemenese, Russians and with some luck, Americans are sending the clear message that many are on to them and the time for change has come.  Poor Vlad Putin, who probably thought he was President for Life is learning this may not be so.  His egocentric antics of the past year may be blowing up in his face as the average Russian wakes up and stands up to this charade.  Of course, it could be costly.

 

 

As a kid, I always wondered how one man could control millions.  Fear I guess.

 

 

Before the age of television and radio, a charismatic minister, one who by the power of his own personality, ego and even his mental quirkiness or illnesses, tended to influence a relatively few people overall. Since these inventions, times have changed of course. Now we can be bombarded with the ideas, opinions, inspirations, knowings and outright stupidity of the sincerely misguided. The problem is that they reach millions and are supported by people who buy into their ideas, but never meet the man, attend his church or know what might be going on behind the scenes of the organization he has created. Such men build Mega-Churches in their local communities and the sheer size of the congregation seems to be proof enough that the pastor must be right, must be really speaking for God and must be doing God's for sure, real, end time (again and still) work on earth. Surely something this big and with these many resources, which are mainly the tithes given to the man, who then decides just how to spend it with littler over site, has to be right and true.

 

 

For better or worse, the religious texts often give men more than they need to create a powerful, but false, and misguided belief system that then replicates itself and brings great ego pumping to the man who weaves the tale his way. They look into the Bible, both Old and New Testament, and what do they see? THEMSELVES! They see that, sure enough, just what Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel are alleged to have said, is what I, am say as well. These misguided and often dangerous pastor types, and the danger is to one's finances and freedom of thought, often anoint themselves with various titles such as Evangelist, Apostle, Prophet, Watchman (watch out for this one as it's not what they watch that is so dangerous, but how they interpret what they watch to the faithful), and worse sometimes. Elections might be fine in government, but not for church. It does seem that the more bold a man or organization is, the grander the titles and the more authoritarian with YOU designated as a mere follower, it becomes... and the more dangerous to your real spiritual self it is.

 

 

One of the more interesting facts in human mental health is that a man or woman who may be plagued with Narcissism, which is a person who thrives on the idea that life is all about them and has these traits...

 

 

"Feels grandiose and self-important (e.g., exaggerates accomplishments, talents, skills, contacts, and personality traits to the point of lying, demands to be recognised as superior without commensurate achievements);

 

Is obsessed with fantasies of unlimited success, fame, fearsome power or omnipotence, unequalled brilliance (the cerebral narcissist), bodily beauty or sexual performance (the somatic narcissist), or ideal, everlasting, all-conquering love or passion;

 

Firmly convinced that he or she is unique and, being special, can only be understood by, should only be treated by, or associate with, other special or unique, or high-status people (or institutions);

Requires excessive admiration, adulation, attention and affirmation - or, failing that, wishes to be feared and to be notorious (Narcissistic Supply);

Feels entitled. Demands automatic and full compliance with his or her unreasonable expectations for special and favorable priority treatment;

 

Is "interpersonally exploitative", i.e., uses others to achieve his or her own ends;

Devoid of empathy. Is unable or unwilling to identify with, acknowledge, or accept the feelings, needs, preferences, priorities, and choices of others;

 

Constantly envious of others and seeks to hurt or destroy the objects of his or her frustration. Suffers from persecutory (paranoid) delusions as he or she believes that they feel the same about him or her and are likely to act similarly;

 

Behaves arrogantly and haughtily. Feels superior, omnipotent, omniscient, invincible, immune, "above the law", and omnipresent (magical thinking). Rages when frustrated, contradicted, or confronted by people he or she considers inferior to him or her and unworthy. " (Malignant Self Love)

 

Ministers and CEO's with these traits, can rise to very high positions in the world of Religion, Government and Business, on the backs and at the expense of those who would not be inclined to think this way. They may be genetically predisposed to this way of being, but the world has paid a big price for allowing such people to include us in their exploits. Since they rarely if ever seek professional help and to suggest they do can get you everything from fired, disfellowshipped or killed, others don't insist, to their peril. My experience is a Pastor with emotional or mental health issues often scoffs at and demonizes those that would go to professional mental health care counselors, or suggest it is a viable alternative to prayer, fasting and internal church counseling, by the minister of course. I often wonder mental health counselor types in Mega-Churches don't recognize the problems in Mr. Charisma, but overide it because a quirky or dangerous mental disorder can look so spiritual in a church context. The same actions of Isaiah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel in your school teacher, mayor or boss would not result in someone saying they are inspired by God.

 

 

So what are the problems with a one man, Mr. Prophet, Apostle, Watcher or potential half of the Two Witnesses of Revelation church or organization?

 

 

1. The minister, used to being believed in every area he cares and chooses to comment on is an impediment to good science. When a minister says.."We really have dinosaurs today, without any question. You just need the right weather conditions, as I see it, to get huge creatures. And in the ocean, of course, we have huge creatures.... this is where the plesiosauruses seem to be today, and perhaps also this fire breathing dragon is still down there -- very rare, but occasionally there." 

 

-- Rev. Walter Lang, quoted from American Atheists, "From the Mouths of Creationists", we gotta a problem with scientific truth here. Kids of course grow up with this lie well planted and have to unlearn it when they hit the real world of science, or they go into hibernation as an adult and believe lies.

 

 

I wonder if anyone with a genuine education in the congregation gets to question a man who thinks like this and wields influence in the name of God? People do, far too often have to check their brains at the door of their church when it comes to scientific truth.

 

 

2. The minister or Christian Zealot that goes unchallenged because he IS the Minister or Zealot, is a threat to a good education. They often bolster their own pronouncements by making fun of a formal education. They mock Plato, Socrates and others who are symbols to them of "human reasoning" as if there is reasoning is more than human. I realize they give the impression that God pours his mind on a regular basis into this minister, but this is an illusion.

 

 

"When you take into account what the so-called "educated" people don't know that's essential to know, and compare it with the vain "education" they do have, it becomes clear that they are quite dumb."

-- Robert T. Lee, Anti education Christian Leader.

 

These types tend to use the words "so-called" and put parenthesis around the words "education" a lot. They will soak their congregants in the biblical verses that mock human wisdom and ultimately, when cornered, come back with "well, the wisdom of man is foolishiness with God," and "God's thoughts, (which usually mean his thoughts at the moment you are questioning,) are higher than yours!" End of discussion.

 

 

3. Many charismatic and one man churches are a threat to your good health. They often stress that ill health is a function of the devil in your life or mind, when it really might be the fact that one believes that sugar, caffeine, alcohol and nicotine are the four food groups and spends a lot of money proving it. Anointing an obese person for bad knees is like painting a car with flat tires. It still won't move.

 

 

These spokesman for God emphacise that having hands laid on you is more important than a good check up or good treatment of maladies contracted in the course of living on the earth as a human or old age. Some teach that it's either God OR Doctors, but can't be both. Some mix it up but give false reasons in sermons for human illness and often cause a person to postpone getting genuine help and finding a solution to the problem. When these ministers contract an illness themselves, they tend to re-read the scriptures and hear the voice of God telling them that it's now ok to seek professional help and a good Doctor for themselves, and thus have to reveal this a new truth to the congregation who'd catch on if he didn't. When they need it, they tend to change over to "God has given us medical knowledge as a gift and we should recognize it...now and for me at least."

 

 

4. Charismatic and One Man Shows aren't accountable for their use of your generous tithes and offerings. As such, they are a grave threat to your finances. Such members often tell themselves after they send the money, "I just obey God and tithe, and what he does it it is none of my business. I trust God and his Church." That gives Mr. Charisma a free hand which is why we see Tel-Evangelists and Religious CEO's sporting hot cars, expensive watches and amazingly expensive homes in exclusive neighborhoods. Even the original scripture, "blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven," was changed to "blessed are the poor, IN SPIRIT, ...." to give some very wealthy and materialistic ministers and churches some wiggle room throughout history. Somehow these men embarrass and anger us, but nothing is ever said or done that changes them and the giving goes on, along with the lifestyle abuses and offenses to common sense. Sheeple love Shenanigans I guess.

 

 

5. The One Man Show can define the world to the members as it serves him. He can spew out why the world is this or that way and just what exactly God is doing and thinking. He can motivate the masses with the imminent (again) return of Jesus. Everything is watched with baited breath and is just around the corner. The world can't go on for more than 3 or 5 or 10 or 15 more years, so give, give, give, give. Of course the numbers of years "just ahead" never change and often match the number of years the minister wants the show to go on for him, but no one notices or cares. Granted, it's a dangerous and discouraging world, but frankly it is the Christian, Jewish and Islamic religions that want their form of peace on earth to come that are pushing us towards the edge. As I have said before, they might nothing but a sanitation problem for their false efforts and beliefs about what God might be thinking.

 

 

6. The One Man Show can leave you high and dry when they DIE! Uh oh...now what? These men often act as if they simply can't die "before all be fulfilled," and rarely make provision for a change in leadership, if that is what the group wants. Why would you have to make provision for new leadership when you are the End Time Apostle or both of the Two Witnesses of Revelation? I once asked a group that was just smitten with the talent and "knowledge so called" (sorry couldn't resist) of their pastor in his Mega-Church. I asked if they had a plan B. I asked what they would do if he failed to live up to his own press or died and they simply insisted that would never happen. Uh huh...It's the people who work for such jerk that end up paying the price in having given their lives to a false vision and were lied to about the outcome. Of course, life is choices and we make our choices don't we? If your grand poopa minister does not have a way to be replaced, you need to make a way, for your own good and spiritual safety. If he refuses to entertain the idea, he's an idiot and you need to vote with your feet. (See Narcissism above.)

 

 

7. A One Man Show presupposes that you must see life, religion, God, the Bible, the world, your family, your thoughts, your finances and every other aspect of your personal freedom to be who you are, through his eyes. You really don't have a life. You have HIS life. You aren't a player in your own life. You are a player in HIS life. You can't see the world and receive knowledge as see fit. You have to receive knowledge and receive it from HIM and as HE sees it. In short, you have given up your mind and all you now are is an agreerer. You just agree with your ministers views, opinions and perspectives on who and what God is and when Jesus simply must come back for all of the big US, not them. If he says dinosaurs are less than 6000 years old and fossils are deceptions as is any book outside of the Bible, you just say, "yes sir." If you are really hooked by the one many show, you become a virus for him and spread it to others. If he says one man is God's political leader, but the other is Satan's, you just say "well ok," and vote as the minister says you should, for GOD. It's all bullshit, but many love bullshit and smear it on themselves every week in church as a Holy Excrement, I mean Sacrament.
(Hey, that was pretty good!)

 

 

8. And finally, the one man show is dangerous because men are men and women are women and when they fall from grace, they tend to take everyone with them in one way or another. People are people and get into all sorts of wants, needs, desires, lusts and experiences. Religion and the need to be good, godly, perfect, righteous and sinless, well at least not "big" ones, forces people wear masks.

 

 

No man is above being normal, but the demands of religious obedience is abnormal in a real world. The congregation can "sin" until the cows come home and often, but they expect the pastor to be their sacrifice for sin by his living an unreasonable life full of unreasonable expectations and unresolved personal needs. The reason so many ministers "fall from grace," is because few can meet the expectations of religion and the few that think they can, can't but won't admit it. Many are pushed from grace by ego. When the one man show is caught in sexual, financial or philosophical "sin", it gets very messy. Better to be one of many equals than the grand-better-never-be-human Poopa. The congregation will tear you to pieces for failing to do well what they don't wish to do at all.

 

 

Don't be overly impressed by the religious who know everything and demand you pay, obey, pray and stay just because they say so. Question religious authority and those that demand your righteousness at the expense of your sanity. The person demanding your devotion or obedience is just a human being as well with all the foibles that go along with that. If you belong to a church with a one man show, ask the powers that be what "Plan B" is for the church should the leader fall on his face. Often they don't have one because they don't believe he can. Believe it...we all can and do.

 

Dennis C. Diehl
DenniscDiehl@aol.com

 

Spread Some Cheer: Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Toy Drive

About the Toy Drive 

Lash LaRue Toy Drive 

The Toy Drive for Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is back! Since 2003, Omaha rockabilly musician Larry Dunn has organized a toy drive for the children of the Porcupine District of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. According to the 2000 census, Pine Ridge’s Lakota Sioux community is one of the most poverty stricken communities in the United States. The children of the reservation are desperately in need of some sunshine and cheer, especially during a time of cold, harsh winds and immense desolation like winters on the reservation can be. The majority of gifts for the children are collected at benefit concerts put on by Omaha-area musicians. The show dates, times and venues for this year’s shows are listed below. Audience members can either bring in an unwrapped gift or donate $10 at the door. 

Every dime raised goes toward buying additional gifts and stockings. We cover all administrative fees, the cost of transporting the toys to the reservation and any additional travel expenses. David Swallow, Jr., a Lakota spiritual leader and Medicine Man from the Porcupine District and He Ska Tokala Warrior Society, organizes gift distribution in the middle of December. It is usually hardest to get gifts for the teenagers. This year we would love to see all of the kids walk away with at least two presents and a stocking. Any input you or your organizations and sponsors can give toward getting gift donations for these kids who really need a helping hand would be an amazing favor that we at the toy drive would appreciate for the rest of our lives. And so will the children of Pine Ridge. 

Countless friends and sponsors (see the links page) assist in reaching our goal of making the holidays a little happier for those who deserve it most: needy children. If you are interested in helping please contact us as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you! Thanks for all of your help. From our families to yours, we hope your holidays are bright, warm and safe.

Deck The Halls

Maybe we should all get together and do one of these at Six-Pack Flurry's Feast site.

Imagine doing, "Blest and Happy Is the Man" with three hundred of your closest non COGers!

We could get Big Beak to accompany us along with Six Pack's Young Ambassadors.

Biblical Inerrancy

Did you know that the belief in inerrancy of the Bible is an American invention within the last 200 years?

People Are Not Impressed By Meredith's Fasting Plea

Some comments from Apostle Malm's acolytes.  It's pretty bad when even diehard believers find it troubling that Meredith has declared a fast for his own healing.

Some I have talked to in LCG said that they will NOT be fasting this weekend.  They said that Meredith won't fast for regular members when they are ill, so why should they fast for the bigwigs when they are ill.  They are no more important than the regular folk.

One thing should be noted about LCG’s fast: it deeply troubles me that R. Meredith seems to use repeated enforced fasts not as a spiritual tool for his people, but more a political tool to his own benefit. He always uses terms like “leading ministers” or “leading elders” which explains to anyone that he Meredith is the “leading leading” minister. This latest fast is mainly for the health woes of LCG leadership. Boy when the Supreme Leader and/or his Lieutenants don’t feel well, the whole world should care! It’s odd that bizarre sicknesses keep striking LCG leaders more so than any other group I know.

So now members of the ekklesia of God, one of the most controversial (and the truth to tell one of the most detested)leaders in Church of God history has asked for your prayers for himself and others suffering from health problems and for his corporate business, LCG Inc.

I don’t know much about LCG, but if Rod M is very old and it is time for him to die (it will happen to us all), then perhaps we should pray that he will be able to finish off his last days, allowing God to work with him and helping him to give up his leadership of LCG.
Does he need to just accept that it is time for his life to end? I

A very large percentage of members of the COGs are dying either of disease or old age. Maybe it is just time to go and be in their place of safety (the grave) before the tribulation. If people are fasting perhaps it should not be for healing but that the members concerned straighten out their lives and repent of sin while we can. God is giving these people time to get their spiritual lives in order.

We can’t twist God’s arm into giving someone more time to do the things they want to do before they die.

What we should be concerned about is getting rid of the idolatry of putting ministers and the organisations on a pedestal as this letter from LCG is doing again. The death of a leading minister is no more important in God’s sight than the death of any other church member.

Rod Meredith over the years has consistently linked fasting with asking something of God, because there was a lack of faith, sicknesses and not as many healings as he wanted from God, yet his current letter indicates things are worse, not better. So, what “good” has been accomplished by those past fasts (usually on the Sabbath too)?

Rod Meredith (RM) wants those of his group to be: “…asking for His special mercy at this time and for the supernatural healing…”

But, as RM not read what God said about fasting and people lifting up their voices to Him to get something?
“Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.” Isaiah 58:4

I thought more about RM’s letter…where he wrote: “…let us all cry out to God for more of His Spirit, more of His power…” Isn’t that making one’s voice to be heard on high? Also, is God a respecter of persons? Why would God give more of His Spirit, and more of His power, to some sealed Firstfruits and NOT to other sealed Firstfruits of God’s Church? Does God have “favorites?”

I feel the leadership have used fasting to beat us over the head and convince us that any problems in the church organisation are our fault, not theirs.

Emergency Fast Declared For Rod Meredith

Living Church of God has been struck with numerous health issues regarding it's leaders and HQ employees.

Therefore, lo and behold, Jesus spoke to Rod Meredith in a private conversation the other day, and told him to declare a church wide fast so that God would intervene in the health situations of Rod and Ames.

I guess Jesus was too weak of a pansy to do anything about it so he told Rod to go above him (Jesus) to get some action on the situation

Meredith writes:

From the Presiding Evangelist

(Special letter and announcement to be read in all congregations)

Dear brethren and ministers around the world,

Greetings to all of you and love from all of us here in Charlotte! We are very grateful for the love and loyalty shown by virtually all of you and for the wonderful blessings showered upon us during the recent festival season. As some of you may have heard, we were blessed to have more than 9,000 people attending the Feast of Tabernacles this autumn! That is a new record—for which we are thankful! Most of all, of course, God is concerned with the spiritual strength of our brethren and we certainly do want to emphasize that which is more important. However, we are grateful that God is adding to our numbers in the Church, and that we are continuing to have wonderful responses to the telecast nearly every week and that the impact of this Work around the world is certainly growing—especially as prophetic events speed up.

However, my immediate purpose in writing all of you at this time is to explain the reason for the upcoming Church FAST on the Sabbath of December 17. There were many instances in biblical times when God’s servants called for a fast. Remember how—as the “Day of the Lord approaches”—God’s true ministers were exhorted: “Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty” (Joel 1:14-15).

When Daniel sorrowed over the “desolations of Jerusalem,” and the need for God’s intervention, what did he do? “Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, ‘O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments’” (Daniel 9:3-4). And when the soon-to-be Apostle Paul was struck down and blinded to humble him and to “awaken” him, notice what he did: “Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank” (Acts 9:8-9).

Dear brethren, as you know from our previous announcements, we have had an entire series of extremely serious illnesses among God’s people in recent months—including a number of our leading people directly involved in the Work. We all know that the radiant faith of people like Peter and Paul is very seldom found among God’s people today. We remember Jesus’s statement: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

After meditating and praying about these things and conferring with our leading ministers here in Charlotte, I have been led by Jesus Christ to call for a Church-wide fast on the Sabbath of December 17—beginning, of course, the previous evening at sunset. I urge all of you faithful members, in Jesus’ name, to join with us in this day of fasting and prayer and in earnestly seeking God and asking for His special mercy at this time and for the supernatural healing of His people through the “stripes” of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:24). 

Dear brethren, as the end of this age approaches, let us all cry out to God for more of His Spirit, more of His power through divine healings and the “gifts of the Spirit.” I will not expound on this more here as a special taped sermon should arrive in time to explain all of this even more thoroughly. But I wanted to get this message to all of our people—ahead of time—so that you may be preparing yourselves—both physically and spiritually—for the upcoming fast. May God continue to guide and bless every one of you as you walk with Him.

With Christian love,

Roderick C. Meredith

** Please Announce: Mr. Meredith has requested that the special Must Play DVD titled, “Faith for Healing,” that he recorded about the Church-wide Fast, which has been called for the Sabbath of December 17, is to be played in services on December 10 (next Sabbath).

Apostle Malm has included the following in his announcement:

After his recent trip to Europe the health of Rod Meredith is in decline, his brother in law and designated successor is also elderly and in poor health.  In addition there are other health issues among the LCG leadership including one minister’s wife suffering from a brain tumour; and two workers at HQ and an elder’s wife struggling with cancer.

These issues have prompted instructions to play a message recorded by Rod on ”FAITH FOR HEALING” Dec 10th, and a day of fasting concerning health issues on 17 Dec.

Dennis Says: "We" Were Worng...

"We" Were Worng...

I have met a lot of people who are never wrong. They never take back that which they spoke which proved to be either stupid, inane or simply wrong. They waffle, redefine and deny, but they are never wrong. These people are incapable of saying "oops," much less, "I'm sorry," You find them everywhere. They might be a pastor, a politician, a CEO or a President. They might be your mother- in-law, father-in-law, dad, mom, brother or sister. Of course, it could be you, but you won't notice that.


One common thing they share is that they are NEVER wrong. Of course they are wrong, misinformed or just plain stupid in the way they view and filter their world, but they are never wrong in fact. Their inability to say "I am sorry," or "I was wrong," is legendary in the family, the church, the office or the government and the damage inflicted on those that fall victim of these people can be humorous, mildly annoying or catastrophic.


In my WCG experience, "I was wrong" was not something one was used to hearing.  Now I do recall when some genius figured out a Monday Pentecost should be a Sunday one the phrase "WE were wrong," came up.  However, that is not the same as the one who gets the final say in such things saying, 'I was wrong."  "We" was a common word inserted in the rare "were wrong" moments, but in fact it was not We but He that was actually wrong.  It is easier to be collectively wrong than individually wrong.  Very rare.


So in WCG "We" were wrong about makeup, Divorce and Remarriage, Baking soda is leavening, and many other such earthshaking topics. In fact, this all was a "He."  However, "we" were not wrong about Jesus not coming in 72, but rather it was 'He" being wrong about it.


We all know Politicians who call people names and then say they didn't, or knew it was an insult but claim being oblivious to the fact, are this kind of which I speak. Men who can't come up with anything better to say than "she's ugly" and then waffle around trying to come up with another reason as to why they say such stupid things fit the bill too. "Im sorry, I was rude and wrong," will do just fine. After years of being told we are going to "stay the course," we now are being told that never meant this or that when it did as it was thrown back in the faces of those that asked about rethinking the course.


The average American is not stupid when they hear the answers given to questions by those that really don't want to give the answer. We even mostly know the answer before we ask the question and we certainly can tell when the answer given is not the real answer. How many "oops, sorry about that," have we heard after these great observations and declarations? How many White House press briefings can you listen to before you realize either, "the guy is lying," waffeling or they must think we are absolutely brain dead and stupid.


Poor Herman Cain can't bring himself to say he was wrong in his past judgements and relationships.  He can't even admit they happened.  Now he knows these relationships that never happened have taken him out of the Presidential race, but that is only because of the rumors and not the facts of the matter.  He talks a lot of "we" as well.


Let's have some fun seeing where "I'm sorry, I was mistaken," never seems to reveal it's graceful presence.


Concerning the now obviously mistake of going to war with Iraq which had NOTHING to do with 911...

"Now that the combat phase of the war in Iraq is officially over, what begins is a debate throughout the entire U.S. government over America's unrivaled power and how best to use it."
(CBS reporter Joie Chen, 5/4/03)


"Congress returns to Washington this week to a world very different from the one members left two weeks ago. The war in Iraq is essentially over and domestic issues are regaining attention."
(NPR's Bob Edwards, 4/28/03)


"Tommy Franks and the coalition forces have demonstrated the old axiom that boldness on the battlefield produces swift and relatively bloodless victory. The three-week swing through Iraq has utterly shattered skeptics' complaints."
(Fox News Channel's Tony Snow, 4/27/03) I think we can see why Tony may have gotten the job White Press Secretary...


"The only people who think this wasn't a victory are Upper Westside liberals, and a few people here in Washington."
(Charles Krauthammer, Inside Washington, WUSA-TV, 4/19/03)


"The war was the hard part. The hard part was putting together a coalition, getting 300,000 troops over there and all their equipment and winning. And it gets easier. I mean, setting up a democracy is hard, but it is not as hard as winning a war."
(Fox News Channel's Fred Barnes, 4/10/03)


"The war winds down, politics heats up.... Picture perfect. Part Spider-Man, part Tom Cruise, part Ronald Reagan. The president seizes the moment on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific."
(PBS's Gwen Ifill, 5/2/03, on George W. Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech)


"We're proud of our president. Americans love having a guy as president, a guy who has a little swagger, who's physical, who's not a complicated guy like Clinton or even like Dukakis or Mondale, all those guys, McGovern. They want a guy who's president. Women like a guy who's president. Check it out. The women like this war. I think we like having a hero as our president. It's simple. We're not like the Brits."
(MSNBC's Chris Matthews, 5/1/03)


"If image is everything, how can the Democratic presidential hopefuls compete with a president fresh from a war victory?"
(CNN's Judy Woodruff, 5/5/03)


"It is amazing how thorough the victory in Iraq really was in the broadest context..... And the silence, I think, is that it's clear that nobody can do anything about it. There isn't anybody who can stop him. The Democrats can't oppose--cannot oppose him politically."
(Washington Post reporter Jeff Birnbaum-- Fox News Channel, 5/2/03)

Often those who find it difficult to say "I was wrong," or "I am sorry," are very quick to accuse everyone else of that inability, only to later have to eat the proverbially crow, though it still always tastes like steak to them.

"I'm waiting to hear the words 'I was wrong' from some of the world's most elite journalists, politicians and Hollywood types.... I just wonder, who's going to be the first elitist to show the character to say: 'Hey, America, guess what? I was wrong'? Maybe the White House will get an apology, first, from the New York Times' Maureen Dowd. Now, Ms. Dowd mocked the morality of this war....


"Do you all remember Scott Ritter, you know, the former chief U.N. weapons inspector who played chief stooge for Saddam Hussein? Well, Mr. Ritter actually told a French radio network that -- quote, "The United States is going to leave Baghdad with its tail between its legs, defeated." Sorry, Scott. I think you've been chasing the wrong tail, again.


"Over the next couple of weeks when we find the chemical weapons this guy was amassing, the fact that this war was attacked by the left and so the right was so vindicated, I think, really means that the left is going to have to hang its head for three or four more years."
(Fox News Channel's Dick Morris, 4/9/03)


"Well, the hot story of the week is victory.... The Tommy Franks-Don Rumsfeld battle plan, war plan, worked brilliantly, a three-week war with mercifully few American deaths or Iraqi civilian deaths.... There is a lot of work yet to do, but all the naysayers have been humiliated so far.... The final word on this is, hooray."
(Fox News Channel's Morton Kondracke, 4/12/03)


"This will be no war -- there will be a fairly brief and ruthless military intervention.... The president will give an order. [The attack] will be rapid, accurate and dazzling.... It will be greeted by the majority of the Iraqi people as an emancipation. And I say, bring it on."
(Christopher Hitchens, in a 1/28/03 debate-- cited in the Observer,
3/30/03)

I'm sure some of these commentators have since admitted to having been a bit prematurely enthusiastic for that which, to date, has proven to be one the biggest miscalculations in American history. The "V" word has even been spoken by the man who we may have hoped had learned something from his generations experience with Vietnam. Of course most of us are not privy to other agendas besides spreading freedom around the world.


But I digress...


Ministers are not above the inability to say I am sorry or I was wrong as well we know. I pastored in a denomination that was never wrong from the top down, but always wrong from the bottom up. Come to think of it, that sounds like the government too at the moment or maybe all moments. Countless, and I mean countless ministers have predicted the exact time that Jesus would return and have been wrong, oh let's say...100% of the time.


Will Ron Weinland of the PKG apologize for either his Swiss stashing of member funds or his mistaken view of Jesus returning at this or that time?  Don't hold your breath.  Will Gerald Flurry see the lack of wisdom in building a very expensive replica of the Ambassador Auditorium in a corn field during a depression?  Nope. Will David C Pack ever admit that his stupendous, overarching, amazing, incredible self and church is just another blip on the radar screen of one man shows?  Nah.  Would Joe Tkach Jr. ever apologize for sucking the spiritual brains out of tens of thousands and telling one minister that other ministers who leave would only find work at Walmart?  Prolly not. Would his father ever have admitted he was not well trained enough in theology to travel around in a 737 thinking he was?  Nah again.  Would HWA ever to admitted he was wrong about anything?  Nope...it was always 'we'.


Even the Apostle Paul was never wrong. After years of telling people not to marry, time was short and send it in, nothing happened that he predicted.  Rather than "I was wrong,"  he just said "oh well, I fought a good fight, I kept the faith, therefore there is laid up for ME, oh and others too,......"   Actually Jesus himself was wrong a few times but I won't torment you with that.



Whole denominations have mislead the faithful on a myriad of topics but to say "We're sorry, we were wrong," is just not something even the humble in Jesus can come up with very often.


Saying one is sorry is usually something that occurs only after one is caught or trapped. It's has taken over 400 years to absolve the then heretic Galileo from thinking the earth revolved around the sun and that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the solar system, but maybe not the universe.


Churches hold on to their fables and apologies way beyond what most normal institutions do. How long will it take to apologize when Church officials decide that Limbo is not the place where the unsaved babies go, like they know, when they announce this reality to the faithful? You can bet you will hear things like, "It was never a doctrine," or "It never was an official teaching," but you won't get away with that kind of "we're sorry," with the average person who was either tormented or only mildly comforted by this when they lost a child prior to the arrival of the sprinklers. Too many ministers have the subconscious belief that if they are wrong, God will correct them and, of course, any apologies or admissions of wrongness will be spoke privately to the deity. They will, however, announce to you that they have done this, but you will never really know. Ministers need to apologize to people for it is people they offend at times.


Some of us can't say we are sorry or we were wrong because we falsely believe that somehow it a weakness to admit such things. More than one psychologist has noted that "Fool me once..shame, shame...on...you," is not so much a gaff as the deeply psychological inability to say "shame on me," which is another way of not being able to admit to being wrong or a committing a misstep. To choke on the words expressing shame, sorrow, apology or being mistaken is not a good sign when we are talking about mature leadership. To come across as anything less than human is not going to win points with the not as stupid as one might think average church goer or American.


We lie when we can't admit we are wrong, mistaken or perhaps have another agenda that we do not wish disturbed. I think Americans are beginning to believe that this last reason is more the case with Iraq and perhaps Iran. Even church goers are beginning to question the motives of those that demand too much of their money for the Lord and remind you that you can be "dismembered" when you ask uncomfortable questions about doctrine or the Bible itself. "Just trust me," is no longer going to work among the informed. Lie Snickers, the Internet is a gift from God Himself.


We live in a time where Presidents, Politicians and Pastors who have the inability to say that they have been misguided, unguided, mistaken and plainly wrong is endangering not only our intellectual health, but our lives on the planet. Suck it up guys. Just say it when it dawns on you. Allow it to dawn on you from time to time. "I was wrong, I am sorry."


When was the last time you heard your executive, judicial, senatorial, congressional or pastoral leaders say "I was wrong," "We were wrong," "I am sorry"? From "I did not have sex with that woman," to "those weapons of mass destruction must be around here somewhere," just saying "I'm sorry," seems the hardest thing to do. The problem is that most of the time, it is others who pay dearly for such mistakes.


Now I noticed the title should say "Wrong" and not "Worng."  Opps...my staff didn't catch that and we made a mistake...  :)

Dennis C. Diehl
DenniscDiehl@aol.com

Noah and HWA

Yahoo COG groups: the gift that keeps on giving!

It is interesting that God gave Noah 120 years to preach to the world before the "end

Since the end is a type of the days of Noah, did God also give another 120 years for repentance?

From the birth of Herbert W. Armstrong and the powerful work of the church , it will be 120 years in 2012. He was born July 31, 1892

Pasadena Campus Wrecked (3)

Pasadena Campus Wrecked (2)

Pasadena Campus Wrecked (1)

You would never know this was the former monument to Herbert Armstrong.  It was already run down and the windstorm took it's toll big time!  There are also a few shots below from around Pasadena.

Wind Storm

Power was finally restored at 7 this morning.  56 hours with no electricity.  I have friends in South Pasadena who may not have power till the middle of next week. 

Last night coming home from work in darkness, the side streets were backed up for over three miles because traffic lights were not working.  Restaurants are packed because one has any refrigeration.  They claim it will take several weeks to clean all of this up.

It's hard to imagine a wind storm paralyzing the cities here.  Just image what it is going to be like in a bad earthquake.

Windstorm In Southern CA

There have been no posts for the last couple of days because of the hurricane force winds we had here. The San Gabrie Valley was hardest hit. Pasadena has over 40 homes and apartment buildings that are red tagged. Power has been off in many areas since 8:00 Wednesday night. Power in some areas is supposed to come on Thursday night around midnight. For others, this area included it may be Saturday before power is restored. One crackpot Armstrongist wrote me and said that this area no longer had God's protection because the WCG sold the property out from under God who no longer had a home here. I am sure it will not be long till Flurry or Meredith start talking about how this is prophecy in action. I am suffering from COG withdrawl!

Dennis Says: Sorry Guys...The Template is Female

Sorry Guys...The Template is Female

The following facts are not ones in which your husband, your fundamentalist pastor, nor your literalist Church will rejoice in. In fact, they may ask you to quietly leave if you are going to believe this rather than the inspired, inerrant and historically accurate "word of God."

"The primordial plan for both female and male fetuses in mammals is initially feminine.

Contrary to some creation myths, in mammals, maleness arises from femaleness, not the other way round.  Masculinisation results from organisational effects of fetal testosterone (and its derivatives), which in humans occurs during the second trimester of pregnancy.

To be masculinised means that certain areas of the brain grow larger, while others remain smaller. These differences to some extend explain sexual behaviours and preferences even in humans"

Dr. Alexander Thiele University of Newcastle upon Tyne Lecture 7: Social emotions -'the sexual brain'.  In reality it seems that FEMALE is the default position as human beings develope in the womb. Maleness comes after with the proper wash of hormones applied at just the right time and in just the right amounts. The implications for literalists are staggering and for women, liberating!

In some cultures, young men are taught to pray "Blessed Art Thou O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has not made me a woman." Mohammed is said to have stated, "When Eve was created, Satan rejoiced." Much if all of the original creation mythology's sole purpose is to depose any notion of "goddess" worship, which was an absolute fascination that women had the power to give birth and bring forth life etc, and replace it with a male patriarchy.

The Genesis story is not so much how life came to be or that we all came from two humans, named Adam and Eve, as it is to send the message that women, who are the fault of everything, are to have babies painfully now and say "yes Lord" to their husbands. From the totally mythological tale of the fall of man by the disobedience of woman, much misery and ridiculously false roles have been demanded of them by men and in particular the Christian church.

"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. FOR (the reason being) Adam was first formed and then Eve and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, was in the transgression." I Tim. 2:11-14

So according to Paul, the literal truth of Eve's sin produces the literal idea that women are more easily deceived than men and prone to sin, and thus should be silent in church. Or as St. John Chrysostom, a fifth century church father noted, "The woman taught once and ruined everything. On this account...let her not teach." It seems wrong ideas of how things really came to be have very big consequences over a very long time!

Paul goes on to say..."The head of every man is Christ; and the head of every woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God....for as much as he is in the image and glory of God, BUT ( as in , don't get the same idea about women) the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is NOT of the woman, but the woman IS OF the man." I Cor. 11:3,7,9.

It's also why the self luminating sun was considered male, while the moon, which merely reflects sunlight, was considered female.

Very simply put, Paul said that men are over women, Christ alone is over men and God alone is over Christ. So it's God > Christ > Man > Woman > pets and small animals. It is notable that it is here that Paul makes it plain, based on the creation of woman out of man mythology, that Men don't come from women at all and that women owe their physical existence to men too. I guess Paul and Dr. Alexander Thiele never actually met to discuss just how do males form in the womb. Like it or not guys, we come from out mom's literally and from the default fetal template of the female in time after we get our hormones in the womb. So men actually do come twice from females. Doh...someone tell the Church!

St Clement, father of the Roman Church denied women the right to even exercise as men. He felt rather it was more in keeping with scripture that they be confined to spinning, weaving and cooking. Of course he could barely bring himself to add "and se..se...sex, unless it was out of the need to bring children into the fold.

St. Augustine, not the most balanced Church Father of the lot proclaimed that man only was made in God's image and not woman. But that's what Paul said too. He went on to note that men were quite complete without a woman, but that women could only be complete with a man. Man alone was self contained and complete alone. Once again, time has shown how untrue this all is, but the concept is still used by many churches and pastors to keep women in "their place" and fulfilling their "role".

Other theologians and Church Father's went on to note that men were the spiritual aspect of God, while women were merely a symbol of the flesh and thus she is the temptress and weakener of men who fail to see what the Church points out.

In the 16th Century, Clifford Alderman notes in a his book, A Caldron of Witches, that an early Church report noted that "Woman is more carnal than man: there was a defect in the formation of the first woman, since she was formed with a BENT RIB. She is imperfect and always deceives." Now there is some hot scientific reasoning for you! Of course no one notes that if women are deceptive because of being made out of a bent rib, what is a man that he was made out of red dirt? Maybe that's why men are so dirty minded..:)

Modern Christianity is still designed and used to annihilate the spirit of women. It's is still here to keep patriarchy in place and to defeat the matriarchy of former times. Women were mystical in those cultures as opposed to utilitarian in that of a patriarchy or man led society and religion. I believe I would much rather to have lived in a society where women were held high for their spirituality and creative abilities. As it is, we live in the age, not of Aquarius but of testosterone, where men rule badly, kill often and take the spoils from those who cannot oppose them. I like Rodney King's "Can't we all just get along" far more than those who bluster "Bring em on." But alas, tis not that way in our real world at this point.

You have to love this observation by the great philosopher Rousseau.

"As the conduct of a woman is subservient to the public opinion, her faith in matters of religion should , for that reason, be subject to authority. Every daughter ought to be of the same religion as her mother, and every wife to be the same religion as her husband; for though such religion should be false, that docility which induces the mother and daughter to submit to the order of nature, takes away, in the sight of God, the criminality of their error...they are not in a capacity to judge for themselves, they ought to abide by the decision of their fathers and husbands as confidently as that of the Church." Or as Paul would say, "if any woman has a question, let her ask her husband..."

So when does the church grow up and face the facts of science, and not base silly and demeaning demands upon women on mythology and error? When does a church finally admit to errors in teachings that hurt people? Never from what I can see. Let's remember, the Church took 350 years to apologize for almost burning Galileo at the stake for informing them that the earth was not the center of the solar system with the sun revolving around it or around the Church for that matter. Yet that's about the right amount of time for Churches to come to their senses and stop demanding of people things based in fallacies. At what point does ignorance stop oppression and pain?

Only a relative few Christian women will have the confidence to step out of the box of fundamentalist Church control. They will suffer at the hands of ministers who quote Paul who frankly was misinformed as to how things really are in biology, endocrinology and genetics. Literal control over a woman by using allegorical or just plain wrong "facts" is wrong. It hurts the spirit and demeans the woman in a world where we better soon wake up to the fact that we all are one and the same.

So sorry guys...without a woman, you would not exist, and without a good sprinkling of hormones at just the right time after your conception, the female default position you started out as would keep you there or perhaps acting in ways that the Bible also goes on to condemn you for, sometimes with death.

Whether your pastor, church, tribe or friends like it, good science, truthfully so called, trumps sincere but ignorant Apostles, Priests, Popes and Kings. Dr. Thiele is correct.
 

"Contrary to some creation myths, in mammals, maleness arises from femaleness, not the other way round."

Dennis C. Diehl
DenniscDiehl@aol.com

Was UCG/COGWA Split Being Planned as Early as Mid 2009?

In some of the comments on Malm's blog there are some telling remarks about the UCG/COGWA debacle.  Neither side comes out looking good.  Both were and still are manipulative power hungry organizations that strategically planned  and manipulated brethren into following each of their causes.  Great will be the day these men all loose their jobs and have to do some real work for once.

Despite what Jim Franks says, the split was carefully planned from at least mid 09 by BOTH sides. And it came as the end result of fifteen years of fighting between the two groups... Denny was right this was about power and control; but by BOTH sides and not just by COGWA as he would want us to believe. This was a mutual divorce and both sides are glad to be separated from the other; although the dividing of the brethren is regretted. 

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People have been fed a lot of self justification in BOTH groups. I was kept up to date through 2010 on the steps taken by the dissenters from my friend John Kilough [Clyde's father] as well as other highly placed persons. [John was disappointed that I did not take COGWA's side and is no longer communicating; altough I still have other sources.] The attempts to reconcile were deliberately set up to make one side look good and the other bad; in other words they made offers that looked good to their supporters, but which they knew contained serious issues entirely unacceptable to the other side. This was done to make the COE seem to be much worse then the dissenters and vise versa. For example to call for a special elders meeting made them look very good, on the other hand, why could they not wait a few months to the regular meeting? It was all a VERY DIRTY political game to win over as many brethren as each side could. There were NO genuine attempts at reconciliation by either side that I am aware of; and I was very well informed through the entire process.

--------

 The elders on both sides had carefully conditioned their brethren into their take on doctrine leadership etc and it is the case that most of the brethren follow the elder. The brethren split mainly along congregational lines. The split process was a fight over the brethren who could be moved to stay or leave, of course causing some local congregations to split. I was directly told from the top of those organizing the split that they were in no hurry because the CoE was continually “shooting itself in the foot” and making itself look worse and worse causing more and more to join with the dissenters. Of course this was helped along by the disengenous appeals to reconcile, which were really loaded to bring about a coup for the dissenters if the CoE went along with them. This was a VERY NASTY DIRTY fight over the brethren, making merchandise of them for their tithes and support. BOTH sides were very wrong in much that was done. Just like BOTH sides are morally very wrong in Zambia. James

Six-Pack Flurry $7 Million in the Red

Armstrong Delusion has taken the latest Co-Worker letter from Gerald Flurry and dissected it rather well.
It seems old Six Pack is in a snit because members pledged a lot of money to help build the Mini-Me Auditorium in the middle of Oklahoma and now aren't sending in the money.  Their lack of faith has resulted in the PCG owing over $7,000.000 for Six Packs monument to himself.  Six Pack is pissed!

Armstrong Delusion includes this excerpt:

…our building fund donations are $700,000 less than they were last year. I want you to think about that.
Before we built Armstrong Auditorium, we sent a letter to our Church members only, asking for pledges to the building fund. We used those pledges to determine how much we could invest in construction and loan repayment until all the construction costs were repaid in full. We’ve enjoyed using the auditorium for over a year now, but we still have a big balance left on the loan–over $7Million.
Have we kept our pledge to God that we would contribute toward this project until it is paid off?

 I won't get into the maniluptaion that Six Pack is pulling on his members.  It's the blame game all over again.  Faithless members who are not relying on God to provide them the money to send it.  It doesn't matter if you have lost your job or have had an income reduction.  You still are required to send it in!  Your salvation is at stake for your unfaithfulness!

I know this is a difficult time financially, and we do have unemployment problems among our members and supporters. But as Mr. Armstrong always said, God blesses us as our ways please Him. The needs of the work have never been greater. And if our ways are pleasing God, no recession or depression could make a bit of difference.

Read the entire article here:  Dear Brethren and Co-Workers!

Joel Meeker and Jeff Caudle = Manipulation Behind The Scenes

Poor Lil' Joel is getting disrespected again today.  What's a poor little guy got to do for a little respect?

Apostle Malm has been going through the behind the scenes manipulation by various COG members around the time of the UCG/COGWA split.

It seems Lil' Joel was trying to change the UCG  Constitution that was set in place in France when UCG was formed there.

Joel Meeker was reported to have attempted to make a move to change the French Constitution to take out this clause. He denies trying to do this. However if you check his denial, (which appears on “Abigail Cartwright’s” UCG Current Crisis site, March 2011, headed“Joel Meeker Answers Challenges Regarding His Resignation Letter”

You will see in his answer to ‘Challenge 2’ that while he says it was a misunderstanding that he was trying to change anything, it is also very clear that he believes the Constitution would need to be changed to avoid UCG keeping control of the organisation, and the assets.

“I was president of a French association with fiduciary responsibilities toward it…… Had I resigned from UCG first, I could not legally have called the association meeting.”

“My statement about removing the necessity for an elder in France to be recognized by the Council was only in response to a question from members about how they could protect their assets from the Council of Elders in the event action was taken against me.”

“In response to the question of how that could be prevented, I said, that the only way I could imagine at the time would be for the French association to remove a stipulation in its bylaws that requires its ministers to be recognized by UCG Ministerial Services, so that even if the Council fired me it wouldn’t be able to take over the French assets. I did not propose this, though again in response to a question, I said it could be considered if the members of the association desired.”

Of course the French Board did not agree to Lil' Joel's demands and refused to accommodate him causing him to resign.

Next Malm discusses Jeff Caudle and his New Zealand exploits.

Things were set-up differently in New Zealand.  Instead of the ‘standard’ set-up of a local board, in New Zealand a charitable trust was set-up, with trustees appointed directly by the COE of UCGaia, I think this was done around 2000.

I would guess the reason was that for some years there was no resident minister in New Zealand, and then later there was only the one, with regular help being given from Australia.
In any event it was reported on by Jeff Caudle, at the annual conference, May 7 2002.

Being a charitable trust requires no National Council; three trustees appointed by the United Church of God, an International Association oversee operations. These trustees are Art Verschoor, Marcel Morreel (both local residents), and Council of Elders member Leon Walker. [Tragically, the Council received word as it began its meeting Wednesday morning May 8 that Marcel Morreel had died the previous evening from a heart attack. No further information is available at this time.] The duties of trustees are fiduciary and legal, not governmental in nature. In the opinion of the Church’s legal advisor in Auckland, a National Council could be set up in the future. But with only approximately 50 members in the country, the current structure works best at this time.”

Checking the current status of the charity, shows that of the three trustees that were there at the beginning of 2010, Lean Walker was [fired as LA Director by the CoE on 23 Jun] removed from the NZ Trustees on 10th August 2010.  It is quite interesting that Leon Walker remained in control of UCG New Zealand for so long after UCG tried firing him as Latin American Directer and much of the LA church rejected that intervention, splitting from UCG.

In many international areas the Council of Elders does have the power to ‘hire and fire’ the trustees.  This was somewhat different in Latin America because Latin America and Leon Walker had already broken from the Tkach WCG well before UCG was formed and made the maintenance of the Walker leadership in LA a condition of Association with the new UCG.

This apparant oversight by the CoE regarding NZ seems to have been a major mistake, as it allowed Leon Walker to influence the other two trustees in NZ.

The other two, William [Jeff] Caudle and Arend  Frederick Vershoor resigned on 3 January 2011.

So guess what Jeff Caudle did behind the scenes while he was still part of UCG and on the NZ Board?  He set up another Charity in October 2010 before the split happened.  He knew one was coming an set this up ahead of time.

I have to hand it to Malm for nailing his sorry ass for his unethical behavior!

This unethical premature separate incorporation while maintaining membership in UCG was done in various other areas especially in the US, which I pointed out at the time.  They should have resigned FIRST, BEORE setting up in competition with their employers.  It is acceptable to look for another job while contemplating resigning, as one would not begin the new job before resigning; it is quite another thing to set up in competition to your employer while still in his employ.  That was and is immoral and unethical.

Church members are supposed to sit there acting like dumb little idiots while these men manipulate and conspire behind each others backs in order to keep a steady paycheck coming in to support their unethical lifestyles!  You would think if these men had a true foundation of faith then they would not need to manipulate and conspire in order to keep things rolling along.  Obviously to them God is a weak old man who can't keep things moving along so it is up to them. Remember that God was so weak that his message was lost for 1,900 years till Herb came along and rescued  it.

Just another reason to dump Armstrongism on the dung pile where it belongs.

Malm's entire article is here: Associated churches and the split

A COG Feast Film?