Dennis On: "Booking on Down Life's Road"

Booking on Down Life's Road

How much of our belief is based on the contents of a book?  Torah, Bible or Koran...  How much of what most humans believe or practice  comes from a book?  How of much are OUR lives based on the experiences, real or imagined of OTHERS? How old are these books?  How long ago were the ideas,perceptions, views and beliefs of others written down?   For the most part, we'd have to admit that the religious views of how it all is, what life is all about, who and what a God is and what on earth it is doing, comes from the ideas of now long dead men, mostly, who simply filtered their world and experiences through the filter of their own times and perceptions.  By writing Books, we can adopt their Bronze Age ideas as our own and address our own fears, guilt and shame just as they did.  Whether we should do that or not is another question.

How quickly, when we read in a religious book,  "and God said to Moses," or "And God said to Abraham" or "Allah, praise be his name spoke..."  or "And Jesus said," depending on our orientation, think, "well, that's what God/He said to the man,"  as if it is an absolute fact.  Then we adopt the view as our own, if it is the Book we were born into,  because it was in a book and written down.   It's like magic.  We'd not learn and quote the Iliad or the Tibetan Book of the Dead the same way of course.  Those are not our experiences and we know that Greek gods were just made up or Tibetan ideas of death are just wrong.  Ours are real and right.  We'd not take seriously a genealogy that instead of having Rahab the Harlot in it had Rapunzel who let down her long hair as one of Jesus ancestors. 

Let's consider...

Who knew what God said to the Council of the lesser gods, when it said, "Let us make man in our image," or "Now, lest they eat of the tree of life and live forever...let us..."?  Just who recorded that heavenly scene?  Who taped that?  Is it not really just a story that is not only told, but borrowed from others , by men who want to tell a story that defines themselves? 

Who was it that just knew what Adam said to Eve or Eve to Adam in the Garden of Eden?  Who was there to write it down?  Did God take notes and pass them on to Moses?  Some would simply say, "yeah...that's how it happened,"  and would not have to think about it again.

 Who knew what Abraham said to Isaac just before he didn't cut his throat?  Who knew the words of Jesus as he prayed alone, all distant and all disciples asleep, just before  his arrest and being spirited away to a private hearing?   Did Jesus shout back as he was led away..."Hey guys!!!  Write this prayer down!"  Who knew the contents of Pilot's wife's dream about letting Jesus go?  That was a conversation just between them evidently.  (Actually it's a theatric gimmick used by the story teller.)

Who knew what a serpent (NOT, by the way, ever considered Satan until many centuries later when someone needed to formulate a good story about how we all got in such bad shape and write it down in a book), said to one person alone? Or a Jackass for that matter?   Who knew what God said to Cain alone or Cain to God?   Who told Moses all this stuff and, in fact, who wrote down all Moses private stuff?   (Hint:  the same guys who wrote about Moses body being taken by God and buried where it would never be found. Moses could not have written the account of his own death and burial.)

I think we can play the "who knew" or "who heard and wrote down" these many one on one conversations or even private thoughts thousands of times from scriptures of all religions.  And it is with simple faith or trust that we tell ourselves that it is not really just a story but rather a revelation or an inspiration, or really a God saying what they wanted to say or a prophet seeing and saying what he really wanted to share.  We say that because it's in a Book.

I'm sure in the future someone will say, "Well, it's in The Kindle."

Now we don't take books like Hansel and Grettle or Little Red Riding Hood quite as seriously.  We know that stuff didn't happen but we like the story.  Those are not  The Books, they are just books. 

Christians are pretty sure that no Allah really spoke to the Prophet and Muslims are pretty sure no Jesus really died for all the Christians.   Christians are very sure the Torah is toast because their man in the NT, Paul, said it was.  Of course others think those Christians are wrong because they can take the same book and man and make it  say other things that says it ain't necessarily so. 

Stories in books can be debated and argued with to one's delight  and utter insanity.  Proof texting can lead you in a thousand directions and they do in ALL religions that depend on ancient books.  It simply depends on who you read and in what order you read them.  Wanna obey the law?  Read Paul and Jesus.  Wanna do away with the law? Read Paul only and only certain books.

Did Jesus family flee to Egypt after his birth or did they go home to Nazareth a mere 40 days later?  It depends who you read.  Did Mary know who Jesus was before his birth or did she forget and come get him with her sons to take him away because he was nuts?  Depends who you read.  Did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on one or two animals?  It depends who you read and it really depends on how the one you read, read the original text in the Old Testament.  Did Jesus ascend to heaven after the dinner or did he ascend weeks later?  Depends who you read.   Did Paul really meet Jesus on the Damascus Road or was he called from the womb with no such meeting?  Depends who you read.  And so it goes.

Another problem with getting stuck with the truths or ideas of truths found is books is that we can never really know what the book said originally.   Remember, with the Bible, we have copies of copies of copies of copies.................and they weren't Xeroxed.    Did Jesus say "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle," or did he say, "it is easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle." ?  You guess...   Did Jesus really say anything at all about that topic?  Who knows?  Being a book doesn't make it so.  Maybe someone just didn't like rich people along the way.

The facts are that no Moses really wrote the Pentateuch.  Priests did that and did so much later in time than the time presented in the Book.  In fact, it was competing priests who wrote and it all got mixed up into one.  There were a few Isaiah's all cobbled into one.  In Ezekiel it is a battle royal between Priests and Scribes for who did and didn't make true prophecies.  Isaiah is full of prophecies gone wrong.  That made the scribes laugh at the priests and the really ticked the priests off.  If you could inject a failed prophecy into a book, you could make the writer look like a fool worthy of death.

The names of the authors of the Gospels were affixed decades after the originally anonymous books were written to give them credibility.  Peter was not written by any Peter and no Paul actually wrote the letters to Timothy or the Ephesians and probably not Colosians either.  Those books were written much later in the "how do you run a church" times rather than about  issues that would arise in Paul's lifetime a mere ten to 30 years after Jesus. They are Second Century concepts, not First. 

No Paul wrote Hebrews for sure as whoever did rarely talks about themselves if at all.  Paul often talks nothing but about himself using "I" very often.  James doesn't have to be Jesus brother James and the John of John, I John and Revelation can never be proved to be the same person or disciple of Jesus.  These are all assumptions most are comfortable making to keep the story coherent. You can never know for sure and is the stuff of faith I suppose.  Faith is what we plaster up our walls with until we get the facts.

And lastly, for now, we get so offended thinking that someone like Herbert Armstrong, GTA, Gerald Flurry, Dave Pack, Rod Meredith, Joel Olsteen, or thousands of other Christian Lone Rangers seem to know it all and speak on all things as if they knew.  But that's how the Bible, the Torah and the Koran function too.  It is just that it is easier to believe the one lone man's view if it is in a book thousands of years old than it is to believe someone who we know or are contemporary at least. 

The entire  Christian truth of life , death, God, Jesus, Satan and the Wonderful World Tomorrow are the product of maybe seven to ten men mostly unknown and mostly Paul in the New Testament.  Strangely, Jesus wrote nothing.  Jesus is simply written about and others tell us who he was and what he did and said.  Hearsay mainly when you think of it.

Moses could have been a sociopath for all we know but we can't know.  Isaiah and Ezekiel just may have had Schizophrenia or Jeremiah Bi Polar Disorder or melancholy, but we'd not know that.  They'd not know that nor would the people who were intrigued by their behaviors know that!!!   Paul may have had temporal lobe epilepsy for that matter hearing voices and seeing lights in his head, according to Luke, or not, according to Paul.  Paul may have had out of body experiences and visions that being in an old book seem ok but if Dave Pack said he had one, we'd laugh our asses off, and call for medications not congregations.  

The character in Gospel Jesus may have had issues with not knowing who his real father was.  Maybe when pressed as a youth Mary just said "God is your father," and the rest of the story stems from a genuinely human being struggling with abandonment issues.  We can't know from a Book.  We weren't there and saw none of this or knew anyone who did. 

Remember, no one goes to the hospital to see the birth of a later famous person.  Fabulous Birth Stories are made up AFTER the adult becomes famous and bear no resemblance to the truth.  All Caesars and gods are born of virgins, get visits from Wise Men and are found under a "star."   Even Yassir Arafat claimed to be born in Jerusalem for credibility when , in fact, he was born in Cairo.  It's how we tell our stories.

But some books are magic and evoke powerful emotions.  Just this week in Georgia a woman hung the dog of a neighbor that chewed up her Bible.  No joke..she hung the dog who chewed up her Bible.  Had the dog chewed up her copy of "How to Win Friends and Influence People," the dog would have lived.   I think we know where  burning a Koran can get you.  Burning "Ali Babah and the 40 Thieves" not so much.

The bottom line is that all major world religious views about the who, what, where, when and why of God and life is left in the hands of a very few men who are said to have lived lives thousands of years ago, had experiences with the gods and written them down as truth which led to copies of copies of copies of copies of it all.  On top of that, at times we can deduce that the writings are not actually those of just one man or of the man whose name is affixed to the book.

The Book also has contradictions, mistakes and boo boos.

What would it be like if every time someone wanted to know what life was all about , or what may happen after death, we didn't feel the compulsion to go back to a Bronze Age Book filled with people somewhat like us but somewhat not like us at all?  What if every time you had a spiritual thought or scientific fascination you did not have to filter it through the Bible, Koran or Torah for verification?  How nice not to have all of earth's geology and formation not filtered through Noah's Flood or the craters on the moon through Satan's rebellion. 

Would it be so bad if we could get away from "The Bible says...", "The Koran says..." and "The Torah says..."?  

It's kinda like hot dogs.  If you really could see and understand just where they come from and how they are made, you'd not feel so compelled to serve them as if that was all there was to eat.  You'd probably feel better and not feel so limited in your allowed tastes and perspectives. 

Dennis
DenniscDiehl@aol.com

Some Baptist Motorcycle Humor

If the above video doesn't work then click on this link

They Cut My Britches Off

If only those entrenched in Armstrongism could make fun of themselves
instead of leaving it to others to do it for them!
Perhaps they wouldn't be the dour sad sour-pusses most of them seem to be.

The Fear-Mongering Church of God: Armageddon Will Not Happen Prior to 2018

I think all the Churches of God need to drop their silly prefixes to their name and join together under one united name. The Fear-Mongering Church of God.  That moniker fits all the various 700 splinter groups.  They all exist because of the fear they instill in members.

Typical Armstrongite rhetoric states: God is angry at the world and the Church of God.  You are never quite good enough to be able to please God.  Jesus delays his coming because it is your fault you are not ready.  On and on the list could go.

Malm is instilling fear into his acolytes with threats about the law.  No one on this entire earth could EVER keep the law and never has.  They will not and cannot do so in Malm's group.  It is an impossibility.  Even Malm breaks every single law he promotes.

Flurry instills fear into his members and "college" students.  They are so fearful that they turn their backs on family members and friends.  They refuse to talk to children, grand children, parents, and grandparents all because Gerald told them not to.  They are fearful that if they do they will be kicked out of the Church.

Pack does the same with his small flock as does Meredith and all the others out there.  Fear reigns supreme in the Church of God.

However, there is one person who does not live in fear and claims he does not promote fear.  That person is Bob Thiel.  God's greatest theologian on earth today in regards to end-time prophecy, the Mayan calendar and all things concerning Catholicism.  He has written several books now taking advantage of the fear base.

Thiel writes:

Your suggestion that I write to generate money for any organization is false. And you should know that. I also do not live in fear (cf. Luke 12:32). on Malm Asks: Can A Mad Man With A Nuclear Bomb Cause An Earthquake?

Really?  Really?
Get a load of just today's postings on one entry:

Some astronomers are warning that comets could cause a type of electronic Armageddon

Large sun-grazing comets could bring on the sort of global electronics meltdown usually associated with electromagnetic pulse weapons or a full-scale nuclear exchange.

The results of an EMP incident would be catastrophic:

• · The U.S. power grid could be destroyed;
• · Planes would crash;
• · Water and sewerage systems would fail;
• · Banks could not access their records;
• · Transportation systems would be inoperable;
• · The internet would go down;
• · Emergency services would severely hampered.

Solar Storm Warning: Researchers announced that a storm is coming—the most intense solar maximum in fifty years.

A large comet hitting the earth would also seem to have similar effects to that of a medium-sized asteroid, but also could have electronic impact.   And having something actually hit the earth and do massive damage is predicted in the Bible.   But the Wormwood comet will not possibly hit the earth prior to 2018 (for some details, please see When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2012, 2013, or 2014?).  The staging for armies in Armageddon (Revelation 16:16, and related to the sixth trumpet of Revelation 8:13-17) happens shortly after Wormwood (third trumpet) hits, hence ‘Armageddon’ will not happen in prior to 2018.

Although the biblical Wormwood does not have to be a comet, it sounds more like one than an asteroid.

Thiel has hundreds of fear related blog entries up and very very little about Jesus Christ.  Those that follow Jesus don't need to live in fear and don't have to worry about stray comets, EMP blasts, rampaging hordes of Chinese, Germans or Muslims.  Mayan calendars are a load of bullshit.  Prophetic utterances by Church of God ministers and evangelists have proven to be bullshit. No Jesus Christ  but loads of bullshit.

EW King: Worlds Foremost Sports Prophet

God's greatest end time man servant, E W King, has had one of his prophecies come true!  At least in his delusional mind.

Below is what he wrote yesterday.  I love how King and Pack refer to themselves as "Mr."

Mr. E.W.King’s uncanny capability to predict ~ Sport Dilemma?

Mr. E.W.King posted a portion of his 2013 predicitons on November 7th,2012. He made an interesting statement regarding the world of American sports,..notice:

“We will see great controversy in the world of American sports. I do not have all the details regarding this but it is coming.”

Now notice what happened shortly after this was posted…we read the news story:

“It happened again, another chaotic and disturbing tragedy. An NFL player kills and then commits suicide.
Apparently, Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher, 25, argued with his girlfriend, with whom he had a 3-month-old daughter, and then shot her. He then went to the parking lot of Arrowhead Stadium where he took his own life, standing only 10 yards from his coach and police.” http://www.gloucestertimes.com/

Mr. E.W.King said during a talk that he gave in 2011 that he feared great changes in the professional sports world of America that would amount to federal control of the worst kind. Will we see this happen? Let’s stay tuned to COGSR for guidance.

James Malm: HWA Was An Apostate and NOT An Apostle

Apostle Malm is sure to tick off many of his rabid HWA followers with the following statement.  Malm claims HWA was an apostate and false teacher.  Yet, everything Malm teaches is the stuff he learned from HWA and his ministry.  Malm though, has taken all of HWA's teachings to a depth of depravity that HWA never even imagined!

In the 70s HWA watered down Sabbath, Holy Days and many other doctrines, most importantly he exalted himself above God by saying that he was the later day Peter [the Catholic Primacy of Peter heresy] and could bind and loose God’s word as he chose. He then said that he could do anything HE wanted and God had to back him up; making himself sovereign and God subject to HWA’s will.

HWA was an apostle only in the fact that all elders of the COG7 were ordained as elders and apostles. Later when he returned his credentials to them he gave up those titles and then he claimed that he was a prophet [he had very close to a 100% failure rate in his prophetic proclaimations] and the ONLY apostle since the first century; not a humble bone in that man’s body.

This man was an apostate and NOT an apostle of Jesus Christ. It is my sincere hope and prayer that he found a place of repentance before he died.

EW King: Put All Americans On Dope!

The worlds most accurate end time prophet (sorry Dave Pack!), E. W. King, says that ALL Americans should be on dope because everyone is too stupid, too lazy and are dependent on government assistance.

EW brags:

In a November 7^th 2012 article I stated regarding the ‘sluggards’:

“They smoke dope, put children on dope and could really care less. They want government aid because they are too lazy to work. If your state takes a strong position in controlling food stamps that state gets less federal help.”

Next he boasts:

I yet another March 2012 article I stated:

“Here is a generation who watches a so called “science network TV program” and is taught that all humans were actually created by little gray bugs called “extraterrestrials”. Here is a generation on crack, energy drinks, heroine, crank, LSD, ecstasy, PCP, and the list goes on. The pharmaceutical industry now has a pill you can swallow for just about any problem you might have. Meanwhile the Boogie Woogie Beatnik Parents are right alongside their fornicating children smoking a joint with them and listening to Pink telling their children things like: “Boy, I wished my dad would have smoked pot with me and let me fornicate. They were just so old fashion.” Again, you must understand, the mentality of the parents from the 80’s and 90’s is this idea of a “new enlightenment”.”

I have to really wonder here WHO is actually smoking the dope!  Does EW have a problem he is trying to deal with? No one I know does this.  The kids  I know don't do this.  In fact, the young people I know give hope that this country still has potential.  Only in the negative mind of an Armstrongite, who is wrapped up in the stupidity of prediction addiction is one too blind to see this. They cannot find good anywhere because all they want to see is the bad. Bad and evil legitimizes their religious rantings. Good does not exist because this is Satan's world and they (Armstrongites) are being held captive.

King is ticked at Seattle for its recent voter approval of marijuana for recreational use.

“A Seattle resident takes marijuana from a plastic bag shortly after a law legalizing the recreational use of marijuana took effect on December 6, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. Voters approved an initiative to decriminalize the recreational use of marijuana making it one of the first states to do so.”

click to read

So here we go. Now the United States government authorities whish to keep every one stoned so that they ignore the reality of what is really going on. As government continues to grow and grow and grow…..and even grow pot, the rest of us are left dealing with the consequences of a satanic system.

While I am not a marijuana advocate and never will be, King jumps to far too many conclusions.  Besides, if King believes in the God who created all things, then God created the marijuana plant.  How does he reconcile that?

Pulpit Pimping For Dummies

Now you too can have a large home, luxury cars, gold, diamonds, travel to Europe and many other perks.  Let the rules that many mega-pastors use to help you gain money and a following.

Check out Pulpit Pimping for Dummies.

You will learn to:

Take your ministry to the next level. Walk in divine prosperity. Get the break through you keep promising the sheeple. Drive the best cars, live in the biggest house, fly the best planes and patronize the best restaurants.

The Dummies guide tells you how to convince people to give you more money than they can afford to give you. But not only that, it teaches you how to make those people to think you are doing them a favor by taking the money. We give you the secrets for convincing people to pay you their tithes BEFORE they pay their rent or electric bill. Do you want to make people financially dependent on you? We’ll tell you how.

You want to be worshiped as if you are the Christ? The Dummies guide teaches you how to walk, talk, and threaten so that even the most stubborn (though stupid) sheeple will be willing to quote you rather than the Bible.

Are there people in your congregation who regularly disagree with you and base that disagreement on an accurate understanding of Scripture? The Dummies guide gives you foolproof instructions on how get them out of your congregation and how to make the sheeple believe they are being obedient to God when they turn their backs on the rebel.

There is even a section on how the Church of God operates:

There’s even a special Scumbag section that has tons of information on how the best of the scumbags get away with sexual harassment and abuse, spanking, raping, incest and just plain fooling around with some of the Gospel groupies. We tell you how to intimidate folks to keep silent, what Scriptures to use to keep the sheeple thinking they should feel bad about doubting whatever you tell them, and how to make sure you are repeating “touch not God’s anointed” often enough to be effective but not often enough to lessen the impact.

Pretty soon you too will be able to build a college, build the world's largest and best web site, and own a large home on a lake in a private gated compound. Know the perks that your COG leader used to get where he is today!

Apostle Malm Ready to 'Execute Correction?"

The apostle has been running a series of posts on the Psalms and how they illustrate that God is really pissed and is going to annihilate the wicked.

Today, the apostle had this to say:

One man took a stand for the Lord and executed the correction of Christ on a wicked and rebellious people who were committing fornication and adultery.  Today as the various COG Groups commit spiritual adultery by following the traditions of a man instead of the very Word of Almighty God; is there a Phinehas among the brethren to take a stand and save the people by turning them back to the Eternal?

Malm has been saying for a while that he is the ONLY one  preaching a warning to the wicked and fornicating Churches of God.  Is apostle Malm ready to "execute correction" in the name of the thing he calls "christ?"

Malm.like many Armstrongites get giddy at the prospect of the wicked being punished.  They want to see the people they call sinners be punished for their wickedness.  By seeing that happen it legitimizes their law keeping and makes them better than the others.  Since they have been trained for decades that they are "called out" they have always felt more enlightened than the pagans and sinners they spit on regularly.

Dennis On: Wrestling With Scripture

Wrestling With Scripture

If there was ever a story in the Old Testament that, even as a child, confused me, it would be this one.

Jacob Wrestles

Genesis 32:

²⁴ Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. ²⁵ When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. ²⁶ Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ²⁷ So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” ²⁸ He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but ^[n]Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” ²⁹ Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. ³⁰ So Jacob named the place ^]Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” ³¹ Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. ³² Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.

God wrestles with men?  Actually it doesn't say that this was God but that has always been the assumption.  Some say it was "the one who became Jesus Christ."  Really?  The context says it was a man but since Jacob ends up naming the place Peniel which means "I have seen God face to face, the assumptions spring from this.  

What's really going on here.  Is God a vampire that He has to get back in the coffin before the sun rises?  

The REAL explanation of this is fascinating.  I wonder if any ministers in the COG will ever again say that this is Jacob wrestling with God who would become Jesus Christ?

Let me get right to the point.  No sense in going on and on and having to join On-And-On-Anonymous over this story

Jacob was wrestling, in the dark, with his last seen 20 years earlier brother Esau.  This is Esau , the brother deceived by Jacob out of his birthright.  Good reason for a good brother on brother fight.  Jacob had no clue who had accosted him, though in the text he was on the way to see Esau because Esau was coming to see him with 400 men.  Jacob had just taken many of Laban's cattle and sheep and now was having to consider giving them to Esau as a token of being sorry for events 20 years previous.
 
However, Esau caught up with Jacob in the dark.  Jacob had no clue who he was fighting in the dark.  He had not seen Jacob for many years.  Esau was not ready to tell Jacob who he really was as they scrapped "all night."  It may have seemed like all night to Jacob.  Esau wanted to be done with it by sunrise so Jacob would not recognize his long lost swindled brother.  


That's the simple story.  Jacob was wrestling Esau.  
.
Prove it!

Genesis 33:

Jacob Meets Esau

33 Then Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. ² He put the maids and their children in front, and Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph ^]last. ³ But he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

⁴ Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. ⁵ He lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, “Who are these with you?” So he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” ⁶ Then the maids came near with their children, and they bowed down. ⁷ Leah likewise came near with her children, and they bowed down; and afterward Joseph came near with Rachel, and they bowed down. ⁸ And he said, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” ⁹ But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother; let what you have be your own.” ¹⁰ Jacob said, “No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then take my present from my hand,for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. ¹¹ Please take my ^]gift which has been brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have plenty.” Thus he urged him and he took it.

When Jacob said, "for I have seen your face as one sees the face of God,"  this was one of the great "nudge, nudge, wink wink"s of the Old Testament.  It "dawned" on Jacob that it was Esau he was wresting with all night just hours before. It must have been an interesting moment when Jacob realized, "Oh it was you." 

 Esau had forgiven him as he himself had prospered anyway, but a little eye for an eye between brothers seemed appropriate to Esau and a limping Jacob was eye enough for him.

Jacob never wrestled with "God."   Jacob never wrestled with a God that later became Jesus Christ .  The idea that "no man can see the face of God and live," is intact as this story always caused some to wonder, "well Jacob did and he just got a limp out of it." Jacob looked into the face of his brother Esau who later he said , probably sheepishly, was what he thought may have been God and now sees was Esau. It had to be a great moment of realization on Jacob's part.

I would encourage all COG ministers to consider this small example of how you haven't been taught enough about the Bible or you haven't done enough homework to tell everyone how it all is.  Those of you who live off prophetic peepings and mutterings had better be very careful how you teach because you do cause people to determine their life changing actions and beliefs and that can have consequences down the road. Not to mention all the good sinew meat that , "to this day" is not eaten by some because of this misunderstanding.

Amen

 Dennis C. Diehl

The Exciting Life of Herbert W Armstrong College Students

Reading this is like being in a time warp.  Does ANYONE have "turnabout" dates in College anymore? Only in COGGERland?

Check out that world class educational institution in the middle of Oklahoma that is training the next generation of Herb-bot's

HWA College Volunteers Keep "Turnabout" Tradition Alive

Seven Herbert W. Armstrong College student and graduate ladies kept the HWAC “turnabout weekend” tradition alive on November 8 when they hosted a group date for the 10 HWAC men at the men’s residence, known as Bethel.

Semiannual turnabout activities in Edmond are some of the students’ favorite activities of the year, and range as far as the HWAC ladies’ imaginations. Though the men do the planning and asking of dates the vast majority of the time, the ladies are known to seize the opportunity and pack several weekends’ worth of expenditure, time and effort into the occasion.

Obviously at one point in HWA's college career he had a "turnabout " weekend and it impressed Lord Six Pack so much that he has to have it too!  I will now ask the same question that I have asked repeatedly about the COGlets: "Why can none of these splinter cult leaders or splinter groups EVER come up with ANYTHING original??

UCG Members Told To Fast That Earthy, Sensual, Demonic Influences Stay Away From Upcoming Conference

UCG has a conference coming up.  Robin Webber has laid out the agenda for the meeting and has this to say.  Notice that Jesus Christ is not the focus of their conference. Jesus Christ once again is not to be found. Grace is not to be discussed.  The list could go on and on. 

Instead UCG is focused upon the negative.  Evil is out to destroy UCG.  God is an impotent wuss that cannot keep UCG safe.

If UCG were really grace focused and were believers in the Jesus Christ they claim to follow, then they would not need to be sitting around for several days worry about envy, lies, or earthy sensual demonic influences.

We are humbled by the task set before us. More than ever, we are in need of God’s grace, mercy and direction on all our lives. Since my recent selection as chairman, my eyes have more than once visited the admonition found in James 3:13-18: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Will you please pray for us towards this end? If you can set aside time to fast this coming week, before the upcoming meetings, that would truly be meaningful. We sincerely seek Almighty God’s direction and not our own. On behalf of the Council and Administration, I implore you as your brother in Christ. As you bow your heads before our Heavenly Father, we will surrender our hearts, roll up our sleeves, and get on with the work.

I had to laugh at that last line.  This is the same thing they have been saying for decades.  They said this same thing while part of WCG as they connived and manipulated in the background while in WCG's employ.  They said it while they were rupturing into COGWA two years ago. 

That last line has never worked because not a single one of them actually believe it!  They have no idea on how to surrender their hearts. They have never worked an honest days labor in their lives where they had to dirty their fingernails or strain some muscles.  More importantly, they have never accomplished a "work."

Malm Asks: Can A Mad Man With A Nuclear Bomb Cause An Earthquake?

The inner workings of a brain entrenched in Armstrongite mythology is an interesting thing.  It is capable of all kinds of wild scenarios whether it be with prophecy or every day life.  Satan and mad men reign supreme.  God's people are in danger of everything.  Jesus Christ is not capable of helping them. It's a cruel wicked world out there and the brethren need mighty men to warn them of the dangers.

Apostle Malm has a post up today about American earthquakes. Its about the New Madrid quake zone and the San Andreas fault zone.  Both are areas that scientists have regularly said will experience  massive earthquakes.  It could be today or decades down the line.

Malm writes:

A major earthquake of 8 – 9 is expected in the relatively near future, and if pressure continues to build could be of even greater power.

The scripture warns us that at the end time earthquakes will increase in number and intensity and Revelation warned of some truly massive events.

When our nations are rejected by Christ and the blessings promised to our forefathers are withdrawn and the final false prophet is set up;  could the opening events of our tribulation include such a major earthquake that would send the US back a century into a third world condition?

Even worse, could such an earthquake be accompanied by the expected massive “Big One” on the west coast? Aand perhaps more hurricanes?

Such events, accompanied by a cyber attack which wipes out the remaining financial, transportation, security, etc, etc systems, would bring the nation crashing back to the dark ages, with a starving population becoming susceptible to disease.

The apostle then ends his fearful article with this comment:

One more question:  Apart from the natural or from God; could a very smart fellow, perhaps with spirit guidance; explode a weapon at the right spot to trigger a massive earthquake?

Malm, Thiel, Flurry, Pack and all the rest of the whack doodle ministers in charge of the splinter cults live in a world of fear.  Fear drives their organizations.  Fear causes members to be afraid. Fear brings the money in.

United Church of God: Income Continues Downward Spiral

Things are not rosy in the disUnited Church of God.  What was once seen as Armstrongism's best hope, has turned into a ruptured and fragmented irrelevant sect with an expensive office building complex and an infrastructure it is struggling to support.  The income level has dropped so dramatically that the new UCG Chairman, Robin Webber has sent out a pleading letter to the membership for more money.  Typical of Armstrongism, this is another letter letting the membership know that they should be sending in extra money because UCG is the greatest thing on earth.

UCG members got to experience the Feast at official UCG sites around the world.  These sites were funded, in part, by money from the Home Office.  Ministers sent by HQ preached at these sites and the membership should not forget that!  You experienced a great Feast because of UCG. Plus, since we are all one big happy family, you should be more than willing to open up your wallet.

Webber writes:

We have some very important matters to discus with you in this letter.

But first, we hope you had a very inspiring Feast of Tabernacles. As you will see in the November United News, we had an encouraging increase in attendance over last year. Many members commented to us about the peace, unity, and harmony they experienced–and we are very thankful to God for that.

This years Feast sermon video was titled,”Fitly Framed Together”. Our vision mirrors God’s desire of a Church led by His Holy Spirit, joined and knit together by what every member supplies, with all doing their share,and growing in love to fulfill God’s great purpose for humanity–to bring many children to glory (Eph. 4:16, Heb. 2:10)”

Now that Webber has the positive  back patting comments done with it is time to get to the meat of the letter.  Money!

But now we have a special request. As you may have heard, we recently asked all employees and ministers to cut back expenses from their already lean budgets. This was so we can continue to direct our God-given resources to to proclaiming the gospel and serving you.

Please remember brethren, our ministers are sacrificing their lives for YOUR benefit and it is YOUR duty to support them!  Our hard working employees are doing God's work in the world and they need your financial support too!  We are working sooooooooo hard.  Just look at us!

And that’s why today we’re asking you to make a special offering. Since the unnecessary upheaval of a couple years ago we have been tapping into our modest financial reserves to fund our gospel outreach, provide congregational care, and sustain important Church programs like our youth camps. The Churches income has been stable and we deeply thank you for your continued commitment and dedication. But we must find ways to cut expenses and raise income if we are to effectively continue the work of God.

Brethren, because you are withholding money, we are going to have to eliminate the youth camps!  It's all your fault.  If you would only give more money we would not have to hurt the children.  It will be on your shoulders when little Johnny is told that the summer camps have been done away with causing him to run off and join a gang.

The UCG membership are already funding the high lifestyles of the minister and Council of Elders.  These are "kept" men.  Men who have never worked an honest days worth of manual labor like the membership have been struggling within this economy.  High food prices, high gas prices, sky rocketing utilities, rising health care costs, and a failed economy, have hit the general membership hard.  The ministers not so much. They still make their full salaries. Not a single one has offer to take a large pay cut in order to save the summer camps.


If Webber and the rest of the Council want the members to step up to the plate then let the Council make the first move.  Take large pay cuts!  Reduce your income for the first time in your lives.  Get a real job.  Be MEN for once.  When will the COG 99% stop funding the 1% in the hierarchy?

Malm: How To Have Kosher Sex

It amazes me the lengths that legalists, like James Malm, will prostitute themselves out to the law.  Jesus is an irrelevant pile of garbage comapred to the sacredness of the law.

It was only a matter of time until James Malm tied Jewish tradition and law keeping into sex.

In Jewish law, sex is not considered inherently shameful, sinful, or obscene.  Sex is not seen as a necessary evil for the sole purpose of procreation.  Although sexual desire comes from the yetzer hara (the so-called “evil impulse”), it is no more evil than hunger or thirst, which also come from the yetzer hara.  Like hunger, thirst, or other basic needs, sexual desire must be controlled, channeled, and satisfied in the proper time, place, and manner.  But when sexual desire is satisfied between a husband and wife at the proper time and out of mutual love and desire, sexual relations are actually a mitzvah (a Biblical commandment, see Exodus 21,10 referring to “conjugal rights” and the commentary on it).

Sexual enjoyment (whether involving intercourse or mere hand holding) is permissible for Jews only within the context of marriage.  For Torah, sex is not merely a way of experiencing physical pleasure.  It is properly an act of immense significance, which requires commitment and responsibility.  The requirement of marriage before sex ensures that sense of commitment and responsibility.  The Torah forbids all sexual contact short [leading up to] of intercourse outside of the context of marriage, recognizing that such contact is likely to  lead to intercourse and is damaging in and of itself.  Jews are rabbinically forbidden to even engage in sexual fantasy, let alone masturbation alone or mutual masturbation outside of marriage.

Kosher sexual relations are not necessarily limited to those that can lead to pregnancy, either:  anal and oral relations are permitted, if enjoyable to both marital partners, though Jewish men have a separate commandment to reproduce, and should generally end up having normal vaginal intercourse.

Nevertheless, Torah does not ignore the physical component of sexuality.  The need for physical compatibility between husband and wife is recognized in Jewish law.  A Jewish couple must meet at least once before the [even in an arranged marriage] marriage, and if either prospective spouse finds the other physically unattractive, they should not marry.

The Talmud specifies both the quantity and quality of sex that a man must give his wife.  It specifies the frequency of sexual obligation based on the husband’s occupation, [the Jewish minimum being once daily while she is clean] although this obligation can be modified in the ketubah (marriage contract).

Although sex is the woman’s right, she does not have absolute discretion to withhold it from her husband.  A woman may not withhold sex from her husband as a form of punishment, and if she does, the husband may divorce her without paying the substantial divorce settlement provided for in the ketubah.
Although some sources take a more narrow view, the general view of halakhah is that any sexual conduct that does not regularly involve ejaculation outside the vagina is permissible.  As one passage in the Talmud states, “a man may do whatever he pleases with his wife”.  In fact, there are passages in the Talmud that encourage foreplay to arouse the woman, and oral and anal sex are permitted (though not necessarily desirable), if they are not to the exclusion of vaginal sex.