Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
I bet most COG members did not know that their tithes and offerings went to help finance two movies in the early to mid 70's. Paper Moon and The Wild Geese. This was all thanks to AICF, the 'cultural' arm of the Worldwide Church of God.
Because Herbert Armstrong was embarrassed to say 'God' in foreign countries he created this money eating arm of the church to use as a tool to enter countries around the world. Then he would talk about "A Strong Hand From Someplace." WHAT?????? God forbid if he ever said Jesus!
Storyline
Adapted from the novel, "Addie Pray" (1971) by Joe David Brown, PAPER MOON is the story of Moses Pray and Addie Loggins. With scenery reminiscent of "The Grapes of Wrath," the film is set in the depression-era Midwestern region of the United States. As the movie opens, we see a small group of mourners clustered at a graveside. Among the mourners is Addie, the dead woman's small daughter. Moses Pray -- ostensibly of the "Kansas Bible Company" -- approaches the group, as the service concludes, and two of the elderly women remark that the child bears some resemblance to him and asks if he might be related. "If ever a child needed kin, it's now," one lady says. With no knowledge of who her father is, Addie's only haven is her Aunt's home in St. Joseph, Missouri. Having identified himself as a "traveling man spreading the Lord's gospel in these troubled times," "Mose" is prevailed upon to deliver the helpless child to her Aunt since he's going that way... Written by MARK FLEETWOOD <mfleetwo@mail.coin.missouri.edu>
A British multinational seeks to overthrow a vicious dictator in central Africa. It hires a band of (largely aged) mercenaries in London and sends them in to save the virtuous but imprisoned opposition leader who is also critically ill and due for execution. Just when the team has performed a perfect rescue, the multinational does a deal with the vicious dictator leaving the mercenary band to escape under their own steam and exact revenge. Written by Richard Young <richy@vnu.co.uk>
The veteran mercenary Colonel Allen Faulkner travels to London invited by the British millionaire Sir Edward Matherson to rescue the African President Julius Limbani that had been abducted in a coup d'état by the dictator Colonel Mboya. Sir Edward has interest in the copper mines and intends to negotiate with Limbani. Col. Faulkner hires his friends Captain Rafer Janders and Lieutenant Shawn Fynn and the trio select their old friends to form the rescue team. They plan the whole operation and succeed in their mission; however, Sir Edward deals with the dictator and double-crosses the group of mercenaries, leaving them in Rhodesia. The mercenaries have to fight against Colonel Mboya's troops to survive and Col. Faulkner promises to revenge his deceased friends. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Garner Ted Armstrong loved to write. But there is one book that most COG members never knew about that he penned under a pseudonym: William Talboy Wright.
William Talboy Wright was a mixture of names from his grandparents. Willam Dillon (maternal grandfather), Isabelle Talboy (maternal grandmother), and Eva Wright (paternal grandmother).
Wright, William Talboy
Churchill's Gold, 1988 (With nothing to lose, falsely accused fugitive
Mark Masters agrees to take a wooden barkentine to the South Seas on a
search for sunken treasure to bail out the British treasury during WW
II. "I found it to be an exciting adventure story of sailing despite
the author having made some rather strange historical mistakes (e.g. he
thought Taiwan was under Chinese control in 1941!) and totally out of
his mind with regard to Spanish archives (the book inspired me to write
my own book on how to find shipwrecks in Hispanic archives)." [LF])
He also penned The Real Jesus before he got kicked out of WCG. He published another book a few years later called Peter's Story.
Old Six Pack is on a roll in acquiring remnants of the glory days of Armstrongism. He has forked over an undisclosed amount of tithe money for the swan sculpture that used to grace the Big Sandy campus. Will he paint them white like the Harvest Rock Cult Church did with the Pasadena birds? Or will Old Six Pack be bowing down to the swans like some moron in Pasadena did years ago when he proclaimed the egret sculpture was going to come alive and carry the Auditorium to Petra. Stupid people believed that guy just like people believe Old Six Pack.
The swans will be disassembled and transported to a foundry in Oklahoma for minor repairs and refinishing before being installed in their new home, the reflecting pool in front of Armstrong Auditorium. The sculpture and water feature will be installed just as they were in Big Sandy; the five swans will appear to soar into flight as six water jets cascade over them. In a sermon on April 9 in Sulphur Springs, Texas, Mr. Flurry told church members, "The water cascading over the swans makes it look like they are soaring-or beginning to soar. Aren't we about to begin to soar as never before?"
Referring to Amos 9:11, Mr. Flurry said, "We have a responsibility to raise the ruins. We are going to show the world the best of the human spirit, combined with God's Holy Spirit." He added, "God has given us these gifts to raise up the ruins and He's even giving us some of the treasures He gave to Mr. Armstrong. This swan sculpture is going to bring life to our campus in a special way."
Six Pack is doing everything he can to be like Herb. Six Pack hauled a dirt and moss laden rock all the way from Oregon because he wanted to worship at Herb's supposed prayer rock.
If it was used by Herb it is of value to Six Pack. For a cult that supposedly is the restored gospel he forgets one command of God that he regularly ignores. "Coveting." Oh, and there is also "Pride". The Six Pack cult thinks that there is a miraculous era about to dawn for their cult.
Old Six Pack and Jr. Six Pack both believe that there are glorious new days coming for PCG. They are going to be a magnificent tool in proclaiming some god's word to the world. Six Pack seems to think he is as important as Herb was and will be able to do the same things. Someone needs to tell apostle Six Pack it is NOT going to happen!
You will soon be needing passports when you flee to Petra. Bet none of you knew this was the ONLY reason to have a passport! I have been waiting to hear that passports were only created so that they could be used by the COG members to flee to Jordan with. We all know the ONLY reason the printing press and airlines were created was so Herb could get his message out around the world!
Pasadena was only founded so God's HQ could be located there years later. Beer was only created for the benefit of the WCG ministry and Six Pack Flurry. Gambling and massage was only created for the end time use by GTA.
From the COG yahoo's on Yahoo OrginalWCG.
And let me pose an important question for EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF THE
CHURCH OF GOD: DO YOU HAVE A PASSPORT? IS IT UP TO DATE? OR IS IT
EXPIRED? DO YOU KNOW WHERE IT IS?
For those who don't take the place of safety seriously.. they may not
need that passport.. for the rest, well God commands us to forsee the
evil and hide ourselves.. if we're not doing this we may simply be
providing the solution to the question of how God will notify us it's
time to flee. I know I'm not wording this well as I'm really too tired
to think right now, but think about it... We need our lamps ready, oil
for our lamps.. in other words, God expects us to be prepared. If we
are going to fly to a foreign country.. if we are going to cross
borders, we had better be prepared.
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They cost $100 now and they take forever to obtain due to the huge numbers of people who are applying for one. I got mine when they were cheaper... They are good for at least 5 years. Don't wait for the Depression to be announced & you lose your job...
Didn't you ever see those movies about Europe, oh, spy movies or some such, where the polizei (police) has you roll down your car window (international drivers license available through American Automobile Association) and he says, "Papers, please" or "Passport!"-- it may get so bad here in the USA that we will need our own passports to prove we are citizens.
Those of us lucky enough to be part of the weirdness that was Armstrongism know the hundreds of failed prophecy predictions that HWA, Meredith, Hoeh, Waterhouse, Blackwell, Flurry, Pack, WeinerDude Weinland, and others have uttered over the decades. (For a list of 209 of those failed prophecies check out the side bar under "Links Worth Visiting".)
The LCG splinter cult (Meredith) is looking towards 2012. Chiropractor Bob continues to point out that it cannot happen until 2014 though. Shame on you Chiropractor Bob for being so rebellious against Lord Meredith's utterances! For shame!
2012 Find out the TRUTH! Sort out the fact from the hype. Ten world events, aligning with the predictions found in the book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect have come to pass since its publication in September 2009. Find out which prophecies will affect you. Order 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect now. This accurate book was written by COGwriter.
WeinerDude Weinland predicted the tribulation was started on December 14, 2008. I have his book of comedic errors. For being two years into the tribulation I sure can get into how fun it is!
Geoff Neilson says the tribulation started on March 25 2010. With Jesus returning on September 5, 2013 - all theoretically, of course. That's Armstrongism's catch phrase on every thing they utter.
These pictures are from an auction held in New York City, April 11, 1995 at Christie's. This was just one of many auctions held in New York and Los Angeles concerning the sale of Herbert Armstrong's collection of gold, silver and fine art. Much of the fine art and metalwork were purchased during the time HWA was mailing out letters to the membership demanding that they cut back and send in more money. The "Work" was always in a state of distress. Many members did indeed sacrifice and mailed in more money. The result - HWA was on treasure hunting trips to Harrod's in London and other UK locations buying treasures for his three homes and college campuses (St Alban's, England, Big Sandy, TX and Pasadena, CA).
While Mrs. Armstrong was alive and in the early years of the church they lived in a modest house on Hill Ave (now owned by Cal Tech). When Loma Armstrong died Herb began shedding his 'simple' life style for the extravagant one. This was also the time Gerald Waterhouse and Dean Blackwell started blabbering that HWA was an Apostle. And as you all know from the Bible, Apostles were meant to travel around the world speaking to world leaders, give them gifts of Steuben crustal, and play host to them at extravagant dinner parties at the various campus homes. Apostles were ordained by God to live lives with the finest the earth and humankind has to offer. This easy justification lead to multiple millions of dollars in extravagance by HWA, evangelists, faculty, certain department heads and many ministers.
Somewhere I have the actual auction sale prices. the ones listed here are the estimates printed in the catalog.
Click on picture to view larger size
Elizabeth II Gold Table Service 14 karat
Used at all dinners in HWA's dining room
Auction estimate $50,00-80,000
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Regency Silver-gilt Four Light Candelabra, Benjamin Smith, 1812
These sat on the buffet in the dining room. They were also used on the dining table.
Auction estimate $80,000-120,000
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George III Silver-gilt Candelabra and matching candlesticks, Paul Storr, 1802
Auction estimate $60,000-90,000
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The Duke of Norfolk's Coronation Cup
William IV Silver-gilt Paul Storr, 1831
Auction estimate $20,000-30,000
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Regency Silver-gilt Centerpiece, Paul Storr, 1818
The Three Graces occupied the place of distinction on HWA's dining room table.
Auction estimate $30,000-50,000
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Regency Silver-gilt Wine Coolers, Paul Storr 1813
Used to keep the hundred dollar wine bottles cool
Auction estimate $60,000-90,000
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A pair of George IV Silver-gilt Wine Coolers 1826
Imagine chilling your wine and champagne at home in these!
Auction estimate $50,000-80,000
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The sterling silver pictured here is an Elizabeth II Table service. Service for 12.
This video is of Tyler Clementi (playing violin), the 18 year old who jumped off a bridge last week because of his 'friends' secretly video taping him and then broadcasting it to the world.
It is quit obvious that Tyler had a love for God in his heart that came through in his music. What kind of message did he receive from his church that would fill him with such hopelessness?
Tyler was one of five kids this past week that killed themselves because of anti-gay bullying.
Yet, America's most perfect Christian organization (Focus on the Family) feels they are God's only representatives left on earth today had this to say:
Just further proof that fundamentalism is rotten to the core!
+++++++++++++++
Seth Walsh, a California teen who spent the last 10 days on life support after attempting suicide over relentless bullying because he was gay, died today. He was 13 years old.
Seth’s family took him off life support this afternoon, reports KGET-TV.
[...]
Seth was found Sunday, September 19, unconscious and not breathing, and it appeared he had tried to hang himself from a tree branch, according to police reports. He was rushed by helicopter to Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield.
According to reports, Seth was openly gay and was taunted by bullies for years, at school and at a local park.
He attended Jacobsen Middle School last year and for only two weeks this year, before being transferred to independent study — reportedly because he had been bullied relentlessly. But school officials at Tehachapi Union School District claim there have been no reports of bullying.
+++++++++++++++
Asher Brown’s worn-out tennis shoes still sit in the living room of his Cypress-area home while his student progress report — filled with straight A’s — rests on the coffee table.
The eighth-grader killed himself last week. He shot himself in the head after enduring what his mother and stepfather say was constant harassment from four other students at Hamilton Middle School in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District.
Brown, his family said, was “bullied to death” — picked on for his small size, his religion and because he did not wear designer clothes and shoes. Kids also accused him of being gay, some of them performing mock gay acts on him in his physical education class, his mother and stepfather said.
The 13-year-old’s parents said they had complained about the bullying to Hamilton Middle School officials during the past 18 months, but claimed their concerns fell on deaf ears.
[...]
Brown was found dead on the floor of his stepfather’s closet at the family’s home in the 11700 block of Cypresswood about 4:30 p.m. Thursday. He used his stepfather’s 9 mm Beretta, stored on one of the closet’s shelves, to kill himself. He left no note. David Truong found the teen’s body when he arrived home from work.
On the morning of his death, the teen told his stepfather he was gay, but Truong said he was fine with the disclosure. “We didn’t condemn,” he said.
+++++++++++++++
A 15-year-old Indiana teen took his own life last week in what is thought to be another suicide at least partially connected to school bullying, a result of the teen’s perceived sexual orientation.
Billy (William) Lucas, a student at Greensburg Community High School in Greensburg, IN, was was found dead in a barn at his grandmother’s home Thursday evening — he had hanged himself.
Friends of Lucas say that he had been tormented for years. [WTHR-TV]
“He was threatened to get beat up every day,” friend and classmate Nick Hughes said. “Sometimes in classes, kids would act like they were going to punch him and stuff and push him.”
“Some people at school called him names,” Hughes said, saying most of those names questioned Lucas’ sexual orientation, and that Lucas, for the most part, did little to defend himself.
“He would try to but people would just try to break him down with words and stuff and just pick on him,” Hughes said.
++++++++++++
Raymond Chase who reportedly hung himself in his residence hall room this past Wednesday, September 29, 2010 on the campus of Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island.
++++++++++
Cody J. Barker, 17, of Shiocton, Wis., took his life on Sept. 13. Barker attended Shiocton High School, where he was active in choir. In August he attended a seminar and planned to start a gay/straight alliance at his school. He held a job at Fleet Farm in Appleton.
Maria Peeples, Barker’s peer mentor through GSA for Safe Schools, said he was a passionate activist for all students, especially those, “targeted or ostracized for their sexual orientation or their gender identity and expression... He really cared about making schools a safe place for students. That wasn’t always his own experience with school.”
According to a Web posting, Baker loved history, James Bond movies and Lady Gaga. He was described as an “extremely selfless” young man who enjoyed spending time with his friends, tending his rose plants, biking and reading.
You may ask what this has to do with Armstrongism.
Armstrongism has always had gay people in it. When you look on the Painful Truth web site (see links in side listing) at the suicide statistics you will see a lot of young single people. Many of these wonderful folk were gay.
What choice did they have? After listening month and after month to deviate morons like Rod Meredith, Flurry, GTA, and others rail on and on about homosexuals what choice was left to them?
They prayed, they fasted, they were anointed and some even went so far as have idiot ministers attempt exorcisms to get rid of their gay demons. It never has worked!
There have been several gay folk in the Los Angeles area that were part of WCG. Some got married in the hope of being cured. Some stayed married and admitted constantly that they were still attracted to men/women.
Others lived lives of honesty and integrity being true to themselves. Many left religion all together, others are deeply involved in their churches (non COG).
Some still remain in various COGlet splinter groups listening to the constant haranguing week after week. They hold on for a cure, or think that if they can only hold on till the Kingdom arrives they will be cured.
