The Church of God and "We Are Special" Superiority Complex

All About Armstrongism has an excellent commentary up today about how "special" those in the Church of God considered themselves, while the world that existed all around them could have cared less.

This so true in Pasadena.  Years after the Auditorium opened and concerts had been going full blast, we regularly had Pasadena residents who just lived a few blocks down the street that had NEVER heard of the college OR Auditorium.  Most ignored the property and those that did pay attention thought it was all a quirky anomaly.

The same had to be true for the college and church headquarters. We believed it was God’s Headquarters on Earth and nearly worshipped it. Everyone else thought they were nice buildings with great looking gardens and grounds – and a strange religion for those who really wanted to dig into it. While internally we had universal implications of the property, externally, it was just buildings and it was just grounds. Members gasped at actually being on God’s property for the first time when they feasted in Pasadena. Others thought it beautiful property, but that was it. Most of what we felt and thought was in our heads, and our minds, as we turned it into the biggest Golden Calf since the days of Sinai.

Now, we face the reality that there really wasn’t anything special about any of it. Why? It’s demolished. Not just the campus, but the whole thing. Self-appointed leaders are desperately attempting with their whole minds and souls to resurrect what was destroyed, but instead their fighting and bickering and power plays are making a very mockery of the unity they are fighting to try to achieve. Some even take the worship of the campus to a whole different level in sickening idolatry of the buildings or materials themselves, using those materials to try to resurrect what once was.

But in reality, it was a small parcel of real estate that was said to be worth priceless money and needed at all costs – that was torn down and destroyed, and within just a few years, there will be nothing left of a hint of Armstrongism on that property as it turns into real estate and “regular people” take it over, finally. Our delusions were false. Our giving of our lives and money was pointless, and came to nothing. Some cannot and will not accept this, as I said, and try with their power to bring it all back. Their own delusions rule against reality, and it definately is beyond sad to see.

How I wish I could have been one of those neighbors across the street who didn’t care to know anything about the properties even though they were right there, then to be thousands of miles away and think God dwelled there like he dwelled in the Temple at Jerusalem in the Holy of Holies. I was deluded, I was delusioned. But it is better now to be where I am knowing the real truth. The truth that salvation is not dependant on how much you give to support a real estate program for a gospel imagined by a biblical illiterate high-school dropout and untrained theological huckster. The truth that in Pasadena, life went on as normal except between Orange Grove, West Green, Del Mar and St. John’s. The truth that the SEP Campuses of Orr, Big Sandy, as well as Pasadena were made with the same material as any other campuses. The truth that life in Armstrongism was, as big headed as we thought, not so special at all – and that we were so full of ego and pride and self righteousness – full of ourselves, thinking of ourselves as so big without realizing we were so small, and so empty, looking at life as a small box instead of looking out at the reality of the immensity of what we all missed. We put everything into the barrel of Armstrongism at that time and missed the world around us and our place in it.

The excellent observations can be read in its entirety here:  It's A Small, Small World

Mr. E. W. King Says True Worldwide Church of God Members Should Be Called Zadokites and That All Detractors Are SOB's

Mr. E. W. King is back again with another important message to  the lost remnant of the true Worldwide Church of God.  This time he reveals that an angel has spoken to him and given him a Canticle called the Song of Beauty to the Worldwide Church of God.  Even though this a vitally important message to the true church, King says he can not reveal its full message.  That kind of sounds like that other delusional narcissist from Wadsworth.

*What you are about to read are portions of [revised from the original] the “Song of Beauty to the Worldwide Church of God” revealed to and written through Mr. E.W.King.  This is part three of the revelation. Part one was published on July 15^th 2013 and part two on July 17^th 2013. Part three was published on July 18^th 2013. A powerful revelation for the saints in the Seventh Church era. A revealing of the “new song”. (Originally published in its entirety to a very small group on February 17, 2012) It is not yet time to reveal the entire message but through much prayer Mr. E.W.King believes that he has been instructed by God to reveal part four of it now on July 19^th 2013. To be studied carefully. 

He is sounding just as stupid as Dave Pack is with all this secret revealed knowledge that the dumb sheep don't get to hear.

One of his messages is that true WCG members should be called Zadokites  after Zadok the priest.

He also has a name for those that mock him (like me) that he calls "sons of Belial."  I guess that is SOB for short.  :-)

All true Christians in the true Worldwide Church of God [COGSR] are called the Zadokites [the Zadok or Zaddikim]. The Zadok of the Old Testament from the line of Eliezer replaced the descendants of Ithamar as the leading priests. The developing role of Jerusalem as the exclusive center of Israel’s worship furthered the position of the Zadokites. Zadok was also a faithful servant to David of old. His loyalty was not forgotten even after David’s death.

Now the “sons of Belial” simply means “the worthless ones”. There are many worthless souls out there who just do not care about the only True God. They reject their own Creator and mock Him. Church of God ~ Speaking to the Remnant is mocked every day by the sons and daughters of Belial. The INFIDELS are children of Satan and we simply ignore their stupidity. “And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with the infidel?” [2 Corinthians 6:15]  The “three nets of Belial“ could be seen as “the ignorant”, “the defiant” and “the wicked”.

Bob Thiel: How Dare Catholic Youth Have Fun In The Piney Woods of Big Sandy!!!!!!!!!

Bob Thiel, the non-ordained self-appointed false prophet of the Continuing Ed Church of God, world renown authority on prophecy and Mayan dribble is all indignant today that Catholic youth  are supposedly using the Ambassador Campus in Big Sandy for a summer camp.  In his usual hatred of Catholicism he made a lot of assumptions about the pine woods the kids are having camp in.

Thiel waxes nostalgic about spending Feast time in the Piney Woods on the Big Sandy Campus.  Assuming the Catholic summer camp is on the Big Sandy Ambassador property, he takes a swipe at the Great Whore of Babylon's children playing there.

Just because this camp is in the Pine Woods of Big Sandy does not mean it is on the Ambassador campus.  It is several miles down the road and nowhere near the Piney Woods of Ambassador.  Alert Academy occupies the Big Sandy campus and are just as antiCatholic as Thiel is.

I think what really irritates him is that the youth say they are spiritually nourished.  According to Lord Thiel, there are no REAL Christians outside of the Continuing Ed Church of God.  Everyone else in the entire world are "so-called" Christians and  God forbid if they are Catholic!

The former Ambassador College campus in Big Sandy, Texas made the news:

BIG SANDY — Each summer, Ryann Hargis travels almost 500 miles to spend time in the place where she feels most at home and where she will be “spiritually nourished.”
“It’s refreshing. It’s a break from everything society throws at you,” Hargis said. “This is the place where I feel most myself.”
Hargis, of Amarillo, is training to be a counselor at The Pines Catholic Camp in Big Sandy, a place where she was a camper for years.
“I wanted to be part of this because it’s been so special to me,” Hargis said of The Pines. “I want to make an impact.”
Located on 130 acres of land in Big Sandy, The Pines Catholic Camp provides a summer refuge for Catholic children in second through 12th grades to experience a spiritual renewal, Assistant Camp Director Brianna Noonan said.  (http://www.news-journal.com/features/religion/big-sandy-catholic-camp-provides-spiritual-nourishment-to-students/article_82c38338-b966-5e8b-b643-ec49ef0c670f.html)

There was an area there (and it still may be called the same) that was called the Piney Woods.  I personally stayed in a small tent there for the Feast of Tabernacles in 1980.
But the old Worldwide Church of God sold it.  It also sold the campuses in Bricket Wood, England and Pasadena, California.

Piney Woods on the Ambassador Campus is here:  Alert Academy

The Pines Catholic Camp is here:The Pines

Ambasador Campus: Million Dollor Condos Will Be On Market This Fall

Long Delayed Housing Project Will Be Ready In The Fall

PASADENA - It's taken 15 years, four developers, one receivership and countless contentious neighborhood meetings, but the first 10 townhouses in one of the city's largest, most prestigious housing developments will go on the market this fall. "The Bungalows" in the newly named Ambassador Gardens, the first of 150 luxury townhouses and flats, have a price tag in the "low $1 million" range. And, as work continues on developing the former Worldwide Church of God's Ambassador College campus, demolition is under way on the distinctive "egg-crate" building that's been a familiar sight for decades from Orange Grove Boulevard,
It's a day some in the city thought might never come.

The new housing will also now extend down the hill along Green Street.  They have bought the property that Sunrise was going to build the senior center on (Hall of Ad).

"The newest wrinkle is that they have now taken over the large parcels along Green Street that were going to be the senior living complex," Mossman said. "So they are designing more housing for that part of the project now that will be quite different from the senior housing project -- it will be regular town houses and condos ... and we have not seen the newest drawings yet for that part of the project."

Besley declined to say how much City Ventures paid for the new parcels. The company paid about $15 million in 2010 to acquire 10 acres of the Ambassador 

Click headline above for the entire article.

Philadelphia Church of God: "When the Whole World Will Be Gay and Where Gaiety Will Be A Fruit of God’s Way of Living in the World to Come."

The Philadelphia Church of God has a new article up that says: "When the Whole World Will Be Gay."

July 18, 2013  •  From theTrumpet.com

Gaiety will be a fruit of God’s way of living in the world to come.

Who knew!

Rod Meredith is going to lay a golden egg with this one!

Who is the idiot copy editor that allowed this to go through?  Oh sorry, it was Six Pack himself......figures.

Its written by Ron Fraser, who in PCG circles is not known to to be the brightest bulb on the compound.

Of course we all know who Fraser is talking about.  Its all those rampaging homosexuals who will take over the entire earth and do a home makeover.  Rod Meredith would never allow that!  Bob Thiel might, but certainly not Rod.

Fraser resorts to a typical COG demonizing of "the other" in order to take the heat off the degenerate actions of its leaders.

Curly-haired little moppet that she was, I chose the name Gay. I hoped that would be one of the blessings that she would enjoy in life at the human level—a life involving true gaiety and enjoyment in submission to God’s great law of love.

It never crossed my mind that the term “gay” would be perversely adopted to describe the lifestyle of those willingly in rebellion against God’s laws governing gender roles, marriage and family.

How did “queer” become “gay”?

Perhaps Ron should ask a few of the employees in Edmond.  They might be able to set him "straight" on that.

Six Pack's lieutenant then trumps out HWA to defend his stance:

In his book Mystery of the Ages, Mr. Armstrong made a statement which was repeated in an article in the March 1986 edition of the Plain Truth. He stated:

God condemns homosexuality. He destroyed the whole populations of Sodom and Gomorrah for this sin. It is condemned in the first chapter of Romans, saying no such person can enter the Kingdom of God. Then we try to change the ugly, reproachful name homosexual, and call those who practice it “gays.” The public media and the public in general are coming to make this perversion acceptable by calling it “sexual preference.” 

You cannot get a more politically incorrect yet totally truthful observation on the matter than that.
As for me, I shall continue to absolutely refuse to apply the term “gay” to those who adopt perverse lifestyles. I will continue to use the word “gay” in its truest sense, and label perverse behavior for what it in reality truly is.

Pray God that He will bring forward the day when the whole world will be gay in the truest sense of the word! 

I think Ron Fraser needs some help from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.  They are here to help the straight brethren:

James Malm: Tribulation Could Start By September 25, 2014

THE Tribulation:  The EU has set a goal for a new Federal Europe by next summer, which is likely to hit snags, and the man of sin could be set up at just the right time to offer solutions in late Sep.  The count back from the sixth day of ULB in 2018 [7 April] ends on 25 Sep, give or take a few days depending on the accuracy of my count. 

The peace talks are scheduled to last until March 2014 with ratification and implementation after that.
Fighting is going on in Sinai as the militants are cleaned out and an Israeli attack on Gaza may come soon.

Remember that peace and safety involves more that the Palestinians; it also involves Gaza, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran, and Islamic Extremism in general

While it certainly looks like everything is lining up for late next year for the tribulation; we must be very cautious not to get over excited until all the biblical signs are falling into place.

The next months will be most interesting, but there is no guarantee that the trib will begin in 2014 until the abomination is set up and a general regional peace is actually achieved.

Pack, Flurry, Thiel and the Narcissistic Leaders of Armstrongism

Prophet Thiel just leveled a slap to Davey pack's face with the following comment:

We in the Continuing Church of God are leading the final phase of the work and many events this week, as well as earlier, help show that.

How can that be when Davey Pack says HE is leading the final stage of the work?

What about Gerald Flurry who says HE is leading the final stage of the work?

What's a poor church member to do do?  Who are they to follow?

Have any of their members ever stopped to think why they are following these guys?

Here is what an ex-FBI agent who specialized in cults had to say about cult leaders like Thiel, Pack, and  Flurry: :

 Dangerous Traits of Cult Leaders

Having studied at length the life, teachings, and behaviors of Jim Jones (Jonestown Guyana), David Karesh (Branch Davidians), Stewart Traill (The Church of Bible Understanding), Charles Manson, Shoko Asahara (Aum Shinrikyo), Joseph Di Mambro (The Order of the Solar Temple aka Ordre du Temple Solaire), Marshall Heff Applewhit (Heaven’s Gate), Bhagwan Rajneesh (Rajneesh Movement), and Warren Jeffs (polygamist leader), what stands out about these individuals is that they were or are all pathologically narcissistic. They all have or had an over-abundant belief that they were special, that they and they alone had the answers to problems, and that they had to be revered. They demanded perfect loyalty from followers, they overvalued themselves and devalued those around them, they were intolerant of criticism, and above all they did not like being questioned or challenged. And yet, in spite of these less than charming traits, they had no trouble attracting those who were willing to overlook these features.

Here are the typical traits of the pathological cult leader (from Narcissists Among Us) you should watch for and which shout caution, get away, run, or avoid if possible:

1. He has a grandiose idea of who he is and what he can achieve.
2. Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, or brilliance.
3. Demands blind unquestioned obedience.
4. Requires excessive admiration from followers and outsiders.
5. Has a sense of entitlement - expecting to be treated special at all times.
6. Is exploitative of others by asking for their money or that of relatives putting others at financial risk.
7. Is arrogant and haughty in his behavior or attitude.
8. Has an exaggerated sense of power (entitlement) that allows him to bend rules and break laws.
9. Takes sexual advantage of members of his sect or cult.
10. Sex is a requirement with adults and sub adults as part of a ritual or rite.
11. Is hypersensitive to how he is seen or perceived by others. 
12. Publicly devalues others as being inferior, incapable, or not worthy.
13. Makes members confess their sins or faults publicly subjecting them to ridicule or humiliation while revealing exploitable weaknesses of the penitent.
14. Has ignored the needs of others, including: biological, physical, emotional, and financial needs.
15. Is frequently boastful of accomplishments.
16. Needs to be the center of attention and does things to distract others to insure that he or she is being noticed by arriving late, using exotic clothing, overdramatic speech, or by making theatrical entrances.
17. Has insisted in always having the best of anything (house, car, jewelry, clothes) even when others are relegated to lesser facilities, amenities, or clothing.
18. Doesn’t seem to listen well to needs of others, communication is usually one-way in the form of dictates.
19. Haughtiness, grandiosity, and the need to be controlling is part of his personality.
20. Behaves as though people are objects to be used, manipulated or exploited for personal gain.
21. When criticized he tends to lash out not just with anger but with rage.
22. Anyone who criticizes or questions him is called an “enemy.”
23. Refers to non-members or non-believers in him as “the enemy.”
24. Acts imperious at times, not wishing to know what others think or desire.
25. Believes himself to be omnipotent.
26. Has “magical” answers or solutions to problems.
27. Is superficially charming.
28. Habitually puts down others as inferior and only he is superior.
29. Has a certain coldness or aloofness about him that makes others worry about who this person really is and or whether they really know him.
30. Is deeply offended when there are perceived signs of boredom, being ignored or of being slighted.
31. Treats others with contempt and arrogance.
32. Is constantly assessing for those who are a threat or those who revere him.
33. The word “I” dominates his conversations. He is oblivious to how often he references himself.
34. Hates to be embarrassed or fail publicly - when he does he acts out with rage.
35. Doesn’t seem to feel guilty for anything he has done wrong nor does he apologize for his actions.
36. Believes he possesses the answers and solutions to world problems.
37. Believes himself to be a deity or a chosen representative of a deity.
38. Rigid, unbending, or insensitive describes how this person thinks.
39. Tries to control others in what they do, read, view, or think.
40. Has isolated members of his sect from contact with family or outside world.
41. Monitors and or restricts contact with family or outsiders.
42. Works the least but demands the most.
43. Has stated that he is “destined for greatness” or that he will be “martyred.”
44. Seems to be highly dependent of tribute and adoration and will often fish for compliments.
45. Uses enforcers or sycophants to insure compliance from members or believers.
46. Sees self as “unstoppable” perhaps has even said so.
47. Conceals background or family which would disclose how plain or ordinary he is.
48. Doesn’t think there is anything wrong with himself – in fact sees himself as perfection or “blessed.”
49. Has taken away the freedom to leave, to travel, to pursue life, and liberty of followers.
50. Has isolated the group physically (moved to a remote area) so as to not be observed.

.