Who Are You Going To Push?

On a couple of Facebook pages there are stories being shared about the abject evil that the Philadelphia Church of God is perpetuating on its members.  The vile filth that these so-called men of God are doing to members is appalling to read.  No one in the PCG speaks out for these people who are mistreated and traumatized.  They sit by and do nothing.  Marriages and families are ripped apart.  Grandparents turn their backs on children/grandchildren all because a narcissistic drunken despot and his cadre of gestapo agents have allowed themselves to sink into a cesspool of moral depravity.

Contrast that to the short film above about a man with severe disabilities and how a best friend and a community of fellow travelers came together to help him accomplish a 500 mile journey on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail through northern Spain. A loyal and devoted friend helped push his friend over what seemed to be an insurmountable mountain.  Joining him on the way were other travelers that saw a need and joined in accomplishing something that will remain with them their entire lies.  A community of people who were filled with compassion and love that conquered something unimaginable.

In spite of what is displayed in the film above, many in the Churches of God are all about CREATING mountains and obstacles.  Abusive ministers, manipulative members and all kinds of evildoers conspire to keep members beaten down, devalued and dehumanized. Fear and legalism are the two things that keep the members compliant.  That's why they sit by and do noting when their friends and relatives are treated like dirt.  That is why they turn their backs on these same friends and family members.

The film closes with the following words which I think describe what we do here and others are doing in numerous web sites, blogs and Facebook pages.  There are desperate people out here that need to be pushed and pulled over the mountains of abuse and out of the valleys of quagmire that Armstrongism has trapped people in.  There is no community or loyalty in Armstrongism, only people slightly joined together in fear.  Disrupt that apple cart at some point in time and you will truly see who your REAL friends and community were.  It will NOT be those in the COG.  That road has been littered with the bodies of tens of thousands of former members of the Churches of God over the past eighty some years.

Everyone of us have people in our lives who pushed, pulled and drug us over mountains at some point in time and everyone of us have people in our lives that are desperate for hope, who are desperate for someone to come along up the face of their mountain, over the precipice of their mountain and push them forward in life. Push them beyond their limitations.

Who are you going to push?

Basil Wolverton: Creeping Death From Neptune

This is the first in a two-volume retrospective—collecting full comics stories, unpublished art, ads, etc.—and biography of the famous Mad cartoonist.

This is the first of two volumes reprinting copious amounts of comics stories and recounting the career of cartoonist Basil Wolverton. Based on his correspondence and journals, the biographical portion of the books follow Wolverton from childhood to adult day-to-day life as freelance cartoonist, itinerant handyman, persistent contest enterer, and local pastor of the Radio Church of God. Wolverton lived and worked in the Pacific Northwest, unique among the first generation of comic book pioneers. In the precious period before the industry calcified into a commercial institution, Wolverton was free to work under the radar to explore in detail his weird tales of the future. The book collects all of Wolverton’s non-humorous comic stories and a substantial selection of his humorous comics, alongside dozens of pages of unpublished artwork, unsold features, and never-before-seen correspondence, including rejection letters! Full-color

Buy the book here: Creeping Death From Neptune

New Book: Walking From Lockney to Jerusalem

It’s a walk of faith--and it also involves a “faith of inconvienence”...Join Coy Reece Holley as he takes you through a "walking tour" of his life in this unique "memoir with a twist". ”Walking From Lockney To Jerusalem: My Life In The Worldwide Church of God" will help you see evangelical Christianity through totally different eyes and will provoke you to explore issues not only in religion, but also in society that you may not have otherwise considered. Mr. Holley also recounts the journey he went through as a member of the Worldwide Church of God (founded by Herbert W. Armstrong; now called Grace Communion International) through both the years immediately prior to Joseph W. Tkach's 1994 "Christmas Eve" sermon as well as the aftermath of "the changes" that rocked the entire foundation of WCG/GCI itself in the years immediately following. Mr. Holley also talks about how those changes are still impacting its past and present members even to this day.

Buy the book in Kindle or paperback here:  Walking From Lockney to Jerusalem

New Book: From Fear to Freedom

The documented personal stories continue to be published year after year by those that have escaped from the clutches of Armstrongism.  In spite of these books many still sit in COG's believing nothing is wrong with their belief system.

Peter Black lives near Brisbane Australia and was introduced by his parents to life in a powerful, destructive and fundamentalist religious cult at the early age of 3. Most of his childhood, teenage and adult years were shaped by the twisted and fear-filled belief system of the Worldwide Church of God, until he walked out of the group when 34 years old. As just a small child himself, Peter heard many times the horrible and sickening sound of children being bashed week after week during church because of the cult’s insistence on this for even small misdemeanors. Also the author lost a number of friends who went on to suicide due to lives totally wrecked by Herbert W Armstrong’s so-called Christian Church. As if this wasn’t enough, the author has been vision impaired all his life. He says the Worldwide Church of God was a lonely place to grow up because he was rejected by most of his peers who just couldn’t deal with someone who has a disability. Peter says people with disabilities were seen as having a “blemish” within the cruel sect. Despite all of that, Peter pulled his own life back from the brink and then went on to work with a number of other cult survivors in a similar position with their own lives. As well, the author gave a presentation entitled “the cult which almost changed the world” at a meeting of the “cult information and family support” (CIFS) support group in Brisbane during 2011. The writer believes that the recovery needs of religious cult survivors are poorly understood, even by many professional counselors and he says “who better to write a book on the subject than another cult survivor”. From Fear to Freedom concludes with a resource list of support organizations, some of which are of a general nature and others dedicated to assisting survivors from many different cultic groups. The book itself will help anyone who has left a damaging cult to put a wrecked life back together, just like Peter did. 

Buy it here in Kindle or paperback:  From Fear to Freedom

New Sabbatarian Motorcycle Group Forming

The latest issue of The Journal is out and has a small blurb on a new motorcycle group that has formed for Sabbatarians.

A new Christian motorcycle-riding group, XII Legions Christian Motorcycle Ministry, has started up in New Jersey with the intent to develop chapters in other areas of the country.

The bikers are “looking for other bikers who have an interest in motorcycles, riding and the Word of God, including God’s holy Sabbath day,” Mr. Paparella said. The group is nondenominational and open to all regardless of church affiliation and “wants to promote the gospel of the Kingdom of God on two wheels,” he said. The founders are longtime Church of God members, with past and current fellowships with the former Worldwide Church of God, United Church of God, Church of God (Seventh Day), Beth Israel Messianic Congregation and Church of God Flemington (an affiliate of Church of God Ministries International), as well as several private-residence-based church groups.

I just envision hoards of Sabbatarians riding through peaceful neighborhoods on Sunday mornings revving their bikes in order to disturb the heathen Sunday worshipers.

Just imagine the scene at some future Feast of Tabernacles site as the Charlotte Spankers, Wadsworth Narcissists and the Edmond Idolaters clash over which one is the one true Sabbatarian biker group.

I highly doubt any of them will put John 3:16 or Colossians 2:14 on their jackets.  Can't have any of that Jesus stuff, just the law.

Like everything else in the Church of God, this is nothing new.  There have been Adventist Sabbath Keeper motorcycle groups for many years that attend all the motorcycle gatherings around the country.  One of those events is here in California in Hollister.  There is also The Sabbath Keepers Motorcycle Ministry.

I doubt if they will name one like this either

Shall we start naming the various COG motorcycle gangs?

United Church of God Is Now Embracing "Transformative Learning" After Mocking WCG Over Its Own Transformation Learning Process

During the mid 1990's when the Worldwide Church of God was transforming its thinking and beliefs, many of the so called "loyal men" headquartered in Pasadena, and elsewhere, balked at this new way of thinking.  The WCG was throwing out the phrase "cognitive dissonance" in almost every sermon, article and interview.

Wikipedia defines cognitive dissonance as such:

In psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.^[1][2]

Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance focuses on how humans strive for internal consistency. An individual who experiences inconsistency (dissonance) tends to become psychologically uncomfortable, and is motivated to try to reduce this dissonance—as well as actively avoid situations and information likely to increase it.^[1]

After months and months of claiming the church was NOT changing any of its teachings, even though the rumor mill was working over time claiming it was, the Worldwide Church of God  abruptly departed from the path and made epic changes.  These changes ripped the church apart by forcing members to "think" on their own for the  first time.  Some got the necessity for the changes and many did  not.  How could Herbert Armstrong have been wrong?  Is everything I ever believed wrong? These questions disrupted the life of the church.

Some of the biggest enforcers of the "new" doctrines of the WCG were the very same men that sit in positions of leadership of the United Church of God today.  For a long period of time, while they planned and plotted their new church, they kicked out hundreds of members from the WCG for disagreeing with the new teachings.

While these men were punishing questioning members, Vic Kubik, Robin Webber and others to gathered in Kubik's apartment on the Pasadena campus where they plotted to form a break away group where they could divert as much money possible in order to preserve their jobs.  Word was quickly spreading as to what these men were up to.  Church of Administration was also aware and told them to get in line or get out.  Many paid lip service for several months till the UCG  officially had money coming in.  Then they left.

Once these men left thy started mocking WCG's comments on the "cognitive dissonance" comments being made.  They claimed that they had no cognitive dissonance in their thinking.  They were right and there was no possible way they could be wrong.

Now jump forward a decade as United Church of God started facing its own upheavals with major splits happening.  The splintering groups and members claimed that the UCG brass were up to something and making subtle changes doctrinally.  UCG swung into denial mode claiming no such thing was happening.  Disgruntled members and employees in Cincinnati kept spilling the beans on all kinds of things happening.  Pretty soon UCG big-shots started claiming that those upset were dealing with cognitive dissonance.

Now jump forward to 2015.  The United Church of God ha snow embraced "Transformative Learning" as  its new tool of "educating" its "college" students and members into examining their thinking and to being open to new ideas.  The UCG recently hired on a new minster trainee who is educated in this thought process.

What is transformative learning?

Here is what the University of Central Oklahoma define Transformational Learning as:

Jack Mezirow, a leading thinker in adult education, developed his characterization of transformative learning (TL) in the late 70s and early 80s. Dr. Patricia Cranton of Penn State, another leading writer on transformative learning, says that the “elegantly simple” definition of TL includes the idea of people changing the way they interpret their experiences and their interactions with the world:

. . . an individual becomes aware of holding a limiting or distorted view. If the individual critically examines this view, opens herself to alternatives, and consequently changes the way she sees things, she has transformed some part of how she makes meaning out of the world. (Cranton, n.d., available here) 

This idea of a fundamental change in perspective or frame of reference (King, 2002) is at the heart of transformative learning. When someone undergoes such a change, he has, in essence, “transformed” his view of himself or of the world or of how he interacts with others and his environment. 

There is nothing wrong with that approach and should be what every single person heading off to college or parked on their butt in church is using.  However, in the historical Church of God movement under Herbert Armstrong's influence, critically examining ones view, being open to alternative thinking and actually changing ones thinking was NOT something that members were encouraged to do.

The entire foundation of the 20th century Church of God movement was based upon Armstrong's six months spent in a public library, a dream of his wife, and a distorted interpretation of British Israelism.  Once that was set into print or uttered by Herbert Armstrong it was FINAL and no one was to question him.  Anyone that dared to question or actually prove he was wrong was immediately kicked out and marked as a dissident.

So what is the United Church of God really up to?  Many see this is just one more in a long line of hypocritical things that UCG is doing.  What is UCG going to do if someone comes forward and says that everything that UCG believes is actually wrong?  Will they stop, listen, examine and open themselves up to new alternative thoughts and practices?  You and I know the answer to that!

Are There Really Any "Good" Elders/Ministers in the Church of God?

In the thread under Herbert Armstrong's disdain for regular members, there have been a lot of interesting comments.  Three of which I post below.  The first two takes exception that there are NO good elders in the Church of God who have risen above the corruption and abuse.  The second claims there are NO "good" elders/ministers in the church because they do nothing to stop the abuse they see happen around them.

"The headline here is wrong. i would agree with it in part only....as usual many are being tarred with the same brush, when in reality its just ''big names'' ruining it for the rest of the Shepherds who try to do a humble work." 3:00

"If you can listen to HWA's Friday night Bible Studies to the brethren, he is so gentle, and would warn us of ministers (even in the WCG) that were wolves in sheep's clothing. This did happen as many of these ministers and their followers turned aside from the Bible truth, causing the great split of 3/4 of the church. Yes, HWA tried to warn us, may be got a bit emotional at times. I have noticed a big difference when I was a member of WCG during HWA's time and now being currently in one of the COC's, that many of the ministers now are very selfish and only there for the money, and treat brethren badly, who do not suck up to them." 8:42

One response says those that sat by and did nothing when they saw abuse are actually culpable to the spiritual/physical tragedies Flurry, Pack, Meredith, and others have caused.

I can't deny that there were "good" elders and ministers in the COG. However, because they sit by and don't speak up when they see abuse and mistreatment of members they are just as culpable as the perpetrators. They know better.

The so called "good" elders and ministers of PCG, LCG, UCG, COGWA and RCG  are guilty of the the suicides, broken marriages, destroyed families and lives because they are helping perpetuate a system of gross abuse that has been going on for close to eight decades. When will they grow some balls and forgo the paycheck and speak out and truly be servants of the members? Then we will truly know who the "good" ones are.

Which side is right?   Is Cal Culppepper good?  Richard Ames, Victor Kubik?  Joel Meeker? Gerald Flurry?  Dave Pack?  Bob Thiel? Jim Franks? James Malm?  Are some better than others or are they all equally wrong?