The Two Sides of HWA "...it appears the Sabbath was abolished in the NT and was replaced by nothing. Some day should be kept but the day is unimportant."

The Two Sides of HWA

In 1926, HWA does his famous 6-month intense study at a library. His study is about the Sabbath as we well remember.

In 1927, he writes an article; "The Foundation for Sunday Sacredness Crumbles". He teaches that worship on Sunday is pagan and it is an invention of the Catholic church. True Christians must keep the Sabbath, it's a sin if they don't.

But wait!!! There's more to the story!!

On February 23, 1928, he writes a letter to Duggar COG7D. HWA writes, 

"...it appears the Sabbath was abolished in the NT and was replaced by nothing. Some day should be kept but the day is unimportant. The bible doesn't command us to keep the Sabbath and there's no punishment for those who don't keep it."

In August 1928 he writes his grandparents, 

"...it's not disobedience to not keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not necessary for salvation."

I guess this explains why Herb treated the Sabbath like any other day of the week. He would watch movies, Lakers basketball and Westerns, played cards and would wine and dine himself on that day too. While he enforced it on us as a matter of salvation. He really didn't believe it was. Thanks, Herb.

Herb's comments start at the 1:03 mark

published with permission, Facebook, MB

Has Church of God International Answered Bible Critics?

Has CGI Answered Bible Critics?

In the current issue of The International News(Vol. 40, No. 2), the Church of God International has presented an article that purports to answer Bible critics -- Answering Bible Critics   Lloyd Cary opens the article by expressing his hope that none of his readers believes that the Bible is full of contradictions (and most of them probably don’t). He then proceeds to acknowledge that some “uninformed Christians and sincere doubters question the authority of the Bible.”

According to Cary, there are a few characteristics that apply to most of these questioners: 1) They don’t actually read the Bible, 2) They’re prejudiced against the Bible and predisposed to find error within it, 3) They are inclined to dismiss the Bible when it conflicts with their views/opinions/lifestyle and 4) They don’t know God (if they did, they’d love HIS book).

Based on my own personal experiences within the Worldwide Church of God and then the Church of God International, I would have to say that Mr. Cary is wrong on all four counts! I have questioned some of the material in the Scriptures for many years now (going all the way back to my time in CGI); and I have also read, studied and continued to read and study the Bible extensively (and I know of many other questioners who have done likewise). And, neither I nor most of the rest of my fellow questioners began our journey with any prejudices against Scripture or predispositions to find error within it. Indeed, most of us were the same degree of Fundamentalist/Literalist that Mr. Cary appears to be at present!

Now, it is true that I began to question Scripture when I realized that some of the passages therein contradicted my own life experiences and training. Even so, my initial inclination was to dismiss my own experiences and training and attempt to prove that the Bible was correct. Moreover, even after I concluded that the Bible does contain errors and contradictions, I DID NOT (AND HAVE NOT) dismissed the Bible as irrelevant. Indeed, I continue to hold that book in high regard and still believe that it has the breath of Divine inspiration and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and instructing us in the ways of righteousness (and, once again, I am not alone in this conclusion).

Finally, as for the question of knowing God, if we are appealing to what is revealed in Scripture, I am very familiar with the same information that Mr. Cary has in his possession. As I think that it would be arrogant and unsupported by Scripture to do so, I will not say that I “know” God. If the Bible is to be believed, then we must admit that it is beyond the ability of our human minds to fully comprehend the extent of God’s greatness, personality and love – even with the addition of the Holy Spirit. And, just for the record, I do love the Bible.

Some of us, however, are willing to acknowledge that the Bible is the product of a joint venture between human and Divine, and that the human portion of that equation is quite capable of prejudice, error and contradiction – even with God’s help and direction! Many of us understand that the Bible was never intended by God to be a history or science textbook, and that God never intended for mankind to be forever trapped within the limitations of a Bronze Age understanding of themselves, the world they inhabit or the God they worship! For many of us, the Bible is a SPIRITUAL guide that serves to enrich and strengthen our faith and lead us toward salvation through Jesus Christ.

Mr. Cary, however, remains clearly in the inerrancy camp, and he leaves his readers with a number of suggestions for handling someone who confronts them with Bible errors and/or contradictions. Unfortunately, most of these suggestions are an exercise in circular reasoning. If you have decided beforehand that the Bible does not contain contradictions or errors, it is highly unlikely that you will find any of them in the book you are studying! And, if you ask your CGI minister for assistance with an apparent contradiction/error, it is highly unlikely that he will be inclined to confirm your suspicion that something is not quite right! And, if you’ve followed all of his suggestions and still have questions about an apparent contradiction/error, Cary asks his readers to trust that “God’s” Word is correct (even if you cannot figure it out).

Nice failsafe – the circular reasoning gets you right back to where you started: There is no contradiction/error, because it is impossible for one to exist! By the way, did I mention that I own a bridge in Brooklyn that I’d very much like to sell you?

submitted by Lonnie Hendricks

Dave Pack: RCG Members Can't Hear!

The Most Humble Man In The World

The most humble servant of God getting out of his custom Rolls Royce with personalized vanity plates.  He was dropping in for tea with Prime Minister Thatcher to talk about a 

"strong hand from someplace."

Gerald Flurry: Satan Disables New Jet, But God Intervenes So Elijah Can Fly

In the magical world of Armstorngismm, "God" is constantly intervening in church events in order for his modern-day emissaries to carry our their Elijah roles.  That god had to recently find Gerald Flurry a different plane to fly on. Geralds new jet had a malfunctioned and by God's mercy and thoughtfulness, Gerald did not have to fly on a commercial airliner next to the unwashed and disease-ridden masses but found him a charter jet. God is great!  Forget those starving children in Africa, or those that are being slaughtered in Syria and elsewhere, intervening for Gerald is a TOP priority.

From Exit and Support

June 13, 2019
Recently, Flurry's plane on its way to a "campaign" in Tampa, FL, had a malfunction in the motor operating the wing flaps so returned to Oklahoma City airport. They departed once again, but again had to return to Oklahoma City airport! Flurry was determined to get to Tampa to give his lecture no matter what. 

Well, "luckily" for Flurry, there just happened to be a small charter plane available at another airport close by, which was a much smaller jet. Flurry managed to give his lecture after it was postponed for half an hour.  

PCG claimed that miraculously the PCG pilots found the small charter plane which just happened to be available! If God was truly with the PCG, then they wouldn't have had the problems with the motor in their plane in the first place! 

I wish that the people who attend these lectures would first check out what the PCG is really all about, destroying families, no medicines, etc. -- Impacted by PCG

HWA: The ONLY Reason You Were Born

Words of wisdom from the great one...

Herbert Armstrong
Bricket Wood Sermon
May, 1974

From "Get Back on Track"

"And YOU’LL FIND OUT THAT THOSE THAT GO OUT FROM THIS CHURCH, SOONER OR LATER, COME TO THE ONE THING: They’ll say “I DON’T WANT ANY GOVERNMENT OVER ME!” And WHAT GOD DOES WANT IS HIS GOVERNMENT OVER US! THAT’S THE ONLY REASON WE’VE BEEN BORN, BRETHREN!(I CAN’T PUT ENOUGH EMPHASIS IN THAT.)

IF YOU HATE THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD, YOU ARE ON SATAN’S SIDE. GET OVER ON TO SATAN’S SIDE, IF THAT’S WHERE YOU STAND. BUT IF YOU ARE ON GOD’S SIDE, GET OVER HERE ON GOD’S SIDE; AND STAY THERE!"

This is why so many of the Churches of God place more emphasis on "government" than they do Jesus. Being able to control every aspect of peoples is more valuable than leading people into grace.  Plus, it keeps them obedient to despotic leaders like Flurry, Weinland, and Pack. Sadly, some COG members think they need to be controlled and told what to do.  It is much easier and safer for them as they do not have to make theological decisions.



quote courtesy of SHT, comments mine

Questions For the" Born-In the church": What's Your Story?

In the days of old, generations ago, many of us in the Worldwide Church of God were victims of a culture of conformity. A culture that refused to accept that differences and diversity, not just of personality, but of opinion. The expectation was of assimilation into the precise expectation defined specifically by Herbert Armstrong as to exactly what defined not only a Christian, but a human. Not only a father, but a king. Not only a leader, but a ruler. The definitions were intrinsic, the calculations exact. You were a Worldwide-er. And if you did not fit the mold, you certainly got told. And for those who did not assimilate, in no time you were shown the gate. 

Growing up in the Church, however - was a slightly different story. There was no gate. What there was, was a two-punch indoctrination - first, from your parents, and then, when you understood, from the Church in general. Once you entered into school, the contradictory information began to infiltrate your mind. Then, the counter-information to fight the contradictory information came forth from your father, mother, pastor, and church leaders. You were told that what the counter-informers said was wrong and from the dark side, even though it made sense. You were told that what the church and parents said was right, even though it was obviously - except for some elements - wrong. 

Yes, you knew the basics were common sense and made sense. The ten commandments - sure, those made sense. Respect and honor - yeah, that made sense. It was everything else that didn't make sense. 

We have to stop eating leavening for seven days. But yet, this seems to be leavened - doesn't it? 

We have to stop eating and drinking for twenty-four hours. What bad thing will happen if we do? 

We must avoid working from Sunset to Sunset on the Sabbath. But yet, we're all working, aren't we? 

We can't eat pork because it's an unclean food. Yet, my friends eat pork, and they're healthier than I am. What gives? 

We are commanded to go to tithe three tithes - yet we're dirt poor and impoverished, and can't live, while our ministers live high on the hog and the big guys out west live in luxury. Why don't they see this as a problem? 

And this isn't even scratching the surface on the questions of a young person in the Church. There were many more questions and not enough answers. The expectation of the young person in the Church was to simply answer any question with "Maybe I don't understand now, but someday I will." Or, "Perhaps I don't get it because I'm not baptized yet". Or, and I heard this from other youth lots of times... "This isn't for me, but I have no choice, but once I'm old enough, I'm out." 

There was a sizable portion of Church Kids - the Y.O.U., if you will - who never really bought into the game. They had no choice to attend or not to attend - they were going, and that was that and case closed. So they went. They attended sabbath services that were absolutely inappropriate for them. They went to the feast, they skipped school sports and activities - but internally, they felt angry and deprived - and in some cases, even robbed. Certainly, misunderstood, rejected, and a fish out of water from everyone else. The questions, such as those examples above - were never sufficiently answered. And what this caused was, for many, a mass rebellion of the youth and a slammed door shut on the church that they grew up with. But for these young people, the damage was done. 

The Church had attempted to do damage control with such programs as S.E.P., Y.O.U., Church sports programs, talent shows, youth trips, outings, Bible bowls, district weekends and the like - but did these really do the trick in retaining the youth of the Church? The answer is a resounding no for the majority. How many of the youth in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, out of the nearly 100,000 that were in the Church in and around that time - remain in Armstrongism now? Why didn't they stay?

Here's the question that I am posing specifically for those who grew up in the Worldwide Church of God, who were raised in the Church from birth, and are no longer: 1) In Armstrongism, 2) A Church-goer, or 3) Religious. Why did you leave? 

What was your rationale? What was the breaking point? and finally, where are you now? Do you have anything additional to add? What's YOUR story? Please use the comments to answer, I'm looking forward to your answers.

submitted by SHT