Psychopaths in the Church of God

How equipped are you to deal with psychopaths in the church and in society around you?  The answer is that most of us were  not  able to see the psychopaths in our midst. Most people blissfully go through the day ignoring the psychopaths that are around us.  They can be neighbors, bosses, politicians and religious leaders.  Many of these people are prominent in society and lead by all visible appearances, normal productive purpose driven lives.

So just what is a psychopath?  Wikipedia has this to say about psychopaths:

Psychopathy (/saɪˈkɒpəθi/^[1][2]) is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, but often manage to pass themselves off as normal people.

How many ministers in Armstrongism do you know that were empathetic?  We have seen a few examples in the last day were COG ministers were NOT empathetic.  How many COG ministers, evangelists and Apostles do you know that were abusive to others?  How many ministers, evangelists, prophets and Apostles do you know that said one thing in public and did the exact opposite in their private lives?  How many were deceptive? Look at the stalkers, the rapists, the child abusers that have been part of the COG through the decades. The list could go on and on!

Wikipedia also has this to say:

According to Hare, the consensus among researchers in this area is that psychopathy stems from a specific neurological disorder which is present from birth,

Look at the life of Herbert Armstrong and the stories he told in his autobiography.  There was something not quit right about the guy and we were too blind to see it.

Look at Spanky and his sick obsession with sex, his extreme vengeance that he used to destroy ministers and members lives during the time he was over Church Administration.  Look at the  LCG members that were murdered in Spanky's church and his complete lack of remorse for what  he said and how it contributed to the mental break down of one of his members.

Look at Six Pack building his "mini-me" college and Auditorium in the middle of Oklahoma.  Look at the lives he has destroyed in his cult.  His extreme form of being non-empathetic has lead to his extreme decree on making members reject family members.  He does not care if grandmothers are forbidden to see grandchildren, or if parents reject their children.

Look at the leadership of UCG and COGWA and the  men who constantly battle each other in their power trips.  Look at the egos of these men.  Look at the total lack of empathy they have towards the brethren.  Their concern was first and foremost maintaining a power structure where they all have their jobs, cars, and the prestige of their ministerial positions.

I would now like to direct you to our own Douglas Becker and information he has about these people in our midst.  Douglas has done some great work on this topic.  This is not something new to him that he has been spurred to do in the last month or so.  This has been something he has been working on and studying for many years now.  Check out his link here on Depraved Indifference. 

Douglas has tied together an extreme belief/doctrine in the Churches of God and how it creates despotic behavior in its leaders.

British Israelism confers upon the leadership of a cult group a pattern of governance which limits culpability for abuse.

 Leaders of British Israelism are usually despots who have no accountability for their actions: While they rule as if they were absolute monarchs of the past glory of the British Empire with no regard for the rights of others, cult leaders of British Israelism establish laws and rules which are imposed on those below them in an hierarchical structure -- laws and rules which do not necessarily apply to the leader themselves. For example, some forms of British Israelism organizations have strict Sabbath keeping as a tenet of their cult culture, but the leader may find it convenient to go out dancing and other pleasures on the Sabbath because they are special in their own minds. The same could be said where the British Israelism has taken faith healing as an absolute unassailable tenet of doctrine and prohibit members using medical doctors for treatment of life threatening diseases, while the "Apostle" or other designation of the leader makes him immune to following his own doctrines based on his opinions because he is the absolute monarch of his British Israelism Empire. He will then go and get the best medical treatment for his own diseases and debilities because he deserves the best and it is God's Will for him to do so, to preserve the Empire at all costs.

As a result, members of British Israelism may die or live terrible lives, while the leaders live a posh existence of luxury.

Watch this great video and see how many characteristics you can pick out in the Churches of God.  You will be shocked at what you see.  The video is about 38 minutes long and is well worth viewing.

Hat's off to Douglas!  Keep up the good work!

The Prophet Who Is Ticked He Is Being Ignored!!!!!

No, I am not talking about Prophet Thiel, Armstrongism's greatest prophetic visionary. I am not even talking about a drunken prophet in Oklahoma or Weinerdude Weinland.  I am referring to God's most important messenger to the remnant COG in this quickening end times.  I am referring to Apostle Malm.

He whines:

I have worked night and day for over four years to warn of the impending events that will set the stage for the advent of the abomination and the tribulation. At the same time I have warned of the apostasy and trends in the COGs and presented much doctrine and much new truth solidly based on the scriptures. I have been most zealous for the Sabbath and ALL the commandments of my Father and your Father. Yet during that time I have been called everything from a false prophet to a liar and a  fool.

Brethren I live in poverty and have not done this for reward, but out of love for my God and my brethren.
It is long past time to wake up and prepare ourselves;  for the Bridegroom cometh!  Yes, the correction of the lax and lukewarm is at our very door.  Very soon now you will see these things beginning; the Bridegroom is knocking, and saying “open to me, turn to me my people”!

A UCG Funeral Story

The following  was too important to leave isolated in the comments section. 

From the comments section of the Did WCG Ministers Refuse Funerals for Stillborn Children?

 

My Mother's Funeral

As sad as this story is, I have an equally mind-boggling account of COG cruelty and absurdity.

After 20 years out of WCG, my wife and I joined a small UCG congregation in a foreign country in 2009 where we had been doing church-raising.

From my former WCG responsibilities and the fact that I had been a Wesleyan pastor and missionary in the interim, I rose quickly to song-leading and sermonettes within the first year. The regional pastor's favor shown to me didn't please the local elder.

When my 82-year-old alzheimers mother, who we had taken care of for six years, died in 2010, I informed the local elder that one of the local deacons who had visited my mother and I would perform the funeral ceremonies as per my mother's long-time wishes. This was perfectly in keeping with the UCG Ministerial manual.

With this the local elder saw his chance to remove the 'thorn' from his flesh. In the midst of our handling the grief, he concocted a desperate story about my disrespecting his authority to the regional pastor.

Even though half of the church saw and heard us discussing my plans at the side of my mother's casket at the funeral home, he told the pastor that I had ignored him and I don't know what else.

Two days later, I heard there was a problem and I called the pastor to find out what. He had talked to the elder and was ticked saying that I had usurped the UCG government and that he the pastor should be handling the funeral.

When I had calmly explained the situation to him, he said that neither the deacon, nor the other leaders, nor the brethren would be able to participate in the funeral of my mother.

The pastor told me, directly in front of where my mother was laying, that now that I had no choice I should let him do the service. I controlled myself and told him that what he was doing was extremely disrespectful and that he had better leave the room as soon as possible.

When I stood he saw my face and left quickly and somewhat shaken. But as he was exiting the door, he told me he would not be able to attend the funeral service since he had 'business' back in his province the next day.

The brethren said that he came to services and told the leaders not to participate in the funeral, but decided to allow the people to attend if they wished.

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There is much more and much worse which transpired over the next few days, weeks and months, as my family performed the services and buried my mother, unsupported by the shell-shocked brethren, and 'under a cloud' of doubled grief, and then as I appealed my way up the wicked chain of UCG command.

I would love to tell you the names, locales, and details of this unprecedented debacle, but my principles will not permit retribution on such sad and depraved COG hirelings.

Fortunately, I was already emotionally prepared, because of the long-time nature of dealing with an alzheimers parent, and because of the intensely spiritual parting with my dear mother after such a close shared experience.

But when I look back at what they did, it is like a surreal dream without parallel. I actually feel worse for them than I did for myself.

The pastor by the way lost his regional position and all those wonderful tithes when he jumped the UCG ship for COGWA and wound up with just part of his home congregation, most of whom he already has to support financially. I think he may have lost his UCG retirement program also.

As my mother of happy memory often reminded me, ‘What goes around, comes around.’