Sunday, October 9, 2011

Dennis Says: "Ok, Ok,...I Still Miss It!"




OK, OK...I still miss it.

What is it about the Fall Festival season that still finds a very conscious or at least subconscious place in our former WCG minds?  I always have looked forward to Fall in any place I lived and for half my life at least Fall meant Feast of Tabernacles.  I always like the Feast of Trumpets because plainly it could be, whether should be, linked to the Second Coming of Jesus just any time at the last trump.  Atonement, not so much except it was not uncommon to leave that night or at the latest, the next day for the Feast of Tabernacles somewhere.

I still have relatives who physically linger around the edges of the COG and the Festivals even though they never attend church during the year and really don't believe much in it.  Yet it is not uncommon for them to get that old "Feast Fever" and head off to, not just some local site, but some foreign country of the Islands, to "keep the Feast."   I know some who go to festival sites yet don't go to church at that that site at all!  How nuts is that.  Well, really not nuts if you have to endure the worn out old routine of 3 songs, opening prayer, sermonette, announcements, special music, nuther song, sermon that is over long before the guy gets finished and nuther song with hurry up and pray ending.  

But Fall feels like the Feast to me and I can tell you without looking which full moon is it! 

Even the new and improved WCG which repudiates the crazy thing still finds Fall time to Cruise for Jesus.  You can't tell me that is not a leftover need to get out of Dodge in the Fall.  Old habits die hard.



I think I miss the crowd with the common hope.  It was a great hope you know.  The world is indeed nuts and a clean up is in order.  I loved seeing all the friends, new and old from churches long since transferred from.  Friends in WCG seemed to be true friends indeed to me and I can't say i don't miss them.  If I don't miss someone, it's the guys i went to college with who went on to be pastors and still are either in some splinter or sliver or simply off on their own repeating the same old story over and over still without the training or credentials to know whereof they speak.  Oh well, it's a living.

I have to say, I miss teaching and giving those sermons to thousands. I can only speak for myself, but I had fun. Tried to pick practical topics and always found a way to get around speaking about the assigned topic that was given each towards the latter years from "HQ."  I guess they were afraid of who would really say what so they told them what to say.  My last real sermon, "The Politics of the New Testament" at Myrtle Beach, was my last really great time for me in teaching. I ended up saying a bit too much and shortly after labeled as knowing a lot about Jesus, but not knowing Jesus.  Oh well, screw it. To me, knowing a lot about Jesus and knowing Jesus are one in the same unless one goes into some kind of silly evangelical fourth dimension.   However remind me to clean up my explanation of how Matthew came up with his Virgin Birth 'prophecy.'  And never, never say,  "come on folks, where DO babies come from" to a COG audience or administration  :(
It was still fun and I'm still right.

I did hear one minister, still a minister THREE TIMES in THREE FEASTS give the same sermon!!!  As soon as he said, "I'm going to show you something you have never seen before and will never see again."  He then opened a peanut and ate it.  The third time I got up and took a walk on the beach. Much nicer.

I still have friends from the past however I rarely hear from them.  When I call on occasion, we remember the good old days and realize how old we have gotten.  After all, with Jesus coming shortly, soon and 3-5, 10 at the most, no more than 15 and 20 tops....we weren't supposed to start falling apart.  Some have weathered aging well and others, not so much..ha.    But like the tractor pull at the fair that has the sliding weight that bogs you down eventually and says, "you know I'm going to get you," nothing lasts.

But what is the pull of it all.  I was not as much a fan of the Spring Holydays.  Passover and UB was taught from on high in such a negative manner.  Somber, sober and Stiffling.  Every year someone somewhere had to argue over what day really was the Passover and what really was and was not leavening.  I had to conduct the funeral service we called the Passover and read an hours worth of script that Jesus may or many not have said since only one gospel reports any of it.  Hoping one did not get memberstinkyfeet for the footwashing was always a hoot!

No, I miss the Feast.  The reasons seem deeply set and it's not because I know I should be there and am rebellious.  I know it is not necessary and it's origins are nothing what the COG's think.  I seriously doubt they really point to all the glorious things we thought they did.  If they do, "time is short," has a meaning different from what "time is short" means to me. 

And of course, Second tithe was really play money and only turned back into real money when we left after the first service on the Last Great Day because we wanted to get home and had to get back to work.  Only the really loyal stayed until 4:30 PM and left that evening.

Anyway, it's a lonely time of year for me personally.  I expect it is for others too and even those who rail against their church experience. 

I get a little depressed this time of year. What were all those years about anyway?  Was it all one big waste of time and energy?  Yes and no?  I didn't ever see or even hear about "drunken ministers" or "drunken members."  I don't say it wasn't so.  I just didn't hang with that crowd.  It was a challenge at times keeping track of my teen sons but they still speak fondly of their WCG Festival experiences, one even returning to Jekyll a couple years ago just to feel the feelings.

At any rate.  Nothing wrong with feeling a bit nostalgic.  It is amazing to me however the lengths some who do not attend and do not believe in the festivals will go to, to attend one or at least find a reason to take that great Fall vacation to some amazing place they never would have gone to for any other reason.

Jesus, if you are listening...Soon would really be a good time to return and shut us all up.

Dennis C. Diehl

Idiots In The Pulpit: Smurfs Can Cause Demon Possesion



Did you know that the Smurfs and My Little Pony are agents of Satan
and can cause demons to enter the minds of your children?

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Why Do The COG's Continue To Disgrace Themselves?




I had to laugh when reading the comments on Apostle  Malm's blog today.  One of his acolytes wrote the comment below and James responded.

Malm at least has a point for once that is worthwhile.  It is true that if the COG's would stop their stupidity, their disgraceful, hypocritical and lying ways, then we would have nothing to report.  95% of what is reported here is copied directly from COG websites and blogs.  It's their own words that condemn them!  Instead, day in and day out, they lie, they cause dissension, they abuse members, they cause deaths, suicides and untold misery.  The list could go on and on.  There is nothing "godly" about any the COG's!  Armstrongism has always been a cesspool.  Twenty five years after HWA's death and they are worse than ever. It's no wonder that not one single COG group is growing.  .

concerned observer
October 7th, 2011 at 18:05
And now spread to the e-rags which disgrace the COGs daily….
http://armstrongismlibrary.blogspot.com/
By their fruits you shall know them… PRECISELY! If we did not disgrace ourselve they would have little to write about! What ever happened to God’s command to be above any possible reproach and of a good reputation? James


Reprobate COGers Parasailing and Watching WICKED Cartoons on Saturdays



Apostle Malm is not happy today!  Well, that's no shocker.  He is upset that COG folk who happen to go on Feast cruises spend Saturday parasailing and watching shows and cartoons.  Oh the tragedy!

The last Feast I ever attended was a cruise to the Caribbean.  I bet 1/3 - 1/2 those on the cruise did similar activities.  Why sit in some theatre listening to a minister drone on and on about nothing?  Most people on the cruise brought guests because the rates were so good and people had a blast, even on Saturdays.  I even saw the minister in the casino on Saturday.


It is reported to me that many engage in lengthy travel on the Sabbath; that at a recent Feast, a cruise ship was in port on Sabbath and the minister hid away as the people went out to play; parasailing. That many watch hours of cartoons and shows full of wickedness on the Sabbath; and that in a demonstration of monumental hypocrisy [not being willing to work, but being willing to pay others to do so] some actually go out to buy food and drink on God’s Holy Sabbath Day.

wicked, wicked, wicked!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Zambia COGWA Calls Out Kubic For False Allegations



I imagine Kubic is NOT happy about being called a liar!  Remember UCG is now controlled by the worlds most converted men since they kicked out all the reprobates.

From: Kambani Banda [mailto:kbanda@zamnet.zm]
Sent: Friday, October 07, 2011 5:41 PM
To:vic@kubik.org‘ ; ‘bev@kubik.org

Subject: Your false Allegations

Dear Mr. Kubik:

It is disappointing that I am being drawn away from necessary preparation for the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles to respond to the public message which you have disseminated on the Internet and among God’s people. Based on the level of upset and division you are causing within the Body of Christ, you leave me with little choice but to personally respond to your false claims and set the record straight. This is an open letter, and it may be shared with others. While I would normally try to avoid a public response to false allegations such as these, it is necessary to give an answer to your outrageous charges. 

Let me note at the outset, it is with much regret that I write this letter; however, after the many months of your concerted efforts to drag me through the courts of this world, along with the actions of two of your ministers (one local, and one from the United States) in August, I feel that I must now address the postings and public “prayer requests” that you have spread abroad accusing myself and other members here in Zambia of theft.

Such accusations are patently false, yet you have never once tried to discuss the matter (or complaints) about such with me or the other members you have slandered (as the Scripture would require of you). Rather, you have pursued spreading false accusations, and total mis-information about the alleged “rustling” of cattle in Zambia .

Your public statement, which has been questionably dubbed a “prayer request,” has the effect of making me and unspecified members of my congregations appear to be criminals without conscience. This is slander, and you have violated the ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16) by disseminating this false testimony against your brethren. I implore you to retract your false accusations and issue a public apology for the benefit of those whose reputations have been damaged by your actions. You are also doing a great disservice to your own members by manipulating their emotions with these false statements on the eve of the Feast of Tabernacles

To be clear, nobody in my congregations has stolen any cattle. Not from your fellowship, not from anybody. We have not taken a single animal from your members. Such an action would be a crime, and more importantly, this would be a sin before God. 

If you truly believe this has happened, then you believe that crimes have happened. Cattle rustling is a serious offence in Zambia , an offence for which one can be imprisoned. Since you have already shown yourself more than willing to resort to the legal process by filing lawsuits against a brother, why aren’t you willing to go to the police with these allegations? Why haven’t your informants in Zambia taken this story to law enforcement? 

Let the truth come out, and I challenge you to back up these allegations with strict proof if you are serious. You know Haben and Winter to be faithful members of the church; however, you should understand, that if these men are falsely imprisoned as a result of fabricated and slanderous accusations, there will be a price for you or others to pay based under Zambian law.

While you are personally aware of how the Church of God has operated in Zambia in recent memory, due to your Internet propaganda, perhaps a few reminders are in order. First, the Church of God in Zambia runs a nongovernmental organization, and the nongovernmental organization shepherds assets for the benefit of the brethren. Among the organization’s assets are a few head of oxen. The organization is responsible for caring for these oxen and ensuring that our church brethren get equitable access to the animals. No single individual owns the animals in question; your allegation to the contrary is a false statement. These animals are a community resource, and brethren are allowed to use them on a rotational basis for a limited period of time. While one or more people may have suddenly claimed a baseless personal property interest in some of the oxen, you should know better. 

As you might recall, under the policies of our NGO entity in Zambia , two heifers per family are initially given as a loan to members of our organization, and eventually, these animals may or may not become personal property. You should recall that the heifers become personal property only when a member family repays their loan, and loan repayment is in the form of one calf per heifer. Since each family is given two heifers, each family must then “pay back” two calves. However, unless that condition is satisfied, the loaned animals must be returned.

The facts in this matter make one wonder how you came up with the specific allegation that our members “rustled” seven animals. This is a complete fabrication. 

On the other hand, our organization did recently receive back one overdue ox from an individual who appears to be associated with your church and who has been openly hostile our fellowship. This individual was legally bound to return the animal loaned to him when the loan period expired. There was no mistake about this. With this in mind, we had a responsibility to ask for the return of the ox in an orderly manner, so that it could be loaned to another family. The individual in question was given notice of our desire to have the animal returned. While we sensed that the individual was not happy about being required to return our brethren’s property, this did not deter us from seeking to act in the best interest of the brethren, and according to well-established rules regarding the ox pool’s permitted uses.

Fortunately, two responsible representatives of the local NGO visited this individual and cooperated with him in effecting an orderly, consensual, and peaceful transfer of the asset. No objections were raised, and he seemed to understand why it was that the organization property had to be returned. Contrary to the false statements in your postings and “prayer requests” being circulated, no force was used; no “rustling” occurred; no “thieving” occurred; no hostility ensued; and nothing sensational happened. The only thing wrong with this scenario was that our organization did not receive back its property sooner than it did. On the other hand, forceful or violent confiscation of the animal would have been a sin and likely a crime, even under these circumstances. As a pastor, I would not condone that within my congregations. I have investigated the situation and have interviewed the witnesses. I am more than satisfied that nothing improper occurred here. In sum, this individual has no moral or legal claim to the ox. 

Mr. Kubik, you are probably aware of other provocative and ugly acts committed against us by persons associated with your fellowship in recent months, and you may have noted that we have done our best to turn the other cheek each time, and to not publically address them. In August, a visiting minister (of UCG-AIA) from the United States threw a rock at the door of the home of one of our members residing at the church farm as a caretaker, breaking it in the process. Further, one of your ministers broke into the church property by chiseling the locks thereon and taking with him an energizer used to power the fence.

While we had hoped that you would eventually leave us alone and peacefully separate from us, you don’t seem intent on doing so. In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask you to stop all forms of harassment and slander against our organization and against our brethren. Please leave us in peace. Recently the courts ruled that you, Victor Kubik, have no sufficient legal interest to mount the claim you were purporting to make. As you well know, you were struck out of the legal proceedings you initiated against me in my personal capacity. Yet it seems that you do not recognize the court’s ruling, even though if you were in Zambia, you could well be cited for contempt of court for your public misrepresentation of judicial proceedings (I refer in particular to your internet post on August 19 entitled “Breakthrough on the Verino Property”) in which you categorically stated that the Court had ruled in your favor!

While we believe your recent public efforts to falsely accuse individuals of criminal behavior is slander, and actionable in a court of law, we do not believe the Scriptures allow us to sue a brother in the secular courts. Settling your abuse and our differences aside for a moment, we still consider you a brother and we respectfully ask you to start behaving towards us as a brother. 

While you may not be happy that I chose to dis-associate myself and our relationship from United Church of God, AIA, this is no reason to take a brother to the courts of this world, to refuse to meet with him (myself) privately, to publically misrepresent the outcome of judicial proceedings , and now to publically spread totally false accusations, while preying on the sympathy of uninformed Church members around the world, beseeching them to “pray to protect the Zambian brethren” from evils of cattle rustlers, as if someone’s person or livelihood are in jeopardy. And then as if that is not enough, to cite these “thieves” as members of our current Church fellowship.

On behalf of our brethren in Zambia , I beg you: refrain from any further slander or harassment. And also, please leave my brethren in the Church of God , a Worldwide Association out of this by holding back on any further innuendos regarding their leadership’s alleged involvement in this controversy (they have not been involved in this incident or in the recent litigation that you commenced, as these are local matters). I challenge you to critically examine yourself regarding your recent actions. I hope you are able to do this and keep God’s Feasts with a clear conscience. 

Kambani Banda