Has your local COG become a social club? Do you play cards, drink, dance and dare to have a little fun? Setting aside the fact that alcoholism is rampant in the COG's, is it really wrong to dance and play cards? According to the person below it seems to be. He sounds more like a Southern Baptist than a COGer.
Apostle Malm (in bold) admits that the COG is over run by alcoholism, especially in the ordained ranks. He then goes on to be ready to ban ballroom dancing at the Feast! No more of this "touchy feely" type of dance. You should be doing a Jewish style of dance where you jump and leap around the room. That is what the new owners of Ambassador Auditorium do, they jump, leap, pogo, and do other ecstatic dancing.
Malm is thinking about setting up a Feast site this coming year. Can you imagine how depressing it will be to attend this downer of a Feast site? He has so many rules and regulations on what people should be doing and not doing on Saturdays, holy days and new moons that people will not be able to breathe without committing a major sin.
What I am telling you is certain (true). The majority of the
churches have been converted into social clubs, fellowship and fun, and
have pushed aside the spiritual focus. This even has happened with the
observance of the Holy Days of God. I had the opportunity to attend
here in Guatemala at the Feast of Tabernacles with the United Church of
God and nothing new was ever said to us, always the same sermons, the
same topics that in the millenium “we will govern over the rest” , as if
to instill into our minds that Nicolaitan attitude of dominance over
the rest. And, speaking about fun, what do you think about alcoholic
beverages? HWA used to teach that one could drink, dance, go to the
movies and play cards “in moderation”. Without exception I have seen
some excesses mainly at the Feast of Tabernacles.
I am familiar with Ottawa, Victoria and Pentiction Feast
sites in Canada. The locals welcome our money and they welcome us
leaving. There are always problems with alcohol, fighting [mostly
marital and young people shouting at each other], rowdiness and drunk
driving. In Pentiction the COG is known as the Church of Booze and the
Feast as the Feast of Booze. My grandfather was editor of the
Pentiction Herald until he retired and I was well familiar with things
there; haven’t been there in the last ten years. The COGs are famous
for alcoholism in many of their top elders. Of course this means that
biblically they are not qualified as elders. 1 Cor 6:10. Being addicted
to anything is to be a slave. The rampant abuse of alcohol by many in
the ministry is a very sad matter; even HWA was an alcoholic. The Feasts
are a chance to really let our light shine and they have in very many
cases given us a black eye. Biblical dancing was never this touchy feely
embracing dancing; it was always dancing as an expression of joy closer
to the Jewish dancing or a kind of leaping for joy and rejoicing before
God. We should be doing that at the Feasts and not the ballroom dancing
style. Search for Jewish Religious Dance, Dancing for Joy, Davidic
Dance etc.; I am not a fan of Modern Rabbinic Judaism, but this goes
back well before the time of Christ to David and earlier. This is too
energetic for Sabbath but excellent for the middle Feast days.
