Sunday, November 18, 2012

Bible Sabbath Association UK Founder Hearing Voices From His Computer



For some strange reason Armstrongism attracted a lot of really weird people.  These people were deeply into conspiracy theories.  They were into the Protocols of Zion, chem trails, Fema camps that were really concentration camps, black helicopters, the Illuminati, Masonic conspiracies and much, much more.  All of this useless balder all was used to further support many of the racists and totally absurd prophecy teachings of the Worldwide Church of God and Herbert Armstrong.

With the implosion of the WCG in the mid 1990's hundreds of groups formed to carry on the "true" mantle of the end time Church of God.  One of these groups was the Bible Sabbath Association UK started by Robert Taylor.

Like many who expected the Church to tell them what to believe and how to do it, the church implosion left many without any stability.  With the rejection of the Sabbath and other things they thought were commanded, they sank deeper and deeper into legalism.  Armstrongism could no longer fit the bill.  They sometimes wandered over to Judaism as their next step. Others jumped into Messianic Judaism.  This is what Robert Taylor did.

He maintained a blog for several years dealing with Messianic Judaism.  Then all of sudden last year it went silent.

It seems that he was messing around on his computer one day earlier this year and checked out the UK Government Communications Headquarters web site.  Apparently this was a VERY bad choice. According to Taylor, the UK government started spying on him and laughing at him through his computer speakers.  All of a sudden his computer mouse would have a mind of it's own and start moving around the desk.  Freaky!

A few months ago, I decided to visit the GCHQ website, this was during the time that they were in the news over a former spy who had been found dead in a box.

Little did I realise at the time, this would seemingly change my life for the worst. It was about a week later that I noticed things starting to change. My computer would act up, get even slower, the mouse would move on its own, and even began hearing voices coming out of the computer speakers. Sometimes, I would hear, "he's asleep" or just plain laughter.

At this time, according to Taylor,  the UK Communications HQ started bombarding his brain with microwaves and other mind control tools that started causing him headaches.and migraines.

To gain some peace of mind he would go for drives in his car. But, voices started coming out of his car speakers.

Several months later he has another entry where he says this:

Five months on, and the electromagnetic or satellite surveillance is in full swing, with increasing electronic pulses being sent to my brain, though many may think this is the world of craziness.  A new computer was bought, and again, the mouse moves on its own, and interference continues with the computer, with websites disappearing or changing etc.  
The UK Government was even mocking him on Passover. After celebration the Passover, the government was talking to him through his computer speakers.

And what was really upsetting was that during the Passover Service, I had an audience from the government agencies listening in the Passover Seder. They are able to hack into computers even when not connected to the Internet, since, I heard them say, "he's asleep" after resting after the Service from my computer speakers. 
 
Robert apparently is a prime example on what happens when a persons mind is destroyed by a cult.  He called up the UKCHQ to complain and a wise man there had this to say to him:

Some might assume that I am crazy, in fact, I rang up GCHQ to complain about this intrusion, the man belonging to public affairs stated that he thought I might need to see a doctor. 

 I couldn't agree more! Another mind destroyed by legalism and Armstrongism.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

UCG Still Struggling Financially


Things still are not rosy, money wise, within UCG.  After COGWA's stealth apostasy against the UCG, hundreds of thousands of dollars no longer flow into UCG's coffers.  Money  continues to be tight as many UCGers are withholding tithes and offerings as they wait and see what is going to happen.

A recent UCG financial report states:

I’ve heard, second hand, that the income has grown some in the last year but frankly we now realize that we had not made the necessary reductions to reflect our reduced income from what we were receiving two years ago.  My understanding is that the savings we had, that would have been enough to take us through 10 weeks of no income, is now basically gone and we’re having a cash flow crunch.  Some expenses that were to be paid before the Feast of Tabernacles were paid after the feast.  There is still a cash flow problem despite having a good feast offering.

Church employees in the U. S. no longer receive matching funds for retirement accounts (this is one cut that was made two years ago).  Healthcare benefits are going to have to be cut.  There will probably be larger deductibles and co-pays.

Church pastors are being asked to cut down on trips and their mileage reimbursements are being lowered.  Most meetings are now being done on the phone or online rather than face-to-face.  The Council of Elders is having most of its meetings online, though they do need to get together face-to-face for some things.  Aaron Dean, our treasurer, wrote us this: “I hope that cutbacks in our travel will be a temporary situation, and that God will bless us with more income from donors. Please fervently pray as I and all in the Home Office are praying for God to increase income, heal our employees and increase our faith in him. The whole country faces a rough road ahead, as you all have preached for many years.  In the meantime, please do more phone visits and less driving where possible.”

Friday, November 16, 2012

Grace Communion International/Worldwide Church of God Sticks It To Employee's Again




Today my mail box was filled with over 30 different emails regarding Grace Communion International/WCG latest screw job to present and past employees.

Several years ago as they were contemplating selling the campus they stood up in the Student Center at an employee meeting and promise retirement to all the employees that stuck by their side through the Great Theological Debacle that sent tens of thousands of people into hundreds of splinter cults.  They even stood up there and said that they would double the years employee's had worked as a Thank-You for being loyal.  I remember a minster sitting behind us saying under his breath that we would never see it.  We should have listened to him.  It never happened, at least the doubling of years.

They did eventually start a retirement program after the campus sale that they said would be funded with the money from the sale.  They also stood up there and said that the money would NOT be maintained by the Church but through an outside retirement management company. They said they were doing this to eliminate any conflict of interest.

Well, that did not last long!

In letters that were mailed out this week to all present employee's and those past employee's that they had permitted to join the program, it was announced that the retirement fund was  in serious financial trouble because of the "Great Recession."

There are at least three different letters that went out. One to present people in the retirement program, one to future vested ex-employees and another to the ministry.  One guess as to WHO gets the shaft in the scenario.  The ministry will still get their retirement, while all present retirement beneficiaries and future vested beneficiaries are being paid off in lump sums.

One of the letters said:

"As you know, Grace Communion International (formerly Worldwide Church of God) adopted a Defined Benefit Pension Plan ("Pension Plan") out of concern of its employees in 2004.  At the time the Pension Plan was adopted, it was our sincere hope that the assets that were contributed to the Pension Plan, plus the earnings on those amounts, would allow the Pension Plan to be self-sustaining and pay benefits to our current and future retirees throughout their lifetimes.  Unfortunately, as I am sure you are aware, the financial markets have substantially underperformed the reasonable expectations of investment professionals since the Pension Plan was established due primarily to what is now being called the "Great Recession."  Although we have managed the funds in a prudent manner and have earned a reasonable rate of return over the life of the Pension Plan, the projected growth of the Pension Plan's assets will now likely not, over time, be sufficient to cover the continuing payments to current and future retirees.  We are very concerned about this issue.
After careful deliberation, and out of concern for participants, their families and the Church, the Board of Directors has decided to terminate the Pension Plan with respect to exiting employee's and vested terminees.

This is causing serious concern to many elderly employees who have health issues because of their age and because of the work they performed for the Church.  They had counted on this retirement through the remainder of their life.  Now that has all be shot out the window.

The Church will be making lump sum payments to those presently in the program with a buy out.  If you take the lump sum and don't roll it over, you will have over 30% taken out in taxes.  Because the church for decades never paid into Social Security, because Herbert saw no need for it (the church was supposed to take care of it's own) they do not have large Social Security payments coming to them.  They were counting on this to help maintain housing and for food.

However, through this debacle there is one group of men who will still maintain their retirement.  All the leadership of the church and the ministry who remain in good standing.  When you are already making salaries in the $100,000+ (I have seen the pay stubs) this is just another added benefit.  The lowly employees who worked for the church for12 years or more without raises or cost of living increases continually got the shaft, even as the ministers received raises, cost of living increases and year end $10-15,000.00 bonuses.

Hundreds of employee's were refused admittance to the program. Some former ministers were not allowed to have any part of it, even those who did not join other splinter cults.

One long time loyal member of the church said, "We just got fucked again!"  Another said, "Lies, lies lies!  That's all they have ever ever done to us."  One women said, "Why I ever trusted them I have no idea!  I guess I thought they were Christians.  How wrong I was!" Another remarks, "Even after all these years they still have their claws in us."

I guess we all thought that since this was a Church, a church that had seen the Light and reformed it's erroneous ways, that would actually put the New Covenant into practice. How wrong were were. Apparently they are just as morally bankrupt as Gerald Flurry, Dave Pack and Rod Meredith.