David C Pack: You Will NOT Go To The Bathroom During Services!

Silenced has the following entry on their blog about a woman who attended for a brief time with the Restored Church of God cult.

Shirley Ward left this comment on our last post about RCG cult lunatic David C. Pack’s efforts to control his members:

I was with the RCG for several months, but got out because I was treated like child in an elementary school. I was told I had to call (one of the members) to let them know if I wasn’t going to be there on the Sabbath. I made it very clear that I, am 76 yrs old, and had some medical problems that kept from leaving the house. When I didn’t call, I was reprimanded. I explained that if I didn’t show up, that I was too ill or the weather was too bad.. I also, explained the difficulties I had, getting to and from the meetings, as it took me two hours to get there and that the traffic was extremely bad. Then I was told that I nor my grandson wasn’t allowed to go the restroom during the sermon to do so before or after the sermon, which was a problem for me, because of the medications I took. I was furious when I would get phone calls about how I or my grandson would leave during the sermon, so after the last tongue lashing I went on line and left a scorching e-mail and told them what and how I felt about the RCG Mr. Pack and his ego trips, constant need for money for his building fund and so on. So there, I just validated all of your comments.

Silenced ends the entry with this:

Dear Wadsworth media,
Potential sources criticizing Pack’s cult are practically being handed to you. Your laziness and lack of intellectual curiosity are rather sickening at this point. Real reporters would be probing this already.

Amen to that!  The Wadsworth "reporters" have given Dave a free pass on his cultic behavior. They know the criticism but refuse to hold him accountable.  How many lives need to be lost to this dangerous cult before one of them wakes up?

Merry Christmas! Thiel Says Earth Will NOT Be Destroyed By Comet ISON on December 16th.

Whether it is eating halal turkeys or worrying about the Mayan calendar predicting the end of the world, Armstrongites continue to be attracted to everything imaginable, except to Jesus.


Bob Thiel wants us all to know that the comet ISON will not destroy the earth or cause Armageddon. Bob knows he is correct because 32 of his other prophecies have come true.

That being said, the ‘great tribulation’ itself will not start on December 16, 2013. Perhaps I should mention that world events also aligned with at least 32 predictions in my book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect (a list can be found at the beginning of the old article End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something?). And yes, I do believe my biblically-understood prophetic views about the start of the ‘great tribulation’ will also be correct.  Comet ISON is not going to destroy the Earth.

Is It A Sin To Serve Halal Blessed Turkeys To Your Guests At Thanksgiving? Thiel Says It Might Be...

The silliness that occupies the minds of so many entrenched in Armstrongism seems to get worse every year.  Thiel is reporting that he got asked a question about halal slaughtered turkeys that have a prayer said over them as they are slaughtered. 

The enlightened prophet says:

COGwriter
A while back, a reader sent me a link to the following item from 2011 that was somewhat true then:

America’s favorite meal may be secretly dedicated to Allah…

Customer service representatives from Butterball, one of America’s most popular Turkey brands, confirmed to WND that the company’s whole turkeys are – without being labeled as such – slaughtered according to Islamic “halal” standards…Multiple phone representatives at Butterball confirmed the turkeys are slaughtered according to halal standards, and one named Tracy (she declined to give her last name) further confirmed the words of Islamic dedication are spoken over the birds. Has your Thanksgiving turkey been sacrificed to idols? http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=370177#ixzz1eRWF91z4

But then there was a change in 2012:

Butterball’s Thanksgiving turkeys won’t be served with a side dish of Islamic dogma this year.
The company has announced that its turkeys are not slaughtered according to Islam’s halal dietary principles, which say that animals should be killed while conscious and amid the sound of Islamic prayers.
The theological turkey turnabout came after an online protest on the topic last year threatened to sour the public’s taste for Butterball-branded products. http://dailycaller.com/2012/11/21/butterball-disavows-islamic-turkeys/#ixzz2jb9crgyn

Perhaps I should add that the first article also states that Butterball was not the only company that has allowed Islamic prayers over turkeys (there also may be Islamic prayers over other slaughtered animals as well).  It should be understood that Jewish rabbis also provide their approval/blessing on various ‘kosher’ foods and ‘halal’ is somewhat of an equivalent in the Islamic world.

Thiel ends with this:

The reason I said basically, as can be seen, is that if this somewhat would offend an acquaintance, then one should not eat such meat in a manner that would make him/her stumble. Otherwise, eating meat that in other ways is proper to eat is fine.

Sigh...

"Dennis;
You must have a pretty pathetic existence, if all you have to do
is attack your former belief system. If you are so happy to have
rejected what you once believed, why can't you get a life and just
move on?
You have no idea what a major clown you make yourself out to be
with every posting."

Anonymous Email

Every last one?  Really?  

My existence is not so bad. I enjoy learning and always have. I do wish I was a paleontologist though. There is much to learn in this life and there is no easier time in history to learn. Experience seems to be the best teacher.  I would not consider myself to be attacking my former belief system anymore than a Dr. Bart Ehrman of Misquoting Jesus , who began very sincerely as an Evangelical Christian at Moody Bible and just learned there was more to learn or a Dan Barker of Losing Faith in Faith , who had his own experience starting out as a fundamentalist believer.  "When I was a child ..." and all that.

I do have a life and it isn't in starting up or participating in yet another splinter of WCG.  I earn my money with hard work and still enjoying the fact that I am a caretaker at heart.  That's the hard wiring I suppose.  You're right about moving on but when I appear not to be, I am merely endeavoring to point out to others that which may save them from dis-illusionment to come.  But we all believe what we believe until we don't.  It would thrill me if some other former Church of God pastors would step up to the plate by name and share but that evidently is not happening.  I just consider myself to be sharing and anyone on Banned who feels so disposed can do so as well.  The stories and journeys are all different though the point of departure was the same.

Would you care to share your story and affiliations?

I don't consider to myself to be making a major clown out of myself with every posting but if so, thank you for pointing that out.  Having already worked at the Wildworld of God circus for over half my allotted life, I'd rather not do that again is all...

Thank you for kind words and encouragement.  I'd be curious to know who you actually are and your actual church affiliation.  I expect you must attend a COG by the  anonimity and tone of your note.  You're always welcome to give me a call and chat a bit...

Warm regards

Den

A Brief Musing on those beneath the Rank of Apostle

Dave Pack says of HWA and himself...

" But they will not come with us—God’s true Church—because they are being deceived by false leaders about what The Restored Church of God teaches—and about what Mr. Armstrong actually taught.

“Yet they are all HUMAN. They are ALL subject to error, and so are YOU—and so am I—and so is this Work of God. Even though it is God’s Work, directed, empowered and blessed by Him, He carries it on through frail, weak HUMANS, and we humans are ALL of us subject to mistakes!’

Translation:  God can't get us to get it right through the power of inspiration and whatever the role of a Holy Spirit that is suppose to guide us in all truth, whatever that means.  And YOU make mistakes too.  

“…Repent means CONFESS YOUR SINS …”

Observation:  Yes it does Mr. Pack.  We're waiting and "the prophecy is still very much 'on''' does not count.

“If I were looking for God’s one true Church, I would assuredly look for one that had confessed and corrected its errors! For all have had them—even the early churches…”

Observation:  I wouldn't. Gospel Jesus promised it would be lead and guided in all truth.  There is nothing in the NT about the church being prone to futsing up but correcting itself.  The self does not correct all that well and only after the Sheepy Sheep wake up and grumble. 

“Any criterion that assumes God’s TRUE Work through humans is absolutely perfect, unable to be wrong or make mistakes or hold to any error, is a false measuring stick and will mislead you.

Observation:  It's not a criterion thing.  No one I know thinks humans are "perfect."  But most do observe that those who think they are , especially those who claim divine guidance, are the most difficult to stop because they are not prone to thinking it is their own views and not that of any deity that runs the show.   You can't spend years saying "God says", "Christ is now wanting us to..."  "Jesus tells us..."  when they don't and be prone to admitting it. 

“You may ask, do I, then, feel that we in this Work are full of errors, misleading the people? MOST EMPHATICALLY NO! We have not had to correct error many times. But each time we have corrected an error, we have had one fewer error left. If we KNEW of any error still remaining, now, we wouldCHANGE it! If and when we find one in the future, we shall correct it! The one who follows that principle is the MOST FREE FROM ERROR!”

Observation:  It's also not a "we" thing.  Most members and ministers quietly are uncomfortable with the errors of Apostles and Joshuas but say nothing.  They hope it will be obvious to the Apostle soon enough to save them from having to speak up or caution the Apostle.  Apostles aren't real good at listening or using that multitude of counsel thing.  Think gyrating agreers on Dave's "counsel."  One should rather say, the many, not the 'one' who follow that principle.  When  the one has to be convinced they are full of poo poo, it takes way too long and the damage is done.

I and The Restored Church of God do the same. Mr. Armstrong continues:

Observation:  Yes you do...

“So, confessing such an error is one of the SUREST proofs to identify the people through whom the living Christ IS WORKING—and whom HE is USING!

Observation:  No it isn't.  You don't find the NT Apostles confessing to any missteps, misinformation or misapplication of scriptures, of which there were plenty.  They set the president that readers can never question the content and proofs of their views.

“If you are looking for a leader who claims that he is PERFECT, and you think you have found him, and he is human, HE IS A FALSE LEADER. There is ONLY the ONE Leader who is perfect today—and He is theLIVING CHRIST! We follow HIM—and we trust you, with us, will do the same.”

Observation:  No one does that.  Only the brain dead would be looking for a leader like that especially in religion.  You are merely playing humble and "only human" here to get yourself off the hook.  It's easy to "trust" a being that does not actually make himself known in any comfortable or confidence building way.  Everyone says "we follow Christ."  Paul did and the other Apostles told him, "No you don't"

It is quotes like these from Mr. Armstrong that are often used out of context by splinter leaders who hold offices below the rank of apostle. They claim, “We can change (translate: overthrow) teachings of Mr. Armstrong because he admitted he got things wrong.” They cite Mr. Armstrong for authority to change what they absolutely have NO AUTHORITY to change!

Observation:   Uh oh... "Below the rank of Apostle"?   There is the problem.  Dave believes that HWA was the only one who could correct the problems.  Of course that means that the one man must admit to them instead of cursing those who did not agree with him.  Paul did that too when confronted and that's not a compliment or example of how it should be done. The Ephesian Church in Revelation tried those who said they were apostles and found them wanting or inadequate and liars.  Jesus congratulated them for that. That was a bottom up thing and not a top down thing.  Bottom up accountability is safer than top down declarations of truth and from which only correction and change can come.    Dave is noting that the reason your observations about him or HWA are wrong is because you are not of sufficient RANK to make such judgements.

Dave Pack is no real Apostle.  He has been horrifically wrong about all his delusional writings about himself as spoken of by the Prophet Haggai.  His ideas are just that...ideas.  They are uncomfortable ideas and will always blow up in his face as this has.  He has disappeared to regroup and recover.  I am very sure he has suffered losses we will never hear about.

Dave's "Christ" was not in any of his ideas about himself.  Or may it was if he is one of the many who make claims about coming in Christ's name and claiming Jesus was the Christ,  but actually do not when you consider the message and missteps made by ego.

Don't Let Your Apostle Make You Sheepy

Speak up to Fake Authority