UCG Member Talks About Leaving The United Church of God

Troy Fitzgerald has another great story up from a former COG/UCG member talking about his exit from the cult mentality.  The UCG hierarchy for some reason decided to humiliate him in front of his parents by informing them that Jeff was not tithing to the church.

Jeff describes what it was like growing up in the WCG and watching his parents become very vocal in their opposition of the doctrinal changes in ’95, bolstered by the fact their pastor was also opposed to the changes. He talks about being home schooled and how that lead to his independent thinking and ultimate analysis of church doctrine, which he did secretly, as a young teenager.  He talks about the heartache of watching his teenage friends who had chosen to leave being shunned and ostracized by members in the church and how he relied on his friends for his sanity given his growing state of disbelief in the teachings of the church.

Jeff discusses how the church sent his tithing (donations) records to his parents prompting his mom to confront him about his not contributing for the previous year,  about his ultimate exit from the church and religion at the age of 21, and how his relationship with his family — all of whom still remain in the church — has evolved. He opens up about the emotional turmoil and heartbreak, years later, watching his mother succumb to cancer all the while resisting modern medical treatment and how the church practiced the avoidance of medical intervention (faith healing) despite the unspoken policy not being official doctrine. Finally, he offers his advice to others having doubts about their faith.

Listen to Jeff's interview here:    Coming Out of UCG

Have We Witnessed the Melt Down of Another COG Leader?

Over the last couple of years we have all had a front row seat to the mental break down of three narcissistic COG "leaders", Bob Thiel, David Pack and Eric King.  Thiel has come up with some of the most inventive excuses to legitimize his standing as the true end-time prophet.  David Pack is in hiding after his HUMILIATING prophetic failures in October of 2013 and April of this year.  King has also joined in this very visible melt down.

Eric King had been smothering the Internet for several years now with his prophecies, silly predictions and pseudo-biblical interpretations.  He claimed he was the TRUE end time leader of the remnant COG that held on tot he truth.

His web site and blog are now dark and no longer carry a witness to the nations or the Church of God.  His web site and blog was carrying the moniker of a different administrator once King came out as a beatnick.

The only thing left of his is his beatnik page where he plays guitar and sings.  Perhaps he has reached his true calling now and will give up the religious Armstrongite malarkey.

I doubt many COG leaders would have this on their page either:

Germany's Blitzkrieg of Brazil in World Cup A Foretaste of Germany's Blitzkrieg of US in WWIII

Leave it to a diehard Armstrongite to find a comparison in Germany's humiliating defeat of Brazil last week in the World Cup to wanting to see their desire that Germany will invade the U.S. and put citizens in concentration camps during their hoped for WWIII.

The author writes:

When I read about the four German goals in seven minutes against Brazil, I thought of the term blitzkrieg. Today, I put the word blitzkrieg into a Google search, and apparently many others shared my view.  Here are a few of the many headlines in the news this week about it:

World Cup 2014: Brazil versus Germany = Blitzkrieg

Soccer Blitzkrieg

Germany vs Brazil: Colossal Blitzkrieg

Fifa World Cup 2014 semifinal: German 7-1 blitzkrieg shatters Brazil dream

World Cup 2014: Blake’s Take on Brazil’s battering by a German blitzkrieg

He continues:

As far as blitzkrieg goes, consider the following biblical prophecy:

3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

In WWIII, I expect that the Germans will lead a type of blitzkrieg against the USA, the UK, and other Anglo-Saxon descended nations.  It will be based upon technology, coordination, intelligence, and deception.  I believe that because of the espionage incidents with the USA, that the USA will feel that it will have to kowtow to German requests for military technologies, trade agreements, political arrangements, and espionage information, which will put Germany and much of the rest of Europe in a position that to rise up and become the successful military power that the Bible prophesies it will become in Revelation 13:1-4 and Daniel 11:39-43.

The author feels that Germany is a crafty manipulating country working behind the scenes to future domination of the world.

  He ends with this:

While beating Brazil in the World Cup is not particularly a prophetic matter, the strategy employed is consistent with German actions in the past and what is expected in the future.

Thanks to Bob Thiel for this idiotic display of Armstrongite fantasy.

PCG's Wayne Turgeon: "I sat up for hours waiting for some noise from anybody, and it was dead quiet."

Words are not enough to describe PCG's Wayne Turgeon.  He was in Pasadena when I was there and was a complete asswipe at that time when he was only in his 20's.  Since his days learning to become a ministurd he has now moved into the roll as an "evangelist" in the Philadelphia Church of God.

The other day he was lecturing a group of young kids who were in Edmond to attend a summer camp on the cult compound.

He fondly remembers his highlight of being a camp counselor in Loch Lomand, Scotland in 1980.  It was shortly after the Mount St. Helen's eruption and the ash cloud was causing lots of rain in Europe.  At the Scottish summer camp it was a particularly hard rain with lots of thunder and lightning.  Kids were scared.  So what do the ever compassionate Turgeon do?

Can you share a story from sep?
We had a really wet, stormy camp [in Scotland]. It was after Mt. St. Helens had blown in May, so it was just raining throughout all of Europe. It was the wettest summer on record for many years. It was storming, with thunder and lightning. The guys were all, “Eeeee. Ooohhhh,” scared to death. I got down on the middle of the floor—I don’t know if I could do it now—and cranked out 100 pushups and said, “If I hear another peep, all of you are going to get down and do the same number.” I sat up for hours waiting for some noise from anybody, and it was dead quiet.

He brags that they sat there for HOURS and he did nothing, absolutely nothing.  He is quit proud of this!  He seems to think this is cute and appropriate on how to treat frightened kids.  What a pathetic moron.  Its no wonder that so many in the PCG hate his guts!

Dennis Leap On Disciplining Children In the Philadelphia Church of God

Dennis Leap is back once more advocating corporal punishment for the children of PCG.  He follows in a long tradition in Armstrongism of being an advocate for corporal punishment.  Note this is not just one little quick swat on the rear end.  It is numerous swats, and in many cases 20 swats is the recommended number to administer.  Herbert Armstrong, Garner Ted Armstrong and Rod Meredith were the ones that pushed the 20 swat rule.

Leap starts off with the COG favorite, blanket training. This meant that your child was forced to lay and play on a blanket incomplete silence for two hours at a time, both in your home and at church.  Leap is none to happy that some current PCG members are NOT blanket training their kiddies:

Today, some in God’s Church do not blanket train, which makes the teaching of self-discipline more difficult as children mature.

Blanket training is really simple. You should start blanket training as early as when your child can sit up by himself, but definitely by the time he can crawl. (This assumes that you have already been teaching your child not to make noise during services.)

Practice, each day, by spreading a blanket on the floor and have your child sit on it quietly for about an hour. My wife always did her Bible study at the same time. Be sure to sit on a chair next to the child. When your child attempts to move off the blanket or make noise, tell him no once. Move the child back onto the blanket, or give him a hand signal (forefinger against the lips) to be quiet. When your child moves off the blanket or makes noise a second time, you must discipline him. Continue the process until your child accepts the fact that he must remain on the blanket and be quiet. This is self-control in action.

Leap expects your child to learn to submit at an a early age so that when they are adults they will be submissive lemmings in the PCG.  If they submit early in life they will submit in adulthood.

My wife and I generally waited until our children were about 18 months before we began “come here” training. We set aside an evening to do this. We called them “Come Here Nights.” I’ll be honest—this is a tough one.

Once children are up and running on their own, they do not appreciate being interrupted from what they are doing. To command them to come to you requires them to give up what they want to do and do what you want them to do. Children want to be their own authority. To submit to your authority requires self-discipline.

This is another vital lesson that must be learned at an early age. Your children will find it difficult to submit to God’s authority if they do not learn to submit to yours. Their physical and spiritual safety depends on obedience to direct commands.

On “come here nights” I told my child to come here—once. I allowed her a brief amount of time to hear, think and respond. If there was no action, I disciplined her. I repeated the process until I received an immediate response. 

After you are through beating your child, or kicking them out on the street as Dennis Leap has told members to do to their daughters, your child should NOT have a bad attitude.  If they do not smile and have a good attitude when you disciplining them they continue doing it till they do respond positively.

When you discipline your child, make sure he responds with a good attitude and right behavior. Make it your goal to not finish a correction session unless your child demonstrates a good attitude and right behavior. This requires love, patience, strong teaching and time—a lot of time—on your part. It will be worth all your effort. As Paul says, there will be great rewards when you meet this goal. Your child will be more happy and on the road to real success. Remember, positive response to correction will help your child forever.

Given the horrendous track record that PCG has in parents abusing their children by severely punishing them, kicking them out of their homes and shunning them, it is even more appalling that parents stay in PCG and think this kind of abuse is normal.