COG's Battle Over Children's Playground At Liberty Bell Park In Jerusalem

Remember back in the glory days of old when Herbert Armstrong made a big deal out of giving tithe money to finance a children's playground at Liberty Bell Park in Jerusalem with the express purpose of Jewish and Arab kids playing together?  Loads of tithe money was dropped on this wasteful adventure.

The interesting thing about the Liberty Bell Park is that it is the largest in Jerusalem and gets lots  of use.  It is also huge tourist attraction.  One would assume that HWA would have played a more prominent role in the park. Instead he helped pay for a sand pile exposed in the glaring sun.  That being said, the tiny children's play ground is NOT a huge draw.  That hot sand pile is so unused that weeds grow out of its walls.

Tkach Sr. wisely stopped paying to maintain this useless sand pile.  This of course sent Gerald Flurry over the edge.  Gerald had to step in and give money to have his name put on  little piece of marble on a side wall.

double click picture to enlarge

When you enlarge the picture above you will see the deceptive dedication on the marble.  Flurry tries to make it seem as if Herbert was the founder of Philadelphia Foundation.  Herbert Armstrong would be appalled at the asinine stupidity coming out of the Philadelphia Church of God and Gerald Flurry.  HWA would no more endorse Gerald Flurry than he would Rod Meredith. That makes no difference to Flurry though.  The more he can imitate HWA the better he feels about himself.

Now,  lets look at another group that has also dedicated the same dirt pile to Herbert Armstrong.  This is a group out of the Philippines, who at one time halfway endorsed Flurry, but now consider him a liar and a heretic.  That group is called the A.R.K of God Foundation. The long version is this: 

Armstrong Remembrancers and Keepers of God Foundation

is an independent community foundation dedicated to reviving the legacy of the late Herbert W. Armstrong in Jerusalem and in the whole world through an approach centered on remembering his teachings on God’s give way of life that will bring about peace among the peoples of different races, ethnicity or belief; and also to keep the covenant that God made with him.

This is another group that feels that the legacy of Herbert Armstrong is not being preserved and that it is their duty to do so.  To them, Gerald Flurry and the PCG are apostate, Irish dancing, heretics.  

They too have paid to have their name engraved on another price of marble and installed on the wall of the dirt pile.

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They are not happy that Flurry shut down his Jerusalem office and moved it to Edstone in England.  According to the A.R.K. folks, Jerusalem is the seat of the action in the end times, not Edstone.  They are particularly incensed that Flurry thinks he is going to find the Ark of the Covenant buried in a dirt pile in Ireland.

The A.R.K. folk have this to say:

The Millennium will all be about Jerusalem and none else. We ought not to compare Bricket Wood or Ireland to be the gauge or measuring stick to picture the Millennium. It should only be Jerusalem! Or else we are already committing SPIRITUAL ADULTERY! It is even comparable to marrying strange wives as the Jews did in 408 B.C.! (Nehemiah 13:23, 26, 27). The Ark of the Covenant will be found in Jerusalem and not in a SECRET PLACE in Tara Hill in Ireland as suggested by PCG Regional Director Brad Macdonald!

You can read more of their silliness here:  Mt Zion Dig

The craziness that infects the Church of God seems endless.  Every year there is a new "true leader" popping up on the scene claiming they are the truth and light. Every one of them keep getting weirder and weirder.  Petra is going to be one nasty cat fight when all of these morons show up and claim ownership.

Finally I will end with this.  This is even more absurd than anything Bob Thiel writes:

According to the A.R.K. folk, Hollywood released a movie this past spring that was made especially for the Philadelphia Church of God.

THE BATTLE FOR ETERNAL LIFE BEGINS

 A movie inspired to be made 

for the 

Philadelphia Church of God

What the hell is wrong with these people?????  When will the blatant idolatry of Herbert Armstrong ever cease?  Just like all the other COG sites, you have to read long and hard to find Jesus mentioned anywhere.  That guy is the most inconvenient thing the church has ever encountered.

Living Church of God: Says An Apology Goes A Long Way....Really?

Living Church of God has posted an article on its Tomorrow's World web site that deals with the benefits of making apologies when you have done something wrong to another person.

Everything this article advocates is entirely the opposite of what Rod Meredith and the church has done to the Scarborough's and countless others.  Has Rod Meredith ever apologized for anything in his entire life?  When a person is sinless, its hard to find anything to apologize for.

He did not apologize to Mrs. McNair when he smeared her reputation publicly at the ministerial conference.

He never apologized to Raymond McNair for bankrupting his church as Raymond and Eve were on their knees groveling at his feet.

He has never apologized to the Scarborough's.

Its more important to him to spend millions in tithe money than to admit he was wrong.

This is another case of not practicing what you preach.

The old saying that "an apology goes a long way" means it's effective and yields a positive result. When a company apologizes for selling a defective product or failing to live up to promised service, it usually wins back customer trust. The apology may require rectifying the problem by fixing the defective product or by other kinds of restitution. When a friend or family member has spoken hurtful words or otherwise wronged us, a sincere apology usually wins our respect and forgiveness. 

Apologizing can be a hard thing to do. Our human nature fights against admitting we have done wrong. Emotions and pride can get in the way. Sometimes a person fears that apologizing shows weakness or will bring a consequence if wrongdoing is acknowledged. 

Imagine what an apology would have accomplished if Rod Meredith and Rod McNair had actually apologized to the Scarborough's.  There would be no lawsuit, no depositions, no attorneys, and no money being spent using tithe money to fight the lawsuit.

An apology should admit a mistake and express regret. It's an important remedy for healing a damaged relationship. It tells the wronged party that the relationship with them is important. An apology helps resolve disputes and conflicts.

There are many benefits to an apology, at least according to LCG.  If it si so beneficial then why don't they practice it?

An apology has a number of positive effects for both parties. It does not erase past actions or the harm done, but it can erase the negative effects of those actions. A sincere apology brings relief by releasing the emotions, anger, resentment and bitterness. The apology soothes the wound and begins to heal the hurt. It allows the mending of the relationship to begin. 

The Church of God has never been about relationships.  The law is of the highest priority. Relationships require love, grace, genuineness, forgiveness and work.  Its not the priority of the church to do such things.  It is the church priority to enforce the law.  Law always trumps.

By apologizing, we humble ourselves and are able to unload the guilt for our wrong action and the hurt we have caused someone. It restores self-respect because we have taken responsibility for our actions. We regain the love, respect and intimacy we previously had with the person hurt by our previous actions, especially with our mate.

After quoting some scriptures on the "Golden Rule" Meyer ends with this:

It is far better to simply say, "I'm sorry. I apologize." And, depending on the circumstance, we should offer appropriate restitution to repair any harm done. Restitution may mean fixing or replacing something that was broken or defective, or giving compensation that remedies the damages. 

Could Rod Meredith possibly be considering restitution to the Scarborough's?   If he looses he most certainly will be forced to pay restitution.

If you need to apologize, you may want to ask God for help to have the right approach. 

Imagine Rod Meredith asking his god to help him have the right approach.  If only!