Psychological Child Abuse in the Church of God

double click on picure to enjoy the gruesome details

There is nothing to compare to growing up as a child in the Church of God.  As a small child I had to sit and listen to Rod Meredith, Carn Catherwood, and others wax eloquent on the soon coming imprisonment of the United States, Canada, England, Australia and New Zealand.  Lengthy sermons were preached about concentration camps where we would be strung up on meathooks by the Germans if we failed to make it to Petra.

It was sermon after sermon on famine, pestilence, war, and Germans as we would sent off to be their slaves in Germany and elsewhere.

Who in their right mind would preach this kind of crap when kids are represent?  It takes a sick warped mind to do such a thing.

One of the sermons I remember vividly was the one about the brazen bull that Christians would be put in and slowly cooked to death.  This idiocy was told to us as we were were small children.

Meredith, Malm, Flurry, Pack and others still preach this kind of crap.

What child needs to hear this in church?  What adult needs to hear this kind of stuff?

Living Church of God: Eighteen Year Member Asks...Where Is Your Love?

From a reader here:

Rod Meredith and company love to brag about LCR and claim that it is the "Only TRUE Church" - the only true remaining Philadelphia church on earth today carrying out "God's only true Work" (they always capitalize "work" as if their efforts are elevated to the stature of a God-being). Their proclamation is based on three basic ideas:

1.) The idea that they have an "open door" to preach the gospel - judging themselves to be the only true church preaching the only true gospel. Of course, these days, all of these "churches" claim to be "preaching (their version) the gospel" - so what makes LCR so special? The ultimate point of all of LCR's messages these days is to point lay members to themselves, and not to God. Furthermore, RCM and Co. think nothing of compromising scripture (creating "upgrades" - which is a stupid descriptor, btw) for political expedience. This is hardly the Gospel of God.

2.) LCR is the only organization with their interpretation of "God's" form of so-called "top-down" government with "no voting or politics." Anyone with half a brain cell can see that this organization is completely corrupted by politics - from every corner and cranny of the organization. One window into the political rancor existing in this organization observes the acceptable standard of conduct, and evidences that standard is directly related to one's relationship with RCM. After 18 years of attendance, I've observed the following:

RCM & Family (By Blood or Marriage) - Anything Goes.

Close Friends of RCM or Family Member - Almost Anything Goes Based on Loyalty to RCM.

"Leading Ministers" or Just Plain Old "Ministers" - Anything Goes Based on Loyalty to RCM.

Family Members and Close Friends of "Leading Ministers" or Just Plain Old "Ministers" - Almost Anything Goes Based on Loyalty of Related Minister to RCM.  

Suck-Ups and Wannabe's - Conduct Judged Case-by-Case Based on Individual Loyalty to RCM and Local Church Government.

Average Lay Person - You Suck and You're Stupid, But We Need Your Money & Someone to Blame. Your Attendance is Permitted Based on Your Loyalty to RCM.

Any Individual Who Refuses to Play Politics - You Suck, We Hate You, Please Drop Dead.

...You read it yourself - RCM thinks "murder" and "child molestation" are less evil than causing church division. It isn't too far of a leap to assume that he would allow a "loyal" person to get away with just about anything.

3.) The idea that that LCR members "love" each other. However, "loveability" is entirely based on a person's rank in the organization, their relationship to RCM or someone in "church government", their monetary worth, and their attendance record. As soon as someone falls out of favor, they are seemingly shunned by the entire organization, and are no longer worthy or deserving of love, or basic humanity. "Falling out of favor" is utterly subjective, and could either be based on serious issues, or entirely baseless (as evidenced by the Scarborough case).

How can anyone think this is a true church of God?