Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Glynn Washington: NPR's Great Black Hope



From The Atlantic:

NPR’s Great Black Hope

The radio network’s stereotypical listener is a 50-something white guy. Can Glynn Washington, the fastest-rising public-radio star in memory, change that?
Glynn Washington is a former COG member who shares stories of his life growing up in Armstrongism.




Many NPR hosts come from NPR-ish families. Not Washington. “I grew up in a cult,” he told me. His parents were members of the Worldwide Church of God, a sect founded by Herbert W. Armstrong, an apocalyptic radio evangelist based in Pasadena. Washington got out—a story he tells with an escapee’s pride—and went on to the University of Michigan and its law school. He studied in Japan, then worked for the State Department, then ended up directing a program at the University of California at Berkeley. Some of the best Snap Judgment segments are drawn from his own life, and you get the feeling he could carry several episodes a year by himself.
Read the full story here.

More stories that appeared  here on Banned:

Glynn Washington weaves his childhood in the WCG into his stories on PBS




Glynn Washington: The Reunion

Glynn Washington: The Son of Ham

Glynn Washington Snap Judgment: Choosing Sides




















Monday, July 31, 2017

Dave Pack: What Life Is Like On The Restored Church of God Compound



A comment from the  Dave Pack's Land Grab  posting:

We are RCG survivors who were also in the ministry.We never worked at HQ but we can easily see that the HQ ministry's allegiance is expected to be that your heart, mind, money and time go to Dave Pack with little scraps of time for your family. 
These men and women are stressed out from wearing many hats and constantly having to take on extra tasks to make up for the losses of the revolving door of employees at HQ. They are even expected to help out with planting, mulching and weeding at HQ when that needs to be done so there goes their Sundays! 
We have known many of those at HQ and the changes we have seen in them over the years is sad - their lives are not their own - they are tired and stressed and there is no joy in their eyes.At the last conference we attended, we could notice obvious changes in some of the ministers and wives personalities.They are so programmed that they don't even realize it!!They are automatons!! 
Now that Dave Pack has most of the ministry moved into the string of houses surrounding his compound those ministers are now paying the rent to pay the mortgages on houses they will never own. They work for Dave Pack and live in his houses. So, basically he owns them, or at least has a very unreasonable amount of control over their lives. They fear to disagree with him or they would lose their job and place to live in the same day. This has happened! 
It breaks our hearts to see these young people devoting their lives to a false apostle who will praise them to the skies if they please him and kick them to the curb if they ever dare disagree with him! 
How we wish they would realize that there is life after RCG, a life of peace and freedom to serve God and not a man who thinks he is Christ himself! They could learn what it is to have a life and function as a normal family!

We pray daily that these deceived brethren will see Dave Pack for the wolf he is and run for their lives away from him and his destructive hold on their lives!

All of the things mentioned above are classic cult indoctrination and manipulation tools in order to wear people down and to instill fear in them.

Loaded language

The jargon in cults has multiple effects. 
  1. The group members feel understood because they all use the same words and it generates a sense of camaraderie (and elitism - see below). 
  2. New people may feel left out and often want to learn what the words and phrases mean, drawing them deeper into the mindset of the cult. 
  3. Complex situations are often reduced to a few words, and this begins to shut down the critical thinking of the members. 
  4. The words and phrases can dictate how the members should act in certain situations without having to make decisions. For example, one group had a phrase that meant that seniors in the hierarchy of the group were always right. So if there were any problems or disagreements, the phrase sorted everything out! 
  5. When the jargon is second nature, talking to outsiders may become tedious and awkward and this keeps group members isolated from outside influences.

Elitist mentality 

As part of cult tactics,  members are made to feel special. They are part of an elite group that is going to, for example, change history, save the world, change humankind in some way or be saved by god. They have a strong sense of mission or purpose which binds them together and keeps them working hard and giving of themselves - in other words, slaving and sacrificing!
This sense of elitism makes them feel more important or superior to those outside the group, especially to people in other cults, which they can easily spot! 
This gives rise to one of the many contradictions in cults. While members are obedient and humble before the leadership, they can be arrogant to outsiders.
This elitism also brings responsibility, because they feel more responsible for saving the world. And of course, this sense of responsibility can be used by the leaders to manipulate them even further, inducing guilt if they don't properly perform their duties, earn enough money, recruit enough people, and so on.

The end justifies the means 

Because they are doing very important things like god's work, or saving the earth, rescuing mankind, or simply doing 'The Work, members are led to believe that lying, cheating, and deceiving outsiders for money or getting them to come along to the group is justified.
And remember that many group leaders are psychopaths. This means they have no empathy, guilt or remorse. Ever!
Add to this their inflated sense of self worth, grandiosity and sense of entitlement, and they believe they can do whatever they like, take what they want, abuse whoever they please etc. etc. without any consideration for others. For them the end always justifies the means.
And then consider that the leader is creating clones of himself...!!!
Think you might know a psychopath? Here's a quick test...

Group dominates individual 

In destructive groups, the group comes first. Loyalty and obedience to the leadership are very highly regarded parts of the cult psychology. 
Members learn with to distrust themselves and trust the authoritative leader, looking to him or her for direction and meaning in their lives. They put aside their own wants and needs in favor of those of the group. To a large extent, cult control causes their own well-being to become enmeshed with the well-being of the leader.

Sense of community 

When a new member first joins a destructive group, there is a very strong sense of community, unconditional love, joy, happiness etc. Later, when the member is indoctrinated, he or she learns that this sense of belonging very much depends on good behavior.  
If they break the rules, criticize the leadership, express negative emotions such as anger or distrust of the leader, they quickly find themselves ostracized by the group until they sort out the 'problem' (any problem is usually the fault or responsibility of the member, not the leader!) 
It's another contradiction in groups that while everybody is encouraged to be equal and the same, competition is used to shame members who are not working hard enough, and to spur the hard work workers on even more.
The members feel quite close to each other, in fact, they may feel closer to people in this group than to anyone ever before in their lives. However, closer examination shows that the relationships are quite shallow (they tell on each other; they can be hyper-critical of mistakes; members may know little or nothing about each other's pasts, families or friends; there is often little or no consideration for the problems or needs of others, unless there is a benefit in it for themselves; and when members leave a group, it is often as if the remaining members simply forget about them; and in reality all they know is the pseudopersonality, they have little real contact with the real identity!) 
Besides, true friendships are discouraged because the leader wants all the adoration and attention for himself.  
On top of this, if one person leaves he may bring his friends with him. Of course, if someone does leave, the anger, frustration, disgust and hatred are directed towards them. (In these situations, anger and hatred are encouraged, of course!) A supposedly close bond between ' friends' can change in an instant if one person becomes a nonbeliever or a traitor!

Understanding Cult Psychology


COG False Prophet Makes A Prophecy About Global Warming



The world's foremost authority on EVERYTHING has weighed in on global warming and says that the world has 0% chance of ever correcting it.  Humanity can not correct it because his god is really pissed at the world and is going to let it fry.

Our very own false prophet of Arroyo Grande, CA is the one who made the 0% prophecy.  Almost arrested and almost jailed, Elisha, Elijah, Amos, Joshua, Habakkuk, doubly blessed, world renowned Mayan/Fatima/Catholicism authority and very bitter "son" of the late Rod Meredith, has put forth his divinely inspired prophecy on global warming.

Bitter Bob quotes a Washington Post article:
The Washington Post reports one study finds that there is a 5% chance to reverse ‘dangerous global warming’:

We only have a 5 percent chance of avoiding ‘dangerous’ global warming, a study finds

July 31, 2017
In recent years, it has become increasingly common to frame the climate change problem as a kind of countdown … 
Two new studies published Monday, meanwhile, go further towards advancing this pessimistic view which asserts that there’s little chance of the world will stay within prescribed climate limits. 
The false prophet of Africa then has this to say:
There is a 100% chance that the Earth will have a greater than 2 degree rise in heat this century. Before quoting scriptures, consider that another study says that many to die from high heat by the end of the 21st century: 
Where would a COG splinter cult leader be without having to throw in his cherry picking of scripture?

The false prophet of Doom then quotes another article:

By 2100, Deadly Heat May Threaten Majority of Humankind 

Up to 75 percent of people could face deadly heatwaves by 2100 unless carbon emissions plummet, a new study warns.
A new study has found that 30 percent of the world’s population is currently exposed to potentially deadly heat for 20 days per year or more—and like a growing forest fire, climate change is spreading this extreme heat.
Elijah Thiel then says this dogmatic statement:

Will 3/4 or more of the planet be affected by deadly heat this century? 
Yes, though not quite for the reasons many believe.
Yes, humanity will fry, but not from global warming, but because his god is eternally pissed off. Just who is his god pissed off at?  Is it lying and abusive COG leaders?  Rapists, murderers, stalkers?  As his Daddy, Rod Meredith ingrained in Elisha Thiel, its those glittery gays, transgender's who are more masculine than Bob and many COG leaders, porn - that a large percentage of COG members look at, including his own members, and anything else he can label as immoral...like football. God is going to let the world fry because of American football!  Who knew!
...those warners of climate change do not seem to be able to conceive of the idea that weather problems could be a curse from God for things like the LGBTQ agenda, pornography, and other aspects of immorality...
So be warned!  The lying prophet of Arroyo Grande cherry picks this out for you to mull over:
The Bible warns that God uses weather to send a message. Sometimes God uses drought and then sometimes sends mildew if people will not turn to Him as the following show:
7 “I also withheld rain from you,
When there were still three months to the harvest.
I made it rain on one city,
I withheld rain from another city.
One part was rained upon,
And where it did not rain the part withered.
8 So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water,
But they were not satisfied;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.
9 “I blasted you with blight and mildew.
When your gardens increased,
Your vineyards,
Your fig trees,
And your olive trees,
The locust devoured them;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord. (Amos 4:7-9)
The false prophet then claims to have made some highly accurate "prophecies" that have come to pass:
As regular readers of this page are aware, I have repeatedly warned of weather problems coming. Back in 2009, in my book, 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, I wrote that the following was about to happen:
Odd weather patterns result in food shortages and natural disasters.Matthew 24:7
The world is actually in a berserk transition, as the real age of peace is not yet here. It may be a period of chaos. It is the beginning of sorrows.Matthew 24:8 
Since that was published, we have had record smashing heat and odd weather problems. These weather issues should serve as a wake-up call.
What about deadly heat?
Well, the reason I wrote that there is a 100% chance of high heat this century is because of the following biblical prophecy:
8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory. (Revelation 16:8-9) 
Now, the above prophecy is for several years into the future–we are not too near that yet. But I believe that this will happen in the 21st century. Since it would take a greater than 2 degree increase to scorch people with high heat, the models that ‘climate change’ advocates have pointed to are clearly missing something–but part of that is that those looking at the climate tend to not rely on Bible prophecy.
The Arroyo Grande is apparently a prophet without honor in his own country.  No one listens to him and we mock him.  But he warns us again:
Most will ignore weather changes and simply believe that weather changes all the time and the changes do not have to do with God or disobeying His laws.
Yet, the Bible shows that weird, severe, and odd weather patterns are part of the warning messages that God gives.
Are you paying attention to those messages?
LCG and in Africa with his

Almost jailed Thiel has ZERO qualifications to be making any such predictions.