God Isn't Going to Condemn You for Being Wrong!

Dennis Diehl recently posted an article as part of his "Adult Sabbath School" series over at Banned by HWA that was subsequently withdrawn. In the post, he asked for advice to help folks who may now feel trapped within one of the descendants of the Worldwide Church of God. In addition to offering some of my own advice along those lines, it later occurred to me that this phenomenon touches on a much broader problem within the Christian community. In short, there are a lot of folks out there who have serious doubts about their beliefs and/or have profound disagreements with some of the teachings of the church/group with which they're associated; but they feel compelled to keep those doubts/disagreements private.

Whether they're motivated by a desire to conform, preserve unity, a fear of damnation or a combination of all of these, I suspect there are a great many folks who have simply chosen to go along to get along. In some cases, they have seen the ridicule, abuse and rejection that folks have experienced who didn't toe the party line. In other instances, folks genuinely feel that expressing their doubts and disagreements will result in the loss of their salvation (or cause someone else to lose theirs) - that those doubts and disagreements must be the product of some faulty reasoning on their part. As a consequence, they push down the feelings of cognitive dissonance and pain that their thoughts have engendered within them. For many of these folks, there is TRUTH and there is ERROR; and they must be on the wrong side of the equation!

The problem is that this amounts to a suppression of conscience. Scripture tells us that fear and doubt are NOT good motivators, and that anything that doesn't spring from personal conviction is basically useless (even sinful). In the fourteenth chapter of his epistle to the saints at Rome, Paul said that everyone should be "fully persuaded" in his/her own mind, and that anything that isn't motivated by faith is sin! In other words, your behavior and salvation should NEVER depend on the acceptance of what other people believe to be true. And, as Martin Luther is reported to have said long ago still applies today, it is DANGEROUS to go against one's conscience.

There are folks out there who will tell you that the Bible is like a jigsaw puzzle, and that the pieces can only be made to fit one way - meaning their way. They present this as a question of whether or not you have God's Holy Spirit - the evidence that you do being your complete acceptance of the way in which they have assembled the puzzle.

Nevertheless, Scripture clearly states that God is NOT going to condemn anyone for their failure to comprehend or understand "His" will in some matter. Jesus spoke in parables, so that only his disciples would understand his message. He also said that no one could come to him unless the Father draws him/her to Christ. Paul said that God had concluded everyone together in disbelief so that "He" could have mercy on everyone. Hence, if God truly is the revelator, then doesn't that make "Him" responsible for what is revealed and to whom it is revealed?

Moreover, doesn't true comprehension/understanding involve acceptance and integration of that knowledge by the person receiving the information? In other words, if you don't really see or believe what has been revealed, how can you be held responsible for rejecting it? Doesn't condemnation require complete understanding/acceptance/integration at the time of rejection? How is it fair and just to condemn someone for rejecting something that they don't believe? Doesn't the anonymous epistle to the Hebrews teach us that belief is a necessary prerequisite to pleasing God? And, if that's so, doesn't that suggest/imply that anyone who lacks that belief hasn't even begun the process?

I remained within the Armstrong Church of God for much longer than I should have for a number of reasons that obviously seemed legitimate to me at the time. For a long time, I repressed/suppressed my doubts, questions and disagreements about/with Armstrong's theology. For a long time, I was even in denial about my feelings - I couldn't even acknowledge them to myself. When I finally came to terms with the cognitive dissonance (the disparity between my own experiences/knowledge with the "TRUTHS" of the church), I was finally able to begin the process of resolving those disparities to my own satisfaction/relief. Likewise, coming to terms with my own turmoil, finally gave me the strength and ability to face/confront the hostility of others within my community.

Still, even after I had reached that level of personal resolution, I lingered for several years. Like many of the folks before me who have continued to participate in groups/organizations in which they've lost confidence, I continued to work within the community in the hopes of ameliorating the negative consequences of those teachings or trying to persuade my associates that those teachings were flawed and unworthy of their allegiance. Over the years, I came to understand that this was a fool's errand. The old adage that "one convinced against his will is of the same opinion still" is absolutely true.

In the final analysis, our relationship with God is a very individualistic one. And the more collective in nature that we attempt to make it, the greater the potential for cognitive dissonance. If you believe in something, then live it! That also applies to me. I'm not going to reach my potential by trying to live your beliefs, and you're not going to reach yours by trying to live by mine or anyone else's!

Lonnie Hendrix

Wade Cox: COG member wrote the Koran

Over its many decades of existence, the Church of God has produced many crazy leaders who have set themselves up as God's right-hand men here on earth and who see themselves as chosen by some creature they call god.  Every single one of them has ended up being raving lunatics. especially Wade Cox.  The craziness from him even makes Bwana Bob, the 1st Savior of Africa, look "normal."

Cox, the other great white Bwana to Africa, claims he has had at least half of the content of Africa join his cult.  With a few loony Americans who spend their time threatening people who speak ill of their Dear Leader, most of his followers are Africans, much like Bwana Bob Thiel's membership.

The fun thing with Cox is that he continues to be taken to the cleaners by these church-hopping believers.  They go from one COG to another seeking dumb leaders that will continue to give them money, seeds, computers, and money.  When these things start to dry up, out the door they go to greener pastures.

Cox, in his delusional glory, lets his madness blossom even further into lunacy.  He is now claiming that the Koran was written by a Church of God member.

There was certainly a major preacher (mursal) to Arabia who introduced the Surahs of the Koran to the paganised Arabs and around whom most of the Ahadith are based. His original name was referred to as Qasim sometimes as Abu Qasim or Father Qasim although attempts have been made to suggest that it might mean Father of Qasim but that seems very unlikely. It appears that he may have been a Monophysite Christian Priest before he was baptised a Sabbatarian, which the Koran indicates he was. He was one of the Arabian Sabbatarian Church. In writing about him, it would be more appropriate not to refer to him as The Prophetsince this term refers specifically to the genetic descendants who have best claim (Q3:68) to the Abraham nation (Q6:161, Q16:120). Along with their grafted members, these descendants inherited the authority of the religious reformation that commenced with the teachings of John the Baptist, and which was taken up by Christ and the apostles. This reformation led to the founding of the Churches of God in their various locations and administrations. It is this organisation that is the Nasraani (Q3:67) AhlulBayt (Q33:33) of Rasulullah's brides (Q33:53) – the Mursalin (Q2:252) possessing the Spirit of Prophecy. They are also known from the text as Al-Ansaar.

Whoever dictated the words that make up the original Koran was a prophet to the Arabs. If we can tie his message directly to the Bible we can then term him a prophet of God to the Arabs. God said through the prophet Isaiah that if they do not speak according to the law and the testimony then there is no light in them (Isa. 8:20). That has been the standard test of a prophet during the revelation of God to man through the recorded and accepted prophets. Thus this man, and the message of the Koran (Qur’an) that he dictated, must agree with the Law and the Testimony to be considered inspired by God, or God breathed. The Koran certainly claims that to be the requirement of the faith in the various surahs, or chapters, which make up its text (e.g. Q3:3, Q4:82, Q5:47). The work enjoins its followers to heed the writings of the Bible including the Gospels and the writings that make up the accepted canon of Christian Scriptures (Q5:68). No person can claim to be a follower of Islam and ignore the teachings of the Bible, as we will see from the words of the Koran itself.

The Koran is thus a commentary on the Scriptures of the Bible in the same way the New Testament (NT) is commentary on the Old Testament (OT) Scriptures, and which forms a record of the struggles and problems of the early Church, as recorded by the disciples of Christ under the inspiration of the Ahmed, the Praised One, or Holy Spirit. The critical test of inspiration is that it confirms and builds on the Bible text and does not contradict the inspired works that precede it.

The name of the preacher in question is not to be confused with the use of the term Muhammad since this is just a seal or title. It is like calling someone Nobility or Royaltymeaning that body of people advocated by the Ahmed (Advocate), the spirit of Jesus the Son of God. Muhammad is actually “The Seal” of the 144,000 prophets. 

Arabia's Apostle was probably a Monophysite Nasaari when he married his Christian first wife. It is most probable that the man we are dealing with was one of the Christian faith educated by members of his family, either directly or through marriage. The early traditions hold that it was his wife’s uncle who taught him the Scriptures. His serious interest in the Scriptures led him to become known as Father Qasim, which is a title forbidden to the true faith by Christ unless Abu Qasim means “father of Qasim”. Soon his earnest desire to seek the truth in the Scriptures brought problems to his attention with the Monophysite Nasaari doctrine, which seemed to contradict the original texts themselves. Basically the Spirit was beginning to call him through the veil, which was termed the “Evangelion”. He sought the true Church. Purana scriptures from India indicate that he became known to the Churches of God based there. The Church's Muhammad called out to him in a dream, and Arabia's Apostle had a vision during his meditations in the cave. It terrified but inspired him. Thus he became a Sabbatarian Unitarian from the Church there in Arabia, being baptised (again) prior to his mission. Not being genetically of Aaron or Levi, he was grafted into the AhlulBayt of Rasulullah's brides as a Nasraani Sabi (TheoSebes/QEO-SEBHS/sebovmenoi = God Worshipper) Mursal. Several Hadith attest to the fact that he became a Sabi. As a Mursal (Bride of Rasulullah) he received more and more insight. Eventually, from his baptism, he was strengthened in The Holy Spirit (Ahmed) and reached the Mahmoodan state becoming Muhammad as a true Christian in the Churches of God. Commentary on the introduction to the Koran 

Cox is just as self-absorbed as Bwana Bob Theil.  Neither of these men has the
bolas de testículo to talk about Jesus, that inconvenient dude that embarrasses the hell out of both of them.  Both of them spend their days talking about irrelevant topics that no relevance to one's spiritual journey.

United Church of God: Why Does It Even Exist?

United Church of God continues to struggle to be relevant in 2020. As they meet year after year to define why they exist, they just plod along expecting members to pick up the slack and give more and more money so the boys in Cincinnati can have their pet projects struggle along.

UCG is now looking to find a major donor to dish out tens of thousands of dollars to provide new housing for the students at their most superfantabulous "university."  Open your wallets, suckers!

Education Committee—Aaron Dean

The Education Committee (EC) has not been assigned any special work at this time. Mr. Dean took the time to give an update on continuing education items. ABC already has 18 applications received for the 2020-21 school year. There may be a housing problem next year. Mr. Dean is looking at the feasibility of putting together a group to buy some housing. He is looking to find out who would be interested in loaning funds for this purpose.

Their statistics are not much brighter either.  Most of their statistics are in decline.

Media and Communications Services—Peter Eddington

Peter Eddington went through some of the following statistics as of November 30 this year:

United News circulation is currently at 17,743, just below its all-time high of 17,795 and 5.7% more than this time last year.

Our coworker count is now at 6,525, our highest ever (and 3% higher than the same time last year).

Our donor list now includes 7,350 people—1% higher than this time last year. (Our all-time high was 9,564 in June of 2016.)

Total Beyond Today magazine circulation worldwide is at 294,703—which is 5% less than the same time last year and 9% less than two years ago.

U.S. magazine subscribers are at 241,014. This is 7% less than the same time last year.

The December subscriber development letter from Victor Kubik was sent to 179,166 subscribers. It offers the booklet, What Does the Bible Teach About Grace?

Responses are expected to begin coming in during the third week of December. This December letter is also designed to encourage end-of-year tax-deductible donations.

Those people on our U.S. file associated with the Church (teens, members, associated) is at 12,261.

The number of telephone and website responses from Beyond Today TV since 2006 stands at 341,773.

The number of Google, Yahoo and Bing advertising impressions since 2004 stands at 12.26 billion.

UCG.org is currently ranked the 16th highest Christian denomination website in the world by Alexa (in the past we have been as high as #9), and #46 among all Christian-related websites.

Beyond Today Results on YouTube:
13,052,761 = Total number of Beyond Today video views on YouTube since inception. (This includes BT programs, Dailies, Bible Studies and BT related videos.)
2,300,957 = Total number of Beyond Today video views on YouTube in past 12 months (December 4, 2018 – December 3, 2019).
Roku App Advertising Results:
221,290 channel installs (26% increase over last November).
536,969 unique viewers (45% increase over last November).
735,016 videos watched (40% increase over last November).
We have an average of 25,914 ads running per day and 665 videos being watched per day.

AmazonSmile Donations: The United Church of God continues to receive checks from the AmazonSmile Foundation. The amount donated to the Church as of November 30 is $10,496.