Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
The first hint of Earthaven comes at the 1:20 Mark
I was personally never a fan of the Church's or at least some in the Church's view of a "Place of Safety and Final Training" I never gave a sermon on it and was quite prepared not to tell anyone that it was time to flee. The whole concept is a cobbled together scriptural hike through the OT and Revelation making things mean what they never meant. Jonestown was the icing on the cake. As most of you know, Gerald Waterhouse's visits were not high on my list of events and eventually I told him so.
But, now, and at this stage of my life personally, I have been given an opportunity to live off grid for the most part and settle in for , hopefully, a last life adventure before a gabillion years of non-awareness. I had in my will that I would be cremated, but evidently I shall more likely now be composted. :)
Will stay in touch as much as practical and give the occasional non-Church of God progress with "Living Intentionally" with a minimal twist.
PS Had a very nice, 45 minute interview with Forbes Magazine London Editor about my personal experiences and impression at AC and in the ministry. The Place of Safety etc, was just a small part of the discussion. There is a podcast and the Editor said that Forbes is branching out into entertainment issues. I told him WCG was very entertaining but more prone to mucking up your life eventually.
Anyway...
Earthhaven Mission Statement
Learning sustainable culture
Community Description
Earthaven is an aspiring ecovillage founded in 1994 on 329 acres in the mountain forests of western North Carolina, about 50 minutes from Asheville. We are spiritually diverse, and value sustainable ecological systems, permaculture design, elegant simplicity, right livelihood, and healthy social relations. We have both vegetarians and omnivores, and some of us raise livestock for food. We hope to become empowered, responsible, ecologically literate citizens who model bioregionally appropriate culture for our time and place. We intend to become a village of at least 150.
Some of us work in small, onsite businesses or nonprofits owned or run by members, including Useful Plants Nursery; Culture's Edge, an educational nonprofit; the School of Integrated Living (SOIL), an educational nonprofit); or by offering services such as tours, campground lodging, carpentry and home construction, home care, child care, and healing arts.
As a learning community dedicated to sharing our resources with the public, we offer workshops in Permaculture design, natural building, consensus decision-making, Sociocracy, creating new ecovillages, herbal medicine, health and healing, and women’s mysteries.
We also host large events such as the Continental Bioregional Congress , the annual Southeast Regional Permaculture Gathering , and a Village Harvest Festival We welcome students and other learning groups, and support homeschool parents of children at Earthaven and nearby. We are seeking hardworking, entrepreneurial people, including but not limited to organic growers and farmers; people with solar system, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical skills; healers, artists, and families with children.
Packing my 2009 Toyota Yaris with ALL my earthly goods. Minimalism has always played a part in my thinking through the years. They all fit nicely and leaving in a couple of days from Portland. If I didn't have astronomy stuff, meteorites, fossils and artifacts, I'd have extra space! :)
Will be living just off Another Way
Excellent Stargazing away from the city lights
Home is the second and third floors to the left. The view is that of gardens, pasture and farm creatures. The place is one of a number of Earthhaven neighborhoods on the 325 acres it encoumpasses. There are about 100 adult members and 25 or so children.
Earthaven in the NC Mountains near Black Mountain
Will be able to have the Best Feasts Ever...
And, of course, occasional "Final Training" or more likely "on going."
The power is solar and stream powered generator for battery storage. Wood for heat.
There will be Internet (Phew) but cell phones may take a bit of a short drive to pick up on.
Ever since Herbert Armstrong hit the scene and in the subsequent years after his death, the Church of God has been filled with men who claim to have direct access to God, that their words and writings are God-inspired, and that we as members are to heed every word that comes from them as the "truth." The problem lies when men like Pack, Flurry, Thiel, Weinland, and others say things, they expect us to take it all as being true when the vast majority of us know they are liars and blasphemers.
In the churches of God, we have heard over and over that God ordained the ministry and, therefore, they are the only ones who have the ability to interpret scripture. Bible studies held without a minister present are frowned upon, if not outright forbidden.
But what does scripture say?
Scripture says when we’re baptized, all of us whom God has called and chosen have the same two things: God’s spirit and God’s word.
Nothing irritates many of today's COG leaders than the laity sitting around and discussing scriptures. How dare they! They have not been educated at God's College, whatever and wherever that may be, so how can they know the proper meaning of scripture!
One of the amazing things about Judaism is that many of them regularly sit around and discuss and argue scripture. So many in the COG think it is blasphemy to argue over scripture, but if you look at the different COG leaders today, they all do that in their own unique way. The main way is when they each declare that God has delivered to them the CORRECT version of how things should be. That immediately negates every other COG leader out there. Then those offended COG leaders ramp up the discourse and clam revelations and dreams sent by their god to them. It is all one huge mess.
Jesus Christ, in Matthew 11, invites us to learn from Him. Luke tells us that the Bereans poured over the scriptures to compare what they were hearing preached with the word of God to see if the preaching matched what God says.
Paul repeatedly admonishes us to study to show ourselves approved by rightly dividing the word of truth and to prove all things and to work out our salvation (this indicates an intimate relationship with God and Jesus Christ, which is impossible without being in the word of God).
Many COG members, regardless of the group they are in or not in, know far more about scriptures than most of the COG leaders today. There are women in the COG who can up to shame most of the present-day COG leaders, which I think is hilarious!
The diaspora (this was all the Hebrew Christians, not just some) is admonished in the book of Hebrews that they should be spiritually mature enough to be teachers, but that they are not because they haven’t learned how to discern between right (God’s word) and wrong (everything else) and good (godliness) and evil (worldliness).
Scripture does not say what we often hear in the churches of God. However, this belief among the church of God ministers is (although most of them probably don’t realize it) designed to make the non-ministers dependent on them for everything.
But we are supposed to be dependent on God and Jesus Christ for everything, not another human being just like ourselves.
Although this may be unconscious, it is a perversion of the word of God.
The belief that COG ministers and leaders are the direct conduit from God in all matters, both spiritual and physical is not only a perversion of the Word of God but utter blasphemy. Look at the perverted things they say and how members suffer under their leadership.
I wonder how many COG members out there actually study the Bible WITHOUT any HWA booklets or writings of any other COG leader? There are Christians in the "world" who are far better versed in the meaning of Scripture than many COG members because they are willing to look at many sources. Sadly though, far too many sit there month after month, year after year waiting for their minister or leader to tell them how things should be.
We, as followers of Jesus Christ, bear responsibility as well. Many of us aren’t abiding in the Vine continually by digging into the word of God and reading it (the words on the page, not the words we think are on the page), thinking about it (as the source against which we compare the words we have heard, not the other way around), learning it, and applying it.
Instead, many of us look to human words (in writing, in sermons, etc.) for knowledge, instead of to God’s words. We are not guiltless in the perversion of the word of God either.
You can read the entire article here which includes two examples of subtle deceptions of a couple of current COG ministers.
It is that time of year as people in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, though this year will particularly unique due to the COVID restrictions. It is also time to remember the silliness that comes forth out of the resident fools leading various Churches of God, particularly in the improperly named "continuing" Church of God.
Sadly, we miss James Malm's yearly rant on pagan Thanksgiving, but Bobus Thiel makes up for that loss.
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Almost Arrested Elisha Elijah Amos Joshua Doubly Cursed Bob Thiel is back again his yearly meltdown. Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving and watching evil Satanic American Football. Oh, the horrors!
This time around the self-appointed false prophet is also taking a swipe at Thanksgiving. Real Christians do NOT celebrate national holidays. Of course, his 1,997 members on the dole in Africa don't celebrate it anyway, so I don't know what his beef is...other than he has to complain about something every day of his miserable negative life. Has the church ever produced a man who is filled with such negativity? Does anything please this delusional false prophet?
The Doubly Delusional false prophet starts out by smearing Thanksgiving:
Today is national holiday in the USA called Thanksgiving. And despite certain claims, its specific origins are not pagan. But, of course, no Christian needs to celebrate national holidays like it. And the Bible does condemn gluttony.
I have never seen anyone sit down and make gluttons of themselves on Thanksgiving, and even if they did it is NOT a sin for that meal. Gluttony is a life long process of greed, not a single meal. If that were the case that almost every single minister that has ever eaten in a Feast of Tabernacles Ministerial Hospitality room is a glutton. Having worked in several of these exclusive areas I have witnessed first hand the over-indulgence of the ministry in food and alcohol. They deserve the best! It is owed them!
Then the Doubly Cursed delusional false prophet gets to the gist of his entire Debbie-Downer posting...football...Satan's prime tool in turning the masses away from the "truth once delivered."
One thing that I have noticed on the day called Thanksgiving by those in the USA, is when I have been at many other places than the home I lived in, American football has been playing on television.
For many, other than food and family, football is a major focus of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Oh, the horrors! God come quickly and save humanity!!!!!!!!!
The Doubly Cursed false prophet is doubly incensed at what Youtube did with his video "sermon" on their channel:
When I was posting a video on YouTube several weeks ago on giving thanks (watch Ingratitude and Giving Thanks), apparently because it mentioned ‘giving thanks, YouTube suggested that a ‘key word’ for the video should be ‘American football’ (which was not in the description).
Then Rod Meredith's wayward "son" trots out his "jesus" as proof his stance on football is correct:
While I have even heard some people thank God for football, it is not a sport that I believe that the God of love would condone.
The person that Jesus stated was greater than all others born of women (Matthew 11:11), John the Baptist taught:
14 Do violence to no man (Luke 3:14, KJV)
What do sports like American football and boxing do? They harm people. Even if played according to all of its rules, American tackle football is evil because it actually physically harms many its participants...
The truth about the harm the sport causes is something that professing Christians, and others, who think that they should watch American football should think about.
I have a contact looking for information from anyone why may have attended the Beaverton/Portland Oregon, Worldwide Church of God churches between 1974 - 1985. We are still looking for anyone who may know Steven Lynn Ross who wrote a lengthy article on Petra. Email me at no2hwa@ yahoo.com (without the space).
Why is it that so many of the "larger" splinter cults in the Church of God are so consumed with money? Their god has to be the most impotent thing humans have ever created. It apparently cannot do anything to save people unless money is flowing into these COG leader's tax havens that they call "churches."
Restored Church of God, under the most superfantabulous Dave Pack, is the one group who's god is consumed with building up its monetary stockpile. The more money you give the more Dave's impotent god inflates.
RCG's Kenneth Orel writes:
Through hard work and vision, God’s people have raised over 2.5 million dollars over four years. This has made possible monumental advancements in the Work—much more than you may realize.
If you have participated in fundraising over the past four years, you have been directly involved in preaching the good news of the soon-coming kingdom of God to a world filled with misery and hopelessness. You have been directly responsible for helping warn the physical nations of Israel of the coming Tribulation and warning spiritual Israel—those with the Holy Spirit—of possible eternal death if they do not “anoint their eyes.” Collectively, we have supported God’s 21st century servant by providing and generating the funds necessary for him to speak to the world. Did you realize fundraising supported such a massive purpose?
How has the "world" ever benefited from any of Dave's miraculous works? Unless one looks at his superfantabulous web site, which incidentally is the greatest thing humans have ever created, one would not have any idea who Dave Pack is and what the Restored Chruch of God is. He has had zero impact on the world. No world leaders have ever met the reclusive Dave. His magazine is a piss poor imitation of the old Plain Truth magazine that went out to over 8 million subscribers. Dave is lucky if he can get his own members to read his Real Truth.
Orel goes on to make this appalling statement:
Those of us who are zealous and participate in fundraising demonstrate to God how much He can use us in His kingdom. For years, we have been taught that we are in training. Training implies we are getting ready to be used when the time comes. That time is quickly coming upon us.
Given how sick the leadership is in various Church of God groups and the abuse they dish out, the question that needs to be asked is WHY would ANYONE ever want to be a part of those "special kingdoms" they have created in their own minds. It is not a kingdom God has ever planned. These fake kingdoms are only figments of COG leaders warped and deluded minds.
Did you know that the more money you give the better the chance that people who the god of Dave has "called" will now have a chance to join the one true church?
If you do not fully understand this aspect of “doing the Work,” here is more clarification: Participation in God’s Work involves the support of spreading the message of the good news of God’s kingdom by television, radio, print and the Internet—all tools that are available to us right now. From here on out, every penny brought in by fundraising will be used to reach individual human beings who are being called out of Satan’s kingdom and into God’s kingdom—to join in the work of spreading that good news to all nations.
Remember, those people being called, like yourself, have been specifically chosen by God to be the firstfruits of His master plan of salvation. Is fundraising becoming more important in your eyes?
And the COG has the nerve to mock Catholics and indulgences! Hypocrites!
As usual in the Church of God movement, members are always found to be lazy and disinterested in the lofty goals of their leaders. The world is STILL in a screwed up mess because of you lazy members!
Over the years, there have been many in the Church who have done much and have gotten involved, yet sadly, there have been those who have done little or nothing. The difference between these two types of people is vision. To those who are involved, the kingdom and their part in it is real. They see the destruction Satan has wreaked on an unsuspecting world, and have determined in their mind that they want to be used by God to clean up the mess.
Those of you who do not fundraise are allowing Satan access to your mind. That crafty devil is looking for ways to he can use you thwart the master plan of the creature Dave calls god.
Do you realize God is watching us every moment to determine who will assist Christ in cleaning up Satan’s mess? “And that You should visit him [man] every morning, and try [test, investigate, examine, prove] him every moment?” (Job 7:18). He is evaluating how He can use us to transform people’s lives later by how much we do now.
Fundraising is the reason the "work" exists, because the impotent god of Dave cannot bring to fruition its pathetic kingdom without some money in the coffers. And, the more money you raise and give to this great work of Dave and his impotent god, the better the chance that god will have a special role for you in its sad little kingdom. The more you give the better looking that crown is going to be!
For those who desire to take this seriously and therefore are qualifying now for positions of great service in the government of God, Christ asks a compelling question: “What more can you do?” (Matt. 5:47). The context of that question comes when Christ was explaining that the law has been magnified. God’s Way is always about doing more—pushing ourselves for the greater benefit of others.
For those who have chosen to be in His Kingdom as rulers (and it is a choice), Christ needs to know who is going to go above and beyond what is expected of them. (Read about the unprofitable servant in Luke 17:1-10.)
Just doing what is expected of us is not enough—not for anyone who desires to wear a crown serving under Jesus Christ in His government. They must do more.
Actually the only thing anyone is going to serve "under" here is King Dave himself. Jesus is no more part of this plan than he is in sending Bob Thiel visionary dreams.
Now, for the grand finale...
The Church is poised to become the biggest thing in religion the world has ever seen. The Greatest Work no longer “lies yet ahead.” The Greatest Work described in Isaiah 29:14 and Habakkuk 1:5 is now!
