It is always amazing how the little weasels that the Church of God has as its leaders have to continually find ways to make the lives of members more difficult. Even though the Days of Unleavened Bread were never a requirement for Christians to keep, certain COG leaders go out of their way to place endless burdens on their members.
Years ago when Ambassador Colege was operating, one self-important moron in Pasadena had an absolute meltdown when he walked into the Natatorium pump/filter area and saw the large number of 50lb bags of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). He went screaming to our department head DEMANDING that we dispose of all of the baking soda. Thankfully, our boss laughed in his face, as we all did, and refused to make us dump it all.
For those that do not know, sodium bicarbonate is used to keep the pH and the alkalinity of pool water balanced so it stays crystal clear.
Other foolish men demanded that toothpaste be dumped in the trash if it had baking soda in it. One idiot tried to get beer banned because it uses yeast. The list was endless as to what was allowable and what was not.
Never content to leave things alone, our Great Bwana to Africa and the occasional 100 Caucasians has now had revealed to him that calcium carbonate and disodium phosphate is now sinful at UB time:
Speaking of unleavened items, I recently learned that although Calcium Carbonate is not a leavening agent, when it is added into items that are baked it is one. Therefore, while you normally do not need to eliminate Calcium Carbonate, if it is listed as an ingredient in a baked item, that item should be consumed or disposed of prior to the start of the First Day of Unleavened Bread. Another substance I recently learned was a leavening agent is Disodium Phosphate–it is often used in packaged goods and is a leavening agent, hence packaged goods with it should be consumed or disposed of prior to the start of the First Day of Unleavened Bread.
Here are the two items Bob wants to eliminate from members' homes ( as if any of his African followers would have this):
Calcium Carbonate:
Calcium carbonate occurs in nature as limestone, chalk, marble, dolomite, aragonite, calcite and oyster shells. [NIOSH] Natural calcium carbonate can be found in the minerals calcite and aragonite (limestone, chalk, and marble). [Harber, p. 354] Calcium carbonate is used in the manufacture of quicklime, Portland cement, and paints. Pharmaceutical grades are used in cosmetics, foods, and drugs. [ACGIH] Used in paints, rubber, plastics, ceramics, polishes, inks, pharmaceuticals, adhesives, etc. [CHEMINFO] Used for whiting in glassblowing; [www.ci.tucson.az.us/arthazards/medium.html]
Disodium Phosphate:
Phosphates like disodium phosphate are derived from the element phosphorus. They’re used to enhance food characteristics like nutritional value and cooking performance. Disodium phosphate is used in packaged foods, including macaroni and pastas. It’s also used in some cheeses as an emulsifier. You can also find it in meat products, canned sauces, Jell-O, evaporated milk, and some chocolate.
Originally derived from animal bones and urine, phosphorus is now extracted from phosphate rock. It’s purified and put through chemical reactions.
The COG has always been great about majoring in the minors. looking at the small things and never at the larger picture.
