The plain truth about why HWA focused so much on Genesis 1-3 must be told. There are so many misunderstandings in the theology of Armstrongism, but the one thing he could understand himself was the concept of the garden of Eden.
A man is never responsible beyond his own level of competence. :-)
So he stuck with whatever little he felt he COULD understand, and borrowed everything else from many sources as documented in so many other places.
It is no wonder that the mother church was confused. They were left with very little REAL understanding. Everything else is left to be reading cult literature and "proving all things" in light of that literature.
So the article was nice and short. There was not much to say about the idol of many...
Mr Blunk - do you teach anything? Have you ever taught a subject? You have to teach to the lowest of your audience and move up from there. Otherwise, you leave some people in the dark. Pardon the pun. So many people think it all began in Egypt (with US) or with Nimrod who started the whole idea of the 'eternal soul.' Nimrod basically thought he was a god. So do many people today - but they don't say so.
ReplyDeleteSpelling my name correctly would have been the least courtesy one could expect from an anonymous person.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I teach? Well, I have taught personal communication (written and oral), and also taught "Basic IT" at a webdesign course.
I claim no teaching abilities in what concerns religious subjects, but am willing to share what I know with those willing to listen and read. :-)
Sorry about the misspelling. Great on your credentials and there is no problem if you admit that you do not teach religion. However, how can you critique Mr. Armstrong on that basis? If he was truly led by God and called into the ministry - it was a calling. That's something sacred and you just can't say - that person isn't called. I'm not saying he was the equivalent of Moses - but in our time we have no Moses or Elijah - so if someone says God is calling me to warn the world of impending danger - at least they take their calling seriously! He took time to teach people the basics. Moses did too. God was protective of him - though the Israelites occasionally questioned his judgement also.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend you take a look at Ambassador Report to see all the failed prophecies. 1972 in Prophecy wasn't the only booklet with errors... :-)
ReplyDeleteAs for his so-called calling, I can't say much - other than presumption on his part. He was a good salesman, and he sold the message to his faithfuls. ;-)