Friday, July 2, 2010

Armstrong Became The Same Victim of Forgetfulness

For those who remember "The Seven Laws of Success" written by Herbert Armstrong, one could say he also became the victim of his own description of forgotten successes - if one even dares to insinuate Armstrongism could have anything to do with success... :-)

Read this:


Then there were two great bankers whom I knew, one of them quite intimately. This was Mr. Arthur Reynolds, president of the then second largest national bank in America. I first knew Mr. Reynolds when he was president of a bank in the city where I was born. Later, as an ambitious and rising young advertising man in Chicago, I went to him often for personal counsel and advice. He was always interested, helpful. And I always considered his advice sound, and followed it. Mr. Reynolds won a measure of national and worldwide fame.
Some thirty-five years later I walked into his great bank and inquired of one of its many vice-presidents whether he knew where Mr. Reynolds had moved, and where he had died. I had heard that he had retired and moved to our headquarters city, Pasadena, and died there. This vice president had never heard of Arthur Reynolds.
“Who was he?” he asked.
He inquired around. No one remembered Arthur Reynolds. Finally the public relations secretary sent to the bank’s library, and presently a clerk brought a newspaper clipping. It was the sole record the bank seemed to possess of its former president, who, with his brother, was largely responsible for building up this bank to its great size and importance. The clipping was from a San Mateo, California, newspaper. It told of his death in that San Francisco suburb.
After reading it, I handed the clipped obituary back.
“You’ll certainly want to keep this,” I remarked. “It must be valuable to the bank.”
“Oh, no” he replied. “If you knew him, take it along.”
And thus I carried from that great bank what probably was the only record of this man
in the bank of which he was so long president. His “success” was not lasting. It was not long remembered.
During his busy lifetime, this man applied the first SIX of the seven rules of success. Yet whatever success he achieved was fleeting, and although he had accumulated money, acquired a nice block of stock in the bank, lived in a fine home, became recognized as important in his lifetime, all of his “success” died with him!


It is quite ironic that the organization he founded also strove to "forget" him in every way possible. So his impact died with him in the mother church - but has been greatly cultivated in the splinters who remain faithful to the ideals of Armstrongism.




Have a nice weekend everyone. :-)

6 comments:

  1. Well, technically, the forgetting him didn't start until the people he trained died, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting that the Romans tried to erase the memory of Jesus Christ, the disciples were all martyred excepting John, and the memory of many important disciples since have been forgotten by those who simply did not care.

    How can one forget if they know that what that person stood for was the Word of God? God certainly does not forget. That is why there is something called 'the Ressurrection.' It is there that people will realize that they did not have the last word here on earth.

    ReplyDelete
  3. WizWom, you write: "Well, technically, the forgetting him didn't start until the people he trained died, too."

    That isn't correct because the majority of those he trained are still alive - as witnessed by the numerous splinters

    ReplyDelete
  4. Susan, thanks for your comment.
    The memory of that jesus is rampant all over people's new testaments... which is also the only source since no historic source validates even the existence of this jesus.

    Though many try to use the Josephus quote as though that was "historic validation". Check the 11th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica which admits the only source for the jesus story is the greek writings. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Romans left plenty of traces of the fact that they didn't want Jesus remembered - but it actually worked to the Christians favor. Nero tried to burn up Christians (as though their beliefs would burn). He knew they believed in this 'Jesus Christ' - and he allowed Simon Magus to have his say to these Christians and taunt the apostle Peter. He challenged him to a duel and asked Peter if he could fly. Then Simon Magus Peter (who had strapped a contraption to his back) pretended to fly through the air in front of all who were in audience (including Peter). He fell to the ground and died three days later. BUT, not without wanting to take Peter with him. You probably know all about the catecombs of Rome and the colluseum. These are testaments not only to Jesus but His followers who were willing to die for Him. Btw, peter is not buried in Rome. Simon Magus Peter is! And, another thing - Peter was the chief apostle of Jerusalem and Paul was sent to the Gentiles. If Israel came out of Egypt - why would they be considered Gentile. They had Jesus show them the way - and they took the BIBLE with them wherever they went. Explain all the Christian countries. We should all be Muslim if we thought Jesus was spelled with a lower case 'j.' I'm understanding this blog better - because some do not even claim to be Christian here. It's more like - 'ok, i'm an athiest or agnostic now - because Mr. Armstrong made me do it.'

    I can give you a lot more examples of proof of Jesus Christ. There was a GREAT earthquake -just as the bible says - when Jesus died AND when He was resurrected. You can still see remnants of the huge disaster around one end of the Sea of Galilee. Interesting, huh! Also, If you were able to take a satellite view of several layers underground in the area of Israel - you would see complete devastation from the time of that earthquake - and HUGE stones and bolders were moved. How do you think the stone moved when the disciples got to see inside Jesus tomb? It was such a huge boulder that the Romans thought it would keep him inside the tomb for a long while.

    Also, our entire calendar is based on the very same time period (people argue BCE or whatever - but what is the common era about?) AFTER JESUS. When did Christianity begin? Christianity began with Jesus. It wouldn't be here if Jesus was 'jesus' (a man or a prophet only) because He could not save. He has to be Lord, King of the Universe, Savior, Good Shepherd. If you don't see it - I can't make you - but the evidence is all around you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Susan, instead of long tirades of speculation, you might want to examine the criteria for historic proof.

    You might HOPE the greek writings have authority, but they are not historic sources - and nothing but the greek stories themselves validates any of it.

    But glad you enjoy the blog. :-)

    ReplyDelete