Spanky Is At It Again...

Spanky is at it again, this time in his june member letter to the faithfuls. He now emphasises a couple that were spared from a hurricane. Normal thinking people would call it pure coincidence, remembering Ecclesiastes 9:11 which says the following:

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

The strange part, for those unfamiliar with Armstrongism at its core, is that people were for a long time encouraged to trust in the Lord rather than spend any money on insurances. Naturally, the ministry didn't take quite the same chances - as was documented for many years in the Ambassador Report written by John Trechak.

When people who WERE members were hit by disaster, the Ecclesiastes scripture was used to avoid answering why people were not spared. But if they ever dared ask questions about why it was more important to tithe (to the organization, then the WCG) than to show wise stewardship, they were declared "rebellious"...

So even though it is always good to see people being lucky, it can't be proved to be anything but pure coincidence. Even when Roderick Meredith wants to avoid the historic implications of his wonder story.

Have a nice weekend everyone. :-)

Spanky Again Dreams of Petra

Roderick C Meredith, a.k.a. Spanky, is once again running his wild scenario creation about how the Arab world is going into the great "awful" alliance - and how the ultimate outcome is fleeing into the Armstrongite dream utopia of Petra awaiting the return of big papa-idol...

Revelation 12:12-17 is growing quite worn by all the speculation. :-D

In his February 15th letter he even prepares his followers by using the following words - obviously, with an offering envelope included for the "big work":

For your sake, for your very survival - I pray that many thousands of you dear co-workers will open your mind to study and prove what God is telling you right now and that some will be willing to act on the Truth of God while you have the opportunity. For the more you sincerely "seek God," the more you pray for and get involved in this very end-time Work which Jesus Christ is now accomplishing, the more you will be able to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:19-21).

Gone are the days when christians were supposed to be willing to die rather than compromise. Matthew 16:25 clearly says: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

Matthew 16:26 continues: "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

But when Spanky, the big Dr. of theology from non-accredited Ambassador College tells you that when he writes, even God is talking... Can you really SEE just how mind-controlling, weird and off-base this man really is?

I hope so, because Spanky really has gone over the bend - and many would say he did so long ago. :-)

Spanky seeking new markets?

Have you ever wondered what Spanky would want to do with swahili, russian, hindi, hebrew, chinese and arabic versions of his website?

Don't just believe me - believe their footer on their website.



The funny part is that it seems much of it has been machine translated. "Our annual meeting of worship" should have read Feast of Tabernacles - and if they had contacted Victor Kubik from the United Church of God, he could probably have advised them of a better translator.

This is rather funny, actually, because much of the history of the Armstrongite movement has been centered around people being members (through baptism by immersion) before they could perform translations... One has to wonder what swahili and indian members they would have to perform that task.

But, anyway, Spanky is looking for new markets for his brand of Armstrongism. One has to wonder why they hide it at the bottom of their website instead of having flags as they have with the other main languages in the left hand menu... :-)

Spanky's Homophobic Rules at Their Living University

Spanky has now, again, proved he doesn't learn much from history. When Ambassador College went through the process of accreditation many points were discriminatory, and today that practice is STILL done at the Living Church of God university, Living University. You can see that in their LU Catalog, which can be read directly here: http://www.livinguniv.com/Documents/LUCatalog.pdf

"Live a moral life which includes, but is not limited to, abstinence
from all sexual relations outside the bonds of heterosexual marriage." (Page 56, point no. 7)

That is blatant discrimination against homosexuals - and regardless of what your personal opinion on that subject is, it is also clear that they require you observe the laws of the land.

"Obey, honor, and sustain the law of the land." (same page, point no. 5)

One of the key elements to get state funding is that you don't practice any form of discrimination, and the wording could have been changed to the following to be legal:

"Live a moral life which includes not practicing any pre- or extra-marital sex on campus."

That type of wording would have been in accordance with the laws of the land, but apparently the homophobic belief that other people's practices could be "contagious" are still believed in cults such as the Living Church of God.

They are setting themselves up for persecution, but - once again - that would be used as yet another sign of "being faithful" using the standard chapters of Matthew 24 combined with the book of Revelation. A clever plot to instigate the martyrdom they so wish as proof of being somehow special.

Be attentive when investigating such a group because they will use any trick in the book to appear righteous - and thus get more donations because they can afterwards claim they don't get any state funding when that would have been available to them if their terms of admissions were in accordance with "the laws of the land."

Spanky Rekindles the Pale vs. Cross Debate

According to the article "Why the COGs Deny Jesus Died on a Cross" with a link to the article from the Living Church of God site, Spanky and his ministry is rekindling the debate of whether this Jesus was postified - palified or crucified...

Douglas Winnail has written the July 8th update you can read right here: http://cogl.org/cgi-bin/cogl/weeklyupdates/cogl-wkupdates.cgi?category=WeeklyUpdate1&item=1278806423.

These copycats should really read my article "How to Start Your Own Religion" because it seems anything is useful in their quest for members.

The more unpopular an idea is, the more it seems to attract the ministers of Armstrongism.

There is nothing noble in turning people off, but apparently the "counting the cost" principle in Luke 14:33 has all the implied ideas of denying medicine, questioning crucifixion/postification/palification, and many other tenets we know were taken from the Jehovahs Witnesses...

Armstrongism continues...

Truth Hurts (For Some)

Truth hurts for some people. The truth is that the theology of Armstrong was filled with error, and the organization he founded was subsequently filled with that error. Groups clinging to those doctrines are also filled with error.

Elementary? Not quite. Because there are many sentiments buried with the kind of commitment people have made to the organization. They HOPE that at least that commitment will be blessed with eternal life - regardless of what the Scriptures say.

I won't interpret the Scriptures for anyone, but will say this: when people ask me what the purpose of this blog is, it IS indeed to help those who want to exit the fallacies of Armstrongism, and to help them into seeing that there IS a world outside the cult.

That is sometimes misunderstood, and misinterpreted - as you can see from a couple of articles where the comments show that the words hurt. These words hurt because they are true, and truth can't be overlooked. When Armstrong lived in splendor while the members had to turn every cent to make ends meet, there IS something wrong. When John Trechak worked his butt off documenting all the many errors as he did in Ambassador Report, those truths DID survive him. They survived him because they were true, and because others ARE willing to share that information with the rest of the world FREE of charge. Not semi-free or almost free, but TOTALLY FREE OF CHARGE. Noone requesting ANY money whatsoever.

That is also the primary reason why you won't find any donation button on this blog. I don't want any donations to help cover the expenses involved in writing this blog. I prefer to GIVE the information I learned in recognition of how the information I got helped me, and I want to pass on as much as I can while still prioritizing family matters, work, friends etc. Sometimes you will read many articles, and at other times there may be less to say (or write).

The secondary reason is that I don't want the insinuation of "ulterior motives" because that is usually the best defense cults can make. "Look at this man. He's just in it for the money" or "he is assuming some calling" as we have heard all the different splinter leaders say - including Meredith, Flurry and Pack...

The worst testimony to the kind of disloyalty we saw in recent times was the tirade of Roderick C Meredith against Raymond F McNair when he left the Living Church of God. These two men had been friends for a lifetime, and how Burk and Jonathan McNair could ever accept that type of speaking against a family member just shows how deep the commitment of people wallowing in the mire of Armstrongism is.

Those are harsh words, indeed. But they are nonetheless true. I feel it is a disgrace to calling oneself a "man of God" to behave in that manner. "You shall know them by their fruits" is a famous saying among christians - and sometimes it seems people can't distinguish between pears and apples, or lemons and bananas when they are so screwed up as to speak in such a manner about a long-time friend.

I wish you all a happy week. Keep helping one another, and behave well. People will know YOU by the way YOU act towards brothers and sisters everywhere. No matter whosoever ever tells you to behave any differently, I would hope you would remember the principle of loyalty towards all - even foreigners because they could be future friends you just haven't met yet.

After the Terry Ratzmann Tragedy...

I found a very interesting video on YouTube that focused on the Terry Ratzmann tragedy, and here is the description on YouTube

A must see for those who are in an alternative religion such as the "Living Church of God" spin off! Was this "worse" mass murder in Wisconsin's history due to the LIVING CHURCH OF GOD'S doctrines? Or was it the results of one sick mans loneliness? Alone and isolated from the love of a women not yet found, Terry expresses his frustrations.... AN EXERCISE IN MURDER!

The leadership in the WCG have long held strange beliefs about fellow human beings. Some of the statements you will find in the Manpower documents will truly bear testimony to the fact that these ministers don't know the first thing about either decency or helping others.

Read them for yourselves over at: http://www.hwarmstrong.com/ar/Manpower.html

Case Study: Living Church of God - Roderick Meredith

The next casestudy among the major splinters from the WCG is the Living Church of God, presided over by Evangelist Roderick C Meredith.

Roderick C Meredith in the beginning insisted upon being called Dr. - and wrote this in numerous articles until this was pointed out on Ambassador Watch (and other sources). It is however still used on their website in the "About Us" page.

In this connection it must be remembered that in the world of Armstrongism, it is traditional to always adress any of their ministers with "Mr. Lastname." No first names - even in personal conversations or during counseling.

In the world of coaching it has long ago been established that the best forms of coaching happen in a power-free environment. Much like when you go to a therapist to get some form of advice. You pay for a service, but the therapist has no authority over you. He (or she) can give all forms of advice without insisting that you do as you were advised to do.

In the world of cults, there is a clear line of authority - and the Living Church of God is NO exception.

Richard Ames has been appointed as the future leader in the event Roderick Meredith passes away.

As was the case with the original WCG much emphasis is put on "passing on the baton" as Herbert Armstrong did with Joseph Tkach - and Roderick Meredith wants to assure a trouble-free transition since statistically he doesn't have much time left.

There is widespread speculation about a potential power struggle if Richard Ames passes away shortly after Roderick Meredith, a.k.a. "Spanky".

Shootings and suicide are among the skeletons in the LCG-closet. Terry Ratzmann is one example, and when the ministers say you can know a tree by its fruits, it's safe to say the LCG-tree isn't nearly as healthy as some would like to believe.