Brilliant, smart, clever, shrewd, cunning, witty, sophisticated, precise, complex, accurate — you can be all of those things and more. You may be highly educated with an M.B.A. from Harvard, a PhD in Nuclear Physics from M.I.T., an Aeronautical Engineer from Princeton and / or a whole host of other credentials. You might be an experienced and highly regarded linguist, archeologist, astronomer, Corporate Director / Vice President, historian, nutritionist, Medical Doctor, Lawyer, C.P.A, Network Engineer, automotive designer or working in a whole host of other careers.
Last week, I interviewed with Boeing at the Aeronautical Engineering Division where jets are engineered to fly. It’s complex and engineers are treated well — they are respected professionals and their time is highly valued. I’ve known any number of people in the WCG and United who have worked at Boeing and even IBM. One engineer I knew designed the Boeing 737 autopilot. He went to retire, but Boeing kept calling him back to work on it up to the age of 75 years old. I’ve met a man in the church who actually writes assembly language code for started tasks on the IBM Mainframe z/OS environment. He designed and wrote an interface to an artificial package which was bought by IBM. The IMS team shipped him over the code to use as a pattern. He quickly noted that the IMS started tasks had a fatal error and showed them how to fix it, before he went on with his own work.
There have been any number of brilliant people in the Armstrongist churches of God.
It doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t mean a thing.
God only reveals his truth to His Apostles and Evangelist leaders in the cult of Armstrongism.
Nothing you say has any credibility.
No matter what facts, data, truth, witnesses you may bring to the table, if you disagree with the Cultmeister over you, you are rebellious, know nothing and have no status or standing to say anything.
It does not matter if you can absolutely prove beyond a shadow of a reasonable doubt six ways from Sunday that British Israelism is a steaming pile of horse manure.
It does not matter if you can absolutely prove that church history is fabricated and there is no such thing as eras.
It does not matter if you can absolutely prove there is no such thing as second tithe.
Your job is to be lied to and provide the money: Only The Leader matters and you are wrong and nothing, no matter what.
You must learn the very first law of cults from the Orange Papers: The Guru is always right!
If you violate this #1 law, Frances Horibe, author of “Creating the Innovation Culture: Leveraging Visionaries, Dissenters and Other Useful Troublemakers in Your Organization”, tells you what comes next (note that the illustrations are for the Corporate environment):
Stage 1: Arguing
At Stage 1, it is assumed the dissenter just doesn’t know any better and is amenable to “rational” discussion. Some of the arguments you’ll her:
“It’ll never work.“
“The boss will never go for it.“
“It’s not what we do around here.“
“Things are okay as they are.“
Stage 2: Listening But Not Hearing
If the dissenter persists in his wrong-headed view, things stay polite but subtle messages are sent.
“Yes, we’ve heard from you on that. Anybody else got some different ideas?“
“Thanks for your contribution.“
“Maybe you should put that in writing so we all have a good idea of what you mean.“
Stage 3: Laughing It Off
Before they hit this stage, most team players are astute enough to realize they need to tone down their advocacy. But those who don’t get it begin to get teased about their persistence.
“This is a real hobbyhorse, isn’t it? When are you going to get off and give somebody else a chance to ride?“
“If you’re so smart, how come you ain’t rich?“
“Can I give you a quarter to phone somebody who cares?“
You note that nowhere are people talking about the real issues — like how inconvenient, threatening, or difficult it will be to implement the dissenter’s idea. Often, it’s because the idea is inconvenient, threatening, or difficult that this whole process gets invoked to begin with. It is at this point that the focus moves from the dissenter’s ideas to the dissenter himself [the ad hominem argument]. It stops being about whether the idea makes sense and starts being about the dissenter’s personality flaws.
Stage 4: Ignoring
If ridicule doesn’t work, the powers-that-be start to get a little ticked. Although they’d never say it, they’re beginning to feel that if the dissenter had any sensitivity or even manners, he’d stop bothering them. They bring into play one of the most powerful weapons–silence. When the dissenter speaks, no one replies; the conversation continues as if he had never spoken. If he persists, he gets:
“We’ve been over that ground before. I was looking for new ideas.“
“I don’t think we’ll get to your item today. Maybe next time.“
While in the previous stage people kept their expressions carefully neutral, now nonverbal cues are more evident. Rolling eyeballs and sighs are prominent.
Stage 5: Making Invisible
Still some people don’t get it. They persist despite the increasingly unfriendly environment. The heat is turned up. Not only will the boss refuse to engage in further discussion but also funny things start to happen. Somehow, the dissenter’s name gets left off distribution lists. Invitations to important meetings aren’t forthcoming. Decisions are taken without his input. It’s as if he has disappeared.
Stage 6: Forbidding
Some dissenters won’t take their invisibility lying down. Then the big guns come out. If the dissenter continues to push his unpopular views, someone will finally drag him into a room and say:
“You are to focus on assigned projects, not just on the ones you want to do.“
“Stop wasting other people’s time by pushing your pet project.“
“I forbid you to work on that idea.“
Sanctions may or may not be threatened. If the dissenter has taken the issue this far, he may see his fight as a matter of principle. Backing down would be a comment on him, on his integrity. But equally, the boss has had it, and the idea the dissenter has will be implemented only over several dead bodies.
Stage 7: Getting Rid of the Dissenter
If the situation gets to this stage, war has been declared and both sides are focused not on what’s good for the company but on winning. And, just given the way of the world, the power is on the side of the higher-ups. If the dissenter ignores the previous injunctions, any number of things can happen.
“I don’t think your skills are up to this position. There’s a job for paper-pusher in Division M.“
“You need to report through Bob now. He’ll vet any of your ideas.“
“Somebody has to be laid off. I regret it has to be you.“
“We don’t have a place for you in this organization.“
For those of us who have read The Ambassador Reports, this is all too familiar — since it was standard practice in the WCG in Pasadena and Big Sandy Texas and is the methodology of the GCI. Of course, it goes on within the rest of the Armstrongists, all the way from Arguing to Disfellowshipment. This doesn’t always work out, as United might be able to tell you, having lost at least 40 congregations in ten years (we’ve lost count, sorry) to the split with the Church of God, Worldwide Association. With Weinland and his PKG group, he seems to alternate between laughing it off and ignoring the dissidents — the only problem is, he’s about to be sentenced, so whatever he does probably has very impact on the dissenters except to make them more determined to expose him for the fraud he is.
All the people in the Living Church of God under Roderick Meredith need to perform the following experiment: Gather your facts and go to him to prove once and for all that British Israelism is nonsense, church history is a fraud and that he is a false prophet. You might even be a Pastor ranked minister or a Regional Pastor. You know, he’s the legacy from Herbert Armstrong who said, “Prove us wrong and we will change”. Of course, you need to keep firmly in mind that Roderick Meredith has proclaimed that he has not committed a major sin since his baptism, so be certain to document in writing the major sins he has committed to show them to him. Then stand back and see how quickly he runs through the seven stages.
One of the more, shall we say, colorful, of the gurus which sprang forth from the high school dropout with just an eighth grade education, turned Chancellor of a College, Herbert Armstrong is Yisrayl Hawkins. It’s interesting to see his former wife’s book, The House of Yahweh: My Side of the Story by Kay Hawkins is treated at Amazon.com. A comment by James A. Schmelig says: “Now that you’re read the obviously biased hand wringing of a woman scorned, maybe you would like to read the most authoritative investigative report about The House of Yahweh ever published. It is titled “The House of Yahweh EXPOSED! – Saints or Sinister?” by James Arthur. When we look up The House of Yahweh EXPOSED! – Saints or Sinister?, we spend so many pages looking at how corrupt the United States government is and how the truth has been covered up, until we find that James Arthur is actually for Yisrayl Hawkins. We also learn that The House of Yahweh started in the Garden of Eden. The author also tells us a bit about himself: A former (?) alcoholic (no such thing), drug abuser, liar, thief, sexual degenerate, despot, convicted felon and ex-convict who spent 10 years in prison by the time he was 28 years old. (Page 215) He tried the shallow superficial dogma of Christianity, but (darn it all!) Yisrayl Hawkins brought him the light and reformed him! Of course, Yisrayl “Buffalo Bill” Hawkins is a proven false prophet, not unlike Ronald Weinland. He did, however, write his own version of Scripture, The Book of Yahwey. Many reviewers question the source of the translation and not a few reject the book as being heretical. One reviewer noted how many references were changed in favor of polygamy.
The issue here is how people are silenced and certainly the comment, “Now that you’re read the obviously biased hand wringing of a woman scorned…” is designed to question the credibility of someone who actually lived with the cult leader.
Armstrongism is based on silencing visionaries, dissenters and troublemakers, because Armstrongism itself is based on lies, deceptions, weirdness (the favorite of which is the guy who claims demons are coming to earth through a stargate at the bottom of the ocean), insanity (Richard Brothers who invented British Israelism was in an insane asylum because he was a danger to others) cast by narcissists, sociopaths, psychopaths and nutjobs. Yet, they expect us to swallow their Flavorade with a straight face.
In the book, Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work, authors Dr. Paul Babiak and Dr. Robert Hare answer the question, “What is the difference between a sociopath and psychopath” beginning on Page 19:
Psychopaths are without conscience and incapable of empathy, guilt, or loyalty to anyone but themselves.
Sociopaths may have a well-developed conscience and a normal capacity for empathy, guilt, and loyalty, but their sense of right and wrong is based on the norms and expectations of their subculture or group.
In other words, sociopaths have what is known as a “conditional conscience” based on the beliefs of those with whom they associate. The best example of this is the Mafia, where the behavior toward members of the group is far different — and the expectations are far different — than from the rest of the world: You can lie, steal, cheat, murder in order to advance the cause of your group, but not to those in the hierarchy within the group. As a Mafia Don, people were loyal to Herbert Armstrong and it was fine for both he and the members of the WCG to lie, steal, cheat and practice deception as long as the goal was to advance the WCG. The ministry was indoctrinated with “the end justifies the means” ethic (which is no ethic at all), so by implication, most of the Worldwide Church of God and the Armstrongist churches of God is basically populated by sociopaths, with the exception of the narcissists, psychopaths and nutjobs which occupy various levels within the hierarchy. Nothing matters except to protect the viability of the organization (which has no socially redeeming qualities within itself). All dissenters will be dealt with in the manner revealed by Frances Horibe. If you don’t believe that, just try dissenting and see what happens.
Those who leave Armstrongism need to be very much aware that their conscience has become warped and twisted in ways to adapt to the nature of the thinking of Herbert Armstrong. You’ve been adapted to accept injustices which would not be acceptable to the normal ordinary member of the rest of society because you have become a sociopath with antisocial behavior: You are looking for the end of the world, the destruction of society and, in most cases, have come to believe that people in terrible circumstances out in the world must attend to the dead burying their dead. You’ve been conditioned to do absolutely nothing but stand by, watching the horrors of others in your life, waiting for Jesus Christ to return to fix everything. You’ve accepted the idea that even if you could do something about it, you won’t because you feel that it’s just not your job. As Robert Dick in the United Church of God, an International Association said, “This is not the time of justice”. And folks, he also means it as far as the church is concerned. You have a conscience that was not bothered by false prophets spouting false prophecies and you have been satisfied to just sit back and prove exactly nothing. You take your cult leader’s word for it. You march on as a loyal soldier in your cult and never question your General, whether it is the Pastor General, Coordinator General or General kook leader, no matter how corrupt and wrong he is — up to and including becoming a convicted felon. If you know of a crime committed by a minister or you Leader, your job is to cover it up, ignore it and act as if it is normal.
It will take a very long time to construct a valid conscience, if it is even possible.
So you can be brilliant, smart, clever, shrewd, cunning, witty, sophisticated, precise, complex, accurate, but not within the confines of the craziness of the Armstrongist cult. They will find ways to make you submissive, for example, they will tangibly lower your IQ by making you feel stupid. Research has shown that the IQ of people can be lowered by as much as 40 points by convincing people they are stupid — and the Armstrongists certainly do a good job of that. They have these secret wonderful “truths” (lies) to which the world is not privy — which means that you are a novice when you take up with them to enter into their ranks: Nothing you say, do or are means anything, because the leadership has all the truth and your vision, perspectives and knowledge is irrelevant. You can’t know the truth. It is only revealed to the incompetent false prophet End Time Apostle. Only when you realize this and become nothing more that a stupid drone can you become someone.
Brilliance.
It means nothing unless you have the power.
“They will find ways to make you submissive, for example, they will tangibly lower your IQ by making you feel stupid. Research has shown that the IQ of people can be lowered by as much as 40 points by convincing people they are stupid — and the Armstrongists certainly do a good job of that.”
Yep, the Armstrong cult did that to me. I fought it, and I won. But it took time and a lot of work investigating the facts and discarding the fallacy’s told from the pulpit in that horrible cult. After a short spell I realized it was about nothing less that money. They are no different than the bankers. They will turn you over and do their dirty deed until you wake up from your slumber!
Yes, I wonder how many IQ points people lose by attending the Feast of Tabernacles and how long it might take to recoup during the year.
Of course, with all that alcohol, those who drink a lot of the hard stuff probably kill off billions of brain cells, making some of the IQ loss permanent.
Believing in such IQ killing fantasies as British Israelism is certain to take down intelligence in a toboggan slide — it doesn’t help that it was basically first really promoted by the insane Richard Brothers.
Of greatest concern to me is the anti-social sociopath conditional conscience that members develop, reducing their Ethics Quotient to near zip. The natural ability to determine right from wrong is severely breached by the belief that Herbert Armstrong even knew right from wrong, when the record is clear that he didn’t know right from wrong and did not care — the only things that mattered to him was his own ego and money to buy the nice things he wanted. To have such a man define a conscience to tens of thousands of people is a very disturbing perspective indeed.
Those trained at Ambassador College had the worst dose of conscience wrecking propaganda. They will have a much harder time ever approaching the standards of normalcy.
The danger is in pleasing a man who is both incompetent and immoral: The longer you do it, the harder it is to be set on the road of recovery to recapture commonly accepted and recognized scientific truth. Science is sublimated into vapor in the Armstrongist realm, where nothing is real and no one is exactly who they seem to be.
Dissenters attempt to eliminate the smoke and mirrors, but the mechanisms in place to keep up the charade often overwhelm ordinary effort. Proof doesn’t work and the reason why is embedded in the seven stages stated above.
The stronghold of Armstrongism is positioned to make the truth about itself simply go away.
“…sociopaths have what is known as a “conditional conscience” based on the beliefs of those with whom they associate. The best example of this is the Mafia…”
Yes, yes, yes! Having been around “sociopaths” I can attest to this! And don’t just stop there Douglas, we need to put names out there in the bloggasphere! Let us start with politicians…
Tempting… but the list is so long it would take a lifetime.
I mean, if we just restrict ourselves to the 700+ Armstrongist leaders of the Churches of God, it will take years!
“I mean, if we just restrict ourselves to the 700+ Armstrongist leaders of the Churches of God, it will take years!”
There must be one sane Armstrong cult, but which!!
No! Anyone who teaches lies like British Israel-ism is not worth the salt that truth leaves behind after it is spent. You can taste truth if you have the mind for investigating the facts, self honesty, and self worth. Without these qualities you will find yourself a slave not only to religious pimps, but to politicians! If you subscribe to political emails like myself, you soon recognize them as the “co-worker” letters you had the misfortune of receiving in the mail from the like of the wcg, pcg, rcg,…..
There must be one sane Armstrong cult, but which!!
Not unlike Diogenes, I’ve tried a bunch of them and each time I was hopeful and each time I found the weirdness.
For the most part, the leader is a psychopath (with the few exceptions where he was merely a sociopath) and the followers in the cult were sociopaths, having accepted the immoral, unethical and in some cases illegal, as normal healthy behavior.
At this point I can truly say that I’ve run through the major part of the list and a few minor points, gave it my best shot, but finding such things as your pastor committed adultery on his wife while she was dying of cancer sort of puts the kibosh on trust.
If there’s one lesson I’ve learned it is that all the ACoGs will betray you: You can’t trust them; they don’t have the truth and they enforce the lies and deceptions, while YOU pay for it.
As for politics, one wonders at the terrible judgment of the electorate. Dale Washam has been the Assessor / Treasurer and has been just horrible (the recall measure fell short a few signatures). Jay Inslee wants to be governor of the State of Washington and wants to wipe out all hydroelectric plants (including Grand Coulee Dam) to save the little fishies (they do just fine using the fish ladders, thanks), so we can have brownouts, blackouts and sit in the dark and cold.
If I were to go any higher in politics, there would be a firestorm here and we’re trying to expose the ACoGs and not the politicians and the corporate pimps who buy their support to gain control of the world for their own private agendas. Calling the psychopaths in the electorate who are psychopaths will do a great deal of harm (we need to remember and understand thoroughly the Draconian measures employed by the Patriot Act).
Far too many people have become sociopaths in the cult of politics and attempting to resist, expose and oppose them is far too risky.
“…sociopaths have what is known as a “conditional conscience” based on the beliefs of those with whom they associate. The best example of this is the Mafia…”
Another example is the Third Reich and Nazism. A whole nation went along with the madness of Hitler and his henchmen. These were good, cultured people, some of them the most educated and highly capable people the world had seen up to that time. They came very close to perfecting the wonder weapons that would have handed them victory.
We think that our nation is immune to such things happening, but it isn’t. That’s why I am so anxious about what is going on right now on the political scene and blog about it so much.
Again your statement boils down to three basic scriptures: Isaiah 55:8. Romans 8:7, and Matthew 24:23, not to mention 1 Corinthians 1:27-29.
Realy, there is no humanly defineable “litmust test” to determine who is “God’s church”. Paul took care of that with Romans 8:29-30, Galatians 3:29, and Galatians 4:28. Jesus poi nted it out in John 6:44. God chooses, and that’s the end of the matter. All other efforts lead merely to confusion, or to Jesus’ description in Matthew 10:34-38.
“All the people in the Living Church of God under Roderick Meredith need to perform the following experiment: Gather your facts and go to him to prove once and for all that British Israelism is nonsense, church history is a fraud and that he is a false prophet.”
And considering that Rod doesn’t have seven Japanese sons to start a new cult, I would say he would be stuck in a quagmire.
Ralph, agreed, but Armstrongism is worse than that: It isn’t that it just isn’t the truth (and in this case we can prove it isn’t), but actually does terrible damage to the conscience, making the members of the cult of Armstrongism sociopaths.
This is far worse than just not having no humanly defineable “litmus test” to determine where “God’s true church” is. It is a corrupting influence.
If it were just a set of beliefs without major portions of truth, that would be one thing; to enforce the immoral, illegal and unethical behavior of psychopaths and cover it all up and to transform “normal” people into sociopaths is reprehensible.
There is an evil darkness in Armstrongism that extinguishes the light of the human spirit.
James, it is amusing to think that anyone could stand up to “evil-eye” Spanky, but he is a lot sharper than he looks and knows how to wield his power over people.
At minimum, he’d have the deacons throw you out. As it is, he simply ignores dissidents and lets his henchman, Dr. Booby Thiel argue in his favor.
But yes, the very worst thing that could happen to Roderick Meredith is to have people ignore him and STOP SENDING HIM THEIR MONEY: Then the false prophet of 50 years standing would stand no more.
Sadly, it isn’t going to happen.
Support a false prophet and ye shall receive the false prophet’s reward.
Allen, I would point out to you that the politicians in the United States today follow all seven of Frances Horibe’s stages.
You need only look at the Commander-in-Chief.
Learn those stages well, Allen, and look for them. Now that you have the key, it will open to you great understanding, if you use it.
One of the things that people tend to forget is that Herbert Armstrong was an alcoholic. Alcoholics who are at the top of an hierarchy do terrible things to the organization because of their addiction. Their distorted perceptions create havoc as people attempt to adapt to the dysfunctional environment created by the alcoholic.
An alcoholic is an extremely selfish person who creates a stress reaction within people who are striving to maintain some semblance of normalcy. Normally, the alcoholic is abusive and at the same time neglects and ignores others.
The problem didn’t end there: Quite a number of ministers under him (including GTA) were also alcoholics. This created terrible dynamics within the church where there were terrible injustices perpetrated by the alcoholic ministers and their drinking buddies. While members at the Feast thought that the ministerial conferences were being held so the ministers could help the membership, the ministers got loaded, at least three sheets to the wind, as they made staggering decisions concerning their inebriated flock.
Abused minister’s wives and children had to take it while members fawned over the minister.
And out of the fog of inebriation was supposed to come truth.
Most of the time, the only truth came out of the bottom of a fifth of Scotch.
Abuse… distorted perceptions… neglect… overbearing control… the wall of silence… dysfunction… lies… deceptions… cover ups… — alcoholism played a major role.
I was never a hippie, but since the highest ones on the hippie food chain were seeking some sort of transcendental or transforming experience, I’ve investigated that movement for its religious or spiritual significance. For some, it was clearly more than just getting loaded, avoiding the draft, and living on freebies.
One of the ethics was the idea of freeing oneself from the things we all tend to hold onto for dear life, yet they actually end up turning on us and enslaving us. Hippies mostly cited physical possessions, status and position, and the bundled concept of winning at all costs. But, I’ve come to take this further, and to realize that we often allow people, be they those whom we admire, our employers, or spiritual leaders actually participate in this enslavement as well.
And, you are right, DB, it really has nothing to do with brilliance, which while important, is only one component of the total person. I’ve oft stated, that in terms of balance, I’d much prefer to be just slightly above average in all of the important categories, rather than be out of balance strong in a single area. It’s the strength of the aggregate package that is so important. I’ve known brilliant people who were socially insecure, and therefore allowed their own personalities to be subverted by Armstrongism, acting in HWA’s valence or that of their local minister. In fact, this was actually encouraged! It’s why some Freshman, during his second month at AC would go to El Rancho, purchase a tube of Brylcreem, and begin slicking his hair straight back. It’s why he suddenly began overusing words like “hogwash”, and “balderdash” in daily conversation, cultivating a like for Handel’s Messiah and drinking Harvey’s Bristol Creme while listening to it.
This is spiritual enlightenment? Didn’t they imply that the payoff for ridding oneself of what they called “intellectual vanity” was spiritual enlightenment? I couldn’t buy into that then, and it seems even more ridiculous all of these decades later. I’d witnessed this sort of “transformation” occur in Spokesman’s Club prior to even attending AC.
It’s why authority from the top down, passing through a chain of men, actually stifles the type of growth our lives are supposed to produce, at least if we believe the parable of the pounds. The foolish dude who buried his was afraid of authority and legalism, and Jesus actually took his pound away from him and gave it to one of those who had produced growth!
BB
Yup, having a form of Godliness and denying the power therof. But this imitation of GTA and HWA was also a hallmark of thiose who followed Ayn Rand.Instead of the ideas she promoted, people took to smoking cigarettes in long holders and puttin g their money in clips made to look like a dollar mark. People go for the “form” and not the “substance”. BTW, in terms of governme nt, an old high school buddy of mine pointed out how Joseph bought out the Egyptina citizens gradually, using the extended famine in Genesis 47, while placing his own family in favored positions in Egypt, with great possessions. ne ver noticed that before. Joseph allowed the priests of Egypt to keep their possesions, similar to our own tax protections of religion in the US. First, Joseph gthered up all the oney in the land, controlling that(Federal Reserve), then when the money failed, the people asked for bread. Since Joseph had exchanged money for grain, the Egyptians were dependent on him for bread, which he then gave in exchange for cattle, then finally their property. Federal reserve at its best, enslaving the Egyptians while Israel “had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly”(Genesis 47:27)
There’s your blueprint for expansion of the jewish empire, right from the book of Genesis. First control the oney, then gradually control all facets uintil property rights themselves are destroyed. Never noticed that before.
In my experience with PCG, stages 2 through 6 are skipped.
Wait!
Casey, they don’t laugh it off?
Just wondering.
Now that you’re out, they sure are ignoring you!
That’s just backward!
This is a good study, but i don’t think Armstrongist churches are the worst. Tey’re a sliding scale. In my home county, there is a group called “Word of Faith”, which actually practices communism, in the spirit of the book of Acts, where the people gathered their possessions and allowed the church to sell them. The Word Of Faith people actually break apart families, husbands and wives, and place them in separate homes, and put them to work for the church, literally qworking as church representatives in regular jobs, with businesses being bought and employees replaced with church members.
Like the old Armstrong folks I remember, they’re really nice people. But they cannot see the enslavement , to the extreme, that they endure in Jesus’ name. If one sins or expresses doubt, they have what they call “blasting” where members gather around the “sinner”, who is often bound in the chair, and scream in his face to drive out the demon. These folks have local politicians in their pockets. My experience of Armstrongs was nothing like this.
Communism and churches go hand in hand. Fake churches like the Word of Faith and the Herbie imitator churches speak of a one world government. The idea that the world will/or should be ruled by one leader is indeed reminiscent of communism.
“Americans who believe that Christ’s kingdom is of this world are ushering in world government. They have a sickness called Communism of the heart or spiritual Communism. Spiritual Communism is a political religion. It is a religion dedicated to a world government kingdom in which national states vanish under the central authority of the political theocracy.”
http://www.hwarmstrong.com/british-israelism/bi-deceit.htm
The Word Of Faith people actually break apart families, husbands and wives
Check out Flurry’s PCG some time (different flavor, same results).
The divorce/remarriage doctrine in the old WCG affected my parents, and the church actually took care of my mother as a “church widow”. She did better financially during that time. My dad took care of himself and visited with the kids on weeke nds, but the Word of Faith Church takes married couples and separates the family so it can control husband and wife. It’s far more sinister than what i saw in WCG.
I wasn’t so deeply affected by WCG doctrines because I didn’t give money I couldn’t afford. It always seemed to me that if God needed money, he could raise it on a whim. If nations can print it out of thin air, so could God.
Ralph,
Does the Word of Faith separate the married so that the leader(ship) can screw the women?
“It’s far more sinister than what i saw in WCG.”
And some/most of the Armstrong breakaways are the same. Sinister.
Herbie knew what he could get away with. Some of the other breakaways are run by personalities who are open in their psychopathy. They care not about public opinion nor the people they abuse.
In Word of Faith, “leadership” IS a woman. She has a husband, but he follows her as a ki nd of Ellen G. White. However, WOF practices communism by getting converts to sell all their property thrugh the church. If the are business owners, the church gets direct ownership, and the members work for the church. While the ministers may have screwed the “church widows”, it was an act of secret agreement between them in most cases. In WOF, what the women do with their “house masters” is up to the rulings of the church.