This past year, CBS produced one of the funniest, ironic, insightful, biting satires ever (if you have Amazon Prime, you can click on the above icon and watch the season for free). Politicians on Capital Hill in Washington D.C. have had 40% to half their brains eaten by extraterrestrial bugs and they are running things. The thing is, with politics the way it is, few seem to notice. Those infested are aggressive. There is a conspiracy behind the scenes and attempting to expose the problem only ends in endless frustration.
We know that Herbert Armstrong didn’t have much over 50% of an high school education, yet he was the chancellor of a college. If you think about it (but not too hard), that has to be the most stupid thing ever! You could say that educationally, he was brain dead with half a brain. Certainly, Herbert Armstrong was aggressive. There has also been a long running conspiracy to hide the problems and those attempting to expose the problems end up in endless frustration.
Declaring the end of the world is coming as we know it in 1975 was certainly an indication of just how far gone the Armstrongists really were — no reasonable person willing to seek out the facts would conclude that the whole thing was nothing more than delusional, yet the infestation was pernicious — very hard to eradicate. Alternative explanations for the way things are were given and to those who weren’t alert could be swayed. In its own way, Armstrong gave meaning to “those with half a brain”.
Today, Armstrongism has given way to the theory of party alliances, tribalism and loyalty. Euphemisms are employed to cover up insanity. No one in their right mind (or with half a brain) could countenance such as Robert Thiel, David Pack, Roderick Meredith, Gerald Flurry, Ronald Weinland or much of anyone advertising in The Journal. It is sheer chaos, simply not rooted in the real world. Projects, programs, prognostications go awry. Endless excuses are created out of thin air. Alternative explanations are given to justify the stupidity.
And in the end, they all act as if things are perfectly normal. It’s reasonable to believe in the ridiculous premise British Israelism some how. Arrogance and narcissism are given life for no particularly good reason. People caught up in the political agendas of the scoundrels are completely deceived. Many are trapped in emotional extortion.
The series ends with the extraterrestrial bug invaders losing.
We certainly hope that the Cult of Herbert Armstrong Mafia follow the pattern and utterly fail in their attempt to take over the world.
They could barely manage their own cult so how could they ever have any success with the real world. Armstrongism is woefully inadequate to function in the real world!
Armstrongism could never exist as the sole philosophy, the sole mode of governance by which the world is run. Humanity either would not survive, or time and selective philosophical “breeding” would gradually elliminate all of the delicate balancing instincts which foster the progressive elevation of the species.
Armstrongism will never be more than a parasite, sapping normalcy, progress, and reality, and if it were allowed, would ultimately destroy its host, just as it forecasts that other forces are already doing.
BB
I will say that HWA was deviously good at one thing, his “confidence trick” was a masterpiece.
“Don’t believe me, believe your Bible!”
People gleefully took it all; hook, line, and sinker.
Until some few had doubts about HWA, then excommunication.
“They no longer believe the Bible! What would God have me do?”
The powermad are only ever concerned about their authority and the threat to it. No good can ever come from that.
“Don’t believe me, believe your Bible.”
Yes, that method of “self discovery” was a masterful ploy. Set you up with a question, give a scripture reference, and you discover the answer. So now 700+ or how ever many splinters there are can each let you “prove” they are the “true remnant”.
And HWA said the “Don’t believe me” only applied to non-members – once you’re on the inside, it’s “Don’t question me”.