Oh, let’s say David C. Pack? And how could we know?
Let’s examine the second part of the question first.
He joined the Restored Church of God, moved to Wadsworth, Ohio and went to work for the cult. He was underpaid and not only worked 40 hours per week at manual labor (“They work you to the bone”), but was expected to do volunteer work for nothing (“Rather, they tell you what to do, to make it look like you’re volunteering”). “It would run its toll on anybody.”Ā He describes what one woman working in the compound headquarters on the third floor went through: She missed a Sabbath because she was tired from the overwork and all the stress, lack of sleep — she got sick — and that’s just one example (of many). Another young man was sick from the work, the stress, the lack of sleep — the supposed ‘urgent work’ we always had to do, because it was this ‘big operation’. One member admitted that he had been there four months and moved 4 times because they made him move. Because you were on their property, they treated you as their property. Often people were given one day to move. Benjamin moved 3 times in two months. Everyone there was so tired. Deep down, they knew they were not in the right place. This was just obsessive. Ministers were intimidating. “It’s all about breaking you down.”
Ā He describes the Restored Church of God as an abusive cult.
There is a place on earth today which well represents what the world would be like if David Pack becomes god and rules the world; it is brought to us as a documentary by the BBC:
“People scavanging in mud.”
“… feels like a doomsday cult.”
No doubt, the people will live in poverty, the leaders will live in sumptuous luxury and there will be monuments to the god king, David Pack.
Excessive, unconstrained power makes people feel over-confident, blind to risk, inclined to treat other people as objects, tunnel-visioned, narcissistic and protected from anxiety. These are all real effects, as biologically driven as those caused by any powerful drug.
David Pack has been proving what sort of person he is and he is looking more and more every day like Kim Jong-un.
“…he is looking more and more every day like Kim Jong-il.”
Certainly an apt comparison, even if taken literally: Kim Jong-il is embalmed in a mausoleum which he spent an estimated $900 million to, um, restore.
During the times when I was a boss, supervisor, or manager, my goals were to treat my people fairly and equitably, to leave them creative space and room for personal growth, and to be sure that I was looking out for their best interests even when there were differences of opinion. Quite honestly, those are some of the principles which I had learned at a community college course in personnel administration. They keep employees engaged and motivated without the need for draconian authority. I had discovered that the warping ideas on authority which I learned as a WCG member and AC student were totally unworkable, holding me back in the real world worse than a 500 lb. anchor. So, I took remedial action. That course, coupled with hypnotherapy sessions to assist me in dealing with authority figures, were very helpful. Without this two pronged approach, I would have been ill equipped for any sort of career success, with the possible exception of actually becoming a WCG minister!
In most of the ACOGs, the system as taught automatically prevents those in authority from receiving any sort of feedback on their leadership or management styles. Negative feedback is rebellious attitude, which earns Lake of Fire or Tribulation. It is even considered presumptuous to provide a positive evaluation. Not a member’s place. So, these yahoos are insulated from information which might make them more effective, or better admired. Basically, Dave can and does get away with a total dearth of empathy for his subjects, and since he is not accountable to anyone, this runs amuck, never getting corrected. The good news is that his reputation is all too well known, and this is what limits the growth of his organization.
Bottom line is, would Dave really thrive as a normal, everyday member living under Dave? I doubt that he is capable of even pondering such a role reversal.
BB
Hoss, I wondered who might catch that. You will note that according to the BBC documentary, Kim Jong-il is still considered the ruler of the country, which makes it rather awkward for his son, Kim Jong-un: It’s no wonder he feels he needs strong military backing.
This should be no surprise in the Armstrong world — after all, if you go to the Intercontinental Church of God website, you’d never think Garner Ted Armstrong had ever died at all, especially if you visit their companion site, the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association. Fair warning though, if you go to http://www.garnertedarmstrong.org/ be prepared to listen to Garner Ted Armstrong, unless you turn the sound off. Does that man ever stop talking?!!
Perhaps what we need is for the Armstrongist churches of God to call their headquarters / home office something else, like mausoleum. We can imagine it now: “The latest news from the Church of God Mausoleum! Our leader’s work lives on!”
It should certainly work for Roderick Meredith in the near future.
Hoss, maybe you’ve started something here.
As you say, it works either way.
And anyway, isn’t Herbert Armstrong still running things from his grave?
I’ve changed it to be Kim Jong-un, since those reading the blog may not catch the obvious inside joke.
I can see Flurry on display. After all he is ‘that prophet’ and people love to have a here. Even a dead one.
http://depletedcranium.com/comrade-lenin-gets-a-bath/
About 10 years ago, I waited over 2 hours at the mausoleum of Chairman Mao and was able to view his preserved body for about 15 seconds.
With his quest for memorabilia, perhaps Gerald Flurry will have his body exhumed and put on display.
Is the Graveyard Church of God, featuring HWA’s Steuben crystal casket still attached to The Painful Truth site?
Yes it is.
You can find it on the right on our directory page:
http://www.hwarmstrong.com/menu/directory.htm
I have a couple of other older defunct sites former webmasters sent me hosted here, one which I have yet found time to update with more pages.