The Painful Truth was founded (as of 2024) twenty seven years ago. It has grown to be an enormous site, as it has accumulated thousands of pages in the way of articles and letters contributed by the victims of Armstrongism. That pernicious mutation of Christianity cobbled together by Herbert W. Armstrong, with the able assistance of Herman L. Hoeh, Roderick C. Meredith, Garner Ted Armstrong and a host of other pseudo theologians and pseudo historians.
We have become the on-line home of the popular Ambassador Report, the most important exposé of Armstrong and the cult he founded, the Worldwide Church of God.
The Painful Truth has stood the test of time, outlasting most, if not all of the other WCG opposition sites, and even some of the church groups that splintered off from the Worldwide Church of God when that organization imploded.
The battered and disappointed survivors of Armstrongism and the various Armstrongist splinter groups have all come to The Painful Truth for knowledge and comfort.
Bewildered, weary and in a state of confusion as the fantasy-world of their phony “true church” collapsed around them, The Painful Truth has pointed out the contradictions and hypocrisies of the “true church” doctrine. Those who have endured years of abuse from church and family, and have been convinced that it is all their fault, and that their troubles are the results of sins they have committed, have been reassured that the Armstrongist churches were dysfunctional organizations, and that they have been victims of fraud and abuse.
The Worldwide church of God attempted to annihilate peoples personality, individuality, will, and character. The stranded souls that hitched their wagon to this organization unknowingly supported a power-hungry pharisaic and fastuous authoritative cult leader and his son, Garner Ted Armstrong. For all the alarums and excursions, the fact remains that without knowing it, we nurtured these two ungrateful incubi’s. For that I can only ask for forgiveness.
After my WCG experience, I went to college to educate myself so I would have a greater understanding of the world about me and to understand why I ever fell for HWA’s scam religion. This lead me to the conclusion that the appropriate action to take, in my judgment, is to provide people with opportunities to learn, develop, and exercise their potential as human beings, by freeing them from men who exploit and abuse them. This website and others are my vehicle to do just that.
I was unfortunately born into the WCG in the 70s, just curious as to how many ex members practice any religion at all….I have nothing to claim or believe in except prayer , I am the only one of my siblings who is half sain and unmedicated because of this church, I am also the only sibling who doesn’t blame my parents…even though our childhood was awful so sad it was all for nothing
I continue to struggle greatly with religion and church. My wife and I have tried several denominations. She seems to have a much better handle on things then I do. For me I believe it is a matter of trust. For every time I think of God or church I think of WCG and Armstrong and recoil. For me, I have a very hard time with prayer so I am glad you have that. I don’t know, this just might be as good as it gets for me.
I hope you are well. I just noticed your comment. I was a member of WCG for 10 years 1986 – 1996. It was sad how God has been profaned by men who were supposed to help and support people lead a godly life. I have learned that God is REAL and he answers your prayers. If you rely on him and his son, he will help you through any difficult times. I was angry when the “church” changed in 1995 because they threw God’s law out the window, they threw the baby out with the bath water. But, God’s LAW is the only way to peace and happiness, NOT MEN’S INTERPRETATION of it. Love is the only way. We all need it now. I hope you find the peace and love you deserve.
My wife and I have attended many fabulous concerts at the performance hall in Edmond, OK. The musicians, dancers, ballet companies, symphony orchestras, etc. have all been internationally renowned and must be very expensive. For our own selfish reasons, we hope that this concert series will continue for many years to come.
On the other hand, the stories recorded on your website paint a tragic portrait of the WCG and its many splinter groups. If the PCG has less than 100,000 members worldwide, how can it support such expensive cultural events? Even if the membership is squeezed to the limit by various “tithes,” how can they provide enough financing?
Perhaps this will help to explain.
http://web.archive.org/web/20180326025240/http://www.exitsupportnetwork.com/mike_ep/pcg/payable.htm
Read more on this group: http://armstrongismlibrary.blogspot.com/search?q=pcg
Hi James i have read your articles and wish to know if you go now to any church or you are disapointed with Christianity Thank you
Understanding that Christianity is based on astrology, I no longer consider myself as a Christian and I no longer attend church services. I do however accept some of the tenets of Christianity, such as the ‘golden rule’ which brings peace and harmony.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/qiWkRvnTmrfU/
I came across this site after reading online comments on Riddit. Even though it was decades ago I still find myself reminiscing with my time spent in the WWCG as a child. They were truly corrupt to the core. I wasn’t born into this church but rather brought into it at they age of 10 years old. Within a year after leaving a battered women’s shelter my mother joined this church. We ran for our lives on my 10th birthday. I often think about this because the WWCG stole my childhood with the Plain Truth magazines laying around our home. It was the first time I’d ever heard the word “Pagon”. Within this same year all holidays my siblings and I use to celebrate cease to exist. Instead replaced with sermons and sermonettes. Bible study and church became a way of life. Slowly so did TV and music. God forbid Satan get to us, right? In my teens crawled my way out if that church being told I’d go to the bottom of the pit if I didn’t attend church. On my 17th birthday my mother came into my room and said happy birthday “you can move out”. Ironically it was the first time she’d said Happy Birthday in seven years before joining this church. I gladly moved out and I now take a holistic approach to life. Stepping into a church still brings me anxiety but I have found Jesus. A different approach to life. I may not have stories of my past with the WWCG but I do blog and write. There’s a sense of peace leaving this one in the past.
Indeed, peace is the gift on leaving a cult. Any cult and there are plenty out there in the world.
I would venture to guess that 30% of the wcg’ers that left the wcg go off on another tangent in seeking out the ‘true church’. In the end they land up hopelessly fucked up in the head. It actually depends on your IQ. Some people never learn and I have meet quite a few of them. Look at the lemmings in Dave Pack’s cult, the ‘restored church of god’. They stay after tens of dozens failed prophecies as to the return of JC. It goes to show you that some folks still literally worship Herbert Armstrong as god himself. They show the real God as to they really are. Pagans who worship the memory of a man.
“I never knew them!
-Jesus Christ.