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.
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/