The Painful Truth-Herbert W. Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God
Understanding the psychology of religious seduction and spiritual abuse.
When early civilizations developed, deities were used to explain the mysteries of the physical world, such as having a god for thunder, rain, death and creation. Changes in secular circumstances, religious power and cultural diffusion changed how early peoples saw God. As people’s concept of God changed, old ideas were either incorporated into new religions or dropped completely.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
–Proverbs 3:5
How many times did you hear that proverb during your years in WCG? How often do you COG folks still hear it today? I heard it a lot, and I’m sure many of you still do.
Well, it’s straight out of the Bible, isn’t it? The literal word of God, if we are to believe God actually inspired that sainted book. But does it make any sense? I mean, really?
Think about it. Just think what that second phrase actually means. “Lean not on your own understanding”? Why not? What could possibly be wrong with your own understanding?
After all, if you understand the Bible, and you understand what you’ve been taught, why shouldn’t you lean on that understanding? I can see trusting God with all your heart, if you are so inclined, but what is so bad if you “lean on your own understanding”?
Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?
Many Christians believe that the bible is a sacred text book that guides their lives. This book, sacred to many, is made up of 66 individual scripts from dozens of authors.