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Herbert W. Armstrong claimed to
have all the answers to life, and especially the answers to evil in the
world. Many, when exiting, are unable to believe in anything anymore.
Isn't this exactly what Herbert Armstrong wanted? If we didn't believe in
his "truth" or his "god" he didn't want us to
believe in anything ever again. It was as if he said, "You will do it
my way, or you will not do any way. You will believe in my
god, or you will not believe in any god." As a result, some exiters
go in many false directions, such as New Age ideas, joining unusual sects or
offshoot groups, and even more turn to agnosticism or unbelief--anything except
Christianity.
Why? Because Herbert Armstrong, for the most part, succeeded in moving members' minds away from ever
trusting in, or believing in, any spiritual belief system outside his
"true church." It was programmed into members' minds to
hate (and fear) Orthodox Christianity. His goal (whether deliberate or not) was to destroy
true Christianity. This is exactly what all Bible-based cults are
capable of doing to those who immerse themselves in the founder's literature and teachings.
Cults destroy a person's trust and shatter their self and world view, because when trust is placed in those whom we believe are "sincere, true spiritual leaders," only to find out it is not true, we are betrayed in the deepest sense of the word. It takes a long time to try and rebuild from that type of damage. To fear or distrust anyone in a position of spiritual authority and not be able to read or even believe in the Bible as the Word of God anymore is one of the tragic results of being involved with Herbert Armstrong's counterfeit "church" and counterfeit "gospel." (This also holds true with other totalistic offshoots.) HWA's intent was to destroy minds, souls and spirits and to cripple exiters for life if they did not continue obeying "the government of God." But listening to HWA did not lead to God, neither was it "God's way." It was a destructive, soul-damaging lifestyle that was clothed in lies. The true God was never taught, nor known, in Herbert Armstrong's "church." There was a false spirit and a false Jesus inside, which is always true of any religious cult (i. e., a mind-manipulating group) that teaches a false gospel and engages in exploitation and abuse. HWA taught that the Holy Spirit was only the power of God--not the Comforter who shows Christ to the believer and who indwells them, regenerates them and helps them to understand the Word of God. That is why the focus was not on the true Lord Jesus Christ and His grace freely offered by faith, but on the "church" and "the government." Without understanding this knowledge, exiters can find their faith almost nigh to impossible to rebuild. The true God allows us to make our own choices in this life and if we are not discerning about exploitive groups and mind control, we can easily become deceived, especially if we continue receiving and reading Armstrong's literature and don't ask critical questions or seek outside information about the group. Once ensnared, choices in the "one true church" aren't really free anymore because they must line up with what is being taught, and if we question the authority who gave it, we are threatened with being destroyed forever. But isn't that what they were doing anyway? Destroying lives? How many were free and happy? People were used and controlled without any room for individuality, creativity, or talents. We were slaves that were slowly dying under grievous burdens, control and abuse. And when we couldn't measure up anymore, they threw us away, knowing that if their programming had gone deep enough, we would never be able to trust or believe in anything about a loving, personal God again. After enduring such ill-treatment, it is hard for the person to understand how there could be a true God who loves them and who is completely different than HWA's "god." It's hard to understand how this God could have let it happen, and how He could ever bring anything good out of being enmeshed with something so evil. But it is possible for discernment, growth, strength and freedom to eventually come out of this kind of victimization and bondage. When leaving the Armstrong groups, it is not without tremendous effort to get Herbert Armstrong's teachings out of us. (Read: Getting the Group Out of Us) If we choose to dump the whole lie and decide the answers are found in reading books by agnostics and atheists (known as "free-thinkers"), we will find ourselves--perhaps permanently--turned in that direction. We may call it "shunning religion," and "being free," but we are actually turning our back on the true Creator who loves us and who has made a way for us to have every spiritual blessing through the true Jesus Christ. Otherwise, we are choosing to take a chance that there is no judgment and no responsibility for anything we may do. No man can give us all the answers in this life and why things happened as they did, but if we stop and think about it, do we really need them? Wasn't it Herbert W. Armstrong who cultivated those questions and put his own interpretation on everything? Even changing it whenever he decided? Do we really have the wisdom to determine how God should have acted in a certain situation in our lives, or even down through history? Isn't it enough to know that the true God Has revealed Himself in His Son who willingly came to this earth to give His life for us, who suffered more than anyone ever has or will, and who loves us with an everlasting love? All religions on earth, except true biblical Christianity (which is believing and following Jesus Christ), say you have to do something (a ritual or work) in order to receive eternal life. But this true Savior will give us eternal life simply by coming to Him and sincerely placing our faith and trust in Him who died for all our sins.
He is the only one that can restore us to the true heavenly Father and give us lasting freedom. But it is hard for many exiters to accept this because Herbert Armstrong's lies have been so deeply programmed into their mind. Even so, if we are determined not to let the Worldwide Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God, Living Church of God, Restored Church of God, or a similar controlling WCG offshoot succeed in destroying our hope in finding that which is true and lasting, the lies we once believed can eventually be rooted out and replaced with the truth. It seems that so few who have been influenced by Herbert Armstrong's teachings ever come to understand the freedom, grace and peace that is found in Christ Jesus alone. Until exiters research the true history of the WCG; what constitutes a destructive, deceptive group; how mind control is used on the unknowing, and have their minds opened to the true light of the gospel which focuses on the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, many will either go back to the way they were before they entered the false group (without any religious beliefs whatsoever, or highly skeptical of the Bible), or continue to hold on to a gospel they think they "proved" themselves. They will make excuses and use false rationale for everything, including all the suffering and misery others had to endure and all the things they lost out in their life. They will not be able to see how shallow the group's relationships are, since such is contingent in staying in the group (i.e., the "family"), and they will not see that HWA twisted the Word of God almost more than anyone ever has. They will only see Worldwide Church of God as "God's true church" and not what it really was--a mind manipulating cult with a sinister background and whose only goal of the leaders was to control and exploit others for money and power. If what we choose is
agnosticism, or atheism, and the negativity which almost always goes with it, we are
free to go that way. But if we decide to turn to the true Jesus, the Son
of God, who, in His incarnation
was very God and very man, and offer Him our questions, our pain and
our disappointments, we will begin to
experience a spiritual freedom we never had in the WCG. There is peace,
mercy, grace and healing to be found through Jesus alone, and which He will
freely give through His comforting Spirit when
we place our faith in Him believe on
Him. And, although
our understanding of all this does not come quickly, or all at
once, He remains faithful, and will never cast us away or punish us for our
questions or struggles with Him. He is more than willing to help us if
we humble ourselves before Him. By reading His Word instead of literature from those who say
they have "the truth" and "the answers" or "new
revelations" about life,
Christ will begin to show us, through His Spirit, that He is Truth and Life indeed. We only have to go to
Him and ask. He is able to enlighten all our darkness. (John 8:12)
Also read: It Was Tempting to Discard God and Turn to Atheism (6-24-07 letter to ESN)
Mike's Answer to An Atheist (includes section at the bottom on, "Are Atheists Happy?" "What About Thomas Paine's Book?" "Refuting Common Atheist Claims" and "Confessions by Atheists") Will Exiters Who Become Atheists Have Another Chance For Salvation?
How Do I Receive Eternal Life?
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