Automatically discounting
information that appears to be "lies," without examining the evidence, is
a way to keep truthful--and very
painful--information at bay. To investigate further into the
charges would
"change our life" and most of us frankly like things the way they are no
matter how wrong it might be. We don't like the idea of losing our friends, our
beliefs, and our purpose in life, especially if we sacrificed time, money, or a lifetime to it. To think
that we went hungry, lost a job, or let a loved one die for the "wrong
cause" would leave us filled with anguish and not knowing what to
do and where to go. We also like to think that
we are far too intelligent to have been deceived by "a religious cult"1
or a con-artist. To admit that we were
programmed by leaders who only wanted to control us and exploit us
emotionally and financially is to experience deep feelings of betrayal and loss, along
with questioning our own judgment for letting it happen. [Read letter to
ESN:
One of the Hardest Things is to Admit You Have Been Wrong] We don't like to live with these thoughts, so it is much easier to dismiss them.
Before you write our site off as filled with lies, gossip, and bitterness, do you have
the courage to ask yourself and your minister the following questions?
- Who was Herbert W. Armstrong? (The
WCG ministers were carefully
instructed to answer, "He was the founder of the WCG."
(The Philadelphia Church of God will say he was the "end-time Elijah."
Other high demand splinter groups such as
Living Church of God,
Restored Church of God,
etc. will say similar things to show they believe HWA was "used of
God," "restored the true gospel," was "God's end time man," etc.) Ask them
if HWA was ever called "God's end-time Apostle." If you were in the WCG
before 1985, this term was commonplace.
(Read the exact quotes
from chapter 6 of Mystery of the Ages, pp. 267, 269.)
Ask them why Herbert Armstrong was downgraded
from "God's only true end-time Apostle" to a mere "founder"? (The
PCG will answer along the lines of, "The WCG has turned
Laodocian.")
- Did
Herbert Armstrong ever make claims or prophecies that didn't come true? If they
didn't
come true, then doesn't that qualify him as a "false prophet" by Biblical
definition? (See: Deut. 18:20-22. Also read our article, Did Herbert W. Armstrong Set Dates? to see some of his prophecies.) If
your minister says his prophecies have "not yet come to pass,"
read this Q&A on that
subject, which will also shows how people in O.T. times knew
whether someone qualified as a true prophet of God. Can a
false prophet be a founder of a "true church"?
- Did Herbert
Armstrong commit incest with his younger
daughter Dorothy at the time he was founding the "one true
church"? Weren't others aware of this? (Listen and see if they justify his actions with
words similar to: "David committed adultery and he was a man after God's own heart"
or "we all sin.")
Read: "None of God's Servants Were
Perfect" (for those who like to use this reasoning). Ask them if HWA ever asked
Dorothy to "forgive him"? (Don't you ever wonder why none of
his children are in the WCG?)
-
When you entered the
WCG was there any type of pamphlet that informed you of
all the beliefs of the group, and all that would be expected
of you, or was important information hidden from you
under the pretense of "babes can't
digest meat, so we only give them the milk"? If such a pamphlet existed, it would have to contain the following information:
| This Body of Jesus Christ believes that it is THE ONLY Church preaching the TRUE GOSPEL today. God raised up His Only True Church through his
end-time Apostle (and Elijah), Herbert W. Armstrong. To be a member of this
Church,
you must believe that the Trinity is satanic, that the Holy Spirit is
only the mind of God (not a person), and that HWA was given the commission to preach the TRUE GOSPEL, which was
completely lost to the
world until HWA restored it in 1934. You must believe every publication
put out by His True Church as God's true instructions to mankind. You must
believe that the United States and Great Britain are the descendants of Ephraim and
Manasseh and are present day remnant of Israel. You
must keep the seventh-day Sabbath strictly according to O.T. law, even if it means
losing your job. You must stop celebrating Christmas and other
satanic
holidays and replace them with God's Holy Days (annual Sabbaths). You must take off of
work to keep these days. You must pay three tithes (the 3rd
tithe every 3rd year), along with generous offerings, including
to the building fund. You must send the
money to Headquarters in Pasadena2 (et. al) and NEVER question how it is used. You must not
celebrate birthdays. You must not eat unclean foods. You must not
seek medical care or go to doctors--to do so shows your lack of faith in God as Healer. You must believe in God's Government and its
top down structure (God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, HWA, Ministers, Elders, Deacons) and obey all they
command. To disobey the Government is to disobey God. You must never
leave the Church or you will be cast into the Lake of Fire. You will
also be left behind when its time to go to
the Place of Safety. You may
ask "safe questions." But if we detect that you "know too much,"
we will separate you from the group and mark you from the pulpit so others will stay away from you. You are to give up all individuality and conform to
our standards of dress, hair length, dating, etc. (For more, read: Without
My Informed Consent!) If you are still interested in
membership, please feel free to speak to one of our representatives.
|
If you were told all these things up front, would you have become a member? Because you weren't told these things, doesn't that fall under
the category of "deception"? If a group has practiced, or is
continuing to practice, deception and cover-up, why do you want to be a part of it?
You may feel you joined "God's Church" because God called you and you "proved all
things." Was that really true? When you were believing that this
organization was the "one and only true Church of God," there were, at the
same time, thousands of other groups in society which were deceiving
their recruits by using very similar words and methods. These
methods have been described as thought reform or mind control. Most people who come into these groups are excited because they
think they have found the "true Gospel" and "the purpose of life." They find loyalty,
sacrifice, dedication, instant friendships and "black and white answers"
to problems. But the belief system goes
far beyond that and instills fear into you (fear of being
disfellowshipped, fear of leaving the group, fear of asking too many
questions, fear of displeasing God, fear of losing the Holy Spirit and
fear of not receiving eternal life. You end up being psychologically abused,
manipulated
and
exploited.
If you are presently in the
Worldwide
Church of God, I hope you have the courage
and conviction to question and evaluate whether you really want to be a part
of any religious organization that deceived people into believing
that it was the "only true Church where salvation could be attained" and
then changed their doctrines by using confusion, deceit,
blame, contradictions, and propaganda,
whitewashed their
founder, revised their
history, and sold the copyrights to
HWA's literature to Philadelphia Church of God for $3
million dollars.
You also should ask yourself why
the WCG is now endorsing false and new age teachers
such as
Richard J. Foster, Rick Warren and Brian McLaren, along with contemplative
spirituality?
Much more about the history, changes and
direction of the "new" WCG today can be found in the articles listed
under: Research Info on Worldwide Church of God.
For more info about reasons behind WCG's
"transformation" and how
doctrine was used as a massive propaganda tool, read:
Outsider's
Inside Update Newsletters (especially
this part in OIU
Newsletter #3 pt 1: "Was
There a Choice?), and links at the end of this article.
Read: Was God Behind
the Worldwide Church of God Changes?
Also see:
Why are you so
critical of the new WCG? (Q&A)
If you are in any of the splinter groups
that still believes God used Herbert Armstrong, please take time to read some
of our articles under Questioning
Herbert W. Armstrong.
Lastly, challenge yourself by studying how
mind-manipulating, exploitive groups in our society function. We have a number of
books listed on our Booklist
and articles which will help you to understand mind control and propaganda. You owe it to yourself to
investigate these things.
May God give you true discernment.
By Kelly Marshall and D. Williams
Exit & Support Network™
January 6, 2001
Last updated February 3, 2008
| "What luck
for rulers that people do not think." ~ Adolf Hitler |
Footnote:
1 The word "cult" is used in the context of a
deceitful, abusive, mind-manipulating organization. (See:
Identifying Marks of an Exploitive, Abusive Group.) While
Worldwide Church of God may not be labeled a "religious cult" today, we
have given reasons in the OIU
newsletters and shown in other articles
why we do not endorse them, but rather expose them. For thoughts on why WCG would find it
advantageous to mainstream, see
this part in OIU
Newsletter #2.
2
In November 2004 the
Worldwide Church of God
moved its headquarters from Pasadena to Glendora, California. (Pasadena
Star-News, October 25, 2004) By May 2006 all their offices
were moved to Glendora. (Together May-June 2006). They are now considering a name
change. Read: Worldwide Church of God is
Changing Their Name.
An Open Letter
to Our Acquaintances in The Church of God
(Very important letter which enabled many to question deception and to
exit WCG and its authoritarian offshoots.)
Research Information
on Worldwide Church of God
Questioning Herbert W. Armstrong
(was he who he said he was?)
Where Do I Find the
"One True
Church?"
Understanding
Mind Control & Exploitive Groups
Back to Articles on Exposing/Judging
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