| Who was the
Worldwide Church of God referring to
when they said we were to "love our neighbor"? We all heard a lot of talk about
"love God" and "love your neighbor" from Herbert W.
Armstrong and his ministers, but did you ever stop to think about how
the words "your neighbor" really meant the members in WCG? Who else
could it mean? Our neighbors in the world were the ones we were
supposed to withdraw from--"i. e., come out of the world" and do
not mix in with "unbelievers"; "Don't throw your
pearls before swine"; "Don't try to explain your beliefs,
because they won't understand anyway unless they're called." Only those in the WCG
were the ones our "love" was to be focused toward. It was they
who were to be truly our "brothers and sisters." And the
tragic thing was that "neighbor" didn't apply to the children
and teens in WCG. They were just baggage that didn't count until they
got baptized. Yes, the parents and ministers and parents worked hard
on them, but was it really to love them and treat them as Christ would? No, it was to control them and
to manipulate their minds with the goal of keeping them from leaving the
WCG, so that they could grow up to be financial contributors
("neighbors") to this fraudulent organization.
Although this "love"
was to be directed to our "neighbors" in
the WCG, in many cases even some of them didn't receive true love, but conditional love. It was a love that
was based solely on their performance and whether or not they obeyed the
government of the WCG. If they left, they were now labeled
"disobedient," "dissident," "bitter,"
"troublemakers," "those that fell by the wayside," or any number of names, but they were no longer considered a
"neighbor."
If the WCG has always had the true love of God, then
why have they failed so miserably in bringing true peace and love into
the lives of their members and their families? Even in the midst of so many "new"
changes, why have so many left this organization of
"love"? Why do those that have stayed now mostly believe
in a mish mash of doctrines? Some believe we go to heaven, others
believe we lie in the ground until the resurrection. Some believe in the
Trinity, others still say they don't get it. Some keep the Sabbath and
holy days, others say it's part of the old covenant. Some believe it is okay to
speak in tongues,1
raise their hands, and be charismatic; others don't. Some have followed
WCG's links off to liberal / New Age material and now hold to that. Others listen
to controlling shepherd/discipling teachers. Some even listen to
pro-Armstrong ministers from some of the offshoot groups on the radio in their spare time! Where did all this hodgepodge
of beliefs come from? It appears that members are being turned loose to
believe anything they want, as long as it's labeled
"Christian." It makes no difference what WCG's "doctrinal
statement" printed for the media may say.
The proof of such confusion2
shows in the lives of the members inside. In the last few years many
members have talked as if they know
nothing of the true nature of Christ Jesus and His grace. They still talk of
"God," and how "love God and love your neighbor" is
still their rule to live by. Others are picking up a syrupy,
sentimentality and mentioning "Jesus" without knowing too much
about Him. Some are keeping busy by going to
ecumenical groups like Promise Keepers and other outside
"Christian" conferences. But what about the old timers? The
ones that are too tired or too confused to move on? They have never made
any friends on the outside and it is too hard for them to ever leave the
only "family" that they have ever known. WCG members are who their
"neighbor" is.
Many will probably die inside the organization, never coming to a true
understanding of the Scriptures. It is truly a sad state of affairs. Programming of the mind is very hard to overcome and
headquarters doesn't seem to be in any hurry to do
anything about it.
By D. W.
Exit & Support Network™
2003
Footnote:
1
Worldwide Church of
God does not forbid tongues speaking.
2 Confusion is a
result of the mind control that WCG survivors endured.
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