Comments on Ambassador Watch: Everybody forgets Fred

Byker: You bring up an interesting point. That i...

2016-07-19T14:54:42.516+12:00

Byker: You bring up an interesting point. That is a belief among COGites in the words and actions of HWA as if these forms of information had a divine status. For them the Bible is the Torah/Tanakh. And HWA's words and behavior comprise the COGite Talmud. And this odd Talmud is able to trump the Torah/Tanakh. And the Talmud in the person of HWA, no matter how bizarre, is never sin. So no solid COGite is going to ever repent of HWA's errors. The is rejecting the holy book, the Talmud.

Did COGites recognize that when HWA was proclaimed to be The Apostle that he could abrogate the Bible as he wished. And he did do this. In an AC class in Pasadena he stated that Paul's pronouncements on marriage in a certain epistle were in error. And he had a right to change Paulian principle because he was of Apostle rank, the same rank as Paul.

In other words, for COGites, if they are faithful to HWA, the Bible says only what HWA asserts that it says.

I heard a minister preach a similar principle at the Field House in Big Sandy. He stated that the "loosing and binding" language in the NT meant that whatever "God's ministry said" was right. That even if the WCG ministers made an incorrect decision, God would back them up. In the aftermath, one of my buddies who worked on campus stated that he knew the Tribulation was going to begin in January 1972 because the ministry stated so and God would back his ministry up. So you can see the confusion that this heretical interpretation creates.

They should just have a form of "Amercian Ido...

2016-07-19T11:59:05.165+12:00

They should just have a form of "Amercian Idol" with the top 12 finalist COG leaders competing. They get to give 5 minute messages. Each week , the audience, whether COG or not, votes online and one leader is removed from the competition.

Would love to see Simon, Howard Stern, Paula and Keith Richards reviewing them all.

Yes, NEO, I agree. All the ACOG leaders seem to a...

2016-07-19T09:16:46.469+12:00

Yes, NEO, I agree. All the ACOG leaders seem to aspire to be the Elvis of Armstrongism.

I do not believe that it was any accident that HWA ignored and failed to preach the half of the gospel that he said man had made about the person of Jesus. In the first place, man didn't make the gospel about Jesus, Jesus Himself did that! If you as a preacher ignore or short the "other guy" the one that the gospel is actually intended to be about, it opens the door to making your "franchise" all about yourself. After getting rid of the "inconvenience" of Jesus, that's exactly what HWA did! Only he molded himself more after Moses or perhaps Ezra. And, I've long noted that HWA's disciples and acolytes somehow never get around to identifying and repenting of the old man's sins. If HWA did something, that was the example set by "God's Apostle", a gold standard not subject to revision or correction. Church members today use HWA as their standard to a greater extent than they use Jesus

It is difficult to know what really went through HWA's mind, what his filters may have done to his perception, and frankly, if he even was of sound mind. The narcissism, we could all see. The irrational anger and explosive temper were self-evident. He seemed to indicate in his autobiography that there were some bipolar issues. And, he appeared to fail in all of his close, personal relationships. Unless he was just using Satan as a boogeyman to extract higher levels of offerings, he was paranoid about Satan, too. How can one with those disorders be an effective and loving mentor or spiritual guide?

BB

Some observations: It amazes me how many COGite l...

2016-07-19T03:21:00.559+12:00

Some observations:

It amazes me how many COGite leaders want to be HWA. Even when I was a member of WCG, HWA was not my ideal. The expensive suit, standing up at services and chewing people out, aloof, repetitive. Sometimes I wonder why these guys just don't get an HWA mask from a party store and wear it around.

I find it droll when now "Special Speakers" fly around to a few tiny feast sites
belonging to some COGite offshot in imitation of HWA, GTA and other glib types in the old WCG ministry. For some, the profile of HWA is as alluring as being a Hollywood star is to others. I do not understand the magnetism.

Many wonder if HWA actually believed the heresy that he preached or if he just did it for money. Was it the case that he was a true believer in heresy and the money making engine was an unintended and collateral bonus effect? We have many COGite leaders that should give us some insight into that, since they have molded themselves after HWA. They seem to all believe they are great leaders called by God. No doubt many of them believe they are The Apostle. Ethical impairment or delusion - the difference is important. If someone is a calculating crook it bespeaks a sanity that is not present with those who have delusions about their personal greatness. Is the bulk of the COGite leadership a nest of criminals or a looney bin of people who need therapy?

Hey, Black Ops Mikey! I thought I was the only one...

2016-07-18T13:24:19.931+12:00

Hey, Black Ops Mikey! I thought I was the only one who would remember the KOOKS book. I see on Amazon they are selling a 2001 version now. Same cover though, as the one I have on my bookshelf that I bought new clear back in 1994. I was particularly fascinated at the time that the very first chapter was about Anglo-Israelism... and yet only mentioned Herbert Armstrong in passing in one paragraph of a ten page chapter! Even JH Allen only got a one-sentence nod. All the other major players they mentioned were names I never heard before. (Other than a brief mention of Randy Weaver at the end...his Ruby Ridge Standoff had occurred barely a year or so before Donna Kossy wrote her book, so he was the last in her list of prominent B-I guys.)

William Dankenbring , Art Makorow, Ken Westby in t...

2016-07-18T02:23:23.424+12:00

William Dankenbring , Art Makorow, Ken Westby in the same league as Coulter. Sort of like a cottage industry, "mail order" or garage type operation.

Vestigial leftover parts from a bygone era, who after the deaths, will be in the dustbins of history. None have succession plans, nor successful expansion marketing programs.

Fred Coulter was the first WCG minister I heard gi...

2016-07-17T14:36:20.516+12:00

Fred Coulter was the first WCG minister I heard give a sermon at the first WCG service I attended in my life in Boise, Idaho at the tender age of 14. It got me started into what I wish I had never started.

You can find his booklet about British Israelism o...

2016-07-17T14:22:49.398+12:00

You can find his booklet about British Israelism on his website.

Don't care how anyone whitewashes him -- he's still one of the Kooks (see chapter 3).