I have some memories of AC in Pasadena in the late ’70s, mostly about some of the more, shall we say, colorful individuals I roomed with.
The Armstrong Crime Syndicate
While most of the world thinks that “religion” is the way to go, many readers of this site have now taken a more realistic approach. Throughout our tenure in Worldwide Church of God, we’ve seen the upper criminal element to be very much alive in this and the offspring cults. What they did, and are still doing, would be considered criminal by most impartial courts of law. Yet, the legal system – despite the separation of church and state – chooses to look the other way when it comes to crimes of religion, which (in the Western world), we would call “Christian Crime.”
And there are rats who walk like men…
It’s a funny thing about money and success. If you have it, you flaunt it, and spread it around to those who sing your praises, then you’ll always find “loyalty” within your following.
Herbert W. Armstrong: Racist
In the June-July 1981 issue of The Good News, there is an article titled “After 50 Years – Christ’s Apostle Still Ahead of His Time!” Like just about everything else published by the Worldwide Church of God about Herbert W. Armstrong, this is a lie. Herbert W. Armstrong was a man whose feet were firmly planted in the past. Within his church, Armstrong tried to re-create the world of his youth.
“Creating God in Our Image”
When people’s confidence in their beliefs is shaken, they become stronger advocates for those beliefs. The book When Prophecy Fails, an American cult leader, Dorothy Martin, convinced her followers that flying saucers would rescue them from an apocalyptic flood. Many believed her, giving up their livelihoods, possessions and loved ones in anticipation of their alien saviors. When the prophecy failed and nothing came to pass, the group decided that their dedication had spared the Earth from the apocalypse. Far from shattering their faith, the absent UFOs had turned them into zealous evangelists.
Herbert Armstrong the Fraud
Here are two letters that will explain how Herbert W. Armstrong bought his professorship from USC with a grant to their Law Center. Even after finding out what a character this guy was, USC didn’t care. They just wanted that money.
Herbert W. Armstrong. C.I.A. Agent
The Radio Church of God, later the Worldwide Church of God was not only a religion, it was a also a geo-political movement whose teachings were buried within a religious context.
Thomas Jefferson and the “Clergy.”
By Bill Fairchild-
I have been on a quote-gathering binge lately, scouring the Internet for large numbers of quotes by famous dudes like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Friedrich Nietzsche, Oscar Wilde, etc. etc. Then I read through them and try to learn from other humans far wiser and cleverer with words than I.
Taken For A Ride With Garner Ted
“GARNER TED ARMSTRONG IN PERSON!” announces the poorly mounted sign outside a glittery suburban hotel ballroom with fancy plastic chandeliers. Ted, shown in profile with a microphone in hand, is proclaiming the end-time gospel with planet Earth spinning out of control behind his hoary head. This affirmation that something really, really important is about to happen in a city that prides itself as a regional entertainment capital goes largely unnoticed in the empty hotel lobby. For on this hot August Sabbath day, the majority of the modern Romans are next door on carnal rides for the masses at Six Flags amusement park instead of attending this spiritual amusement ride for the elect.
The Story of Hank
Once upon a time, many years ago, there lived a guy named Hank. He was a regular fellow, and at about thirty or so years of age, he lived in the poorer part of a small town in the mid West. Each day, Hank would sweep out the local grocery story, and when he’d finished his stocking chores, he’d shoot the breeze with his buddies in the local bar or at someone’s home, and they all drank lots of beer. Hank had a good flair for telling stories and weaving some homespun philosophy into them, and people listened to him, usually agreed, and they always looked to him as a local friend. We can all live in peace, he had said, and the folks all agreed. He never had a girl friend.