You Cannot Force Someone To Be Happy.

Herbert Armstrong would always say that the role of the Overseer - the spirit being Worldwide Church of God God-Being in the Millennium - under Christ - would be to FORCE people, through the enforcement of Law under Jesus Christ - to be happy - by teaching them the ways of the Law and swift punishment for disobedience to that Law.

This reason was partially enforced by his literal interpretation of the scripture of Zechariah 14, which claimed that all the nations that do not go to Jerusalem for the Feast would receive no rain.

Of course, this was an allegorical parable to those who had not yet been revealed the spiritual mysteries of God which were made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Spirit which reconciles us to the Father. No one in the Old Testament days of Zechariah could ever understand that this scripture - like all the scriptures in the Law and the Prophets - pointed directly to Jesus Christ. And neither could Herbert Armstrong.

There's one aspect, however, that even a literal interpretation - what Herbert Armstrong was best at - cannot nullify. And that aspect is the freedom of choice that humanity has been given. No, freedom of choice does not eliminate consequence. But you are always free to choose whether or not you will follow Christ, or if you will not. If you will receive rain from heaven, or if you will not - the blessings of living life abundantly in Jesus, or the consequences of "no rain".

The aspect of kingship that Herbert Armstrong drooled over was very apparent in what was approved for the musicals he allowed in the Young Ambassador Festival of Music. One musical that was allowed into the Festival Film was "The King and I". In this musical, you have a display of a very authoritative king who is used to yielding all power and control over his subjects, produced in 1956. Such a musical would certainly have appealed to Herbert's love of power and control - and especially ruling. This was, exactly, the kind of kingship that Herb and Hirelings, through psychological trickery and deception, chained their tithe slaves with day in and day out. But through all of this trickery and deceipt - one thing he never did was forced anyone to be happy.

Herbert never was able to take away the freedom of choice from the members of his cult. He may have been able to deceive people into thinking leaving his cult was the worst thing they could ever do. Why, they'd be reduced to working manual labor. They'd be possessed by blood-thirsty demons. They'd have no friends, no life - in this age, or in the age to come. Good for nothings. This power of deception, however, was overcome by many who did leave the cult, and through overcoming, began to see through the lies and trickery with a clear head and conscience. Herbert was never able to force anyone to be happy.

The truth is, you cannot force anyone - for any reason - to be happy. In fact, forcing people - the exact words that Herbert used - is, in every way, illegal in spiritual and human law.

Forcing someone to do anything is a violation of free will - the one thing that God has always put as a prime directive for everyone - physically and even spiritually. God did not force Satan to be happy and content. He did not force the demons to do His will. He did not stop them from rebelling. He never stopped them from interfering with humanity. He never stopped "the serpent" from offering "Eve" the "Apple". You will never find in scripture God forcing ANYONE to do anything they did not want to do. God did not even FORCE Jesus to sacrifice Himself, and to become sin for us. Jesus himself said if he wanted to, he could call upon thousands of angels to minister to him. Jesus CHOSE to do what He did for us. He CHOSE to lay down His life for us. And by choosing to do so, he became worthy of all honor and praise and kingship.

In reality, Herbert's love of "Force" should be scary to anyone who hears or looks into it. Herbert's ministry of force was evident in everything he did. From forcing members to become ordained (they didn't have a choice). From forcing ministers never to retire. (They didn't have a choice) To forcing members as to where to go for the Feast, to what Hotel - they didn't have a choice either. To forcing members as to how to dress, or what they can or can't do on a certain day. (They didn't have a choice). Everything in Herbert's mind was FORCE. A rod of iron. A fist and a sword.

Of course, he would say, "I'm not forcing anyone! You have choice! If you want to go, GO! We don't need you anyway!" In so many words. Yet, he was forcing his way. And he did this with and through fear of consequence if you did not obey. That you would be HAPPY under his control and his power. That you would be HAPPY as his tithe slave. That you would be HAPPY under the rule of his interpretation of all powerful Law. And that you would be DEAD - spiritually - if you dared rebel and go do your own thing - words he despised.

But none of this was true.



Jesus taught that in his Spirit, there is freedom, there is liberty, and there is peace. Jesus said that his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. The Apostles taught the power of living a life of love and service to your fellow man - to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus taught his disciples to CHOOSE life. To CHOOSE to do right. To CHOOSE to be a great example. To CHOOSE.

Even in the book of Matthew, in Chapter 25, Jesus spoke specifically of the freedom of choice. He said that there would be two groups of people. Those who chose to serve - to visit the sick, the jailed, the widows, the orphans - and those who did not. He never indicated once he would force them to do anything while living life on Earth. He never once said anything about commanding them to do this or that. He never took away their choice. There were simply those who chose to, and those who chose not to. He did not force them. He showed them a way, and set an example. The choice was always up to them.

Just as such, by the imposition of dictatorial force, you cannot command happiness. You cannot command rejoicing. You cannot tell someone they have to be happy at a certain time and a certain place. (Yes, they tried this too, at the Feast.) You cannot force unity. You cannot force positive emotion. The most you can do is create a fraud. Someone who appears happy, someone who appears joyful, someone who appears in line - but inside, could be depressed, angry, sad, frustrated, down, discouraged, and downtrodden. This is not "the Government of God". This is nothing but the worship of appearances and the culture of lies from the inward self out to all a person encounters. It's a culture of evil, lacking honesty and truth.

The idea of "forcing" people to be happy is contrary to every word and every verse in the word of God. God is a God that allows choice - and consequence to those choices. God is also a God who is very clear what Justice he serves on those who violate someone else's choice - that is, forces someone to go against their free moral will in life. This "Government of God" of Herbert Armstrong?

It was not the "Government of God" at all. It was the "Government of Dictatorial Force and Power" - the government of oppression. 

No. You can never force someone to be happy.

Happiness is only accomplished when your choices fulfill your destiny, and your purpose. 

Whatever that may be.

God Had Something To Say About the Worldwide Church of God.

This is as close to I could come for a description of the "suggested" model of Tithing in the Worldwide Church of God under Herbert Armstrong - and even some of the splinters of that church that continue to exist today. If someone was to have followed the letter of the law precisely - and avoid being labeled a "slacker" or an "unenthusiastic, unconverted" do-nothing of a member - this is what likely faced you each and every day and week and month and year.

The method was nothing short of extortion, in my opinion. You were constantly, weekly, bi-weekly - monthly - and at every sermon - harangued, badgered, bugged, pleaded - and threatened of your very eternal life - to give wholeheartedly and enthusiastically to every demand of the church. But it never started that way.

When most came into "The Work", the most they felt they had to give was one tithe. But it wasn't long that they learned there was much more to the story than what they were initially told. The free magazine was too good to be true.

Soon, you learned that there was a second tithe to attend a convention you had to go to. Yes, you had to foot the bill for a mandatory conference that pictured something that was promised that never came when they said it would. Then, once you were baptized, you had to give ANOTHER 10 percent of your income every three years for funds that supposedly (but did not always) went for a benevolence fund for widows and orphans and the poor.

But that wasn't even all. Every seven holy days every year, you had to give a substantial voluntary offering which also went to headquarters!

But wait! There's more!

You also had to pay for the events and the activities of your local church activity fund. The kids' YOU outfits, meets, balls, square dances - all were on the local church's dime you were expected to help out with. You would spend your time in fundraisers, garage sales, baskets - whatever it took to raise the additional money so you and your church could try to have some kind of a life, since birthdays and festive times were already out of the picture.

But wait! There's more!

When the church was having their huge building fund, you were ALSO threatened with the loss of eternal life if you did not contribute to the building fund for the expansion of their college and to help pay for the loans that would eventually solidify their crown gem, Ambassador College.

And, where did your funds go. What did they accomplish.

The Lord has words for these kind of acts. And they're all in the Old Covenant that Armstrongism claims is in force. 

*****

and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. Zech 7:10

Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Or crush the afflicted at the gate; For the LORD will plead their case. Proverbs 22:22-23

"For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. Jer 7:5-7

"Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?" He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain Isaiah 33:14

May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, Save the children of the needy And crush the oppressor.  Psalm 72:4

Woe to those who enact evil statutes And to those who constantly record unjust decisions, So as to deprive the needy of justice And rob the poor of My people of their rights, So that widows may be their spoil And that they may plunder the orphans. Now what will you do in the day of punishment, And in the devastation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your wealth?Isaiah 10: 1-3

Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And exact a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of well-hewn stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine. Amos 5:11

Woe to those who scheme iniquity, Who work out evil on their beds! When morning comes, they do it, For it is in the power of their hands. They covet fields and then seize them, And houses, and take them away They rob a man and his house, A man and his inheritance. Therefore thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am planning against this family a calamity From which you cannot remove your necks; And you will not walk haughtily, For it will be an evil time. Micah 2: 1-3

Yes, this is exactly what happened with the Worldwide Church of God. 

Every detail. Every scripture. 

Every word. 

Did not they exact heavy rent on the poor? 

Did not they covet fields and seize them? 

And houses? And take them away? 

Did they not purchase poor people's houses for their own gain? 

Diod they not rob the poor of the people their rights? 

Did they not constantly record unjust decisions?

Did they not walk after other Gods to their own ruin? 

Were not the widows their spoil? 

And did not God bring against the Church a calamity from which they could not remove their necks, and in which they could not walk haughtily any longer? 

All they built was taken away, sold, distributed, and collapsed. 

It all happened exactly as God's Word said it would. 

After all, those who live by the Law are judged by the Law. 

Treasure photos courtesy Banned by HWA.

 

 

Why I Don't Attend A Church. (I'm Bracing For The Judgers!)

I do not attend or am a member of an organized Christian Church.

But this does not mean that I am not a Christian.

I am fully aware that many organized Christians (Those that go to and are members of an established Church, Armstrongist, Protestant, or otherwise) would flatly disagree with me. There are many who still believe that Church attendance is mandatory for a Christian. They will quote scriptures (as one did to me recently) like "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together". They will think or say that I have a spirit of rebellion or am not submissive. Well, they have the right to their opinion.

Everyone actually has the right to their opinion. It's part of what makes our society work the way it does. Thoughts matter. And it's something that I have learned to respect - the process of opinion, which is developed and bred because of the complexities of an individual's life experience. Opinion makes the world what it is, no matter what side of the fence you are on religiously, socially, politically, or otherwise. But.

Yes, there's a but. (There always seems to be, doesn't there?) When it comes to religion, things can quickly change. Especially in corporate religion. Because in corporate religion, your opinion suddenly is not just an opinion worthy of a form of respect. Your opinion is either black or white. Totally true, or totally false. Godly, or satanic. And that opinion is judged not on its merit or worthiness as a person - but how much in line it is with the pastor's interpretation of how in line that opinion is with God's word.

Notice how carefully I worded that. Because in organized Christianity - regardless of the type of organized Christianity it is - each church conforms to the personality of it's pastor - the chosen leader of the Church - and each church conforms to the doctrinal interpretation of the pastor - the chosen leader of the Church. Most church members are programmed (I used the "P' word) to accept - based on the pastor's educational background, preaching, and personal counseling - without reservation and wholly and undoubtedly the pastor's word as absolutely authoritative and binding as instruction from God.

I cannot do that.

And it is not because I am rebellious. It is not because I am obstinate. And it is not because I am unduly critical or have a "bad" spirit or what have you. It is because I have been burned and scarred by pastors and leaders - in both Armstrongism and in mainstream Christianity - who have spoken as if they had God's anointing, blessing, and favor - but have turned out to be charlatans, untruthful, prideful, self-absorbed, or worse. And this is not a biased opinion - it's what formed the opinion in the first place. In short - I cannot trust them.

Coming directly from a sordid history of the cult of Armstrongism, you learn something about religious corporations. First and foremost, what they are. They are a business - rooted and established in the business and corporate philosophies of the world, where the world dictates the church in many ways most don't even know about - especially in the realm of finance and business operations. In many cases, a church will want to judge biblically - but insurance reasons may mandate a non-biblical judgement. (This happened in a mainstream church a long time ago, where reimbursement of money won over a Christian decision in a legal case against a book keeper.) Money always wins in a business - religion or otherwise.

I also cannot stomach the absolute hypocrisy that infests mainstream churches - where appearance (like in Armstrongism) is paramount above all. It is truly sad to say - but you can never, ever judge a person's behavior for how they appear to be at Church. Many times, the minute they step out of that church and back into "the mission field" or "the real world", they can stop the facade and go back to being who they really are. No, this isn't everybody - there are genuine people - I acknowledge that. There were genuine people in Armstrongism. It's true, however, that whenever you get a good group of people together, you're going to get every personality type possible - including the frauds and the suckups, the hypocrites,  the cold, the loving, the merciful, the businessperson, the shy - but to figure out who's genuine or not? That's a whole new ballgame. And sadly - many times, they only go to church to "do their duty" as a Christian for 1 to 2 hours a week - if you're a mainstream religion or a part of a fringe cult.

But those are just the side reasons that come with the main reason I cannot attend church.

The main reason I cannot attend church - as was alluded to earlier - is because I do not trust those who assume the position of Pastor in a church. Yes, this is something that is a direct result of my personal experiences with pastors. It is a direct result of how I have come to view spiritual "authorities". And I would by lying if I admitted otherwise. No, I do not trust those who assume a pastoral position. I have witnessed too many of them obsessed with the love of mammon, the idolatry of material wealth, the lust and love of power and authority, and the provably false interpretation of the doctrine of tithing in the New Testament that most carry over from the Old to literally guilt (I've seen this over and over again) members or lie to members (using Old Covenant Scriptures) that they're cursed if they don't tithe to their church (an absolute contradiction of the words of Christ).

Those who read this might be quick to judge my words as haughty, arrogant, prideful, wrong, obstinate, or many other choice words. And that is exactly why I cannot go to a mainstream church.

Because if I walked in there, and tried to explain to someone exactly how I felt and the experiences that I went through to come to those conclusions - many would immediately come to exactly those conclusions. I would be branded unteachable - and maybe even a "danger" spiritually, to the flock - for stating to certain people what I feel. The pastor may see me as challenging his "authority" or trying to "harm" the flock spiritually, because I am not blending in with the sheep. Am I surmising? Yes. Is it possible that this is not the way it would be every time? Of course. Is it a risk I am willing to take? No.

But this does not mean that I am not a Christian. My relationship is between Jesus Christ, and myself. Jesus understands my unique situation as one who was raised in an abusive, manipulative, lying cult. Jesus sent His Holy Spirit - the counselor - for just such reasons. Because my trust - my hope, and my life - lies only in Jesus Christ, the Son of God - who knows me for me - and does not answer to a Church Board - but is One with the Father. Who deals with me personally, one on one - Brother to brother. Who gives me only what I can handle, day by day. My belief in Jesus Christ and all He accomplished on the Cross is secure. It's what makes me continue day to day, despite everything I have been through and go through in life. Because Jesus is the way, and the truth and the life.

Does this mean that this may not someday change? No, it doesn't. There may be a time that God may direct me someplace, sometime, and if He does, He will tell me, and I will know it, and I will answer and respond as He directs. As for now, though, that time has not come yet.

The time, right now, is recovery, from the abuse and the brainwashing that I went through in life and in the cult of Armstrongism - and this blog is the outlet on which I do just that (as well as any other jabberings or talk, no matter how ridiculous or crazy the babblings might be).

I don't claim, nor will I ever claim that these writings as "inspired", or "pastoral", or "authoritative",  or "total truth", or "My way is the right way", even when I give opinions on scriptures or the Bible or religion. In my view, Only Jesus is truth. The only claim I will have in my writings is this:

It will always be honest. No matter how "right" or "wrong" or "religious" it is - it'll be honest. And to be honest, that's all anyone can really expect from an author. Honesty. And sincerity.

And truthfully - that's really all you really could ever ask from anyone. Especially pastors, churches, Christians, and people going about their every day lives. And if I ever find a church like that - I'd probably go in there and at least give it a try.