Armstrongism - The Ultimate Guide

Mark Armstrong - Classic Example of What Hate Can Do to a Person

2024-05-26T06:11:00.000+02:00

People who have followed the organization known as the Garned Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Organization since the demise of its founder, will recognize that much has changed since Garner Ted Armstrong died.

Seasonal Greetings to All

2022-12-02T00:01:00.020+01:00

It has been a rather uneventful year in the world of Armstrongism. It seems like many of the organizations are closing in around themselves. Often, sermons are behind login-systems, thus making it less available for non-members...

Cults Will Never Win - in the Long Run

2022-08-28T08:55:00.002+02:00

Regardless of which deity you believe in, humans were created as free entities. Cults welcome you into their flocks, but once you have accepted their body of doctrines, the door to freedom is often shut. It comes at a huge cost to 'count the cost' in setting yourself free again.

Seasonal Greetings to All...

2021-12-19T14:58:00.006+01:00

I want to extend my best wishes to all regardless of whichever festivities you may (or may not) enjoy at this time of the year.

You Simply Can't Trust the Philadelphia Trumpet

2021-10-02T14:44:00.001+02:00

Readers of The Philadelphia Trumpet should be mindful that it IS not any type of neutral media. By far the opposite...

Good Video About Contacts Within Cults

2021-06-01T01:20:00.005+02:00

Megan Phelps-Roper was involved with the infamous cuilt, the Westboro Baptist Church, and her video from TED talk is rather useful for anyone having family or friends involved in cults. Hope you enjoy this video:

If you have any questions about helping people move out of any cult, you are welcome to write a comment. It may inspire coming articles too...

PCG Issues Prophecy About Donald Trump

2021-02-15T10:54:00.000+01:00

By now, it should be fairly obvious that Armstrongism is a cult. Numerous articles on this and other blogs from other writers have revealed countless false prophecies emmanating from PCG headquarters. Most recently, it is on the front page of their recruitment magazine, Watch Jerusalem, from January/February 2021...

Happy New Year to All Readers

2021-01-01T18:09:00.002+01:00

I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you dear readers a Happy New Year. Entering 2021 is the year of hope on so many levels. Politics have been challenging in 2020, and moral values have been under attack in so many ways, ranging from a lying President in America to various threats and cyber attacks from namely Russia and China.

Ministerial Advice During a Pandemic

2020-12-03T12:07:00.002+01:00

One of the key doctrines in much of Armstrongism has historically been a huge source of criticism - and rightfully so. People with a WCG-background will remember that it was a belief that you should trust God more than medicine. That belief cost hundreds of families their loved ones, and is a tragic chapter in the history of Armstrongism.

Moving On - It Takes Time

2020-02-03T06:20:00.000+01:00

I was recently asked in an email about coming out of Armstrongism. The person was frustrated by both knowing that the doctrines are false, but also that friendships were breaking up. It is a very natural emotion, and one that should be dealt with.

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Triumph Prophetic Ministries Still Online 2½ Years After the Demise of William Dankenbring

2020-01-27T22:03:00.002+01:00

In my ongoing research among offshoots of Armstrongism I came across Triumph Prophetic Ministries, founded by the now late William F Dankenbring. He passed away in August of 2017 according to the front page of their website. [Update January 20th 2021: as you can read in my comment below, the site would go offline at some point this month. That has happened, and therefore the link is disabled.]

January 16th 2020 - The Magic Date for Gerald Flurry

2020-01-16T00:01:00.000+01:00

Gerald Flurry, so-called Pastor General of the Philadelphia Church of God, has long ago decreed that January 16th is a special date. It was the day Herbie died in 1986, now 34 years ago - and he will insist that anything that happens today is historic...

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Has David Pack - or One of his Minions - Written the Article on Wikipedia?

2019-10-21T11:18:00.000+02:00

It is quite interesting to read the article about the Restored Church of God, led by David Pack on Wikipedia. In fact, if you haven't looked at it, you should do so too. You can read it right here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restored_Church_of_God.

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33 Years Ago That Herbert W Armstrong Passed Away

2019-01-16T00:01:00.000+01:00

Picture source: Wikipedia

Three years ago I wrote the article 3 Decades Ago That Herbert Armstrong Died. In May I wrote the article What Can We Say That Hasn't Already Been Said About Armstrongism? which sums up the obvious: we can't really say that much new about the doctrines within armstrongism. They are mostly set in concrete like a canon in the spinoffs that all strive to be as 'faithful' as possible to what they consider to be an end-time Elijah.
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The Journal Ends Publication After 21 Years

2018-12-29T20:10:00.001+01:00

The Journal brought news about the various COGs globally. Many found inspiration in that newspaper, and I am also quite sure that both the obituaries and news about births at the back of the magazine gave people a unique chance to follow activities among former friends that were scattered as a result of the breakup of the many organizations.

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Philadelphia Trumpet Is Getting Stranger Every Day

2018-07-07T05:52:00.001+02:00

The PCG Philadelphia Trumpet is getting stranger for every issue published. It was rather interesting to see the article published over on Living Armstrongism entitled Overview of the August 2018 Issue of PCG's Philadelphia Trumpet. I made the comment you can see at the beginning of this article.

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What Can We Say That Hasn't Already Been Said About Armstrongism?

2018-05-22T22:10:00.000+02:00

At this time of the year, it's a good idea to do a status check on every blog. On the morning of December 3rd 2016, I was considering what I could possibly say - or write - that hasn't already been said - or written - on the subject of Armstrongism. This article is updated on May 22nd 2018 to keep the blog alive, just so you weren't wondering whether it was dead… :-)

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The Passing of Roderick C Meredith on May 18th 2017

2017-05-21T14:59:00.001+02:00

Today, I read on two blogs that Roderick C Meredith passed away late thursday, May 28th 2017 after suffering from terminal cancer.
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About PCG: Is God Republican?

2017-05-02T01:40:00.003+02:00

We could discuss for hours what some define as 'God'. Many mix politics and religion, and imagine that an all-powerful creator would somehow have their specific political opinion. Failing to realize that politics is a joke - regardless of which side you join...

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Mixing Politics and Religion - A Dangerous Cocktail

2017-03-07T22:47:00.001+01:00

It is rather ironic to watch a magazine such as The Philadelphia Trumpet published by Gerald Flurry, because in that magazine you can see some of the most Republican statements. You could quickly get the impression that God was somehow right-wing when you read articles from the so-called Philadelphia Church of God. "Prove all things" (1. Thess 5:21) is only encouraged until the time you become a member of any of the offshoots of Armstrongism. Once in, you can be sure their ministers (read: minions) will come up with loads of right-wing propaganda.

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What is Truth? The Answer to the Age-Old Question

2016-10-29T03:09:00.001+02:00

Historical and Philosophical Perspective
In the Christian scriptures, the roman ruler Pilate is quoted as asking the age-old question "What is truth?" in John 18:38. Through the years, many have claimed they have "the only truth". I want to caution you to beware of people who claim there is only one truth - and especially to be aware of the human tendency to believe you are always right.

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Confusion Among Date-Setters

2016-06-15T22:47:00.000+02:00

We are all more than familiar with date-setting in Armstrongite circles. We all experienced wild fantasies about timelines that could confuse anyone when you added and subtracted various numbers based on lots of fun with prophecy - something Ronald D Kelly was scolded for pointing our when he gave his famous sermon with that exact title: Fun With Prophecy.
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3 Decades Ago That Herbert Armstrong Died

2016-01-16T10:56:00.002+01:00

Former Armstrong-believers will immediately recognize that three decades have passed since Herbert Armstrong died. 16^th January 1986. Much discussion has been going on amongst former ministers. Some feeling apostasy set in around 1987, others that it happened in 1989 - and others moving into the 90s...

Chief among all of the splinter groups has been the scattering of ideas and thinking. Ironically, precisely what Herbie predicted about founders dying in the church pamphlet about 7 laws of success. :-)

I think all of us who have come out of Armstrongism can agree that it has been very good to come out of confusion. Friends still trapped in this ideology are missed, but we have all found new friends, and reached new levels of self-awareness that is in sharp contrast with the self-degrading (nearing masochist) mindset involved in Armstrongism.

Happy weekend everyone. :-)

Gerald Six-Pack Flurry - Political Involvement?

2015-11-05T07:34:00.001+01:00

You will no doubt want to read Redfox's article Reading PCG's Booklet, Lawless: Why America Is Losing Its Rule of Law.

It does contain some interesting perspectives on Gerald Six-Pack Flurry's political views. He may be following the traditional perspective of supporting the Republican wing, but there is a rather interesting perspective in all of this. Traditionally, Armstrongism - like the Jehovah's Witnesses - discouraged participation in politics, even discouraging that its members voted at elections.

The inserted words Flurry uses seems to indicate that he is getting politically involved, and not nearly as faithful towards the principles of respecting 'the powers that be'.... Quite informative indeed, and a very good analysis of the PCG-booklet.

Get Out - Get New Focus on Life

2015-01-05T05:35:00.001+01:00

I recently received a question in my inbox concerning how to survive Armstrongism, and what people could do to restore their spiritual sanity. I will gladly answer that question in the hope that others can benefit from this also.

As you know, Armstrongism is all about mental control - people have been brainwashed into reading scriptures from a specific perspective. Things are 'read into' the scriptures, and therefore, restoring clarity involves getting out of that mental trap.

You need to restore your ability to read the Bible for what it TRULY says. Not what any minister told you it says.

In other words, you need to leave the Scriptures for a time. Getting a new focus on life involves prayer, going through the many errors and all the confusion you had - and THEN, and only then, you will be able to read what was actually in your Bible again.

Some will argue that they would want to do it another way, and if it works for them, that is just fine. But offering my perspective was the point of this reply to the question, and that is the best advice I have to offer on what worked for me.

Happy new year. I hope 2015 will be a year of freedom for all of you out there in the blogosphere. :-)