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News "schnipperts" from the Gulag: Here is a mixture of observations this week collected from several people:

At the employee/chapel meeting on Wednesday, Joe Tkach told the employees that they should not be concerned about the sale of the property. Their focus should be on the Commission of the Church. So the employees were told that the sale is proceeding smoothly, that Bernie [Schnippert] has things in control and that the Mayor called up the church last week and said that the things written in the paper that recently were quoted are out of context. Joe also said that several of the contractors that Legacy had lined up have joined up with Bernie to continue on. Everything seems to be rosy in paradise, but is it?

Every time employees have been told not to worry about something and that things are ok, all hell breaks loose. Every time the employees have been told one thing the opposite happens. Bernie told employees a couple of years ago in an employee meeting in the Student Center that the Church was going to take care of those employees that were left because they stood by the church during difficult times. But guess what...many of them got canned, no extra severance like Bernie had promised, no special bonus for being loyal as Bernie had promised. Nothing! Some of the those people are STILL without jobs. Does the Bernado care? Experience tells us that he does not. Ask the Publishing employees that were told by the Bernado that "...the Church owes you NOTHING and that you should feel privileged that the Church let you work as long as it did." How's that for a FINE Christian attitude!

The rest of the employee meeting was dedicated to the international work of the church. Randall Dick told several stories about Church members struggling in other countries trying to evangelize. The next hour was spent trying get across to employees that they should not be thinking about themselves, but about those poor members in other countries who have nothing. At the end of Randall's presentation, he asked everyone to form into small groups and pray for those evangelizing in other countries. While most employees do support the hard work these people do and do pray for them, they do not appreciate being put on the spot by praying in groups. Well over half of the employees walked out and did not stay for Chapel. The interesting thing was that PTM and Bernie's staff all exited immediately and did not stay.

The Bernado and crew are STILL upset that the story about Legacy dropping out of the sale process was leaked out. We think that what really upsets them the most is that they were proven to be liars! Even the newspapers picked up on that. When the story broke it took the Bernado and crew a good two weeks to fully admit that the sale had fallen through. Because of that 'leak' things are locked up tighter than a drum here. No one is talking because they are afraid of the wrath of the Bernado. If you DARE cross the Bernado's path you will pay dearly!

Thousands of dollars continue to be spent each week in refurbishing the Bernado's new offices in Ambassador Hall. Terrace Villa is going to be reopened to house the real estate company, Crews have been working daily there installing new computer lines, phone lines, and security alarms. The Bernado is having alarms installed in all the areas he is working in. He seems to be concerned about security and personal safety. Who is he afraid of?????? The employees say that if he was a real Christian minister and had treated all the employees and members he has been in contact with in a REAL Christian manner, then he'd have nothing to worry about. The rest of us realize that this is just another power play. It shows everyone that HE is in charge now.

Joe Tkach has mentioned to several people that he is 'hurt' that people are questioning things right now. Employees react by saying that "...we have been hurt by UNCHRISTIAN treatment over the years, and it still continues." Joe is totally out of touch with the employees. No one sees him anymore. Bernie leads meetings, Bernie is the public spokesman, Bernie is everywhere, yet Joe is nowhere to be found. Everyone knows that he does not like being Church President and that he has wanted to have that position an 'elected' position. The church needs leadership at this time and direction. It is floundering and spiraling downward in this country because the Pasadena HQ staff are 'burned out" (Their words, not mine.) The only churches growing are those in foreign countries that do not have to rely upon Pasadena for anything. Dateline Pasadena.

Prophecy marches on! Well, lurches on, maybe. "Prediction addiction" continues to characterize many COG ministries, and none more than Gerry Flurry's PCG. Bob Thiel draws attention to the latest example.

Strauss was, as many will remember, once regarded as a prophetically significant figure by Herb. As usual he was wrong. Bob Thiel, an LCG member, has written an article on PCG which, though obviously coming from a Meredith perspective, has a number of interesting (and disturbing) quotes from Flurry literature.

As for Stoiber, The Missing Dimension cheerfully predicts that he has a better chance of winning the next Miss Universe pageant than fulfilling a role in Gerry's delusional fantasies.

More strife at ESN: Having lost one talented team member in Steve Dalton, the Exit and Support Network seems ready to lose yet another. Laura, author of the Mike's Enlightenment Page section "You Can Refute Gerald Flurry's Truths", has expressed frustration at "being publicly denounced by Dee, ESN site owner, in an online article. According to Laura:

I wrote to Dee, the webmaster, expressing my concern that ESN is a "ministry" that promotes the Christian faith while denouncing the Christian church. I urged Dee to encourage her exiters to find a church if they profess the Christian faith... I am now being publicly denounced by Dee in an article about Christians being "out of fellowship" because they don't attend church. I am being called a "legalist" because I believe that "God adds to the church those who are being saved" (Acts 2:47).

Laura adds: "Dee needs to pull everything--articles and e-mails--that I wrote or remove the article..." We're saddened to see further discord at ESN. The site has been valuable in providing an alternative "Bible based" perspective on Armstrongism. While we don't share the same assumptions that ESN holds (any more than we agree with everything on Ed Mentell's Painful Truth site) it's clear that sites like ESN provide a valuable service, and genuinely help many people. We hope that the current situation can be resolved amicably.

Lost Tribes? Israelis are genetic brothers (and presumably sisters) to Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians, but not their supposed relatives in Europe, as postulated by British Israelism. That's the conclusion reached by Harry Ostrer, M.D., Director of the Human Genetics Program at New York University School of Medicine, author of a study by an international team of researchers. The story is carried by Michael Germano's Bibarch site.

Joe's Monthly Miracle: A little miracle happens every month. Without fail the only mail the nice people at the WN get is positive! Yes folks, the letters department at Pravda - oops, the WN - simply never receives anything other than gushy compliments from satisfied customers. The June issue is no exception. So, who said the age of miracles is past?

Ron is Upbeat: Cult financial Controller Ronald Kelly strikes an optimistic note in his latest missive.

Fire and Brinsmead: Bob Brinsmead's name came up again this week when an MD correspondent made the following suggestions:

As a long standing fan of this remarkable Australian theologian (now also a local body politician and business entrepreneur) I couldn't agree more. After forwarding the email to Bill Ferguson's JBAS forum, Bob posted the following response:

Dave gets a gong: Hulme Church boss, David Hulme, has been presented with this "unusual gift" by sect members in Columbus, Ohio according to Church of God News.

Wow, talk about meaningful! The perfect solution to a splinter group's battle with "auditorium envy." It could be displayed next to the 99 cent portrait of Joe Sr. recently auctioned on e-Bay (AW5). Then maybe they could sell admission tickets.

Petra-fied - Part 2 (with a dose of culture tossed in for good effect): Following on from the account published last week, it's worth noting, says Bill Lussenheide, that HWA could be an amazing quick change artist... evidenced by these two quotes from co-worker letters less than 5 months apart...

Laughline: MD reader Richard Burkard has cited MD in his latest article on the Laughline site. In an article called "Oh Brother, Who Art Thou?" Richard, a UCG member, provides a Biblical reflection on exactly who Christians should regard as "brethren."

Joey - Deadly Foe of Legalism: These comments appear in Pastor General Joe's June member letter. Material in square brackets is our helpful commentary.

Sorry Joe, but we consider the contemporary WCG to be every bit as much a spiritual jailhouse as it ever was. Maybe more so as it now holds out the carrot of Christian freedom, but when members elect to follow their freedom in ways the cult disapproves, they get whacked with the stick. Freedom? In a sect that frowns on accountable administration and representative governance? Where people can get disfellowshipped by registered mail? Where 85% of the members walk away in disgust while the leader mumbles "all is well"?