Email To The Editor

Actually, Herbert Armstrong was a very successful newspaper ad-writer in his day and was a man filled with faith in God. I personally knew many of the ministers at headquarters Pasadena church and people were taught only what the bible indicates. As tithing goes we all tithed in WWCG (as most of the Christian churches do even at this time).

The church did not teach Christmas, Easter or any of the "pagan" holidays because the bible simply did not advocate doing so. I don't know how you became so bitter (I am sorry, and do not mean to upset you) and destruction-oriented against an organization of the past, but this will not help you to solve your problems.

Only God can help you with this, and not by tearing apart things of the past that don't even exist now. I received a good rounded education by studying the bible and learned from this church for 25 years, and I had plenty of problems of my own. I do not belong the Worldwide Church of God now and I am free to become what ever when ever I want. I was never a prisoner of any kind of or a pawn for anyone in this organization.

I believe in grace and the church changed from year to year by recognizing truth and then taking steps to correct its errors. I do know however, the devil hates anyone who will claim the name of Jesus and the Father. We are all made in the image of the Father, and to fight and carry on about endless bits and pieces of useless information is pretty much exactly what God says not to do.

Be thankful you are in a free country and that you may still worship God, for in a very little time possibly, things could change.

Thanks for writing the Painful Truth. The organization of the past still lives on in hundreds of break-off church cults. The name Herbert Armstrong is worshiped and honored in most of these. It is the purpose of the Painful Truth to keep this information available for all those future recruits who might seek out as to who and what Armstrong was. Further, the Painful Truth is here to assist in the healing process of the former membership, and to illuminate the darkness and expose the evil that lived within Herbert Armstrong and his evil church cult.

So as you can see, the information on the Painful Truth is far from useless. It is pain and suffering screaming out in agony within the text of over two-thousand pages.

You wrote: "I was never a prisoner of any kind of or a pawn for anyone in this organization."

I sense pride in your misstatement.

"I received a good rounded education by studying the bible and learned from this church for 25 years"

That was a well rounded education? Studying the bible? Try taking lessons on objective thinking. There is no way you read much of anything on this site.

As to your God and Herbert, you can keep them. I have no use for your Saviors. Cancel my subscription to the resurrection. Now go away!

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May 31, 2009

Dear Ed,

Here's a challenge for all the readers out there who think Hwa wasn't a false prophet.

Here's the proof that he was a false prophet.

When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass,

that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously:

thou shalt not be afraid of him. Deut 18:22

HWA clearly predicted 1975 in prophesy.

What was said, was totally in error, and did not come to pass!

He therefore is proven to be a false prophet!

I challenge any sound minded person to disprove that!

If on the other hand you don't believe in the god of the Bible then the case is once again proven.

Come to think of it, I don't need 7 proofs because one proof is sufficient! Q.E.D.!

Unfortunately proving Hwa a fraud, doesn't disprove or prove that there is a God!

I think many people make the mistake of concluding there is no God because they reject HWA, but that's not logical!

Ex-member Australia

Thanks for writing the Painful Truth.

While the rational person understands that Armstrong was a fraud, the hirelings from the the various Armstrong churches cannot acknowledge this.

Herbert Armstrong is their bread and butter. Armstrong operated on an international scale to rob, steal, and cheat to get what he wanted, that being your money. And what about Herbert's faithfuls? Like Herbert, they are inimical gasbags but on a smaller scale.

You wrote '"He therefore is proven to be a false prophet! I challenge any sound minded person to disprove that!

I'm here to give an alternate solution, a more suitable one. I don't just ask rhetorical questions; I have answers. That's why I'm telling you that I've managed to come up with a way in which Armstrong's writings could be made useful. They could be used by the instructors in American Universities as a final examination of sorts. Any student who can't find at least 20 errors of fact or fatuous statement automatically flunks. Extra credit goes to students who realized off the bat that Herbert was an outright fraud.

Glad you escaped and are free of the slavery. Best wishes,

James

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05/27/09

Hello,

I grew up in the wwcg and can relate so much to the ex members and their stories. I come from a family of seven children and I spent most of my life hearing stories from my Mom of the abuse from these pastors and the church. My father was an abusive man and the church supported his behaviour and made my Mom believe in leaving him, and not being the submissive broken wife, she would be going to the lake of fire! My Mom did leave and divorce him after years of abuse. We were free for 2 years, when my Dad came back into the picture and was now a "changed man", Baptised by the church, and they were remarried in our home by a wwcg Pastor. The abuse returned and within a few years he was on to sexual abuse with myself and other siblings. My Mom stayed till I was 12 and she left again, divorced him again, and this time we were free.
    In 1995 my Mom left the church and is now a born again Christian and has a wonderful, loving Christian husband. Although the healing is ongoing, the scars will be with us forever. I remember the fasting we were made to do as young children. I remember believing that all holidays were pagan and not to be celebrated. I remember never having a Birthday acknowledge because this too, wasn't to be celebrated. How sick and demented to ignore a childs birthday! I remember lying on the couch bawling in pain, fever and ear infection waiting till 10pm or so for a pastor to come and anoint me!! My mom was not allowed to take me to the doctor or give me anything for the pain. The stories are endless of the verbal, physical and sexual abuse this cult endorsed, accepted and forced us and many other to stay in. I am a Christian wife and mother of two today and I am so thankful for this site and a chance to have a voice and to feel safe to speak out on growing up in this cult! I started praying last night for the healing of the hearts of all the wounded from the WWCg.

May God bless you for your work!
sincerely, Gail

Thank you for sharing your story with the readers of the Painful Truth.

It is amazing how many stories have a common thread involving these Armstrong cults. Spousal abuse, child abuse, drugs or alcohol abuse, molestation, denial of medicine or life saving medical care. I honestly believe that mental illness is passed on from the cult leader to the followers.

"Cult leaders cannot "hack it" in the real world and need to live in a cult/sect environment to live out their problems.”

Thank you for your letter Gail and may your journey forward be filled full of love and peace,

James

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May 16, 2009

To Whom it may concern,

I was called and became a member( baptized) of the World Wide Church of God in 1978. I first heard HWA over the radio on station KVOO out of Tulsa,Ok.

and the message that he brought was quite different from what I was hearing form the Local Church of Christ. In fact, the message was very enlightening.After much prayer,

research,study, I left the Church of Christ and thats when I started going to WWCG. (Please bare with me as I get to my point) The Biblical truth's that were being taught and

the Gospel of the Kingdom of God that was being preached. WERE NOT BEING TAUGHT BY ANY OTHER DENOMINATION. at least to my limited knowledge.

Now, In 1985 I was Dis-Fellowshipped from the Church. I wanted to marry a girl who was attending church but as of yet was not baptized, where as, I was.

They said you cant marry her because she was not baptized, I asked why, and after several head-butting meetings and my refusal to "obey" I was given the ---- BOOT.

               Now my point is this............I STILL believe in the Sabbath, Holy Days, PassOver, all the Feasts ............... These Truths were preached by HWA, he revealed alot

of Scriptures and proved that Easter and Christmas are not sanctioned festivals.

                So, I know what your thinking.......... oh jeezzzz he's an ARMSTRONGISM.... NO Iam not. I got dis fellowshipped from WWCG because I dont believe in

blind following ( PRAY & PAY). The Leadership was corrupt,power hungry,they used certain scriptures to show their Power.

                But, The message of the Kingdom of God was geing preached by HWA ,in spite of him, but for you to say THAT IT WAS A SCAM RIGHT FROM THE GET GO , A MONEY SCHEME !!!!!!

I COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY DISAGREE.

YOU SEE

The Word Of God : You cant put a price tag on it. Even if it helped just one life.......... my own...... listening to a little radion staion in the middle of nowhere.

So here I am now. I still keep the Sabbath but I have not been with an sabbath keeping Church for years, I refuse to go to Church of God International ( GTA)/ PCoG/GCoG/UCoG/ and any other Major splinter group

of once was WWCG all for the reason that I stated above, the Leadership is corrupt/power mad/not tending to the flock.

So, now that I have dis-agreeded with you maybe you can help me. If you know of any minor splinter groups who still hold the Sabbath Holy could you please give me their information.

So that I may contact them.

Thank you,

In God's Love,

Jeffrey R

Jeffery,

Your kidding right? Do you really think that I might have a suggestion as to a which cult splinter to attend?
The roots of Armstrong-ism are rotted, hence what would the rest of the tree be like?

You wrote:
"The Word Of God : You cant put a price tag on it. Even if it helped just one life.......... my own...... listening to a little radion staion in the middle of nowhere."

Herbert told us that his church would bring us closer to nirvana, but somehow failed to mention that he himself was closer to the almighty dollar than any God.

Herbert was eloquent in his denunciation of modern scholarship, but failed to mention to his audience that he himself was an high school dropout. The ultimate irony is that the Armstrong family business was strictly one-way. Herbert got all the rights, and the sheepeople got all the obligations.

Herbert Armstrong was responsible for suicides, broken homes, and financial ruin for those who attended his little family owned cult. If Herb spoke for God, then god is Satan. Good does not come from evil.

Herbert was an opportunist. That is, he was an ideological chameleon, without any real morality, and without a soul. In case you hadn't noticed, he produced an army of mindless sheepeople who willfully obeyed his every command. It is also worth noting that Herbert was a psychologically defective person. He's what the psychiatrists would call a constitutional psychopath or a sociopath.

To define Armstrong-ism: It is like a man who has lost billions of dollars for his investors in the stock market, but some investors were quick to point to the millions he has made by applying his techniques.

A true predator-prey relationship: Induced compliance without sufficient justification.

Do you get the picture?

PT-Editor

James

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May 16, 2009

I truly believe you need to let go of your hate and anger. It's obvious that you will never be able to move on as a christian or as a hunam being until you do.It was a simple question requiring a simple answer.

God Bless you,

Jeffrey R

Sorry Jeff, but I am not angry nor am I full of hate. I am here to educate those who still suffer from Armstrong induced cognitive dissonance.

PT-Editor

James

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May 3, 2009

Hello,

I was born and raised in the WCG, so I have a fairly good perspective, as well as delusion, into many things with regard to the topics you raise on your website. At times during reading, I've both found myself applauding and denigrating you in nearly the same breath. The reason being is that this is a *very* delicate and complex subject you bring to the fore--and I applaud you for your efforts in bringing it to such notice--, because it is not only rooted in truth, but also has the potential to end in fallacy in some respects. Your most offensive post, however, is your Flash video comparing the WCG (or *former* WCG, rather) with a Jim Jones-style cult. Given, some of the psychological tactics incorporated into the video have been applied (my own mother being a victim to one of them) in the former WCG, but others are way off-base and you, as a presumably responsible person now calling a given group or groups into account, now have a responsibility to be responsible yourself, and tell the truth, not only when it is convenient, but when it should be so anyway, despite your own misgivings.

I am perfectly willing to submit to you my own experiences withing the WCG from time of birth to date but you, in turn, need to show a legitimacy driven by your own moral and ethical compass--a compass I hope isn't ethically and morally compromised. You have my email address--let me know.

Tim

Tim,
If you are referring to the video on the main page, it is a youtube film made by someone unrelated to the wcg experience. The subject we are studying is cults. Not just the wcg, ucg, pcg ect, but cults in general.

James
Editor #5

May 4, 2009

(Tim writes back)

That being the case, perhaps the main page's theme should reflect that. The impression left (and I completely understand the desire to understand cults, etc.--especially after an experience with one of these groups) is that the focus is entirely on these groups, and no other.

Tim,

The whole front page is dedicated to cults in general, highlighting the Armstrong's scam.
Now if you want to send me your story feel free to share.

Cheers,
James

The above exchange was an attempt to alter the content of the Painful Truth by invoking the hue and cry of misrepresentation as to the front page content. The top of the main page reflects the study of cults by the graphic which asks “Are you in a cult?” followed by a quote by Margaret Singer. In the middle of the page, the Painful Truth is honored to present a short dissertation on two not so beloved religious charlatans in which we are all too familiar with. Ending the theme on cults, the Painful Truth presents an interactive questioner on cults under the graphic “What is a Cult?” followed by an article, second in the series, entitled “Information Control.” Topping off the study is the video “Mind Control Cults” which covers some, but not all aspects of our shared experiences. Some aspects of the video apply to the experience, others do not.

So Tim, done with your story yet?

James

PT-Editor

April 24, 2009

James,

Congratulations on the new look and feel of the Painful Truth. Your energy and enthusiasm are refreshing What you have accomplished in a few short weeks affirms my confidence that you are the right man for the job. Keep up the good work.

John B

Former PT Editor

Thanks for the note John. I am looking forward to the years ahead as editor of the PT. The new look will be applied to all the pages I add to the site. The past pages shall remain as they are with the exception of some of the more popular ones. As you can see, the GTA on Trial page now has the actual video embedded into it.

James

Painful Truth Editor #5

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