The Painful Truth
10th Anniversary 1997 - 2007

Ten Years of The Painful Truth
By MAM

The Painful Truth was founded ten years ago. It has grown to be an enormous site, as it has accumulated hundreds of articles and letters contributed by the victims of Armstrongism, that pernicious mutation of Christianity cobbled together by Herbert W. Armstrong, with the able assistance of Herman L. Hoeh, Roderick C. Meredith, Garner Ted Armstrong and a host of other pseudo-theologians and pseudo-historians. It has become the on-line home of The Ambassador Report, the most important exposé of Armstrong and the cult he founded, the Worldwide Church of God. The Ambassador Report is freely available to those who want it. Without The Painful Truth, the victims of Armstrongism would have to locate the difficult-to-find hard copies.

In the world of WCG related websites, The Painful Truth has stood the test of time, outlasting most of the other WCG opposition sites, and even some of the church groups that splintered off from the Worldwide Church of God when that organization imploded. The battered and disappointed survivors of Armstrongism and the various Armstrongist splinter groups have come to The Painful Truth for knowledge and comfort. Bewildered and confused as the fantasy-world of their phony “true church” collapsed around them, The Painful Truth has pointed out the contradictions and hypocrisies of the “true church” doctrine. Those who have endured years of abuse from church and family, and have been convinced that it is all their fault, and that their troubles are the results of sins they have committed, have been reassured that the Armstrongist churches were dysfunctional organizations, and that they have been victims of abuse and fraud.

Even those who remain true to Armstrongism have turned to The Painful Truth. They know something is wrong with their ministers’ heavy-handed and overbearing control. The Painful Truth validates their suspicions that the Armstrong-ordained ministry is primarily after power and money. They are given the courage to strike out on their own, to stay true to their faith, while freeing themselves from the abusive and controlling behavior of ministerial demagogues in the WCG and its splinter groups.

The ministries of the Armstrongist sects have an attitude of entitlement. Believing that they are the successors of the Levitical priesthood, they have the audacity to claim that they are entitled to the tithe, which church members are obligated to pay. One of the favorite scriptures of the ministers was Acts 6:1-4, which states, “And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” This was their “Get Out Of Work Free” card. For the ministry, working “with their hands,” as their guru Herbert W. Armstrong put it, was beneath their exalted office. Acts 6:1-4 meant that ministers didn’t have to soil their fingers with menial work. Parasites through and through, they not only demanded the members’ money, but also their time and labor as well. In one well known incident, a Worldwide Church of God minister in St. Louis used the free labor donated by the members to make improvements to his house. The consequences of this attitude of ministerial privilege are well documented by articles and letters by former members. The WCG Horror Stories section makes chilling reading.

The ministry exempted themselves from the most onerous requirements of membership. They exempted themselves from tithing, and the hierarchy made use of the medical profession when they suffered from illness, while teaching the members that they had to rely on faith for their healing. Divorced members were prohibited from remarrying because, according to the church, the Bible prohibited divorce and their original marriages were still bound in heaven. This was all changed, however, when octogenarian Herbert W. Armstrong fell in love with a divorcée 50 years younger than himself. He wasn’t going to give up his chance to marry his hot babe, so he changed the rules.

The Painful Truth website played an important role in my departure from the WCG. When Joseph Tkach, Sr. announced the New Covenant doctrinal changes in his infamous Christmas Eve, 1994 sermon, I was shocked like everybody else. But I soon became convinced that the church was moving in the right direction. I found little to object to in the doctrinal changes, and I felt that the stifling, top-down hierarchical structure needed to be dismantled. I looked forward to the liberalization of the WCG, and enthusiastically supported “the changes” as soon as I understood them.

It wasn’t long before I became disillusioned. For all the talk of change, trumpeted by a publicity campaign carried out by the new leadership of the WCG, there was very little real reform. It was during that time, during my early explorations of the then infant medium known as The Internet, that I discovered The Painful Truth. Ed Sr., the first editor of The Painful Truth, was one of the first to point out that the changes were really cosmetic (former WCG minister [name removed by request] was another). Although church leadership was going through great pains to show the world how the WCG had changed from a cult to an acceptable, mainstream Christian denomination, the inner workings of the church were still the same. There was a top-down church hierarchy. The leaders made all the decisions, and they were accountable to nobody. In addition, they refused to acknowledge the past abuses of the church ministry and make restitution to those the church had harmed. In fact, many of the most abusive ministers remained in the employ of WCG. Some of them are still there to this day, and in important leadership positions.

The Painful Truth pulled no punches. Abuse was labeled for what it was and condemned it in the strongest possible language. Excuse making, evasion and spin were also exposed. Contributions (written, not monetary) from former members were encouraged, and many were able to speak out and describe the sinister workings of the Armstrong movement from their own personal experiences. As you read the letters and essays by former members, you will see the writers recount their painful experiences, and then conclude by thanking The Painful Truth editors for giving them the opportunity to get this stuff “off their chest.” The Painful Truth provided an emotional outlet, and eased the confusion and guilt they wrongly suffered. It is no exaggeration to say that The Painful Truth helped hundreds, if not thousands, of former cult members to move on with their lives.

At a time when I was unhappy with our local church leadership, The Painful Truth confirmed my growing suspicions that the reforms instituted by the leadership of the Worldwide Church of God were more for public consumption, and real reform within the church would not be forthcoming. All the changes were cosmetic. The leaders of the WCG, from the pastor general down to the local minister, intended to hold on to power and privilege. There would be no dismantling of the hierarchical structure established by Herbert W. Armstrong. The pastor general would be all powerful within the Worldwide Church of God. Church members would be expected to contribute financially, but they would be given no say in how the church would be run. The Painful Truth was not the only reason I left the Armstrong movement, but it was a catalyst. The contributions of Ed Sr., the original editor, and other former church members left no doubt in my mind that the original church founded by Herbert W. Armstrong, and all of the tiny, insignificant church groups that broke away from it, have been, are now, and always will be abusive and exploiting. There was no point waiting around for things to get better. I walked out, and haven’t looked back. I have never regretted my decision, mainly because I didn’t realize how bad it was until I was out of it. Church is supposed to be a refuge from the stresses of every day life. For a member of the Worldwide Church of God, church was the source of most of life’s problems.

I’m one of the fortunate ones. I never had a marriage broken up by the church. I never watched a loved one die from a curable disease because of the church’s ban on medical treatment. I never had to flee from my home because of abusive parents. I never tithed myself into bankruptcy. But many people have, and they relate their experiences within the pages of The Painful Truth. Another thing you’ll see is how The Painful Truth showed many of its readers that they were not alone in their experiences. Their life experiences were not anomalies. They were commonplace occurrences within the world of Armstrongism. These individuals are reassured that the problem was with Armstrongism, not with themselves, and it is perfectly alright to declare one’s independence. The world won’t end if you leave the church. Their lives become better as they cast off the unnecessary burdens Armstrong and his stooges placed on their shoulders.

Hopefully, The Painful Truth will be with us for many years to come. The Armstrong movement is still with us, although much smaller in size. There are still many people suffering from the abuse of their dysfunctional church families. The more zealously the splinter group follows the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong, the more abusive that group will be. People wake up and come to their senses at different times, at their own pace. Regardless of how and when it happens, The Painful Truth will be there to show them the road to freedom and peace of mind.
 

--9/01/2007

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