Introduction

We present here, in its entirety, an article by blogger David Ben-Ariel. This blogger has attracted some attention, having appeared on Fox News. We obtained this article on Jan 24, 2010 from www.goarticles.com. As usual, we do not necessarily agree with all statements made by others nor have we verified all information they present. We include our comments.

Article by David Ben Ariel

2009-11-28

Ben-Ariel: Herbert W. Armstrong, author of The United States and Britain in Prophecy, did not claim the British-Israel truth was some special "divine revelation" to him, but Mr. Armstrong acknowledged how he was surprised at the amount of information on this subject in his local library in Oregon and how he GLEANED from it and presented it to us on a silver platter. Some of us appreciate that fact and focus on the message - not on the messengers.

Comment: If true, Armstrong contradicted himself on this point. He often said he did not get the doctrines he taught from men but by revelation from God, just like the apostle Paul did. Which version are we to believe?

As we understand it, the bible says only apostles and prophets get revelation from God (Eph 3:5). Some believe that by claiming to be an apostle because he got revelation from God, it was Armstrong who got his followers focused on a man -- himself.

Perhaps those who defend Armstrong at all costs are the ones who are focused on men?

Ben-Ariel: Some pitiful, petty, nit-picking, easily distracted souls either accuse Herbert W. Armstrong of plagiarism, or of not giving credit to men like J. H. Allen or G. G. Rupert.

Comment: Ben-Ariel does not seem to know what plagiarism is, since both plagiarism and not giving (proper) credit are the same thing. Over and over we find that people don't understand plagiarism. Plagiarism is taking someone else's ideas or words (or a close imitation of their words) and passing it off as one's own ideas or words. Please read over the definitions at dict.org or dictionary.com for more information.

Ben-Ariel: I've posted information on Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright by John Harden Allen on my many blogs. We wouldn't even know about Mr. J. H. Allen if it weren't for Herbert Armstrong, would we? You would think he could have at least acknowledged a few of the British-Israel giants, but he didn't and life goes on and the truth gets out. Blessed be the God of Israel for restoring our identity to us!

Comment: We might never have heard of Armstrong if he had not gotten the riveting story of Anglo-Israelism from others. That teaching did more to build up his work than any other doctrine. It captivated audiences and brought people into the Worldwide Church of God.

In any case, we would still like to know, if he did use other people's work, why he didn't acknowledge such "giants"? Did he conceal them so he could pass himself off as something he was not? It's a serious charge that warrants a response.

Ben-Ariel: I remember borrowing Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright from Carl Fields, a local elder in the Worldwide Church of God congregation in Toledo, Ohio, at one of our regular Bible studies held in the science auditorium of a high school. He didn't hand it to me in a brown paper bag, meet me privately in the parking lot, but handed it to me in public. We knew about Mr. Allen - who didn't?

Comment: Millions of Armstrong's readers did not know. And even WCG members who had heard of Allen's book had no idea just how much the two books were alike, because Armstrong repeatedly told them he got everything he knew by revelation from God, not from men. Even today Armstrong supporters like Stephen Flurry who believe Armstrong read Allen's book continue to play down Allen's contribution to Armstrong's knowledge of the subject.

Ben-Ariel: And those who did read his book were even more grateful afterwards for how Mr. Armstrong waded through many such works and presented it in a more clear and concise manner, blessed by his background in journalism. Even A.N. Dugger, the prominent Church of God, Seventh Day, editor of The Bible Advocate whom Mr. Armstrong knew and corresponded with acknowledged: "I have seen no work near its equal in clearness and completeness. You surely are right, and while I cannot use it in the paper at the present you may be assured that your labor has surely not been in vane [sic.]."

Comment: The quality of the writing has nothing to do with whether Armstrong plagiarized material from Allen or others. Even good or exceptional writers are legally and (most would say) morally required to cite their sources.

Ben-Ariel: Mr. Armstrong was the one God used - not Allen or Rupert - to restore the identity doctrine to God's Church in a way that no others had.

Comment: If Armstrong got it from Allen, that would seem to make him a plagiarist since he did not give proper credit to Allen. A plagiarist is generally regarded as a literary thief. Did God help Armstrong steal (?) the doctrine from Allen?

It is certainly true that Armstrong introduced many doctrines to his church that he obtained from external sources and less known Sabbath keepers like Rupert. Whether or not any of these men were used by God seems to be a matter of personal belief.

Did Armstrong merely claim that he restored the doctrine to the Worldwide Church of God or did he also claim he was the one voice used to unlock prophecy and declare it to the nations of modern Israel?

Ben-Ariel: I trust Allen and Rupert (and many others they learned from) would praise God that Mr. Armstrong was able to get the word out! Folks who rightly focus on the message, who recognize the plain truth about British-Israel belongs to God and not to any man or organization, are grateful to God for using Mr. Armstrong mightily to share this truth with MILLIONS worldwide!

Comment: Perhaps Allen and Rupert would be upset that they were not given credit. We really don't know how they would react. But that's not the point. All that does is shift the focus away from the plagiarism question. It does not refute the allegations or explain why Armstrong did not acknowledge his sources.

It's not just a question of whether Allen and Rupert might like their work to reach a wider audience. There is also the question of whether the readers have a right to know where the doctrines originated.

All truth belongs to God. Does that give us license to plagiarize at will, as long as what we plagiarize is true?

Conclusion: Even some ardent Armstrong supporters like Ben-Ariel no longer seem to believe Armstrong's claims that he got his doctrines directly from God just like the apostle Paul did. It appears to us that instead of upholding his status as an apostle, they have reduced Armstrong to a sifter of doctrines revealed to him by men.

Some Armstrong supporters contradict themselves by saying he read Allen's book but deny that he plagiarized from Allen. Futher, admiting that he read the book merely shifts the focus away from whether he did read it, and onto why he did not properly acknowledge his sources in his own book on the subject.