Comments on Ambassador Watch: Gold, guilt and lifestyles of the rich and shameless

As an AC student, I never participated in one of t...

2016-04-17T13:35:42.593+12:00

As an AC student, I never participated in one of those dinners to be much remembered at the home of "Elijah" So in the early '70s, as I labored in my improvised den out in the garage to complete my drafting correspondence course, listening to Jimmy Rabbitt (KMET) playing Charlie Daniels' "Long Haired Redneck" while sipping on some Colt-45, it would have been difficult to imagine that Herbie was amassing gold and expensive wines, partially financed by the tithes and offerings I could ill afford, but faithfully paid.

The irony is that I enjoyed my malt liquor and rock n roll probably more than his Herbal Essence ever enjoyed Mendelsohn and Dom Perignon. In retrospect, it seems quite pretentious of Herb to have been into such hoity toity things. Jesus spoke to and related to the common man.

BB

"Prepare to lower your standard of living!&qu...

2016-04-16T14:53:28.001+12:00

"Prepare to lower your standard of living!"

When I first arrived on the AC Big Sandy campus ma...

2016-04-16T13:50:50.146+12:00

When I first arrived on the AC Big Sandy campus many decades ago, there was a common viewpoint among the people there that was frequently expressed in a special phrase. The phrase was "Ambassador College quality." You would hear someone say that something is of "Ambassador College quality" or that something is not of "Ambassador College quality." It was a kind of indoctrination by repetition that God expected high quality for his special servants. This self-serving meme was just a cover for the personal greed that afflicted the leadership of the WCG and was being actively learned by AC Students. (For some reason, this "quality" life was not so relevant to the lay membership. Their impoverishment and low production value life was wholly acceptable.)

But for all the important people or those who wanted to be important, "first class" was always the rule. To further support this oppressive economic oligarchy, the Armstrongite ministry frequently emphasized that affluence was the outcome of godliness. This silenced the lay members who began to be a little disgruntled. It made it clear that their betters had more because they were more righteous and God simply blessed them more. Argument over.