On this site I present information that questions COG (Church of God) beliefs. Anyone who is in, or ever was in, a COG owes it to themselves to examine this site. A lot of this information is, to my knowledge, not found on other sites that discuss the COGs.
Aside: if you are looking for our Android app, click here.
I start my web site with information on news media bias because it is incredibly important. The suppressed information is important in its own right, and deserves to be known, but there is more to it than that. Media shapes our view of the world, including how we see prophecy being fulfilled (or not), which churches do (or don't) have inspiration to understand current events in the light of prophecy, and the moral positions Christians should take on the various issues of our time.
How can the churches of God claim to understand current events in the light of prophecy if they don't know what's going on in the world because news media reports are so skewed? Bible knowledge is not enough; accurate information of world events is also essential. I provide a collection of insightful sound files and videos that question the conventional American media and COG view of current events.
If these audio or video files don't work, use Chrome. I found that the latest version of Chrome works just fine, and is easy to install. Native browser support for various audio and video formats is still poor. In Internet Explorer 10, the audio files will play but not the video files. In FireFox and Opera neither audio or video seems to work. However, I provide download links which can be used to download the file. In some cases a file will begin to play when the download link is clicked. I think that depends on what plugins are installed with the browser.
A lot of the audio files here started out as video files, but I had to convert them to audio (at least for now) because my current setup can't handle very many large files. I hope this does not detract too much from the message these files contain (e.g. missing subtitles, etc).
Whether or not we agree with everything these people say, they are well worth listening to, for they reveal a disturbing bias and deception that exists in the American media, and as a result, in the churches of God.
How Media Bias Hurts: Paul Findley, a U.S. congressman for many years, describes the harsh treatment and suffering of Palestinians, a serious problem generally glossed over by the biased American news media and the COGs. Audio
Why The Media Stinks: Bible prophecy centers around the Middle East, where Christ is prophesied to return. Herbert Armstrong told his followers to keep a close eye on the Middle East. How does media bias distort the picture of Middle East events? Can we rely on the American media? Do the COGs rely too heavily on the American media? Are some gullible COGs unknowingly repeating media lies? (Note: this audio takes a few seconds before it is audible). Audio
Demonizing our Enemies: Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, who was an economist in the Reagan administration, says Iran is being demonized with "obvious [U.S. government] lies" taking "all precedence over facts" and that these lies are reported as facts by the media. Some COGs (in particular, Gerald Flurry's group) accept this media perspective that Iran is an extreme danger (Flurry calls Iran the king of the South). It is the aim of the United States to start a war with Iran, says Roberts. The goal he says is to turn Iran into another puppet state of the USA and Israel. Audio
U.S. Politicians are Owned by AIPAC: Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, a former official in the Reagan administration, calls the United States "a puppet state of Israel." Max Keiser says "AIPAC [the Israeli lobby group] has bought the White House lock, stock, and barrel." Despite this obvious problem, some COGs still foolishly refer to the US as a "democracy" a word which means "the people rule". Video
With Friends Like Israel We Don't Need Enemies: Does Israel steal U.S. technology and corrupt congress? Is America a puppet state of Israel? Video
Evil Israelites?: Some COGs think the USA is a noble Israelite democracy fighting evil gentile tyrants. But could the USA be a force for evil? This expert thinks the USA is manipulating the supply and price of oil for political purposes, including to keep third world countries poor. Heck, I don't know, but it's worth a listen. Audio
The End of Freedom: To understand world events we need to understand who really controls what and how. Congressman Ron Paul says the US constitution and freedom are virtually DEAD; America is essentially a dictatorship. Does the USA fit the biblical description of the Beast better than Germany does? Video
CNN Corruption: Russia Today accuses CNN and other American media of fanning the flames of war with Iran by using distorted and deceitful reporting. A former CNN reporter claims CNN has been bought off by Bahrain and other governments to produce propaganda pieces favorable to the governments, while suppressing unfavorable reports. Considering the importance of accurate news, I would consider such actions a betrayal of the public trust and treasonous. Audio
Fox News Corruption: Anyone who thinks that only the left-leaning media are corrupt should watch this. Audio
American War Criminals?: In this BBC interview, Noam Chomsky, love him or hate him, suggests that U.S. leaders are war criminals. Video
Planted News Items: U.S. Emperor George W. Bush admits that U.S. governments have been planting news stories in the media for a long time. Video
Multiculturalism: The COGs are not wrong about everything. They predicted that race-mixing would lead to violence, and they were right. Some world leaders and experts are now saying that multiculturalism does not work. Video
Michael Moore on the Media: Michael Moore, love him or hate him, accuses the news media of being corrupted by big drug companies and full of "crap" (first four minutes). Audio
The Antisemitism Trick and The Real Causes of Terrorism: Here a Jewess says that the accusation of "antisemitism" is a common "trick" Jews use to intimidate those who don't meekly comply with Zionist policies. It then goes into the real causes of terror, such as America's support for Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, America's support of brutal dictators in the Middle East, and U.S. occupation of Muslim countries. Audio
Zionism: An Israeli air force captain says the U.S. acts like a slave of AIPAC and other pro-Israel lobby groups. He blames the government of Israel for perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Video
Palestine: Former US Emperor Jimmy Carter says the treatment of Palestinians by Israel is a terrible case of human rights abuses. Why is that not being talked about much? Video
Congressman Traficant Discusses Pro-Israel Lobby Groups: Former US Congressman James Traficant discusses the stranglehold that pro-Israel lobby groups (i.e. big money) have on the USA. Video
The U.S. Government Cover-Up of Israel's Murder of American Sailors by Phillip Tourney of the U.S.S. Liberty Veteran's Association.
How did this "friend" of the U.S. get away with attacking an American ship and killing American soldiers? Who was behind the cover-up and why?
Israeli Attack on the Liberty Was No Accident by Ali Jafar and James Ennes.
The U.S. ship Liberty incident is of great importance. It shows that news coverage of Israel is seriously skewed, even falsified at times. This bias and manipulation of news, which is ongoing and far greater than most realize, has many implications for COG members.
Liberating America From Israel by Paul Findley.
The COGs claim to understand politics but they are duped because they heavily rely on faulty mainstsream media sources. What caused 9-11? Who controls the U.S.A.? What is really going on in the Middle East? This U.S. congressman lays it bare.
What Christians Don't Know About Israel by Grace Halsell.
God said that if Jacob's desendents sinned, he would drive them out of Palestine, and He did. So what are Jews doing there today? Does God approve? Do the COGs really get their position from the bible? How much of it do they get from the wider "Christian" perspective on the bible? Do these churches turn a blind eye to torture?
Slavery in America? You bet—Listen to Obama and Romney by Michael Scheuer.
I was in various COGs for a few decades, and I don't recall them ever mentioning the disproportionate power of Zionists in America. Even if they had known, I'm sure they would have regarded that as a good thing. Yet Michael Scheuer, a former CIA agent and recognized Middle East expert, sees Zionist power as a great danger for America and the world.
As The Arabs See The Jews by King Abdullah I of Jordan.
The King of Jordan explains how pro-Israel propaganda has blinded Americans (which would include the COGs) to a proper understanding of Middle East politics.
The Beast: The COGs regard Hitler as one of the heads of the Beast and have spilled a lot of ink attempting to explain him and Nazi Germany. Still following 70 year-old British and American war rhetoric, during which time news was biased and censored, the COGs portray Churchill as a virtuous hero and Hitler as a diabolical monster bent on world domination. The truth however, is more complex. Would the COG view of history change if they thought the last world war wasn't necessarily Hitler's fault? Pat Buchanan says Hitler never wanted war with the British, and explains how Churchill, not Hitler, might have caused WWII. Video
Banned Bible Books: How did the paganized traditional church decide which books belong in the Bible? Have they told us the whole story? Audio
Was Mark's gospel Changed? Former fundamentalist Bart Ehrman discusses how the end of the gospel of Mark was changed. Video
DNA Markers: DNA markers refute long-held COG views on the origins of the races and of various ethnic groups. This presentation, though it discusses few details, explains the basic science. Video
Science and Materialism: Can a scientist believe in the spiritual? What is the relationship between the spiritual and the mental? Is hard determinism an experimentally proven scientific fact? Rupert Sheldrake, biologist and author of The Science Delusion, discusses his experiments on telepathy and opines on other issues in science and religion. Videos
Hierarchy and Stress: Is your church causing you grief? Is it too harsh, controlling, rigid or judgemental? The problem could be a rigid corporate hierarchy led by alpha males (controlling ministers). Sometimes animal studies can shed light on human groups. Biologist Robert Sapolsky discovered that a troop of monkeys he was studying were a lot happier when all the alpha males died. When I learned that, I couldn't help but think of my sufferings in the PCG. Video
What Science HAS Discovered About the Human Mind! by Gun Lap.
Do we really need the spirit in man to explain the difference between human and animal intelligence? A few species are smart. Most have small brains. Others have no prefrontal cortex. Did Herbert Armstrong falsify the facts about brain research?
Do the Math: World Violence is Going Down, Not Up! by Gun Lap.
Are we really in the end time? If so, why was the past much more violent than the present? Believe it or not, that's what the facts show.
"Mitochondrial Eve" is NOT the Eve of the Bible by Gun Lap.
I really wish David Pack would get his facts straight on DNA.
Does The United Church of God Support The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine? by Gun Lap.
The UCG is very supportive of the nation state of Israel, even though Herbert Armstrong once taught that, in this age, Jews have no right to Palestine. What's going on? Is the UCG position biblical?
Should The Churches of God Support The State of Israel? by Gun Lap.
Herbert Armstrong wrote that the land of Palestine belonged to the tribe of Joseph, not to the Jews. Yet some Churches of God openly and zealously take Israel's side in the Israeli-Palestinian land conflict. Are these churches losing their Christian neutrality and getting involved in the politics and wars of this world?
Memo From God to Gerald Flurry: Jews do Not Belong in Sinai by Gun Lap.
According to British-Israelism, Palestine belongs to Joseph, not to the Jews. Further, the Sinai isn't even in Palestine. Except for 40 years of wandering as punishment, Israelites never lived there in Bible times. Yet the Philadelphia Church of God hawkishly berates the Jews for giving the Sinai back to Arabs.
Is Gerald Flurry a War Monger? by Gun Lap.
Gerald Flurry calls himself a Christian but says the Israelis should be a lot tougher on the already suffering Palestinians. Is he advocating war, perhaps even genocide? Does God want Israelites to wipe out the Gentiles in Palestine today?
Long-Term Prospects for the Churches of God by Gun Lap.
The COGs are going through a difficult period of fragmentation and stagnation, perhaps even a slow and steady decline. When will things turn around? What are the long-term prospects if the return of Christ is farther away than they think?
The Newtown Connecticut Shooting, A World of Delusions, and The Churches of God by Gun Lap.
We live in a world of illusions. The system we live in is itself an illusion. Some people still labor under the illusion that the news media are on our side. It all ties in with the Newtown school shooting and the Churches of God.
We Must Not Blindly Accept The Canon by Gun Lap.
The COGs accept the Protestant canon of the Bible without really thinking too much about it. Does God want his church to get his word from Satan's churches while barely questioning the books they give us?
Natural Disasters Are Not Getting Worse! by Gun Lap.
The Churches of God have been preaching for decades that God is punishing the world and especially the United States and other English-speaking nations with natural disasters. However, contrary to news media hype, objective global data shows disasters are not getting worse or striking these nations hardest.
A Warning To Prospective Church Members by Gun Lap.
Read this before attending services with a Church of God or reading any of their literature.
Should We Get The Word of God from Harlots or Faithful Men? by Gun Lap.
If God gave his Word (gospels, epistles, etc) to the true church, why does the true church get it from Satan's harlots? How many Church of God members really know how we got the Bible? Why do the Churches of God use the Protestant Bible? What does the Bible itself say about going to Satan and his harlots to determine the Bible canon?
The Bible: Fact or Fiction? Refuted by Gun Lap.
A point-by-point refutation of the Living Church of God's silly booklet, The Bible: Fact or Fiction? showing many false proofs of The Book itself.
The Delayed Prophecy Excuse Refuted by Gun Lap.
Did Herbert Armstrong's prophecies fail or were they merely delayed? How long does the Bible say we should wait for prophecy to be fullfilled? How many mistakes can a man make and still be a prophet of God? Moses commanded the death sentence for a single delayed prophecy, and before the prophet died of old age, not after!
Church of God Growth: Is There Any? by Gun Lap.
Are "God's apostles" lying? Are their churches growing? Do they have any real fruits of growth (i.e. significant numbers of new converts from the world) like Herbert Armstrong did, or are they just pilfering members from each other and the ruins of the Worldwide Church of God?
An Open Letter to Gerald Flurry by Gun Lap.
Some helpful advice for our old friend Gerald.
Open Letter #2 to Gerald Flurry by Gun Lap.
I will prove to be a better "prophet" than Gerald.
I Decided That Eternal Death Was Better Than Gerald Flurry's "Love" by Gun Lap.
Gerald Flurry does not see himself for what he really is—a harsh ruler.
The Philadelphia Church of God Statement of Beliefs by Gun Lap.
Actions speak louder than words. Read this and find out what the PCG really believes.
Do the COGs Defame Bible Scholars? by Gun Lap.
Do the Churches of God honestly report what Bible scholars say, or do they lie about it? Do they ever read the works of scholars? How can they claim to know what scholars say if they never read their works?
Holy Handshakes Batman, David Pack is Wrong Again! by Gun Lap.
The Bible says greet the brethren with a holy kiss, but nobody wants to do that. Does the Restored Church of God have a Bible reason for getting out of it?
Is it Wrong to Number the Church? by Gun Lap.
David Pack says it's a sin to record church attendance, so why does the New Testament do it? And if he doesn't keep track of the number of Restored Church of God members, how can he publish RCG percentage growth to two digits of precision? Further, if it's wrong to "number Israel" why does he number "modern Israel" as well as the brethren outside the RCG?
We Were Deceived—Who Should We Blame? by Gun Lap.
Who should we blame for being deceived by a Church of God?
Is "Armstrongism" The Problem? by Gun Lap.
Some would have us believe that if we just return to a traditional church all will be well. Is that true?
Is Australia Specifically Named In Bible Prophecy? by Gun Lap.
Herbert Armstrong taught that the Vulgate translation specifically names Australia in Bible prophecy. Is that true?
Did Herbert Armstrong Interpret The Bible? by Gun Lap.
Herbert Armstrong said men should never interpret the Bible. But did he interpret it himself sometimes?
Flurrys Bear False Witness To Herbert Armstrong by Gun Lap.
Are Gerry and Steve Flurry sinning by misrepresenting the words of Herbert Armstrong and downplaying the dire consequences of that deed?
Do You Really Want To Eat That? Refuted by Gun Lap.
Debunks a Living Church of God article on clean and unclean foods.
Don't Eat The Cleanup Crew Refuted by Gun Lap.
The Living Church of God article on clean and unclean seafoods is full of holes. It pretends to be based on scientific research, but that claim is nonsensical. Following their advice could be fatal. We show why.
Did Dietary Laws Make Israel Unique? by Gun Lap.
This article is part of the effort to expose baseless claims made by the Living Church of God.
Examining Health Reasons For Not Eating Pork by Gun Lap.
Are the supposed health reasons Church of God ministers and members give for not eating pork really scientific?
Vital Health Laws Not In The Bible by Gun Lap.
The Bible says God is a perfectionist, so if the Bible is his book, why is it missing some vital basic revelation that has cost millions of lives?
Paul Calls Herbert Armstrong A Fool by Gun Lap.
The apostle Paul said the man who didn't think life could come from dead matter was a fool. But Armstrong said life can only come from life. Who was right?
Hares And Hogs Eat Feces But They Don't Chew Cud! by Gun Lap.
The Bible says rabbits chew cud but they don't. Some Bible apologists claim rabbits "chew cud" by redefining the meaning of both chewing and cud, but in so doing, they ignore what the Bible says about cud chewing and hogs.
There Shall Come In The Last Days Scoffers by Gun Lap.
Peter said the scoffers who would come in the last days would believe in divine creation. This calls into question whether we are living in the last days, and whether Peter knew what he was talking about.
Hate Your Family? by Gun Lap.
The Bible says hate your family. Fundamentalists claim this is a bad translation, but an examination of the Greek shows it's actually a good translation.
The Church of God's Faithful is not the True Church—One Simple Proof by Gun Lap.
This church fails one of Armstrong's basic tests of the true church.
Old Testament "Prophesies" of Jesus Proven False by Thomas Paine.
The famous American revolutionary exposes Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as deceviers who misapplied Old Testament scriptures to "prove" Jesus was the Messiah.
The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine.
The famous American revolutionary discusses religion and the Bible. PDF file, 1794, 146 pages.
Bible Critic Bart Ehrman Excerpts compiled by Gun Lap.
Remember all those evil scholars the Churches of God told us about? Well, Bart is one of them. But contrary to what we were sometimes told (see here), he actually does read the Bible. He even has the audacity to find contradictions in the Bible—ones preachers can't explain away, which is why they don't want us to know about him.
Behind Blue Eyes by The Who.
A song full of anger. It's been a few years since the ruthless hypocritical liars gave me the boot for doing The Right Thing. Can ya tell I'm still ticked?
Philadelphia Church of God Doctrinal Changes by Anonymous.
Gerald Flurry's claim that he diligently follows Herbert Armstrong's doctrines is exposed as false and deceitful.
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A former Church of God pastor who gave up organized religion discusses his experiences and new outlook. Reading his articles is good therapy. It helps people who have been jerked around heal their wounds. People who like these articles can find many more by him on the Web. |
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Dennis
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A Bigger Secret Than The Secret by Dennis Diehl.
Acceptance, Surrender, and Presence... a Sprituality that Works by Dennis Diehl.
Apostle Paul—His Cosmic Jesus by Dennis Diehl.
A Problem With Prophecy by Dennis Diehl.
Bible Readers... The Danger of Being Piously Convicted and Marginally Informed by Dennis Diehl.
Born Right the First Time? by Dennis Diehl.
Cain and Abel... Let's Not Take It Literally by Dennis Diehl.
The Church Member's Bill of Rights—Basic Rights Any Member of a Church Should Expect to Enjoy by Dennis Diehl.
Da Vinci Code, the Movie...Why It Just May Drive Your Pastor or Priest Nuts by Dennis Diehl.
Da Vinci Code—The First of Many Invitations to Come and Question the UnQuestionable by Dennis Diehl.
Death-Kicking the Bucket, Being a Goner, Biting the Dust, Checking Out and Feeling No Pain by Dennis Diehl.
Everyone Wears Masks—Your Pastor and Priest, Your Mom, Dad, Family, and YOU! by Dennis Diehl.
Exclusivism: A Mind Virus by Dennis Diehl.
Fool Me Once—Shame On... by Dennis Diehl.
Friends...Where Did They All Go? by Dennis Diehl.
Giving Away Your Power by Dennis Diehl.
Some of these sites hold to a different world-view than we do, but they still contain important information that will help the reader see the errors of the Churches of God.
Key Points of The United States and Britain in Prophecy Book Refuted
The Armstrong Plagiarism Research web site shows how Armstrong plagiarized this doctrine from John H. Allen, copying some of Allen's mistakes in the process. In the process of exposing the plagiarism, they show that certain critical parts of the British-Israel theory result from blatant misinterpretations of scripture. Though that site does not focus on British-Israelism, it demolishes some main pillars of the theory.
Another site refuting British-Israelism. I don't know how accurate it is, but before believing in BI, the reader had better read a LOT of contrary information first. He won't be allowed to read it once in the grips of a COG. There is a lot more, but one must look around for it.
Herbert Armstrong's Failed Prophecies
A list of over 200 failed prophecies made by Herbert W. Armstrong.
Was Herbert W. Armstrong a Plagiarist?
Did Armstrong get his doctrines from men? Several of his works are, in places, essentially word-for-word the same as earlier works! A great many of his doctrines have been traced to earlier Bible teachers. So why did he insist that he did not get his doctrines from men?
Probably one of the most comprehensive sites on the Web exposing the errors of Armstrong and the split-offs. Not for the faint of heart.
Contains some very good information exposing the errors of Armstrong and the Churches of God. Also shows how controlling groups work so that people can understand what they went through in a Church of God. Sadly, the Exit and Support Network (ESN) site can re-victimize confused and hurting people by luring them back to traditional Christianity. However, anyone who reads the material on this site and the sources we refer to should never again be deceived by any Church of God or a traditional church. They fear us, but we do not fear them.
This site uses a lot of arguments against the Bible. Some of the arguments are just plain stupid and easily refuted, but there are also some good arguments the COGs cannot refute. The reader needs to sift through it carefully. The bias, stupidity and sarcasm can be annoying, but patience and endurance will be rewarded. An alternative is to simply google "Bible contradictions" and see what comes up. There will be sites that expose contradictions and other sites which attempt to explain them away. Despite what we were told in the COGs, not all of the difficult scriptures can be explained away. Church of God members with an open mind will be amazed at all the problems in the Bible that they never noticed!
In addition to being a deceiver and possible sociopath, the Philadelphia Church of God's Gerald Flurry seems to have ego problems. This excellent site exposes his errors and deceptions. I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to the author of this site, who helped me escape from Flurry's callous deceptions, and the disgraceful abuse of some of his bullheaded, hostile and deceitful ministers.
What I believe
Those who want to know what I do or do not believe need to read more on my site. When I talk about COG beliefs, I'm discussing those issues from the traditional COG perspective, trying to use some logic, facts, and analysis to see if there are inconsistencies or errors in certain views or arguments. Whether I believe certain doctrines myself is often irrelevant to the point I'm making. I think most readers of this site understand that, but some perhaps might not see that right away.
For example, suppose I say, "According to British-Israelism and HWA, God gave Palestine to Joseph, not the Jews; Jews have no right to that land." That does not mean that I believe in BI or that the Jews have no right to the land at all. It just means that according to BI and HWA, the Jews have no right to the land. To get the most from this site, try to focus on thinking logically about the issues rather than worry about what I believe or don't believe. The information and analysis is what's important, not what someone believes.
Contact Information
Some have supposed I am Dennis Diehl because I have a few of his articles on my site, but I'm not him and he is not me. Just think of me as the guy behind the Darth Vader mask, which I wear (figuratively) to conceal my identity.
Feel free to write to Gun Lap™ at the Gun Lap Church of God ™. My username is MrGunLap and the domain is gmail dot com.
All Rights Reserved © Gun Lap Church of God™ 2012, 2014.