The Edifice Complex
By JohnOThere’s a term in mathematics called the Lowest Common Denominator, and most are familiar with the expression. In secular terms, it can mean a common thread or core to which we can relate one or more problems. So it is with the arrogance of religion. It appears that the appalling arrogance of Herbie’s Worldwide cult, the cultmasters, and many hirelings simply parallels that of others of a similar cultic nature.
Just last week, at the time of this writing, there was a fully completed Catholic cathedral opened in Los Angeles. As far as I’m concerned, it’s one of the ugliest blights on the landscape of a not-too-attractive city. The Catholic Church called it “Our Lady of the Angels,” and on the local LA television, they gave the viewers a good look at the interior.
When religion becomes big and powerful, it thinks it can do virtually anything and get away with it. Worldwide and its leadership also thought the same. Apparently the “new, improved” offspring also thinks in a similar fashion. The Catholic Church built its cathedral in LA, and once upon a time, Herbie built his cathedral that was once called “The House for God,” and later became known as the “Auditorium.”
Roger Cardinal Mahoney presided over the blessing of the new LA cathedral, but when I watched the show, which was thankfully edited for time, I was disgusted at what followed. Mahoney is now in the middle of an investigation regarding the shuffling of pedophile priests from parish to parish whenever complaints were made. This parallels the same conduct as displayed by Bernard Cardinal Law in Boston, who was originally sued for $30 million, because of the pedophilia conduct of John Geoghan and others. Then Law claimed the church would have to declare bankruptcy if the defendants continued the suit to regain damages for the seventy plus cases of sodomy.
Isn’t it strange how religious hypocrites, and that includes Herbie, all follow the same common denominator? First they commit the crime, then they deny it, then they’re found guilty, then they’re sued, and then they run and hide. Then they try and intimidate the “faithful” for extra money to bail them out of the mess that those leaders, themselves, made. What Herbie did in Worldwide many a time – culminating in the 1979 mess – is exactly what’s happening to the Boston diocese now. And it certainly appears that sex is always an issue with these religious leaders. With the Catholic Church it’s pedophilia, and with Herbie it was incest – among other things. With GTA, it could be virtually anything. I’ve not heard anything about him since his attempted tryst with the masseuse.
However, inside Mahoney’s new cathedral, he had a special service of dedication. While, like a presiding pagan priest in all his paraphernalia, he stood at the head of the altar holding his shepherd’s crook, there was this large rectangular table or bench in front of him in the sanctuary area. Dancing around it were a bunch of nuns all holding raised chalices – or maybe they were oversized martini glasses. Round and round they swirled while the choir sang, chanting echoed in the background, candles burned behind, and incense belched out from some unknown source. The only thing missing was some naked body flattened on its back and laying on the table. If we’ve ever seen a Hollywood scene of a pagan ceremony, then this duplicated it EXACTLY. In ancient times, such ceremonies were followed by extravagant orgies. Enuf said.
Although Herbie didn’t have a pagan orgy at the grand opening of his Auditorium, he did invite a “gentile” orchestra, at exorbitant tithepayer expense, to do the opening concert that played only heathen music (Beethoven, etc.) which was written by someone else besides God’s ONLY inspired songwriter, Dwight Armstrong.
But there are some strong parallels here. Mahoney and Armstrong appear to be within a common denominator mold. Both have shown an “In Yer Face” attitude.
First: They were both under fire with their flocks for financially strapping the congregations in order to built a useless edifice, except to promote the ego of the pontiff in charge. Mahoney’s new cathedral will only drain money from the LA diocese, and Herbie’s Auditorium never did make any money.
Second: Both were in dubious trouble in the final days of the construction of these buildings with accusations and rumors of possible sex scandals.
Third: Both were under fire from within and without, regarding their professional conduct in the running of their particular church organizations.
Fourth: Both could have taken those countless millions, assigned to their future edifices, and helped those who really needed it, but chose not to. Many personally sacrificed needlessly, so the edifice could be built. The money was given, and then those pontiffs could have done the right thing and helped the less fortunate, but both said in effect: “In yer face, suckers.”
Fifth: They both commanded a loyal following of believers who gullibly nodded their heads to whatever each leader said, and then unquestioningly agreed that such opulent structures were indeed “necessary” for the work of the church at hand.
As mentioned above, the lawsuit in Boston has been estimated to be around $30 million, but it might be settled at a lower figure. Just after the opening service of the LA cathedral, a church spokesman openly bragged to the press that the artwork in Mahoney’s new cathedral cost $30 million.
While Cardinal Law in Boston wants to hide behind Chapter 11, and avoid paying the huge $30 million lawsuit settlement, Cardinal Mahoney spends $30 million on artwork in his new cathedral. And that does NOT cover the cost of the structure or land.
While Apostle Herbie was screaming in late 1971 and early 1972 about the need for extra money in this “gun lap” of God’s greeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaat work, he finally got his money, then he went out and built his own cathedral. He claimed it cost $11 million, but in fact it cost (with interest) over $22 million. Who knows how much was eventually paid out for it to the banks after Rader borrowed against the property?
Then, there were many members who said: “Whooooaaaa,” and therefore took a different look at things. They declined to dress shabbily, eat frugally, or withhold personal and needed purchases. They withheld their tithes. If the Apostle could lavish the tithepayer’s money on the Auditorium’s over-extravagant opulence, pink onyx walls, pure gold leaf covering on surfaces everywhere, golden external plumbing on the automatically flushing urinals, hand loomed Oriental carpets, luxury seating, and an acoustic engineering contract done by those who designed the acoustics in the Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, then – figured many of the congregations – why should we ourselves do without the necessities? Please remember, that GOD LOVES QUALITY. I personally thought the sound system electronics was lousy.
Why is it that so many of these religious uppity-ups insist on committing to the building of ultra-opulent structures that they cannot afford, and then badger and intimidate the flock for the money to finish the project? Is their ego so large that they must have a huge building to bear witness to their memory? Isn’t the saying correctly related: “By their fruits you shall know them,” rather than: “He who has the biggest cathedral is the holiest?”
In actual fact, both Christianity and ancient paganism come out of the same mold. Look at the buildings, the accoutrements, the rituals, and the constant need of the “priesthood” (old and new) for money. Catholicism, as we know, comes directly from pagan practices, but didn’t Herbie’s cult come from the same womb? Even the old testament temple practices are as pagan as the ancient Sumerians or Babylonians. Notice how much Herbie and his cultmasters referred to the old testament nonsense as a valid way of life and how reverently they regarded those laws as rules for living.
The Auditorium was a waste. It was a large place to practice Herbie’s version of paganism, and all it lacked was the vestal virgins. These huge cathedrals in NYC, Boston, LA, Garden Grove, Chicago, etc. all bear witness to the colossal egos of the ones in charge. As Herbie once crowed when he took a past acquaintance around the lavish Ambassador College campus: “I’ve done all right, haven’t I . . . ?”
From the earliest years of the common era, church leaders have built their buildings, contrived their rituals, and had the followers pay for it. In later centuries, when the secular royalty became powerful enough to challenge Rome, the church and state in some countries split apart. And then the leaders of each country’s bureaucracy also decided to build their own magnificent buildings. Take a look at the most outstanding buildings in any country. They are invariably the palaces of the elite, the government buildings, and the “get-away” mansions for the bureaucrats. The same goes for the world of churches, and it certainly did for the Worldwide cultmasters.
It’s often been said that both government and church produce no useful commodity. In the former case, we’re taxed to death, and in the latter case, we’re tithed to death. As has been stated in previous articles, the only way to test any religious organization’s true resolve is cut off their supply. If the cultmasters would get off their comfy office chairs and go out and work, then this would show some sincerity on the part of the religious leadership. But such will NEVER be the case. Religious leadership is too accustomed to being served, rather than serving.
Religious bureaucrats, like those cultmasters in Worldwide and its offspring, serve NO useful purpose in the lives of people. However, they leave behind a lot of buildings to show that they once walked this earth. People can’t live in these overpriced structures, and they certainly can’t eat them for sustenance. Cultmasters leave behind a lot of physical junk that means nothing, and is good for nothing. They also leave behind the destroyed lives of countless thousands of trusting people, who sincerely believed in a doctrine that was – in fact – motivated by greed and the ego of the leadership.
Cultmasters, and their lackeys, are nothing more than religious bureaucrats, and are totally useless for anything except being lords over people. They, themselves produce nothing, but they suck the life’s blood out of the membership to satisfy their lusts, their voracious appetites, and their egos. Like the royalty of old, they’re sponges that soak in life’s fluid and give nothing back, except vomitorious verbiage. And if the congregation people – when they KNOW what’s happening – still keep feeding these parasites, then they only have themselves to blame when they find that they’re left with nothing.
Mahoney has his cathedral, and his willing following still choose to feed this rubbish and a total waste of money and effort. Herbie built his Auditorium, and we chose (for a while) to support this total pile of egotistical refuse.
Again, in both cases, while millions were being spent on these extreme undertakings, many people went without. Meanwhile, the head cultmasters lived like kings, enjoying the luxury that even movie stars don’t have, and then they threw it back into the faces of the very people who make their ostentatious lifestyles a reality. In yer faces . . .
This story has been the same throughout history. The incompetent “haves” bleed the unknowing, trusting, and invariably talented “have nots.” These religious, and other, bureaucrats have the golden throats and the oily tongues that can persuade people to give to their useless causes. They are also skilled in the art of passing on feelings of guilt to people IF you don’t blindly follow their wacky ideas. In fact, those causes would be better off if they were never started. If Herbie were never born, it would possibly have been a new and freer world for many.
Such fruitless, religious bureaucrats cannot survive without fuel. If their pipelines are cut off, then – since they’re so professionally incompetent – then they’ll simply weather and die out. They cannot survive on their own. They have no real, honest skills. They NEED this unwarranted, financial support of anyone gullible enough to provide it, in order to endure their “goof-off” lifestyle which produces NO tangible, useful product. But, if their money is cut off, then they’ll perish. And then, thankfully, the winds of that era will carry away their worthless ashes to fill the sewers of time.
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