Note: The first edition of this article was originally completed in 1990, based on the author's personal experiences with the Worldwide Church of God from 1978 to 1984. While many changes have occurred in this church since that time, it is the author's personal contention that doctrinal changes are completely irrelevant to the core of the Worldwide Church of God's destructiveness, that is, the cruel psychological manipulation of its membership.This treatment of its members is common to many harmful groups, and understanding how people are led into this situation is more generally useful than details of one small, nearly-defunct church group.5. Victims become Victimizers5.1. Worse than an Infidel On top of these three tithes come seven annual holy-day offerings, not to mention the monthly co-worker letters asking for money. After any holy day offering is taken, the ushers total the amount, and divide by every man, woman, and child present to give an "average offering" figure: this is then announced to the congregation before the end of the service. I saw this figure climb from $22 to $55 per person from 1978 to 19831, or from $88 to $220 for a family of four, for each separate holy day. Combined with the high unemployment and underemployment in the congregation, this must have had a staggering impact on family finances. With a good-paying job, after taxes and tithes I had only half my income left, and I was never able to afford such offerings. It is worse when you are a poor member in the congregation: an offering announcement like this leaves you paralyzed with inadequacy. It takes more strength of spirit than most people have to remember that the Pharisees were criticized for their unhealthy emphasis on tithing. Although it was something they ought to have done, they gave so much importance to it that they "omitted the weightier matters of the law: judgement, mercy, and faith" (Matt. 23:23). Only when an individual can balance his personal and family responsibilities with his own judgement of what he owes God, can he give as he is able, willingly, and not under duress; then tithing can nurture, not wither, his spiritual growth. Even in the Old Testament, required offerings had flexibility, so that the poor could give as they were able (Lev. 27:8); so, in the New Testament, Paul describes the ideal gift as being given by someone "according as he purposes in his heart," and not "of necessity," that is, under duress. In other words, the prudent person has counted what he is able to give, then gives this willingly and cheerfully, remembering that his first responsibility is to take care of his family: neglecting this for religious reasons is roundly condemned (Mark 7:7-13). I do not believe it is a coincidence that so many families in the church were badly in debt, when these same people often gave large offerings. In attempting to show their faith, they showed instead a lack of prudence and judgement, and a severe lack of faith in God's ability to understand their situation and be merciful. When the congregation began to groan under the burden of the money they were paying out to the church, they would be told that God would provide unexpected gifts of money and goods; if this bounty did not arrive, the members were told their blessings were spiritual, and more valuable than mere money. There was always the unspoken accusation that the money problems themselves were a sign of God's displeasure, on the theory that misfortunes are the just deserts of the spiritually inadequate--a philosophy fit only for Job's false friends. To assuage his guilt over admitting that God may not cover ever financial strait, to show God He is still trusted, and to forestall His dreaded censure, the typical member will send in a generous offering. Meanwhile, just as the sermons have predicted, gifts of food, money, furniture, and clothing will arrive, often from "unconverted" relatives, friends, and acquaintances moved to pity by the member's plight, thus enabling him to feed his family. If this does not happen, the member will begin to use credit to cover the necessities of life, until he incurs a crippling debt. This reliance on outside sources for support not only erodes the member's self-respect, but often produces an unreal, dream-like view of finances akin to the lottery-mentality of the secular poor. This is vehemently condemned by St. Paul, who says, "If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel" (1 Tim. 5:8). 5.2. Calvin's Ugly HeadSuch overemphasis on the spiritual significance of money bears the taint of early Calvinist teachings, whereby, although a person could never know if he were predestined to salvation or damnation, he could make a shrewd guess by observing whether or not God was (financially) blessing him. And so also in the WWCOG does the achievement of monetary success become a religious goal, as a confirmation of God's approval. The fruits of this theology are, among other things, lack of charity to the poor, blaming them for their own fate; obsessive work habits designed to lead to prosperity, and thus, God's blessing; and, generally, mistaking wealth for righteousness. As Herbert Armstrong, the WWCOG's founder, came out of a tradition of Methodism, better known for teaching faith rather than stringent works, this influence probably comes from the all-pervading atmosphere of Calvinism that early saturated North America, giving it its peculiar "work ethic" and hardheartedness towards the poor. 5.3. Fascist Families The most chilling results of immersion in the Worldwide Church of God culture are in people's families and lives: far from "building character," which the organization claims to do (like the Army), association with the Worldwide Church of God tends to erode the best of good characters and seal up the worst of bad characters with the whitewash of relentless orthodoxy and ceaseless church-related activity. It does this by systematically replacing the individual's natural moral impulse (which needs education and nurturing, not destruction) with the lower moral response of fearful obedience to rules and orders. Rather than helping someone grow towards the divine ideal of a being who wills only to do good, the organization attempts to create a being with no will at all, with the habits of a creature well-trained by having its own instincts turned against it. In the congregation I was in, it was normal for men to ignore and denigrate their wives in public, and walk all over them in private: they delighted in forcing the women to show their obedience and submission. One example that comes to mind is of two young husbands who decided to take their pregnant wives hiking up a mountain, forcing them onward despite their tiredness, to show their male mastery over them. One of the women refused to go on; the other, who had been ill before the climb, obeyed out of fear and a sense of duty, and soon after, lost her baby. To my knowledge, neither of the men was ever rebuked by the ministry, though it was not thought beneath the ministers to busy themselves repeatedly counselling another woman over the style of her clothes. The men were often similarly harsh and cruel to their children, punishing them for the slightest expression of discomfort or discontent. Single men tended not to bother taking single women out on dates, preferring to congregate with other single men in restaurants, because, in their words, they saw no point in spending money on women when they were not allowed to take them to bed anyway. 5.4. A Culture of Cruelty Childless women were taunted mercilessly by women with children; people with a spouse outside the church (referred to as "your unconverted mate" to the member's face) were generally shunned; the suburban rich hobnobbed with each other, while the poor were left out in the cold; gossip spread like wildfire about everyone and anyone, and in general, the culture was cold and merciless and about as far from anything recognizably Christian as one would like to imagine. People were superficially pleasant over coffee, and put on a good show, as if that were their main concern. If this were merely a troubled congregation, these details would be irrelevant: in fact, these problems were often caused by church teachings, and aggravated by sermons and counselling. The church was also extremely segregated: while all members went to services and Bible studies, other church activities were for couples, or singles, or teens, and those who did not fit into any category were often forgotten. Those with a spouse outside the church were often ignored by singles and couples alike. This did not encourage the congregation to grow in empathy, or challenge their Christian charity: besides, since they were forbidden to discuss the one thing they did have in common with these disparate people, their faith, they never discovered any commonality with those outside their own physical situation. In this way, like went with like, and very little growth took place. It is easy to see how the rich might not have much to do with the poor, considering the unconscious streak of Calvinism running through the WWCOG's beliefs; the church's emphasis on judgement at the expense of mercy, and its habit of holding people up to public criticism from the pulpit, also encouraged the ruthlessness and the gossip. The way women were spoken of, and the pressure the ministry put on singles to get down to business, and date with a view to marriage, made the idea of enjoying a woman's (inferior) company unthinkable for many single men, unless marriage were a serious possibility. When a woman's only creative outlet is her children, it is no wonder that many would lord their fertility over the childless, particularly with the church view that medical problems were God's judgement: if, once you had been anointed, you had not been healed, you were suspect. In this way, the infertile, like the poor, were seen to deserve their fate. Time and again, I recall wincing at some teaching or emphasis coming from the pulpit: yet another putdown of women, or emphasis on men's authority; another dose of guilt that would be swallowed most avidly by those needing it least; another diatribe against the poor and the unemployed; or yet another tale calculated to inflame the congregation's already bloated appetite for cruelty. One does not talk about alcohol in the same way to teetotalers as to heavy drinkers: context is all, and the messages the congregation heard were often only to their moral detriment. I remember vividly one story whose point has been lost from my mind: it had something to do with a warning not to ignore ministerial advice, or not to criticize goings-on in the services. The minister spoke of a woman in the congregation who, when childless, had been disturbed by the ceaseless crying of the children near her in church, and had been told that some children cry more than others, and she would understand when she had a child of her own. She continued in her complaints, however, to get some enforcement of the church policy that parents take crying children out of the room to settle them down, but nothing was ever done. Later, when she had a child of her own, it cried so vigorously one day in church that it ruptured itself during services. The congregation roared with laughter at this edifying story. Thus, an anecdote intended to teach a lesson in empathy became one sanctioning a cruel and judgmental callousness. No one would listen to me when I was so upset with this. "Don't you see? It's all right; God obviously did that to teach her a lesson," I was told. 5.5. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished This is not to say there were not some people who maintained a real relationship with God, tried their best to behave kindly, and were genuine and good. I knew and valued several people like this: without exception, their greatest troubles were those given them by the church itself. There was the divorced mother struggling to work and raise her children, who was also going to college to better herself and make it easier to support her family. When she won a scholarship to pay for her last year, the ministry ordered her to quit school, because they said the time she spent away from her children was causing them to misbehave in church and Bible study. Heartbroken, she felt she had no choice but to drop out. There was a married woman whom the ministry constantly discouraged from finishing college, who decided maybe she would just quit and stay home to have another baby, but was told by the ministry that even though they wanted her to be more domestic, they did not want her to have any more children. Then there was the man who had been a faithful member for more than ten years, diligent in study and prayer, scrupulous in self-judgement, active in the church, who was told his personal struggle with a besetting temptation showed a lack of God's Spirit, and proved that he had never become a true Christian at all: somehow, they said, at his baptism, the laying on of hands had not "taken"; crushed, he was secretly rebaptized, to his deep and wounding shame. 5.6. Pushed to their Doom There were the people doomed never to marry because no one in the church was quite the right colour: interracial dating or marriage was not allowed in the church, and anyone of mixed parentage was assumed to belong to the nonwhite portion of their ancestry. It is impossible to forget the man who became so obsessed, trying to live only for the church, that he was suspended, tried to break into the church service by violence, was repelled, and later committed suicide. Obviously someone highly unstable, he had found the spirit in the church did not give the power of a sound mind, but instead, only furthered his confusion. Even the girl who was not allowed to go sketching with me did not fare well. Later, she was tormented with mental illness. While the ministry discouraged resorting to psychiatry, I believe her family did try to get her some help. She finally ended her life. I heard about this after leaving the church, so I can only wonder how she could have gone from the vibrant, intelligent, strong, confident young woman I knew to the person who finally gave in to rage and despair. I, too, went from being a strong-willed confident woman to someone who left the church only after a long bout of mental torment and obsession with suicide, punctuated by thankfully-futile attempts. There is no end of wounds I saw inflicted by the church: these examples are only ones I am able to use without giving away anyone's identity to those who did not already know their stories, thus sparing anyone further humiliation.
1 This figure is based on my own (obviously unpublished) notes of church services at the time, including announcements of offerings.
 Note: The first edition of this article was originally completed in 1990, based on the author's personal experiences with the Worldwide Church of God from 1978 to 1984. While many changes have occurred in this church since that time, it is the author's personal contention that doctrinal changes are completely irrelevant to the core of the Worldwide Church of God's destructiveness, that is, the cruel psychological manipulation of its membership.This treatment of its members is common to many harmful groups, and understanding how people are led into this situation is more generally useful than details of one small, nearly-defunct church group.
6. The Shock of Recognition6.1. Streetcorner Pharisee The works of the Worldwide Church of God may be impressive, looking at the evangelism done on the backs of perhaps one hundred thousand tithe-paying members: certainly their public literature and colleges are the very best the organization has to offer, along with its hosting of (ironically) high-profile arts performances, and a few small charitable efforts. Ultimately, mere showy diligence is no excuse. Christ denounced the Pharisees for a similar diligence: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves" (Matt.23:15). As Christ said, "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit....Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them" (Matt.7:18,20). Anyone who has lived in the milieu of the Worldwide Church of God and struggled with "The Problem" will recognize, with a shock, that yes, the actual fruits of the Worldwide Church of God are evil. This was not a conclusion I came to lightly; like most loyal members, I tried to see each evil result as a horrible exception with its own isolated reason for being. Eventually, though, my rationalizations broke down, and I came to the inescapable realization that these "exceptions" are themselves the rule. What, then, is the standard by which a church, or an individual, is to be judged? "He hath shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8). This is as good an encapsulation as any. While the WWCOG organization is often unjust, unmerciful, and anything but humble, there is another way that it goes against the very core of biblical religion. The Worldwide Church of God, in arrogating to itself the individual's responsibility to nurture his or her own relationship to God, not only denies the principle of free moral agency by interposing itself between the member and God, but actually sets itself up in the place of God, so that the member's main concern has to become his relationship to the church: his relationship to God, his family, his friends, and his obligations to himself must all be sacrificed on the altar of "The Work," as this church likes to call itself. Its chosen, familiar name, "The Work," is reminiscent of the phrase "Arbeit macht Frei" (work makes you free) over Nazi concentration camp gates. While the parallel is outrageous in its degree, the intent is basically the same: the Worldwide Church of God sees its members as fodder for its programs, and creates in them the mentality of shock workers. The organization has simply not had the opportunity to take full advantage of the congregations' willingness to follow this church they feel compelled to obey--and I hope they never do.1
6.2. The Place of Safety The Worldwide Church of God believes that just before the return of Christ, the church will be given a secret signal from God, and the Administration will contact the ministry, who will call the members to sell their possessions and get on an airlift to Petra in Jordan, there to await Christ's return. That this could be a potential Jonestown is obvious to anyone who has heard of it, and this concern may have been the deciding factor in the state of California's botched and ill-advised receivership of the church. There was a belief among the congregation that members must be ready to make any sacrifice once in "the place of safety," as Petra was called -- some even thought it might be necessary to kill God's enemies, even among one's own family. Although I never heard such a thing from the pulpit, being alone in a rocky desert with such people is a chilling thought.
1 The new incarnation of the Worldwide Church of God seems to maintain this Pharisaical attitude: many doctrinal changes, as well as participation in charitable and other pursuits, seems designed to win the favour of other Christian groups: in this case, it is only the other Pharisees, not the general populace, they are trying to impress.
 Note: The first edition of this article was originally completed in 1990, based on the author's personal experiences with the Worldwide Church of God from 1978 to 1984. While many changes have occurred in this church since that time, it is the author's personal contention that doctrinal changes are completely irrelevant to the core of the Worldwide Church of God's destructiveness, that is, the cruel psychological manipulation of its membership.This treatment of its members is common to many harmful groups, and understanding how people are led into this situation is more generally useful than details of one small, nearly-defunct church group.
7. The Tricks of the Trade7.1. Truths Used in the Lies I have called this article "Lying with the Truth" for a good reason: much of what the Worldwide Church of God teaches is, within its own frame of reference, true, or, at least, arguably true or difficult to disprove--particularly where they are looking at the biblical stance on various issues. Their shakiest teachings involve many unwarranted assumptions and conclusions, but generally they support their positions well. What is the truth that the Worldwide Church of God lies with so well? Mainly, it is the bombshell about the origin of most modern Christian beliefs and practices. That the beliefs are the result of hundreds of years of councils and debates, questions and reasonings, and political maneuverings, and the practices the result of syncretism with other cultures and religions comes as a severe shock to most people. Immediately after seeing that many things they have been taught do not originate in the Bible, people are often on their way to believing the Worldwide Church of God is the one church that has God's stamp of approval, without considering the possible answer to those carefully-unasked questions about Apostolic authority and how a "true" church can be distinguished from the false. The WWCOG prefers, aside from some word play on the name "Peter," designed to negate any idea of the existence of apostolic authority, to ignore the issue altogether. When Christ told Peter he was giving him the keys to the Kingdom, and the power to bind and loose on earth, and have it ratified in heaven, certainly, whatever He meant, He must have meant something (Matt.16:18). Ironically, in the last years of his life, the WWCOG's founder, Herbert Armstrong, himself asserted his "right" to be called an Apostle, and wield the supposed authority of binding and loosing he had always claimed did not exist. The propaganda value of telling the truth is tremendous. There is still much room left for distortion: things may simply be left out; things may be disproportionately emphasized or de-emphasized; better still, while the overt teaching may be impeccable, a covert, "hidden" teaching may be in operation. The Worldwide Church of God uses all of these strategies. Among the things left out, or brushed over skimpily, is the question of what constitutes a part of the true Christian church, and exactly what they base this judgement on. The WWCOG teaches that it is the only true church at present, because it has more "true teachings" than anyone else. Since their organization is little more than fifty years old, to get around the whole history of Christianity before this group, and still allow for the necessary continuity of existence of true Christianity, they do accept many churches from other denominations, as well as heretical movements, as having been part of "the true church." Often this is done on evidence of only one "true teaching," such as the Sabbath; however, now that the WWCOG has come into existence, no other Sabbath-keeping church is considered part of the "true faith." What arbitrary standards are used in determining who was and who wasn't "true" are never revealed. This is an area the church does not want questioned.1 Another thing they do not want members to think about is just what authority the Apostles had in shaping the new Christian faith, what authority they may have had to make decisions, or to make rules binding on converts, or release them from certain obligations -- certainly the WWCOG does not want members to think about what authority the Apostles passed on to their successors. The Worldwide Church of God goes on the assumption that no authority was given to do any of those things, since that would open the door to the idea that Christianity's development may have been legitimate in the eyes of God, and this would take away their "edge," which they claim is the early faith. Yet another way they twist the truth into a lie is to lay too much emphasis on one thing to the detriment of others. Among the things they emphasize are Obedience, Sabbath-keeping, Tithing, the Submission of Women, and Serving the Church. Things not emphasized are Mercy, Justice, Forgiveness, and those God-given things which lend dimension to life, like humour and beauty. All the "harsh" virtues are exalted, to the detriment of the "soft" ones. As well, sin is spoken of at great length: virtue is barely discussed, beyond the details of particular Commandments. Morality is almost never spoken of. One would have to read other churches' writings to learn more about the nature of Courage, Temperance, Prudence, or Justice. Even the three theological virtues of Love, Hope, and Faith are not dealt with in any great depth. 7.2. Mystery Religion 101 Church services themselves appear to operate of a principle of "progressive revelation," a key legacy of the mystery religions, who carefully "initiate" their converts into various levels of revealing secrets. Thus, certain doctrines are not normally preached in church, ostensibly to avoid offending new people in attendance: third tithe, as well as church views on marriage, and other church customs, are often left for individual counselling sessions. Other teachings take on strange overlays of extra meaning to those in the know, so that what once appeared to be plain speech is shown to be in fact technical jargon the new convert is bound to misunderstand if he takes it at face value. The church seldom puts into print its ideas about marriage. For example, a marriage solemnized before coming into the church is not, in some senses, considered "binding," because God has not really joined the couple together; nevertheless, the marriage cannot be terminated, even for adultery, and seldom for cruelty short of physical violence, regardless of whether or not the spouse fulfills any of the duties of a mate. Still, though people are considered bound to this extent, the marriage is considered a lower-class union: many of the church consider women with nonmember mates (or "unconverted mates") to be "spiritual widows," in company with single mothers and other women not considered to have a "real" husband. I know of no such attitude regarding men married to nonmembers. Of course, this idea does not take into account what St. Paul said about the family being sanctified and holy because of the one believer (I Cor. 7:14). Church marriages, however, are so binding that a member initiating divorce is often disfellowshipped for it: even where the grounds are severe, and the member is allowed to remain, each partner is forever barred from remarriage, and they are subject to intermittent pressure to reconcile. Interestingly, when the founder, a widower, remarried, and his second marriage did not work out, he divorced his wife after only three years. How members who had stayed yoked together in misery felt about his easy out is not hard to imagine. The "hidden" teachings of the Worldwide Church of God take time to learn, and are often only learned in the breach. The seventh commandment, against adultery, is interpreted to mean that not only should married people not dance with anyone but their mate at a church function, but even single people should dance only with their date for the evening -- to do otherwise is to invite a reputation for promiscuity. For those raised in cultures where dances are less adult-, and more family-oriented, with young and old dancing together, this comes as a shock and an insult. And nowhere is it taught. Another hidden teaching is the answer to the question "who is my neighbour?"; the WWCOG's answer is quite different from the one Christ gave. To the Worldwide Church of God, your "neighbour" is your fellow church member: nonmembers can be gossiped about, treated cruelly, or deceived with impunity (ministers recommended you not tell a potential employer about the upcoming holy days, even if you were being hired the week before you had to leave). Their literature seldom brings up their stringent teachings on faith-healing: even dentistry is often frowned upon. The sick are to ask for anointing by the ministry, then leave the illness in God's hands. Those not healed are seen to lack faith. Those needing operations would surreptitiously go to the hospital and hope not to be found out. One woman was made a public example of, in front of the whole congregation, because she had her wisdom teeth removed instead of being anointed; the ministry said her postoperative suffering was divine punishment for her lack of faith. That one gospel and the book of Acts was written by Luke, "the beloved physician," not ex-physician, makes this appear biblically unjustified. Generally, when their magazines discuss history or world events, they do so fairly accurately. The magazine itself, having been started by an ad man who knew how to sell an idea, is an excellent product, and quite convincing. "Shocking truths" are their stock-in-trade: it works. 7.3. Tossed To and Fro I attended Worldwide Church of God services from January 1978 to August 1984: this particular 6½-year period was one marked by extreme change. I entered the church and was baptized at the tail-end of the phase that was perhaps the most marked for individual freedom in the organization's history, and left at a time that was fast approaching the strictness of its most Draconian period, where a woman's hair had to reach to a particular vertebra in the neck, and when second marriages were routinely broken up in a cruel attempt to reinstate the earlier marriage (a practice expressly called an "abomination" in the Bible: Deut. 24:4). The phase I entered in was later to be called "the liberal years," or "the liberal 70's" -- this was the Garner Ted Armstrong era, when the Worldwide Church of God lost most of its cult-like isolationist trappings, and began approaching the status of a regular Christian denomination; the phase in which I left had several names: it was, at first, "getting the church back on track," later, "cleaning up the church," and, later still, "pushing forward," "purging the church," and "putting The Work first." While actual church doctrine changed little, minor matters were more strongly emphasized and strictly enforced, for example, celebrating birthdays, and gift-giving at the fall festival, both previously left to members' judgement, were once more expressly forbidden; cosmetics of any kind, even to camouflage blemishes, were not allowed; children's fairytales were suddenly forbidden as "demonic"; bit by bit, movies and books were scrutinized and censured. For all the outward annoyance of having to satisfy so many petty rules, the major change in the church was attitudinal. I personally experienced this as a shift from interest and joy to a greater and greater sense of guilt, fear, inadequacy, and depression, a shift that was very noticeable in others, particularly those most dedicated to the church as a personal religion. Those dedicated more to the organization as a thing in itself blossomed in the ever-increasing flurry of demands on their time, which allowed them to escape their own lives. In the earlier part of these 6½ years, the church was actually in the phone book, and one could come to services without invitation or screening, though one had to phone to find out where the church was meeting. Baptism was based on ministerial assessment of an individual's attitude and understanding, and could be as immediate as the baptisms of the apostles. Later, the ministers were required to hold at least three counselling sessions with a potential convert; this absolute minimum became, in practice, months, or more than a year, so that there developed a virtual caste of catechumen, halflings neither members nor nonmembers, but people "in counselling." These people could not date members (or anyone else), and were expected to take on more church tasks than previously expected of members, in order to prove themselves and get in. Absolute obedience, although always imperfectly realized, was the goal of this new breed of zealots. This shift in the Worldwide Church of God was, as long-time members told me, more typical of the church's history than the brief window of freedom through which I entered, and this tightening was the greater part of the period I knew and saw in detail, and is the basis of this article. From reports since I have left, and the fact the organization is now run by a council of old-time conservative administrators, I doubt the WWCOG has become any less strict after the death of its founder, Herbert W. Armstrong. Whether it has shifted again, however, is hardly the point: members must be prepared to shift with it, much like the citizens of Orwell's 1984. 7.4. The Unpardonable Corporate Sin While its isolationist tactics, its threats of the Lake of Fire, and the social impact of the unemployment and the tithes and offerings bringing many to poverty, are all important sociological evils that come with the Worldwide Church of God, from a religious point of view, the organization is guilty of an even greater sin. In setting itself up as a thing to be obeyed and feared, it causes a virtual worship of itself in place of the worship of God, and, in effect, sets itself up as an idol -- an evil it has often accused the Roman Catholic Church of (probably because the WWCOG has always maintained that there are only two serious contenders for the identity of "The True Church," itself and Catholicism). Like other destructive organizations, this church rails most strongly against the evils it is guilty of itself. In every way, the organization makes a true and responsible, personal relationship with God exceedingly difficult. It seduces its members into giving in to their fears, and abdicating their own spiritual responsibility before God, and handing it over to the church. No great maturity or spiritual growth can occur so long as its members do not take the risks of living their own life before God. Rather than building character in the congregations, the church infantalizes its people. It is no wonder, then, that it sees the fruits of the selfishness, cruelty, and narcissism you would expect to find in people allowed to indulge their childish nature. Because very few of the members are truly that callous, being part of this culture causes a great deal of psychic pain hard for them to identify: their conscience hurts, they feel guilty, but they don't know why. The church has ready-made answers, but none of its "solutions" put the member's conscience to rest. Finally, questioning too much, unsure whether to stay or to leave, many voice their confusion to the ministry, and are then suspended or expelled. Kicking people out just before they are ready to leave adds further confusion, and makes their recovery take longer. It leaves them longing to return, making it harder for them to come to terms with what had so deeply bothered them in the first place. In time, if they cannot come to terms with it, they may pine, and return, like the dog to its vomit (Prov. 26:11).
1 The new teaching is that the Worldwide Church of God is among many groups that contain "the body of Christ"; however, considering that, until recently they did not have open meetings, and still do not like members to date non-members, or even visit other church services, and other such attitudes, this does not appear to be more than lip service for the sake of being accepted by the general Christian community.
 Note: The first edition of this article was originally completed in 1990, based on the author's personal experiences with the Worldwide Church of God from 1978 to 1984. While many changes have occurred in this church since that time, it is the author's personal contention that doctrinal changes are completely irrelevant to the core of the Worldwide Church of God's destructiveness, that is, the cruel psychological manipulation of its membership.This treatment of its members is common to many harmful groups, and understanding how people are led into this situation is more generally useful than details of one small, nearly-defunct church group.
8. Hard-won Understanding8.1. Redeeming Time Lost Have I come away with anything good from my experience with the Worldwide Church of God? Of course. I have learned a great deal about religious history, have become more familiar with the Bible, have memories, from the early years, of wonderful and inspiring private discussions of religion, and intense spiritual connections with other members, before this was forbidden. But I have primarily learned the less happy, though regrettably necessary, lesson I am passing on in this article, regarding the subtle nature of this evil organization. If evil is the desire to exert political control over others in order to destroy them or hinder their growth, then the WWCOG is evil. Nostalgia over the good things--and the holy days, for example, were often times of deep religious experience -- is the member's worst enemy. Sadness over the loss of what little good there was can falsely colour a person's memory, and almost convince one to go back. But these things were not worth the cost. The few good things I have managed to salvage from those years in the congregation were certainly not worth having the Worldwide Church of God cripple me spiritually. For years, one of the reasons I could not write this article was that I literally could not bring myself to open my Bible. I felt that somehow its words "belonged" to the WWCOG, and I had no right to them. I also felt that the Creator and God of the Universe was "their" God, and I had no right to pray to Him. One thing that has become evident to me after leaving the church is that, like involvement with pornography and prostitution, which can destroy a person's ability to love and trust and have a truly intimate sexual partnership, exposure to this church has a parallel effect, spiritually. My experience with this church made it difficult for me to even contemplate the worship of God without fear or a knot in my stomach. Considering the body of believers is likened to a Bride, and Christ to the Husband, any writings or experiences that would defile Her spiritually would be, metaphorically, spiritual pornography or prostitution. Idolatry (which this organization requires, demanding to be worshipped in the place of God) is called, in the Bible, fornication -- the book of Hosea is an extended metaphor on this theme. I believe the emotional vulnerability in the areas of sex and worship are similar: there is a delicate, flower-like sensitivity which, in both cases, is easily seared. I originally wrote this article to help people who have left the Worldwide Church of God to come to an acceptance of what was wrong with the church, so they could begin to heal, and look to their future without being haunted by a mysterious something which will not let them rest. Then it occurred to me that it would be good to be able to warn those still considering joining the WWCOG. Whether I am able to prevent them or not, perhaps I may at least plant a seed of understanding that will grow throughout their experiences, and finally blossom into their own personal wisdom that can help them tread that narrow path of genuine religion some few people in the WWCOG have managed to preserve, despite the organization, or help them when they must leave. 8.2. Healing Words from Surprising Sources The three books that helped me the most after I left were The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses by Heather and Gary Botting, and Man's Search for Meaning and The Doctor and the Soul by Viktor Frankl. The former, describing the experience of being a Jehovah's Witness, shocked me with many of the emotional similarities to my own experience. The latter two books, dealing with the spiritual nature of man, helped me to accept that the WWCOG had not somehow kept my "spirit" when I left the organization -- I brought it out with me, intact, if somewhat wounded. These books helped me come to terms with the fact that this organization did not "own" God (what a blasphemous idea!), nor could they consign me to any future hell; they had, however, shown me enough of it when I was in their hands. I hope to be able to give someone coming out of some other destructive religion that jolt of recognition the authors of The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses gave me; somehow, looking at these issues from the perspective of another group helped me immensely. Religious manipulation, mind control, twisting the truth into a lie -- ultimately, these are common to all destructive religions. That these groups do indeed have some truth is important to recognize: no one will eat pure poison who does not want to die, but anyone will eat good food, unaware of the poison it contains. No one has to deny the truth or insight he has gained in order to reject the lies it has been poisoned with. Lastly, I hoped to be able to put the WWCOG into some perspective for those researching it for less personal reasons. Other sources will be more helpful for general research, as I have deliberately not dwelt upon issues covered everywhere else. 8.3. The Cult Experience I have avoided labels like "cult," since they are impossible to define in the way commonly intended, as a term of disapproval. Those who study religions see new ones grow from cult to sect to denomination as the group gets larger, as the next generation of leaders takes over from the founder, and as the membership is comprised less of converts and more of second generation members; by these definitions, the term cult is not pejorative, but merely descriptive. The Worldwide Church of God has only recently lost its founder, and, so far as I know, it is still mainly made up of converts rather than second generation members. None of this tells us how destructive or benign the group may be, though it is generally recognized that the earlier stages more easily allow for abuses. I remember the congregation being told that the founder's son, Garner Ted Armstrong, was kicked out precisely because he was turning the Worldwide Church of God into a "denomination," an event applauded by other churches, but ultimately condemned by the organization itself. I do believe there is such a thing as the "cult experience," which involves mind control and psychological damage. I do not believe everyone in the WWCOG has gone through this experience, as some appear to find the organization suits them comfortably, though they are in the minority. The individuals who deal with the WWCOG well as a personal religion tend to be those whose entire family is in the church; they are often second-generation members, so they have had more of a "denominational" experience of the church. It is also possible to experience the destructive effects of the cult experience in the mainstream churches as well, particularly those that are very strict, or those transplanted into an alien culture. I think we can justify labelling those groups where this experience is extremely common or universal, as being intrinsically "destructive." I do put the WWCOG in this category, without question. I simply do not wish, in the process of highlighting one sector, to exonerate other, not-necessarily-innocent organizations, simply because they are "established." Far too many institutions, religious and political, can cause the same destruction of the individual's inner spirit, by threatening to dissolve him and absorb him into some collective mass, obliterating his uniqueness and causing severe emotional damage. I know, for example, a psychologist who often treats patients so damaged by psychiatrists that they need therapy to undo their previous "therapy." Abusive and violent spouses and families often exhibit more horrifying mind control and "cult" activity than the most fearsome groups. In fact, this has led me to believe that Free Moral Agency was not given to man by God because He chose it among other equally-viable options, but because, had He done any less, He would have become evil Himself. I do believe we often fall into cult experiences at times of vulnerability or weakness, confusion and disorientation, and often stay out of fear. Effective cults, though, like other confidence tricksters, have many techniques for extracting and magnifying the normal vulnerability of virtually anyone, so no one need feel immune. Those with the most experience with them, and therefore the greatest knowledge to fight them, do not trust themselves to get involved in any of their activities, knowing better than anyone that he who sups with the devil must use a long spoon. Milder groups, like the WWCOG, who do not literally isolate one from one's own home, work, and society, allow a greater degree of choice. Part of the healing is to accept the responsibility for having joined and for not having left sooner; this said, you must understand the need to take your own time to climb out of a psychological web like this. I doubt there is any real value in blaming yourself unduly.
 Note: The first edition of this article was originally completed in 1990, based on the author's personal experiences with the Worldwide Church of God from 1978 to 1984. While many changes have occurred in this church since that time, it is the author's personal contention that doctrinal changes are completely irrelevant to the core of the Worldwide Church of God's destructiveness, that is, the cruel psychological manipulation of its membership.This treatment of its members is common to many harmful groups, and understanding how people are led into this situation is more generally useful than details of one small, nearly-defunct church group.
9. Corrupt FruitIf a tree is known by its fruits, then the Worldwide Church of God is among the many corrupt trees. That much of what they preach and broadcast may be factual simply makes them the more dangerous. It also makes them guilty of a kind of blasphemy, as they use the truth to promote a lie, and so entrap and control even the wary and the diligent, slandering and dishonouring God by their practice. This kind of false religion has always been the target of the most vehement biblical denunciations. To those whose fear religion would consign all those who oppose them to the "Lake of Fire," I leave one last thought:
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
"And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:22,23, KJV) Ultimately, your own religion or philosophy is the sacred birthright of your humanity, which no man can ever take from you. [Copyright, 1990, Jesse Ancona] |
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