UCG: No Doctrinal Oversight on Blogs

May 182012

UCG’s fluffy new website has tried to embrace Web 2.0, to the best ability a cult can, by allowing people to blog and comment. While commentary has traditionally been heavily censored, especially criticism, UCG seems to be trying something different from its own traditions and that of the larger COG. We’re somewhat surprised, though it definitely fits into an ongoing trend within the world’s largest Armstrongite splinter.

Check out this rambling nonsense about the spiritual lessons of the planet Venus from UCG minister Don Hooser. After reading through the mind-bending convolution and unintentional irony of tying Jesus Christ to a … More

The Myth of “Free Literature”

May 152012

In light of more recent delusional bragging from RCG about all of the “free literature” downloads from its astronomically popular international phenomenon of a website, we’ll take this opportunity to review the myth of the COG’s “free literature” scam.

Since the days of WCG, when Herbert W. Armstrong abused and manipulated the word “FREE” as any decent advertising professional would, the COG has tried to set itself apart from mainstream Christianity by offering all of its literature, magazines and booklets without charge to the general public.

But depicting COG literature as being without cost is a sick distortion of the … More

Pack: “Avenge us of our adversaries”

May 142012

David C. Pack, shovel in hand, broke ground on a road last week to kick off the construction of his new cult headquarters project, which still hasn’t received any bank funding. Things aren’t all rosy for RCG though. Pack recently started compiling his enemies list and rattled off some names in a recent “gang-buster” sermon where he revealed the inhabitants of Satan’s private country club, who, in his twisted brain, are all out to get him personally. Thirteen years after RCG’s founding, Pack sees the Gates of Hell opening against him, a new round of persecution he’s using to … More

Imagine a world…

May 132012

COG members and doomsday fundamentalists in general spend a lot of time looking forward to an imaginary utopian dictatorship in “The World Tomorrow” instead of focusing on living life today. They’re giving their time, money and focus to organizations exploiting their hopes for a future that cannot be while tossing away so many opportunities in the only life they know for certain they have.

It also creates a built-in apathy toward trying to better our current world since they view its thermonuclear demise as an impending certainty, rendering simple things like societal progress and widespread charity futile exercises not worth … More

The Media’s Blind Eye

May 112012

Browsing through the archive of newspaper and magazine articles about the COG over the years, one may notice a trend. Journalists and their publications know something is up with these cults. During the course of their reporting, they run across all manner of oddities, accusations and tidbits from WCG’s sordid, controversy-fueled past. Some of that information can be read between the lines, while other details of corruption and controversy are plainly spelled out.

Yet, the media as a whole doesn’t follow-up on those details. Is it because additional information is too difficult to get? Is it because they view information … More

COG News Roundup #13

May 092012

The big COG cults have been quieter in the last few weeks, though the independent Armstrongite preachers wailing in the digital wilderness have filled the silence. The big story from the past week is still UCG’s recent sermons from Eddington and Holladay that have been somewhat overblown and are thus making waves across the COG and anti-COG blogosphere.

Malm’s UCG Conniption Continues

The Apostle James Malm continues his doomsaying about all of the evils found in two UCG sermons from this past Sabbath. He’s essentially equating these touchy-feely messages to a doctrinal apocalypse within UCG similar to the theological revolution … More

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