tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post1944833769941305795..comments2023-11-05T20:19:44.812+13:00Comments on Ambassador Watch: Travail of the RodomitesGavinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03060097218905523899noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-34873476686586380342007-10-20T08:20:00.000+13:002007-10-20T08:20:00.000+13:00We're doomed. We will have to breed billions of ho...We're doomed. We will have to breed billions of horses and build billions of horse stalls and grow billions of acres of hay and build billions of hay barns. <BR/><BR/>Could be a boon to horse breeders though . . .Corkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15894537940881776504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-9046048484224416492007-10-19T22:44:00.000+13:002007-10-19T22:44:00.000+13:00Stingerski? Were you addressing me? I'm not your...Stingerski? Were you addressing me? I'm not your interloping crusader, skbeam, but I am old fashioned enough to expect Zechariah's vision to come true someday. A time of continuous day with neither the sun nor moon as the light source must be far enough in the future to allow for vastly different lifestyles. Why not horses?<BR/><BR/>As for metal pots and basins being "holy to the LORD," that's already part of every kosher kitchen. Pots and pans in the homes of observant Jews are all kashered, or made kosher, which involves immersing them in the living waters of a mikva prior to their use in any proper Jewish home. There the table is an altar and even the act of eating is holy, so holy utensils are the norm.<BR/><BR/>I don't mind giving up the jagged edges of this present world in exchange for fine horses, a permanent place of my own somewhere in the Holy Land and a functional Temple in Jerusalem. I wouldn't mind a new Chevy either, or even an old one, if we're still milking the planet for fossil fuels. <BR/><BR/>If this goes from my lips to God's ears, then for the record, I'm in no rush to leave this life now. There are still some things I hope to accomplish before lights out; but the future projected at the end of Zechariah's book more than meets my best expectations. It all sounds good to me.jdschroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16929821252694731679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-37540412174809444922007-10-19T20:30:00.000+13:002007-10-19T20:30:00.000+13:00Neotherm said...Like most cults, Armstrongites car...<I>Neotherm said...<BR/><BR/>Like most cults, Armstrongites carefully screened those who entered. Cults do not want unmanageable people or people who ask questions. They want people who will permit themselves to be exploited in exchange for what the cult is willing to give them.</I><BR/><BR/>I don't know if this overtly intended but it certainly was the end result.<BR/><BR/>They never did know what to do with the questioning children of such people.<BR/><BR/>I think HWA had short man's disease and just didn't like to be challenged. So he berated everyone around him into submission to his short little will(y?). His example set the pattern and tone for the sycophants around him. It was his way or the highway. AMERICAN KABUKIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11064036099785125749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-13424365570658535872007-10-19T17:39:00.000+13:002007-10-19T17:39:00.000+13:00I don't have any teenagers, so I don't know if the...I don't have any teenagers, so I don't know if they played it at my Feast site (Panama City Beach) this time.<BR/><BR/>There was no all-comers or singles dance, for that matter.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11058030312904622191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-42868586786921577972007-10-19T13:47:00.000+13:002007-10-19T13:47:00.000+13:00A new interloping Armstrongite, by the moniker "sk...A new interloping Armstrongite, by the moniker "skbeam" has posted this over on the Alumni Forum :<BR/><BR/><I>We await the time spoken about in Zechariah when we all will be together again celebrating this glorious time with all of mankind and with our Savior and Father!!</I><BR/><BR/>I was just wondering if you are this crusading person? If so, how do you explain this "wonderful future" time you are going to have (as quoted from Zech. 14:20) :<BR/><BR/><B>On that day 'Holy to the Lord' will be scribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord's house will be like sacred bowls in front of the altar.</B><BR/><BR/>Could you please, err, explain how you are going to ride your horse, complete with cooking pots, in front of the "Lord's" altar at this future time?<BR/><BR/>I mean, I've heard of you Armstrongites substituting Motel 6 for a sukkoth. But I'm not sure you will really be willing to trade in your Chevrolet for a horse to make this "prophecy" be fulfilled.<BR/><BR/>Or then again, maybe Hertz will rent you a horse at that time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-47247497186464568732007-10-16T06:30:00.000+13:002007-10-16T06:30:00.000+13:00With reference to Jack Sprat's lengthy commentary,...With reference to Jack Sprat's lengthy commentary, the "fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook" of Leviticus 23, to my knowledge, have never been required construction materials for succas. They're used in processions and certain joyous rituals worked out for Succot, but the booths themselves have more liberal guidelines, which can easily be found on the web. Just the same, it's good to see someone still cares about the annual feasts. From what I read, they have a glorious future ahead of them.jdschroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16929821252694731679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-10500880640892452362007-10-16T05:59:00.000+13:002007-10-16T05:59:00.000+13:00This comment has been removed by the author.jdschroederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16929821252694731679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-53944595721151040362007-10-16T03:52:00.000+13:002007-10-16T03:52:00.000+13:00Richard,I'm curious - Are they still playing Kool ...Richard,<BR/><BR/>I'm curious - Are they still playing Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" at church dances? Aside from Tom, who has obviously been in a coma for 30 years or so, everyone knows that this song was near the top of WCG approved music.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-77738531510706168942007-10-15T18:12:00.000+13:002007-10-15T18:12:00.000+13:00This excerpt on proper decorum for the Meredith Fe...This excerpt on proper decorum for the Meredith Feast of Tabernacles brought back mixed recollections, most of them quite happy and satisfying. They began when a friend introduced me to Herbert Armstrong’s radio broadcast. The daily broadcast had a wonderful, almost healing affect, bolstered in no small part by Armstrong’s constant urging: “Don’t believe me; believe your Bible!” I accepted that advice, and still do. It was reasonable, and always put me in some disagreement with his teachings. How could it not? <BR/><BR/>Dr. Meredith spent thousands of hours in close company with Mr. Armstrong through which he might have absorbed more of the Armstrong influence than any other living human being. Logically then, now that Armstrong is gone, the Armstrong admonition should be extended: “Don’t believe me – or Meredith -- or any other human leader speaking on God’s behalf; believe your Bible!”<BR/><BR/>One might argue that non-Jews have no binding responsibility to observe the annual feasts; but if one is convinced that he or she must observe them, I would argue that under those circumstances one should take his or her cues from the Bible, no?<BR/><BR/>Biblically speaking, the Hag haSuccot, the Feast of Booths, is explained in terms of (1) the building materials for the succa (booth), (2) the seven day length of the feast (followed by Shmini Atseret, another feast, on the 8th day), (3) the reasons why Israelites should dwell/sit in succot seven days, (4) the means of financing the feast, (5) the types of food and drink one should enjoy during this festive time, (6) the location of the feast, and (7) who should observe it.<BR/><BR/>Due to so many tragic factors, not the least of which was the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, some commands pertaining to Succot cannot be observed now, but others can. For example, the succa itself.<BR/><BR/>If one dares to accept the Biblical explanation, a succa (booth or tabernacle) contains no overt promise of future luxury, but serves as an annual reminder that when Israel left Egypt the people could not have survived without the miraculous canopy – the succah, if you please -- of clouds by day, and a pillar of fire by night. The home-made succa primarily looks backward in time, not forward, and in so doing poignantly reminds us of our helplessness apart from the Source of those ancient clouds and fire. In other words, the future holds no promise at all if we dare to forget where we came from and how we managed so perilous a journey. Yes, in those days a new home in a promised land of bounteous blessings was the pot of gold at the end of the desert rainbow; and today we still look forward to a better world – but temporary living/sitting in the succa was and is still the only way to get there. Once there, we will still look back, annually from the succa, to the challenging years we spent in the desert.<BR/><BR/>Only by experiencing the privations of that miraculous past are we prepared to face and successfully manage the future. So we are commanded to build succot (plural of succa) and we’re told what the building materials should be. Meredith, with the rest of the spinoffs, believing Armstrong rather than the Bible, learned different opinions and continues to pass them on. How exactly does a Hyatt Regency Hotel recall the rigors of outdoor life in the Arabian desert? It might be at least marginally acceptable if somewhere on the premises there should actually be a succa, or several of them, to enable at least a respectful nod toward the actual and plainly true intent of the Feast of Succas. If the Bible is to be heeded at all, then whomever avoids the obligatory meals in the succa has completely ignored the core intent of the Feast.<BR/><BR/>Armstrong transmogrified the intentionally precarious nature of succot into luxurious temporary accommodations picturing a future time of unprecedented wealth. He metaphorically flew over the desert experience to land directly in the promised land – but it didn’t work that way then, and it won’t work that way now. We willy-nilly abandoned the intentionally vulnerable succa in favor of luxurious accommodations during a festival that exists precisely to reflect on vulnerability rather than luxury. Would it be a sin to look it up in the Bible? Is it the Feast of Booths (Succot), or the Feast of Luxurious Living Quarters? Hint: Moses wrote “Hag haSuccot” (Feast [of] the Booths) in Leviticus 23. And Jesus said it would be easier for the universe to dissolve than for even one letter to be removed from the perfection of Moses’ writings. As Christians who accept the Hebrew Scriptures as presently applicable, what is the rationale for ignoring succas at the Feast of Succas?<BR/><BR/>If Meredith could dare to take Armstrong’s advice and believe his Bible rather than Mr. Armstrong’s sometimes contrary opinions (after all, the Bible is there for anyone to read) his Feast instructions might have had to do more with Succot (Booths) and less with swimsuits. After all, the entire nation of Israel knows what Succot are; even secular Jews build them and revel in the joy of their annual construction and use. If their conduct is interpreted as lacking in spiritual intuition, please remember that holy men in ancient times wrote such things as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit – and the Holy Spirit said booths, to facilitate memories of life in the bleakness of the desert.<BR/><BR/>Modesty is for every day of the year. “Don’t wear your Speedo in the succa” hardly sounds germane in a Biblical context – but it might make a catchy song title.<BR/><BR/>In the Garden of Eden, our first ancestors took the smooth words of a talking reptile over the kind admonitions of their Creator. I suppose that if our first parents could go to that ridiculous extreme in believing clever half-truths, then it will always be a financial shoe in for men with enough gall to offer distortions, no matter how charming, no matter how well meant, no matter their extra-Biblical source -- in exchange for just a little more -- or even a lot more -- than 10% of their followers‘ net income. Such a deal!<BR/><BR/>But don’t believe me; believe your Bible. And if you can, or if you dare, perhaps you can also find a way to persuade your leaders to do the same…SmilinJackSprathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03946857548277008936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-19516989067252087532007-10-15T17:24:00.000+13:002007-10-15T17:24:00.000+13:00"not bad music getting inside it."Are we going to ..."not bad music getting inside it."<BR/><BR/>Are we going to hear any Da Hool this year ?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-58398011638353809872007-10-15T16:44:00.000+13:002007-10-15T16:44:00.000+13:00Amid all of this, I'm surprised no one has brought...Amid all of this, I'm surprised no one has brought up the UCG Feast. <BR/><BR/>My site had a printed "liability policy" in the brochure for teen activities (we had a dance, among other things), stating teens 18 and under had to stay at the activity until it either ended or a parent/authorized adult picked them up early.<BR/><BR/>If a teen left an activity, UCG stated it was not responsible for the oversight of the teens.<BR/><BR/>This didn't seem that legalistic to me. Protective, yes -- but recent cases of violence in the U.S. suggest the church was protecting teens from "this present evil world" outside the site, not bad music getting inside it.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11058030312904622191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-26998743452937074132007-10-15T14:54:00.000+13:002007-10-15T14:54:00.000+13:00Tom:Neo answered your question better than you can...Tom:<BR/><BR/>Neo answered your question better than you can understand.<BR/><BR/>If you "prove all things", it stands to reason that you've got a lot of literature on your shelf that disagrees with your current COG.<BR/><BR/>Care to admit that? Or do you wet your pants when your local cop, er, minister comes by?<BR/><BR/>Merely being able to parrot back what your minister or church declares as proof is not proving all things. It's being a good parrot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-49128988180975668722007-10-15T12:19:00.000+13:002007-10-15T12:19:00.000+13:00Neo,Why even bother? Tom seems to be quite conten...Neo,<BR/><BR/>Why even bother? Tom seems to be quite content being deceived, although he does seem to want all of us to realize that he's intelligent. <BR/><BR/>It might be best to just ignore him, and maybe he'll go away.<BR/><BR/>BBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-50756461939711967092007-10-15T10:32:00.000+13:002007-10-15T10:32:00.000+13:00NeothermWhen you or DB get around to answering my ...Neotherm<BR/><BR/>When you or DB get around to answering my question, please let me know.<BR/><BR/>Frankly, I was embarrassed by the incoherence of your reply, not mention your shameless failure to answer my question. You are either excessively dense or unscrupulous argumentative to write and publish such nonsense.Tom Mahonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02087223683733643082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-59661054030849996242007-10-15T08:04:00.000+13:002007-10-15T08:04:00.000+13:00For anyone who is interested, the Bible Sabbath As...For anyone who is interested, the Bible Sabbath Association produced an article entitled, Should Christians Eat as Jews? <BR/><BR/>It made a compelling case that Christians should be living by a higher standard using kosher certified products to enable them to eliminate blood, animal fats, and some unkosher by products in their diet. The article stated that we could not trust government food agencies to give us any sort of acceptable biblical standard. <BR/><BR/>I have uploaded the article in pdf format.<BR/><BR/>If you are interested to read it, then here it is.<BR/><BR/>Page 1<BR/>http://www.biblesabbath.org.uk/eatasjewsp1.pdf<BR/><BR/>Page 2<BR/>http://www.biblesabbath.org.uk/eatasjewsp2.pdf<BR/><BR/>Page 3<BR/>http://www.biblesabbath.org.uk/eatasjewsp3.pdfRobert https://www.blogger.com/profile/12120572010028667586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-56404118463048018822007-10-15T06:50:00.000+13:002007-10-15T06:50:00.000+13:00Tom wrote:"However, being attack by DB is like bei...Tom wrote:<BR/><BR/>"However, being attack by DB is like being savaged by a dead sheep, to quote a former chancellor of the exchequer. But I don't attack people, I use logic to uproot their silly opinions."<BR/><BR/>The fact that you do not want to engage in rational debate and consistently resort to ad homoneim attack indicates to me that it is very unlikely you have any of the influence of the Holy Spirit in your life. <BR/><BR/>First you attack someone and then in the next breath say you don't attack people. This muddled logic also makes it pretty unlikely that you use "logic" to do anything. <BR/><BR/>My actions made me complicit in my own screwing over by Armstrongism, there can be no doubt about that. But my personal lack of wisdom (I was seventeen when I joined up) does not mean that Armstrongism is not diabolical.<BR/><BR/>Like most cults, Armstrongites carefully screened those who entered. Cults do not want unmanageable people or people who ask questions. They want people who will permit themselves to be exploited in exchange for what the cult is willing to give them.<BR/><BR/>HWA used to say don't believe me, believe the Bible. But he later renounced this in principle. At the time of the GTA rebellion, he stated at Big Sandy that this was only for new people being first attacted to Armstrongism. After joining your were to be unquestioning. <BR/><BR/>Once a person makes the mistake of believing that the path to salvation is through Armstrongism, that person may be mistreated in all manner of ways. <BR/><BR/>"Let no man deceive you" is not a command that you bootstrap your way out of deception, which of course is not possible. Nobody says "I think I'll go out and get deceived." The deceived do not know they are deceived (yourself being a good example).<BR/><BR/>This is a quaint or literary way of saying, "be careful because there are deceivers full of empty words out there". This fact that you have misunderstood this and turned this misunderstanding into a sophistic argument should give you pause to consider.<BR/><BR/>-- NeoNeothermhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06546163563669263135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-53182428060582682792007-10-15T04:43:00.000+13:002007-10-15T04:43:00.000+13:00To anonymous regarding smarties. They now use carm...To anonymous regarding smarties. They now use carminic acid to make the reds, which is made from cochineal insects. It means that they’re not Kosher. <BR/><BR/>OK Kosher Certification stated:<BR/><BR/>Q:I read in a magazine that there is a dye in most lipsticks that is made from beetles. Am I allowed to wear such a lipstick? <BR/><BR/>A. Lipstick is not eaten; therefore, lipstick containing carmine, the dye derived from beetles, may be applied to lips.<BR/><BR/>http://www.okkosher.com/Content.asp?ID=72<BR/><BR/>The beetles can be used on the skin but not disgested.Robert https://www.blogger.com/profile/12120572010028667586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-37559461433871573272007-10-15T04:29:00.000+13:002007-10-15T04:29:00.000+13:00I would just like to point out that stress does no...I would just like to point out that stress does not exist, because the word can nowhere be found in the Bible.Douglas Beckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05639275357879979640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-46092280059370737152007-10-15T03:29:00.000+13:002007-10-15T03:29:00.000+13:00How Herbert Armstrong is responsible for everythin...<B>How Herbert Armstrong is responsible for everything gone wrong in the Churches of God</B><BR/><BR/>If he hadn't created it, nothing would have gone wrong.Douglas Beckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05639275357879979640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-77650339161941434582007-10-15T03:21:00.000+13:002007-10-15T03:21:00.000+13:00But you were neither conscripted nor coerced into ...<I>But you were neither conscripted nor coerced into joining WCG.</I><BR/><BR/>Untrue.Douglas Beckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05639275357879979640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-45358546536717126752007-10-15T03:19:00.000+13:002007-10-15T03:19:00.000+13:00Proverbs 14:7Proverbs 14:7Douglas Beckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05639275357879979640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-40048398889790823062007-10-15T01:15:00.000+13:002007-10-15T01:15:00.000+13:00Living University prayer closet previewLiving University <A HREF="http://www.spankysps.com/images/left_construction.jpg" REL="nofollow"> prayer closet</A> previewAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-36945927307906404992007-10-15T00:55:00.000+13:002007-10-15T00:55:00.000+13:00Since when are beetles not kosherSince when are beetles not kosherAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-60308054927866861352007-10-14T21:31:00.000+13:002007-10-14T21:31:00.000+13:00NEO>>To Douglas Becker: I agree with the substance...NEO>>To Douglas Becker: I agree with the substance of your response to Tom. But I object to the way you packaged it.<<<BR/><BR/>Where is DB's response to me? Has he got cold feet and deleted it?<BR/><BR/>>>Tom is not a moron. Nor is he stupid.<<<BR/><BR/>I appreciate you observation. However, being attack by DB is like being savaged by a dead sheep, to quote a former chancellor of the exchequer. But I don't attack people, I use logic to uproot their silly opinions. DB is trying to make a career out of attacking HWA, by blaming him for everything that has happened in WCG, and has subsequently occurred since the break up of WCG. No honest, objective person could agree with such an illogical stance. One may as well blame Hitler for every problem the Germans face today.<BR/><BR/>>>No more than any of us who were a part of HWA's religious cult.<<<BR/><BR/>Like DB, you are free to describe the former WCG as a cult if you so wish. But you were neither conscripted nor coerced into joining WCG. On the contrary, ministers were very careful about who they invited to church. They tried to make sure that prospective members understood what the church was about before allowing them to attend.<BR/><BR/>In addition, people were encouraged to prove all things. HWA always said: "Don't believe me, believe me when you see it in your bible." Plus, you, DB and his cohorts had a God given responsibility to obey Jesus' command: "Let no man deceived you." If you, DB and his cohorts did not prove all things; failed to obey Jesus' command, and as a consequence, were deceived, whose fault is that? <BR/><BR/>Now don't duck this question, please answer it. And if the answer undermines your current stance and uproots your misguided opinions, please don't let pride cause you to continue clinging to wreckage of anger and hatred against a man that did nothing to harm you.Tom Mahonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02087223683733643082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28426681.post-49293771346530701382007-10-14T18:22:00.000+13:002007-10-14T18:22:00.000+13:00This comment has been removed by the author.Douglas Beckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05639275357879979640noreply@blogger.com