The Divine Dr. M
Have you ever wondered what the appeal of some of these all so abusive men in power in the church of gods might be? It's a real mystery. Failed prophecies. Personality disorders. Broken promises. Outright lies. Wouldn't you think that people would get out at light speed? How do people like Roderick Meredith attract people like... well, people he attracts? We know a lot about the Divine Dr. M. and those who want to know most can start with Wikipedia: Ambassador Watch has: We can see what sort of man Roderick Meredith was over at The Painful Truth and particularly revealing is: Also check out a couple of other things while you're there: Just so you know on that one, Roderick Meredith is included beginning at #6 and it sort of goes from there. Check out #120: "we will soon find that hoof-and-mouth disease will spread COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL!". Truer words were never spoken. We couldn't agree more. We will be inundated with a Tsunami of hyperbole. Joe Tkach took a whack at Roderick Meredith's "prediction addiction" in chapter 11 of his book Transformed by Truth: And Herbert W. Armstrong wasnt the only one caught up in prediction addiction. Consider some of these historic predictions from the pen of Roderick C. Meredith, who now leads one of our splinter groups. The predictions below were written while he was a minister in the Worldwide Church of God: 1957 "After 1965, we are destined to run into increasing trouble with the Gentile nations. America and Britain will begin to suffer from trade embargoes imposed by the brown and oriental races.... We will begin to experience the pangs of starvation and the scarcity of goods!"13 1963 "You might as well wake up and FACE FACTS! The world you live in wont be here 15 years from now!"14 1965 "Frankly, literally dozens of prophesied events indicate that this final revival of the Roman Empire in Europe and its bestial PERSECUTION of multitudes of Bible-believing Christians will take place within the next seven to ten years of YOUR LIFE."15 The Global Church of God is merely one of a number of splinter groups that continue to dust off failed predictions and reinsert new dates, over and over again. The Exit and Support Network Recovery folks want you to know: No treatise on this subject without William Dankenbring's commentary [look under the title What about the Living Church of God"?]: It has been said that Roderick Meredith knows how to dish it out -- but can he take it? Can he himself take correction and rebuke? The apostle Peter took public rebuke from Paul, and later called him a "beloved brother" (see Gal.2:11-14; II Pet.3:15). A quick read of "The Shocking Truth about Queer Men" would suggest his opinion of himself is unassailable. Undoubtedly, this confidence began when he won regionals in high school. His opinion that he is best at everything as an alpha-male undoubtedly contributes to his personality profile. In the end, Roderick Meredith's statement, "I have never committed a major sin since baptism" speaks to the character of the man. Repentance is not an option. My wife and I noted a woman who attends United part time. She explained to us that she went over and attended the Living Church of God because it had better prophecy. Here's what she means: UCG hyperbole of death, disease, destruction and punishment of the United States and British Commonwealth is OK, but to satisfy the yearning longings of blood lust, nothing can beat Global... er... Living. You want massive destruction on a global [sorry!] scale, UCG has it's "World News in Prophecy" which certainly has its appeal in the gore department, but nothing, and we mean nothing, can even begin to touch the rantings of the first and last Living [sorry again!] false prophet of our age. Bloodshed and misery are from wall to wall. The wicked will be punished. [Self] righteousness will triumph! Picture a sweet little old lady so modest and frail looking cheering on "the good guys" at a professional wrestling match and you get the idea. The problem does not entirely lie with the man himself--his followers have something they gain from "the bottom line" of beating the competition to a bloody pulp until they cry for mercy and promise to repent and submit. Such people will make great godletts in the world tomorrow. This still isn't the end of the man's appeal. I spoke with a young man 17 years old who visited United a couple of sunny Sabbath afternoons. His mother attended between the UCG and the LCG. This young man was very fit and athletic. His girlfriend was wrapped around him during the sermon like a snake on the Caduceus. He was a street smart leader who had spent some time in Remann Hall Juvenile Facilities for crimes he had committed [In this context, YES stands for Youth Emergency Services]. He told me that he preferred the Living Church of God because it provided him with discipline. So there you have it. The Living Church of God is preferred by eight out of ten juvenile offenders because the authoritarian structure of right and wrong and the police state to administer it gives them the environment they need to overcome their social deficiencies. I'm pulling your leg somewhat, but the fact remains that such an ordered social structure where people do not need to think about making decisions about right and wrong would have an intense appeal to someone who doesn't seem to know the difference. If you don't have to make moral decisions and you practice what is preached at you by rote, then maybe, as a sociopath, you can remain within certain tolerable limits to live your life. Note: In the Analog Science Fiction and Fact Magazine, Dr. Stanley Schmidt wrote an editorial, "Useful Illusions & Deadly Faith" in which he argued that religions consist of two parts: Cosmology and Morals; and that the two can be separated--that a religion can be wrong about the cosmology of how the Universe was created, but still have effective morals which are useful to society. But, he adds: "The idea that dogmatic and more or less incorrect belief can have real individual and/or social benefits may be hard for a very rational person who cares about facts to understand and accept. About as hard, for example, as for a conventionally religious person to accept that a strong moral code can exist independently of belief in a supreme being. To many readers of this magazine, I suspect, it's clear that it can and often does. To them, the notion that people can't behave decently without being afraid of punishment by somebody bigger and stronger implies that all people are, in effect, perpetual children. But children are expected to grow up and do right things because they are right, not just because of fear of what somebody else will do if they don't. Maybe species should be subject to the same expectation. It's quite possible to develop moral principles--even some that most people can agree to enforce--by rational consideration of what's good for individuals and society." In this case, it would seem that Living provides a service as a religion: To establish an environment of structure for the morally challenged. As Dr. Schmidt points out, that's one of the fundamental purposes of religion. Unfortunately, as he also points out, to do so is to produce perpetual children who never blossom into a fully functional moral and ethical being because it's all done for you. That seems to be one of the root problems of the church of gods ministry: They don't trust their people to do the right thing. By the right thing, they mean what they believe is the right thing, which might not be the same thing. Lack of freedom of expression and freedom to explore the world and moral consequences stunts the growth of people. Without freedom there can be no accountability--all blame will fall on the person dictating a person's actions if that person follows exactly what is demanded of his or her leader. Unfortunately, the Law is not so forgiving if someone follows their Fuehrer into lawlessness: You can't claim that you were just following orders, because the fine and jail sentence are going to be the same either way. That's a problem. Roderick Meredith has allowed crimes in the church under his direction. Stalking, fondling, rapes--some by ministers--were met with a threat to disfellowship members for protesting such activities. This qualifies him as a self-righteous bastard committing the worst of depraved indifference. In the opinion of many, he should have gone to prison himself, rather than be a model for juvenile offenders. So what's the appeal? It's a police state proclaiming the good news of disease, destruction and devastation, giving little old ladies something to cheer about and teenagers structure to avoid any more jail time. At least that's one view of the Divine Dr. M. PropheciesIt would seem that the Bible and Scriptures are very clear in what to do in many situations, but between what it says and what people actually do is a tragic gap. Let's take what practices people within the church of gods use with the ministers of the church of gods. Let's start with Roderick Meredith. Note the bulleted items below:
But other ministers came with us and were being added to the Board of the Church and to the Council of Elders. As time went along, some of the Board and Council members began to talk of cutting back on doing the Work of God. As I resisted this, they became more and more presumptuous over the last year. Threats and insinuations made it obvious that if I did not "go along" with them that they would try to remove me from the Board or Council. In fact, in our September Board meeting, they even - over my objections - removed my wife, Sheryl, from the Board and changed the By-Laws so that they can REMOVE ME not only from the Board or Council, but actually disfellowship me from the Church! This makes it VERY CLEAR where they are headed! The board of the GCG was quick to respond to Dr. Meredith's throwing down of the gauntlet. Almost immediately, evangelist Larry Salyer, the director of the GCG's ministry, wrote to the GCG ministry with the approval of board members Raymond F. McNair, J. Edwin Pope, and Norbert Link. A second letter, covering most of the same issues, was written jointly by the four men and directed to the entire GCG membership. In the letter to the GCG ministry, Salyer wrote: This is a very difficult message to write, and I know that many of you have somehow come to believe such accusations and rumors about me that you may not even care to read what I write. Nevertheless, it is my duty to write, and I will. This message is from the Board. I am truly sad to say that after a full day of discussion and guts-out "negotiation," Dr. Meredith has separated himself from the Global Church of God, and as a consequence the Board had no choice but to terminate his employment with the Church. In spite of the rancor apparent in the letter Dr. Meredith mailed to all members on Monday [23 Nov.], today's meeting ended amicably, with handshakes and hugs. We bear Dr. Meredith no ill will, and told him we would continue to pray for him. He hoped we could have friendly contact in the future. We, the remaining Board members, must respectfully but categorically deny the long list of charges and accusations contained in Dr. Meredith's letter. We consider the letter extremely libelous. Particularly alarming is the fact that Dr. Meredith revealed in his letter that he was already setting up a competing corporation and that he was asking members to send all their tithes and offerings to his personal address, while still in the employ of Global and drawing his paycheck from Global. In addition, we consider this to be a breach of his fiduciary duties as an officer of the corporation. It should be understood by all that the aforementioned letter was written and mailed during an interim period in our discussions, which we had agreed to so we could all pray about these decisions. Let me amplify that. We held 8 hours of Board meetings on last Thursday and Friday [19 and 20 Nov.] without reaching a successful reconciliation. Both "sides" had proposed certain actions and neither was able to bend enough to solve the conflict. Dr. Meredith had posed the possibility that he would "leave Global," which he had also mentioned during our recent Council meeting. We recessed the meeting until Tuesday [24 Nov.], at Dr. Meredith's request, so that he could have time to pray about it. We asked him directly if he would "try to stir up the Church this weekend." He said "No, I won't do anything this weekend." Nevertheless, during the weekend we heard that he made many phone calls to field ministers asking for ministers to "stand with him." Then, late Monday afternoon [23 Nov.], in what could have only been miraculous intervention, we learned that more than a quarter of a million dollars had suddenly been drained from Global's bank account, through the use of unauthorized checks, signed by Dr. Meredith and another individual who had no power to sign any checks. Further, one six-figure check was payable to the very person who signed it without authority. Thankfully, this miraculous intervention allowed us to stop payment of those unauthorized checks. But we learned that fully one half million dollars was moved from our investment account to the operating account to cover the checks. The only conclusion we can draw from this even larger unauthorized transfer of funds is that even more unauthorized checks were planned to be written later. A logical conclusion considering that all of this was done in secrecy! By the way, these actions were justified by saying that the money was being used to pay back loans to individuals. Maybe so, but that process always involves authorization and is done according to strict agreements and payback schedules agreed to by all parties. In this case, the loans were not due and payable, and the checks were hand-written, apparently outside office hours, and not through the person who is responsible for such checks. The immediate effect would have been to put the Global Church of God in financial jeopardy and on the verge of bankruptcy. When pointed out that this action, in our opinion, might potentially constitute criminal activity, Dr. Meredith suggested that we could just tell the bank that the signer was a 68-year-old man who didn't quite know what he was doing. Roderick Meredith went on to break his promise, left Global with a loan they couldn't pay, and went off to form the Living Church of God. He lied, he broke his promise and he turned on his own hand-picked men to make them his victims, all because of ego. Worse, he proposed that they all commit a felony! He is also a criminal thief, more than willing to suborn perjury. Prophecies pass, they don't fail. How many failed prophecies does it take to make someone a false prophet? Just one. Concerning prophecy, Kscribe of Church of God Industries has an excellent presentation on "1975 in Prophecy", where he makes the point that anyone who abuses others is obsolete. Church of gods leaders have used false prophecies of "secret knowledge" for years to abuse others, just as an abusive husband abuses his wife. Roderick Meredith is obsolete. Just in case things are not clear enough, check out Matthew 7:15 and note that Jesus Christ himself is quoted as saying that false prophets are ravening wolves. Prove one and you have the other. There is no Generation-Y "make nice" where "we can't judge what people are inside". We can. And we were commanded to do so. If you are a lamb who has compassion for a wolf so that you insist none of us say bad things about him, will you be any less dead when he eats you? Notes on British Israelism and ProphecyOnce you find that British Israelism is a crock, you pull out all the hidden belief systems in your brain associated with it. Everything but everything in Armstrongism revolves around British Israelism and is what distinguishes it from any other Church of God, Sabbatarian or not, and from the Charismatic Jews who keep the Sabbath and the Holydays. Without British Israelism, the whole system of Armstrongism falls apart, even the True History of the True Church--which has a lot of British Israelism embedded in it. But more than that, you need to consider that without British Israelism, there is no return of Christ for the Churches of God. None. You see, God is powerless: He cannot allow Christ to return until the United States and British Commonwealth go into captivity. Maybe the Arabs today, the Germans, yesterday. I'm not sure anymore who the "King of the North is". No, wait! That's just crazy talk. Unfortunately, asking one to forget about British Israelism, once it is introduced, is like telling someone not to think of a bright green rhinoceros with rippling zebra stripes for the next five minutes. Once it's there, it's there for good. It's insidious because of its persistence: It just never goes away. When you adopt Armstrongism, British Israelism just sits in the back of your brain to take over control of your thinking every time you touch history or look at prophecy. No longer can you take an objective look at, say, World War II, nor can you read Revelation and Daniel without this inner voice leading you to put historical or future events in the framework of Ephraim and Manasseh dominating the world because they are the sons of Joseph. Every thought begins to be colored. You can't open the New Testament and read what Jesus said to his disciples without somewhere in the background thinking of some aspect of British Israelism. It's just there. You can't rid yourself of it. If you could, you could be a reasonable person again--even after 40 years of utter confused nonsense. But, unless or until you can rid yourself of the idea of British Israelism, you are doomed to be trapped in a fantasy world from which there is no escape. Concerning that fantasy world, it might be well to look at an article by John D. Keyser. There's nothing like being confident and provably wrong. So, did you forget about the bright green rhinoceros with rippling zebra stripes? You bet you did: British Israelism kicked in to make you forget all about the rhinoceros. As a religious narcissism, British Israelism is also replete with racism and sexism. I've heard various church of gods cult leaders at various times note in passing that the black races will serve the yellow and white races because of the blessings and cursings of Noah and also who the United States and British are in relationship to Israel. Knock off British Israelism and you might still keep the Sabbath, Holydays and even New Moons, but it won't be Armstrongism any more. The class distinctions of the peerage were carried over into the ministry. The oppression of the poor and the neglect of the fatherless and widows were justified for the superiority of the Lords of Royal Blood--Herbert Armstrong related to the Crown of England, a direct descendent of King David, if you don't believe the class distinction. Unfortunately, the religious narcissism of British Israelism fit right in with the narcissism of Herbert Armstrong in the Church of God, Seventh Day, even though Dugger and Dodd passively resisted his attempts to bring it in as the core of their religion. But Herbert Armstrong dug in his heels and rebelled and we have paid for his belief in British Israelism. Not to put too fine a point on it: British Israelism is a form of Nazism--Nazism with a twist, but still right of Genghis Kahn. One more thing. False Prophecies. There are dozens of false prophecies by Herbert Armstrong, none of which came to pass in his lifetime. Guess what? For the most part, nearly every false prophecy that he gave was rooted somewhere in British Israelism. And God was so very stubborn: He just wouldn't let the prophecies of Herbert Armstrong come to pass! Just as false prophecies can never produce anything of any worth, British Israelism has shown that it is incapable of producing anything of any worth. In other words, British Israelism cannot and will not produce positive fruit, ever. None. Nada. It is less than useful; it is harmful and damaging. And British Israelism is at the core of Armstrongism. Continuing:What was the reaction of the people following Roderick Meredith and what should they have done? Let's create a matrix based on the Bible, shall we? |
|
|
What Scripture says to do |
What the people actually did |
|
6 Ά Now we give you orders, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from all those whose behaviour is not well ordered and in harmony with the teaching which they had from us. 7 For you yourselves are used to taking us as your example, because our life among you was ruled by order, 8 And we did not take food from any man for nothing, but were working hard night and day not to be a trouble to any of you: 9 Not because we have not the right, but to make ourselves an example to you, so that you might do the same. 10 For even when we were with you we gave you orders, saying, If any man does no work, let him not have food. 11 For it has come to our ears that there are some among you whose behavior is uncontrolled, who do no work at all, but are over-interested in the business of others. 12 Now to such we give orders and make request in the Lord Jesus, that, working quietly, they get their living. 13 And you, my brothers, do not get tired of well-doing. 14 And if any man does not give attention to what we have said in this letter, take note of that man, and keep away from him, so that he may be shamed. 15 Have no feeling of hate for him, but take him in hand seriously as a brother. (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 BBE) |
The People not only did not keep away from Roderick Meredith, but the continued to follow him as their spiritual leader. His behavior was not well ordered and in harmony with the teaching which they had from the Apostle Paul and the Scriptures. |
|
If a man is causing divisions among you, after warning him once or twice, have nothing more to say to him. (Titus 3:10 TWENTY) |
The people keep writing Roderick Meredith asking for his literature. |
|
useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a [means of] gain. From such withdraw yourself. (1 Timothy 6:5 NKJV) |
People give Roderick Meredith their tithes. |
|
17 Ά Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. (Romans 16:17-18 NKJV) |
The people actively seek out Roderick Meredith to listen to his sermons and attend Feast days with him. |
|
1 Ά But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV) |
The People insist upon continuing attending the Living Church of God under Roderick Meredith because, "He has the best prophecy" (an actual quote). |
|
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 Ά If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. (2 John 1:9-11 NKJV) |
The people receive Roderick Meredith into their homes each week through the modern miracle of Television. |
|
15 Ά "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell [it] to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17 NKJV) |
The people not only don't confront Roderick Meredith as they ought to do, but they treat him like an Apostle and a tithe collector. |
|
3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6 Your glorying [is] not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Ά Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. (1 Corinthians 5:3-7 NKJV) |
Roderick Meredith was not put out of the church by the congregation as he should have been, delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit might be saved. Instead, the people hold him in great honor and allow him to ruin himself by acting like a spoiled selfish child throwing temper tantrums. |
|
"11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat." 1Corinthians 5:11 (KJV) |
The People continue eat with Roderick Meredith, particularly on the Feast Days. |
|
"22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." Deuteronomy 18:22 (KJV) |
The people both fear Roderick Meredith and respect him, though his prophecies have failed and continue to fail. |
|
What will become of the Living Church of God after the demise of Roderick C. Meredith? Not to worry, he has two sons waiting in the wings for the old man to kick the bucket to take over his religious empire. Truly, that which Roderick C. Meredith has established shall endure as the Living Church of God, having a name that it is Living, but is dead. |
|
"documented proof Hitler did not die in his
bunker" Plain Truth, February 1965 [Actual fact:
Hitler probably didn't die in his bunker. More likely he was taken
out of his bunker and shot by the Russians. However, what 
"trade embargo by European Common Market will
ruin Britain and US" Plain Truth, February 1965
"within three years by 1969 society will have
collapses in America; millions will flee into cities" Sermon,
1966
Turkey will prevent the United States Sixth Fleet
from fleeing from Nazi European air attacks and will stab America
and Britain in the back, Plain Truth articles in the
Sixties