Byker Bob Regarding Richard Armstrong's 1958 Letter

Here is Byker Bob's comment at Banned by HWA regarding Richard Armstrong's letter.

I am posting it here because he seems to say that in his experience children were presumed guilty of what they were accused of, which appears to have been the case with Richard Armstrong.

He also starkly confronts the fact that he was "painted as nearly having been a saint" but that this letter has now caused all of us to reassess this view of him we inherited mainly from HWA's Autobiography.

In my home, as I and my siblings were growing up, if ANY outsider accused any of us, we were never given the benefit of a doubt. The accuser was automatically assumed to have been right. I can't recall a single instance of an investigation, or fact finding session. We were assumed to have done something wrong, and were punished. Attempts to deny or justify were seen as lying, bringing on a more intense level of punishment.

It is difficult to determine exactly what may have clogged a toilet back in 1958, whether a small toy fell into a commode, or someone took a massive toilet clogging crap. In the latter case, an adult would most likely have been responsible, and may not have even realized it. It would have become evident when the next person used the facilities. But, it seems that the janitor's word was favored in this case. Blanketly, and without investigation or due process, the kids were presumed guilty, and the lake of fire was actually invoked. Imagine what this does in terms of building or formulating members' and their children's concepts of God!

It is good that someone has brought this bit of history to our attention. In times past, RDA was painted as nearly having been a saint, one of his last acts having been involved with the annointing, prayers, and healing of Howard Clark of paraplegia which had resulted from his war injuries. There was rampant speculation as to the directions WCG might have taken if Richard ( the good one?) had been second in command rather than GTA. I believe we have our answer now, as it appears that RDA was indeed the submissive son that HWA craved. He responded amazingly as his father might have, confronted with this same incident, and as the Flurry group imitates today!

BB