Living Armstrongism: PCG's Dehumanization of Israeli Jews

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

PCG's Dehumanization of Israeli Jews

PCG portrays the tragic and painful Israeli-Palestinian conflict in an extremely simplistic manner. One side is good. The other side is bad. Whatever events happen to occur are reinterpreted to fit into PCG's predetermined dogma.

While it is quite apparent that PCG constantly vilifies and demonizes the Palestinians what is not quite so apparent is that this simplistic stance regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict also dehumanizes the Israeli Jews.

Israeli Jews are human beings. They are just as beautiful, talented and flawed as any other human being. This is true for the Palestinians as well.

But PCG does not portray Israeli Jews as human beings. PCG simplistically portrays Israeli Jews as a simple caricature. They are the "good guys". They are portrayed in the same way as characters from a movie instead of being human beings. This, in and of itself, dehumanizes Israeli Jews.

Many Jews know about this and do not approve. Although the following quote does not discuss PCG specifically but these words are just as applicable to them as well.

They don't love real Jewish people. They love us as characters in their story, in their play, and that's not who we are, and we never auditioned for that part... (Gershom Gorenburg as cited in Lee Marsden, For God's Sake, Chapter 6, p. 190.)

Israeli Jews are just as beautiful, remarkable, awe inspiring and flawed as any other human being.

Also PCG's simplistic portrayal of Israeli Jews might fuel actual anti-Semitic hatred. What's going to happen when PCG members meet Jews, whether Israeli or otherwise, and are disappointed to see that they are human beings like themselves, that they somehow failed a PCG member's overly idealized expectation which the Jews never asked for anyway.

Can the PCG member handle this disappointment? Or will he or she let this disappointment fester and grow into hatred?

Quite awhile ago I came upon this news story.

The State leader [Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang] added that Viet Nam would support dialogue and peaceful settlement of conflicts, including the Israel-Palestine issue, in line with international law.

[Israeli President Shimon] Peres expressed his admiration for President Ho Chi Minh and the achievements made by the Vietnamese people in the fight for national independence, as well as for the country's reconstruction and development.

The Israeli President said he wished the country every success with achieving its socio-economic development goals, and to build a rich and strong country. ("Viet Nam, Israel to boost all-round co-operation", Viet Nam News, 2013.)

Now of course it is good that there is peace and good relations between Israel and Vietnam. But PCG members, unless they go outside the PCG information bubble, are never going to read of stories like this. Will they be disappointed? Will their disappointment cause them to overcompensate their previous idealization and hate Jews?

The way PCG has dehumanized Israeli Jews into some simple caricature is not good. This is true even if the caricature is supposedly positive. Israeli Jews are human beings like any other. Israeli Jews are just as beautiful, remarkable, awe inspiring, complicated and flawed as any other human being.

1 comment:

Byker BobMay 27, 2015 at 9:45 AM
Yes, one interesting aspect is the rate of agnosticism amongst Israeli Jews. I am sure the PCG imagines the general population as being observant of Torah.

Evangelicals regularly go to Jerusalem to evangelize the Jews. They feel that this is important because Jesus stated that He would return when the Jews cry out for Him.

Most culties have no concept of international geopolitics. They somehow never make it past the cliches.

BB
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Fall of Berlin Wall NOT Proof HWA was Right

It is often asserted that the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 proved that HWA was right and he really did see the future.

This of course is nonsense. Herbert W. Armstrong said that Christ would return within twenty years in his book Mystery of the Ages. (PCG has since deleted those words so someone in there knows HWA spoke nonsense.) How convenient for them to forget this.

Also Herbert W. Armstrong never said the Soviet Union would collapse. He thought it would survive intact until a few years after Christ's return. It shows how biased some many in the COGs are that they never seem to notice this. This inconvenient truth is just tossed into the memory hole.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".

Truth about Roderick C. Meredith

What sort of man is he? A man who could say things like this.

"Mr. Armstrong has reminded us again that we are to disfellowship any members who attend GTA's [Garner Ted Armstrong's] campaigns, church services or other meetings. Some of our weaker members apparently do not realize that this man is in direct rebellion against God and His government! We must not allow them, or ourselves, to rationalize about this matter, to try to "help the underdog," or in any other way lend support to one whose gross immorality, whose long standing "play acting" and hypocrisy, and whose direct insubordination to the Government of God has long been and is now a source of confusion and DIVISION among God's people. So, as per Mr. Armstrong's instruction, I charge and exhort every one of you faithful ministers of the living Christ to explain this in no uncertain terms to your members, to warn them about this cause of division and then to disfellowship any who consort with GTA or any of his fellows." (Roderick C. Meredith, Pastor's Report, May 21, 1979, pp. 1-2.)

See here for this statement's context.

David Robinson on Roderick C. Meredith

WCG minister David Robinson had this to say about Roderick C. Meredith in a letter he wrote to him on September 19, 1979.

"During the ten years I have been an employee of the Worldwide Church, you have been poorly spoken of by most of the ministers and employees I have known. I vividly remember the absolute unbounded glee that was openly expressed by a good number of respected men in the church when you were first "shanghaied." [In 1972.] I could begin by naming names, which I am sure would shock you. I was one of the few who stood, where possible, for you. Your tenure as superintendent of ministers, as I believe the office was then called, was looked on as nightmarish. While you held office during the years of growth, most of those whom I know gave you very little credit for that growth. Almost everyone whom I know, whether they be former friends of yours, or continuing foes, recalls insensitive and terrible things you have done. Without exception, at least among my acquaintances, they all credit you with an unbridled lust for power and list you as one who is willing to pay the price of gaining that power, no matter what. I have, through many of the last few years, believed you had principles you would not violate. Many a man of experience in the church assured me of my error. Events have proven me wrong and them right. Mr. Armstrong has himself been widely quoted as saying of you that you were so righteous that you were so "righteous you were unrighteous." " (David Robinson, Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web, Chapter 16, p. 207.)

Of course it is impossible for me to personally verify these assertions but people deserve to know what this knowledgeable man had to say about him.

Living Armstrongism

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

PCG's Dehumanization of Israeli Jews

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If You are new please read this

Fall of Berlin Wall NOT Proof HWA was Right

Truth about Roderick C. Meredith

The Truth About Europe and Prophecy

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Truth About The Key of David's Gerald Flurry and his PCG

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