johnr@copper.UUCP (John Rutis) (03/04/86)
Tom Albrecht writes: > Armstrong joined an off-shoot movement of the SDA called the > "Church of God (Seventh-Day)". It was later that he founded the Radio > Church of God. Armstrong was influenced by his wife, who had > told him about a great discovery, "obedience to God's spiritual laws > summed up in the Ten Commandments is necessary for salvation. ... We > must repent of sin, repent of transgressing God's law which means > turning from disobedience as a prior condition to receiving God's > free gift." [The Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, pp. 281-284] > The woman who revealed this great discovery to Mrs. Armstrong was a > former member of the SDA and a member of the splinter group. How > would you reconcile this with your assertion that Armstrongism > antedates SDA or Mormonism? So much has been left out of what the Autobigrapy actually says that any resemblence of the above paragraph to the truth is coincidental. For example, the actual quote implies that Mr. Armstrong taught and we believe in "salvation by works", a constant slander against us. Salvation is a FREE gift of God, an eternity of good works cannot earn salvation. The Church certainly was NOT an off-shoot of SDA. We can trace the Church from the original Apostles. Following is a very brief history of the Church in the U.S. In 1664, Stephen Mumford was sent from the "Bell Lane" Church of God in London to Newport R.I. After associating with the members of a Sunday Baptist Church for seven years, a Sabbath keeping church of seven members was founded. It grew slowly in membership. In 1705 a local congregation was formed in Piscataway N.J. By 1800, Protestant doctrines became popular and caused a split. A new denomination calling themselves "Seventh Day Baptists" began. A minority remained faithful the the Church of God. In the middle of the 19th century, these few were associating themselves with the growing Adventist movement. When the Adventists organized as a denomination in 1860, only a few, mostly in Ohio, Iowa, and Missouri, remained faithful to the Church of God. By the time Mr. Armstrong came into contact with the "Church of God (Seventh Day)", there were only a very few members, mostly in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Oregon. (There were also a few congregations in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and the Philippines.) Should a man not be "influenced by his wife"? Mrs. Armstrong was shown that the Sabbath was to be kept, rather than Sunday. Mr. Armstrong was appalled - what would has friends and business associates think of him with a wife who was a religious fanatic. He argued that "all these churches can't be wrong". Mrs. Armstrong told him that if he could prove to her from the Bible that Sunday was the proper day, she would accept it. Since he was out of work at the time, he spent months in the Multnomah County Library in Portland Oregon trying to prove the doctrine of Sunday worship. Instead he found that Sabbath worship is required by God. At the same time he proved the existance of God, the truth of the Bible, and the falsity of the theory of evolution. Read the Autobiography. John Rutis
mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz) (03/06/86)
In article <209@copper.UUCP> johnr@copper.UUCP (John Rutis) writes: > The Church certainly was NOT an off-shoot of SDA. We can trace the Church > from the original Apostles. Following is a very brief history of the Church > in the U.S. In 1664, Stephen Mumford was sent from the "Bell Lane" Church > of God in London to Newport R.I. After associating with the members of a > Sunday Baptist Church for seven years, a Sabbath keeping church of seven > members was founded. [blah blah blah....] My beliefs are certainly not an offshoot of agnosticism. I can trace them back from the original apostles. Following is a brief history... After associating with the members of a Catholic parish for years, I developed my own beliefs. Sheesh. "Rediscovering" the practices of the apostles isn't good enough, this sect has to misrepresent it's schismatic beliefs as constants throughout the millennia. > ... Mrs. Armstrong told him that if he could prove to her > from the Bible that Sunday was the proper day, she would accept it. Since > he was out of work at the time, he spent months in the Multnomah County > Library in Portland Oregon trying to prove the doctrine of Sunday worship. > Instead he found that Sabbath worship is required by God. At the same time > he proved the existance of God, the truth of the Bible, and the falsity of > the theory of evolution.... Golly, he proved in months what others have spent lifetimes at! Wow! He's gotta have a direct line to gawd! I've read his "proofs". They're pathetically fallacious. If need be, I'll cite from the notorious "A Theory for the Birds". (Does anybody have a copy of his "Some Fishy Stories" that I could have, or that I could photocopy?) -- Mike Huybensz ...decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!cybvax0!mrh
devonst@burdvax.UUCP (Tom Albrecht) (03/08/86)
In article <copper.209> johnr@copper.UUCP (John Rutis) writes: > >So much has been left out of what the Autobigrapy actually says that any >resemblence of the above paragraph to the truth is coincidental. For example, >the actual quote implies that Mr. Armstrong taught and we believe in >"salvation by works", a constant slander against us. Salvation is a FREE >gift of God, an eternity of good works cannot earn salvation. > Let me quote Mr. Armstrong's own words on the subject of salvation: Salvation then is a PROCESS! But how the god of this world would blind your eyes to that! He trys to deceive you into thinking all there is to it is just "accepting Christ" with "NO WORKS" - and presto-chango, you are pronounced "Saved." But the bible reveals that none is yet "saved." [Why Were You Born? p 11] People have been taught, falsely, that "Christ COMPLETED the plan of salvation on the cross" - when actually it was only begun there. ... And because of deception - because the TRUE GOSPEL of Jesus Christ has been blotted out, lo these 1900 years by the preaching of a false gospel ABOUT THE PERSON of Christ - and often a false Christ at that - millions today WORSHIP Christ - and all in vain! [All About Water Baptism.] Armstong denys the sufficiency of Christ's death on the cross as an attoning sacrifice for our sins. You must do "works" in order to be saved. >The Church certainly was NOT an off-shoot of SDA. We can trace the Church >from the original Apostles. Following is a very brief history of the Church >in the U.S. In 1664, Stephen Mumford was sent from the "Bell Lane" Church >of God in London to Newport R.I. After associating with the members of a >Sunday Baptist Church for seven years, a Sabbath keeping church of seven >members was founded. It grew slowly in membership. In 1705 a local >congregation was formed in Piscataway N.J. By 1800, Protestant doctrines >became popular and caused a split. A new denomination calling themselves >"Seventh Day Baptists" began. A minority remained faithful the the Church >of God. In the middle of the 19th century, these few were associating >themselves with the growing Adventist movement. When the Adventists organized >as a denomination in 1860, only a few, mostly in Ohio, Iowa, and Missouri, >remained faithful to the Church of God. By the time Mr. Armstrong came into >contact with the "Church of God (Seventh Day)", there were only a very few >members, mostly in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Oregon. (There were also a few >congregations in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and the Philippines.) > Not according to official documents of the SDA. The SDA has done a complete investigation of Mr. Armstrong. Here are some of the findings: "Mr. Armstrong is an off-shoot of an off-shoot of an off-shoot of the Seventh-day Adventist church." [Bulletin for the Ministerial Association of the Seventh-day Adventists Ministers, part III of the series on Herbert W. Armstrong] Two elders from the SDA formed a splinter group. In 1889, they moved their new work to Stanbury, Missouri and called it "Church of God (Adventist)". This was the church that Mr. Armstrong joined. There was another dispute and Armstrong went with a new splinter group called "Church of God (Seventh-day)". Sometime later Mr. Armstrong set out on his own to found the Radio Church of God. >Should a man not be "influenced by his wife"? Mrs. Armstrong was shown >that the Sabbath was to be kept, rather than Sunday. Mr. Armstrong was >appalled - what would has friends and business associates think of him >with a wife who was a religious fanatic. He argued that "all these churches >can't be wrong". Mrs. Armstrong told him that if he could prove to her >from the Bible that Sunday was the proper day, she would accept it. Since >he was out of work at the time, he spent months in the Multnomah County >Library in Portland Oregon trying to prove the doctrine of Sunday worship. >Instead he found that Sabbath worship is required by God. At the same time >he proved the existance of God, the truth of the Bible, and the falsity of >the theory of evolution. Read the Autobiography. > >John Rutis Mr. Armstrong believed and taught many doctrines that are totally at odds with the Bible. He attacks the orthodox teaching concerning the Trinity this way: The generally accepted teaching of traditional Christianity is that God is a Trinity - God in three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit (which is called a "Ghost"). [Satan] did it through his great false church, started in AD 33 by Simon the Sorcerer, described in the 8th chapter of the book of Acts as the leader of the Babylonian mystery religion in Samaria. [The Plain Truth, October 1985, p 19] He goes on to describe how this mystery religion has gone on these 19 centuries to counterfeit the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. There is no biblical support given for this accusation, only scant historical references to the institution of Easter, the Arian heresy and some other early church events. He denys the personhood of the Holy Spirit (apparently he has never read John 14 & 16 or Acts 5:3 where the Holy Spirit is spoken of in personal terms and identified as God). He says that: Much is also made of the fact that in a number of places in modern translations the masculine pronoun HE is carelessly used in connection with the Holy Spirit. But not always - sometimes the Holy Spirit is referred to as IT in these very same translations. [The Plain Truth, October 1985, p 20] He then goes on the claim that on the day on Pentecost the IT used in Acts 2:2-3 refers to the Holy Spirit. It seems more likely that the IT refers either to the sound like the wind that filled the house or to the cloven tongues of fire. Of course this understanding doesn't fit into Mr. Arsmtrong's theology. He summarizes this article by stating that "God is a FAMILY composed of at present the TWO Persons of John 1:1-4, but with many thousands, already BEGOTTEN by God's Spirit, in God's true Church, soon to be born into that divine family at Christ's return to earth." [ibid. p 20] Mr. Armstrong called his magazine "The Plain Truth." To use your words, "any resemblence ... to the truth is coincidental."