Thursday, 18 December 2014
New Issue of The Journal
I'm not sure I should even try to offer any comment or opinion on the latest issue of The Journal: News of the Churches of God lest I unwittingly end up again in the Letters to the Editor section. Anyway the link is above so, if you are interested in the shards of COGdom, you can click across.
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Otagosh, I do not know the history of your interaction with The Journal over the cartoon of President Obama. I can tell you that I was offended by the cartoon. The old WCG used to cite that scripture: "You shall not revile God, or curse a leader of your people." from exodus and apply to the President of the United States. But the WCG changed over the years and began to seem like just another right-wing evangelical organization. I recall the late David Robinson speaking at the Field House in Big Sandy and lamenting how badly the Nation had treated the impeached Richard Nixon. There is a crowd among ex-armstrongites that worship Rush Limbaugh with greater fervor than they worship Christ. They detest Obama. GCI is not exempt from this. I am appalled at what some of their people say about President Obama.
ReplyDeleteBut I must admit, Armstrongism shows it true colors with that cartoon. It has always been a racist organization. I wonder of Warren in his history of the church in Big Sandy will discuss its ardent segregation in the pages of The Journal. It would only be fair and honest journalism and would nicely harmonize with the cartoon.
-- Neo
When a cartoon such as that appears in an Armstrongist publication, it projects a completely different aura than it would if it appeared in the American Spectator. Published in the Journal, it embodies, and perpetuates British Israelism. We here remember what "they" taught us, that the Heinz 57 mongrel colonists who came to the North American continent on the Mayflower from England were in reality the genetically pure, supernaturally preserved descendants of a subtribe of ancient Israel, who had somehow totally forgotten their previous culture, language, and heritage. And, despite the Native Americans who were already present, and the diversity of colonists from Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Holland, Poland, and other countries, as well as the Africans who became "colonists" against their will, somehow, only the Anglo Saxons counted, assumed pre-eminence, and transformed this "new" magic land into modern day Israel!
ReplyDeleteTo those who have bought into this twisted conspiracy theory, any duly elected official who is not a member of the approved tribe becomes "the stranger among you who has risen up to oppress you in the latter days." In their minds, such a president is illegitimate, and therefore not worthy of the Biblically mandated respect for leaders. Had the cartoon not come from a place of "the Apostle's" racist misconceptions, it might have been considered to be simple satire.
BB
Well, I too detest Obama, but it has nothing to do with the color of his skin. He is an arrogant, dishonest, narcissistic ideologue who could not successfully run a convenience store. But, he seems to think that he knows how everyone else should run their lives, and he has no respect for the law. Isn't all that enough, without bringing race into the discussion?
ReplyDeleteLarry's description nicely fits my feelings about George W. Bush -- the man who nearly destroyed our economy and waged brutal war against the middle class. Yet some right-wing evangelicals thought he was ordained by God to save the nation.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if we can find a George W. Bush cartoon in the past pages of The Journal? If there is a Republican president next time around, will we see a disgusting cartoon of the president then?
-- Neo
A quick scan convinces me that the rampant stagnation continues: It's time to buy new deck chairs for the Titanic.
ReplyDeleteIf only they could afford them.
Well, I too detest Obama, but it has nothing to do with the color of his skin. He is an arrogant, dishonest, narcissistic ideologue who could not successfully run a convenience store. But, he seems to think that he knows how everyone else should run their lives, and he has no respect for the law.
ReplyDeleteWhich qualifies him as a perfect Armstrongist leader, should he want something new to do after if he ever leaves the Presidency.
1- "George W. Bush -- the man who nearly destroyed our economy and waged brutal war against the middle class"
ReplyDelete2- "Obama .. is an arrogant, dishonest, narcissistic ideologue who could not successfully run a convenience store."
Both assessments true, watch the voters keep electing more pandering frauds as Debt Burden continues to crush.
I think Obama has done a very good job in spite of HUGE obstacles.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, Obama bashing has found its way into Otagosh! Obama has done a solid job as president, and the country is much better off than when Bush left office. Bush was a disaster, and McCain and Romney would probably have been of the same ilk --- we'll never know for sure, but I sure didn't want to find out. When presidents reach their sixth year --- the fourth quarter, as Obama called it in his press conference today --- they usually face the same litany of problems: they have a record which arm-chair quarterbacks find easy to criticize, the other party has won big in the Congressional elections, the press is looking for drama and the story of the beleaguered lame duck provides good copy, etc. Obama is solidly in that sixth year rut. He's not perfect; he's just more perfect than his two presidential election opponents. And he's far too sensible to ever get mixed up with a COG. I can't imagine that.
ReplyDeleteArmstrongism could fairly well be described as a system for classifying people as to worth. In an Armstrongite congregation everyone knows who is important and who is not. To properly situate everyone at the correct place in the social hierarchy, some assessment of human worth is necessary. I knew back in those days that the wealthy business owner who always talked to the minister on Saturday was worth more than me and he would likely be first a deacon and then a local church elder. Most people in Armstrongite congregations are unimportant to the leadership except for tithe support. The unimportant derive their esteem not from their participation in the congregation but from being a British-Israelite, one of the chosen. Once you are classified, this has finality. I was on the lowest rung in the hierarchy at Big Sandy. Years later, I would meet people from AC who treated me as if that were still my estate.
ReplyDeleteHow is this system to respond to a Black President? By deriding what he is. Via the media, putting him in his God-ordained place of subservience. Ex-Armstrongites recognize this principle at work. People inside Armstrongism would never notice anything being out of place or unusual about this cartoon. My guess is that Dixon Cartwright received no protests concerning the cartoon from within the loyal Armstrongite ranks.
-- Neo
Did you pick up an AC diploma?
Delete