Looking back at the Worldwide Church of God—from an Adult point of view
By Damon
According to my age, this person is classified as an adult. This article is designed to take a retrospective look at my compulsory time in the Worldwide Church of God, away from the forced parental vice grip.
This person always thought that the Worldwide Church of God was a comedic farce guided by hypocrisy and membership hypocrites. According to the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition hypocrisy is defined as “false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion”. Hypocrite is defined as “person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion”. To illustrate, a former minister described Youth Opportunities Unlimited as “wholesome activities designed to take away the pressure of high school.” One word to describe the previous statement….HOGWASH! These so-called wholesome activities had more pressure to conform to the Y.O.U standard of drunken behavior, recreational drug use and in two cases criminal activity that would result in criminal conviction. This writer did not derive any benefit out of Y.O.U activities and retrospectively, an economic waste of time.
As this person composes this article, there are some truths that this person has learned over time away from the Worldwide Church of God.
This person did not have close ties with relatives since many of my relatives did not like my parents’ overzealousness about the practices, customs and traditions of the WWCG. Back then, it was frowned upon to attend, a “worldly” institution. This person faced scorn, backlash, and criticism from the hypocrites since this person was vocal about not attending Ambassador University because Ambassador was not an accredited institution. My new core value-belief system started upon attending university. This person attended a series of student success workshops that covered the following topics: effective study skills, budget planning, how to create winning resumes and cover letters and developing/maintaining healthy relationships. The information was so valuable that this person began to see things from a universal perspective.
This person has thoughts, feelings and opinions. This was contrary to the prehistoric, pessimistic and illogically bizarre teachings of the WWCG. For example, this person recalled a time when the minister pounded the podium talking about how “wives must submit to their husbands”. Back then it was permissible for husbands to mistreat their wives. If this person was a woman in those days, a dildo would satisfy me sexually than being around grown men that had a Neanderthal attitude towards women.
Friendship is defined by the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition as “the quality or state of being friendly.” Back then this person had convenience friendships. This person called it convenience friendships because this person won those Youth Opportunities Unlimited gold medals at track weekend. Since this person participated in track and field in high school, this person found the competition substandard. Thus, the minister’s children were the most ignorant set of children that this person has had the misfortune of being compelled to affiliate with. This person had nothing in common with the self-proclaimed “exceptional Y.O.U kids” as one minister would describe. Conversely, the friends this person had in Y.O.U were nice, however it was based on writing endless letters The Y.O.U friendships vaporized upon leaving Y.O.U Today, this person has a very small circle of friends that demonstrate a sincere kind interest that is healthy.
In conclusion, one of my favourite songs from my time in high school–PM Dawn “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” is playing right now. Life after the Worldwide Church of God has had its positives and negatives. This person has a healthy outlook on life. Knowing that this person was not a bad person in the WWCG but seen by many as a renegade because this person did not succumb to the peer pressure and the farce of a religion that it was—that Worldwide Church of God!
Life After The WCG: A Spirital Pilgrimage of an Independent Believer 