On Gavin Rumney’s Ambassador Watch blog, J of Shadows of WCG blog made a request to Robert Taylor, who became the focus of a post on Ambassador Watch because of his posting of old shows of The World Tomorrow under Herbert W. Armstrong:
I am going to make a request to you just once.
Please remove the “Shadows of the Worldwide Church of God” from the upper left of your YouTube account. That is unusually and blatantly close to my website “Shadows of WCG”, which has been in existence now for well over a year. I don’t want people thinking your youtube account is related to my sites, as the purposes are entirely different.
If you refuse to do so, at the least, make a clarification that your youtube account is NOT related to “Shadows of WCG”, the quoted words linked to my site.
My word to Robert is that you must do the honourable and dignified thing to do. Follow J’s request. Yes, J does not have a copyright to the title but I believe credibility and trust are VERY IMPORTANT! In my relationship with J, he is a decent man in every sense of the word. He is a very cheerful person (maybe a little clap-happy for me) but I think he has the Bible on his side for his cheeriness (the fruits of The Spirit in Galatians). Oh yes, I also hope you have followed Aggie’s advice to log on to As The Bereans Did blogsite for a heart-wrenching article about one members coping with an abusive dysfunctional family in every sense of the word. I have the link to the blogsite right here, so you can’t miss it! Aggie wants you to know there was a dark side of the force in the historic Worldwide Church of God. I was glad that one of the bloggists, Seeker of Truth firmly supported my strong words in J’s blog for those who gloss over these dark moments and times when they “excuse their idol HWA but would blame the evangelists or members for going to far.” I even strongly concluded “that reasoning is truly a form of patholigical sickness.” Now I am not saying that you Robert have pathological sickness—but what I am saying that you (whether consciously or subsconsciously that is strictly irrelevant to the issue anyway) have touched on some nerves with a lot of people who have lived under the experience and seen it for what it was and are feeling in some way violated and feel like they are repeating the experience. These people on Gavin’s site have thoroughly explained their experiences and thoroughly discussed the leadership of Herbert Armstrong in unflattering terms. Not because they are bitter apostates loving the hedonism of the world—they were on continual perpetual basis were funnelled a lot of lies and propaganda from the top down and they have every constitutional and divine right to have righteous indignation (or a good anger). To accuse them of whining is simply an misadventure (and perverse delight) of missing the point.
It is my understanding that you are a Torah Oberservant Messianic Believer. I applaud and respect your belief. I, too have a few times early this decade attend a Torah Observant Messianic Jewish congregation right here in Toronto. In fact, I know a couple who were also former Worldwiders who are now members of that same congregation and have been happy, healthy and productive members of that group. It is evidence that there is life after the Worldwide Church of God and having it more abundantly DOES INCLUDE LIFE in a Torah Observant Messianic Jewish congregation—among many OTHER positive options available out there. You may be surprised that the Messianic Rabbi of the congregation is not complimentary on Herbert Armstrong and I firmly support his position that the Worldwide Church of God was born in sin. Not my words but Rabbi Jack’s. In a nutsell, the syncrenation of Armstrong and Messianic Judaism is a disturbing thought to say the least and not a very well thought out idea to put it politely.
You say that Herbert Armstrong led you to the truth. I believe it was Jospeh W.Tkach Sr. who led me to the truth (yes—that apostate!). At my baptism in Worldwide in ’97, I made a testimony and declared that if it wasn’t for him I would have never known Jesus and Him crucified. Of course, I made one person whom I invited to my baptism extremely uncomfortable with that statement (he eventually went to UCG a year later) but in 2008 I stand by that statement. Yes, Joe Sr. was not exactly an “angel” at times (trust me I have an earful of people loudly testifying about that!)—but it was him who introduced me to a truth in a person—Jesus Christ. In the historic WCG the truth was about things: what days you observed, what food you ate, how you dressed–these things are NOT wrong in and of themselves but they are NOT TRUTH. Truth is in a person (Jesus)—not things. How is Jesus the Truth? His life, his death and ressurection is truth—ULTIMATE truth! Everything is else is secondary.
It is my hope and pray that you would take what was written here under advisement.
PS—I must apologize to those in the comments in Gavin’s blog. Robert asked me in my posts why I used “theology” —not “philosophy” when reasoning about Christmas. We may disagree with Robert but I believe in fairness and being accurate (as possible).
Life After The WCG: A Spirital Pilgrimage of an Independent Believer 