Articles for the Benefit of Members and Ex-Members of the WCG

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5
Are You One of Halford's Mindless Lemmings?

Are you a demented Worldwider? Are you one of their sycophants? Do you blindly follow your leader? Or are you prepared to take a stand for what is right instead of just passively complying with heresy and expediency?

If you are fond of animals, you would find this little fellow quite endearing.

In many ways you could liken the Arctic Lemming to a Worldwider. For most of their lives in the church, Worldwide members present no problem. They are mainly passive, going about their own business without upsetting anyone. They learn in the church not to be confrontational. It's strongly discouraged. In fact, it was tantamount to sin not long ago, so most Worldwiders just wouldn't think of upsetting their mentors by challenging them or asking them embarrassing questions. Once they have been sufficiently indoctrinated it's just not in their nature to want to rock the boat - which is just as well. Those who do, get thrown overboard pretty quickly!

Like loyal lemmings, Worldwiders almost without exception go along with what they are told. Whatever the minister says becomes law. What he intimates is regarded with the highest esteem. It simply wouldn't be right to challenge what he might suggest. After all, he's the minister! There is something extra special about him. Worldwide members follow their ministers.

The trouble is, this one characteristic of the lemming is thought to lead it to oblivion in some years. Mindlessly, these creatures are reputed to dash en masse towards the sea, where they plunge in and drown.

Could that ever happen to Worldwiders? Could they ever be led to their deaths, en masse?

Remember Jonestown, Guyana? The mass suicide of Jim Jones' followers? Remember the suicides of Luc Jouret and the Solar Temple cult? Remember the more recent Heaven's Gate cult in California in 1997? 39 loyal members of this religious group willingly followed their leader by taking poison. They fully believed that they would receive a good reward for dutifully obeying their 'shepherd'. These were decent folks, law-abiding, and upstanding members in society. They did not seem odd-balls at first sight.

In fact they were little different in their psychology than Worldwiders. Of course they had some different beliefs. But there was an astounding commonality in psychology between the two. They have lemming-like characteristics. They revere their leader to the point of mindless obedience.

WCG Ministers Venerated

Only a few years ago I heard a Worldwide member say of a certain false minister in the church that he was "a wonderful man." Other complimentary adjectives like "kind", "loving", or "wise" were also used.

This person was not alone in their poor judgment - it is a rare person in the WCG who can objectively assess one of their ministers and come to the conclusion that he has evil motives.

In fact, how to exercise spiritual discernment is just not taught in the church. It wouldn't be expedient for the leadership to do so! The church is riddled with false ministers - hypocrites, liars and deceivers. But they have learned how to pull the wool over members' eyes. They have learned how to put on a good front. Hardly anyone would ever suspect they were not men of God.

"False ministers?! How dare you make the suggestion!? Certainly not!!" That is the predictable response from most Worldwiders upon hearing such an allegation.

Call a man a false minister in the WCG - even if you have good grounds for such a claim - and you are signing your certificate of expulsion! Some mindlessly assume you are also signing a spiritual death warrant.

But the fact remains THERE ARE FALSE MINISTERS IN THE WCG!! The Bible says they are ubiquitous, so they are there, even if you can't see them. And they know how to behave, so as not to give themselves away:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness... (2 Cor 11:13-15, NKJV).

WCG ministry veneration has created a veritable sea of spiritual torpor. Members are frowned upon if they criticise ministers. They are accused of judging if they assess a man's spiritual credentials. Righteous judgment is unknown (Jn 7:24). They think that means always saying something good about someone; never saying anything negative.

How strange! Jesus said plenty of negative things about the scribes and Pharisaic hypocrites in His day. Matthew 23 is a catalogue of virtually unending scathing castigation of these religious leaders.

Why should we ever think that religious leaders today should be exempt from scrutiny and correction of this sort, if it is warranted? Human nature is still the same today as it was then. And the desire for power over people, for prestige, for acclaim, for self-importance is one of the strongest pulls that lures men into the limelight. Many men of the cloth are there because of their personalities and proclivities, some of which are not laudable at all!

When they are permitted to retain control, they breed spiritual decadence. It is inevitable. False ministers are led by demons, and demons block out the working of the Spirit of God. Spiritual torpor is the end product.

It is essential to the proper spiritual functioning of the body of Christ for spiritual discernment to be continually exercised. Each Christian has a moral duty in this regard. We are to work out our own salvation (Phil 2:12), not let another dictate it for us. And we are to be vigilant at all times, alert to the machinations of the devil inside the church (1 Pet 5:8).

These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you, but the anointing you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him (1 Jn 2:26-27).

The NT contains several exhortations to test the spirits (1 Jn 4:1) of those who claim to be Christ's emissaries. Church leaders must always be open to scrutiny by those who listen to them. You cannot automatically trust a man, regardless of his position.

Mind Control Comes First

However, the WCG has carefully laid a psychological groundwork, almost from its inception, to protect itself from any such searing scrutiny. Church teaching, while I was a member for 20 years, from 1970 to 1990, strongly discouraged members from criticising ministers.

Ministers rule the church. Members are there to obey them. That is one of the unspoken laws of the church. In fact, it is not overstating it to say that it is the primary unspoken law! All other rules and regulations are subsidiary, and much inferior by comparison. It is the unspoken first commandment in the church!

Mental conditioning to accept this philosophy was promoted [and still prevails] subtly in sermons. The minister was [and still is] elevated to a higher spiritual plane than the member. An élitist hierarchy of ministers ruled the church, and members were [and still are] expected to submit themselves to this order.

It certainly preserved order. But it was of the wrong sort. It was a human pecking order, not divine order. Divine order or unity is created through the rule of the Spirit. But the Holy Spirit was repeatedly excluded in favour of the dominance of man.

This dominance was established by the exercise of subtle mind control techniques which elevated the church ministry to the level of gods and caused members to doubt that they should ever criticise or question ministry decisions. Thus, the hierarchic ministry ruled supreme under the pontiff at HQ, innocuously titled the Pastor General.

But he is not a pastor. He is more like a military General. He lays down the law. He holds ultimate power over the church. Those who step out of line by disagreeing with his decisions or pronouncements are "marked" as worthy of excommunication. Members are strongly discouraged from any contact with such individuals. They are spiritual scum.

Rejection of this sort has serious consequences. Some have committed suicide. Many quit religion altogether. A lot give up on God - some completely.

This tragic outcome was foreseen by Jesus:

Offenses are inevitable, but woe to that man who causes such severe offenses... (Matt 18:7, paraphrased).

Loyal Worldwiders will protest that all this has now changed. The church has reformed, they say. Unfortunately, that is one more evidence of their gross delusion. The proposal that the church has reformed is one more nail in the WCG coffin of freedom of thought and expression. It is a clever political ploy foisted on unsuspecting members to dupe them and to dupe critical outsiders.

Things have not really changed. The system is still the same. Members still behave like religious bigots, intolerant of other Christians, and highly prejudicial against anything which does not originate within "The Church". They still subconsciously think of themselves as "God's Church", even though they might pay lip service to Him moving a bit outside their borders.

Demonically Controlled

It is hard for loyal members in the WCG to see their gross psychological problem. It maintains such a grip on minds that most leaders don't see they are also victims of this demonic stronghold.

I don't believe any man sets out to deceive. I don't believe any minister knowingly embarks on a career to deceive members or to impose such heinous psychological restrictions on them. They just don't see how clever the devil is, and how pernicious his grasp.

People can start out with good intentions. They can be well-meaning. They can think they are doing the right thing... but end up totally misguided. Deception is a cancer. It grows upon itself.

Once a person is deceived on one point, it is more easily compounded by additional delusions. The devil just has to get a foot in the door, and find himself welcome. Then a whole Pandora's Box of hell can break loose... all in the name of religion.

It can start small, but end up huge. And the architect lies hidden beneath the surface of people's personalities and character. To discern spiritually, you have to be able to perceive below the surface. You have to take on God's mind, His Spirit, and love His holiness. Such standards are alien to the natural mind of man. Hence the ease with which Satan can infiltrate churches who exclude the Spirit, who have learned to depend upon men for leadership and upon human rationalism for ideology.

This is what has happened in the WCG. It does not follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. Members follow the men appointed over them. They were inaugurated by those before them in the structure, who were given office by those above them earlier.... all the way back to the beginning when the church was founded by Herbert W Armstrong, a man known to be a sexual deviant, but who also had an iron will, and who knew how to impose that will upon those in his employ.

Bad company corrupts good character (1 Cor 15:33).

The evil character of the WCG system can be traced back to its inception. It was founded by a man (HWA), who trained other men to be subservient to him, who trained others in turn, on down through the membership. All in the WCG thus learn to tow the line and follow the leader. It is a humanly devised system, not a divinely appointed one. Men follow other men. And human rationalism replaces true theology.

The source, when men take control, is not actually men. They are the ones you see, but the culprits who engineer things behind the scenes are spirit beings with devious cunning and expertise - demons. Satan infiltrates the Church! It is his prime target. And when he can get his stooges in positions of control, he has God's people right where he wants them - under his control!

That is what has happened in the WCG! It is the reason for its calamitous apostasy and its sudden demise. Demons have been allowed almost total control.

Where did it begin? When the Holy Spirit was excluded.

How can it be rectified? It can't. It's too late. False ministers have gained the ascendancy. The system allowed them to do so. The system needs to be changed.

These men are doing Satan's work, and you can't reform Satan and his demons. Nor can you reform those who want his ways. The wicked are a fact of life that true believers have to contend with. Worldwiders haven't begun to contend with them! They still look on them benignly. They treat them as their friends and mentors, worthy of respect and even acclaim!

What deception! What an utter farce!!

It was prophesied long ago by Daniel and the reasons why:

And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end (Dan 11:35, NKJV).

Everything that occurs happens for a reason. For those whom God has called, even evil can be used for the purposes of ultimate good (Rom 8:28). That doesn't mean the evil is good. Far from it! But God allows evil so that good men learn to fight it, resist it and hate it.

That is the question you have to ask yourself: "Do I hate this evil? Or do I tolerate it?"

God is waiting for you to take your stand against evil in all its forms. Then He knows where you stand. The time has come for those who love truth to stand up and be counted!

What To Do?

"So," you may ask, "what can I do?"

1) First you have got to candidly examine yourself. You won't like to consider yourself a lemming, but you must be prepared to admit it if the facts incriminate you.

Were you one of the mindless fools who refused to view the videos I sent out? Were you one who reasoned that because they came from someone who is not approved by your hierarchy that their contents must therefore be suspect?

Were you one who returned unread the articles or booklets sent to try to alert you to the apostasy taking place? Or did you just bin them without much more than a cursory glance?

If you have reacted with suspicion and distrust, if you have allowed self-righteous prejudice to turn you against me - though you have not met me or communicated with me recently - you need to admit that you have been very foolish.

a) You cannot assess a person's true character or spiritual worth by what others say about him.

b) You certainly cannot assess his spirituality without studying what he produces! And,

c) It is stupid to refuse to hear a matter that could have great spiritual bearing upon you (Prov 18:13).

Do you worship God with all your heart, your being and your mind? The last word is MIND. That is YOUR mind, not someone else's. You need God's mind! Do you worship God by allowing His Spirit into your mind, or do you allow demon spirits into your mind, transferred from those who are misleading God's people in the WCG? That is what is occurring!!

That means you must make your own decisions about what you should believe, based upon your own study of scripture. Forget about what church leaders are saying. They are spewing out a lot of double-talk, which is confusing uncertain minds.

Don't allow your former mentors to dictate or manipulate your mind. This so easily happens when members lay down their mental sovereignty to their rulers. Many Worldwiders have tragically surrendered their own reason to accept that of their teachers, never considering that their teachers may be demonically-inspired.

2) Test all things (1 Thes 5:21). You must make up your mind, but your decisions must comply with the Word of God. Don't assume your appreciation of the Word of God was complete in the WCG. It isn't! There is always more to learn, and there are errors to unlearn. After the inroads false ministers have made in promulgating false doctrine, there are far more errors to unlearn than ever now!!

Do you know how to test the spirits? (1 Jn 4:1.) If your theological appreciation has been conditioned by the WCG or its off-shoots in recent years, if that is your source of belief, then YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TEST THE SPIRITS!! Spiritual discernment is not taught in these groups in any depth because they are controlled by more demonic powers than you realise!

If you want to know how to test the spirits, ask for the tapes or videos we have available on the subject. [See below.] They will give you a head start in understanding how Satan works, how to recognise him, and how to recognise the holy Spirit so you don't inadvertently shut the door on God's Spirit. Far too many do the latter. They shut out God's Spirit and allow demons in to take God's place.

3) God says to those who are inside the Babylon of false religion to GET OUT (Rev 18:4). You can't give your loyalties to Satan and enter the Kingdom of God. That's treason. You must resist him (Jas 4:7). You must resist those Satan uses, too. You must expose the evil workers of darkness (Eph 5:11), not just passively let them get on with their evil work.

You cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24). Whom do you really support? If you are a Christian then give your loyalty to Christ. If you are a Satanist, then give you loyalty to Satan. But don't sit on the fence. Fence sitters get blown off by the fierce winds of change. And there are some furious storms coming! Satanic forces don't give up easily.

God says you are to FLEE fornication (1 Cor 6:18). That is a command which applies in the spirit just as much as it does in the flesh. In the letters to the 7 Churches of Revelation (Rev 2 & 3), Jesus severely corrects believers who tolerate false teachings and who thereby commit spiritual fornication. You might think that is rather strong language. It is not when you realise that those who tolerate false doctrine are, through that very act, having spiritual intercourse with the devil and his demons. They are allowing them to enter their minds and to push out the Spirit of God.

4) If you grasp the nettle and get out of a church which is committing spiritual fornication, you should tell your brothers and sisters why you have made your decision. Those who are naive or trusting need spiritual guidance. You have a spiritual responsibility towards your brethren.

Don't just leave and say nothing to them. They will think the worst of you.

Don't be 'loyal' to 'the church'. Remember your loyalty is to Jesus Christ, to His truth, and to His brothers and sisters. Do you love them? If you do, tell them where the church is missing the mark. Spell it out in as much detail as you can. Give them relevant spiritual food to nourish them, so they can make right decisions too.

Take it to God in prayer and ask Him to show you how best to do it. He will. Trust Him. Learn to follow the lead of His Spirit. He will guide you if you believe and let Him.

5) Strengthen what remains

These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die... (Rev 3:1,2, NKJV).

The truth which the WCG possessed is ready to die. Along with that truth many WCG members will die too. Spiritual death is no respecter of persons. Satan wants YOU! If you surrender to him, he will have you.

Your spiritual freedom lies in your willingness and resolve to hang on to the truth (Jn 8:32). But if you jettison truth like the WCG leaders are doing, or are careless with it, you will wither and die spiritually.

You must strengthen what remains. You must add to your spiritual experience continually. Read the Word with a new outlook, seek God for fresh insight, and practice it with love for others.

You know, the ultimate purpose of deception is to neutralise the love of God in you. That is Satan's aim. Tragically, it is prophesied to occur:

Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying I am the Christ [the WCG mentors stand in His capacity; they take His authority and prerogatives to themselves] and will deceive many... And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.... And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold (Matt 24:4,5,10,12, NKJV).

6) Listen to God's prophets

The monumental tragedy of losing God's love stems from satanic deception. The devil can deceive you into thinking your approach is right to stonewall those whom God sends to alert you to danger!

When someone comes to provide spiritual information, you have a duty to listen first (Heb 12:25). If you dismiss one who comes in the name of the Lord, you reject the Lord Himself. But if you accept him, you will gain the understanding of his message which he brings you from God. That is the prophet's reward (Matt 10:40,41). It can be yours, if you will accept the prophet.

Testing the spirits is now critical to your spiritual survival. Never before in the history of the church has there been such a need for true spiritual discernment.

Don't die like a lemming! Use your mind!

Malcolm B Heap

Further Reading

Testing the Spirits is available on 4 audio tapes or 2 videos from Midnight Ministries, PO Box 29, Aylesbury, HP17 8TL, UK. This is teaching on spiritual discernment which is specifically directed for the WCG psychology. When requesting these, please send an adequate donation to offset our costs. Thank you.

More information on how to discern false ministers is given in the booklet Apostasy in God's Church (£2.00).