Since leaving the Worldwide Church of God in 1985, I have had the opportunity to examine and experience the things which Herbert Armstrong and his disciples say about the folks who do not agree with them. Of course, this should not be surprising to anyone - as it is consistent with the philosophical basis of their theology. After all, they were/are the REAL Christians, and everyone else is a "so-called" Christian. They are the ones who obey God, and everyone else has adopted PAGAN practices. They have "THE TRUTH," and everyone else is deceived and steeped in falsehood. They are the only people on the face of the earth who truly understand Scripture. Everyone else, even the world's greatest biblical scholars, misunderstand and misinterpret "God's Word." They understand the PROCESS of salvation and have received the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit. All of those "so-called" Christians haven't even taken the first step!
Their favorite adjectives for describing those other people are words like ignorant, deceived, wicked, evil, perverts, liars, insincere, double-minded, confused, violent, insincere, superficial, and a dozen others of the same variety. Even so, many of them will use this kind of language and then quickly add that "God is NOT trying to save the world right now." "Those poor, deceived folks will have their opportunity for salvation someday," they assure us. In other words, their current condition is temporary, and it's not really their fault that they don't understand.
Nevertheless, you let any one of those "so-called" Christians criticize them in any way, and the fur is ready to fly! "How dare those clearly deceived and ignorant folks call us deceived, delusional, ignorant, heretical, simplistic, arrogant, and insincere! In other words, how dare they do the same thing to us that we do to them! Any criticism of them, their practices, or beliefs is persecution. God has given them a special commission to point out everyone else's faults, but others do NOT have the right to do the exact same thing to them! "How can you cretins have the audacity to criticize God's Apostle, God's ministers, God's TRUTH, or God's doctrines." "I'd hate to be in their shoes on Judgment Day!" they exclaim. The clear implication being that God will zap their critics or throw them straight into Gehenna.
Moreover, they believe that anyone who has the temerity to actually leave the movement and/or reject some or all of its teachings will almost certainly experience "the second death." And, if by some miracle they escape that fate, they have absolutely disqualified themselves from appearing in the "First" Resurrection (because ALL of GOD's people know that that's the good one). Then there are the folks who are so bad and disruptive that they have to be "disfellowshipped" (very much like the Roman Catholic doctrine of excommunication). Even so, whether they leave on their own or with assistance, they are expected to go on about their business, not try to contact their former friends and family members, and keep their mouths SHUT! That is the expectation. "How dare those folks attack God's people and Church!" they proclaim with incredulity. Indeed, during Herbert's lifetime, all such folks were labeled as "DISSIDENTS," and they were looked upon by the "Apostle" and his followers as if they had stormed the Holy of Holies!
Unfortunately, even some of the folks who have successfully extricated themselves from the mess that is Armstrongism have adopted this same mindset against those who would dare to disagree with them on some issue - religious or political. The same reasoning and vocabulary animates the language they employ against their "enemies." "It's my way or the highway!" "I'm right - you're wrong - any questions?"
Once again, these are the folks who have reached destination TRUTH. For these folks, the truth is a collection of spiritual or political truths which they've discovered. They KNOW God's will. They HAVE the mind of God. The notion of growing in grace and knowledge has become meaningless to them. Their focus and energy is spent on defending and protecting what they already have - "THE TRUTH." They remind me of the servant in the Parable of the Pounds who gave his master the exact same pound which he had entrusted to him before taking his journey. The servant tells his master that he knew that he would be harsh in evaluating his performance and was proud of himself for returning what had been entrusted to him. Jesus said that the master replied: "Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?" (Luke 19:22-23) In the end, the servant lost the pound he had saved. Will that happen to some of us?
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