Sunday, February 18, 2024

The Armstrong Mystery - Table of Contents

 The Armstrong Mystery
Unravelling Herbert W. Armstrong's Philosophy
In Regard To Freemasonry And Anti-Freemasonry, The Jehovah's Witness Connection,
Mormonism, Seventh-Day Adventism, British Israelism, Pyramidology, Zionism, The Jews,
And The Attleboro/Carol Balizet Cult. Also An Examination Of The Church's Reform
And Subsequent Break-Off Groups

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Herbert W. Armstrong founded the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), a blend of the religions of Jehovah's Witness, Mormonism, and Seventh-Day Adventism. All of these sects have some foundations in Freemasonry.  Armstrong picked up ideologies being pushed by the Freemasons through these cults, such as British-Israelism and Pyramidology, but his ministry turned against Freemasonry. Did Armstrong just steal from Masonry but then denounce it like Charles Taze Russell (founder of Jehovah's Witnesses) did?  Charles Taze Russell turned against British Israelism and the Freemason Anglo-American Empire, but Armstrong stayed with these Freemason teachings while still rejecting Freemasonry. There is also the fact that the 7th-Day Adventist church has a history not only with Masonry, but anti-Masonry, which may have influenced Armstrong. Armstrong also seemed to have a confused connection to Zionism, it seemed he thought the Third Temple would be rebuilt by the Jews, but perhaps that this was a nefarious project.  The role of the Jews and Zionism in Armstrong's philosophy must be flushed out, as the Freemason project was to use British Israelism to rule the world with the Jews from Israel (who would eventually convert to Christianity). The current Church of Armstrong now rejects British Israelism, but many offshoots still preach the doctrine and their ongoings will be recorded.  Finally, the Attleboro Cult, which adopted Carol Balizet's doctrine (which had similarities with Jehovah's Witnesses), and rejected medicine, was also a WCG offshoot, and their belief that medicine was witchcraft led to the death of two cult children. I have documented the Judeo-Freemason connection to Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Seventh Day Adventists, and also Pyramidology at the blogs listed below, and a story has emerged. Armostrongism has a part to play in the progression of Freemason intrigues in America, this blog is written to find out where Amrstrongism fits in in the Mason world order, even if it is antagonistic to Freemasonry. 


Related Blogs

Be Wise As Serpents
Judeo-Freemasonry In Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, & Christian Science
https://bewiseasserpents.blogspot.com/


But Harmless As Doves
7th Day Adventism, Anti-Masonry & Nazism
https://butharmlessasdoves.blogspot.com/


Noahide Pyramidology
Freemason and Anti-Mason Pyramidology
https://noahidepyramidology.blogspot.com/


Carol Balizet Cult
The Former Nurse Who Turned Against Medicine As Witchcraft
Attleboro Cult (WCG) Offshoot
https://carolbalizetcult.blogspot.com/


The Story Begins Here


















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26. Armstrong break-off group, United Church of God, still follows British-Israelism

  Table of Contents

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After Herbert Armstrong died, his Worldwide Church of God broke apart and the official body eliminated his unique doctrines and joined mainstream Christianity.  However, many groups remained loyal to Armstrongism.  The largest church today that still preaches Armstrong's message is the United Church of God.  It seems from their web articles that the United Church of God still preaches British-Israelism. What their beliefs are on the Jews and Israel needs to be flushed out but Armstrong seemed to have antipathy for Zionism, an unusual stance for a British-Israelist and pyramidologist. 

https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/the-united-states-and-britain-in-bible-prophecy/advocates-of-british-israelism

The prosperity of Britain and the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries fueled the popular belief that the British and American peoples are in fact the descendants of the lost 10 tribes. This movement came to be popularly known as British-Israelism.

In the United States, where the idea of "manifest destiny"—the belief that it was the nation's destiny to expand from shore to shore—was already firmly entrenched, advocates of British-Israelism promoted the biblical explanation for the nation's unexplained growth and prosperity. Britain and the United States, they concluded, were recipients of the unconditional birthright of Joseph.

In recent times some have associated British-Israelism with the modern negative connotations of imperialism. Critics even allege that those who embraced this reasoning were only seeking a salve for their conscience to justify their imperialist tendencies. Such accusation, however, is simply not in keeping with the thinking of the 19th century. Those who project today's political sensitivities on a past audience that viewed the world far differently are incorrect and unfair in their assessment.

In the mid-19th century British subjects did not perceive imperialism as negative. They viewed it as a magnanimous gesture—that they were extending the blessings that had made their nation great to less-fortunate peoples around the globe. Indeed the British Empire provided many blessings to the peoples who became part of the empire.

Another criticism—this one accurate—aimed at British-Israel advocates is that some of their proponents incorporated racism into their beliefs. Prejudicial racist views have tarnished their reasoning, thus discrediting the historical aspects of their teachings. This is both regrettable and biblically unacceptable. Racial bigotry is most definitely not what the Bible teaches. God is not the author of such a point of view. He loves all people and commands us to do the same. The central issues we need to consider are whether many of the descendants of the 10 tribes of Israel reside in the British-descended nations today and, if so, what God expects of them.

Focusing on the biblical promises, some scholars have undertaken extensive research to advance the knowledge that God's promised blessings to Abraham's descendants have largely been fulfilled in the British and American peoples. Although many have contributed to the basic research, here are a few people who have made significant contributions to the advancement of this area of study.

John Wilson, Anglican layman from Cheltenham, England, published Our Israelitish Origin in 1840. This work was the first full-blown thesis connecting the Anglo-Saxons to ancient Israel. Wilson drew on the best of contemporary scholarship and methodology. He made particular use of the work of Sharon Turner (1768-1847), a monumental figure in British historiography whose multivolume work, The History of the Anglo-Saxons, traces the Anglo-Saxons back through Europe to the Balkan countries and ultimately to the Crimea and Caucasus Mountains—exactly what we would expect according to 2 Kings 17:6 and 1 Chronicles 5:26.

Edward Hine, a banker and successor of Wilson, wrote Forty-Seven Identifications of the British Nation With Lost Israel (1871). Hine claimed to have addressed 5 million people on this topic during his lecture-circuit career.

John Harden Allen, Methodist minister from the U.S. Pacific Northwest, wrote Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright (1917).

T. Rosling Howlett, Baptist minister, had pastorates in New York City, Washington and Philadelphia.

Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819-1900) was the royal astronomer of Scotland and emeritus professor of astronomy at Edinburgh University.

Col. John Cox Gawler (1830-1882) was the keeper of the British crown jewels.

Herbert Armstrong (1892-1986), founder and chancellor of Ambassador University, wrote The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy, published in several editions until 1986.

Steven Collins wrote The "Lost" Ten Tribes of Israel...Found! (1992), later expanded into a four-volume series.

Yair Davidy authored The Tribes: The Israelite Origins of Western Peoples (1993), Ephraim (1995), Ephraim: The Gentile Children of Israel (2001) and Joseph: The Israelite Destiny of America (2001).

Raymond McNair, minister of the Global Church of God, wrote America and Britain in Prophecy (1996).

John Ogwyn, minister of the Living Church of God, wrote What's Ahead for America and Britain? (1999).

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25. More on Herbert Armstrong and anti-Trinitarianism - his lecture "The Mystery of the Trinity"

  Table of Contents


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Here is more on Herbert Armstrong's attack on the Trinity, his message and video The Mystery of the Trinity.  Freemasonry, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and early Seventy-Day Adventists all rejected the Trinity.  Armstrong came out of these cults but turned against them in his ministry. What is the motivation for keeping anti-Trinitarianism is unknown. 

The Mystery of the Trinity (Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh2UxxBzr-k

https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbroadcast&InfoID=1464979753

  Well greetings everybody. Of all religions of the world, of all denominations of Christianity, there is only one true Church, only one; and only one that has the real knowledge.
   Now I learned, not only that God is Creator, but God is the Revealer of basic knowledge. And I tell you why the greatest intellects are the most ignorant. It's because THEY DON'T BELIEVE GOD! And it's because they have the one spirit that imparts the power of intellect to a physical human brain, which no animal has, so they have very great minds and mind power, but they are LIMITED. And they are confined to the physical and the material: only what they can see or hear, smell, taste, feel, or touch. And you can't see spirit; and you can't hear spirit; and you can't touch it or feel it, smell it, or taste it.
   So the result is how are you going to know anything about spirit? Normally, naturally, you simply cannot! There is another Spirit and God intended that we should receive that other Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God! That's the very Spirit that comes from God! That will beget us with God life, a new kind of life!
   And in this life now, as long as we're in flesh and blood, we can only be begotten children of God — never born. By the way, a lot of people wonder what it is to be born again; and almost nobody understands that!
   You know sometimes I just wonder if anybody understands anything. People believe so many things that are absolutely not true! It's ridiculous! What Do You Mean — Born Again? Write in for a special booklet: 'What Do You Mean — Born Again?.' You know even heads of governments don't know that — they just don't know. But God reveals what it means to be born again and I would like to have you get that little booklet. And there's no charge whatever; I'll send it to you free.
   Well the generally accepted Christian teaching about God, now getting into the Christian religion, is that God is a trinity; that is three persons in one. And they say it's one God but in three persons — 'God in three persons — Blessed Trinity.' I used to sing that song before I knew better. I don't sing it anymore, because it's as fake and false as it can be.

Lost Century Of The Church

   How did that trinity doctrine get in there? Well, Jesus Christ came and raised up His Church; and He said His Church would last through all generations. But there was, beginning somewhere between, oh say 60 and 70 AD, a lost century, for a hundred years, when all the recorded history regarding the Church had been systematically destroyed! You can't find it; there isn't any! It was all destroyed!
   But a hundred years later, about 170 AD, the curtain will lift and you look on and there is a church; and the church called itself, 'Christianity.' But it is about as different from the Church of 31 and 40 AD and along in those years, as black is from white, or up is from down. It was just about as opposite. And there's no record; you can't find a record of it. But we find the record before that happened; and we find the record of what happened afterward.
   Now Jesus had said, as I say, that "...the gates of hell [or the grave], would never prevail against his Church" (Matthew 16:18 parphrased). His Church was founded in 31 AD.
   But by 58 AD, and some so-called authorities say it was about 53 when the apostle Paul wrote his book to the Galatians, you will find that here in Galatians the first chapter, Paul said in writing to the churches up in Galatia, this was about, let's say, 58 AD.
   "I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel [they had been removed from God into another gospel]: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ." (Galatians 1:6-7)

Trinity and Easter Doctrines

   Now some may think it is Paul that called them, but God is the One who calls us.
   Well, now I wanted to come to this thing about the mystery of the trinity doctrine. By the fourth century there had been a dual, very violent controversy, raging around Rome. And Rome, by that time, was the center of what was called 'Christianity.'
   There was one leader by the name of Polycrates who had a very great controversy against the bishops of Rome on the matter of whether we should observe the Passover, which is the fourteenth day of the first, sacred month as Christ set it, or whether we should observe the pagan day of Easter!
   And then there was a Doctor Arias, who was a priest from Alexandria, and he was in a red-hot argument against the bishops at Rome about this trinity. The bishops at Rome wanted the trinity doctrine. And as a matter of fact they had the same gospel that had really come out of ancient Babylon — the Babylonian Mystery Religion.
   Doctor Arias didn't have it right. He didn't have the truth, but at least he was against the trinity. And we don't need to go into what he did believe because he was wrong too, as far as that is concerned. But, to show you how bloody it was, Doctor Arias was finally burned at the stake.
   Now that question, both questions, were settled by the Emperor Constantine in 325 AD. Constantine was the Roman Emperor. Constantine claimed that he had seen a vision one time, of a cross; and it said, 'by this sign you may conquer.'
   So he said, "Well I'll tell you: I'll adopt the Christian religion. Maybe I can win this battle I am going into — in a war." And he happened to win that war. So he said, "Well, I'm going to join the Christian Church."
   Now he didn't come to it in the way I did. He just said, "I'll join the Christian Church." That's the way most people do. They just go in and join like you join any club, anything of the kind.
   But Constantine is the one who settled this controversy. He called what is called the Nicene Council. And that Nicene Council was the first real ecumenical council. And the Catholic Church is still holding some now and then. And there the trinity was made official, and so was Easter. And anyone that would observe Passover would've been persecuted — and probably martyred and killed.
   Also, in the Authorized Version of the Bible commonly called 'The King James,' and that's what I use mostly just because most people do. It is not necessarily the best. I would say that one is probably even more accurate; it is the Revised Standard translation in the English language, but it's a newer translation and there are not as many people that have it, so I use the King James most of the time. But in the King James translation, the Holy Spirit is referred to, a great many times, as 'he' or 'his' or 'him,' and not as 'it.'
   And so they say, "Well that proves that the Holy Spirit is a person;" but there are other places in the New Testament where the Holy Spirit is referred to as 'it.' And they overlook that; don't they?
   The Holy Spirit is not a person. It is the Spirit that emanates from God; that emanates, also, from Christ — the same identical Spirit. And both of Them are of one mind. They are both Spirit and composed of Spirit.

God In The Beginning

   And so, now if we want to know the beginning about God, and who and what God is, we begin in John the first chapter and the first verse, John 1:1:
   "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
   Now this, 'Word,' it's translated from the Greek word, 'logos.' "In the beginning was the logos, and the logos was with God, and the logos was God." Logos means 'word,' or 'spokesman; the one who does the speaking.' And it's a Personage, but it is the Personage who was the Spokesman of the Godhead.
   "The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." (John 1:2-3)
   Now in Ephesians, the third chapter and the ninth verse, it speaks there of "...God, who created all things by Jesus Christ," (Ephesians 3:9); you'll find it if you turn to it.
   And now I'd like to have you turn over to Hebrews, the seventh chapter of Hebrews, verse three, speaking of Christ here — while it's speaking of Melchizedek — if you want to know who Melchizedek was, write in for a free booklet on, 'Who Was Melchizedek?' and it'll prove to you that Melchizedek was Christ.
   Now verse three "Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life [there never was a time — He was never born, never a time when He did not exist. He has ALWAYS existed — the same as God, which now we think of as God the Father]; but made a Son of God; abideth a Priest continually." (Hebrews 7:3)
   And that is really speaking of Christ there. As I say, "...God created all things by him." (Ephesians 3:9)
   Now, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..." (John 1:1). That Word, let me go back; I shouldn't have passed that up yet, in John 1, because in the fourteenth verse it says: "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, as the glory of the only begotten of [God]), full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
   I'm a little slow in turning to it, so I just said it anyway, because I happen to know what it says.
   And I once knew a man who never opened his Bible. But he quoted the Bible and he just had one scripture after another; but he had them all memorized. But I never would do that; I usually want to turn to it because I found I can get one word wrong and don't realize it once in a while if I'm not very careful. I'm human; so are we all. And we just need to be careful. So I usually like to turn and read it.
   Now then let's go back to Genesis 1:1. And this is supposed to be the creation chapter.
   "In the beginning God created the heavens [and it should be plural, 'heavens,' as Moses wrote it in the Hebrew language] and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)
   Now the word for 'God' in the Hebrew language is 'Elohim.' Elohim is a word like the word 'family,' like the word 'church,' like the word 'group,' or like the word 'team.' It's more than one person, but making one church, one family, one group — not several groups, but one group. And it might be of four or five people, it might be of four or five thousand people — it all depends.
   And "In the beginning Elohim... " (Genesis 1:1). Now that is more than one Person, but forming one God!
   Now this does not say it was three Persons, four Persons, or how many! But I can tell you right now — by putting it together with John 1:1, it is referring to God and the Word! And it is not referring to three persons, but two — two Persons forming one God "... created the heaven and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)
   Now actually it was God who did it by, and through, the Word, who became Jesus Christ much later.
   Now then notice Genesis two and verse four. Let me explain first: the word, 'God,' all the way through the first chapter of Genesis, has been translated from the name that Moses wrote, 'Elohim.' Elohim is the uniplural that means, 'more than one person, but one God,' not two gods — only one God. But God is more than one Person! And I'm going to show you that we can be born into the Family of God.

Family of God

   And now God is the Father of Christ. He wasn't originally, but He is now. And Christ is "...the firstborn of many brethren" (Romans 8:29). And we can be born of God and be born into that Family — and it is a great Family!
   And the trinity doctrine limits God so that it prevents the very purpose for which men were placed on this earth — to become members of that God Family! God is reproducing Himself; that's what He put human beings on the earth for! Now you never heard anyone else say that. I don't know anyone that says such a thing.
   Now all the way through the first chapter of Genesis the word, 'God,' always was written, 'elohim,' by Moses. In other words, it included both the Father and the One who became Christ, or 'God and the Word.'
   Now we come to the second chapter of Genesis and it starts out: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and the host of them. And on the seventh day Elohim [God — and there the word is, 'elohim,' which means both God and the Word] ended his work which he [now here is the singular pronoun, 'he,' used] which he had made; and rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made." (Genesis 2:1-2)
   Now He did create on the seventh day; He created the Sabbath. But it was not created by work; it was created by rest. But He ended all work which He had made. He had not ended creation. He was only starting the spiritual creation on that day!
   "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God had created and made." (Genesis 2:3)
   Now we come to a new word introduced by Moses.
   "These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the [here you find] LORD God..." (Genesis 2:4)
   Now in the King James you find that the word, 'LORD,' will appear in capital letters. And wherever it appears in capital letters that means it came from the Hebrew, 'YHWH.'
   Now no one knows exactly how to pronounce it so I may not pronounce it correctly, but if you think I don't, you don't either, because no one knows what is the correct pronunciation; and anyway it's in the Hebrew language. They use only the consonants and the vowels are just added. It's Y-H-W-H, but usually spelled like y-a-[h]-w-e-h, Ya[h]weh.
   Now there is no word in the English language that is the equivalent of this YHWH — which is one of the names of God. But that is the Name that is of the specific Person that was called 'the Word' in John 1:1 — John in the New Testament.
   Now we begin to see a difference between the 'elohim.' 'YHWH' — elohim' means, 'the LORD God,' or the YHWH is the one of the God Family that is here referred to. He is the one who was the Spokesman and it meant 'word' or 'speaker.'
   There's no word in the English language that properly translates 'YHWH' and the translators have always had difficulty. In the King James they put, 'LORD,' which means, 'Master,' — the one that you obey. But in the Moffatt translation he translated it, 'the Eternal.' And the Ferar Fenton translation translates it, 'the Ever Living.'
   Now the word 'YHWH' means, 'the Self-Existent One — One Who has ALWAYS existed and always will — "...without father, without mother, without beginning of days or end of life" (Hebrews 7:3). That's exactly what it means.
   And it is 'the One that was with God,' and 'the One by Whom God made everything,' and 'the One Who did the speaking.'
   Now I prefer to use the name that the Moffatt translation does — 'the Eternal.' 'The Ever Living' is fine, but it takes two words. But it means 'the One Who is eternally living, self existent,' and also, 'Who is Lord and Master.' It involves all of those things and there's no one word in the English language that will answer to that. So I just say, 'the Eternal God;' and 'Eternal' means 'the One Who became Christ.'
   Now finally it says: "The [Eternal] God [verse seven] formed man of the dust of the ground..." (Genesis 2:7). And let me see, I think we have to come down to about verse fifteen before we get what I wanted. "...the [Eternal] God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it. And the [Eternal] God [or LORD God] commanded the man, saying, [now here it is YHWH Who does the speaking; it is this YHWH Who is the Word! and said], Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil..." (Genesis 2:15-17). That was the one that had the forbidden fruit.

YHWH Becomes a Son of God

   Now then the God of the Old Testament was this YHWH. Now by a resurrection from the dead Jesus has become Very God. Back here in Hebrews the first chapter and verse eight: "But unto the Son [meaning Christ] he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom" (Hebrews 1:8), meaning Christ's Kingdom; He's the King of that Kingdom.
   Now then I'd like to tie that in with Romans, the first chapter of Romans — that's chapter one, verse one of Romans — Romans 1:1.
   "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh." (Romans 1:1-3)
   Now as a human being according to the flesh He was a Son of David, because His mother, Mary, was descended directly from David just as I am, but probably through another strain.
   "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead! (Romans 1:4)
   Now as a human being, He was the Son of David. But by the resurrection He became the Son of God.
   Now He was also the Son of God before His crucifixion. And He was the only begotten Son of God; the only One who had ever been begotten by God PRIOR TO HUMAN BIRTH!
   But we can be begotten of God prior to our Spirit birth in the Kingdom of God, but that's a little different than the way Jesus was the only begotten Son of God.
   Now the one true Church in the world, which today is the Worldwide Church of God, knows that God is not a trinity; He is not a trinity. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit that emanates from God, and from Christ, and can enter into man.

Holy Spirit is Spirit of Begettal

   Now you notice that in the second chapter of Acts, for example, in verse thirty-eight, how Peter had said — this is when Peter had just received the Holy Spirit — his first inspired sermon.
   "Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)
   In other words the Holy Spirit can come into us. And we can be begotten of God, and then can be born of God.
   Now if you turn back to John, again, right at the very beginning, in the third chapter of John. Here Nicodemus came to Jesus. And he was a Pharisee. And he sneaked in by night because he didn't want the other Pharisees to know he was seeing Jesus, because they wouldn't have anything to do with him.
   And so: "The same came to Jesus by night [verse two — that's in John, the third chapter — John 3:2], and he said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God [we know, we Pharisees know; all the Pharisees knew it. So they had no excuse for what they did]: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:2-3)
   Now the kingdom of God is something that can be seen! But it can only be seen by those who have been born again!
   And let me tell you something: the President of the United States has not yet seen the kingdom of God. What do you think of that? Nor has the Queen of England, nor has the head of any other government anywhere in the world, nor have I, nor have you. You haven't seen the kingdom of God because it hasn't appeared yet!
   Now let's continue a little further here: "Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto you [verse six], that which is born of the flesh is flesh." (John 3:5-6)
   I was born of the flesh; I am flesh! YOU were born of the flesh; you are flesh! You're not spirit; you're flesh.
   There is a spirit in us, but that is not us. It's just like, well I've often said you swallow a little tiny marble, and the marble is not you, but it's in you. And the spirit is something that is in us, but it's not us. And it's not a soul.
   And He said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit [when you're born of the Spirit you will become Spirit]. Marvel not that I say unto you, You must be born again." (John 3:6-7)
   Now He said, "...unless you are born of the Spirit [in verse five], you cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5 paraphrased). So it's something we can enter into, but not in this life, not while we're born of the flesh.
   Now then if you turn over to I Corinthians the fifteenth chapter you'll find something on that, that I'd like to turn to for just a second right here.
   "And so it is written [in verse forty-five], the first man Adam was made a living soul [not an immortal soul, a living soul]; the last Adam [meaning Christ] was made a quickening Spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural... The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren [listen carefully], that flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 15:45-50)
   I am flesh and blood. And as long as I'm flesh and blood I cannot enter the kingdom of God. The President of the United States is flesh and blood, therefore he is not entered into the kingdom of God, and has not been born again. The same is true of the Queen of England; the same is true of all of you listening. It's true of all of us. We're just all of us human; we're all in that same boat together.
   The Holy Spirit of God, then, is the Spirit that imparts to us the Divine Life by which we can be born into the very Family of God.
   Now God is not a trinity. God is the Creator; He is the One who created heaven and earth, Who created all the nations of one blood; and not of one language, because He divided the languages.
   But I think I've pretty well shown you, now, something of the nature of God.
   God, originally, was God and the Word. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and became Jesus Christ. And by His birth from the virgin Mary, Jesus became a Son of God, but He also was the Son of man! By a resurrection from the dead, He became a Son of God, and the firstborn of many brethren to be born again of God by a resurrection into the Family of God! And the message that He preached was the gospel of the kingdom of God into which we are born. In other words: it's the Family of God, as a government, ruling the whole vast universe! And that is the astounding, almost inconceivable, human potential!
   So I leave that with you until next time. This is Herbert W Armstrong saying, "Goodbye friends."

Please Note: The FREE literature offered on this program are no longer available through the Address and Phone Number given, please visit www.hwalibrary.com for all FREE literature offered on this program.

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Friday, February 16, 2024

24. Attleboro Cult (The Body), the break off Worldwide Church of God group that followed Carol Balizet and starved a child to death

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In the 1970's Roland Robidoux and his wife broke off from the Worldwide Church of God and started their own sect called "The Body", also known as the Attleboro sect.  Like Armstrong, the group rejected medicine, birthdays, and holidays.  They eventually picked up the teachings of Carol Balizet (here) which also rejected medicine and holidays.  Eventually, because of their beliefs, at least one child died of starvation in the sect.  Below is a history of what happened. 


 https://wrldrels.org/2021/10/03/body-of-christ/

Susan Palmer, Yasmina Male & Sean Remz

Body of Christ

THE BODY OF CHRIST TIMELINE

1933:  The Worldwide Church of God (WCOG) was founded as the Radio Church of God by Herbert W. Armstrong.

1941:  Roland Robidoux was born.

1972 (January):  Herbert Armstrong predicted the imminent Second Coming of Jesus.

1974:  Jacques Robidoux was born.

1975:  Roland Robidoux was ordained pastor in the WCOG in Rhode Island.

1977:  Roland Robidoux and his wife Georgette left the WCOG due to scandals in that church. Along with the co-defector, Reverend Brian Weeks, Roland Robidoux founded a Bible Study Group called The Church of God in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

1992:  Carol Balizet published Born in Zion; she identified Maine as the “New Jerusalem” and exhorted the rejection of modern medicine.

1992:  Michelle Robidoux and Dennis Mingo moved into the Robidoux community.

1995:  The Body of Christ membership reached nineteen adults and their children, along with a high birthrate.

1996 (Summer):  Jacques Robidoux married Karen Daneau, and the couple rented a house in Attleboro Falls, Massachusetts.

1997:  The Robidoux family lived together semi-communally across a group of family homes in Attleboro and Seekonk, Massachusetts.

1997 (Summer):  The work of Carol Balizet was incorporated into the group’s worldview and ritual practice.

1997:  Jacques Robidoux, at the age of twenty-three, was anointed as an “Elder” by his father.

1998:  The group adopted The Body of Christ as its name.

1998 (April):  A son, Samuel, was born to Karen and Jacques Robidoux.

1998 (November):  Dennis Mingo defected from the Body of Christ but continued to visit his children in his home.

1998:  Jacques Robidoux and his sister Michelle announced that followers should burn all their non-scriptural books, and they also banned traditional Christian hymns. Roughly half of the forty members left the group.

1998:  The group abandoned efforts to recruit new members and became more insular due to its belief that it was chosen by God.

1999 (March):  Michelle Mingo imposed a strict dietary regimen on her sister-in-law, Karen (Daneau) Robidoux, and her baby Samuel, forcing him to forego solid food.

1999 (April 26): Samuel Robidoux died from starvation.

1999 (May): There were additional defections from the group.

1999 (September):  Dennis Mingo discovered his wife Michelle’s diary of a two-week period in March of that year, chronicling the emaciation of Samuel Robidoux and Karen’s emotional trauma.

1999 (November):  The Massachusetts Department of Social Services removed eleven children from the group, and Karen Robidoux lost custody of all her children.

2000-2002:  A financial crisis occurred within the group.

2000 (April):  A grand jury began an investigation into the deaths of Samuel Robidoux and Jeremiah Corneau.

2000 (August):  Juvenile Court Judge Kenneth P. Nassif ruled that the parents were unfit to take care of their children, who were then transferred to state control.

2000 (October):  Jacques Robidoux was charged with first-degree murder for “directing the systematic withholding of nourishment,” Karen Robidoux was charged with second-degree murder, and Michelle Mingo was charged as an accessory to murder.

2002 (April-May):  The Corneaus refused to testify to the grand jury when summoned by Judge Kenneth Nasif. They also waived their Fifth Amendment Rights as a way of rejecting the court’s authority. Judge Nasif held them in contempt of court and sent them back to prison.

2002 (June):  The Corneaus finally testified to the grand jury that their baby was stillborn.

2002 (June):  Jacques Robidoux was sentenced to life in prison.

2003 (February 3):  The jury acquitted Karen Robidoux of second-degree murder, and charged her with assault and battery.

2003-2004:  Michelle Mingo pleaded guilty to two counts of being an accessory to murder but was released because she had spent four years in custody.

2006:  Roland Robidoux died.

2009:  Jacques Robidoux requested a post-conviction hearing on his conviction and sentencing that was unsuccessful.

FOUNDER/GROUP HISTORY

The forerunner of the group that would become The Body of Christ was the Radio Church of God, founded by Herbert W. Armstrong in 1934. The group was renamed the Worldwide Church of God in 1968. Armstrong predicted an imminent Second Coming of Jesus for January 1972, along with a prediction that 1975 would be a year of supreme prophetic significance. The failure of these predictions factored into the development of offshoot churches in the 1970s (Barrett 2013).

Roland Robidoux, [Image at right] who founded The Body of Christ, was born 1941. He was ordained pastor in the WCOG in Rhode Island in 1975. Just two years later Roland and his wife Georgette left the WCOG due to scandals in that church. Together with fellow defector Brian Weeks, they formed the Church of God in Mansfield, Massachusetts and then the Church of God in Norton, Massachusetts (Chryssides 2012:75). The church subsequently moved to North Attleboro in 1986.

The church was relatively open during the first half of the 1990s and publicly proselytized for new members until 1997 (Pardon 2000). Members lived semi-communally as a group of families, nineteen at the time of its peak in 1995 (Personal communication from Jacques Robidoux to Palmer and Male, October 2020). It was in 1997 that Roland Robidoux unilaterally appointed his son Jacques as leader of the church (Personal communication from Jacques Robidoux to Palmer and Male, September 2020).

In 1998, Jacques Robidoux, [Image at right] reported that he submitted to an “inner voice” seeking abandonment of the outside world and abruptly left his job (Personal communication from Jacques Robidoux to Palmer and Male, September or October 2020). That year the group was renamed The Body of Christ, reflecting a more exclusivist notion of belonging (Personal communication from Jacques Robidoux to Palmer and Male, September or October 2020). The rise of Jacques Robidoux’s control over the group and its overall inward turn led to a focus on dogmatic “spiritual leadings” to override individuals’ interpretation of scripture and to serve as the sole basis for everyday decision-making. As the Body of Christ withdrew from the outside world in 1998, Jacques Robidoux and his sister Michelle jointly led the group to burn all of their non-Biblical books (Palmer and Male 2020:7). In June of that year, ten days after his submission to that “inner voice,” Robidoux insisted that the Body of Christ undergo an ill-supplied trek to Maine, which was considered to be a “New Jerusalem” and a preparation for a larger apocalyptic confrontation (“Former sect member testifies in murder trial” 2002). The church had also begun facing financial problems in 1996 when the masonry business of the Daneau family, which was prominent in Robidoux’s circle, went bankrupt (Palmer and Male 2020:5).

In November 1998, Robidoux’s brother-in-law, Dennis Mingo, left the group, but he continued to visit his children who remained in the group. This defection became a pivotal moment in the decline of the church (Palmer and Male 2020:9). The following year, in September 1999, Mingo discovered his wife Michelle’s diary from that spring which outlined the regimen that she imposed on Jacques’ wife Karen Daneau Robidoux and their infant son Samuel. (Interview with Robert Pardon, 2020) This regimen led to Samuel’s starvation and death that April. After a week of trying to coax Michelle into leaving the group with their children, Dennis became a whistleblower, reporting to the police that Samuel was missing and turning the diary over to them (Thompson 2000). Other core members of the Body of Christ refused to verbally engage with the officials in the judicial system and lost custody of their children. Jacques Robidoux was subsequently charged with first-degree murder in June 2002 (“Sect members face murder charges” 2000; Emery 2002). In the wake of the publicity over Samuel’s death, the group also faced a financial crisis from which it never recovered (Wedge 2002).

During his first year in prison, Jacques Robidoux maintained his innocence, but he appears to have altered his position when his wife filed for divorce in 2003. He began to engage in theological and emotional introspection, which led to his finally accepting responsibility for the death of his son. In 2005, Robidoux filed an appeal, invoking a defense in terms of “brainwashing,” which was denied (Linton 2007; “New trial denied” 2006). In 2009, Robidoux requested a post-conviction hearing on his conviction and sentencing that also was unsuccessful. He engaged in a partially self-directed “deprogramming,” which led him to become active in the religious activities of his prison.

DOCTRINES/BELIEFS

In addition to the Bible, the main text informing the Body of Christ after its inward turn in 1997 was Carol Balizet’s Born in Zion, which depicted the state of Maine to be a millenarian refuge and advocated healing through faith and prayer. This book is a manifesto advocating complete withdrawal from the world. It describes government, banking, science, public education, entertainment, religion, and most notably modern medicine, as institutions controlled by Satan (Personal communication from Jacques Robidoux to Palmer and Male, September-October 2020). The adoption of these ideological presuppositions was aligned with the exhortation to be “led by the spirit,” which was the prevailing practice once Jacques Robidoux assumed power. The “scripturalizing” of these teachings through diary-writing ultimately eclipsed the group’s adherence to any corpus of traditional, mainline Biblical teachings (Pardon 2000).

Robidoux claimed that being part of a “Body of Christ” implied that the leadership was communal in nature and therefore could originate from anyone in the group (Pardon 2000; Personal communication from Jacques Robidoux to Palmer and Male, September 2020). However, authority actually became more hierarchical as pronouncements from the Robidoux men automatically became doctrinal. Robidoux’s pronouncements therefore did not democratize and stabilize the group but rather nurtured erratic, unsafe and dangerous plans and practices that ultimately led to Samuel Robidoux’s death, as his screams and evidence of radical weight loss were interpreted as “Satanic illusions” (Pardon 2000). According to Robert Pardon, the increasingly dangerous feedback loop of dangerous “spiritual leadings” was part of it’s  “devolving” spirit-body dichotomy, in which everyday occurrences were over-determined by their assumptions about Divine will (Pardon 2000).

ORGANIZATION/LEADERSHIP

Ronald Robidoux and Roger Daneau were the leaders of the group in its more settled phase; their families intermarried and formed the main cohort of adherents. The Body of Christ is categorized as a family-based sect, and can be roughly conceptualized as having a patriarchal lineage, although the passing of leadership from Roland Robidoux to Jacques Robidoux was simply a decree and not a formal succession (Palmer and Male 2020:1-3, 30; Pardon 2000).

According to Robert Pardon, [Image at right] Roland Robidoux’s leadership prior to the late 1990s featured forms of communal and scriptural accountability that became defunct once he granted his son control. A former adherent said that Pastor Roland used to suggest when making a declaration: “go to the library, check your concordances and Bible dictionaries and see if I’m right” (Pardon 2000). By 1997-1998, the Robidoux men could brook no dissent, as they considered themselves appointed by God to lead their chosen people. Although leadership was theoretically decentralized in terms of the group-wide circulation of “leadings” by any member, such spiritual exclamations were never allowed to go against the ever-increasing restrictions and exclusivity that characterized Jacque Robidoux’s authority (Pardon 2000).

ISSUES/CONTROVERSIES

The Body’s challenges began shortly before the accession of Jacques Robidoux to power, a turning point which vastly increased the possibility of disaster given that nature of “leadings” and the zealousness with which they were followed. The ill-fated trip to Maine in June 1998 was the first major instance of a risky undertaking since the participants believed that they could not bring any provisions with them.

This event played a role in the defection of Dennis Mingo, which was the beginning of the group’s unraveling (Pardon 2000; Palmer and Male September-October 2020). The next controversy, which led to the effective disintegration of the Body of Christ, was the ritual starvation of Samuel Robidoux. In March 1999, Michelle Mingo [Image at right] invoked Mark 7 and the text’s reference to the issue of vanity to lead her sister-in-law Karen to limit her diet to a gallon of almond milk daily and to reverse her ten-month-old son Samuel’s weaning (Personal communication between Robert Pardon and Susan Palmer 2020). Since Karen was pregnant at the time, her ability to breastfeed was limited. When she tried to give Samuel solid food, Jacques Robidoux took him away from his mother. Aside from Karen’s secret spoonfuls of yogurt to Samuel on one occasion, he received nothing but very thin breast milk for nourishment for fifty-two days. He died on April 26 (Palmer and Male 2020:17-20, 38).

As a result of the intervention of Dennis Mingo, police arrived at the Seekonk compound on November 8, 1999. Eleven children were removed from the residence by social workers (Richardson 2000). A large contingent of the group then fled to Baxter State Park in Maine; the group buried both Samuel and the stillborn Jeremiah Corneau (Male February, 2020; Thompson 2000; Wedge 2001, 2002, 2006).

A grand jury investigation into the deaths of the two babies began in April 2000. In court, the members of The Body were reclusive; authorities surmised that this was at the behest of the Robidoux men. They refused to swear on the Bible, which added to the outsider perception of the defendants being an anti-government cult (Male 2020; Lewis 2000). In Juvenile Court hearings and elsewhere, Jacques Robidoux refused to reveal where Samuel and Jeremiah were buried. In August 2000, Judge Kenneth Nassif invoked the Book of Jeremiah to assert that Robidoux was a false prophet (Ellement 2000). In that month Judge Nassif declared the parents of The Body to be unfit, and thirteen children became wards of the state (Fires 2000).

Meanwhile, in the trial of Jacques Robidoux himself, he and his father refused to recognize the legitimacy of the court, declaring himself as a “sovereign citizen” (Noonan 2000; Ellement 2000). He was incriminated by his own emotionally detached handwritten notes, chronicling his son’s ritual starvation (“Prosecutor: Cult Dad watched Baby Starve” 2002). In June 2002, Robidoux was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison (Lavoie2002; “Jury deliberate in sect baby’s death” 2002).

In Karen Robidoux’s trial, her defense was based on a claim that she had been brainwashed by The Body. This defense was supported by psychologists who believed that she had post-traumatic stress disorder that hampered rational decision-making. Although surprising the prosecution and some legal experts, in February 2003 Karen was acquitted of second-degree murder and charged with assault and battery (McKinney 2004; Ellement 2004). Since Karen had already been in state custody for three years, she was released from prison (McKinney 2004; Ellement 2004). Likewise, Michelle Mingo pleaded guilty to accessory to assault and battery, but she was also released after her four years of imprisonment. (Lavoie 2004). Claiming the brainwashing defense, as did his wife, Jacques Robidoux filed an appeal in 2005 that reached the Massachusetts Supreme Court, but the appeal failed (Wedge 2005; Sweet 2007).

As of August 2000, Jeremiah’s mother, Rebecca Corneau, was eight months pregnant; she told the Family Court that she rejected medical assistance (Wedge 2000). Bristol County District Attorney Paul F. Walsh, Jr. asked that she be put in custody for the remainder of the pregnancy, which set off opposition from feminist and civil rights organizations (Wedge 2000; “Jailing of Pregnant Women Could Change How Courts Deal with Religion, Abortion” 2000; “Pregnant sect member’s case is a rights quandary” 2000). Judge Nassif insisted that she be allowed to stay at home, with visits from a nurse. After a stubborn refusal of the nurse and legal counsel, Nassif sent her to a hospital designed for pregnant inmates in state custody (Lehourites 2000; Fires 2000). In mid-October, Corneau gave birth, and the baby was placed in foster care (Farmer and Wedge 2000).

These court cases caught the American public’s attention in the early 2000s, rekindling questions of the legal conflicts between parental responsibility and fundamentalist tenets of faith (Palmer and Male 2020:1). Religion scholars and journalists alike have noted a succession of instances in which U.S. legal authorities have debated state intervention vis-à-vis groups that deny medical care to their children, such as Christian Science and the Faith Assembly (Wedge 2000). In Jacques Robidoux’s case, the court invoked the precedent of Christian Scientists being granted exemption from medical requirements in order to counter Robidoux’s appeal (Holoyda and Newman 2016:59-60).

IMAGES

Image #1: Roland Robidoux.
Image #2: Jacques Robidoux.
Image #3: Robert Pardon
Image #4: Michelle Mingo

REFERENCES

Barrett, David V. 2016. “The Worldwide Church of God.” World Religions and Spirituality Project. Accessed from https://wrldrels.org/2016/10/08/worldwide-church-of-god/ on 22 June 2013.

“B” (Retired Seekonk Police Detective). 2020. Interview by Yasmina Male, April.

Belz, Emily. n.d. “When the fog lifts.” World News Group. Accessed from https://wng.org/articles/when-the-fog-lifts-1620590821 on 6 September 2021.

Chryssides, George D. 2011. Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press.

Ellement, John. 2004. “Jury acquits Robidoux of murdering baby.” The Boston Globe, February 4.

Ellement, John. 2000. “Cultist’s infant son officially ruled dead: Judge calls leader a ‘false prophet,’” The Boston Globe, August 17.

Emery, Theo. 2000. “Sect members plead innocent.” Associated Press, November 15.

“Former Sect Member Testifies in Murder Trial.” 2002. WCVB – The Boston Channel, June 6.

Farmer, Tom and Dave Wedge. 2000. “Attleboro cult mother’s newborn taken by DSS,” Boston Phoenix, October 17.

Fires, Jacob H. 2000. “Former Attleboro sect member given custody of his children” The Boston Globe, August 18.

Fires, Jacob H. 2000. “Court action planned against cult member.” The Boston Globe, August 21.

Holoyda, Brian and William Newman. 2016. “Between Belief and Delusion: Cult Members and the Insanity Plea.” Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 44:53-62.

“Jailing of Pregnant Women Could Change How Courts Deal with Religion, Abortion.” 2000. Fox News, September 14.

Lavoie, Denise. 2004. “Sect member pleads guilty in baby’s death.” Associated Press February 10.

Lavoie, Denise. 2002. “Sect member loses bid to represent self in starvation trial.” Associated Press, June 4.

Lavoie, Denise. 2002. “Prosecutor Details Infant’s Demise.” Associated Press, June 6.

Lehourites, Chris. 2000. “Judge turns down move to lock up pregnant sect member.” Associated Press, August 29.

Lewis, Raphael. 2000. “Sect arrests yield few clues in case.” The Boston Globe, June 29.

Linton, David. 2007. “Attleboro cult: Jacques Robidoux appeal set.” The Sun Chronicle in Religion News Blog, September 6.

McKinney, Michael P. 2004. “Witness recalls ‘visions’ guiding sect members.” Providence Journal, January 24.

Mehren, Elizabeth. 2000. “Pregnant sect member’s case is a rights quandary.” Los Angeles Times, September 9.

Noonan, Erica. 2000. “Missing children reveals insular sect in Attleboro,” The Boston Globe.

Palmer, Susan J. and Yasmina Male. 2020. “Missing Children in the Body of Christ.” Unpublished Manuscript.

Pardon, Robert, 2000, The Body of Christ: Descent from Benign Bible Study to Destructive Cult.

Pardon, Robert. 2020. Interview by Susan Palmer, May.

Rego, John. 2020. Interviewed by Yasmina Male, April.

Richardson, Franci. 2000. “DSS takes steps toward cult kids’ custody.” The Boston Herald, March 3.

“Sect members face murder charges.” 2000. CBS News, October 24.

Sweet, Laurel J. 2007. “Court upholds Robidoux murder conviction.” The Boston Herald, December 4.

Thompson, Anne. 2000. “Cult Comes into conflict with the world it spurned.” Los Angeles Times, September 17.

Wedge, Dave., 2005. “Cult-ivating a new defense: Sect leader serving life for starving son claims he was brainwashed.” The Boston Herald, November 22.

Wedge, Dave. 2002. “Cult leader wanted TV deal.” The Boston Herald, March 20.

Wedge, Dave. 2001. “Cult infant starved to death, buried in state park.” The Boston Herald, July 13.

Wedge, Dave. 2000. “SJC to rule on cult mother case: Pregnant pause may bring prison birth.” The Boston Herald, September 8.

Wedge, Dave. 2000. “Attleboro group not the first questioned.” The Boston Herald, September 3.

Wedge, Dave. 2000. “DA: Save that baby: Walsh want cultists to give birth in custody.” The Boston Herald, August 29.

“Prosecutor: Cult Dad Watched Baby Starve.” 2002. The Boston Herald, June 6.

Publication Date:
1 December 2021

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