Best of the Letters From 2001
Father Willing His Estate to PCG:
My father has been a member of PCG for at least 7 yrs. My mother is not a member, nor are his children. The subject is not discussed because we are not believers of this kind of church. I speak with my mother at least twice a week (I live on the other side of U.S. from them) and some of the things that she has told me has angered me but my mother has asked me to hold my tongue. She informed me that last year he gave almost 1/2 of his yearly salary to this church for his tithe and he will not help with the monthly expenses. He does pay for my son and me to come and visit every summer.
He has instructed my mother upon his death the church [PCG] is to get a portion of his assets. Of course my mother wants to be able to carry out his last request because that is what a wife is suppose to do. Make no mistake about my mother, she is a head strong women and has pretty much ran the family!! But I have instructed my mother that if she carries out this last wish I will go to court and fight for my sister’s and my inheritance and I will make sure the PCG does not get a penny, even if this meant conflict with her.
Correct me if I am wrong, but does the Bible not say that the children are to receive the inheritance of the father? I will find it to quote the exact Scripture. But here is the problem that I am having. My mother states that my father is saying that the time is near and when the instruction comes he will have to leave to go to the place that the members have been preparing to go for the end of time and that he will be leaving with a large portion of my parents life savings for his survival. Divorce is out of the question for my mother; she married my father for life. I do not want this letter to sound that all I am thinking about is the money, but this “church” is not entitled to my inheritance, nor will I allow Gerald Flurry to get his hands on what is rightfully my mother’s, mine and my younger sister–ever!
My mother will not know where he will be going; once he is gone there will be no contact ever again. My mother will never be able to collect any life insurance in the event of his death because he will no longer belong to his family but to the church. If he is to die before he leaves, then she is to give the PCG a part of his assets. He will be going and there is nothing nobody can do. He will not listen to reason. I am sure that you cannot do anything but it sure helps to just be able to vent it out.
Thank you for your time and God Bless. –Has loved one in PCG.
I Actually Saw Flurry’s Name Under “Arrests” in Paper:
I thought I’d write when I saw the transcript of Flurry’s police record. I was a grad student at the University of Central Oklahoma where this occurred, and saw Flurry’s name in the college paper under “arrests” a few days after the incident. Being the quasi-good little WCGer I was at the time, I trotted over to campus police and got a copy. I’ve since lost my copy, but what I remember is exactly as you’ve presented it. I also gave a copy to our WCG minister at the time, Don Lawson, which is presumably how it came to the attention of WCG.
I was especially interested in Flurry’s rebuttal, since I was a member in OKC while he was our WCG minister, and had been to his house. First off, his house is some miles distant from the University, through the quite populated city of Edmond. Second, this parking lot was not some scenic overlook, as he implies in his rebuttal. Edmond, and the surrounding area is flat, flat, flat. The parking lot was on a side street facing a seedy convenience store that sells beer.
I read on another site that Flurry stated that the cop who arrested him was a WCG member. I’d been attending WCG in Oklahoma City for some 16 years at that time, and there were no members in law enforcement or security work, as WCG discouraged that.
Anyway, keep up the good work. My parents and brother are charter members of PCG, so I try to keep up with what’s going on there. –Former member
Financially Abused by PCG:
Just ran across your site doing a search on HWA. I was a member for 10 years, then was in Flurry’s for 3 months. Now I am free. I have one thing to add to your site “for spiritually and emotionally abused”…financially!!
As a “spiritual widow” with a minor child, I was on church assistance. I can’t begin to tell you how demeaning that felt, even though I was grateful for it.
Anyway, before Flurry, we tested out John W. Ritenbaugh [Church of the Great God]–even took a trip to North Carolina to see him in person. He said, “I don’t know what God wants me to do.” Still, we attended services 3 weeks, then went to Flurry’s group. By now I was very skeptical, and found him to be preaching several big biblical lies. My husband was supposed to play violin in holy day services, but just before then, we found out about the police record, so we never went back. We did write Flurry back and ask for a refund of our money, but no dice!! They ignored our request.
Some “friends” who were in Flurry’s group told my sister and her daughter-in-law (also former members of WWCG), that they could not be friends with her anymore because two could not walk together. –Georgia
Husband Demanding and Abusive After Joining PCG:
I have been reading your site off and on for a while now. My husband had been a WCG member prior to our dating. We married before there was a PCG here. My husband has joined a local PCG group. From what I can tell, its not always in the same place. He used to be such a nice guy, Now he is forceful, demanding and abusive. He had previously encouraged me to go back to school, but now says I need to quit my job to stay at home with our daughter, who is in daycare part time. I work part time. In addition, he is giving hundreds of dollars a month to the PCG, and is currently away at the Feast of Tabernacles. Neither myself or daughter has been able to have a vacation since this started–me not since 1997! In addition, he has paid the rent, but the telephone and electric bills have not been paid in three months, and are going to be shut off. Sound familiar?
Please let me know how to get a copy of Flurry’s police report. I had read somewhere that he had another confrontation with the law: have you heard anything of this? Also, can you steer me to any information about Flurry proclaiming himself as the end time apostle–and the same for HWA? I would appreciate it. I have had to initiate divorce proceedings. We have DSS in our house and he has abused our daughter twice in the past year, and I had a restraining order out on him. I feel while he is a member of this cult, I must limit our daughter’s exposure to him, and this means I need to take a lot of this to my lawyer. Please let me know if you can be of any help. I would appreciate any advice you could give me.
Thanks! — Anonymous
I’m Thinking of Joining the PCG:
I am seriously thinking about joining the PCG. I’ve read Mr. Armstrong’s book and feel he is right about many things.
I found your web page by continuing my research on the WCG and PCG which I have been doing for about one year. You are the first person to say that Herbert Armstrong gave prophecy which didn’t come true. I read the Scripture references you gave, but can you tell me what were the prophecies HWA gave that didn’t come true?
I have contacted the PCG as late as September 2001 for membership and have been in touch with Cal Culpepper and am continuing to read required literature.
As for Gerald Flurry, he has written that he is “That Prophet” and “The Watchman” and “The Lawgiver.” That’s a lot for one man.
Like many others I’ve been searching for “truth” for many years and reading the Bible for direction. I have always been in church. Either Baptist or other mainline religion.
Please give me what information you can about PCG and HWA. I don’t intend to get in a cult.
Thanks for your information and help!! –Considering PCG
Comment: Read: Mike’s answer in article form to this person and to all who are seriously considering joining PCG. (Also included at bottom of article is, “What if I am becoming hooked on Philadelphia Church of God literature?”) Two more emails from this person are below.
I am No Longer Considering PCG:
(2nd email from person above)
Let me thank all who have e-mailed me about the WCG and PCG. I have researched the churches and HWA for a year or so. Some of you asked how I came to have an interest in the church or read the material. Someone in the church gave me some literature after talking to me about some of my beliefs. Due to the extensive research I’ve done over my lifetime about the Bible and a great many religious beliefs I’ve learned things historical that are not in the Bible, but reflect some truth. I’ve researched the Jewish faith, their calendar, and most of their customs. I’ve had a calling on my life from early childhood. So, when I knew to be true some of the things discussed between me and the church member, I was given books by HWA to read. All of you have experienced the truth mixed with HWA’s words. I can see some things in HWA’s writings that to me bare some resemblance to what will be in the end-times. But for now, I just wanted to let you know that each of you, by what you have written, the links you’ve directed me to, the experiences I read about and comparing these things to the personal life of the church member I was in conversation with, have more than convinced me to never become associated with the WCG or PCG. I wish I could convince the person I know to come out of this group and will perhaps try. This person was raised in the WCG and is extremely dedicated.
Thank you all for your love and support. FYI: I am currently in a very good church and am the financial officer.
Please feel free to e-mail me any time. –No longer considering PCG
Thank You For Exposing Liars:
(3rd email from person above)
Thank you for caring enough about others and for taking your time to expose liars who are using the Word for their own gain. What devious sin! I thought I had read about some of the worst sinful plots on planet earth, but the minute I realized (after reading your writings and links) the depth of selfishness, arrogance, stupidity and demonic oppression of HWA I must say my mouth fell open. The sudden realization that this man, while possibly linking some Scriptures together which offer some truth about God’s government, ranks right up there with Adolph Hitler, Jim Jones and some others. People that have followed HWA and the WCG/PCG have been/are so misled that the happiness of abundant life through Jesus Christ has alluded them and for what? My mind is still dissecting the various parts of this cult, the damage to the members, the damage to the Gospel and how very painful it will be for some surprised people to be in hell rather than with Christ. HWA must have been mentally deficient to have believed he was the finest creation on planet earth above the rest of humanity. This in and of itself is enough to alert intelligent people to walk away from HWA. For HWA to excuse himself from erring in prophecy because he was so exalted–well, that’s a second reason intelligent people walk away. I can go on and so can you, but for now I must close.
Thank you for caring about me. I will pray for you. –No longer considering PCG
Thankful Others are Seeing PCG for What They Are:
Thank you for your enlightening and very accurate account of this cult group! The more Gerald Flurry is exposed for what he is (including HWA), the sooner some people might get out of this mind warp they are stuck in and start seeing reality, start knowing God and Jesus Christ through reading their Bibles! I’m so thankful that others are seeing this group for what they are. I saw it years ago, but never had anyone to talk to about it! Thanks. –T. W.