Ever since I “officially” left PCG several years ago, I have truly felt liberated. I no longer belong to any church, preferring instead to walk in the Spirit of God and to practice genuine love, peace and understanding.
Those who claim to be the “righteous ministers of God” in PCG were abusive towards others and also towards me. A minister refused to anoint me for valley fever because I had put my trust in medical intervention and in antibiotics. (Unfortunately, the antibiotics were useless in fighting a virulent fungal infection, but we didn’t know that at the time.) It took me over a year to recover from the devastating effects of valley fever. The minister also blasted me in front of the congregation on a holy day for “worshipping the God of Ekron” (god of medicine) instead of Yahweh Rapha (God of healing). When I made an inquiry to PCG headquarters about how this minister director had treated me, he denied everything I said. And, of course, no further action was ever taken.
One thing that bothered me terribly was the way Gerald Flurry called himself “That Prophet.” He continually referred to many ancient (and obscure) prophecies of the Bible to claim that he was the fulfillment of those scriptures. He believed in “duality” in a big way (as did HWA). In the past he even likened himself to a prophet in the O.T. whose wife died so that he was then free to do a greater work for God. Today he has taken a younger wife in marriage.
The last straw came when “That Prophet” did away with the sermon transcripts for the deaf brethren and the sermon tapes for the shut-ins. I wondered why he was so worried about others infiltrating his church and why he felt he needed to eliminate any incriminating evidence if he had the truth. Why would anyone want to “hide” the truth? Even regular members could no longer borrow sermon tapes from the library and take them home to listen to. To me, this was a sign of his growing paranoia and a tactic designed to instill fear in his congregation so that he could gain more control over them.
When I notified a different minister (Wayne Turgeon, the son-in-law of “That Prophet”) that I was leaving PCG, he used the most disgusting words to depict how violently sick it made him. He started out by telling me, “When I started to read your message, I just wanted to vomit…” and I’ll leave it there because what he said was absolutely revolting. I could never believe that such words could come out of the mouth of a minister whom I had always trusted. His words proved just how foul he was. There was no talk about love, support, encouragement, regrets, well wishes, etc. It was as if he wanted to spew me out of his mouth along with his own vomit. I knew that wasn’t “love” talking. I felt sorry for him, his family, and the PCG congregation, some of whom were my very dearest friends.
It was much harder for my hubby to leave PCG. He agonized over leaving the “church” that he loved and believed in and supported for many years (first WCG, second PCG). I knew that if I left PCG, I would be shunned. I just didn’t know how he was going to handle the pressure of me not being in this “church” (which I now freely call a “cult“). He took the matter to God in prayer and knew deep within his heart that some things weren’t right, such as when the ministers refused to anoint me. He also did some online research and found information that incriminated both Worldwide Church of God and Philadelphia Church of God. And leave the PCG he did, thank God! Since then, he has come a long ways in his spiritual growth and understanding. Our marriage is as strong as it ever was and we are as close as we ever were. I feel truly blessed!
May God have mercy on the trusting people in PCG. I hope they will see the evil that has pervaded PCG.
By Loretta
October 4, 2006
“weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” ~Psalms 30:5
Recommended Article/Testimony:
Profile of a Sociopath (A number of abusive, religious leaders may exhibit many of these behavioral characteristics.)
Abusive Experiences With Wayne Turgeon and Ron Hanson and Crazy Statement by Wayne Turgeon.