Being Raised With Cultish Beliefs

In a previous article I wrote, I briefly mentioned how my mother raised me with beliefs she learned from the Worldwide Church of God. Now, I want to discuss how these same beliefs helped shaped my views on religion in adulthood. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Worldwide Church of God was started by Herbert Armstrong in 1933. He and his family were living in Eugene, OR and it was originally known as the Radio Church of God. As time went on, Herbert's program became known as the World Tomorrow long before it started airing on TV. From there, he established the WCG. The Worldwide Church of God was a doomsday cult. Herbert Armstrong told his followers he had all the answers and his beliefs were the only way. He said that other Christian churches and religions were false doctrine.

Herbert Armstrong taught his members not to celebrate any holidays like Christmas or Easter. Members also couldn't eat anything that was unclean such as pork and shellfish. Let alone any animal that didn't divide from the hoof. Bear in mind that Herbert Armstrong came up with this from the old testament of the bible, but based his prophecies off the new testament. He also said that the United States, Britain and all the English-speaking nations were British Israelites and directly related to the Jews of Israel. Anyone who wasn't white was considered a gentile. This included African Americans, black Africans, Asians, Arabs and so forth. The WCG was also against interracial relationships. Yet, there were some members of the WCG who were black such as my mother. It had to be strange to be black or any other non-white person growing up in a cult that said whites were superior. Ironically, my mother clung onto the beliefs of the WCG years after she, her family and friends were all kicked out.

For my mother, her introduction to the WCG's teachings came from one of her older brothers back in 1979. Prior to reading the Plain Truth Magazine and joining the navy, my uncle himself was a rebel. He was an underage drinker and did drugs with his friends.... not to mention dangerous stunts. He also dropped out of high school by the 10th grade. He wanted to be cool. He felt like the navy straightened him out and that's how he found the Plain Truth Magazine and Worldwide Church of God. Initially, becoming a part of this cult felt good for my mother and her family. Both she and an aunt said their whole family, with the exception of their parents, were called by God. Only two of her siblings who lived with her did not attend the WCG nor subscribed to the Plain Truth Magazine. They attended WCG services at Westview Cinema between the early to mid-1980s. Fortunately for them, my mother, her siblings and family friends were kicked out when my uncle questioned one of their policies. For instance, women in the WCG weren't allowed to wear makeup.

Years after my mother stopped attending WCG services, she still held steadfast to their beliefs. She raised me, my older sister and cousins in these teachings. I remember the constant fear I had as a teenager about the world coming to an end. Herbert Armstrong had over 200 failed prophecies since World War II. Many of them revolved around Germany destroying America and Britain leading to World War III. Afterwards, there would be a second coming of Jesus Christ and "peace on earth." Ex-WCG ministers continued on with these false prophecies about Germany once they broke off into their own splinter groups. This was after WCG changed their beliefs under Joseph Tkach in the early 90s. I remember the constant fear reading the Philadelphia Trumpet as a teenager. My mother and I both subscribed to the Philadelphia Trumpet from the Philadelphia Church of God. We were also subscribers of the Tomorrow's World from the Living Church of God. My mother thought her immediate family and those close to us attending her home-based bible studies were to flee to the place of safety by the end of 2011. She based this on the late 2000s recession. I remember how I used to think I didn't have much of a future after high school. I thought my graduation would be the only highlight of my life.

Until 2011, I used to think how I would never get married, have children nor finish college if I enrolled. Not only was it scary to think you didn't have much of a future due to this "apocalypse" it was also bleak. Words can't describe the anger I feel being deceived by Armstrong's beliefs. However, I learned religion is a choice. I tried attending two churches between the age of 19 and 24. By the time I was 25, I realized I wasn't religious. I still believe in God. Some Christians feel like just believing there is a God is a relationship with him. I guess I understand their feelings now that I'm older. It's okay to be any religion. You can be Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or whatever. It's also okay to be agnostic or atheist. Whatever gets you through life is okay in my book.