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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 COGwriter in front of the Church of the Revelation in Patmos<\/em><\/p>\n Every now and then, I deal with some of the inaccurate comments directed at me on the internet, and because I do not want one item (the eldership issue) to become an “urban legend”, I thought I would deal with several charges that have been posted at two of the anti-COG sites in the past several weeks:<\/p>\n That Bob Thiel does not believe in One True God is most disturbing! (AW).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I most certainly do believe in one true God.\u00a0 Being binitarian, as the early Christian church was,\u00a0does not mean that I do not believe in one God.\u00a0\u00a0The Bible clearly teaches that God is one and\u00a0that both the Father and Son are God.\u00a0 Early, post-New Testament,\u00a0church leaders also taught that the Father and Son are God.\u00a0 Most of us in the COGs believe, that since the Bible shows a family relationship within the Godhead, that God is one family.<\/p>\n Articles on the Godhead include:<\/p>\n Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning<\/a>Is binitarianism the correct position? What about unitarianism or trinitarianism? Here are some charges against the COGwriter website:<\/p>\n In case you haven\u2019t noticed, Bob Thiel likes to play with a stacked deck. He claims the purpose of his website is bringing the Cogs together. But he spends most of his time trashing the other Cogs. Then he whines about personal attacks when the shoe hits the other foot. (XCG)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The purpose of the COGwriter site is not<\/strong><\/em> to bring the COGs together–but to unify the remnant of the Philadelphians–hence the need to point out differences in groups.\u00a0 Here is what the COGwriter home page states (it would be nice if critics read it before mistaking what it says):<\/p>\n The purpose of this web page is to help unify the remnant of the Philadelphia era of God’s Church so that it may more effectively get the Gospel out as a witness<\/strong> (Matthew 24:14; Revelation 3:8) and so be kept “from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10).<\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n I do not trash other COGs.\u00a0 I do, however, sometimes point out how they differ in teachings from the old WCG and\/or the Living Church of God–but this takes only the smallest percentage of my time related to COGwriter.\u00a0 It is not trashing a group by pointing out differences in teachings and practices that make them unique–presumably those differences are important to them or they would not have them.\u00a0 Articles and links on various COGs can be found at the COGlinks page.<\/a><\/p>\n As far as personal attacks, I do not whine about them.\u00a0 I do, however, sometimes decide to make public comments as I would like readers to realize that many post inaccurate information about me.\u00a0 It may be of interest to note that I am\u00a0probably\u00a0attacked more than any other\u00a0non-ordained COG member on the internet.\u00a0 I let the majority of the untrue attacks against me pass.<\/p>\n Here is another railing\u00a0charge:<\/p>\n When you send him an email, discussing a mistake or flaw in his thinking, he doesn\u2019t reply with an articulate counter, he responds with personal insults. (XCG)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I consider the above an insult and do not attempt to insult those who write me.\u00a0 I do reply to emails and believe my responses are articulated properly.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, it is true that I am not\u00a0that interested in the personal theological opinions of those who have turned their back on “the faith once for all delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).\u00a0 As sincere contributors to the COGwriter website realize, I do make corrections if factual errors are pointed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n But perhaps all (especially the anti-COG critics) may wish to be reminded about what the home page of the COGwriter site states:<\/p>\n If you never write, we will not know what you think!<\/font><\/p>\n Note: I am happy to correct any factual errors, but am not interested in hearing from those intent on bashing LCG or the COG in general, nor am I interested in religious spam. <\/em><\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Apparently some anti-COG types\u00a0intent on bashing the COGs have not read the home page.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another wrote:<\/p>\n Often, in his endless commentaries of slander and libel, he contains certain, shall we say, inaccuracies, but not to worry, he will never correct them because he is perfect and besides, you are to do what he says and not as he does, just as all his predecessors have done. (XCG)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As I mentioned before, I do correct factual errors (also, there have been no “predecessors” on this site as I personally began it–I presume, therefore, that\u00a0the critic is indicating that I am like some\u00a0he did not care for in the\u00a0old WCG leadership).\u00a0 Anyway, I do not believe that any of my commentaries contain slander or libel.\u00a0<\/p>\n Broad brush condemnations without specifics are typical of critics of this website.<\/p>\n However the following is why I decided to bother addressing some of the charges now as it\u00a0is starting to get repeated as if it were true:\u00a0<\/p>\n Bob Thiel has been offered the chance to become an ordained minister. Yet he turns it down. Have you ever wondered about that? If he truly believes that the LCG is the one true remnant, then why would he turn it down? That\u2019s the same thing as refusing God Himself, isn\u2019t it? (XCG)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The above is simply not true.\u00a0 Although I have not sought out becoming an ordained minister (nor is that my goal), I never have turned it down.<\/p>\n Notice the following comment made because of the\u00a0inaccurate turning down an ordination charge:\u00a0<\/p>\n There is not one reason to allow him one shred of credibility in eschatological matters. After all, he did turn down an eldership. (XCG)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That latter statement\u00a0is simply not true.\u00a0 The truth is that becoming an elder is not my goal–but I have never turned down an eldership.\u00a0<\/p>\n As far as echatological matters are concerned, I have studied the Bible as well as Catholic, Protestant, and COG eschatology.\u00a0 Readers should compare what I expound with the Bible–and to make that easier, I often do cite scripture in my eschatological pieces.\u00a0 At the COGwriter site I tell readers don’t believe me, believe what you see in your own Bibles.\u00a0 I encourage readers to be like the Bereans who “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).\u00a0 Specifically, the Who is COGwriter?<\/a> article states:<\/p>\n \u201c<\/font>Don’t<\/em> simply believe me<\/em> <\/strong>\u2013 Believe what the Bible really Teaches <\/strong>\u2013 Believe the Truth <\/strong>\u2013 Prove all things \u2013 Believe God<\/em>!<\/strong>\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n The next item is minor, but I thought\u00a0it may as well be addressed as it is actually a topic at xCG:\u00a0<\/p>\n I suspect that \u201cblog\u201d implies for Mr. Thiel something informal, and we all know what informal means in COG speak\u2014it\u2019s the opposite of authoritative. \u201cBlog\u201d in the COG world is turning into something like the term \u201cdissident.\u201d (XCG)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n No, that is not the case with me.\u00a0 LCG’s Wallace Smith has a blog (he is one of the presenter’s for LCG’s Tomorrow’s World).\u00a0 I consider that a blog is mainly personal opinions or observations (even though others have differeing opinions or definitions).\u00a0 That is what Wallace Smith has on his blog and that is mainly what the anti-COG sites have on their blogs.\u00a0<\/p>\n The COGwriter website<\/a> contains research, history, doctrine, news, and generally limited commentary.\u00a0 And the reason that I began using WordPress about a month ago was to make it easier for readers to find news-related articles, not to make it a posting forum.\u00a0 Pretty much all those who wrote about the change were positive, and the one negative (which concerned font size) was pleased when my son Michael added a sizing button (see\u00a0top, upper right).<\/p>\n The inaccurate comments on the anti-COG sites, such as those I chose to address today, are one of the reasons I do not have an external comment feature at the COGwriter website.\u00a0 I would not want inaccurate information posted at the COGwriter site and simply would not have the time to police that type of thing if the site was opened up for external comments–plus external comments from those that do not hold to the same doctrines or direction for the Church of Revelation 3:7-13 does not fit with\u00a0the intent nor direction of the COGwriter site.\u00a0<\/p>\n The COGwriter site is intended to provide information to help unify those who are or hope to be part of the Philadelphia portion of the Church of God<\/a>.\u00a0 Posting comments from anti-COG readers, as well as those who may be part of other Church Eras<\/a>, does not usually help that mission (though limited quotes are used at times).\u00a0<\/p>\n However, perhaps it should be mentioned that many readers do email me, and perhaps 25% (or more) of what I post is from or directly related to, those emails (mostly news articles, but sometimes historical, doctrinal, or prophetic questions).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 COGwriter in front of the Church of the Revelation in Patmos Every now and then, I deal with some of the inaccurate comments directed at me on the internet, and because I do not want one item (the eldership issue) to become an “urban legend”, I thought I would deal with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cog-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\nIs The Father God?<\/a> What is the view of the Bible? What was the view of the early church?
\nJesus is God, But Was Made Man<\/a> Was Jesus fully human and fully God or what?
\nVirgin Birth: Does the Bible Teach It?<\/a> What does the Bible teach? What is claimed in The Da Vinci Code?<\/a>
\nDid Early Christians Think the Holy Spirit Was A Separate Person in a Trinity?<\/a> Or did they have a different view?
\nDid the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity?<\/a> Most act like this is so, but is it?
\nWas Unitarianism the Teaching of the Bible or Early Church?<\/a> Many, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, claim it was, but was it?
\nBinitarianism: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning<\/a> This is a shorter article than the Binitarian View<\/a>\u00a0article, but has a little more information on binitarianism.<\/p>\n