Reply #181: Must-read Link: "Truth about LCOG: Child molestation & Pedophilia"

[Maddy McCall]

RCM's slow-rolling wheels of "justice" grind the innocent
Gavin Rumney's online e-zine, called Ambassador Watch, quoted the following posting on the UCGia Yahoo group about Roderick C. Meredith (RCM) covering up ministerial abuse:

"I was in a church which fell apart. It fell apart because we had a host put over us to give sermons, counsel, etc. He used to be a minister. But we found out he had a 20 year history of sexual misconduct, which included accusations of rape and child molestation. When people in the church wrote to the ministers they were threatened to be kicked out. Turning this person into the authorities was discouraged."

"This person disfellowshipped half of our congregation by the time he was through. Before he was finally disfellowshipped, 22 different families and individuals issued statements which were mailed to district attorneys in all of the counties the incidents happened in. I asked the presiding evangelist why he put this person there, when he told me he knew of his history in WCG. He told me because his wife told him on the phone he had repented."

"This was Roderick Meredith. This was in the Global Church of God. So... why would the wife of this individual stay so long with her husband had several affairs and molested several children? Who knows. Maybe denial. This host never went to jail, because the actions were covered up by the ministry and if anyone turned to the authorities they were told they would be kicked out."

"So my point is, I am not judging whether or not Mr. Armstrong did the things he was accused of. I was not there. But I would like to point out how easy it would be for HWA or any minister to do things like that and never be held accountable. And lastly, Roderick Meredith is not a very credible source in this accusation, since he has protected people that did much worse than what HWA was accused of."

It is bad enough that predators can sneak into churches without anyone knowing about it. However, when a church's head honcho knowingly brings them in, promotes them, and protects them--while allowing their victims to be threatened not to tell the truth about them or warn anyone else--the situation is indeed bad. New converts are led to believe that any problems in the church are just "imagined" and, even if not, can be resolved easily as long as they have a "good attitude." They are given no idea just how bad the situation in the so-called Churches of God (COGs) can really be.

(Much more at this link: http://truth.fateback.com/lcg2.html and http://truth.fateback.com/lcg.html )

This really sounds like a troubled church with loads of problems.