Church of God

[homeschoolmomma1]

You all are so smart. I have to ask you about this religion church of God www.churchofgod.net

 

I was curious and well went in for some lituature since they are always on the side of the road on Saturdays. Anyway, One lady liked hugged me right when she met me. It felt weird. They offered me food I declined. I don't know if that was rude. Anyone know anything about them?

 

Seem cult like to me. End of the word, quakerish. Women and men all wear uniforms.

 

I went in with a tank top and jeans. I felt out of place and the kids looked at me like I was a slut. Maybe I was to them. I was half naked to their long sleaves!

 

We live in Benton, Ohio and they seem to be around this area

 

 

I sort of want to go and see what it is like. I wonder if I have to wear a frumper?

 

Pictures are on thier website. Check out Ohio 2011 http://churchofgod.net/photos/ohio-2011

 

They also have little schools http://churchofgod.net/locations/schools

[The Archivist]

Quakerish? I think maybe that word does not mean what you think it means.

Anyway, I think we've had a thread here or at the old board about the Church of God.

[homeschoolmomma1]

haha I don't know if they are silent at their meetings. I forget are quakers silent. I get religions confused. Ignore that quakerish part haha

[keeperrox]

We have several "Church of God" congregations in our area and one of our very large "retirement communities" (nursing homes) is "Church of God Home". They are charismatic/pentecostal, but are part of this denomination: http://www.churchofgod.org/ (not churchofgod.net).

While I don't specifically know anyone who is a member, because I don't talk about religion with friends or acquaintances, I'm sure I know someone who is a member.

[homeschoolmomma1]

We have several "Church of God" congregations in our area and one of our very large "retirement communities" (nursing homes) is "Church of God Home". They are charismatic/pentecostal, but are part of this denomination: http://www.churchofgod.org/ (not churchofgod.net).

While I don't specifically know anyone who is a member, because I don't talk about religion with friends or acquaintances, I'm sure I know someone who is a member.

Ummm nope the people I am talking about is Churchofgod.net I have all; the tracts that say that site.

[clibbyjo]

I have a friend who grew up in it and its a cult. Lucky she got out at 18(when her parents were arranging a marriage for her) and never looked back. She has a PHD now, but she still carries the scars of that cult. I have told her about this site and hope she posts as a cult survivor.

[homeschoolmomma1]

was she a member of the church of god.net I think there is confusion because there are 2 or 3 churches of God

[Alecto]

There are Churches of God in the South, at least, that are your standard middle of the road penecostal church.

[PennySycamore]

This particular Church of God seems to be influenced by the Mennonites, but that may not be the case.

There are a number of denominations that call themselves the "Church of God". The Church of God that keeperox is referring to is the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) which is fairly big in this area. I do know a number of folks who are members. Traditionally, the women did not wear make-up or pants and the adult women wore their hair piled on top of their heads. (The higher the hair, the closer to God.) I think that either this denomination or the Church of God of Prophecy was the Church of God we discussed on the old board. In my hometown, the local Church o'God congregations were famous for their hot dog sales. Man, could those ladies make great hot dogs! There's also the Church of God of Anderson, Indiana, which does not consider itself a denomination. Reading through the Wikipedia article on the Anderson, Indiana church made me wonder if perhaps the Church of God this thread's about might not be related to the COG (Anderson, Indiana) and, lo and behold, it is. I guess that the Anderson, Indiana church got too liberal or something. They allow women to wear earrings and lipstick and one of their most famous members, singer Sandi Patti, got divorced in the early 90s. Not only that, but Sandi admitted that she'd cheated on her husband.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_God_(Anderson,_Indiana)

There's a link to The Gospel Trumpet in the media links at the end of the article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_God_(Restoration)

[gloriamarilyn]

haha!! I wondered when this one would be discussed!!

I was a member of the Church of God (Restoration). They tack on the "Restoration" part because they are "restoring" the Church of God to its full glory. The original start was in 1880, when the Church of God was founded by D.S. Warner. In the early 1900's, it split into the Anderson version, and the more "conservative" version- "Faith and Victory".

In 1980, Daniel Layne- a drug addict- was "miraculously saved", joined the "Faith and Victory" group, and decided that it was too "lukewarm" for him. In the late 80's, he started his own group- "restoring" the church to its full power and glory. They teach radical doctrines like divine healing, "come out from among her", full sanctification (once you are saved and sanctified, you no longer sin), and omnipotence of the Church of God- they are the one, true bride.

That's the history in a nutshell.

My family joined in the height of its glory- in 1991. At first, it was a pretty happy, loving group of people. I was 10 when we joined- I thought they were weird, but whatever- what choice did I have? It very quickly turned ugly, though. I remember them preaching about how little boys and little girls were not supposed to play together, or sit together, etc.

We got booted out when I was 18- it was super traumatic. It took me years to recover, but it's been 11 years now, and I'm pretty much healed now.

Seriously, this group is a cult of epic proportions. It makes all the fundies you discuss on this board look wonderful, normal and permissive. The horror stories I could tell would make your skin crawl. They seem loving and happy, but omg- the level of dysfunction, abuse, cruelty, control, etc. defies anything you've ever heard of. I'm in touch with a lot of ex-members, and some that have left recently have told me stories that make me want to vomit, and I think I had already heard everything- nothing much phases me anymore.

Oh, and they look like a cross between Quakers and Amish. They have very strong Mennonite influence, as they have roped in a lot of Mennonites- Conservative Mennonites (white caps), Amish, and the Mexican Mennonites. The foundation of it was based on various types of the Church of God, though.

Their services are NUTS! I took some of my friends to a few services some years back, and it was a surreal experience for them. They look all conservative and quiet- you start out expecting a quiet, typical Mennonite service. The instant the singing starts, though, things explode. People start shouting, "amenning", raising their hands, standing up to raise their hands, jumping around, screaming, waving hankies, etc. It's like Pentecostalism on steroids. ;) People randomly jump up like popcorn to "testify"- give a brief story, exhortation, or just spout off a lot of Christianese. There is a lot of yelling and amenning during the sermon- it's hilarious. Be prepared for NO critical thinking whatsoever- it's a lot of religious speak, and tons and tons of church worship. The church is more important than God or Jesus- they essentially worship the institution. (they'd deny it, but it doesn't take long before you can see it.)

The amount of child abuse that happens there is epic. I have unbelievable horror stories of what happened to me, and I know that many others have worse stories than I have. It makes the Pearls look absolutely benevolent.

Courtship as practiced by the fundies is considered worldly and sinful. There is NO such thing- the "Lord" (aka ministry") arranges the marriages. Young men and women are not supposed to talk to each other AT ALL. (I am a very outspoken, flirtatious person- I regularly felt so much guilt for just being me.) Any arrangements go through the ministry, and occasionally the parents- depending on how "spiritual" they are. The young woman really has nothing to say about it- I know one girl that tried to decline, and was told that by disobeying the ministry, she was disobeying God, and would go to hell. She married the guy. From the time of the "announcement", it's about 2-3 months until the marriage. There is to be NO touching whatsoever, and NO talking. (unless it's to talk about the type of fridge you want in your house, or a very little talking about only spiritual things. There's time enough to get to know each other after you're married!) (thank heavens that I didn't get married there!!!)

There was some sexual abuse that happened when I was there, and I've since heard stories of even more vile stuff. It's all dealt with internally. (aka swept under the rug) Police never get called, and if someone has the nerve to get them involved, they're in trouble.

And homeschoolmomma1, they absolutely would have thought you were a slut. The amount of judgment and making fun of people on the outside that goes on there is epic- it's a matter of pride and joy. (I was such a disgusting little snob- I'm still ashamed of myself, and I was one of the kind ones.) They cover up everything- long sleeves, long, full skirts, vests on top of full dresses (to hide the female curve), high collars, etc. That's not to mention everything underneath. No lace or fancy undies allowed, and you have to wear a slip and undershirt of some sort. Yes, I nearly died of heat, especially at the Ohio campmeetings every June- that humidity was unreal! And yes, they police what people wear underneath. They have "clothing police" that have the right to come and inspect your wardrobe at any point. I remember gleefully tattling on two young women that were discussing wearing matching undies the next day. They got a huge talking to from the ministry. Have I mentioned unbelievable control?

They WILL be super loving and caring though, to rope you in. That hug and offer of food absolutely makes sense- they shower newcomers or potential newcomers with so much love, warmth and acceptance. Once you're solidly in, the dark underbelly exposes itself, and hell begins. They keep everyone in with so much fear- they threaten hell and torment so loudly- people are terrified, and cannot leave.

The list goes on and on. I left in 2000, and things were already hell. Apparently it's 10 times worse now.

Any questions? Ask away. :)

[gloriamarilyn]

clibbyjo, apparently I can't PM you... I probably knew your friend- the group was still pretty small when I was there, and I knew everybody. Would you be comfortable giving me her name? If not, she'd probably know who I was- my username is my real first name. :)

[PennySycamore]

Gloriamarilyn,

You are a bit too new to be able to PM, but you should be able to very soon after a few more posts. clibbyjo should be able to PM you, though.

[apple1]

Sort of back to the beginning: Church of God Anderson is a very middle-of-the-road normal-mainstream kind of a group. I have a friend who attends a COG Anderson. Just FTR.

[homeschoolmomma1]

Oh I do have questions!

I was looking at the pictures. Did you go to their 'school'?

If so what is it like? Do you learn anything or is it just to 'keep sweet'. In the pictures of the school kids they do look Amish and some schools are maga small it seems.

Do the little girls have to wear as much crap too? I mean how can a 8 year old defraud?

[mirele]

My hair hurts from seeing all those women and girls with their hair pulled back, braided and bound up.

Where do these women get their uniforms? I can't hardly call them regular clothes, because everyone's dressed alike.

[uber frau]

They're probably all homemade.

[clibbyjo]

clibbyjo, apparently I can't PM you... I probably knew your friend- the group was still pretty small when I was there, and I knew everybody. Would you be comfortable giving me her name? If not, she'd probably know who I was- my username is my real first name. :)

No, I would not give out her name,its her story. I just mentioned it in vague terms. I will e-mail her and see if she wants to read this thread though. :)

[darareaksmey]

gloriamarilyn, do you or anyone else know how the Church of God of Prophecy fits into this picture? Are they more or less "fundy" than the Restoration church you describe, or the Cleveland TN or Anderson IN groups? I ask because I work with a guy who is Church of God of Prophecy, and everytime I think I have him figured out as a fundie he does or says something that makes me think otherwise.

[EvilHarlot]

Delurking after years (though I think that used to have an account on the old board, I think my username was KnowJesusNoPeace, I posted once or twice about my fav fundie, Emily!!) because both I'm from Ohio and have seen these people frequently and because I was brought up in Church of God Anderson Ind. Both my father and aunt are ministers in the Church of God-Anderson. While it definitely has "holiness movement" history, currently it is a very mainstream Protestant Denomination (though you can still find people who insist it is "not a denomination"). The only thing that was different about it was that there was NO DANCING. And I mean none! There was no dancing at any weddings, I was never allowed to go to any of my high school dances. Dancing was considered by my family like the worst sin ever! :lol: Also, absolutely NO ALCOHOL! So with no dancing and no drinking, Church of God Anderson Ind weddings are pretty boring. I have two siblings and none of us PKs (preacher's kids) stayed in the Church of God. My sister attends the huge Willowbrook megachurch in Chicago ( there was DEFINITELY drinking and dancing at her wedding!) and my brother and I are atheists.

P.S. Has anyone had any updates on Emily lately?

[PennySycamore]

gloriamarilyn, do you or anyone else know how the Church of God of Prophecy fits into this picture? Are they more or less "fundy" than the Restoration church you describe, or the Cleveland TN or Anderson IN groups? I ask because I work with a guy who is Church of God of Prophecy, and everytime I think I have him figured out as a fundie he does or says something that makes me think otherwise.

The Church of God of Prophecy is an offshoot of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee). AFAIK, there is no relationship between the Tennessee COGs and the Anderson, Indiana folks other than that they are both Holiness churches. The Tennessee Churches of God are pentecostal while the Anderson, Indiana Church is not. I think the Church of God of Prophecy has relaxed about a few things in the past few decades such as admitting some divorced and remarried people as members and wearing jewelry

[gloriamarilyn]

Oh I do have questions!

I was looking at the pictures. Did you go to their 'school'?

If so what is it like? Do you learn anything or is it just to 'keep sweet'. In the pictures of the school kids they do look Amish and some schools are maga small it seems.

Do the little girls have to wear as much crap too? I mean how can a 8 year old defraud?

Yes, I went to one of the schools. They were just getting started during the last 3 years of my time in school- we had all been homeschooled up til that point. Our school was a sort of a one room schoolhouse, where we all did a sort of a homeschool co-op, or something. It wasn't very well organized, and I more or less schooled myself. I did have some help with Saxon algebra (UGH!), but otherwise I was mostly on my own. There was some serious abuse of power that went on there- take a bunch of repressed, single young women, and some angry, bitter mothers, and you've got conditions ripe for abuse. Good times. I think they've since refined their systems, and the bigger schools, at least, seem to have individual classrooms.

It's all very much about keeping anything "worldly" out, though- I think stuff like Vision Forum would be too much for them. A lot of Rod & Staff materials were used. (that was the extent of my sex ed- woohoo! Rod & Staff's "God's Will for My Body"- what an absolutely useless book!) "Keeping Sweet" is putting it mildly- we had to suppress any negative emotions, or else they'd be beaten out of us. I've mostly tried to block out all the torture sessions I was subjected to at home as a result of all this. Emotionally, I was beaten and degraded into shreds. Yes, that's typical- they do that to everyone.

One of their schools in the southern states had some pretty disgusting things happen. The pastor of that congregation/principal of the school would call young, teenaged girls into his office, lock the door, and spend extended amounts of time with them. One girl has told stories of how he tried to get her to take off her underwear, and when she refused, he beat her unconscious. He was finally caught for molesting a 16 year old girl, and was "sat down" from being in the ministry. Hardly anyone knows of the disgusting things he's done- he's still a member in good standing in the church.

And yes, the young girls all have to wear the same uniform. I forget what the reasoning is- I think it's that modesty needs to be instilled in them early- before any physical changes happen. I'm not sure if vests are required for them, but most wear them, anyhow. (there was so much drama about the vests, and how they needed to hide the curve that breasts and hips create- LOL!) But yeah- infants start wearing those clothes- there is no such thing as innocent onesies, or anything. It has to be full garb.

We all sewed our own clothing, or else had someone else in the church sew them. I started learning to sew those torturous things- I think there had to be a minimum of 20 1 inch pleats on each side of the skirt, or something? I forget the exact number, but it was ridiculous. Sleeves needed either gathers and pleats to be full, and had to have cuffs- they couldn't just have elastics or be loose. I've been wanting to take up sewing again, but am still traumatized from all that. I'm sure normal things would be way easier to create! Back when I was there, we were still allowed limited amounts of color in clothing. In the beginning, colors, patterns and some liberty of pattern choice was still permitted. Since then, they've changed it, though, and only dark, muted, plain colors and heavy fabrics are permitted. Ugh! Guys used to wear ordinary suits (no ties!), but have since switched to the Amish high collar broadcloth suits.

Ohhh, and the hair. My head is hurting from the remembrance of it. :? My hair was thick and long- it went past my knees. (we weren't allowed to cut our hair at all- scissors were not allowed to touch it.) Doing hair was an elaborate ritual for every woman each morning. I cut it down to taking about 20-25 minutes- that was fast! I would pull up the front part of my hair into a clip, and "poof" it out as much as was allowed. I would then take the rest of my hair, pull it halfway up my head, put it into another clip, and then braid that into a tight braid. I used about 20-30 large bobby pins- I couldn't stand it being loose. I would start winding the braid into an ovalish circle on the back of my head, firmly securing the braid with bobby pins about every inch or so. When it was on, it was ON- I was determined that mine wasn't going to move. :) A few years after I left, I had to get a cyst removed from the back of my head- lol. Even after we had left the church, my dad fought me on my cutting my hair- he insisted that the Bible forbade it, and no amount of my pleading of discomfort would change his mind. It came to an ultimatum of how if I cut my hair I'd get kicked out of the house. I had some strong things to say, and cut it anyhow. It's now pixie short, and I'm never, ever going back to long hair. :)

PennySycamore is right on the Church of God Prophecy non-connection. :)