Guest column:
For years, like many others, I had concluded that Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) had done well under Loma D. Armstrong's influence but then, after she died, HWA went off track. This made sense as this period after Loma dies is when he began to purchase the real expensive planes and spend much of his time traveling in luxury.
However, after reading more of HWA's earlier writings and by re-visiting his autobiography, it became clear that the duplicity went much further back in time and that Loma was in on it too (at least passively). It was clear that even as early as 1947, that both of the Armstrong's were enjoying life at a standard of living far above the average church member. Few members could have afforded a 7 bedroom, 4,169 sq-ft home on 0.4 acres adjacent to Cal Tech, nor could they have afforded a 6-week first class luxury tour of Europe. Most still can't
After realizing how HWA lived while simultaneously claiming
one financial crisis after another (even while the income was growing at around
30% per year), comments that I had previously discounted about HWA being
largely motivated by money began to make perfect sense.
One example:
"Honey,
I know how we're going to get rich"
Gene Scarbrough, who was an elder in YEHOVAH's
Church for over forty years, was ordained in 1967, and came out to Pasadena,
California, in that year to serve full-time in the ministry. He told me that
years ago his daughter Peggy, spent some time visiting with Mrs. Loma D.
Armstrong, who took a liking to her. While they were together one time, Mrs.
Armstrong reminisced about how the Work and Church began. While reflecting on
how the ministry of her husband Herbert and his eldest son, Richard David
Armstrong, originally got started, Mrs. Armstrong told Peggy, "They got
into it for the money!"
This type of candid statement would not be
surprising if heard from the lips of an enemy of the Church. But, coming
straight from the lips of Mrs. Loma D. Armstrong, it packs a wallop!
Another friend corroborates the above story in
part. According to his information, Garner Ted Armstrong once told a teacher in
the church at Big Sandy and a personal friend that when his father was in the
aluminum siding business back in Oregon, he got a call from far away to make a
bid on a job. Herbert jacked up the price because he didn't want the job, the
location was so distant. To his surprise, the customer said, "When can you
get started?" It turns out the customer was the minister of a Seventh Day
Adventist Church, and had plenty of money from tithes and offerings. According
to Ted Armstrong, upon returning home that evening, Herbert -- who all his life
wanted to be considered successful in business and make lots of money -- told his
wife, "Honey, I now know how we're going to get rich!"
And just yesterday (5/14/16), from Art
Mokarow...
"We
found a gold mine!"
While speaking with Mr.Mokarow about how my views regarding HWA had
changed after examining his earlier writings, and how I began to question if he
had ever been sincere, Art shared the following, "Before GTA was even
preaching, HWA had told Loma that 'We found a gold mine!'"
-Kevin