I love the winter. Big jackets more clothes scarfs etc , But the summer can be a trial for younger men. This is a advertisement for kmart walmarts not much different so be on guard . I cant post a picture of the skimpy clothes they sale but read whats on the girls shirt its a sign of the times.
But the Lord replies, "Because what is impossible with men is possible with God." This again is full of great wisdom. For a man by himself working and toiling at freedom from passion achieves nothing. But if he plainly shows himself very desirous and earnest about this, he attains it by the addition of the power of God. For God conspires with willing souls. But if they abandon their eagerness, the spirit which is bestowed by God is also restrained. For to save the unwilling is the part of one exercising compulsion; but to save the willing, that of one showing grace. Nor does the kingdom of heaven belong to sleepers and sluggards, "but the violent take it by force." For this alone is commendable violence, to force God, and take life from God by force. And He, knowing those who persevere firmly, or rather violently, yields and grants. For God delights in being vanquished in such things.
Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195) - Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.597
Dying To Self
.... This article has blessed me over and over again . I dont know who wrote it but I do know you should read it , be blessed.
Last night in asheville was the usual scene . Drunkenness poured over a slew of rebellion . One thing that really stands out was a man who came to mock us; his sign read "satan is my lord ". This soul seemed exceedingly troubled in his mind. He shouted something like...."Don't let anybody ever convince you of who you really are". Isn't that the truth about satan? He does not want us to know who we really are. The light makes manifest who we really are . Praise God when the truth shows us where we need help . I've been thinking about how repentance is an opportunity many are refusing . An old saying I heard once goes, "When opportunity knocks, don't knock it"....wise words.
The big purple bus (an obnoxious comedy tour bus which entertains the lost for a fee) pulled up along side us last night. From it blared the song the "Monster Mash". When they noticed the "satan is my lord" sign, the tour guide read it out load with his microphone as he danced to the "Monster Mash". The people cheered the satan sign on with enthusiasm.
Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.
A Chronicle of Religious Persecution in America
“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation”
If you don’t recognize the above quotation, it is the beginning of the Declaration of Independence. It was written during a time of war. England was bent on forcing the colonies to be a part of a very corrupt system, which was quite offensive to them. This declaration became one of the foundations of a new nation called America. We also find ourselves in a conflict with those who would deny us the liberty to separate ourselves from their worldly ways. And like the founders of this country, we feel the need to declare the causes which impel us to this separation.
The perpetrator of the attack that will be recounted later in this paper, was Charles “Mickey” Rooney, son of Charles Rooney Sr. of Wilmington, Massachusetts. He has also been involved in many other instances of harassment and was one of our chief accusers on a nationally televised ABC defamation (aired March 25, 1998) of the small Christian community of which I am a member. Because of my Hebrew ancestry, I have received derogatory remarks, threats and on one occasion, a beating. However, in this account, I suffered not because of my ancestry, but rather for my faith in the Messiah, as well as a desire to protect others in my community.
It’s possible that Mr. Rooney got the idea of using a television program against us because one had once been used to expose some corruption that he had been involved in. As an electrician employed by Boston’s “T” (Transit System), he had boasted to a family member of how he would go in for only a few hours of work during the night shift, even as little as one hour, and yet receive wages as though he had worked the entire shift. Other workers were also committing payroll fraud; deceitfully reporting hours that they had not worked, and stealing taxpayer’s money until it leaked out. A news crew followed and filmed a “T” truck driving idly around the city for a few hours instead of returning to the garage. Although Rooney himself escaped being exposed by the media, he seems to be aware of the power that they have to bring shame to people, whether they deserve it or not.
Both Mr. Rooney and his wife, who was also present during much of the harassment, are members of what could be described as the world’s largest religious “cult”- the Roman Catholic Church. Although I usually don’t like to use the word “cult” because it is so often used to stigmatize, discredit, degrade, and tarnish small and unconventional religious movements, it seems to be an appropriate term for the Roman Catholic church. I realize few would think or dare to apply this term to such a massive and widely accepted organization. Consider for example, how that it is an official doctrine that their leader is “infallible”. They also claim to be the “true” church. Some of their other “cultist” activities include praying to statues, lighting candles, wearing medals for protection, and praying the rosary over and over. We find no record in the New Testament of the early Christians doing any of these things, but we do find prohibitions specifically made against at least some of these activities. History records many occasions of Roman Catholic “cult” members, whose minds were so “controlled” that they actually murdered people. Sometimes the people that they killed were people who had protested against their broad and corrupt path, and had made a stand for the truths that the Catholics were resisting.
Mr. Rooney is not alone in his efforts to harass us and to incite people against our church. He is in league with a number of other people, some of whom appear to be under military mind control. We say this because of their use of pepper gas, hand cuffs, and mini-vans to abduct our members. On two recent occasions they executed their conspiracy to violate federal kidnapping laws when they used the devices mentioned above to abduct and transport two of our members across state lines. Three of the people who are in league with Mr. Rooney are Stan Avery, James Foster, and Larry Wilcox, the son of Wayne Wilcox. These three men have been meddling in church affairs for years. On August 31, 1996, Larry Wilcox unlawfully entered our dwelling place in Boston, and he refused to leave. None of his relations had ever been residents in that house. He also entered our home in Phoenix, Arizona in January, 1992, while he was yet a part of the U.S. military. He was accompanied by other military personnel who were in uniform. He entered unlawfully under the false pretence that he was interested in looking at the house, which was up for sale at the time. He has also been slandering us on the internet with lying accusations for a few years.
James Foster claimed on national television to have spent $75,000 and 14 years seeking his son. In reality though, it could be said that the money was spent not only to seek Kraig, but also to harass the church.
Olive Talley, an ABC “news” producer helped produce the program that was aired to slander us. She told me that it had been these three families (the Rooneys, the Wilcoxes, and the Fosters) who had been the main impetus behind the program.
During the formation of the program, I reluctantly permitted Olive to interview me. I had hoped to minimize the harm that I perceived the program could bring us by attempting to present our side of the story. At that time I was still under the delusion that the “news” media might actually try to be fair and objective in their reporting. Today I am no longer so naïve. Olive told me later that the interview was god. It was approximately one hour long, and I got to say any tings that we wished to tell the public about ourselves. Nothing from this “good” interview was ever aired on television because the program was not intended to make us look good. It all fell on deaf ears. The minds of these ABC “news” people were already “controlled” (to use a term that is so often used against us) by the many distortions and false accusations that they had heard from backslidden former members such as Stan Avery and Jim Guerra, as well as the three above mentioned families. They were already on the side of our adversaries and out to incite the nation against us.
On the morning of December 29, 1997, ABC television’s Diane Sawyer rudely ambushed me (as one viewer aptly described it) with a camera crew while I was awaiting three calls at some pay phones. A little later that morning, she and Olive arrived uninvited at our house with a camera crew. Some people would have called the police on such rude and obnoxious intruders. (How do you suppose Diane Sawyer would have reacted if we had demanded to enter her home and refused to leave unless she let us come in?) I finally consented to let them in, in hopes that they would soon leave. Obviously, this was not something that we had staged. Once inside, Sawyer began arrogantly accusing us and our pastor saying something about how we don’t contact our relatives. One brother in the room said, “I just wrote mine.” Then a sister said something like, “So did I.” Then another sister said she had just met with an old friend who knew her parents. I saw Diane sawyer’s face drop- she was obviously not expecting to hear things like this. She had evidently been believing whatever the Rooneys, Wilcoxes, Fosters, and others had told her about us. She believed their side of the story, whether it was true or not, and without attempting to verify their statements. Now she was coming face to face with reality, and did not seem to want to hear it. She appeared to be an example of someone whose mind was controlled by others.
I recently saw an advertisement on a bus shelter for another television network, having a picture of a nose made out of a microphone cord. The caption read, “Trial by jury- not by media.” I thought that slogan applied perfectly to what has been done to us. The prosecution alone was allowed to present it’s case and we were found guilty and condemned in the eyes of the American public, with no opportunity for a defense.
We don’t expect to be defended or even treated fairly by such a vile forum as television. The scriptures ask, “Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?” So how can a sewer that spews forth filth and mindlessness[1], glorifies violence, fornication, greed, adultery, and homosexuality, possibly give a good report about an assembly of people who want to be holy? We would like to warn any true believers who may read this paper to see this for what it really is: the devil using one of his most effective devices, the television. Don’t be simple; resist T.V. mind control, resist the devil.
It is evident that many Americans were deceived by the program. In many matters, most of them lack discernment between good and evil. A Romanian government official once said, “Westerners are easily deceived and duped- especially Americans.” The scriptures give the reason for this: “A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.” (Proverbs 17:4) Both their land and many of their hearts are filled with evil. Therefore, they easily fall prey to the lies of the media. A man in New York told me that watching the program caused him to hate me. One viewer in St. Louis was filled with such hatred that she pursued me with a baseball bat. ABC television put my life in jeopardy. I have learned that the media deals in more than just entertainment; they are merchants of deceit mind control, and hatred.
We realize that this paper probably won’t be read by 20,000,000 people (the number that Olive Talley claims watch “Prime Time”). We will nevertheless endeavor here to present truths that surely would never be brought forth on such a one-sided program as was concocted against us. Another proverb says “He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbor cometh and searcheth him.” (Proverbs 18:17) The viewpoint that the media presented was based entirely on the accusations of offended ex-members and relations. People who are acquainted with us could see that the program was thoroughly biased against us. A police precinct captain who knows some of the brothers saw the program. He phoned ABC and told a producer that the program was one-sided. Would it be fair to judge a divorce case by only listening to the arguments of one side? When there began to be a division among the Jewish nation over the Prophet from Galilee on man asked, “Doth our law judge any man before it he him, and know what he doeth?”(John 7:51) Reading this paper may not be as easy or as entertaining as sitting back and watching a television program and letting it be the judge for you. This report is not being written to “boost our ratings” by presenting sensationalism. The purpose of this report is to set forth the truth. I was an eyewitness to much of what is recorded here. These things are of a certainty; I know what took place. However, no matter how much evidence we present, it still won’t persuade those who don’t want to be convinced. A person must desire the truth in order to receive it.
There is nothing more powerful than the truth. Liars prevail for a time, but eventually their walls come tumbling down. The Holy Scriptures tell us that “a lying tongue is but for a moment.” (Pro 12:19). There was a time when the Nazis were bold to do evil. It began with their lies and propaganda being spread by the media. They created false racial theories to “prove” that the Jews were inferior as well as armful to society. As the political winds blew in their favor, they went on to commit more and far greater evils- thinking that their crimes would go unpunished. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s “Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda” scoffed when he heard that the Allies were planning to try him as a war criminal. In the end he poisoned his children, shot his wife, and he escaped prosecution only by taking his own life.
Like Goebbels, ABC television’s “Ministers of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda” were dealing in distortion, willfully perverting and not speaking the truth. I will give just one example of this that involved me personally. The morning that Diane Sawyer and her camera crew cornered me at the pay phones, she asked me if I knew the whereabouts of three different brothers. Members of our church are dispersed around the country and frequently travel, so I often don’t know everyone’s location. I told her that I didn’t know where the first two were, and I didn’t recognize the name of the third one at first. She then asked me about their welfare. Because I know that members of our church are well taken care of, I said that they were fine. She asked something like, “How do you know that they are fine if you don’t know them?” I hadn’t said that I didn’t know them, I had said that I didn’t know where they were. I believe this was done intentionally to make me look like a liar[2]. One person described the show as “a blast from the gates of hell.” However, the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) himself has assured us that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church.
One common distortion that is used against us is to slanderously label us “the garbage eaters.” (We do not eat garbage- we don’t watch television. The real “garbage-eaters” are those that feed themselves on all the trash that the media feeds them.) The first time that I was filmed by ABC, they confronted me with this accusation. I showed them (on camera) some perfectly good packages of Philadelphia cream cheese and asked, “Does this look like garbage to you?” If I remember correctly, Olive Talley replied, “No.” I told them, “People in Africa, India, or China would be very thankful to have food like this.” None of this conversation was aired on the program[3]. I have read that one-fifth of the entire annual American agricultural production goes to waste. Supermarkets across the nation daily discard caseloads of unopened packaged foods. Many times these items are discarded only because of an arbitrary freshness date. They are often quite fresh and sometimes still cold when we find them. We have been scorned repeatedly for preventing some of this good food from going o waste. There are organizations that feed the poor who also obtain their food from these sources, and receive praise instead of scorn. The New Testament tells us of a beggar named Lazarus, who desired o eat the crumbs that fell from a rich man’s table (Luke 16:19-31). His humble manner of obtaining food did not hinder his entrance into Heaven, although he probably was not held in high regard among men.
In addition to using the television against us, another one of our adversaries’ tactics (which we have found to be quite offensive) has been the misuse of police powers. They have, on numerous occasions, wrongfully incited various police departments against us by means of false accusations. They have caused us repeated injury through this menacing tactic. Recently, Mr. Rooney arrived at the home of some of our brethren in California, with four off-duty police officers whom he had persuaded to come with him. They came on a false pretence, without a warrant, and were not dispatched by a police station. On May 22, 2998, the police came to a dwelling of ours on Staten Island with a warrant for a person who had never lived in the apartment we occupied. We were the first and only occupants and had even assisted the owner when the concrete floor was poured there. It was evident that their visit was a ruse- the person they were seeking was a black female- and none of us there fit that description, yet they checked all of our I.D.’s. Before letting the police in, I had only looked to see if the warrant was signed. (I did so because I had heard of the authorities coming with papers that were unsigned on at least one previous occasion). Once the police were inside, I asked to see the warrant again hoping to examine it more closely. The officer refused to let me read it. We were treated as prisoners in our own home. When I heard the police pounding on a door in the next building (to which I had a key) they refused to let me go over and unlock it. They could have at least told the officer to stop, but instead allowed him to break down the door to the room where our bicycles were kept. This was not the first tie law enforcement people have broken down our door. (Have you ever had someone beat down the door of your house?) While all this was happening, Rooney was parked down the street in his van watching with binoculars according to witnesses. Members of our church were taken outside for questioning so he could view them through his binoculars. This was not the first time that he had been there for such purposes. He and others have travelled cross-country to park outside our homes for hours to watch us. We know that they do this; we’re not just having paranoid imaginations, because we have gotten the license plate numbers of their vehicles. I’ve been told that it’s a felony to cross state lines to harass people because of their race or religion. Their activity has manifested that they are up to more than just looking for relations.
There were also other times that we were visited by the police for suspicious reasons. In Brooklyn, during the summer of 1997, police came to our home with the false accusation that a woman was being held against her will. There was no woman dwelling there at the time, nor had there ever been during the entire time that we had lived there. When the brother asked to see a warrant, the failed to produce one, but entered anyway without permission and in violation of the false charge tat we were sacrificing goats there. Upon entering a short distance into the house and reading a few of the Bible verses that we had posed on the walls, one of the officers said, “I’ve been lied to.” One of the police officers said, “Case closed” when he perceived quickly that nothing of the sort went on there and they departed. In another incident many years ago in northern California the police staged a raid against some brethren while they were camped at a campground. They even used a helicopter against them. It was a false accusation that brought them out that time as well. One officer said that he found no evidence of any wrongdoing. So it has been for some time that these people and others have been attempting to stir up the minds of the police and other people against us across the country.
One of our accusers on the program, a former member named Stan Avery, once received a phone call from someone who wanted to pull a relation out of our assembly. One of Stan’s daughters specifically recalled hearing him advise the person to surround the house and to call the police. This is a clear example of hteir willingness to wrongly involve the police toward their ends. After following his advice to no avail, the asked him, “What should we do now?” More recently, we heard that the mother of a new brother was talking to a former member in Oregon; it was probably Stan. This same man, Stan Avery, stole another man’s wife while the man was in jail. It seems quite likely that if someone will steal, he will lie also.
The same could be said of Diane Sawyer. I was told recently by a woman who has been in the television industry for close to 30 years that Diane had stolen another woman’s husband from her. I’m persuaded that she will lie too. We recognize what Stan had done and what Diane and millions of other Americans are doing is committing adultery according to the words of Christ. His definition of that act is broader than the common understanding of adultery, which is limited to a married person having sexual relations with someone other than his or her current spouse. He taught that, “Whosoever putteth away his wife and marrieth another, committeth adultery.” (Luke 16:18) So Christ taught that divorce and remarriage also constitutes adultery. The scriptures teach us that this is a serious sin and something that we should not have fellowship with.
Another very serious sin that the scriptures warn us about is homosexuality. God separated Lot and his daughters from the city of Sodom just before he destroyed it and at least three other cities that had given themselves over to lust and perversion. Unlike some preachers who cry out only against homosexuality, we see both of these things- adultery in the form of remarriage and sodomy- as sins o keep far away from. Some of the people who oppose us are involved in these immoral activities. One example that could be mentioned was that of a young man, who was with us, whose mother is a sodomite (lesbian). He wanted to separate himself from her abominable activities. While he was in Columbia, Missouri recently, the police stopped him. While one officer was checking his I.D, another was photographing him from across the street. Many police officers are simple enough to believe what they see on television. They were working with the spirit of sodomy. What crime had he committed? For what unlawful act did they detain him? The only thing that he had done was to separate himself from his perverse mother.
Before beginning to describe the attack, I thought to first explain some of the factors that led up to it. Mr. Rooney and these other men are embittered because they have relations who have left them to become members of our spiritual community- a community that believes New Testament injunctions are to be heeded and followed. Much of the teachings of Christ and His apostle’s focus on the things and people that will present hindrances to the goal of the followers- the goal of obtaining eternal life. We have been warned clearly and repeatedly- both through the words of scripture and via our own life experiences- of the spiritual perils of associating with unbelievers and unbelieving family members in particular. Christ told us that He didn’t come to give peace on the earth, but division; that He would divide families’[4] (see Luke 12:51-53). We have chosen to believe what He has said and it has brought us this persecution. Some of this persecution has been done behind the smoke screen of parents “just looking for their children.” Some of our members are in their thirties and forties- long past the age of being children.
Experience has taught us that in many cases relations will be completely intolerant of an adult-age family member’s decision to leave them to serve the Messiah with us. One accusation they have against us is that parents aren’t consulted when someone is considering coming with us. A brother who has some knowledge about military recruiters are: 1) Is the person of age? and 2) Are they qualified for service or not? Family members are neither contacted nor consulted for the decision. One of the men who has busied himself to harass us over the last several years helped oversee recruiting for the U.S. Army and is obviously aware of these things. We see a double standard here. There is a saying, “Join the church of your choice”, but to many people that saying does not apply to this persecuted assembly.
Another issue is that of communication with relatives who are in the church. One of the often-repeated questions asked by our accusers is: “Why aren’t you willing to communicate?” In the earlier years of our church, we made many efforts to do this. The following allegory will illustrate the sum of our experiences. Try to imagine a battered woman who has been beaten many times by her husband being asked by people why she isn’t willing to communicate with her violent spouse. They may think that she is being cold or cruel toward him for trying to keep her distance from him, but they haven’t experienced all the pain and terror that she has suffered from him. She hides herself for her own safety and well being. So it is with us also. Most people are totally unaware of how many times we have turned the other cheek to these people. They even turn this into an accusation against us by describing us as “secretive.” Animals that are hunted by humans are secretive also. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans on this continent, deer were much more active during the daylight hours. Now, they are generally hidden during much of the day. Bighorn sheep once in habited vast areas of the west, but they have been driven into the most inaccessible wilderness regions. Similarly, there would be no need for us to conceal our whereabouts if they were not out to do us harm. The two recent kidnappings confirm that we are not being overcautious and that such tribulations are not a thing of the past. While we realize that some relations may be more reasonable than others, there is the ever present possibility that they will report our whereabouts to the others who would use this information to our harm.
An accusation that I would now like to address is the issue of authority in the church. Some people have gone so far as to say that our pastor controls everything. We’ve believe very strongly that the Holy Ghost is the general overseer of the church. This is manifest in our worship services which, if our critics could witness, they would see for themselves that it is true. People such as Vangie Griego of the J.P. Getty Foundation and other accusers, such as James Guerra, have floated about false reports on this subject. (James Guerra, incidentally, is rewarding us evil for good after the church helped him pay off his financial debt to Harvard University.) We, as individuals, do have duties as members of a Christian community- but many days we are free to order our own day as we see fit. (There are probably few people in the entire country who have more freedom than we have.) This accusation is no doubt an attempt to smite the leadership in hopes of scattering the flock. Some of our adversaries’ literature contained ridiculous statements about this. We older brothers work out many matters in the church, but younger members also make many decisions related to their daily activities. When the Fosters came to the city where their son was located, a brother met them first and told them it would be Kraig’s decision if he was going to meet with them. Kraig decided to see them and talk with them. Our pastor wasn’t even in the state, nor was he consulted about the matter. It was entirely Kraig’s decision.
There have been any other attempts to discredit and falsely accuse our pastor but there has been no evidence of womanizing, drinking, or being a lover of money. So these people with lying lips- that feed themselves on deceit without any fear- have strained to come up with some sort of accusation. One example of their willingness to lie about him that I have heard was, “He dyes his hair!” It isn’t true. Not one person in our church uses hair dye. The reason why these people direct most of their accusations against our pastor is revealed in the scriptures. They tell us that “Every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians” (Genesis 46:34)
Returning to the subject of communication with relatives in the church, our accusers sometimes say that all they want to do is communicate with them. This may be true in some cases, but communication with one’s enemies (as the scriptures refer to unbelieving family members in Matthew 10:35-36) can be, and often is, harmful. Once communication is established, it allows the unbelievers more opportunity to assail their relation with doubts, subtle distortions, as well as outright false accusations against their companions and their way of life. They also use the occasion to tempt, threaten, and play on their emotions to turn them away from their whole-hearted devotion to Christ. We have seen in the recent past on two occasions, parents coming with handcuffs and forcibly removing members against their own will, i.e. kidnapping them. It is apparent that most of our relations aren’t able to grasp the concept of an Absolute and Eternal Being such as the Creator of all things: Yeshua, the Son of Elohiym (Hebrew for Jesus, the son of God)- who both deserves and requires total submission on the part of those who profess to belong to Him. They are accustomed to the forms of worship and service practiced by the Catholic church and other religions of this world that permit their followers to live their lives almost any way they choose and in complete conformity to the rest of the unbelieving world. Therefore when they observe a small group of people who have broken their ties to an ungodly society and devote their lives and resources completely to divine service, it appears very strange to them, something that they don’t want any of their relatives to be a part of.
We do not use alcohol or drugs. We have no weapons. We do not engage in pre-marital or extra-marital sex. We believe that it is wrong to commit suicide. We do not employ “brainwashing” techniques nor do we believe any of our members to be incarnations of the Divine. We do not engage in criminal activities. Even Olive Talley of ABC “news”, who had been thoroughly informed against us, acknowledged to me that she knew that we’re not doing anything illegal. (In reality, our persecutors are known to break the law, while we are treated as suspects.) Nevertheless, because of the reason mentioned above, we generally do strongly encourage members to sever ties with unbelieving relations with some exceptions where they are not greatly influenced and prejudiced against us.
The Holy Scriptures teach that it is the parent’s responsibility to diligently bring their children up in the way of the Almighty. “And these, words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto they children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7) (see also Ephesians 6:4). The vast majority of parents in this present American society have failed miserably in this task. Their lives are often consumed in moneymaking, and empty pleasures of the flesh. Some of us were seeking higher ground- a better life- not just being consumed away in moneymaking. So, when we desire to leave the ungodly surroundings and company we grew up among, it can be a stinging rebuke to them. Rather than examine their own lives and acknowledge their own shortcomings and transgressions and attempt to change it is far easier to be dishonest and blame it all on a “cult” or “leader” who “brainwashed” the young adult. Some people call this “stonewalling.” Someone keeps on denying their guilt in a matter and blames it all on someone else. Some people find being rejected very difficult to accept. It’s not uncommon to hear of fired Postal employees returning to their former workplace and shooting people. Something Job once said while being unjustly criticized comes to mind, “But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?” (Job 19:28).
I hope to relate the following incident in a truthful manner without exaggeration, embellishment or any loose statements.
I arrived in the Boston area on the afternoon of April 28, 1998. I had driven a vehicle for someone to Waltham MA and got on a bus that was going into Cambridge. I was heavily laden by a large backpack and daypack that I was wearing and I was also carrying a bicycle wheel in y hand. At approximately 5:20 p.m., I exited the bus at the intersection of Mass. Ave and Wendell St. I noticed a white-haired man wearing eyeglasses get off the bus as well. As I walked a short distance down Wendell St., I looked back to see if he was going to follow me. At first he hesitated (Probably because he saw me watching him) and looked around as if he was disoriented. Once I began moving in a definite direction he began following me. When he caught up to me, he began saying things to me like, “You look very familiar, don’t I know you?” and, “I’ve seen you before, weren’t you on T.V. recently?” I replied that I didn’t watch T.V and tried to get away from him, but was hindered by the heavy load I was carrying. He asked me if I had a “friend” name Olive (referring to ABC’s Olive Talley) who in reality was their friend. Then he told me my first name. He asked me what my last name was; he said that he had forgotten it, although I heard him tell it to someone a little while later on his cell phone.
He told me that he was Charles Rooney and that there was a warrant out for Patrick Rooney’s arrest. This warrant is based upon a false accusation that he fabricated. (When Mr. Rooney and those four off-duty policemen came seeking Patrick at the house in California, they were asked to show us a warrant, which they did not have. They were there under a false pretence attempting to apprehend someone unlawfully, which in itself could be a crime.) He then told me that Patrick was wanted to a felony. He never told me and I never asked him what the imaginary charge was for, but he used a word to describe it saying that anyone who concealed Patrick’s whereabouts could also be arrested. He mentioned that I had acknowledged to ABC’s Diane Sawyer that I had seen him. He asked me repeatedly if I had seen him since then or if I knew his whereabouts, how he was, etc. It was somewhat of a dilemma for me. I certainly didn’t want to help him find Patrick so he could go and handcuff him and drag him away and torment him. Also I felt if I did indicate that I knew anything about his whereabouts that I would be incriminating myself according to his false charge. I wanted to get away from him, but felt that I needed to do so with both of the bags that I was carrying because they both contained information that I didn’t want to fall into his hands. (Normally I don’t carry much information in my gear and I plan not to in the future). His threat was that if I failed to give him the information that he wanted, I would be taken in and questioned by the police. I reasoned that if that were to happen, they and/or he would go through my personal belongings and papers. I was not carrying anything illegal but there was personal and other information that I didn’t want to read by an enemy. I told him that “He’s fine” and that they didn’t need to be concerned about his welfare, possibly hoping to comfort him by this. He took these words as evidence that I had seen him, and used them against me to the effect that I was withholding information from him. This led me to qualify my statement by saying, “We’re all fine, you know that the brothers and sisters are o.k.” He angrily told me that I was changing my story and would be taken downtown for questioning. He took out his cell-phone and contacted someone he referred to as Sgt. DiVerdi. (I wondered if this was actually just another brother’s relatives who live in that area, and have that same last name.) One thing that he kept saying to me was, “We’re going to fight fire with fire,” which was to me yet another indication that the “felony” charge against Patrick was false. While we waited for this “Sgt. DiVerdi,” he told me I’d be spending a few days in jail. He said this a few times, but once he said that I’d be in there for a few weeks. More than once he received phone calls and spoke about me in my hearing about whether they would “need” to do “this” or “that” to me, attempting to dramatize the situation by making it seem like some fearful things could be in store for me.
He presented his ultimatum to me. To avoid going to jail, I had to promise him that Patrick would both phone and write within 30 days. I didn’t want to answer him hastily; I needed some time to consider this. Then I had an idea. I recalled an edifying testimony that Patrick had written, and thought that perhaps it could be sent to him. As I thought about this (not necessarily a phone call) I said, “maybe we could work something out.” He took this to mean that I was in agreement with his terms, which I had not consented to.
Somewhere around this time, he asked me if I would like to meet his wife. I didn’t particularly want to and may have expressed some uncertainty about it to him as he phoned her. He told her that I would love to meet her, which I had never said. While we awaited her arrival, he boasted to me about how he had followed our pastor around. (If you consider this thing about stalking people, you may realize how unrighteous it is. Some people involved in this activity don’t really have a sound mind). He continued to press me for a decision. He had been frustrated by previous encounters he had with other brothers which had left him without the information he sought r the assurance that communications would be arranged for him. I felt that agreeing with him might somehow turn out to be a trap, and I wanted to get back to him at a later time, but he didn’t believe that I would do so.
He was getting angry at my reluctance to agree on the spot to his demand and then he reached inside the cover of my large backpack which was next to me and pulled his wallet out of there. He had apparently hidden it there earlier- perhaps in case I had fled or somehow provoked him sufficiently to use it to have me arrested on a false charge. This confirmed to me that e really was prepared to have me jailed on any false charge that he could create, and also that he was not to be trusted at all. He then began to act kind to me by saying something like, “See what I could have done to you? I’ being on the level with you, why won’t you level with me?” As he continued to pressure me, his wife arrived. We spoke for a while and their approaches varied; it reminded me of the “Mutt & Jeff” tactic sometimes employed by police. While he was threatening me with jail, she would ask me if I was hungry, or try to act sympathetic by saying, “Isn’t your life difficult?” (Normally my life isn’t too difficult; presently they were my only source of difficulty.) Both of them seemed to be emitting a soft beeping sound from inside their clothing; I wondered if perhaps our conversation was somehow being monitored. As his anger grew and after seeing his treachery with the wallet, I wondered if indeed I was going to be jailed on some false charge. I committed myself to the faithful Creator and looked up at the blue sky and thought, “Truly I’m not worthy of such an honor as to suffer for His sake.” I felt blessed, and indeed I was, because Yeshua had said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. “ (Matthew 5:11) It was comforting to trust that He would see me through whatever might happen, and that He had already kept me from running away with Mr. Rooney’s wallet unawares and getting arrested for that. I needed to use the restroom, so I picked up my large backpack and put it on. As I reached for my daypack, Rooney quickly grabbed it and put it on his back. He refused to let me have it back. The three of s walked up the street to the Gulf station at the corner of Mass. Ave and Eustis St., and I asked the attendant for the key to the men’s room. He gave it to me and I opened the door, and walked in with my backpack on my back. Before closing the door, I pleaded with Rooney to give me my daypack. I told him that I couldn’t trust him with it because of what he had already done to me with his wallet, but he refused. After using the restroom, I came out and he began to rage. He came at me and pushed me up against the wall and thrust his hands about my neck to begin choking me but his wife cried out that he shouldn’t hurt me. The gas station attendant witnessed this and came quickly over to us. Rooney attempted to intimidate the man by flashing his wallet at him, revealing a police badge. (It is important to note that Charles Rooney is not a policeman. Patrick told us that he was given the badge by his brother, Jimmy Rooney, who was demoted from being Chief of police in a small town in Massachusetts. He has been using this illegal trick for years- impersonating a police officer by flashing a badge, but Patrick assured us he is not a police officer. He also said that Chares Rooney has been a liar as far back as he could remember. In fact, Patrick says his entire family is corrupt, with the exception of one sister. Even before he met us, he had already begun to make some withdrawal from them. He was going to school on the other side of the country and was not receiving financial assistance from them, but worked as a dishwasher.) I said, “He’s not a cop” and, “He stole my daypack and won’t give it back.” Rooney responded by shouting angrily, “Go ahead, call the police!” It seemed that the gas station attendant was sympathetic towards me and desirous to hear my side of the story, but I didn’t know whether I should try to involve him or not. Mrs. Rooney had witnessed much of what her husband had done to me. I asked her at least once, “Would you like it if someone treated your son this way?” She replied, “no.” She asked me what should they do? I told her that they needed to repent and stop lying, bearing false witness, stalking, impersonating the police, stealing and assaulting people. By this time it was dark. Rooney had run out of patience with me and kept repeating that if I didn’t yield to his demand, they would leave with my daypack. I was still unsure about agreeing to his terms. I wanted to get back to him on the matter, but he refused to negotiate (of which thing he had accused me of earlier). Some of his last words before they left were that he was going to press charges against another brother and me. So they left with my daypack.
In considering what took place on that day, two things stand out in y mind. The first was the recollection of a man who had stalked, harassed, lied to, assaulted and robbed me, impersonated a police officer, planted false evidence against me- and all the while he was raging and telling e that I was going to jail! Later I realized the irony of what took place: by stealing my daypack, he did to me the very things that he would have framed me with. How unjust I was for ABC television to give such a massive audience to such a gross liar and hypocrite as Charles Rooney! Surely the program was a blast from the gates of hell. Secondly, in observing all this evil behavior exhibited by Rooney, I a more persuaded than ever that he is just the sort of person the Scriptures teach us to beware of and to avoid. He convinced me thoroughly that Patrick has taken the needful and proper step in withdrawing himself from such corruption.
To date it has been three months since this incident took place. Rooney has struck at least four times during this period. In one of those cases the police urged us to press charges against him. He has been denying that he assaulted and robbed me, and is telling people that it’s only a “rumor”. I can assure you that it is not a rumor. For years our adversaries have misused law enforcement agencies, the media, and the courts in their war against us. These approaches have failed to help them sufficiently in their desire to dismantle our church. We can observe in Rooney, at least, a growing sense of frustration. In his desire to escalate the warfare again us he is now advocating a new approach: physical violence. He recently told some of our members that he is going to start “breaking teeth”.
Soon after that, he succeeded in his desire to have Patrick arrested. At this present time Patrick is in jail, not for any crime that he committed, but because his family doesn’t agree with his beliefs. We hope to report the current injustices that he is suffering in a later paper, if God wills.
Religious persecution is not something new. Nearly two thousand years ago, the apostles Peter and John encountered much opposition as they reached a new and very controversial message in the land of Israel. Some people reacted violently to their words- even seeking to put them to death- and they were imprisoned more than once. Thos who persecuted and killed members of the early church of Yeshua ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ) were so blinded by the god of this world- Satan- that they thought that they were doing God a service. This is also true in the case of our adversaries. In their deceived state, they can’t see that they are actually being used by the devil. Some of the acts that they have committed are felonies according to the laws of the land. However, the greater crime that they are committing is fighting against the Almighty. In the days of the early church not everyone chose to actively oppose the disciples. Few today possess the wisdom and discretion that was manifested by the Jewish elder Gamaliel. His voice in the council urged restraint and the words he spoke seem prophetic in their wisdom and latter fulfillment:
“And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: but if it be of Elohiym (God), ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against Elohiym” (Acts 5:38-39) Because it was of Elohiym and not of men, the efforts of Saul of Tarsus and other persecutors to overthrow it proved fruitless. This counsel and work spread further and further and it has endured unto this day.
We acknowledge that the persecutions that we have experienced thus far are small in comparison with the sufferings of true Christians in other lands and times. We believe though, that as the church is restored, persecution will also return. We realize that there may be more serious things ahead (Jeremiah 12:5).
I have thought that genuine Christian faith consists of both believing that the Holy Scriptures are true, and following through to live according to what they teach. I see the conflict, therefore between our church and those who oppose us, as being one between those who have this faith and those who do not. Concerning this precious substance that the scriptures call faith, the Messiah asked, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:18) Because true faith is so rare in this late time, many people do not recognize it when they encounter those that possess it. With their defiled and unbelieving minds they attempt to rationalize away this faith and, at times, even label it “mind control” or “brainwashing”. Elohiym’s word tells us that there will be divisions and separations in families which have members who walk in the fullness of the gospel. Therefore we see the combined efforts of certain ex-members who walk in the fullness of the gospel. Therefore we see the combined efforts of certain ex-members, some of our flesh relations, and ABC television to be nothing less than an attack on the word of Elohiym.
Yeshua ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ, as His Name was originally spoken in Hebrew), said:
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
(Matthew 10:34-37)
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[1] ABC television is not only aware of the mindlessness that they broadcast, but they actually glory in it. This was manifest in their advertising campaign in the summer of 1997. Some of their ads which appeared on buses and billboards read, “Scientists say we use 10% of our brain cells. That’s way too much.” And “Go ahead, you’ve got billions of brain cells.” They openly make a mockery of how television wastes away the mind.
[2] In my dealings with the media I have come to the conclusion that “anything you say can and (probably) will be used against you.”
[3] Although I did not watch the program, I read the transcript and these words were not included in it.
[4] Divorce, which is socially acceptable today, divides many families: but not for righteous causes.
