| My Testimony | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I'm a regular guy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I am a Philadelphia sports fan. As a youth, I was in the smoke filled Connie Mack Stadium one year to see both of Johnny Callison's inside the park home runs. I also was the first on their feet at Veteran's stadium, when it was 3rd and 8 on the 2 yard line, I saw Mike Quick had his man beat, and Ron Jaworski hit him in stride for the coast to coast touch down. The way the Eagles are playing this year, it looks like they'll be giving me a lot more free time on Sundays. I have traveled a little too: In 1994 I went to visit a successful friend in Berlin Germany. Very clean city. And in 1996 I went to a family reunion in France stopping in Paris, Normandy, and England (I walked across Abbey Road). It was August and it was still pushing 70 degrees. And they have no screens in the windows becuase there are no bugs! | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apology | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I wanted this website to be about the goodness of Jesus. And there certainly is a lot of goodness there. We seriously could never get tired. There's a verse that says in the ages to come he will still be showing us about his grace in kindness toward us. But along the way Christians have done many bad things. They say they have done them in the name of God. The Inquisition, the Crusades (converting others at sword point) and today the cults. Many people think people are stupid to join cults. These people must be quite naive to be so duped. Quite the contrary. The average cult joiner is someone who is bright. They are intelligent with high ideals and hopes of changing the world. The cult provides this avenue. It has the answers. And Christ is the answer. But after the honeymoon is over, you may or may not eventually find out what's really going on. And who you're really working for. Is the domicile of your leader better than yours? There's one red flag right there! So in my journey I am relating to you some of the things I've been exposed to. They are my personal experiences. It borders on gossip or judging others, though, doesn't it? But I feel that I would be hurting you more by not passing this along. Judge for yourself. I think it's wrong to speak the way I do in my testimony, but I would rather err on the side of helping you. It may taint your view of certain situations - but I think you need to be armed with more than just your open mind - though that's what it will come down to in the end, hopefully - you making up your own mind about everything. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| The beginnings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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It all started in 1975 in a house at Bustleton and Grant Aves between a hoagie shop and a church. The house has long since been demolished. But back then, a friend named Gene had invited me over to check out what was going on there. A fellow named Bill was talking to two girls from the hoagie shop. He was speaking from a tract he had drawn which said, "You see how the whole world is into games, so if you pay along - you're the hypocrite!" So I said, well isn't this a game too? I thought I was so clever. He said "I'll talk to you later." And when he did he spoke about God, this life, and the life to come. Everything he said made sense so I prayed with him the "sinner's prayer" and when I got up from my knees I knew that this was why I was born. This is what I had been waiting my whole life for. I was home. A few weeks later was "the Big Meeting" in Mount Joy Pennsylvania. And here's where the saga really begins... | I drifted away a few months later. I went to an Outlaws concert at the Tower Theater. Three things happened that night that made me think I was doing the wrong thing: One was, before the concert, my brother's girl friend was dropped off by friends who were "Jesus Freaks". They found out I had gotten saved and they just went on and on about how great Jesus was and everything. I said "Uh huh, okay, yeah, all right..." After the concert I got lost and ended up on Christian Street. And the third thing I can't remember. In the fall my younger brother was starting college so I thought I should go too. At the end of the semester, the keyboard player in the band I was in during summer ran into the Forever Family up at the Oxford Valley Mall and got saved. I told him he would like it - you learn a lot of stuff there. But I got to talking to him more and I finally moved in to 119 Trenton Road where Dan G. was. Rem stopped by one night and gave a Proverbs 18 Bible Study. Eventually I moved to Atlantic City where Denny S. was. The Philadelphia Center's house was on Pine Street near 18th. After being in Atlantic City for a while, I heard about a "school" forming in New York where Stewart would be giving a lot of Bible studies. I wanted to be there. So I kept asking Bob H. in Philly (who replaced Rem) and others, and they finally let me go, even though it was only for "old timers". (Bring me your tired, your poor, your older brother... - that's some of the verbal abuse we endured) What can you say about New York? The line would be quoted "if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere..." I was scared. But I wanted to get further in my relationship with Jesus. I got further all right. Eventually I left the fellowship frustrated about many things. I didn't know at the time that I had been serving Moses and not really in a healthy relationship with Jesus. But no one there knows that. You're in a "bubble". It's a little world unto itself with it's own reality. You think you're privy to something better. The only thing better than the rest of the world was the comradery. You got to get close to brothers (and sisters?) there more than anything else previous in your life. That's what many speak of missing when they leave the tyrrany. It's not easy at all. But Jesus is winning. And more and more are standing on their feet - their relationships with Jesus not only still intact, but better than ever! Meanwhile, back at the ranch: In 1976 COBU bought over 100 carpet cleaning machines from Deep Steam in Chicago and Christian Brothers Carpet Cleaning took Manhattan by storm. So much was New York impressed that Christian Brothers was written up in TIME magazine. They made over a million dollars but lost their tax exempt status. What to do with the money? Once again, like the name change from Forever Family to the Church of Bible Understanding, we are manipulated oh so subtly. Stewart takes a line from Marjoe's movie "No one cares about giving away their money when they hear it's going to rescue and develop Haiti..." (Stewart required the fellowship to watch this movie way way back when) So Stewart "wags the dog" too! (Marjoe is available in VHS) As the Church of Bible Understanding web page says: This is now used as a lever of guilt to keep the drones in line - in so many words... Now to the 1980's: The next money making scheme was the van business. Brethren would go to Detroit, call the van ads in the paper, get the people to come down and then bring these vans back to the east coast in hopes of big bucks. During the this time I was hardly there at all. I was sick of serving Moses; being a Martha and not even aware of the benefits of Mary (which is the better portion). It was senseless to return only to leave again. It was inevitable. It had been a revolving door for many. And since I had equated my relationship with Jesus with living in the fellowship of COBU, I discarded Jesus altogether. I did not dive headlong into sin. I did not get seven times worse as warned and promised. Instead I got a good job and became responsible. I did however get darker in my understanding. And I'll let you in on a secret: I even adpoted the practice (that continues to this day - now it's just a habit) of writing my t's like they are typewritten, that is, the bottom being turned up. I did this because crossing my t's across the original straight line near the top reminded me of the symbol of the cross. And it would make me think of the symbol of the cross of the scrifice of Jesus. I did not want to be reminded. Funny, too, I noticed that all over Berlin, especially in East Berlin, the windows are crossed with a T that looks like a cross. I wonder how many times the Holy Spirit used that to remind people of the sacrifice of Jesus? In early 1989 a very good old friend (the keyboard player) called up to say that Stewart had been talking about grace. Grace? I guess I could handle that. So I returned. I had completely forgotten there were four gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke and WOW - John! In the months to come my spiritual memory was restored. "When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion we were like those who dream." I went to a meeting. Stewart was melodramatic about it as usual. But it was cataclysmic. Oops - he had forgotten grace. Therefore all teaching up to this point was on the wrong basis and being wrong it had to be thrown out. Sin had been showing up in his behavior. Try to get away with that one at a brother's meeting! Apology? Halfhearted. I was there. I had returned for my final one year stint and finally got it out of my system. Not an easy thing to do. The 1990's: (for over two decades, no one has gotten married in the fellowship. If you wish to become a nun... sister - this is the place for you!) Now COBU has hit paydirt! And the circuitous route to get here is a fascinating story that has to do with backsliders turned into backstabbers. Grueling. This hits close to home. (Here's their authorization: now that they've "returned to Jesus", their actions are now invariably sacrosanct) I e-mailed their web page (if you happen to be looking for olde good things...) and asked, "How on earth did you get the idea to start such an interesting business?" And I got what I suppose are the presumable stock answers (though truthful on their part). I say truthful, because this is coming from the underlings who don't know any better. Who would tell them? It will have to remain this way for now. Only, beware: This is not a "non profit" organization. Though it certainly is a "non prophet" one. The brothers and sisters and Stewart are classic examples of projection and denial. I know what it's like. I know from whence I speak. I have walked many miles in their moccaisins. I was there. I used to perpetrate the same things. My name is Tom Pierron. If you have read this far you obviously care and deserve to know who this is. At first my name did not appear here. One reason for my reluctance is COBU people who regard my name as anathema may not read this at all. Like a JW disregarding the writings of an apparent apostate. A thought stopping cliche. He's a this, he's a that, and it's that easy to just ignore them. Or shun them. My name is anathema because when I would see brethren (who are still in) I would tell them how good Jesus is and how good the gospel is, etc. And they would say "No, no, no, no, no, no. You've got to get the bad news first. Stewart told us so..." I am not kidding; I am not making that up. That's what they said. I can't believe it either. And I also wrote them occasionally over the years and asked them things like "What about your autonomy?" And for things like that I am branded as some sort of heretic. How dare I think on my own?! Don't you know that can be dangerous? All I can say is: Thank you Jesus for helping me see clear to the real Truth! Ostracism is very palatable when you consider the alternative. You cannot argue with a sick mind. On Sunday, July 3rd, 1994, Jim Griffiths and I went to the Church home. There is no such thing as a normal conversation with them. Everything is confrontational. The spiritual physics involved is this: They ask the questions - you submit to them. And they ask you encouraging questions like "You still beat your wife?" The person who asks the question is the one in the position of power. And simply answering or defending yourself gives validity to the first statement. All you look like is that you are defending yourself, which you are, but you shouldn't be in that position in the first place! But you look bad, and the goal is acheived... They are so much in the wrong and try and make it look like it's you who is wrong. Then THEY are so defensive. They have some sick honor to uphold. So Jim Griffiths and I are at the Church Home as a meeting lets out. We try to engage brothers in conversation and pleasantries. (Apparently, they had instructions to get us away from being too close to Stewart's window, and most importantly: The Stewart Sisters!) Stewart blares on Kevin Browne's walkie talkie as the COBU brethren reverently silently and obediently station themselves at attention in some motionless hypnotic trance state and listen - Time has stopped... They are statues. Mouths, hearts and minds poised open, eager and ever longing to receive more morsels; dew drops dripping; even more honey from the master zombie. (Stewart blares:) (static) "Ask them (squelch) if they condemn themselves in the flesh"... (static)... What we had been talking about before is now no longer of any consequence whatsoever - Chuck Marburger now asks me, "Do you condemn yourself in the flesh?" Gimme a break. I'd love to tell you what happened right before that - Sara walking along to the Stewart part of the compound, but that's a little involved. And apparently the precursor to these "heavies" coming out to engage us - armed with their walkie talkie lifeline. Another point is this: (I was talking about why my name wasn't on this page...) I hope these digressions are not annoying. I quite simply don't want people to know I was in a cult. Last year, on August 19th 1997 Beth Davies invited me to a church in Hawthorne New Jersey. Ronald Enroth was speaking. When the "formal talk" was over, we went to another building for coffee and treats. Mmm good! And then we had an informal question and answer session. One sister asked about talking to others about having been in a cult experience. Mr Enroth threw the question out to us gathered there as he thought perhaps we could answer her question better having been in that situation ourselves. I think I started it off by saying that I don't tell people. Because even after a year of knowing some one and becoming their friend, once they know you were in a cult, you will have lowered in their eyes. Others didn't agree, of course. And Beth had a good answer, like you get to know who you can trust and be open with, something like that, that it's not so bad, really. I think it is. Or I suppose those who look down on you after finding out, I guess they really weren't your friend in the first place. But I have been through it so many times. When people learn, they say, gee, you seem like such an intelligent person... And now they think I'm not playing with a full deck. They may have a point there. But you get my point. Even Steven Hassan, a likeable fellow, sometimes when I think he was a Moonie, I think, gee, he must've been kind of stupid... I can't help it. But I do respect Steven and his work. It's very good (Combatting Cult Mind Control). But that's another reason for my reluctance to put my name to this. A few people e-mailed and asked "Who are you" and someone else encouraged me to just be open, so here it is. Thanks for reading! A man was walking on the beach. In the distance he saw a little boy throwing starfish back into the surf. All the starfish had been left by the tide and were now in the hot sun waiting to die. When the man reached the boy he told him "You're wasting your time - there is this whole strecth of beach with so many starfish. How do you expect to make a difference?" The boy picked up a starfish and threw it back into the water. Looking up at the man he said, "I made a difference for that one!" I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
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