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Herbert W Armstrong and Worldwide Church of God Mentioned in Israeli Newspaper

You could say I have a God-given love for attractive and I was devoted to it. I
the Jews and the nation of Israel (Isaiah engaged in their ceremonies, singing and
62:6-7). That sacred bond has been dancing, chanting their mantras and going
strengthened over the years by the fact into a group trance. But even though I
that I've been blessed to have lived all knew their religion didn't accept drugs,
over Israel, getting to know its land and I still used them, though they were
people quite well.Apart from 5 months as unaware of it. I was around 17 when I
a kibbutz volunteer at Ramat Yohanan near began to shoot up drugs."After awhile
Haifa, I've also served as a kibbutz David began to seriously question his
volunteer at Sdot Yam on the involvement with the Krishnas. He feared
Mediterranean, next to Caesarea, the site he had been wrong, had been misled in
of my first ulpan (intensive Hebrew going to the guru. His amount and use of
course), and where Israel's heroine, drugs began to dramatically increase,
Hannah Senesh, was from; Regavim, near going to the bars every night of the
Zichron Yaakov, where I continued my week, getting high and drunk, began to
Hebrew lessons amid its rolling green take its toll on his body. By then it
hills; Reshafim, near Bet She'an, with seems he had lost any spiritual strength
Mt. Gilboa practically in our backyard, he had."God Help Me""I really began to
and Jordan's mountains in lovely view out think about God," he says. "Suddenly I
front; Adamit, on Lebanon's border, high began to think about him seriously and
up on a mountain, from where on clear wondered if I had been deceived or
days you can see all the way to Haifa's enlightened in Krishna. I begged God to
Mt. Carmel; Shoval, a rose in the Negev lead me into all the truth. I had prayed
desert, just north of Be'er Sheva; Dan, about it many times and then one of the
way up in the northernmost part of greatest miracles in my life happened" -
Israel, in between Syria and Lebanon, he explains while getting down on his
next to the majestic snow-covered Mt. knees to show how he had been praying.
Hermon, where I was living when "All I remember is that I was purposely
"Operation Desert Storm" blew in; and praying to the God of the Bible and
Ha'On, with its campground and ostrich really hoped that somehow He would answer
farm on the eastern shores of the Sea of my prayer. Then it was like a hot brand
Galilee, across from Tiberias; and last was put upon my forehead. Two words were
but not least, my beloved Jerusalem, next forcibly impressed upon my mind: "FORSAKE
to my favorite spot on earth: the Temple HINDUISM!" Then I actually wondered
Mount.It was during my sojourn at Kibbutz whether it was my subconscious that gave
Ramat Yohanan, while looking for the home me those words. I turned to my Bible that
of the widow Simcha Gombo, a Worldwide was beside me and, unintentionally,
Church of God member and mother of opened it up to Psalms 115:4-8 - David's
Michal (who was deaf) - both of whom I holding his Bible and reading it out
had briefly met during the 1980 Church of loud: "Their idols are silver and gold;
God celebration of the biblical Festival the work of men's hands. They have
of Tabernacles in Jerusalem - that I met mouths, but they speak not; eyes have
Ilan Itzhayek on the street and asked they, but they see not; They have ears,
directions, as related in Israel Work but they hear not; noses have they, but
History (Worldwide Church of God).Ilan they smell not; They have hands, but they
Itzhayek wrote the following full page handle not; feet have they, but they walk
article in Hebrew that appeared in Hed not; neither speak they through their
HaKiryot, a newspaper in Northern Israel, throat. They that make them are like
just West of the Sea of Galilee, November them; so is every one that trusts in
19, 1982. Please note that David Hoover them." "After that I didn't need any
is the name I was born with before I further proof to know that it had truly
legally changed it to David Ben-Ariel, been from God. That same day I burned all
and forgive the imperfect translation of my Hindu books, beads, posters..."."Dirty
the Hebrew into English in this attempt needles"The drugs caused David's
to preserve a part of the Church of God condition to continually deteriorate.
history in the Promised Land (and honor Everyone told him that he was destroying
Ilan Itzhayek for helping to make it).The himself. He knew himself that he was
Drug Addict Who Discovered God and the going to die, but he wasn't able to help
Kibbutzby Ilan ItzhayekHis name is David himself."All that horrible time" - David
Allen Hoover - he's 22 years old and was says with a shaky voice - "I really
born in Toledo, Ohio, USA.David, and wanted to be free. I didn't want to be
other members of the Church he belongs to addicted to drugs. But I also felt that
arrived in Israel last month as visitors there wasn't anything in this world worth
in Jerusalem, but David stayed behind as living for. I didn't have any power but I
a volunteer at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan. He still tried to get off drugs. I ended up
doesn't mind any of the work they give throwing away my needles, hoping to stop,
him to do - whether it's in the fields, but later I'd turn around and go back and
in the factory or in the chicken take them out and use them." Even though
incubators - he has ideals.David belongs his needles had been in the garbage,
to a very special Church called the dirty and broken, he said he still used
Worldwide Church of God - they call them up to a dozen times, even though
themselves the true Christians and you're only supposed to use them once! "I
consider the conventional Christians was taking the needles in my frustration
pagan. They believe in the Torah of Moses and would bash them against the wall so
and observe Sabbath, as well as all the that I couldn't use them, but later I'd
annual holy days mentioned in the Torah. attempt to until it hurt me and I was
They believe Jesus Christ is the bleeding. That's when I realized that I
Messenger of God. The Church has 100,000 was addicted." David says, thinking out
brethren all over the world. A common loud: "All I knew was that only GOD could
belief they have is that they have been help me, not man!"David experienced
chosen by God to join the community of "almost sure death" another time, besides
believers. Their leader is Herbert the rock concert, when he was 18, and was
Armstrong, 91, whom they admire and in his bedroom mainlining some drugs. His
consider that he's come in the spirit of mother was home at the time but was
Elijah.David talks quite excitedly about unaware of what was happening to her son.
his Church. He's very patient and ready "Suddenly everything seemed strange to
to explain his convictions to you again me" - David says trying to remember -
if you haven't understood them. His "the music started sounding really
answers are filled with verses from the weird...Later I woke up in the hospital
Bible and the New Testament - verses that and a doctor informed me that I had
he knows by heart. He calls himself damaged my liver and that it was a
"chosen" because in his Church there miracle that I still had a brain and
isn't those "religious and not religious" could think clearly."Goodbye and Good
- there's only the chosen. If you don't Riddance"Those were my times of wandering
agree the Church doesn't want you - which in the wilderness. God delivered me and
means that God hasn't called you.Scar in took me out of Egypt into His light" -
the HeartDavid hasn't always been in the David says reflecting on his past. "The
Church. He was raised on a farm in Ohio inner struggle between good and evil
that belongs to his father's family. His wearied me after awhile. I had been
parents were divorced when he was 11 asking God what I was supposed to do. I
years old. A year later his alcoholic asked for power because I didn't have any
father died at the early age of 36. "All strength and none of the churches I
I remember about my father," David says encountered had the power necessary to
with a sort of bitter smile, "is that he deliver me from drugs. At the time I
was drunk and always messing up the house opened up my Bible unintentionally to
and arguing with my mom. He was always Isaiah 45. The first verse that caught my
arguing with her. I was really young then eye was verse 2: "I will go before thee
so I really didn't even get to know him. and make the crooked places straight: I
I almost can't remember how he looks."It will break in pieces the gates of brass,
was a drastic change - his parents and cut in sunder the bars of iron...".
divorced, the move from the farm to the That verse succeeded to do for David what
city, a new school and then his father's he, of himself, had been unable to do for
death that deeply affected him.Soon, with years."No more drugs!" David said and
all of his being, David began to search that is how he finally managed to be free
for a way to help him with his hurt. from drugs. "Now I felt ready to begin to
That's when someone mentioned to him how listen to God. Sometimes you have to
you feel "high" when you do drugs. So he first live in darkness before you can
began to really look for drugs. He tried appreciate the light. I knew I wanted to
to find out who used them and where they live God's ways of life so I said
hung out. Shortly after trying pills, pot good-riddance to drugs and to my old
and hash, he began to buy them friends and bad influences - to all of
regularly."When I was 15 years old I that I said goodbye and good
stopped taking them by the mouth and riddance!""Drugs are a Lie"Shortly
started snorting them" - quickly adding ' afterwards, David discovered the
"it's far more potent that way and it Worldwide Church of God through their
affects you more quickly...money to buy Plain Truth magazine. The ideas in it
drugs with wasn't a problem for me. It seemed so logical to him and not like all
wasn't hard to get. The man my mom had the others he had known.Soon David was
remarried wasn't rich, but he definitely one of its excited believers. After a
wasn't poor. The allowances I got I used whole year of observing Sabbath and all
to buy drugs with instead of clothes or the holy days of Israel, he was baptized
other things. My sister and I kept it as a brother into the Church.One of the
secret that we were getting high and so Worldwide Church of God beliefs is that
our parents kept giving us good there will be a politico-military mess
allowances."It seems like David will that will take place by next year. In
never forget a Jethro Tull rock concert their opinion, Germany, and maybe even
that he attended. "I had snorted some Italy, will attempt to conquer the world.
drugs, smoked a lot of pot and hash and That attempt will ignite a world war that
was drinking beer until I was really will take two thirds of the world's
high." He remembers, "I felt really population, but that afterwards there
strange. All I remember is being sat down will begin a true peace for planet Earth.
by some friends and the chair began to The members of the Worldwide Church of
fall backwards...3 days later I woke up God will be among those that survive and
in the intensive care unit of the they believe that eventually their
hospital with a heart monitor attached to beliefs will be accepted by all the
me. I was in serious condition and it had Earth.The doctrines of the Church are all
been getting worse but the doctors worked biblically based. Besides the
hard to save me." "Later there was a above-mentioned prophecy there is another
special agreement between me and my one that states the world leaders will
parents," David grins. "I was promised sit in Jerusalem and that Israel will
that if I quit taking drugs they'd allow become a "Light to all nations." The
me to let my hair grow long. I promised whole world will have one
and I didn't keep it. My hair grew down government.David is writing a book, from
to my waist."Wanderings and its MoralA his biblical research, about the two
different stage began in David's life: prophets who will prepare the way for the
wandering through different churches. He days to come. David is also contemplating
was in and out of many churches during about writing an autobiography. He
his search for the true morals and already knows what he would call it -
values. He considered the members of Wanderings! He's convinced that he has a
traditional Christianity as hypocrites. lot of experience to give to others, and
Those churches had failed to fulfill he's very interested in warning those who
him.After failing to find what he was might consider abusing drugs. "Drugs are
searching for, David came in contact with a lie" - he says - "and it would be a lot
Hinduism - the Hare Krishnas. He was better if people would learn form the
attracted by its exotic appeal, the experience of others. Today I'm alive,
incense and vegetarian members of that very alive - and I feel I have a lot to
cult. During a special Krishna festival live for!"David Ben-Ariel is a
in Philadelphia, he met a famous leader Christian-Zionist writer and author of
in their movement who wanted him to Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall.
become his personal aide and travel all With a focus on the Middle East and
over. David decided not to join because Jerusalem, his analytical articles help
he didn't want to be separated from his others improve their understanding of
family. "I believed in Hare Krishna," that troubled region. Check out the
David says assured, "I loved the religion Beyond Babylon blog.
because it was physically and spiritually




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