The basic beliefs of the "Living Church of God" are summarized below in a email that was sent to the Brookfield PD Chief. Background info on the many splinters of the "Worldwide Church of God" can be found at http://www.ambassadorwatch.co.nz/,and http://www.herbertwarmstrong.com/pain.htm
both sites run by former members of the cult.
[Note: I did not write the following email, but got it off of a BB site.]
Chief Perket,
I found your email address from the Brookfield Police website. I hope what I have to say may be useful in your investigation into the Saturday shootings at the Living Church of God sabbath service.
Living Church of God is a splinter group that broke away from the Worldwide Church of God back in the early 90s. The split came when Joseph Tkach, Sr., then Pastor-General of WCG, reversed most of its doctrines and became more mainstream than it had been in the past. Roderick C. Meredith, then a highly ranked evangelist in WCG, disagreed with the changes and formed his own church, taking several thousand members with him. (This was one of many such splinters that occured at the time, each one led by a highly ranked evangelist who siphoned off members -- and tithe money -- from WCG.) Meredith claimed he was holding fast to the original doctrines that were preached by WCG's founder, Herbert W. Armstrong. From what I've heard since then, he has changed little from that position.
From what I've read on the web and heard in the news, it sounds like the shooter yesterday was depressed and possibly upset over a sermon he had heard. This leads me to suspect that his motive came directly from the church itself. I was a member of Worldwide most of my life; my mother began listening to Herbert Armstrong on the radio when I was four years old, and began to follow his teachings. Nine years later, she actually joined his church and I lived in that environment until I was 44. I left Worldwide in 1992. And I can tell you, I was depressed most of my life. I never found true happiness until I left and got completely clear of WCG teachings.
Rod Meredith and dozens like him are still teaching those same doctrines to thousands of people.
Let me be perfectly clear about this: the Worldwide Church of God under Herbert Armstrong was a cult. The splinter churches that still teach the same doctrines are also cults. They have existed for years and devastated thousands of lives. In their own way they are every bit as dangerous as other cults we've heard about, such as Jim Jones, David Koresch, and Heaven's Gate.
To fully understand the damage these cults do, please check out www.herbertwarmstrong.com, a website dedicated to exposing Herbert Armstrong, his cult, his teachings, and the splinters that have formed in its wake. The site contains many articles and first-person experiences, some of it trivial, much of it horrendous.
Just to give you a thumbnail of what Armstrongites believe:
* We are living in the end times.
* The Great Tribulation of Revelation is about to begin.
* The Beast Power of Revelation is the EU, led by a new nazi Germany.
* The False Prophet mentioned in Revelation is actually the Pope.
* The Mark of the Beast is Sunday (Sunday is "Satan's day").
* Medicine is a sin; trusting a doctor to heal you instead of God is a lack of faith.
(Thanks to this doctrine, many have died of curable diseases over the past half century.)
* Interracial marriage is a sin. Members aren't allowed to even date people of other races.
* The man is the head of the house -- women are incapable of ruling over themselves.
* Children must be harshly disciplined. (Many members "spank" their kids until they can no longer cry; this is a sign they have finally "submitted to authority".)
* Christmas, Easter, and most other "pagan" holidays are forbidden. The cult observes Old Testament Jewish holy days instead (e.g., Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, among others).
* Birthdays are not to be celebrated.
* Members cannot work from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.
* Children cannot take part in school sports, because football and basketball games often occur on Friday night, which is the sabbath.
* Teens cannot date other teens who are not members of the same cult.
* Members are forbidden to marry outside the cult.
* Pork and shellfish are forbidden. The cult adheres to dietary laws found in Leviticus 11.
* Members are not allowed to vote. They are "citizens of God's Kingdom", not "citizens of Satan's world".
* Members are encouraged to shun their "unconverted relatives".
* Members are forbidden to read publications from other churches; those are "Satan's churches".
* Members are forbidden to disagree with the cult leaders; to do so is "rebellion", which the Bible says is "worse than witchcraft".
There is much, much more. I hope you can get a flavor from what I've described of what it's like to grow up and survive in that cult, cut off from society around you in every way that counts. These cults cage up their membership and completely control them, demanding up to 30% of their income as tithes, plus "generous offerings" on holy days, which occur 7 times each year. It's enough to depress anyone, but very few ever leave, because they teach that they are God's "only true church" in the end times.
I don't know the shooter or any of his victims, as I'm in California and have never been to Wisconsin. I feel terrible for those who died and their families, but the shooter is a victim too. I strongly suspect that he simply couldn't take it any more. The fact that he shot the pastor first adds weight to this suspicion, because most of the ministers I knew were hardliners. Some were decent enough, but the majority were overbearing, condescending, even brutal. The shooter may have been abused by his pastor, or at least felt abused, which may explain why he shot him first. Why he shot the others I have no idea.
But I think your motive, if you ever find one, will be the cult doctrines and leadership. I would start with Rod Meredith, and work down from there.
Sincerely,