Boxing Day 2001 — Zakopane
Month: December 2001
Christmas Carolers
My third Christmas in Poland. That last year, of course, C and I were in Berlin — not a bad Christmas, but somehow not quite as full as this one. Yesterday I helped a little with the decorating, the cooking (very little: I basically cut some pickles and grated some carrots). Otherwise, I’ve done almost nothing. I’ve been watching a lot of television. And of course I’ve been working on Kamil’s Christmas web page.
I got an interesting email Friday, though I didn’t read it until last night:
Hi Gary. Are you the same Gary Scott who runs the web site http://glscott.net/? If so, this is just to let you know that I’m giving it a mention on the Update page of The Missing Dimension in a couple of days (probably uploading Dec. 24). The draft so far reads:
Great Scott! Gary Scott’s site has been around for a while, but seems to have had a recent makeover. Gary has a major section devoted to the WCG, including his personal reflections as he worked his way through the claims of the PCG, along with essays and links.
The strangest thing about the Worldwide Church of God is its tendency to be something of an obsession for ex-members. Whether they quit because the WCG administration had abandoned Herbert Armstrong’s teachings or they left because the administration had not gone far enough in its sweeping changes, ex-members tend to have put a lot of thought into their WCG experience — and a lot of it ends up on the worldwide web. Such is the case with my own musings.
We can certainly identify with that.
Somewhat flattering, I must say. Strange to realize I’ve been noticed — I’ve made an impression. My reply to him included this bit:
So here I sit, writing a note to a complete stranger about my site critical of all things HWA while smoking a pipe after having one of the most wonderful Christmas Eves in memory. And I’m even planning on going to the village church’s midnight Mass. Wouldn’t Herbie be proud?
Wigilia 2001
Sunday before Christmas
Decorating the Christmas tree with K, my landlady’s daughter.
NT Cemetery in the Snow
School Christmas Show
LW Centrum Christmas Lights
Wintery Fields
Krakow Rynek at Christmas Time
Classroom Recovery
After an excruciating class with 4a, though, and a less-than-stellar class with 4c, I had class 3b/b — undoubtedly my favorite group in the whole school. I wrote on the board “respectful,” “hard-working,” and “polite” and had three students look these up. I told them, “There are some students and some classes who are not respectful, hard-working, or polite.” Some of them started to get big-eyed, like Ela and Dorota, but I continued, “But you are not one of them,” and they started to smile. “I would like to thank you for being such respectful, hard-working, and polite students.” I didn’t say it, but I wish I’d added something like, “You make me really love my job, and it’s because of classes like yours that I came back to Lipnica.”
Cross Country Skiing
XCG Thoughts
Last night I spent a lot of time on the internet, and I found a lot of information about the Philadelphia Church of God. I’d found most of it before, but I hadn’t read it. It is, indeed, a cult. It is almost reminiscent of Jim Jones or David Koresh in its horror. From the account of one Sue Hensley:
March 1993 — He compared what was happening in Waco Texas to the persecution that would happen to us. He told us the Branch Davidians were an example of the persecution coming upon us because they used many of the same terms we did. David Koresh talked about a “little book,” he said the “lion roars,” he said Christ was the “Key of David,” he claimed his predecessor was “Elijah,” and he preached about the “Millennium.” Mr. Flurry also brought up Jim Jones & the People’s Temple during his examples of the persecution to come, and he said Jonestown was their “place of safety.”
Regarding the “college” he’s building, Ms. Hensley wrote:
When the announcements were made in 2000 about the land that was being bought for the college, one of the tapes from headquarters told us a great deal of what was planned for the future of this land. They are putting in their own sewage treatment system, so that, if things reach a critical stage, all the members could stay on the property; they would be capable of handling over 7000 people on site. There was also an old airstrip in the property, which they thought could be refurbished and utilized to either “further the work” or to fly people out to the place of safety when the time came. The swimming pool (announcement made in 2001) is also to serve as an emergency water supply in case of fire or other needs. Even the first time I heard these things, it gave me a chill.
And lastly, regarding Flurry’s status:
He has also lately given the ministry some very strict rulings concerning what the ministers should do if a person in the congregation talks to them about something they think is wrong. Mr. Flurry has told the ministers that even if the person is right, they should never agree with the member because it would be disloyal to God’s Prophet.
I used to think that the PCG was just a silly bunch of neo-Armstrongites who were pissed because the WCG made all these changes. On the contrary — they are a full-blown, physically dangerous cult. The WCG was mentally dangerous. Spiritually abusive, even. But it never made statements like this. It never openly compared itself to the People’s Temple. And if Armstrong had been alive to see the Waco fiasco, I’m sure he wouldn’t have compared himself to Koresh. He would have said something ridiculous about it, no doubt, but I don’t think he would have drawn a direct parallel between the two organizations.
The reason is simple: I don’t think Armstrong really ever actually believed he and his group would “flee.” Why would they? That would mean giving up the luxurious lifestyle he’d grown so accustomed to. You can’t buy prosthetic dildos in the desert; Steuben crystal is fairly impractical in the desert; a Rolls Royce doesn’t take well to the desert. He never actually believed it. It was a good way to milk people of their money. Nothing more.
People like Jim Jones, David Koresh, and, apparently, Gerald Flurry, though, actually do believe the nonsense they’re teaching. And apparently, they’re all willing to die for it.
I’ve really got to get a handle on this obsession I’ve had for the WCG and all its splinter groups. It’s really just a waste of time, I know, but I can’t help it. I can’t bear the thought of something sensational happening in, say, the PCG and me not knowing about it. Why? I guess I just want to be able to watch the fallout as it happens.
Testing Blues
Today I just have two classes because D’s taking all of 4b to talk about Matura 2002. That means I have 3a and 4a. I really have no idea what I’ll do with 3a, but I guess I’ll just proceed with the silly business English lessons as per plan. I also have several people from 3b coming to consultation to take the make-up test. I haven’t prepared that test yet, either. I’m not going to do anything special, I think. In the end, I might just give them the same damn test. In fact, that’s exactly what I’ll do. Who cares anyway, right?
I’ve been thinking that regarding my testing. I’ve always been so anal about people not cheating, as if I’m somehow taking it personally that they’re cheating even though I tell them not to. As if it’s a personal affront to me. Well, quite frankly it isn’t. And if they want to go to extraordinary means to cheat and I don’t catch them, then it’s not the end of the cliché world by any stretch of the imagination. So I’ve decided not to be so uptight about it. still, yesterday during 3a’s test I literally turned my back for a moment and tons of people started chatting. I was shocked.
I’ve also decided not to give people complete 1’s for cheating. It only results in more headaches for me because at first they protest that they weren’t cheating; then they harass me about what the hell will be the consequence; finally they ask when they can retake the test. And that’s something I just don’t understand — retaking the test. I give these kids more than a week’s notice; I tell them exactly what’s going to be on the test; I offer all the help I can give. Then when they fail it they want a retake. It’s amazing. It’s such a pain in the ass being so culturally different in one’s teaching.
Hoarfrost
