Narcissists, Sycophants and Victims: The First Pyramid Scheme

Narcissists Ruin Everything: Part 3

Jesus was well aware of narcissists and psychopaths. He knew there were conniving liars who would play act their ways into positions of power and control over others. He argued with them regularly, calling them vipers and white-washed tombs. A large portion of Paul's warnings have to do with religious leaders whoring for money. The surest way to get into someone's pockets is to first convince them that they are beneath the leader and they need the leader for salvation. The trap is the ancient hierarchy, the first pyramid scheme.

So Jesus actually meant what He said in Matthew 20:20-28. Let's take a closer look.

A few years ago, Rod McNair gave a masterful example of eisegesis in a sermon titled, "Peter and the Key-Man Principle". It was a truly embarrassing attempt to try to prove Peter was the Chief Apostle who had 'final say' in decision-making for the church. I may post my evisceration of the whole sermon at another time. For our purpose here, I will just address what he said concerning Matthew 20:25-27. Here is the exact quote from his sermon:

“This is about attitude, not structure. (pause...confused look...furrowed brow) Actually, it does confirm the fact that there is structure because He is saying that the chief shall act like a servant. Those who are greatest among you shall serve. Sometimes, this is used to negate any structure of top-down and it’s just not there.”

I literally think he tripped himself up as he read it and tried to understand it the way he was trained to but the obvious nature and intent of the scripture dumbfounded him. Rod almost forgot to defend the structure, then he caught himself. So the teaching is that the structure is not in question, only the attitude of those in the structure. The church redefines servitude and slavery to mean the burden of feeding the flock and preaching the gospel as an authoritative duty over the people of God (Glad to articulate your doctrine for you, Rod). He was using the NKJV so I will quote it:

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them."

I don't see where 'attitude' comes into play. What I do see is Jesus describing a multi-tiered power structure. The "rulers" make up the bureaucrats that administer government policies at the local levels among the citizens. They "lord" their power over the masses. Then you have those who are "great". This must be the senators and the Caesar, himself. These are the lawmakers and they exercise authority over the bureaucrats.

This is exactly how the churches of God function. "You know the pastors of the church oversee the laity and those who are at HQ exercise authority over the pastors."

Here are two more translations we can tease more meaning out of:

"You know that the rulers of the unbelievers lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them." (ISV)

This is interesting when you plug in the church's governments. HQ acts like tyrants over the ministry. I already know from my own research that many minister's lives were ruined by the heavy hand of Pasadena. These were often young kids coming out of AC at the age of 22 and expected to do much of the boots-on-the-ground dirty work of what headquarters wanted. How embarrassing it must have been for a kind-hearted minister to be told to show up at people's homes unannounced and raid their kitchens and medicine cabinets. Examples could get long here and much worse but I digress.

"You know that the rulers of the heathen have power over them and the leaders have complete authority." (GNT)

Again, there's no question the structure is exact. There is power in the ministry over members but "complete authority" resides at headquarters.

This has nothing to do with attitude because that wasn't the original question asked of Jesus. The concern was being 2nd in rank under Christ. They were assuming a hierarchical structure and Jesus responded by admitting that indeed, among the Gentiles, hierarchy is how things are governed but Jesus had a "however".

“Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave.”

Jesus juxtaposes two opposing ideas against one another to make his point very clear and He does so by doing it twice. He compares exercising lordship to being a servant and exercising authority to being a slave. These opposing concepts cannot exist as one in the same. A lord cannot be a servant and an authoritarian cannot be a slave. Servants and slaves take orders, they never give orders. What Jesus is showing is that there is no place to be a lord in the body and there is no position of chief in the body. The only chief or head that exists in the body is Jesus. Hierarchical control over men does not exist in the governance of the church.

Jesus offers Himself as an example in verse 28. He truly did not come to be served. He was not there as King of kings and Lord of lords. That will be at His second coming. He was there among them in the flesh as a teacher. Yes, He chose his students but none of them followed him out of compulsion. Many disciples stopped following after him when he spoke hard sayings that offended them. Anyone that followed Him was free to abandon Him without repercussions. He could have killed Judas but then that wouldn't have been acting as a servant.

So what is Jesus saying? He didn't say there was no way to be great or to be first. He said if you do want to be great or to be first, you must abide by the formula. What is the formula? The answer is timing.

“And whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” 

-Matt. 23:12

You have to go back to the beginning of the exchange. It all started when two among them were seeking high rank in the Kingdom of God. Jesus answer to them in a nutshell was if you want to rank high in the Kingdom of God (in the future), you must BE servants and slaves in the church body now! The warning above is clear: if you choose to exalt yourself among God's people now, you will be humbled. And how would one exalt himself among God's people now? It's right in the context. Follow the pattern of Rome!

Matthew 23 is a scathing chapter excoriating the existing religious authority among the people. As you read through the behaviors and actions of the religious leaders described by Jesus, it is clear they are a class set above the laity in Jewish society. They have a top-down structure with the high priest. The Sanhedrin was a mutated and illegitimate continuation of their distant past. This chapter is a laundry list of horrible fruits that result from an oppression and compulsory control mechanism—a top-down government reliant on fear to maintain its relevance and existence. 

“You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” -I Corinth. 7:23

Jesus had already told them you are not to expect to be organized and function like the gentile world. He now gives them an ecclesiastical example with the same Roman model that they are not to seek as a template for the church in Matthew 23. It is clear Jesus is specifically dealing with governance because He turns His attention to His disciples in the middle of this attack on Rabbinical Judaism.

Christ tells His disciples that they are not to take on titles of Rabbi, Father and Master because they have One Rabbi, One Father and One Master in heaven.

Clarke’s Commentary says this about being called Father:

“Call no man your Father - Our Lord probably alludes to the Ab, or father of the Sanhedrin, who was the next after the nasi, or president. See on Matthew 20:21 (note). By which he gives his disciples to understand that he would have no Second, after himself, established in his Church, of which he alone was the head; and that perfect equality must subsist among them.”

Notice Clarke directs the reader back to Matthew 20:21 where James and John sought 2nd rank under Christ. Clarke goes on to say that these three titles are likely taken from the Hebrew titles of “Abbi, Rabbi and Mori” meaning “Father, Rabbi, Master.” They may very well have a relation to what we call, “Bachelor, Master and Doctor” in titled degrees or ranks today.

Clarke continues:

"...no man is implicitly to receive the sayings, doctrines, and decisions of any man, or number of men, in the things which concern the interests of his immortal soul. Christ, his Spirit, and his word, are the only infallible teachers. Every man who wishes to save his soul must search the Scriptures, by prayer and faith. Reader, take counsel with the pious; hear the discourses of the wise and holy: but let the book of God ultimately fix thy creed”

Jesus links what He is saying here right back to Matthew 20:20-28 when He concludes His comments directed to His disciples with, 

“And whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Scriptures below are probably the most powerful witness to the fact that hierarchy and tithing are not any part of the New Testament church.

"For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world right up to this moment.” --I Corinthians 4:9-13

Now I ask you: Would anyone in authority over others with a right to their money say this and not be laughed to scorn? Here is another question: would a narcissist or a psychopath, in a million years, ever be inspired to seek such a lowly state? To be honest, the average Christian would not want Paul's role. That was the point. Congregational government led by the Holy Spirit and not a man or a group of elites is the safest and growth-inspiring environment for brethren. If people truly understood what it meant to serve Christ as a servant and slave to His people, there would be very few indeed. In fact, it makes you wonder if you ever knew one in your life at all.


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Hierarchy Empowers Narcissists to Abuse Man and God

Narcissists Ruin Everything: Part 2

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come; for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, curse their parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power."  -II Timothy 3:1-5

The following quotes are from Sam Vaknin's book, "Malignant Self Love". All of them come from pages 388-399 where he talks about narcissists in positions of power, and particularly, as religious leaders. As you will see, it reads like a biography on Herbert W. Armstrong and many others of his underling creations over the years. It is interesting to note that the context above in II Timothy is religious leaders.  I believe this describes the inevitable fruits of hierarchically structured religions.

I sprinkled in some commentary along the way. There are so many good quotes here that I'm sure they will trigger many thoughts, memories, examples and experiences of your own. Please share them in the comments. [Narcissists need not apply!]


"Narcissists in Positions of Authority"

"Being in a position of authority secures the uninterrupted flow of Narcissistic Supply. Fed by the awe, fear, subordination, admiration, adoration and obedience of his underlings, parish, students, or patients, the narcissist thrives in such circumstances. The narcissist aspires to acquire authority by any means available to him."

"As far as the narcissist is concerned, there is no moral dimension to abusing others-only a pragmatic one: will he be punished for doing so? The narcissist is atavistically  responsive to fear and lacks any in-depth understanding of what it is to be a human being."


"Narcissistic Leaders"

"The narcissistic leader fosters and encourages a personality cult with all the hallmarks of an institutional religion: priest-hood, rites, rituals, temples, worship, catechism, mythology. The leader is this religion's ascetic saint. He monastically denies himself earthly pleasures (or so he claims) in order to be able to dedicate himself fully to his calling. The narcissistic leader is a monstrously inverted Jesus, sacrificing his life and denying himself so that his people-or humanity at large-should benefit. By surpassing and suppressing his humanity, the narcissistic leader becomes a distorted version of Nietzsche's 'Superman'."

Herb's autobiography is crafted with fabled years on end of suffering (not of his doing, of course) and supposed sacrifice for the "work" Jesus Christ supposedly 'cursed' him with. I'm sure he hoped it would satisfy people's concerns about his glamorous lifestyle; stealing from the poor, fearful and ignorant.

"In short: narcissistic leadership is about theatre, not about life. To enjoy the spectacle (and be subsumed by it) the leader demands the suspension of judgement, depersonalization, and de-realization."

Actors and performers in ancient times were the priests. The religious guru and propagandist was also the entertainer and bedazzler; the hypnotizer.

This resonates well with Wes White's post, "Kayfabe Gospel Preaching".

"Narcissistic leadership often poses as a rebellion against the 'old ways': against the hegemonic culture, the upper classes, the established religions, the superpowers, the corrupt order."

"The narcissistic leader prefers the sparkle and glamour of well-orchestrated illusions to the tedium and method of real accomplishments. His reign is all smoke and mirrors, devoid of substances, consisting of mere appearances and mass delusions. In the aftermath of his regime-the narcissistic leader having died, been deposed, or voted out of office-it all unravels. The tireless and constant prestidigitation ceases and the entire edifice crumbles. What looked like an economic miracles turns out to have been a fraud-laced bubble."

Robert Coulter points out as much in his history of COG7D, "The Journey". For all of HWA's slander of the church he stole many of his ideas from, that church remains with close to half a million members and absent of websites, established by ex-members, devoted to exposing the abusive nature of cult life. The money train sure chugged along for a season but just as Vaknin said, once the narcissist was dead, it all came crumbling down into a pile of ineffective nothing and left behind, a trail of wasted and broken lives.

"To the narcissist, things and people are either entirely bad (evil) or entirely good. 'You are either with me or against me' is a common refrain."

This mentality is still embedded in the splinter culture.

"The 'small people', the 'rank and file', the 'loyal soldiers' of the narcissist-his flock, his nation, his employees-they pay the price. The disillusionment and disenchantment are agonizing. The process of reconstruction, of rising from the ashes, of overcoming the trauma of having been deceived, exploited and manipulated-is drawn out. It is difficult to trust again, to have faith, to love, to be led, to collaborate. Feelings of shame and guilt engulf the erstwhile followers of the narcissist. This is his sole legacy: a massive Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

The internet is a blessing to humanity. It exposes evil and shows how it's not normal to have a ton of negative things about you in the public domain.

But I also find it repugnant how often people will come to blogs where people share their trauma in hopes of dealing with it better and find healing, only to be castigated by the kool-aid drinking sycophants still denying their own mental illness. Many of themselves, narcissists, as is evident by their cruel comments, superior attitude and tiring argumentative spirit.

The ultimate legacy of a religious narcissist like Herb and Dave are conversions to atheism by acts of cruelty and abuse. These conversions give the narcissist messiah his ultimate victory; vanquishing God and taking His place upon the throne of the universe. This isn't a knock on atheism, only an observance of what narcissists do to people of faith. It is one thing for an atheist to influence someone away from their faith by reason. I have no problem with that. Narcissists go as far as to use some tactics none short of Satanic ritual abuse.

"The Cult of the Narcissist"

"The narcissist is the guru at the center of a cult. Like other gurus, he demands complete obedience from his flock. He feels entitled to adulation and special treatment by his followers. He punishes the wayward and the straying lambs."

"The-often involuntary-members of the narcissist's mini-cult inhabit a twilight zone of his own construction. He imposes on them a shared psychosis, replete with persecutory delusions, 'enemies', mythical narratives, and apocalyptic scenarios if he is flouted."

This 'twilight zone' HWA masterfully concocted on radio and television was his main hook, rooted simply in fear and nothing else. It truly amazes me that after all these decades, there are still people  arguing prophecy with any kind of Herbesque dire consequence. Give it a rest. Just the fact that prophecy is a religious narcissists' favorite tool in his box of tricks should be enough for anyone to steer clear of anyone coming at you dogmatically about future events and dates. Fixations on the future is what enables the narcissist to engulf others in his own twisted reality of urgency existing paradoxically in  a cocoon of suspended animation.

"The narcissist is a micro-manager. He exerts control over the minutest details and behaviours. He punishes severely and abuses withholders of information and those who fail to conform to his wishes and goals."

"The narcissist does not respect the boundaries and privacy of his reluctant adherents. He ignores their wishes and treats them as objects or instruments of gratification." 

"He strongly disapproves of others' personal autonomy and independence. Even innocuous activities, such as meeting a friend or visiting one's family require his permission."

The last few descriptions are strongly evident in PCG and RCG. I know personally, the demand Dave Pack puts on his slaves and the toll it takes. He is the vilest narcissist I have ever known in my life.

"His thinking is dogmatic, rigid and doctrinaire. He does not countenance free thought, pluralism, or free speech and doesn't brook criticism and disagreement."

Unfortunately, the sycophant managers left holding the bag after Herb didn't take everyone to Petra, still uphold the same dogmatic, rigid, free-thought crushing system. And, of course, they have to...their employment and retirement is at stake.

"He forces the participants in his cult to be hostile to critics, the authorities, institutions, his personal enemies, or the media-if they try to uncover his actions and reveal the truth. He closely monitors and censors information from the outside, exposing his captive audience only to selective data and analyses."

This is another policy that has carried over in the splinters. I have heard several sermons at feasts where ministers got up and brazenly told brethren to stay off the internet. They attempt to ridicule and bully the listeners with threats that they will become flat-earthers and moon-landing deniers if they don't obey. (Some of them do...but so what?) These portfolio managers don't care about brethren getting sucked into dumb ideas. Their only concern is that people start finding out the truth about their 'twilight zone'.

"The narcissist's cult is 'missionary' and 'imperialistic'. He is always on the lookout for new recruits."

"As the leader of his congregation, the narcissist feels entitled to special amenities and benefits not accorded the 'rank and file'. He expects to be waited on hand and foot, to make free use of everyone's money and dispose of their assets liberally, and to be cynically exempt from the rules that he himself established (if such violation is pleasurable or gainful)."

"In extreme cases, the narcissist feels above the law-any kind of law. This grandiose and haughty conviction leads to criminal acts, incestuous or polygamous relationships, and recurrent friction with the authorities. Hence the narcissist's panicky and sometimes violent reaction to 'dropouts' from his cult. There's a lot going on that the narcissist wants kept under wraps."

This explains why out of the hundreds of people that came and went in RCG, hardly a peep from any of them. You can be sure Pack is 'lawyered' up with signatures on the dotted line from everyone of them. They don't dare speak out unless they want to end up like Don Tiger.

"The narcissist sees enemies and conspiracies everywhere. He often casts himself as the heroic victim (martyr) of dark and stupendous forces. In every deviation from his tenets he espies malevolent and ominous subversion. He, therefore, is bent on disempowering his devotees. By any and all means."

The easiest way for a narcissist to keep his devotees disempowered is to lock them into the prison of hierarchy, tithing laws and prophecy obsession.


"The Professions of a Narcissist"

"The narcissist naturally gravitates towards those professions which guarantee the abundant and uninterrupted provision of Narcissistic Supply. He seeks to interact with people from a position of authority, advantage, or superiority. He thus elicits their automatic admiration, adulation, and affirmation-or, failing that, their fear and obedience. Several vocations meet these requirements: teaching, the priesthood, show business, corporate management, the medical professions, politics, and sports. It is safe to predict that narcissists would be over-represented in these occupations. This is a worrisome state of affairs. Narcissists are liars. They misrepresent their credentials, knowledge, talents, skills, and achievements."

Notice the very similar relationship between teacher, priest, actor, sports icon and politician. Narcissists will do whatever it takes to climb the corporate, educational, political or ecclesiastical ladder. Fortunately, some of them aren't very good at masking their narcissism and those around them impede them from reaching positions of power and control. This is what happened to Herb in COG7D. But Herb did do what many other narcissists have done when they fail to scale existing hierarchies...they create their own. Already in his 50's, he started a school for 18 year olds to build his fiefdom. The perfect toadies. He already commanded respect with over 30 years their senior. He was their teacher, rabbi, and spiritual papa. The man was an idol unto himself who hand-picked his loyal underling priests that would do whatever he said. Period.


"Can Men of God Be Narcissists?"

"God is everything the narcissist ever wants to be: omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, admired, much discussed, and awe inspiring. God is the narcissist's wet dream, his ultimate grandiose fantasy. But God comes handy in other ways as well."

I wonder if the 'wet dream' and 'handy' was intentional. Maybe this is what Herb's 'flog log' was really about.

"The narcissist alternately idealizes and devalues figures of authority. In the idealization phase, he strives to emulate them, he admires them (often ludicrously), and defends them. They cannot go wrong, or be wrong. The narcissist regards them as bigger than life, infallible, perfect, whole, and brilliant. But as the narcissist's unrealistic and inflated expectations are inevitably frustrated, he begins to devalue his former idols."

This is an apt description of Dave Pack and Bob Thiel.

"Now they are 'human' (to the narcissist, a derogatory term). They are small, fragile, error-prone, pusillanimous, mean, dumb, and mediocre. The narcissist goes through the same cycle in his relationship with God., the quintessential authority figure."

"But often, even when disillusionment and iconoclastic despair set in, the narcissist continues to pretend to love God and follow Him. The narcissist maintains this deception because his continued proximity to God confers on him authority. Priests, leaders of the congregation, preachers, evangelists, cultists, politicians, intellectuals-all derive authority from their allegedly privileged relationship with God."

This reminds me of Simon Magus. Many claim to be following in the footsteps of Peter when their idol is Simon. This is largely why I am confident HWA was never converted in anyway whatsoever at anytime in his life. I think it is important to frame his 10 years of incest with what else was going on in his life. The first 5-7 years of incest were also his ordination years in COG7D. What kind of human being neglects his family, studying religion for a few years, only to conclude that God was calling him for a special purpose, forces ordination among peers who didn't like him, and promptly begins raping his own child?

"Religious authority allows the narcissist to indulge his sadistic urges and to exercise his misogynism freely and openly. Such a narcissist is likely to taunt and torment his followers, hector and chastise them, humiliate and berate them, abuse them spiritually, or even sexually. The narcissist whose source of authority is religion is looking for obedient and unquestioning slaves upon whom to exercise his capricious and wicked mastery. The narcissist transforms even the most innocuous and pure religious sentiments into a cultish ritual and a virulent hierarchy. He preys on the gullible. His flock become his hostages."

"Religious authority also secures the narcissist's Narcissistic Supply. His coreligionists, members of his congregation, his parish, his constituency, his audience are transformed into loyal and stable Sources of Narcissistic Supply. They obey his commands, heed his admonitions, follow his creed, admire his personality, applaud his personal traits, satisfy his needs (sometimes even his carnal desires), revere and idolize him."

I never saw or heard Herb until I was several years in the churches of God. Literature produced in the 90's drew me in. I don't know how many people would tell me how HWA would rant and rave like a lunatic and was very short tempered and tell me this with pride as though it was an admirable trait.

"Moreover, being a part of an immanent 'bigger thing' is very gratifying narcissistically. Being a particle of God, being immersed in His grandeur, experiencing His power and blessings first hand, communing with Him are all Sources of unending Narcissistic Supply. The narcissist becomes God by observing His commandments, following His instructions, loving Him, obeying Him, succumbing to Him, merging with Him, communicating and communing with Him, or even by defying Him (the greater the narcissist's adversary-the more grandiosely important the narcissist feels).

I wouldn't be surprised if Dave Pack wasn't one step away from taking on God, himself.

Like everything else in the narcissist's life, he mutates God into a kind of inverted narcissist. God becomes his dominant Source of Supply. He forms a personal relationship with this overwhelming and overpowering entity in order to overwhelm and overpower others. He becomes God vicariously, by the proxy of his relationship with Him. He idealizes God, then devalues Him, then abuses Him. This is the classic narcissistic pattern and even God Himself cannot escape it."

Jesus was well aware of narcissists and psychopaths. He knew there were conniving liars who would play act their ways into positions of power and control over others. He argued with them regularly, calling them vipers and white-washed tombs. Part 3 will be about His simple formula for protecting the church from narcissistic ghouls.

The Day That Never Comes

Born to push you around
Better just stay down
You pull away
He hits the flesh
You hit the ground

Mouths so full of lies
Tend to block your eyes
Just keep them closed
Keep praying
Just keep waiting

Waiting for the one
The day that never comes
When you stand up and feel the warmth
But the sunshine never comes, no
No, the sunshine never comes

Push you 'cross that line
Just stay down this time
Hide in yourself
Crawl in yourself
You'll have your time

God, I'll make them pay
Take it back one day
I'll end this day
I'll splatter color on this gray

Waiting for the one
The day that never comes
When you stand up and feel the warmth
But the sunshine never comes

Love is a four-letter word
And never spoken here
Love is a four-letter word
Here in this prison

I suffer this no longer
I'll put an end to this, I swear
This, I swear
The sun will shine
This, I swear
This, I swear
This, I swear

--Metallica, 2008

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