Back in the late 1990s, there was an example of this in a General Conference sermon. A king falsely accuses a group of people, captures them, and orders them to dig a pit. Fearful of the king's power, the people worked hard to dig the pit so they could live. When they finally dug all the pits the king wanted, he ordered them again. Now he tells you to tie chains around your body.

The people bind themselves in chains, believing that if they do as they are told, they will be free. The king orders the chained people to enter the pit. The people feel strange, but they go in, and the final order finally falls. Cover the pit. The soldiers cover the pit with dirt again. It was an example of a bad king who just wanted to play with his people. He likened bad kings to Catholicism and Protestantism in general, explaining that mindlessly following the doctrines of Babylon could lead to a disastrous end for the people in the parable. Now, almost 20 years after hearing that sermon, I think about it this way. Maybe the bad king isn't Catholic or Protestant, but the Church of God. Please, please, please think about it. We have to evangelize 7 billion people to get to heaven! Think about what that means.

If you're a clergyman in the Church of God, you know the feeling. You may have heard the story that the General Authority's nickname is Salt. Each church applies for money from the General Conference, but approval is very, very slow. They just don't like to spend money. Pastor Kim doesn't spend money on church administration, but he does spend a lot of money on buying buildings. He also spends a lot of money on publicizing the church. Naive pastors want to get the gospel over with quickly. They make many plans to finish the gospel. Some of these plans require the support of the assembly. However, the General Assembly rarely approves anything but the most necessary things.

As I was writing this, I realized that the pastors of the Church of God were suffering in vain, and I was brought to tears as I remembered my own past. People call me an asshole, Hapimo Cafe calls me an accomplice. As for the pastors and co-workers who are still serving today... I don't want to frame them as assholes or accomplices because I can only imagine their situations and feelings. Things were going well, so it was an easy way out. (But there were still a lot of challenges, especially financially...) It's not easy for pastors who don't have any savings and don't know how to live in retirement. They need time too, so don't judge them too much and give them courage and hope.

I'm too caught up in making ends meet right now to give back, but when I'm more stable, I'd like to reach out to those who have left the church, especially those pastors and coworkers who have left. Those who have left the Church of God, those who are thinking about leaving, and those who will leave in the future... I sincerely wish for good results and hope for all.