Basic HTML Version
PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, October 18, 1979
Page 10
We have all heard about the wall that separates Church from State. Those
of us who have had any dealings at all with history books, particularly
those dealing with American history, know only too well that most of the
colonies were founded by people who fled persecution because of religious
differences in Europe. (I spoke about this at Peking University for two
and a half hours.)
For several hundred years in this part of the world,
in England, France and any other area from whence these colonists came, the
laws were enforced only so long as they were consistent with the laws of
God. And in community after community around the United States, partic
ularly the New England colonies and in Maryland and in Pennsylvania,
clergymen from various denominations actually were your lawmakers and they
were your administrators and the leaders of the community.
As a consequence, when our founding fathers framed our Constitution and
drafted the first ten amendments to that Constitution, the very first
amendment was supposed to have established a high and impregnable wall
between the Church and the State. But I tell you this now so that it
registers plainly: for the moment that wall has been leveled! That should
be a stark reality for you as it wa"ss'ome years ago (in 1962) when a wall
was built in Berlin separating East Berlin from West Berlin. The Russians
put� a wall, rather than leveling one, but that wall is still there. Now
we must see to it that this wall between Church and State is reestablished.
The Constitution clearly provides that religion is to be a private matter
for the individual, for the family and for the individual institution of
choice for the family and for the individual. But the State of California
acting through its agents, some of whom Mr. Armstrong described in his
proclamation to the entirety of the Church, are unwitting agents of Satan.
The State of California, acting through those agents, has premised its un
lawful action in accordance with a different theory.
First, they have decreed that in California all church assets are public
property. Your tithes and offerings today would be considered to be the
property of the State of California if we were there.
Second, the State of California has said that the Church is subject to
the supervision and control of the State at all times.
Third, Church leaders, including Herbert W. Armstrong, serve at the pleas
ure of the State of California. The State of California has the arrogance
to believe that Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong serves in his position in this
Church at their pleasure!
Fourth, Church leaders, including Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, can be removed
at any time at the pleasure of the State of California.
Fifth, the State of California says that this Church and other churches
must conform their church government to a standard accepted by the State
of California and can be governed in no other way.
Sixth and last, the State of California would reduce this Church to a
simple ward of the state with state bureaucrats being our guardians.
Now to date, the Superior Court in and for the County of Los Angeles has
adopted and has tried to enforce this bazaar theory of Church/State re
lations and it has, through a small, closely-knit cabal of judges (all