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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, June 6, 1980
Page 7
there's some controversy over the facts.
[But] there is no controversy
over the facts. This thing will boil down to a matter of law. Is it
wrong, for example;-Ior Mr. Herbert Armstrong,-God's Apostle...to travel
the world fulfilling the Great Commission? If it is wrong for him to do
so, why is it wrong? And why should he have�o account to the Attorney
General for those activities?"
The facts of the case are well known to our members. Therefore, many of
them, Mr. Rader told the media, would be willing to testify concerning
them. "Remember our members tried to intervene in this action. They
tried to be heard from. They filed a lawsuit. And they were told, 'You
don't have any right.' This is again a question of law. You mean to tell
me that the members of the Worldwide Church of God have no rights?"
Litigation Is Costly
One reporter inquired about the cost of litigating the case thus far. In
being thrust into a position where the Church had to defend itself and
some of its officers, it follows that a lot of money has been spent in
litigation, acknowledged Mr. Rader. "And [the Church] will have to con
tinue spending a lot of money in litigation. When you are attacked, you
must defend. There's no [other] way. If the Church had not spent the
money it spent, a little ex-judge would be sitting here in this office and
he would be ripping this Church off, himself, for 150 dollars an hour.
The associate from his law firm would also be getting 150 dollars an hour.
And that associate's daughter [also a lawyer] would be getting 100 dollars
an hour, not to mention all the other people. They would have spent four
million dollars a year just to line their pockets!
We've spent consider
ably less."
Advertising Campaign Goes East
On the morning of the employee forum, Mr. Rader was interviewed on the
telephone by the New York Times. He said they were very impressed with
our full-page newspaper advertising campaign and wanted to know if we were
going East with it. Mr. Rader answered in the affirmative and said we
would have moved east earlier, but we were cautioned not to do so for fear
that the Supreme Court would take it as an attempt to pressure them. So
our campaign to accurately inform and educate the public about the State's
attack will be moving across the country. And, of course, Mr. Armstrong
is hard at work preparing new ads.
Media Helps Heighten Public Interest
Splashy headlines and inaccurate conclusions have been drawn by much of the
media from the latest Supreme Court decision. "But remember," Mr. Rader
said, "newspaper and television people want to sell newspapers and they
want to attract listeners and viewers. And therefore they try to sensa
tionalize what has occurred. And in a way that isn't bad for us frankly,
because our Church members will know what happened and we do want the
public to be aware of this entire battle. We do not want this to simply
be a 'paper battle' fought in quiet courtrooms. We do want it brought to
a level of consciousness amongst the widest number of people throughout
this nation.
"So in that sense they again do us somewhat of a favor by heightening the
interest of the public. As a result, I had the phone call today from the