I was a member of the Armstrong WWCG during the last 4 years of his life and on into the reign of Tkach senior and part of Tkach junior .
I was drawn to Armstrong's teachings by the revelation that there was no eternal hell fire. I had been sent to sunday school and church as a child, and always hated the hell fire and rapture doctrine. Especially the teaching in Sunday school when they used paper dolls for the rapture showing two children in bed and one being taken (raptured away). I hardly felt that it was fair that I should be raptured away and my brother and sister had to stay behind. I thought I was the good guy (is this vanity or pride ?). Anyway it was diffucult to accept a loving God that would torture them forever. I could hardly stand the teaching, and was very quick to exit the halls of the church when I became old enough to say "NO more of this.".
I did try Orthodox Christanity again prior to finding Armstrong , but still did not like the teachings, and could not stomach the false smiles , and fake be good to everyone works.
So, when someone with tough rhetoric , claiming eternal hell fire was baloney came along, I was quick to jump on that ship.
During my tenure with the WWCG, I was very proud of my ability to pay three tithes, even though it left me quite poor, and no closer to God's heart(although I thought I was on the way to the pearly gates). When Tkach took over the WWCG, some things became readily apparent such as we were not under the law. However, as time went on the WWCG moved rapidly in the direction of Orhodox Christanity under Tkach senior and junior. Especially under junior , when the trinity doctrine began to be taught , and hell fire returned. I figured it was time to get out at that time.
I was not aware of the things that Herbert Armstrong and his son did, because it did not filter down to the group I attended Sabbath services with. But, since leaving WWCG ,I have run across this website (
http://www.hwarmstrong.com) , which seems to have a good understanding WWCG under HW Armstrong's tenure. WWCG used to put out a free magazine called "The Plain Truth". This website presents "The Painful Truth" . I do not know who maintains the website, but they appear to be once WWCG members and or graduates of Ambassador College (a college supported by WWCG), who were angry with the what went on there.
God has dragged me through some strange places, and I am somewhat skeptical of most teachers, and even my own thoughts .
Orlando