A Birthday letter to Pastor Isaac Noriega, born on August 28th, 1942.
Brother Isaac,
As another year marks your existence on this earth, we find ourselves compelled to reach out, not to congratulate or commend, but to communicate a sentiment that has long been brewing in the hearts of many.
As we find ourselves in mid-August 2023, we are brought to a reflective pause, thinking back on the tumultuous year of 2020. This year was not only a defining moment for the global population but also a critical juncture for the Golden Dawn Tabernacle. While the COVID-19 pandemic was in full force, countless businesses and religious institutions around the world put protective measures in place to shield their customers and congregations. Governments worldwide recommended social distancing, wearing face masks, limiting gathering sizes, and adhering to stringent hygiene practices to mitigate the spread. Contrarily, the Golden Dawn Tabernacle disregarded these protective steps, resulting in devastating outcomes in the summer of 2020. It's been roughly three years since the height of the pandemic-related fatalities within the congregation of Golden Dawn Tabernacle. Through this article, we aim to reexamine that period, delving into our investigative findings and the results from public record searches, exploring the Golden Dawn Tabernacle leadership's approach during the COVID pandemic.
As a follow up to last week's article on the new Omega Fellowship Hall dedication that took place this Monday, August 7th, 2023, we are publishing this article early due to popular demand. The new Omega Fellowship Hall was dedicated in honor and remembrance of "Pastor Isaac and Sister Lucy Noriega Time Tested Memorials" as shown in the picture below.
We have received a record amount of traffic and comments over the last several weeks as we have released our nepotism and elitism articles. We believe this is because these articles struck a chord with our readers, both inside and outside the walls of Golden Dawn Tabernacle.
Pursuing our subject of nepotism and elitism in the hierarchy of Golden Dawn Tabernacle, we'll now investigate other families that reap comparable privileges as the Noriega family. Evidently, not being directly related to Pastor Isaac Noriega could curtail some advantages. Yet the extent of actions breaking the church rules that some within these families can commit is astonishing. Yet they are never called out nor are the unspoken rules enforced for these family members. This piece aims to spotlight what is arguably the second most influential family within the Golden Dawn Tabernacle congregation (currently).
In a candid exploration of the inner workings of Golden Dawn Tabernacle, we uncover a topic that has long vexed its members: nepotism and elitism. This pervasive issue has left many questioning their place within the church, as certain families seem to enjoy privileges and favoritism.
In this article, we remember Lucy Noriega Rivera. Lucy was born on Aug 07, 1948 in California. She was born to parents Manuel and Lala Rivera and she lived in Anaheim, California. Lucy’s father was the pastor of the local “Asamblea Apostolica” church. She married Isaac Noriega (formerly known as Ismael Noriega) in Anaheim, California on September 22, 1963, when she was 15 years old, and Isaac (Ismael) was 21. They had five children, Lucinda, Gracie, Stephen, Matthew and Staceey Noriega. Lucy died on July 9, 2020, in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 71, where she lived most of her life, as a Golden Dawn Tabernacle church member. She seemed to be a kind and quiet individual, mother, sister, and wife. She suffered with multiple medical conditions most of her life, but she is now resting peacefully.
In this installment of our ongoing series, "How To Escape from the GDT Cult", we will focus on the topic of deconstructing your beliefs. We will start with a couple of key definitions. CHATTEL / BONDSMAN : noun an enslaved person held as the legal property of another:
Danny Ramirez was a key figure in the foundation of the initial Tabernaculo Emanuel, which eventually evolved into the Golden Dawn Tabernacle (GDT). He shared a profound friendship with Isaac Noriega, and he witnessed many of Isaac's transformations, from his humble beginnings to his evolution into an authoritarian pastor. Even today, it wouldn't be surprising to hear Isaac reminisce about their youthful days and their exploration of William Branham's teachings during a sermon at the GDT. When Danny Ramirez chose to part ways with Isaac Noriega's church in the 1980s, his departure led to the loss of an influential congregation member, an associate pastor, and a lifelong friend of Isaac Noriega, not to mention one of the early founders of Tabernaculo Emmanuel. However, the narrative Isaac propagates today diverges significantly from the reasons behind Danny's decision to leave, known to those familiar with the situation. To compile a truthful account of the circumstances, we've spoken with family members and original church attendees. Danny Ramirez’s decision to leave GDT and the following stories have raised questions over the manipulation of church history and the usage of fabricated narratives by Isaac Noriega for potentially manipulative purposes.
Over the past few weeks/months, we have received content and updates regarding the Golden Dawn Tabernacle from both current and former members. Some of these updates overlap with information previously mentioned or discussed in an earlier article. Initially, we contemplated revisiting and updating those older posts. However, we realized that most readers tend to focus solely on the latest posts, so we will provide a comprehensive update here.