Mark Armstrong on Left Wing Protesters and Climate Change

Mark Armstrong: "One of the funniest things I've seen lately was the gas-masked protester who kicked a smoke canister back into the Police line and then got hit squarely in the crotch with another fired smoke canister."

On August 25, 2017 the Intercontinental Church of God's leader, Mark Armstrong, posted yet another weekly update. This time he complains of leftist protesters and people warning about climate change. He also alludes to Hurricane Harvey in a rather strange manner. Let's take a look.

Mark Armstrong follows Trump's lead and presents the far right extremists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville as morally equivalent.

Instead of stockpiling emergency supplies [because of North Korea], we were suddenly whisked into the center of a raging controversy over historical monuments, specifically markers and statues dedicated to the remembrance of Civil War era personalities.  We were treated to depictions of two groups at competing rallies in Charlottesville, VA clashing in the streets.  Could you tell who was who?

Helmets were worn and bats were carried by combatants on both sides as the short video seemed to illustrate one side trying to push a slab of plywood against a line of "protesters" who looked just like they did.  What were we to make of it?  It was like dumb met dumber, and a scuffle ensued.  NO SUCH THING, declared the media.  The left-wing "counter-protesters" were fighting against racism for the sake of equality and freedom. 

President Trump's statements about the events in Charlottesville are presented as a brave defiance of the mainstream media.

Oh, spare us.  That one's a whopper of huge proportions.  They not only expect Americans to buy the false narrative, they expected that President Trump had no choice but to fall in line and parrot the media group-think verbatim.  But he didn't.  He dared denounce racial bigotry, hatred and violence across the board, choosing not to take sides in a clash of idiots that was orchestrated if not choreagraphed.  That was described again and again as a "dog-whistle" to white-supremacists and encouragement to neo-Nazis. 

Any condemnation of President Trump is dismissed by noting that he has a daughter who has converted to Judaism side stepping Trump's personal responsibility.

Odd, that a man who has a daughter (Ivanka) who married into a Jewish family with her Dad's blessing, converted and is raising children in the Jewish religion, would promote a violent movement sworn to their demise.  But the accusations have been constant from every imaginable mainstream media platform.  Now they've shifted back to the "insanity" offense.   It's a crisis, with a man who is clearly "unhinged" and "clinically insane" to have possession of the nuclear codes! 

He alludes to the ongoing Trump-Russia scandal.

What happened to the Russia collusion story, you know, the one where the Trump campaign got Russian intelligence to hack the DNC and spoil Hillary Clinton's candidacy?  It's not gone, but has only been pulled into the secretive investigation by the special council, and could blow sky high when the results are made public, we're told. 

Mark Armstrong then mentions the rally for Trump in Phoenix, Arizona. Reflecting his political allegiances it is hailed by him as "a joyous celebration." A certain problematic quotation in that rally is left unmentioned.

Then Trump went to Phoenix this week for a campaign-style rally.  It was nothing short of a joyous celebration.  The crowd nearly brought the house down when asked if they liked Sheriff Joe.  They booed the media, with big smiles on their faces.  They chanted, "Build that Wall!" again and again, and cheered the President who doubled down on his campaign promises.  And then everyone went home without incident.  

Mark Armstrong then leers at a counter-protester, one Joshua Cobin, who was hit in the crotch by a gas canister. Seeing a human being fall down to the hard pavement in pain seems to be quite amusing to him.  

The Police used smoke bombs and finally tear gas to run off all but the most combative of demonstrators.  One of the funniest things I've seen lately was the gas-masked protester who kicked a smoke canister back into the Police line and then got hit squarely in the crotch with another fired smoke canister.   Hopefully he learned a lesson, and will think twice before he pulls that stunt again. 

Cobin now faces charges of assaulting police from that day.

Mark Armstrong implies that protesters opposed to President Trump are hirelings "paid to create anarchy." He uses wording which implies that these protesters label all Americans as racist which has the effect of obscuring political differences between the left and the right.

But maybe not.  Many of these "protesters" are organized and paid to create anarchy, but we're supposed to believe that they're just innocent students justifiably outraged by how RACIST we Americans are.  It's the accusation that has been thrown around so casually as to become nearly meaningless.  It's the accusation that excuses the worst behavior, up to and including the ambush and murder of policemen, and we've seen numerous examples of late. 

He incites resentment toward those he disagree with.

We're being manipulated and played constantly by the media and political interests who are becoming increasingly frustrated by evidence that the general public is not buying their act.

He then insists that widespread concern about climate change caused by the excess emission of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases is a vast hoax. It is even implied that recent expressions of concern about climate change are a cynical attempt to promote An Inconvenient Sequel, Al Gore's new movie about the ongoing climate change crisis.

The same mainstream outlets chose week before last, when an unseasonable cool snap was working its way across the Midwest toward the East coast, to inform us that this is the "hottest year on record."  Of course, they told us that 2016 was also the hottest year, and 2015 and 2014 too!  Polar ice is thinner, sea levels are higher and it's just the hottest it's ever been!  Well, not in Texas it's not.  We've seen one of the mildest summers ever and this week it's just plain cool.  You don't suppose that the "hottest year ever" news-breaks that were reported every hour on the hour had anything to do with Al Gore's latest "global warming" flop?

The media's arrogance has reached the point where they can tell you it's dangerously hot, and you're a "climate denier" if you open the door and realize it's not.  It's kind of like the weather report last week that reported a 40% chance of rain in the middle of a downpour that had been going on for hours.  We've learned that we can't believe a word of what the ashen-faced "reporters" are telling us.  Why, that's an attack on the most important component of a free society!  Yeah, that's a shame.  But it's completely self-inflicted by the arrogant network chiefs and news anchors who've systematically destroyed their own credibility.

The previous paragraph confuses weather with climate. A weather forecasts describes what is to happen in the next few days while those who study the climate analyze what happens to the climate over many years.

In his vicious denunciation of those who happen to have political positions opposed to his own Mark Armstrong describes the media as hating to cover Hurricane Harvey because, he implies, it will delay their grand conspiracy to impeach President Trump. He even talked of escaping Hurricane Harvey's path as being "easier than avoiding the storm of deception that we all face daily."

They're going to hate having to break away from their drive to impeachment coverage to cover the storm barreling across the Texas coastline.  It's the first one of its kind in years, and will cause horrendous flooding if forecasts are accurate.  Millions will be fleeing inland, and hopefully will be able to do so safely.  We can all pray that there will be a minimum of property damage, and that all in the path will avoid injury.  Escaping hurricane Harvey should be easier than avoiding the storm of deception that we all face daily. 

So far fifteen people are confirmed to have died in the ongoing catastrophe of Hurricane Harvey. These words are shameful and dreadful. His own home state of Texas is facing this severe and terrible crisis with Hurricane Harvey and he equates this dreadful and deadly storm with listening to warnings about climate change. This is awful behavior.

***

Let's end this post with the following articles from media sources from Texas.

Here Are Ways You Can Help People During Hurricane Harvey.

How to get (and offer) help after Hurricane Harvey.

William Dankenbring Passes Away

Banned by HWA reports that William Dankenbring passed away on August 29. My thoughts and condolences go to his family and friends.

Hurricane Harvey

It is awful what is happening because of Hurricane Harvey at present.

Texas Monthly has released the following article about how to help in this present crisis:

Here Are Ways You Can Help People During Hurricane Harvey.

PCG on the Eclipse

On August 21 many witnessed in wonder and joy the occurrence of a solar eclipse in the United States. And how did PCG's 1% respond to this occasion? Tried to use the eclipse to try and attract attention from listeners by trying to attract the attention of superstitious people fearful that the eclipse was some sort of sign from God.

 #227: Trumpet Hour: Charlottesville Violence: More to Come, Anticipating Germany’s Election, August 21 Eclipse Prophetic?, and More.... 

Next Monday, America is going to experience a full solar eclipse, and many people believe it is a prophetic sign—a signal of impending catastrophe. Is that true? (August 16, 2017.) 

The eclipse was again mentioned in another broadcast.

#550: Is Today’s Solar Eclipse a Sign of the Time of the End? 

Many religious commentators say today’s solar eclipse is a sign of the end. Does the Bible actually support these claims? One third of the Bible is dedicated to prophecy—a forecast of what is to happen in the latter days. On today’s Trumpet Daily Radio Show, we explain what the Bible says about the sequence of end-time events. (August 21, 2017.)

In other words PCG's 1% are trying to attract attention from people who are fearful that eclipse are a sign from God. Eclipses occur at regular times that are predictable because the Earth and Moon orbit at a regular speed.

Would it be good to be in a "church" that tries to attract people who are superstitiously afraid of eclipses? Such people need education instead of having their fear exploited by people like PCG's 1% hoping to gain attention and possibly a new tithes paying members.

Stephen Flurry's First Broadcast About Charlottesville Attack (August 14)

In his first radio broadcast discussing the awful events in Charlottesville (August 14, 2017) PCG's heir apparent Stephen Flurry complained that the media's condemnation of President Trump's discussing the white supremacists and the counter-protesters as morally equivalent. He insists that the media has ignored acts of violence by what he narrowly defines as the other side.

"The man and the movement are to be blamed." [Stephen Flurry states while quoting the mayor of Charlottesville on a CNN program.] Something that you never, ever heard in the previous eight years prior to Donald Trump's election. "The man," speaking of the president, "and the movement behind him." And you think about all of these violent atrocities coming from Antifa or coming from Black Lives Matter. Or aimed right at the police like in Dallas. Or the riots in Charlotte, or in Baltimore, or in St. Louis. And on and on and on it goes. And never, never, never, never did you hear all of these programs laying the blame at the White House. Now, just like last week [alluding to the recent tensions with North Korea], the big story here is not this particular white supremacist or what led up to his attack. The big story is President Trump's response. (6-7 minutes.)   

In other words the media are not to be trusted. If acted upon this attitude destroys trust in alternative sources of information that may happen to contradict Stephen Flurry. However the white supremacists were much more prepared for inflicting violence then the counter-protesters.

Many people are worried that the president lacks moral clarity regarding the white supremacists who assembled from all over the nation into Charlottesville. Stephen Flurry's response to this problem is to complain that people are not worried or alarmed enough about the possibility of nuclear destruction from either North Korea or Iran.

He scare mongered about Iran yet again, insisting that they are racing their build a nuclear bomb. PCG demonizes Iran in order to insist that their leader, Gerald Flurry, is blessed by God since he labelled Iran as the King of the South back in 1994. Stephen Flurry insists that the future World War III will begin with some sort of attack by Iran against Germany. He also fudged that issue by implying that North Korea may end up using nuclear weapons at some point in the future. PCG teaches that a German led European entity will conquer America in the near future just before Christ's return.

He also promotes a new booklet by his father, Gerald Flurry.

In the latter half of this broadcast Stephan Flurry reads letters from people struggling with drug addiction. He also discusses the ongoing opioid crisis.

Here is the synopsis of this particular broadcast.

#545: Charlottesville: A New Reason to Hate on President Trump   

 During a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend, a man intentionally drove his car into a crowd of opposing protesters. The reaction from the major media was predictable: Blame U.S. President Donald Trump for the violence. Under Barack Obama, U.S. cities experienced similar violence while President Obama remained silent. The media’s amnesia is a symptom of the hypocrisy dividing America and bringing it down. On today’s Trumpet Daily Radio Show, we discuss the media’s reaction to this weekend’s tragedy as well as other major events happening around the world. (August 14, 2017.)

It should be noted that white supremacists are the most dangerous strand of domestic terrorism.

White supremacists are much more likely to commit violent crimes than other sub-groups or classifications of domestic extremism. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), in 2015, white supremacists accounted for 38 percent of all extremist killings, followed closely by Islamist, anti-government, and anti-abortion extremists. Left-wing extremism accounted for around 1 percent of all killings; so-called “black extremism” did not register. (Melanie Schmitz, Think Progress, August 17, 2017.) 

PCG's 1% can scare monger about Antifa protesters and Black Lives Matter protesters as much as they want on their tithes sponsored radio station. That can't change the simple fact that white supremacists have a frightening history of inflicting violence to enforce their racist views and silence dissent.

PCG's Stephen Flurry Defending President Trump's Third Statement About Charlottesville Events

And so we continue with the topic mentioned in the last post. PCG's heir apparent Stephen Flurry has released a third broadcast of PCG's Trumpet Daily in which he defends President Trump's third statement concerning the terrible events that had recently occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia in which there occurred a car ramming terrorist attack. One counter-protester, Heather Heyer, was killed and nineteen counter-protesters injured in the car attack.

Here is PCG's synopsis of the broadcast.

#547: President Trump Exposes the Media’s Shamelessly One-sided Coverage 

United States President Donald Trump’s press conference on American infrastructure absolutely dominated the major media yesterday. The conference was a circus where reporters cared little about infrastructure and more about drawing connections between the president and white supremacists. Reporters shouted questions out of turn at the president like, “Why do Nazis like you?” and, “Do you support the Confederacy?” Mr. Trump drew attention to the weekend violence in Charlottesville, providing context and a balanced view of both sides of the protest. His answers set the left-wing media ablaze. On today’s Trumpet Daily Radio Show, we discuss what is wrong with the mainstream media in America and why these problems are only going to intensify in the near future. (August 16, 2017.)

There was widespread condemnation of this particular statement. Stephen Flurry insisted that the media, the reporters in the press conference, were biased and determined to make President Trump look bad. He says the press conference was supposed to discuss manufacturing but the reporters wanted to talk about his response to the violence by white supremacists in Charlottesville. That is how Stephen Flurry portrays that press conference. There is no attempt to give the benefit of the doubt to these journalists that their inquiry is legitimate. Instead it is dismissed as biased and an attempt to politically weaken the president.

Stephen Flurry cited an article by the Media Research Center insisting that news shows disproportionately focused on this particular news conference. The Media Research Center is a right wing outfit.

He also cited an article by Melanie Phillips to condemn Antifa protesters. She cited an article by Peter Beinart in The Atlantic. PCG's 1% tend to rely on Phillips' writings a lot. Stephen Flurry also tried to gain the listener's trust by saying that Phillips is no fan of Trump and that The Atlantic is a left wing publication. Stephen Flurry insists that the media are on the side of Antifa protesters even though there is a lively debate about such groups.

Near the end of the broadcast Stephen Flurry insisted that President Trump should be congratulated for his press conference.

So many have been dismayed, upset and angry at President Trump for comparing counter-protesters as being morally equivalent with the racist extremists. But not PCG's 1%. They have chosen to side with him despite the widespread opprobrium that this press conference caused. One might suspect that PCG's 1% reacted in this way because they are so partisan in favor of the political right. However PCG's 1% have shown in the past that when they want to they will criticize Trump. So the decision of PCG's 1% to speak up in favor of President Trump is a conscious decision that PCG's 1% have made that they will have to bear.

PCG's Pathetic Response to Racist Terrorism in Charlottesville

Much could be said about the terrible events that occurred last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. The innocent woman who was murdered by an attacking car. The two policemen who tragically died in a helicopter crash while trying to monitor the tense situation. The racist, extremist slogans chanted by the racist extremists such as the Nazi slogan "Blood and soil" and also saying "Jews will not replace us." The distress of the people of Charlottesville in seeing their town be used by these white supremacists from all over the nation for their show of power and of having their beloved hometown be remembered as the place an American citizen was allegedly killed by a racist extremist.

But how did PCG respond to these horrible events? Complain that the riot by white supremacists is being used to criticize President Trump.

#545: Charlottesville: A New Reason to Hate on President Trump 

During a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend, a man intentionally drove his car into a crowd of opposing protesters. The reaction from the major media was predictable: Blame U.S. President Donald Trump for the violence. Under Barack Obama, U.S. cities experienced similar violence while President Obama remained silent. The media’s amnesia is a symptom of the hypocrisy dividing America and bringing it down. On today’s Trumpet Daily Radio Show, we discuss the media’s reaction to this weekend’s tragedy as well as other major events happening around the world. (August 14, 2017.)

For decades HWA and his imitators insisted that America would soon be conquered and enslaved by rampaging Germans. It was often implied that these militaristic Germans would be similar to the Nazis. Sometimes these future Germans were even called Nazis as though Nazi Germany itself would somehow arise again in the near future.

God warns us to either submit to His government now or learn a big part of that lesson by being conquered by the Nazis. (Gerald Flurry, Royal Vision, July-August 2000, pp. 14-15.)

And yet when an American gets murdered apparently by an actual neo-Nazi the reaction of PCG's 1% is to indulge their partisanism and badmouth people criticizing President Trump.

Their second broadcast of The Trumpet Daily chose to scare monger against anti-fascist protesters called Antifa who are slurred as a "radical Marxist protest movement".

It also implied that "race wars" are coming which alludes to PCG's false prophecy of "race war" which describes a supposed future time in which African Americans will supposedly launch a wave of riots against the white majority. This inflammatory and racist claim will never come to pass.

#546: Alt-Right, Antifa, Left-wing Media and the Handcuffed Police: A Toxic Mix Prophesied to Explode 

White supremacist groups in America applauded the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend. Some members said it wasn’t enough. Meanwhile, the radical Marxist protest movement Antifa has been given a clean slate despite also having a long record of violence. Both extremes are beginning to fight in the streets of America’s cities, and the police are helpless to do anything about it. These are turbulent times, and it’s about to get a lot worse. Bible prophecy says America will experience race wars on its way to collapse. On today’s Trumpet Daily Radio Show, we explain how these events play into Bible prophecy. (August 15, 2017.)

A pretty dire response to the terrible events in Charlottesville.

Then PCG got their resident McCarthyite, Andrew Müller, to write an article about it in which he lambasts both sides for being violent. (Andrew Müller, Socialists Brawl on Virginia Streets, August 16, 2017.)

He states that there were white supremacists in Charlottesville.

Approximately 500 white supremacists gathered at Emancipation Park on Saturday for an event dubbed the “Unite the Right” rally. Multiple white power groups sent representatives, including the Ku Klux Klan.... [Other groups are named.] Many waved Nazi flags and chanted Nazi-era slogans like “Blood and Soil.” Others waved banners with slogans like, “the Jewish media is going down” and the “Jews are Satan’s children.”

Those who chose to stand up for their local communities and participate in counter-protests are simplistically labeled as Marxists. Within PCG's writings Marxists are generally viewed quite negatively.

Amongst the approximately 1,000 counterprotesters who showed up to oppose the “Unite the Right” rally were representatives of several Marxist organizations, including Antifa, Black Lives Matter and the Democratic Socialists of America. By 11 a.m., Emancipation Park descended into violence as both protesters and counterprotesters taunted, shoved, clubbed and pepper sprayed each other. It is still unknown whether the fascists or the Marxists started the fight, but more than a dozen people were injured in this street brawl.

How strange it is to see the counter-protesters who stood up against the white supremacists who had descended upon Charlottesville from all over the nation are labeled in general as Marxists.

It is stated that the counter-protesters moved their location.

After Virginia State Police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly around 11:40 a.m., riot police cleared the scene. Yet many of the protesters just moved to nearby McIntire Park.

The frightful murder is then mentioned.

During this spin-off rally, someone drove a car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one person, Heather D. Heyer, and injuring 19 others in what was apparently a deliberate attack. [The suspect] is being held on charges related to the crash. According to [the suspect's] high school history teacher, he was fascinated with Nazism and admired Adolf Hitler.

He mentions President Trump's statement but makes no comment about the widespread dissatisfaction that he blamed both sides for violent behavior.

President Donald Trump condemned these horrific acts of violence in an official press statement on Saturday, saying that “the hate and the division must stop, and must stop right now. We have to come together as Americans with love for our nation and … true affection for each other. We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides.”

He frets that "fascists and Marxists" will portray themselves as victims.

The main threat posed by these bloody street brawls is that fascists and Marxists might use their supposed “victimhood” status to divide Americans into warring camps.

He slurs Antifa as a "left-wing terrorist organization."

Mainstream media outlets are buying into a narrative that conflates white supremacy with constitutional conservatism. By projecting the authoritarian racism of a fringe movement onto libertarians and mainstream conservatives, they are encouraging left-wing terrorist organizations like Antifa to attack conservative speakers at universities across the nation. If this continues, it won’t be long before people start fighting back.

He then makes the severely flawed and inaccurate claim that just because Adolf Hitler's National Socialist German Workers' Party had the word socialist in it that most frightful and terrible party was somehow socialist.

Nazism—which stands for National Socialism—is the combination of xenophobic nationalism with authoritarian socialism.

One critique of the spurious claim that the Nazi Party was somehow socialist and therefore left wing may be seen courtesy of David Neiwert.

The author equates Black Lives Matter protesters and Democratic Socialists of America (which is slurred as "a Maoist organization") as being like neo-Nazis by supposedly setting their audience to oppose other socioeconomic groups.

He also slurs Black Lives Matter as "a Castroite organization" possibly referring to an obituary for Fidel Castro that some members of Black Lives Matter had made upon Fidel Castro's death. It seems unfair to assume that everyone in Black Lives Matter would have the same view concerning Fidel Castro.

Like other socialists, neo-Nazis abandon principles of individual liberty and maintain power by pitting their social group against a hated enemy. Black Lives Matter, a Castroite organization, pits blacks against law enforcement. Democratic Socialists of America, a Maoist organization, pits the poor against the economically successful. Fascist organizations like [name] pit whites against Jews and other races.

The end result: Anarchy and street brawls like those America witnessed this past weekend.

He also alludes to PCG's false prophecy of "race war."

The Bible also foretold that there would be serious race problems in the end-time due to the sins of the American and British peoples....

He also complains about journalists and media commentators complainig that President Trump waiting until Monday to make a statement about the terrible events in Charlottesville.

God does not put the primary blame on a political leader the way that so many political commentators do. In the end, these nation-destroying problems are actually correction from God to help people see their sins and repent of them.

So all in all it seems clear that PCG's 1% reaction to the terrible events in Charlottesville has been rather dire. They continue to vent their partisan views against liberals and leftists even after this terrible attack within this rally by neo-Nazis and other white supremacists. It is just awful that PCG's 1% chose to react the way they did. They say Nazis or Germans of some sort will soon conquer America but when an actual neo-Nazi appears to have killed an American person they choose to scare monger about those who stood up against the racist extremists instead of simply condemning those who promoted racist views during that terrible weekend in Charlottesville.

Horror in Charlottesville

On Saturday, August 12, 2017 Heather Meyer was killed as a result of a car driven by a far right extremist in Charlottesville, Virginia during a gathering of far right extremists from all over the country. The suspect is now in police custody. It is terrible that a human being has been killed apparently as a direct result of racist extremism. We must always stand against hatred including the horror that is neo-Nazism.

As far as I can tell neither PCG or LCG have bothered to comment about this terrible atrocity.

Temple Mount Crisis, Iranian Food and Canaanite Lebanese: PCG's Trumpet Daily (August 2, 2017)

Recently I listened to the August 2, 2017 broadcast of PCG's Trumpet Daily. This broadcast was hosted by Brent Nagtegaal.

In this broadcast Brent Nagtegaal spent the first half of the broadcast reinforcing PCG's vilification of Iran by saying that Iran sent food to Palestinian protesters during the protests against the metal detectors around Al Aqsa Mosque and speculating that Iran was behind the terrorist attack in which two Israeli police personnel were murdered on July 14, 2017.

The claim of linking the attack with Iran seems quite weak. Even he admits in the broadcast that it is largely circumstantial. He speculates that the attackers ran away into Al Aqsa Mosque in order to fulfill a ten year old declaration made by Raed Salah but this inflammatory claim is not verified. (How could Nagtegaal verify such a claim?) He states that one of the attackers was once photographed with Raed Salah but that proves nothing about the July 14 attack. He states that Raed Salah was once arrested for sending funds to Hamas and meeting with an Iranian intelligence agent back in 2003 but none of that proves anything about the July 14 attack. He states that Raed Salah was the head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel and that it was banned by Israel in November 2015 but that proves nothing about the July 14 attack. (Nagtegaal also incorrectly called it the "northern front" of the Islamic Movement in Israel instead of calling it the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel.)

It is important to note that PCG's leaders have a strong motive to condemn Iran. Back in 1994 PCG's leader, Gerald Flurry, proclaimed that Iran would be the "King of the South" even though it is east of the Holy Land. Before World War II HWA taught that the King of the South was Abyssinia. Later in HWA's WCG and in other COGs it had been taught that the "King of the South" would be Arab rather than Iranian. Flurry staked out a distinctive position on this matter compared with the other COGs. Consequently PCG's leaders want to convince their audience that Iran is the King of the South in order to insist that their leader, Gerald Flurry, is blessed by (PCG's) God and is worthy of being followed.

In the second half of the broadcast Brent Nagtegaal discussed a recent report saying that the Lebanese people are mostly descended from the ancient Canaanites. He complains that news reports mentioned this and said that this meant that the Bible was wrong. Nagtegaal replied to that claim by saying that the Bible states that Canaanites in Lebanon remained there.

May peace soon come to the Holy Land.

Listening to PCG's Trumpet Daily (July 31, 2017)

In this broadcast of PCG's Trumpet Daily (July 31, 2017) Joel Hilliker states that he was in Edstone as part of working with Philadelphia Youth Camp.

Joel Hilliker praises a speech delivered by President Trump in Poland. He says he was moved by it.

Then he complains about a Washington Post columnist criticizing the speech. He mentions that the columnist is African American and gay. Why does he bring those things up? They should not matter. He should focus on the topic under discussion without mentioning personal details like that.

He then complains that there are people out there who hate Western civilization. He states that 25% of young male African Americans in California meet state standards for reading. It is implied that this is somehow linked to this alleged contempt for Western civilization he scribes to certain people out there.

Or maybe there are reasons why this particular demographic does not perform as much as one would hope.

 “Part of this may be structural, in having texts that aren’t relevant to the experiences and legacy of African-American boys,” said Chris Chatmon, founding executive director of the African-American Male Achievement program at the Oakland Unified School District. “When a lot of the curriculum you have access to isn’t familiar, or doesn’t acknowledge your past or your present, you have a tendency not to be engaged with it or want to read it.” (The Mercury News.)

OK. I get it. Joel Hilliker does not like the Democratic Party. He does not want them to be elected to power. That's OK. Maybe he should disregard HWA's ban on voting and vote Republican.

Old WCG's Address in Jerusalem

In a recent post it was noted that a 1975 booklet produced by WCG listed a mailing address in Jerusalem without mentioning Israel indicating that WCG was acknowledging that East Jerusalem is not recognized by the international community as being a part of the State of Israel. This includes the 161 national governments that recognize the State of Israel as well as the United States.

It now appears that this policy was not enforced consistently but changed over time.

***

Some WCG booklets do not use the word Israel when listing their mailing address in Jerusalem.

HWA's 1971 booklet, Which Day is the Sabbath of the New Testament? only mentions Jerusalem when listing its mailing address. The word Israel is not used.

The 1973 version of HWA's book, The Wonderful World Tomorrow, only mentions Jerusalem when listing its mailing address. The word Israel is not used.

HWA's 1974 booklet, Why Marriage! Soon Obsolete?, only mentions Jerusalem when listing its mailing address. The word Israel is not used.

The 1975 booklet, The Modern Romans, only mentions Jerusalem when listing its mailing address. The word Israel is not used.

The 1976 booklet, White Horse, False Religion, only mentions Jerusalem when listing its mailing address. The word Israel is not used.

***

Other books and booklets list Jerusalem as belonging to Israel even though the US government does not recognize Jerusalem as belonging to the State of Israel.

Garner Ted Armstrong's 1972 booklet, The Real Jesus, lists their mailing address in Jerusalem as being in "Jerusalem, Israel".

Garner Ted Armstrong's 1972 booklet, "To Kill a People," lists Jerusalem as being in Israel.

The 1972 booklet, This is the Worldwide Church of God, lists Jerusalem as being in Israel.

HWA's 1978 booklet, Never Before Understood, lists Jerusalem as being in Israel.

HWA's 1984 booklet, A World Held Captive, lists Jerusalem as being in Israel.

HWA's 1985 booklet, Are We in the Last Days? lists Jerusalem as being in Israel.

Overview of the September 2017 Issue of PCG's Philadelphia Trumpet

PCG has released another issue of their recruitment magazine (September 2017) in an attempt to gain more tithes paying converts. Back in 2012 PCG had an income of about $19.5 million according to a booklet by their leader, Gerald Flurry. Even as early as 1996 PCG claimed to have more than $5 million in annual income. Recently PCG has even bought its own plane.

Let us see what they say this time.

The editors of this issue are Gerald Flurry, Stephen Flurry, Joel Hilliker, Brad MacDonald, Richard Palmer, Robert Morley, Jeremiah Jacques, Dennis Leap and Phillip Nice.

The circulation of this issue was 245,925 issues. August's circulation was 255,897 issues. July's circulation was 267,569. May-June's circulation was 263,551. April's circulation was 267,569 (which happens to be the same as July's figure). March's circulation was 271,949. February was 273,591. January was 267,992.

The contents page features a picture of the Grenfell Tower fire in London on June 14, 2017 in which at least eighty people were killed.

Gerald Flurry has an article hysterically entitled, "The Fall of the British Royal Family" bemoaning that the British royal family is going along with the supposed increase in behavior contrary to PCG's dogmas that supposedly will lead to Britain being conquered by a German led European Empire. He also complains of the Labour Party's Jeremy Corbyn even though he is not in power.

PCG teaches that the British royal family is a continuation of the House of David described in the Old Testament. This is a feature of British Israelism., the idea that the British are descendants of the Israelites mentioned in the Old Testament. There is no genetic evidence linking the British people with the Jewish people. The alleged ancestral link between the British and Jews as claimed by promoters of British Israelism is nonsense.

Abraham Blondeau has a little column accompanying this article that scare mongers that Canada may soon abolish the monarchy.

Jeremiah Jacques has an article discussing the twentieth anniversary of the end of British rule over Hong Kong and its return to China in 1997.

Joel Hilliker has an article bemoaning about how bad things are in certain parts of the world.

Richard Palmer has an article scare mongering about the recent G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany and the protesters accompanying that summit. Among other things he ludicrously implies that Adolf Hitler's National Socialist German Workers' Party was somehow left wing because it had the word "socialist" in its name.

Richard Palmer also has an article scare mongering about German intelligence supposedly spying on Americans.

Andrew Müller has an article which discusses the problem of desertification and insists all will be solved after Christ's return.

The Infographic insists that farming methods are contrary to (PCG's) God's law which will supposedly be in force after Christ's return. Among other things it is insisted that the land Sabbath (shmita) is to be observed by farmers despite farmers involved with HWA's WCG encountering severe problems and even bankruptcy trying to observe this religious practice in the past.

Samuel Livingston has an article scare mongering about hearers, people encouraged to listen to voices in their heads. Quite irresponsibly Livingston insists that voices in peoples' heads are the work of Satan. Banned by HWA discussed an earlier version of this article.

Christopher Eames has an article insisting that the great flood of Genesis 6-9 was literally true. Many other churches unconnected to HWA's organization also say the same thing.

Joel Hilliker has a little article promoting happy marriages.

Robert Morley has a little article hysterically proclaiming that people cannot trust institutions anymore.

WorldWatch discusses Germany supposedly about to be a peace broker between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority; the triumph of  La République en Marche in France's legislative election; the sell off of Banco Popular in Spain for a single euro; the Saudi led blockade of Qatar; Iran producing more long range missiles citing an announcement by the National Resistance Council of Iran, an organization closely linked to the Mojahedin-e Khalq which was formerly listed as a terrorist organization by the US State Department from 1997 till 2012; the presence of Assad regime armed forces and Hezbollah near the State of Israel; Russia and China agreeing to increase military cooperation; scare mongering of Russia buying more gold; and India's admission into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

SocietyWatch discusses Canada extending legal protections to transgender people; that more Americans believe in evolution; and scare mongering about the household debt of Australians.

There are letters. Here's one letter from Augusta, Georgia from a person persuaded by PCG's constant demonization of Iran which is done to convince readers that Gerald Flurry's proclamation in 1994 that Iran is the "King of the South" somehow proves that God is with PCG.

I have been reading the magazine for some time and agree that your analysis has been spot on in the issue of Iran. I really enjoy the magazine and feel that we are entering a time that really leads up to the end times. I pray each day more people will come to realize what the future holds. It seems God is holding off some of the disaster, hoping that people will change their way of living, but it seems that history is about to repeat itself.

Here's a letter from Coram, New York from a person who had been reading PCG's recruitment magaizine since about 2005 who praises PCG as making accurate predictions despite their record of making numerous failed and inaccurate predictions.

I have to tell you this is the most amazing periodical I have ever read. I have been reading it for 12 years now and everything you have said will happen or has happened. But that doesn’t surprise me because the Bible doesn’t lie.

Here's a letter from Long Beach, California from a person disillusioned with President Trump.

I was so happy when I discovered the Trumpet by accident. I read the one with Donald Trump on it four times over. According to this book, we are close to World War III. I don’t care for President Trump, but some members of my family think he is a gift from God. I told my daughters that he was going to lead us to destruction and they didn’t believe me. Then I found the Trumpet and it agreed with me! I really love the PCG. I am not really good with the Bible, but you put it all before me; I can read with the Bible and it is easier for me to understand. I appreciate your work so much.

And so we see that PCG's 1% has produced yet another issue of their recruitment magazine seeking to gain new recruits and to keep their followers overawed towards PCG's 1% by thinking that they can see the future. However since its founding in 1989 PCG has made at least 52 failed predictions. Getting a British columnist to talk at their headquarters cannot change that fact. Clearly PCG's leaders are but false prophets. There is no need to fear their dire proclamations. PCG's leaders are but false prophets.

WCG said East Jerusalem Does Not Belong to Israel (1975)

In 1967 the State of Israel acquired East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip after its victory in the Six Day War. Immediately the State of Israel annexed East Jerusalem while placing the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under military rule under the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) which is a part of the Israeli Defense Ministry.

But governments tend to be reluctant to recognize changed borders lest that diplomatic act should set a precedent justifying the dismemberment of their own territories. Consequently no national government recognized the Israeli government's annexation of East Jerusalem instead viewing it as occupied territory in which the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 applies. This includes the United States. It is for this reason that most foreign embassies are located in Tel Aviv and not Jerusalem.

Even WCG acknowledged East Jerusalem legal status as occupied territory ruled by yet not recognized by the international community as being a part of the State of Israel. This may be seen on list of mailing addresses placed in the 1975 edition of WCG's booklet, The Modern Romans: The Decline of Western Civilization (1971, 1972, 1975).

On page 90 of this PDF file the booklet lists mailing addresses in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Puerto Rico, England, Switzerland, West Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Jerusalem, South Africa and Rhodesia. The mailing address for Jerusalem does not mention the State of Israel. This acknowledges the legal status of East Jerusalem in the view of every national government (expect the State of Israel's) that East Jerusalem does not belong to the State of Israel but rather it is viewed as occupied territory in which the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 applies.

LCG Remembering Roderick C. Meredith

LCG has released a broadcast of their recruitment telecast, Tomorrow's World, commemorating the late Roderick C. Meredith following his death on May 18, 2017 at 86 years of age. It is presented by Gerald Weston and Richard Ames. (A Life of Faith, August 2, 2017.)

Most of it is a compilation of footage of some of Meredith's TV broadcasts dating from 1995 to 2014.