God Family Doctrine Originated from Russellite Watchtower Cult

I avidly read J. Phillip Arnold's article about "Who Taught Herbert Armstrong?" in the last issue of The Journal, pp. 24-32. It was mentioned in Banned by HWA. I have long suspected that there was a connection with Charles Taze Russell's original Watchtower Society and the God Family doctrine.

Back in 2009 I was reading about the Jehovah's Witnesses to learn more about what HWA taught. I learned that the first leader of the Watchtower Cult, Charles Taze Russell, actually taught the God Family doctrine. The idea appears to have been in the air in that particular milieu. (Though, of course, that is no longer the case in that particular organization today.) Reading that I could not help but wonder if Russell was the source for the God Family doctrine, instead of Mormonism as some have proposed. I posted this thought at the time as may be seen in the links above.

Reading Arnold's article in The Journal I am now more firmly convinced than ever that Russell, not Mormonism, must have been HWA's source for the God Family doctrine.

***

J. Phillip Arnold also mentions that Ambassador College featured copies of Zion's Watch Tower magazine in its library. Back in 2009 a comment posted on this blog mentioned that very same fact.

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Also J. Phillip Arnold's assertion that HWA adopted the God Family doctrine around 1943 discredits one claim Roderick C. Meredith made in a sermon he once gave which I watched once. He claimed he was there in Ambassador College when the God Family doctrine was "discovered" by HWA's organization. He said this teaching began after they read in Genesis 1:26 that God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," and from that they eventually concluded that humans are supposed to be God beings as fully God as God is God though of a lower rank.

If Arnold's claim is right then Meredith was wrong. He was not there when they "discovered" this idea. HWA adopted the idea about four years before Ambassador College started. If Arnold is correct then Meredith was completely wrong to claim that he was there when they began to teach the God Family doctrine.

Also LCG publishes a booklet by the late John Ogwyn entitled God's Church Through the Ages which claims that the God Family doctrine only began to be taught in the spring of 1953.

Throughout its history, the Church of God has been non-Trinitarian, never accepting the formulations of the early Catholic councils as a valid guide for Christians. However, in modern times, it was not until the spring of 1953 that Mr. Armstrong and the other ministers began to develop a clear understanding of the biblical teaching that God is a divine Family into which converted human beings will be born at the resurrection. At first, they attempted to prove this understanding false, from the Bible. Instead, they found this vital truth reaffirmed throughout God’s Word. Though this understanding was the clear implication of much that had previously been taught, Mr. Armstrong and the others found it challenging to accept this simple—yet profoundly important and overwhelming—truth. This key teaching of Scripture—that we can be born into the Family of God—is perhaps the single greatest truth that God restored, through Mr. Armstrong, to the Church of God. (John Ogwyn, God's Church Through the Ages, p. 48.)

If Arnold is right then Ogwyn was also wrong to make that claim.

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J. Phillip Arnold also cites Russell as the source of the doctrine of the Great White Throne Judgment. I never suspected that the doctrine of the Great White Throne Judgment actually came from the early Watchtower Society. So now we know.

(This post is based on a comment of mine posted on Banned by HWA.)

PCG's Ron Fraser on American English

PCG's Ron Fraser (1941-2013) originated from Australia and ended up becoming one of the main leaders of PCG. Even though he rose to the upper echelon of PCG and prospered thanks to the predominantly American organization which he had decided to align himself with, he thought American English "was quite below par compared" with the English spoken elsewhere in the English speaking world.

My earliest critics when I began to take a higher profile in speaking and writing were Americans. A number claimed that I used words they did not know the meaning of. Yet all I was doing was using the vocabulary that was part of a good education in my home country and most of the rest of the British Commonwealth! It soon became obvious that the quality of language generally in use in the U.S. was quite below par compared to the rest of the English-speaking world. (Ron Fraser, Out of the Abundance of the Heart …, August 13, 2012.)

Just imagine. Gerald Flurry and the upper echelon of PCG's leadership let this man who looked down on American Emglish have so much power and authority within the organization and do so much to get their recruitment magazine up and running.

Mark Armstrong's Bizarre "Wag the Dog" Rant About Mass Shooting in Florida

Mark Armstrong, leader of the Intercontinental Church of God, grandson of HWA, son of Garner Ted Armstrong, has released yet another weekly update. (February 23, 2018.)

Let's see what he has to say.

He insists that CNN is engaged in some sort of conspiracy to use the recent massacre in Florida, in which seventeen innocent people were murdered, to take peoples' guns away.

As if following the time-honored leftist play book to the letter, the mainstream media wasn't about to let the Broward County school shooting tragedy go to waste. CNN raced to the scene to schedule their televised “town hall” meeting to be carried LIVE, nationwide. We're beginning to find out that they only wanted one viewpoint pushed and rejected participation by most everyone who had any reaction other than an emotional demand for gun control. That was most clearly demonstrated by the Broward County Sheriff, and his impassioned call for “trying something different.” That dude needs to be shown the door.

He seemingly belittles police officers all over the nation as incapable of protecting the people, thus seeming to imply that it is necessary for the people to be armed.

The theory behind gun control, is that the police can protect citizens from harm. The government, if large enough and powerful enough, can take care of the bad guys. All you have to do is contact authorities, and they'll swarm into action. You don't need to protect yourself, they claim. More guns mean more violence.

Making it harder to gain access to deadly weapons is not an option for Mark Armstrong, it seems. So he has to talk about something else. This time he states that law enforcement officers failed to stop the massacre.

The Florida example may be the worst of all time in terms of backing up the angry screams for gun confiscation. Anger is understandable and to be expected from the grieving parents, family members and friends of those defenseless teenagers, mercilessly murdered and maimed by the homicidal maniac who shot up the school. But those charged with Law enforcement dropped the ball, not once, not twice, but every single time! The F. B. I. was notified and warned twice, the second time with detailed information on the identity and location of the gunman, weeks in advance of the killings. But they did nothing.

This week it's not about the guns. It's about alleged failings of law enforcement officers.

County Sheriffs responded to numerous calls, some saying the little monster had not only threatened, but pointed his guns at people while threatening to shoot them. Time and time again they went to answer complaints, but never took the future mass murderer into custody, never hauled him off for a mental examination, and never charged him with a crime or took his guns into custody.

He continues to criticize law enforcement officers.

The latest shoe to drop, is the school's own security officer, a Sheriff, hid outside (for a full four minutes) while the massacre proceeded inside the school. Now they've got him and his home under armed guard, afraid that some infuriated parent of a murdered or maimed child might take matters into their own hands after learning of his incredible act of cowardice. Or was he told to stand down? He was seen on his radio, so that's now up for speculation.

To make his audience afraid of the government instead of the possibility of someone acquiring a deadly military weapon like the AR-15 and using it to commit criminal acts he scare mongers that "they're all calling for law abiding citizens to be required to turn in their firearms".

Conspiracy theories are sprouting like spring weeds. The F. B. I. was told this might well happen and who might do it, and never bothered to act. The local enforcement officers had dozens of complaints of violence and threats against others and did nothing. Now they're all calling for law abiding citizens to be required to turn in their firearms, as if it's the fault of the law-abiding public that this happened. “It's the NRA's fault!” Don't worry. You don't need to protect yourselves, the police are all the protection you need, they claim.

It's not about the guns, for Mark Armstrong, apparently. It's about the government acting against people like Mark Armstrong's audience.

If this is how national and local law enforcement protects people, they don't deserve much faith. It would be like relying on the mainstream media for truth! The mainstream has been lying through its teeth for so long that a vast percentage of the population no longer trusts “The Most Trusted Name in News” or any of the rest of them. We suspect there have been several instances where crimes have been committed by, or with the acquiescence of government in order to bring about a political result.

The Fast and Furious was part of a vast conspiracy by the government to convince Americans to stop buying guns, Mark Armstrong insinuates.

Anybody remember Fast and Furious? Attorney Eric Holder decided he'd rather be the first Attorney General in American history to be slapped with the charge of Contempt of Congress than expose his, and undoubtedly the former president's role in running hundreds of legal guns to Mexican drug cartels. That, apparently was part of a longer-term plan to convince the American public that legally bought and sold firearms were causing murder, mayhem and contributing to drug importation. Therefore, the government would have a responsibility to crack down on the legal purchase of firearms. Needless to say, it didn't go according to plan.

Mark Armstrong shamelessly insinuates that the mass shooting may been part of a sinister conspiracy to implement gun control of some kind. Or something. He does not elaborate on this terrible accusation of his.

We suspect the dog has been wagged on many an occasion. Bill Clinton is suspected as having been a master of the craft. When the subject absolutely positively had to be changed, a catastrophe happens and grabs all the attention for days or weeks. This school massacre had better not turn out to be one of those situations. But there are a lot of burning questions, and all the media wants to talk about is gun control.

What a dreadful and awful thing to say. It is shameful that Mark Armstrong should decide to promote such a vile accusation.

He then moans bringing forward complains that seem almost seem almost meaningless and barely grammatical.

We live amid a whirlwind of scams, false promises, false accusations, fake news, and unabashed mainstream deception. They're everywhere. How many times a day does your phone ring with some recording, or foreign operator lying to you about your interest in their plan? How many false claims appear in the column beside every web page? How much nonsense have mainstream outlets pumped out? 

He ends his conspiratorial polemic with complaining that those people he does not like are seeking to "control the population". In other words he is telling his audience to disregard those people, whoever Mark Armstrong says they are, and instead listen to Mark Armstrong since he implies that knows how to not not be controlled by those people he does not like.

Deception is being used to manipulate people, whether for gain or for the success of some movement or other. Apparently, it works. People make fortunes. Causes have been stoked, riots started, cities burned and looted. We've seen it, and we've seen the mainstream media in active participation. May God help us to not react emotionally or immediately to every whiff of “information.” We should have learned by now, that the goal is control of the population and the achievement of ends, whatever means are required. There are more lessons to be learned, and more scams to avoid. Thank God we still have some Liberties that allow us freedom of movement, freedom of association and freedom of thought. Most of the world doesn't.  

Mark

What a dreadful and disgusting rant Mark Armstrong has devised this time. It is dreadful that he implied that someone wagged the dog regarding this mass shooting, implying that someone with authority and power wanted this massacre to occur. The public deserves to know what sort of things Mark Armstrong is saying to his followers.

PCG Blames Fatherlessness and Demons for Florida Mass Shooting

Following the massacre of seventeen innocent people in Florida there is widespread concern about gun control. Many have noticed that the United States endures a particularly high rate of gun violence. But according to PCG's 1% it is not about guns, it is about fatherlessness and demons. 

Here's Andrew Müller blaming fatherlessness instead of critiquing how he could acquire an AR-15 assault rifle legally.

Like so many mass shooters, [the suspect] was a disturbed child from a fatherless home who developed a fascination with violence. ... 

The reason mass shootings have increased so dramatically is because the moral fiber of American families is ripping apart. ...

There is a reason for such horrific violence: America has turned away from God’s laws governing family life and private morality. In the Bible, God warns that such rebellion produces horrific murders and bloody crimes.

Here is PCG implying that demons were responsible for the massacre.

[The suspect] obviously had a disturbing personal life. But what is it that really inspires young men to kill like [the suspect] did? On today’s program, we discuss the reality of the spirit world and the effect it has on the minds of human beings.

In other words PCG's 1% are not at present  interested in talking about how to manage the possession of guns.

Mark Armstrong Moans About "Uncivilized Third-World Teenagers" after the School Massacre in Florida

Mark Armstrong, leader of the Intercontinental Church of God, grandson of HWA, has released another weekly update. (February 16, 2018.) This update was written following the massacre at Majority Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida in which seventeen innocent people were murdered on February 14, 2018.

Mark Armstrong mentions the massacre in Florida. He then very quickly moves on to complaining about people in the media advocating for reforming laws concerning gun control to make these sort of massacres less likely to occur.

Greetings from Tyler, 

There's only one story this week, and you know what that is. All other news is either not happening or unimportant as the media obsesses, hour after hour, day after day. Most mainstream outlets are outraged that gun control, which they imply could have prevented the Florida school massacre, hasn't been enacted into law despite the Second Amendment of the Constitution. One commentator called it the Constitutional Suicide Pact.

He then states that dozens knew the perpetrator "was out of control."

As the nation mourns the senseless killings of innocent students and faculty in Broward County, the press conferences, the interviews with witnesses and students have made one thing has become abundantly clear.  Dozens of people knew this kid, Nicholas de Jesus Cruz, was out of control.  He was brandishing weapons, wearing masks, talking “Allahu Akbar” all over social media.  He'd even expressed his intention to be a “professional school shooter,” and the F. B. I. had been notified!  But they weren't sure they had the identity nailed down, so….  One girl, a student at the high school, said she “actually knew the shooter” because she'd been a friend of his half-brother who said he sat in his room practicing loading magazines into rifles, working the actions, dry-firing guns all the time.  The noise coming from his room was constant.  Everybody who knew this kid, or knew of him, knew he was a danger. 

It seems to me that Mark Armstrong gets awfully close to blaming the victims in the passage above.

He states that the perpetrator was known to the authorities.

Now we hear the F. B. I. was notified a second time, with no confusion about the little freak's identity or his location, and still did nothing.  Local Police had been called to his home dozens of times in recent years.  The kid was a local legend, and all said he was “a little off.” 

He complains that so many people concerned about this topic are focusing on the guns.

Progressives scoff at the idea of armed security at schools.  Why, that would turn schools into “armed camps,” and then, who knows how bad things could get?  No, clearly in the minds of concerned anchors and commentators everywhere, the problem is GUN violence.  

If it is not about guns then what is this massacre about for Mark Armstrong?

While so many are in mourning and are distressed by this dreadful massacre Mark Armstrong decides it is time to complain that white men are getting picked on. He also complains that his preferred president is getting blamed for the massacre somehow.

CNN decided they'd impose a rule at long last, no more mention of the names of mass murderers.  How convenient!  They sure didn't mind the name Steven Paddock when it came to the Las Vegas massacre.  He was a middle aged white guy, and they couldn't say his name or display his likeness often enough.  But the Hispanic kid, expelled from school, full of hatred, cavorting around brandishing guns and knives on social media bragging that he wanted to shoot people, it just wouldn't be wise to mention his name.  Besides, it's not about him, it's about “common sense gun safety,” and the fact that the Trump administration has allowed, if not caused this massacre.  That's their angle, and their sticking to it.

He also uses this massacre to moan about the ongoing investigation into the Trump-Russia scandal and makes the hysterical accusation that the investigation into the Trump-Russia scandal somehow caused the FBI to ignore warnings about the perpetrator. What an outlandish claim to make.

If the F. B. I. hadn't committed untold manpower to obtaining fraudulent warrants, conducting surveillance of Hillary's political rivals, chasing “the Russians” who supposedly “colluded” with Trump, they might have had time to check in on this hateful little killer before he acted.  But they obviously had much more important things to investigate.  There was no time to waste on the Hispanic kid who was all over social media, haunting Islamic fighter web sites, issuing threats expressing his desire to murder people.  No.  They had an administration to frame!  They've been busy issuing “anonymous government official” leaks to the media.  We're finding out, little by little, drip by drip, that they've been behind the nightly “leaks” propelling the dialogue of Trump/Russia collusion for over a year.

He then muses that some in the FBI have been leaking information damaging to his preferred president. He states that he hopes that they are afraid. He boasts that they are being fired or otherwise marginalized.

One can only imagine the glee with which these “anonymous government officials” must have experienced as they watched their disinformation, designed to prompt suspicion of “treason” play out over every network day after day, month after month for over a year and a half.  Now we're beginning to learn some of their names, and some of their former positions.  Many have resigned, been fired, or re-assigned to lowly posts.  Presumably, they're not sleeping quite as well as they were after they watched their own “leaks” of inside information play out on screens all over the world for so long.

He finds it convenient to denigrate the FBI to discredit their investigation concerning his preferred president. Now he uses the revelation about the FBI's mishandling of warnings about the perpetrator to further denigrate them.

They say we have to maintain confidence and trust in the hard-working men and women who put their lives on the line to keep America safe.  But they couldn't possibly look more inept, or corrupt.  The explanation for why the F. B. I. couldn't follow up after being contacted by a bail bondsman who contacted them after he received the message over YouTube, the killer saying he wanted to be a professional school shooter?  Agents went and interviewed the bail bondsman who got the message, and then…  And then we get excuses, they couldn't be sure of the identity.  And then, they looked no further.  They dropped it.  This is one of the vaunted “field offices,” you know, where they risk their lives every day to protect Americans. 

While so many are in distress Mark Armstrong chooses to lambast schools as indoctrination centers for the left and as being filled with "uncivilized third-world teenagers." Teachers were murdered and yet here he says that teachers are saying "that America is an evil entity, founded on racism and white supremacy." The more inflammatory rhetoric is highlighted below.

Here's the news.  America's schools are already brimming with uncivilized third-world teenagers, many of whom will never master the English language.  Teachers, largely, teach that America is an evil entity, founded on racism and white supremacy.  They pound every leftist doctrine into their heads, ignoring or punishing every hint of dissent.  The “dreamers” are committing crimes and making babies like they're going out of style.  Some are in graduate school, earning their PhD’s we're told, but that's not the common denominator by any means.  Does nobody see the documentaries, the true stories showing what life is like south of the Border, and south of there?  Is there no realization that the planet earth is brimming with human beings who have no education, no empathy, no respect for human suffering and no respect for life, period?

It's not about the guns for Mark Armstrong. It's about America becoming less white.

Do we want our grandkids in an insecure school, teaming with third-world specimens without conscience, weaned on the injustices of “white privilege,” demanding that the wealth be redistributed?!?  Take a look at the Florida school, and those nearby, wherever you may be.  Fundamental transformation has already arrived.  Imagine what it looks like ten years hence, when the “dreamers” and the “unaccompanied minors” have all produced seven or eight offspring just like them.  Careful, you might be a racist!

Mark

Amazingly he gives little thought about the victims or about how to prevent such massacres from occurring again. Instead he indulges in his regular partisan attacks and xenophobic tirades similar to just about every other one of his bizarre weekly updates. America mourns and yet he complains that some people might think he is racist. What a morally bankrupt response to the catastrophe in Florida.

And just imagine. There are some people out there who send money to this man's organization.

Another Mark Armstrong Update

Mark Armstrong has released yet another weekly update. (February 9, 2018.) Let's see what he has to say this time.

He intones that an ideological civil war is underway in the United States.

Aside from some suspicious unsolved murders, and the gang mayhem that's spread across America, no shots have been fired.  But there is an ideological civil war in progress.  It's ugly and it seems to have permeated nearly everything.  It has certainly tainted what passes for news.  Blessedly, we have a wide variety of informational sources.  If mainstream outlets still had a monopoly on the selection and distribution of information, we'd be even further down the path of authoritarian bans and mandates than we are.

He complains that some view the "make America great again" slogan in a negative way.

Some are excited, and some are repulsed at the prospect of any actual progress toward making America great again.  All mainstream outlets call that slogan and the philosophy behind it racist, hateful, bigoted and many of the commentators pretty much lose all pretense of professionalism during any discussion. 

He then complains that during a recent trip he saw so many people who did not speak English even though he lives in a state, namely Texas, that happens to be located next to Mexico.

But the realization is setting in.  It's not a question of great again, but whether the United States can be saved from the transformation we've already undergone.  My immediate family and I went on a road trip this week for a few days of skiing.  Most everywhere we stopped along the way, every gas station, mini-market, truck stop, and restaurant brought the realization that we are already outnumbered by people who don't even speak English.  It may not be true statistically, yet, but any calculation of future child-bearing proclivities would make it abundantly clear that regular Americans are on a glide path to third-world blight.  Call the observation racist or whatever, the reality cannot be more than one generation from now, if that. 

He scare mongers that if Clinton had won the election "this unique experiment" would have been ended "forever."

We're beginning to find out just how close we came to losing this country to corruption at the highest levels.  If the rigging of the most powerful agencies had succeeded, and their first woman president had been elected, none of the bombshells now exploding would ever have gone off.  James Comey would still head the F. B. I.  Loretta Lynch would still be the Attorney General.  The Justice Department and the IRS would still be targeting political opponents for harassment and prosecution.  And that would have been the end of this unique experiment, forever. 

He complains that the budget adds more debt and essentailly blames the other party which he does not like.

After much hand-wringing and grandstanding, Congress managed to pass a two-year budget that plunges the U. S. into another couple of trillion in debt.  Our government is still spending like a drunken sailor, with none of the reforms of waste and graft having been addressed.  It's the reality of an adversarial situation in government where “compromise” with the vast bureaucracy and socialist juggernaut has become necessary in order to just fund the American military.  When it comes right down to it, even the radicals know there'd be nothing for them to steal, and nobody left for them to berate without the protection of the military, hate it as they do.

Even though Saudi Arabia spends about seven times as much money on military expenditure then Iran and that it is widely believed that the State of Israel has nuclear weapons he scare mongers about Iran.

Funny, how what we knew to be true on its face ends up being confirmed a year or two after the fact.  You remember the shrink-wrapped pallets of currency Obama sent to Tehran as part of the “Iran deal?”  It's been tracked down and documented that much of it was apportioned out to Hezbollah and to the terrorist movement that's made Yemen more uninhabitable than it already was.  Iran has strengthened its hand in Iraq, in Syria, Lebanon, is financing the war in Yemen and threatening Saudi Arabia.  It could very well become an acknowledged nuclear power in the blink of an eye.

He mentions that Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea and the participation of North Koreans in it. He mockingly refers to Kin Jong-un as "the little fat boy" seemingly unconcerned about possibly exacerbating the situation or of indulging himself in fat shaming.

Everyone is heartened that North Korea has sent delegations, a few competitors and even Kim Jong-un’s sister to the Winter Olympics in South Korea.  At least it bodes well that we don't expect a war for at least the next couple of weeks.  Maybe the confrontational posture toward the little fat boy wasn't such a lunatic play after all.  But the longer term is far from certain.

He then takes solace in the thought that his version of the Armstrongite God is far greater then anyone outside he does not approve of.

There's no denying, we've seen some evidence of miracles in our own lives and in the bigger picture in the very recent past.  God's Hand has been apparent in developments no-one could have predicted or would have believed if anybody had.  His power is way beyond all of our concerns, and that's where they need to be taken.  The odds were much worse than they are now, and we've been short on faith.  This Sabbath would be a great time to turn it all over to Him.  The bickering, the insults, the threats and dangers, all of it.  He's way ahead of us, and His will be done.  

 Mark

He then mentions some statistics of his organization's attempts to reach out to new people to gain new recruits.

P. S.  Here's a brief rundown of recent advertising results via the Internet, in round numbers. 

On the subject of Heaven and Hell, of 44,000 reached, over 4,500 followed our link. 

Clean and Unclean Meats                      6,000                         600 

Easter or the Passover                          19,000                      1,000 

Does God Allow Evil                            2,800                         300


Total reached                                       54,000                      6,300 

These percentages look promising, and we'll be increasing our output dramatically.

He then states that they are broadcasting TV programs.

We've also taken television time on the Retro and Family networks.  They are available on the digital antennas for local reception.  It just started, but we're already receiving some calls and early results look promising.

I pity anyone who gets intrigued about this organization through such broadcasts. It is to be hoped that they conclude that their time is better spent elsewhere.

PCG's Ron Fraser Predicting American Decline by 2011

Here is yet another pathetic prediction from a member of PCG's 1%. This dire prediction was made in 2001 and predicted that the United States of America would soon fall apart in less than ten years. By 2011 in other words.

The United States may well go down in history as the shortest-lived of the singular superpowers which have strutted this world’s stage since Babylon, the world’s first great empire. 

The U.S., which last January [2001] tipped over the edge and commenced its descent from a political economy of singular greatness, is destined to slide into second-rate power status. This process will not take a century. In all probability it will not even take a decade. (Ron Fraser, At The Crossroads, The Philadelphia Trumpet, May 2001.)

And still thousands of people continue to trust in an organization that makes such spectacularly failed prophecies. Since PCG's founding in 1989 its leaders have made at least 52 failed predictions. This is yet another.

PCG's Ron Fraser on Diplomacy in Colombia (2001)

Diplomacy does not appear to be so highly prized among PCG's 1% as may be seen in these passages from an article by PCG's Ron Fraser from 2001 discussing attempts by the Colombian government to negotiate with the main leftist insurgent group operating in the nation, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which had been waging an armed insurgency against the government since 1964. Fraser casually assumed the diplomacy would not work.

It was Margaret Thatcher who declared, “Never negotiate with a terrorist.” She knew that once a terrorist gained ground through receiving just one concession, he would stick to that gain like a limpet as a platform from which to gain more concessions. This is the vicious circle that enmeshes President Andrés Pastrana. It’s the same vortex into which those who have made concessions to Irish, Palestinian and Albanian terrorists now find themselves sucked. ... 

So! We have yet another “peace process” involving negotiations between a legitimate national government and an illegitimate group of terrorists. Yet again, the U.S. is the largest foreign dollar and military equipment contributor to one side. The U.S. administration is the prime supplier of intelligence, military training and advice to the national government of Colombia. Yet again, political forces are arrayed against the U.S., this time to take advantage of its absence at the bargaining table and position themselves to lay the blame for any failure of the process on American shoulders. Will the Colombian peace process turn into a mini-Vietnam for the U.S.? Another American folly? 

Chances are that unless Americans learn to deal with cause rather than effect, their continuing efforts at dealing with the insidious effects of narco-trafficking are doomed to failure. (Ron Fraser, America's Colombian Folly, May 2001.)

On November 24, 2016 the Colombian government and the FARC signed a peace agreement and as part of the peace deal the FARC disbanded as an armed force on June 27, 2017 and reorganized itself as a political party, the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force.

Contrary to Fraser's harsh pessimism peace was made with the FARC. This is yet another failed prediction that PCG's leaders have made over the years.

PCG's Ron Fraser Dismissed Condoleeza Rice as Having a "Liberal Ethos" (2001)

PCG's Ron Fraser was not pleased with Condoleeza Rice being appointed as National Security Adviser upon the assumption of power by George W. Bush.

In a destabilized world, foreign policy is played out often at high risk against heavy odds. Rumor has it that the president’s foreign-policy advisers are divided. ... presidential adviser on foreign policy Condoleeza Rice exhibits a certain liberal ethos in her views. Such a mix of minds may well provide a confusion of views that will frustrate decision-making for the new president. ... 

A weak-willed U.S. approach to maintaining order in the Balkan Peninsula allowed civil war in Macedonia to spark. This will only serve to influence a policy of U.S. disengagement from the Balkans. Condoleeza Rice virtually promised a U.S. troop withdrawal from Yugoslavia as part of President Bush’s electoral platform. ... 

Following the Rice philosophy, the Bush administration has accepted a basically hands-off policy on Balkan, Mideast and Irish affairs—all the subject of intense, if inept, diplomatic activity under the previous administration. Someone had to fill the vacuum. Guess who? The EU slipped in quickly to seize the advantage and is speedily taking over the Middle East peace process, while the Germans are coming out from under the table to take the lead in the Balkans.... (Ron Fraser, At The Crossroads, May 2001.)

Mark Armstrong on #ReleaseTheMemo

Mark Armstrong, leader of the Intercontinental Church of God, has released another one of his weekly updates (February 2, 2018). Let's see what he has to say. This week he insists that Robert Mueller's investigation is merely part of some sort of grand conspiracy involving leaders of the FBI and the mainstream media to attack his preferred president, Donald John Trump.

He begins by claiming a time of "mass deception" will occur before Christ's return.

The Bible tells of a period of mass deception that will characterize the last days.  Many wonder, particularly in this Internet era where there's been an explosion of available information, how such a thing could be possible.  How on earth could the whole world, save the “very elect” be conned into accepting, and acting upon a false and fraudulent premise?     

He then begins to condemn the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Despite the disturbing evidence of possibly criminal behavior fueling the Republican Robert Mueller's investigation Mark Armstrong assures his followers that it is just part of a vast conspiracy by the FBI and the mainstream media to attack his preferred president.

Recent history provides one incredibly glaring example in Germany, but everybody freaks out whenever it's cited, because (the argument goes) there's simply nothing which justifies invoking the Nazis.  However, we are living through the exposure of fraud on the part of supposedly incorruptible institutions.  Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity, are on the F. B. I. institutional Seal, and are supposed to guarantee equal treatment under the law and blind justice.  That is a basic part of the foundation of a system that guarantees liberty in the United States of America.

He has turned his ire towards the FBI because they are running a criminal investigation about his preferred president. He also claims that Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election was miraculous.

If the “Untouchables” can defraud Federal Judges to spy on opponents and undermine an election of a duly elected President, then the whole thing collapses.  It went on wholesale in the Soviet Union and in the eastern bloc nations they controlled.   Their media reported as they were ordered.  People had to parrot government propaganda to survive.  It is chilling, to say the very least, to see how close we came to the same situation.  Imagine for a moment how things would have transpired if not for the shocking, miraculous outcome in the election of 2016.  The fraud would have succeeded.  The conspirators would still be running the most powerful institutions of law enforcement on earth.  The media would be backing them, deceiving the public without consequence instead of being exposed as they are today.  Not that they'll admit it, they never concede a point even when their face is rubbed in undeniable truth.

Mark Armstrong then accuses the mainstream media of being part of a conspiracy against President Trump.

And that may be as big a revelation as anything else we are learning.  The mainstream media was (and still is) part of the conspiracy!  False information was leaked to the media by the conspirators in charge of fearsome agencies, and then the reports they instigated were taken before a Judge to bolster the legitimacy of their need for surveillance.  It was a circular echo chamber, and the mainstream media has been a willing accomplice to perhaps the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on U. S. citizens, and by extension, the whole world.  Now it's exposed.

Mark Armstrong assures his readers that there is nothing to worry about concerning Robert Mueller's investigation.

Do you think for one minute that the media will recant its more than a year of fraudulent reports?  Not a chance.  Not yet anyway.  But they're being forced to play defense for a change.  The “heroes” they were counting on to impeach a president have been proven to be dirty.  They defrauded a secret court (FISA) to frame a candidate and a campaign.  No doubt they figured that even if the Russia Collusion thing didn't work out, they'd undoubtedly find some other criminal intent or activity if they were able to listen in on meetings, phone conversations, read e-mails and texts etc.  Surely, they'd get something scandalous or illegal.  But alas, they didn't.  They've only been able to charge a couple of “process crimes” (General Mike Flynn, Paul Manafort) that would never have existed had they not had the ability to eavesdrop, spy and then interrogate to find a discrepancy.  Then they brought the full weight of the threat of prison time to achieve a plea of guilty in exchange for cooperation.

Calls by the FBI and the Department of Justice to not release the memo is casually dismissed as part of the conspiracy to hide "criminality" from the public, namely his imagined grand conspiracy against his preferred president.

Sources and methods.  That, they tell us, is why the intelligence community has kept criminality at the highest levels concealed.  We found out years ago, when the reviled Snowden ruined his life by releasing massive amounts of data and had to flee the U. S. for Russia or wherever he is languishing.

He then veers off topic to allude to the issue of government surveillance in general. While that is certainly a topic worthy of public discussion here it is crassly used to inspire revulsion and disgust among his followers toward the alleged grand conspiracy against his preferred president.

It just wouldn't do if the public found out that anyone with a security clearance has access to the NSA database, which has apparently been stockpiling every communication, domestic and foreign, phone calls, e-mails and texts.  Apparently, anyone with Top Secret clearance, including the employees of contractors, can pull up everything on anybody.  The fact that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of individuals who can abuse that capability is information that simply must not be public, even though it's the worst kept secret ever.  Therefore, much that should be known and released for public consumption must remain hidden.  Sources and methods must not be compromised!  Odd, nothing in today's release has anything to do with national security, even though that was used as the reason it should never see the light of day.

He then alludes to the Clinton emails which is actually another topic but again this is used to further inspire disgust and revulsion among his followers against the alleged grand conspiracy against his preferred president.

But here's the real kicker, and if you've paid close attention you may already have figured this out.  The reason Hillary Clinton HAD to be exonerated in the case of trafficking in classified information outside approved government systems is that the former President was communicating with her over her private server using an alias.  If she was found guilty, he would be too.  That may well be one of the places all this is headed.  He may have been aware, if not involved, in the perpetration of the whole scam.  Betcha we find out eventually.

Mark Armstrong then exults in the supposed humiliation of the "mainstream outlets" who he seem to view as part of the grand conspiracy against his preferred president.

The mainstream outlets can continue to play dumb, and probably will.  They've run out of confused, perplexed looks to get on their faces.  They spent weeks calling Trump crazy and a liar when he said his “wires were tapped.”  But they've wasted more than a year of their lives, stoking the hopes of angry progressives who mourned the outcome of the 2016 election, and spent nearly every minute of airtime promoting one fake story after another.  They relied on “highly placed anonymous sources” for the great bulk of their so called “reporting” and have been burned so many times we've lost count.  

He claims that negative media reports about his preferred president merely originated from a bunch of "disgraced turncoats".

The sources for all the fake news that have fueled headlines and excited predictions of an imminent impeachment may very well have been the disgraced turncoats who have been found to have used every trick in the book, first to change the outcome of a presidential election, and then to abort a presidency before it could succeed.

He again insists that Trump's election to the presidency is a miracle. He also insists that the Nunes memo will be merely the fist of many revelations which will somehow exonerate his preferred president.

The fact that Trump won the presidency, not just against the best efforts of his opponent, but in spite of a hostile media, fake polls, fake news and dozens of respected analysts who said he was a lunatic who was unfit, unhinged and conspired with “the Russians” to steal the presidency, is nothing short of a miracle.  That 2017 was a banner year in so many ways, in spite of the 24/7 impeachment drumbeat is another.  Many more are in store, as the hotly debated Memo is but the first salvo in an arsenal of revelations that will undoubtedly expose and embarrass a bevy of household names.  Embarrassment may be the least of their worries.

Mark Armstrong then ends his weekly update by insinuating that former FBI Director, James Comey, lied about Mark Armstrong's preferred president.

One of the Big Ten, as many refer to God's Commandments, is in play.  The ninth Commandment states, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”  It doesn't just say you shouldn't lie, though that's indicated too.  It says bear false witness against, and that is precisely what has been going on in the top echelon of American institutions of law.  Former Director Comey is known for tweeting Bible passages, but these are not among them.  Listed among seven things God hates are, “A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief.  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”  Looks like the Proverbs (6:17….) have ramifications for this life as well as the next!  Have a wonderful Sabbath,    

Mark

And so we see once again how Mark Armstrong has used his weekly update to promote his own, partisan political views.

Bill O'Reilly on the Third Temple

It was disappointing to read the following passage in Killing Jesus (2013) by (the now disgraced) Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard.

In A.D. 637, Muslim forces defeated the Byzantine and predominantly Christian army that occupied Jerusalem. The Muslims later built a mosque on the site of the former Jewish temple. As long as it remains there, Jewish hopes of rebuilding the temple on the original site will remain unrealized. (p. 269.)

After the destruction of the temple Jewish religious authorities came to the consensus that it would not be possible to rebuild the temple. It was taught that the temple would be rebuilt by God upon the arrival of the Messiah. The Jewish religious authorities ordered Jews not to approach the site of the temple lest they should walk upon the Holy of Holies.

It is only in recent times that a numerically small minority of Jews, often associated with the national religious community within the Holy Land, have chosen to overthrow this Jewish religious prohibition and have walked onto the grounds of a Muslim mosque seeking to have some of Jewish shrine on the grounds of the third most revered shrine of the Islamic religion, offending the neighboring Palestinian people. Some of them have even called for the creation of a third temple. One rally by these national religious Jews in 1990 set off a tragic chain of events culminating with about twenty Palestinians being killed by Israeli police personnel on Monday, October 8, 1990.

It is disappointing that this book which because of the popularity of Bill O'Reilly at the time, was widely sold and has gained over ten thousand reviews on Amazon.com, should speak of this inflammatory call among a numerically small minority of national religious Jews as though it was perfectly normal and unremarkable despite the tragedy this idea has helped to bring to pass.

Mark Armstrong's Weekly Update of January 19, 2018

Let's take a look at Mark Armstrong's weekly update of January 19, 2018. First he indulges in more crude name calling against the Pope.

Before wrapping the “crises” that we've come to expect on a daily basis, you've got to see this. The socialist, pro-gay, pro-Muslim and abundantly humble pontiff just bestowed the Vatican's highest honor upon an abortion on-demand activist. If you thought the pope was only in control of destiny in the afterlife, and of course the authority to re-organize Purgatory and Heaven at his discretion, you may not have heard of “Commander of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great.” No, I didn't make this up. Apparently, it's the highest “honor” (this side of Heaven) the Vatican can bestow.  The pope saw fit to give it to a Dutch politician, Lillian Plouman, who actually received a medal direct from Rome.

He criticizes Pope Francis' decision to award Lillian Plouman.

She's not only a Dutch politician, she's also the founder of She Decides, an organization that raises money for facilities that provide abortion internationally. In case you hadn't noticed, abortion seemed to be the last moral principal the Vatican could stand on. This pope got busy defending homosexuality early on. There used to be some strict bother about divorce and communion, but with gay orgies among the priests in Vatican City, that probably died a quiet death. This “Francis” guy let the world know he was partial to socialism right off the bat. So, other than traipsing around in scarlet robes, mumbling Latin and waving crosses around, what's left of what the world regards as the seat of Christianity?

Despite his anti-Catholic hostility he seems to think this should have gained more attention. This news is also used to reinforce the organization's ban on abortion.

You'd think there would be an outcry heard 'round the world over this betrayal of the sanctity of life. It was the only “Christian morality” play the Vatican still had in place.But now that's gone, and it's not even close to being big news. So, it might be no surprise that there's nothing in the way of a reaction, when it seems that it would have been a huge deal bringing the pope's very belief in Christianity into question.

At this point Mark Armstrong shifts to his main topic: using the government shutdown to scare monger against undocumented immigrants.

Most have concluded that there will be a “government shutdown” at midnight tonight. It seems that the plight of illegal aliens (aka “dreamers” or DACA) is so important that “non-essential” services will not be funded unless illegals are given amnesty, citizenship and of course the right to bring in multiple family members from whichever third world… ah, paradise they came from.

Undocumented immigrants are unable to vote therefore they are a convenient target for demagogues since they cannot vote against politicians who speak against them. And even though he likely does not vote Mark Armstrong goes along with this trend.

He then mentions that it was reported that President Trump used a crude word to describe Haiti, El Salvador and African countries. Mark Armstrong suggests it never happened.

The whole “bi-partisan” cooperation thing blew up when Senator Durbin ran to the microphones to report the president used a bad, incendiary, RACIST term to describe the places of origin for the vast majority of U. S. immigrants. Initial assumptions were that the President probably uttered the term he was accused of using, after he realized the proposal he'd been presented was not even close to something he could support. But, given the source of the accusation and the testimony of others who were sitting right there, he may not have even used the term.

He then describes the reaction in the media.

The media went wall to wall with manufactured emotion. Several saw fit to shout angrily, some cried, nearly all agreed that Trump is an evil racist who let his guard down to show his true colors. They spent a week bringing on “experts” to react to something that may have been said in a meeting where, according to witnesses, a lot of colorful language was exchanged. The media broke into a free-for-all of repeating the “bad word,” saying it over and over again gratuitously. One network (you'll never guess) reportedly used it 165 times in just a few days, and may still be uttering it today. Surely that ought to be the end of the Presidency they said could never exist in the first place!

He complains that the media say most Americans want dreamers to have a pathway to citizenship. In response Mark Armstrong insinuates that polls are unreliable.

Now, that “mean, climate-denier, white-supremacist, RACIST, bigot, homophobe” looks ready to stand by and allow the government to be “shut down” rather than “help the dreamers.” Maybe that will do it, they hope. Their polls show that a majority want the “dreamers” given every imaginable benefit, including a “pathway to citizenship.” How dare the President stand against what the media(or university think tank) polls say is the “will of the people?” They apparently haven't noticed how foolish they've looked counting on their polls to make predictions. Every time one is publicized, you have to wonder how the question was worded, and to whom was it asked?

He scare mongers about immigrants. Implies that "we" might be outnumbered or even replaced by immigrants.

It is undeniably apparent that American demographics have been dramatically altered in recent years. Regardless of your sentiments, the transformation has happened, and the proof is everywhere you go. The only remaining question is whether the obvious influx will be the deciding factor in our future leadership and governance. It's already happened in California. Look who steps to the microphones to warn employers and local law enforcement of prosecution if they dare cooperate with immigration agents. Citizens, carrying the financial weight of all the health-care, education and welfare no longer have a voice. They've been outnumbered, or as some say, replaced. Many wealthy and middle-class families are fleeing to other states with lower taxes and fewer illegals.”

What crass demagoguery. It is a shame that Mark Armstrong chooses to be so hostile toward people who quite likely has less than himself. He bad mouths immigrants over and over again.

He scare mongers about those who are not hostile towards immigrants the way he is. Even though Republican legislators control both Congress and the Senate he is inclined to blame the shutdown on Democratic Party legislators.

We're left wondering whether the entire nation goes the way of California, again. Some in positions of national representation refuse to approve a budget unless they get their way. That means amnesty, citizenship, and the ability to bring the whole extended family. Otherwise, they claim the Trump administration will have a major failure on its hands, and non-essential operations will cease at midnight tonight. Who knows, somebody might blink, and we could face this “crisis” again a month from now. But it probably won't be President Trump, who'd betray the central theme of his campaign and presidency if he did.

He then complains about criticisms directed at President Trump.

Just to review, two weeks ago the world trembled on the precipice of nuclear war from “reckless tweets,” and the media was very afraid. Then they realized that he couldn't think straight, didn't recognize aides and babbled senselessly off-point. It was dementia, maybe early Alzheimer’s! Then he showed what a rotten RACIST he was by insulting whole countries and continents. All the while, they've known that he was guilty of COLLUSION with “the Russians,” not to mention abuse of power and obstruction of justice, and the special council would breach his “inner circle” at any moment.

Weary of criticism of his preferred president he fantasizes that some sort of day of reckoning awaits for those in the media who should dare to bad mouth his preferred president.

The mainstream outlets are pretending they know nothing of the bomb that's about to blow their life's work to smithereens. The question now is, how much crow can they stomach? It's impossible to know how the mainstream news outlets and social media giants will try to spin what's about to hit them. They pretend they, the arbiters of all public information, still don't know what we've known for ages, but the pretense continues. There are probably heated back room strategy sessions as to how in the world they're going to handle the TRUTH should it rear its ugly head. They'll have to act like they had no idea. It will have to be the biggest, most unwelcome surprise ever, and they'll be forced to apologize endlessly or simply exit the studios. It's hard to imagine how that will go.

Those in media who opposed Trump will be punished he exclaims. The president will not even have to do anything, Mark Armstrong assures his readers.

Networks may collapse. ... Flight to nations without extradition is a possibility for some involved. Reputations if not lives will be destroyed. And President Trump will have had nothing to do with it. The FAKE NEWS, FAKE INVESTIGATION, phony law enforcement bosses are going to be exposed for all to see, perhaps between now and next week's Update. They (we'll have to wait to find who all) conspired to prevent Trump's election, and kept the “insurance policy” in force to find something, anything, for which he could be impeached.

The (alleged) grand conspiracy against his preferred president corrupted the FBI, he assures his readers.

They destroyed the credibility and reputation of the most formidable, powerful law enforcement agencies on earth and used them like “secret police agencies” to spy, wiretap, and we'll see what else, to bamboozle the public and jerk the presidency around.

He indulges in some speculation that the (alleged) grand conspiracy is somehow worse than his audience suspects. While on this train of thought he complains that the media call Trump's "supporters a bunch of idiots." In other words this is implying that the media view people like Mark Armstrong's audience in this derogatory way. This is one way Mark Armstrong tries to maintain the loyalty of his followers: implying that remaining within this organization is a way to prove oneself as being in the right compared with the media.

Those who've seen the (still classified) evidence of the real “collusion plot” to prevent Trump's election, then to cripple his administration with dark suspicion and speculation,say we don't know the half of it. It's more extensive than we could have imagined.They're saying we'll be blown away when the evidence goes public. If we'll be blown away, imagine the poor, poor anchors and experts who'll have to face the cameras after a year and a half of calling Trump a criminal and his supporters a bunch of idiots. What will happen to the squints, the sneers, the pouts, the mocking laughter, the haughty glances?

He muses that this day of reckoning for those who dare to criticize his preferred president is a miracle from his (Armstrongite) God. An answer to the prayers of himself and his followers.

Is it possible that millions of prayers have been heard, and this is the reply? Or are the principles that God put in motion simply working relentlessly in the background to save, or at least prolong the blessings that we'd taken for granted for too long? It seems like the Proverbs have come to life, to the benefit of the innocent and great dismay of the wicked! If you find that explanation to dramatic, stay tuned. And have a very happy and thankful Sabbath! 

Mark

And his weekly update ends. Once again Mark Armstrong reinforced his views upon his followers.