Showing posts with label Persecuted Christians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Persecuted Christians. Show all posts

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Notes from PCG's Trumpet Weekly (2011)

Happy New Year everyone!

Continuing on from previous posts looking through PCG's Trumpet Weekly (2007-8, 2009 and 2010) let us continue surveying the articles within the issues of PCG's Trumpet Weekly.

In 2011 the world witnessed the dramatic events of the Arab Spring. On December 17, 2010 in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, Mohamed Bouazizi burned himself alive in response to injustice. The people of Tunisia saw his pain in their own lives and went out to the streets. Quickly events escalated, many protesters were murdered by the Ben Ali regime, but after less then a month the people of Tunisia overcame the Ben Ali regime and he fled to Saudi Arabia. Many within the Arab world seeing these heroic deeds were inspired to follow their courageous example.

But instead of seeing hope that the Arab world would become a better place PCG's writers based in Edmond, Oklahoma spread fearful proclamations that these protest movements were an attempt by radical Islamists to seize power, even saying the Muslim Brotherhood would seize power in Egypt and become the puppets of Iran. (They failed to foresee what would happen in 2013.)

PCG's writers even began to portray Hosni Mubarak as being the heroic bulwark against Islamic fundamentalism. His fall was portrayed as being a foolish betrayal of a "friend" by the Western nations, particularly America.

Constantly the revolutionaries were demonized by PCG's writers as Islamic fundamentalists, in league with al Qaeda and a threat to America. The negative attitude of PCG's writers to the protesters are summed up in these words from Robert Morley.
In the Middle East—democracy just takes power from strongmen who work with America and hands it to thugs that want to destroy America. (Robert Morley, February 12 issue, p. 2.)
PCG's leaders have long denigrated democracy, insisting that PCG is to have "one-man rule". Recently Gerald Flurry condemned democracy in a recent book of his. It is unfortunate that PCG's leaders chose to spread a message of despair and fear once these courageous protesters went out to the streets at great personal risk. Many of these brave protesters were murdered and paid the ultimate price for trying to speak out. They were far better people then the 1% who rules PCG and enjoys the fruits of the tithes of PCG's members.

***

Other notable articles to be mentioned in this post include:

PCG's writers insisting that Ethiopia will soon fall to radical Islamists. We are still waiting for that to happen.

Numerous articles about zu Guttenburg, insinuating that he will be the Dictator who will turn Europe into an unstoppable military superpower which will destroy America and Britain. It is quite hilarious seeing how PCG's writers desperately continue to write of him even after he was dismissed from the halls of power after a scandal, constantly insinuating he will be back.

Fear mongering about riots occasioned by the riots in London.

Fear mongering about how oil is getting more expensive. Today the price of oil is going down.

Fear mongering about the US federal debt that it will somehow cause "economic Armageddon" (Joel Hilliker, August 13 issue) with no acknowledgement that the US had a larger debt during the 1940s per capita because of World War II.

Stephen Flurry boasting that PCG is the one, true church in order to exploit the UCG-COGWA schism then unfolding. (January 1 issue.)

Joel Hilliker moans that some right wingers do not believe that homosexuality is forbidden. (February 2 issue.)

Stephen Flurry moaning that hardly anyone pays attention to him. "And now that many of these very prophecies are being fulfilled, one would think our mail bins would be buried under piles of requests; that our phone lines would light up like Las Vegas; that our Web traffic would crash the servers." (April 2 issue.)

Ron Fraser getting shocked that Al Jazeera have reporters in Washington, DC. (May 14 issue.)

Robert Morley advertising PCG's Imperial Schools. (July 2 issue.)

Ron Fraser blaming just one movie, Blackboard Jungle, for starting rock 'n' roll and inspiring a rise in pregnancies out of wedlock. (July 16 issue.)

Ron Fraser boasting that Oklahoma is blessed with good fortune because PCG's headquarters is based there. (July 23 issue.)

Brad MacDonald portraying the American government as collaborators helping Iran's rise to power. (September 3 issue.)

Brad MacDonald insinuating the State of Israel would fall by 2013. (September 17 issue.)

Ron Fraser saying something quite strange in the October 1 issue. It really deserves its own post.

Robert Morley saying homeless people are richer then 25 per cent of Americans. (December 24 issue.)

Let us now begin.
***

January 1. "The United Church of God and the Evils of 300-Man Rule" by Stephen Flurry. At the time this issue was released the United Church of God, the largest of the splinter groups derived from HWA's WCG, was going through a severe schism that led to a mass departure from UCG to establish yet another COG splinter group, the Church of God, a Worldwide Association (COGWA). PCG's leadership took this as an opportunity to boast of their own supposed unity and to boast that PCG and PCG alone is the one true church.

The fact that Stephen Flurry wrote such an article on a matter that PCG's leaders would have regarded as so important shows yet again that Stephen Flurry is being prepared to take over PCG.

"Extreme Right Wing Crosses Atlantic" by Ron Fraser. As though PCG is not right wing themselves.

"The Queen Missed an Opportunity" by Brad MacDonald. Although PCG often idolize the British monarchy, promoting the false British Israelist idea that the throne of Britain is the continuation of the throne of David every now and then PCG's writers will bemoan the supposed fallen and decrepit state of the British monarchy. Here MacDonald does this by criticizing the Queen's Message encouraging people to play sports and games.

"'The Year the Earth Struck Back'" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker uses an AP article to baselessly fear monger that natural disasters are becoming more severe.

January 8. "Pope Benedict XVI: Revive the Roman Empire!" by Ron Fraser. Here Fraser says Pope Benedict XVI is calling for the revival of the Roman Empire. But the words cited in the article appear to be little more then a call for reform and living up to the ideals of living together with other peoples in peace and harmony.

Even for PCG it is quite a stretch to say this is a call to revive the Roman Empire.

January 15. "It's Hard to Watch Your Country Die" by Joel Hilliker. Hilliker, you don't even vote. That is how concerned he is about the state of America today. And he gets to live in a large house paid by the tithes given by PCG members.

Also how exactly does a country die?

"Guttenburg Gets His Professional Army" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald boasts of a success of Guttenburg's to insinuate that he may be the European dictator HWA and his imitators have insisted will lead a European Empire since the 1930s. Later that year Guttenburg was pushed out of the halls of power.

"Muslim Pedophile Gangs Stalk British Girls" by Ron Fraser and Graig Millar. Here Fraser and Millar cite a story form the Times of London about British police investigating a pedophile ring composed largely of Pakistani men. Alas, PCG's writers have a long history of fear mongering about Muslims and portraying them as dangerous people. This article continues that shameful tradition of theirs.

January 22. "The Hidden Nazi Underground" by Richard Palmer. Here Palmer uses the release of a study of how the German Foreign Ministry was thoroughly corrupted by the crimes of the Nazi regime to fear monger that the Nazis went underground after World War II in order to boast of HWA as being a prophet.

HWA claimed the Nazis went underground boasting that they would return to power and create a war mongering European Empire. While it is true that many who compromised themselves during the Nazi regime found their way back into positions of authority within West Germany and that other Nazis covertly fled to other countries they never returned to power. West Germany and the reunified Germany never fell back into an aggressive and militaristic regime. This is yet another of HWA's false prophesies. But PCG's writers continue to repeat these fearful claims in order to keep PCG members fearful.

"Revolt Could Set Region on Fire" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker mentions the beginning of what would later be called the Arab Spring. This is the first time the Trumpet Weekly began to discuss these tumultuous events. This article was written shortly after the fall of the Ben Ali regime, which had been in power since 1987.
Last month, a young Tunisian man protested government injustice by setting himself on fire. His dramatic act inspired a wave of anti-government demonstrations. Within hours, the spooked president had sacked his government and fled on his private jet. Just what will happen next is an open question.
However even in this article Hilliker begins to articulate what would become PCG's line regarding the Arab Spring, that it was an opportunity to fear monger that radical Islamists would seize power and help usher in the military conquest of the United States and Britain.
What really makes this development dangerous is its potential to be exploited by Islamists. Secularist President Ben Ali, despot that he was, did work to keep Islamism in Tunisia in check. Tunisia was actually an ally in the war on terror and considered one of the more stable countries in the region. For it to fall so quickly and unexpectedly is cause for serious alarm.
Hilliker also uses this event to fear monger that the Muslim Brotherhood will seize power in Egypt.
Egypt is the most troubling example. The region’s most populous Arab state, it is particularly vulnerable. Public discontent over the regime of President Hosni Mubarak runs extremely high, and there is no clear plan of succession. The strongest opposition force is the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization with strong ideological and logistical ties to Iran. As the Trumpet has long forecast, Egypt is ripe for a radical political shift. The precedent in Tunisia could hasten that change.
Indeed, the Tunisian Revolution would inspire the people of Egypt to stand up against the Mubarak regime. The Muslim Brotherhood even managed to ascend to the Presidency with the election of Morsi as President in 2012. But just one year later the Muslim Brotherhood would be cast out of power and their supporters routed at the cost of at least 638 lives in 2013. Hilliker did not foresee that the Muslim Brotherhood would fall.

"The End of the Dollar System" by Robert Morley. Here Morley fear mongers that the US dollar will lose its position of prime importance within the world. PCG's writers have often claimed this to be the case.

January 29. "Is a Revolution Under Way in Egypt?" by Brad MacDonald. As the revolution began in Egypt MacDonald used this event to fear monger that the Muslim Brotherhood would seize power and portrayed the Muslim Brotherhood as puppets of Iran.
As Mubarak scrambles, the intense political uncertainty and the enraged Arab street seeking representation will benefit Mubarak’s opponents, especially the Muslim Brotherhood. ...

First, the emergence of radical Islam into a position of power in Egypt will significantly empower Iran.

Over the past decade, Tehran has gained decisive influence in Iraq, Syria, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Lebanon, and even Turkey. For Iran’s mullahs, whose primary goal is the destruction of Israel, the transformation of the largest and most important Arab country in the region into an Islamic state would be a colossal victory. In terms of regional politics, a pro-Iranian, Islamic regime in Cairo would give Iran dominance over virtually the entire region.
MacDonald had no idea that the Muslim Brotherhood would be routed from power just two years later.

February 5. "Hosni Mubarak Sealed His Fate in 1981" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry says Mubarak's fate was sealed in 1981 when he decided to continue with his predecessor's policy of alignment with the US. Here Stephen Flurry portrays Mubarak as a fallen hero cast away for trying to save the world from radical Islam. Although in one paragraph he acknowledges Mubarak's flaws it is clear he is portraying him in a most sympathetic light. In this most decisive moment for Egypt PCG's leaders chose to side with Mubarak.

"America's Self-Righteousness Is Destroying Egypt" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald blames the Obama Administration for not doing enough to save Mubarak. Actually America was unable to save Mubarak. The Obama Administration was wise to stay out of the way and wait to see how things developed. There was little they could have done to save Mubarak.

"Will the Muslim Brotherhood Close the Suez Canal?" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker fear mongers that the Muslim Brotherhood will close the Suez Canal. This did not happen. This is yet another false prophecy from PCG.

February 12. "The Spark That Lit Egypt" by Robert Morley. Here Morley tries to blame crops for ethanol production for causing the Egyptian revolution. But while speaking about that Morley reveals an extremely ugly side to how PCG's writers view the peoples of the Middle East.
Food shortages are the stuff of revolutions. Unfortunately, the history of the Middle East shows that, contrary to what President Bush might have hoped, moderate democracies do not result. Instead, it is the radical extremists that get power: The shah is replaced by the Ayatollah; Hezbollah is voted in to take over Lebanon; Hamas wins in Gaza; and now the Muslim Brotherhood will have their chance in Egypt.  
In the Middle East—democracy just takes power from strongmen who work with America and hands it to thugs that want to destroy America.
I find this opinion deeply offensive. These words seem to indicate that Morley thinks that Arabs and Iranians are simply unable to rule themselves and somehow 'need' US approved strongmen (dictators) 'for their own good'. It is as though Morley thinks (dark skinned) Arabs and Iranians are like children who 'need' a (white) parent.

This arrogant attitude has caused so much pain and suffering to so many people all over the world. It is wrong that such bigoted ideas continue to be spread.

It would even seem that someone at PCG, maybe even Morley himself, realized this was too far as the article as presented on the website has been rewritten in a less derogatory way. There the relevant passage in written in a less inflammatory way as may be seen here.
Food shortages are the stuff of revolutions. Unfortunately, the history of the Middle East shows that, contrary to what President Bush might have hoped, moderate democracies do not result. Instead, it is the radical extremists that get power—and that is not good news for America or the little nation of Israel.
"Israel’s Peace Pact With Egypt Was a Mistake" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker frets that because the Muslim Brotherhood might soon gain power in Egypt the State of Israel never should have have its peace treaty with Egypt back in 1979.
Israel’s vulnerability makes plain that Israel never should have made that peace pact to begin with
Remember, before that pact, Egypt repeatedly waged war against Israel—but was never able to prevail. Israel secured awesome, miraculous victories in the wars of 1948, and 1967, and again in 1973. Shortly after that, Israel made a disastrous decision that has been a wound in its flesh ever since: It began negotiating peace with its enemies. 
In September 1978 at Camp David, under heavy pressure from President Carter, Prime Minister Begin agreed to give up the Sinai Peninsula— which Israel had secured in the 1967 war—in exchange for the promise of peace from President Sadat. 
Israel hasn’t won a military victory since.
Hilliker, what do you want the State of Israel to do? Be at war with its neighbors forever? That is a terrible idea.

And notice how Hilliker blatantly ignored the events of 1956. During the Suez crisis that year the State of Israel seized control of Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula at the cost of 231 Israeli lives. But due to US pressure just a few days later, despite the loss of 231 Israeli lives, the State of Israel had to give up its territorial gains. The State of Israel lost battles before 1978 contrary to what Hilliker here implies.

"Will Libya Be The Next Arab Domino to Fall?" by Jeremiah Jacques. Here Jacques insinuates that the mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt will spread to Libya. One can well imagine how this article could be used to "prove" that PCG's leaders can see the future. But at the same time they also started saying that Ethiopia, a predominantly Christian country, would fall under the rule of radical Islamists. Three years later that still has not happened. PCG's writers do not see the future.

"America The Invisible" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry frets that America is helpless to influence events in Egypt or save Mubarak from his own people. The truth is America was wise to stay out of events in Egypt and let events take their course. If America had tried to force the Egyptian people to simply remain under Mubarak's rule the Egyptian people would have been embittered against America. Letting the Egyptian people sort out their own affairs was the wisest course of action to take.

February 19. "Why Germany Wants to Buy the NYSE" by Robert Morley. Here Morley frets that the New York Stock Exchange is about to be taken over by Germans, specifically Deutsche Börse.
It will be a day that will go down in infamy. The biggest symbol of America’s economic might—the preeminent institution of Anglo-Saxon financial domination—is about to be sold. 
And to a German rival. 
What is happening to America? Has it really lost so much economic strength that a company from a nation once bombed to rubble is now purchasing the institution that helped raise the funds to make America’s war effort possible? It should be the New York Stock Exchange doing the taking over, not being taken over. ...

In Germany it’s being reported as a takeover through and through. The “merger of equals” stuff is window dressing to keep Americans happy. Sixty percent of the new merged company will be composed of shareholders of Deutsche Börse—giving them the voting power.
Actually the year after the European Commission blocked the proposed merger fearing it would becoming a monopoly and the merger was scrapped.
On February 15, 2011 NYSE and Deutsche Börse announced their merger to form a new company, as yet unnamed, wherein Deutsche Börse shareholders will have 60% ownership of the new entity, and NYSE Euronext shareholders will have 40%. 
On February 1, 2012, the European Commission blocked the merger of NYSE with Deutsche Börse, after commissioner Joaquin Almunia stated that the merger "would have led to a near-monopoly in European financial derivatives worldwide". Instead, Deutsche Börse and NYSE will have to sell either their Eurex derivatives or LIFFE shares in order to not create a monopoly. On February 2, 2012, NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Börse agreed to scrap the merger. (Wikipedia.)
Yet another false prophesy from PCG.

"Egypt May Have Already Found Its Khomeini" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry fear mongers that a spiritual adviser for the Muslim Brotherhood may be Egypt's Khomeini. Little did Stephen Flurry know that just two years later the Muslim Brotherhood would be bloodily suppressed with the loss of at least 638 lives.

"Amazing What's 'Conservative' Today" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker condemns the presence of a organization representing homosexuals within CPAC. Hilliker seems really petulant about it.
“The whole idea about conservatism is about individual freedom, individual liberty,” said Matt Hissey, a 22-year-old college student, at last weekend’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Really? The dictionary says conservative means holding fast to traditional norms, customs and values. Sadly, more and more American “conservatives” agree with Hissey.  
Hissey volunteered for an organization attending CPAC for the first time: GOProud, which “represents gay conservatives and their allies.” CPAC organizers wanted to show how the tent for “conservatives” has grown to include proud homosexuals. Right-wing luminaries such as Sarah Palin, Andrew Breitbart and Ann Coulter supported GOProud’s presence.
Hilliker, you don't even vote. PCG members are required not to vote. Of course PCG, like many other COGs, denounces homosexuality as sinful and forbidden.

February 26. "Libya Convulses--Watch Europe!" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker speculates that the turmoil in Libya will provoke Europe to act and awaken the sleeping giant of Europe. Actually it was America that was at the forefront leading international intervention against the murderous Gaddafi regime.

"'To Jerusalem We Go...'" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald once again fear mongers about a spiritual adviser to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

"Iran Wins Big in the Middle East" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry fantasizes that PCG is right and can see the future.
When I read Wednesday’s front-page story in the New York Times, “As Arab World Shakes, Iran’s Influence Grows,” I thought of at least a dozen Trumpet articles we’ve written over the past two decades. 
Over and over again, from the very beginning of the Trumpet’s existence, we have repeatedly highlighted THE PIVOTAL PROPHECY that is actually driving the earthshaking jolts that are now rocking the Middle East—Daniel 11.
Even after the revolt in Tunisia set the region on fire in January, Mr. Flurry taped a Key of David program just two days into the Egyptian protests, focusing on verse Daniel 11:43, where it identifies Libya and Ethiopia as two more nations that will join the radical Islamist camp.
For the first time I serious wonder if Stephen Flurry actually believe his own writings.

Did Ethiopia fall into the hands of radical Islamsts? We are still waiting.

"The Real War in Wisconsin" by Robert Morley. Here Morley says workers' unions are wrong and demonizes them as greedy. Of course PCG's writers should view ordinary men and women working together for their own interests as a bad thing. They worry that PCG's members might start getting ideas of their own while being in a workers' union.

March 5. "Germany Calls For Guttenburg's Return" by Ron Fraser. Here Fraser is in denial that Guttenburg was taken out of power and insists that Germans want him reinstated. Such support failed and Guttenburg is still out of power.

"Saudi Arabia's 'Egypt Moment'?" by Robert Morley. Here Morley uses PCG dogma to predict that there will be no severe trouble within Saudi Arabia.

"Oil Shock Is Coming" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker fear mongers that oil will be too expensive.
You are paying 20 cents a gallon more for gas today than you were a week ago. And $1.70 per gallon more than you were just 26 months ago. 
Better get used to it. Of the 89.1 million barrels of oil the world uses every day, about 35 percent come from North Africa and the Middle East. Instability there has put oil supplies in serious jeopardy. As a result, the first two months of this year saw the price of oil leap about $20 a barrel. That translates into 50 cents more per gallon.
Today the price of oil has fallen partly due to the (highly controversial) use of fracking which has allowed the extraction of previously unobtainable oil.

"Economic Warfare" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry quotes an article in The Washington Times (how appropriate) which quotes a Pentagon official to say that the Global Financial Crisis was a plot by "the Chinese and radical jihadis". I find it sad how this article suggests that foreigners are to blame for creating an economic crisis within America.

March 19. This issue was made after the earthquake in Japan. Most articles by PCG's writers here are about the earthquake or at least refers to it.

March 26. "Iran Closes In On Jerusalem" by Stephen Flurry. Three years we are still waiting for Iran to arise as PCG's writers said it would.

"Yet Another Mideast Country On The Edge" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker refers to the mass protests in Yemen and insinuates that Iran may seize control there.
Another long-standing Middle Eastern government— a key American ally in the fight against al Qaeda—looks ready to fall. This is big. The implications are dramatic. This event, in addition to being a blow to America and a potential boon to terrorists, would likely challenge the region’s balance of power by pitting its two biggest powers—Saudi Arabia and Iran—against each other all the more. 
The country is Yemen.
Later in the following year Yemen's President was indeed overthrown by the organized will of the Yemeni people. But they did not join Al Qaeda as Hilliker seemed to think would happen in this article.

April 2. "It's High Time To Wake Up!" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry alludes to the real reason for The Trumpet Weekly and the other writings PCG produces: gain more triple tithes paying members for PCG.
Also Stephen Flurry moans that hardly anyone pays attention to him and PCG.
We’ve been trumpeting these prophecies for over two decades, following in the footsteps of Herbert W. Armstrong, who prophesied before us for more than 50 years. And now that many of these very prophecies are being fulfilled, one would think our mail bins would be buried under piles of requests; that our phone lines would light up like Las Vegas; that our Web traffic would crash the servers.  
Instead, it’s more like a steady trickle of interest—one from a city, two from a family, as the Prophet Jeremiah said. God’s work is still getting done. His warning message of LOVE is still going out to this world.  
But the support for that worldwide work is coming from such a tiny group of dedicated families.  
Most do not make time for Christ or His good news message of the soon-coming Kingdom of God. They are too busy attending to the cares of this world. As the Apostle Paul said about the perilous times of these “last days,” men would love themselves and pleasure-seeking MORE THAN GOD (2 Timothy 3:1-4). This doesn’t apply to every single individual, of course—but it certainly describes our society in general. ...

Can’t we put some time-consuming, energetic devotion into our love and service to God and His great work?
Do not listen to Stephen Flurry. God is not with PCG. PCG often make inaccurate and false predictions.

April 9. "Post-Mubarak Egypt Moves Toward Radical Islamist Camp" by Jeremiah Jacques. Here Jacques claims that the Muslim Brotherhood is plotting to align Egypt with Iran. Just two years later the Muslim Brotherhood would be suppressed with the loss of at least 638 lives.

This issue also quotes Pamela Geller, a person notorious for vilifying Muslims.

This issue also quotes Oliver North.

"Is America The Next Portugal?". Non-PCG article that completely ignores the fact that unlike Portugal the US controls its own currency and that it is impossible for a state to be forced to default on debt denominated in its own currency.

April 16. For whatever reason this issue has less articles by PCG's writers. Perhaps PCG's passover had something to do with this.

"Imperial Britain Was A Blessing, Not A Curse" by Brad MacDonald.

April 23. "Have You Noticed? The Nations Are Shaking" by Joel Hilliker. In this particularly silly article Hilliker portrays the dramatic events of the Arab Spring as signs that Gerald Flurry can see the future in a crass attempt to advertise a recently published booklet (which is actually largely a revision of an earlier 1996 booklet).
Last September, we at the Trumpet knew the world was entering a time of increased danger and urgency in world events. Our editor in chief, had written a landmark booklet, called Haggai: God Has Begun to Shake the Nations, based on a biblical prophecy. “And I will SHAKE ALL NATIONS,” God says in Haggai 2:7.

“God shakes the nations—physically,” Gerald Flurry wrote. “Though the primary shaking is physical, it also shakes all nations mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually—and it keeps intensifying right down to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.”

The beginning of that shaking was tied to a specific sign, a sign that became far more vivid and obvious last September. In that booklet, Mr. Flurry called it “a dreadful warning sign to the world,” and “a sign of world upheaval.”

I recommend you read the booklet. Because looking at world events since then, there is no refuting the accuracy of the prediction. The accelerated—and still quickening— pace of nation-shaking events is shocking.
May 7. "Introducing 'The Trumpet Daily'" by Stephen Flurry. As part of attempts to rear Stephen Flurry to be the next leader of PCG he was given his own telecast on the Internet.

If PCG's leaders really believe that Christ will soon return within ten to fifteen years or less then why is Stephen Flurry being trained to take over?

"Does The Death Of Bin Laden Really Change Anything?" Non-PCG article included in this issue discussing the death of the terrorist Osama bin Laden. PCG has a message of doom that society will collapse and only membership in PCG will save you. So when something occur that may give hope to people and see that things are improving PCG's writers try to steer their followers away from any sense of hope outside of PCG. That is why they chose this article discussing the death of Osama bin Laden.

May 14. "Europe's Financial Crisis--a World Changer!" by Brad MacDonald. How different articles like this are from PCG's dire predictions in 2008 that America would collapse and Europe would arise in power. However the course of events forced PCG to change their story. 

"Al Jazeera Broadcasts From D.C." by Ron Fraser. Here Fraser is shocked that Al Jazeera is broadcasting from Washington, DC. He learned this while visiting a Museum in Washington, DC.
However, we were denied access as the studio was closed to the public, being prepared to host a new client. When I queried who that broadcaster was, the reply was “Al Jazeera”!

I was a little taken aback.

Here, broadcasting from America’s capital city, was the Arabic news channel that once, before an apparent falling out with the master of jihad, was always the first to somehow get hold of Osama bin Laden’s hateful video messages to air them to the world.
Fraser, Al Jazeera is a news organization that needs to find news. A lot of news occurs in America. Washington is the capital. So of course they are going to go where the news is. They are not going to wait for Fraser's permission to broadcast there. 

Also Qatar, where Al Jazeera is based, is an ally of the US, even hosting a US military base there. A fact which Fraser never mentions in his eagerness to demonize Al Jazeera. Fraser seems to be completely ignorant of Qatar's good relations with America.

May 21. "Hitler, the Palestinians and the West" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald discusses a speech by President Obama about the Middle East. MacDonald interprets it as a sign that "radical Islam" is winning.
For radical Islam, and especially the Palestinians, the speech was confirmation that they are on course for victory over Israel, and that all they need to do is hold fast to their current strategy. That strategy is simple: It involves bringing about the genocide of Israel by waging SIMULTANEOUS campaigns of aggression and of feigned peace, designed to force concessions and buy time.
Three years later the State of Israel bombarded Hamas ruled Gaza. Maybe MacDonald should tell the Hamas operatives in Gaza that "they are on course for victory over Israel" just after being bombarded by the State of Israel earlier this year.

May 28. "Notes From in the Path of a Tornado" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker discusses the deadly tornado that devastated Joplin.

"Breaking The Brotherhood" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald fear mongers that the Obama Administration is preparing to betray the State of Israel. He uses this to recite a prophecy by Gerald Flurry that the State of Israel will be left alone by the US.
Continue to watch the U.S.-Israel relationship closely. The way this relationship is going, we could soon witness the prophesied breaking of the historic brotherhood between America and the Jewish state. You can read the prophecy in Zechariah 11:14. About this prophecy, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote back in 2004: “This could be a prophecy of a rift between these two countries—one that would leave Judah very alone …” (Royal Vision, March/April 2004). And what does Bible prophecy say will happen when America abandons Israel? Mr. Flurry continued: “If the brotherhood between superpower America and the Jewish state is broken, that is probably when half of Jerusalem would be taken.”
June 4. "Greece--The German Solution" by Ron Fraser. Here the dire situation in Greece is once again used by one of PCG's writers to demonize Germany and hysterically claim that they are all powerful. The situation in Greece is truly terrible but it does not mean that Germany will soon conquer America. That is nonsense.

"The Battle for Bahrain" by Robert Morley. Here Morley discusses the situation in Bahrain. PCG's writers decided to cast the brave protesters as puppets of Iran, a highly inflammatory accusation which was actually used by Bahrain's authorities to justify the violent suppression of the protests.

"Egypt Is Well On Its Way To Becoming The Next Iran" (Jerusalem Post). Non-PCG article that speculated that Egypt would change into an Islamic fundamentalist state like Iran. That did not happen. Instead the Muslim Brotherhood was bloodily suppressed at the cost of at least 638 lives. PCG do not know the future.

"What's Worse Then Rising Food Costs" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker foretells that famines are about to strike America any moment now. HWA and his imitators have been making this fear inducing prediction for decades now.

June 11. "The Pope, Croatia and the Rising Beast" by Robert Morley. Here Morley exploits a speech by Pope Benedict XVI advocating for Croatia to join the European Union to accuse Germany and the Papacy of igniting civil war in Yugoslavia by recognizing Croatia and Slovenia as independent states.

In fact Slovenia had already expelled federal forces out of its territory after armed conflict in June-July 1991 and Serbia and Croatia were already in the midst of the most severe fighting before December 1991. But despite these facts that the war was well under way long before December 1991 Morley insists on falsely claiming that an act of diplomatic recognition caused the war bearing false witness against Germany and the Papacy.
In 1991, Germany recognized the Yugoslav breakaway states of Croatia and Slovenia. Almost immediately, the Vatican likewise recognized these states. Germany and the Vatican did this despite the stated opposition of the United States, Britain, France, most of Europe and the United Nations—and knowing full well that it would mean the outbreak of a full-scale civil war and the disintegration of the nation of Yugoslavia.

Germany and the Vatican were opposed by virtually the whole world—yet they went ahead and ignited a civil war. Why would they do such a thing? It all goes back to World War II.
This article also contains an amusing grammatical error.
The pope then went on to give Croatia a mission. He told the nation of 89 percent Catholics [sic] to reverse the tide of secularism washing across the continent.
Morley then goes on to fear monger that this act proves that Germany and the Papacy are unstoppable. If that is really the case then why couldn't Germany and the very same Pope persuade the United States not to invade Iraq in 2003? Both governments publicly voiced opposition to it before the invasion but they could not stop it.

"South Africa--'The Mouth' Speaks" by Ron Fraser. Here Fraser mocks Muhammad Ali.
They used to call him The Mouth. Big, black, superbly physically fit, the quintessential athlete—but a dud at human relations. That was Muhammad Ali, world champion boxer of a bygone era.
Afterwards Fraser compares Muhammad Ali to Julius Malema in a remarkably random way.

Fraser then proceeds to condemn Julius Malema, who was then a leader within the African National Congress in South Africa.
This man, Malema, has done more to undermine any prospect of advancement in post-apartheid race relations in South Africa than any single one of his political compatriots.

He has gone out of his way to threaten white farmers with words inciting black youth to take over their farms at the end of a gun. Arraigned before the courts multiple times for his racist hate speech designed to create tension between black and white communities in South Africa, the failure of the courts to obtain a conviction is testimony to the corruption of the nation’s legal system. Charges laid against him have included allegedly deliberately inciting racial hatred against whites, specifically his singing in public of the African National Congress (ANC) militant hymn, “Kill the Boer.”
Don't you think, Fraser, that keeping the white minority in a position of social superiority for so long during the apartheid era just might have something to do with these problems?

June 18. "The Biggest Threat to America's National Security" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker once again fear mongers about the US federal debt. Hilliker seems to be unaware that the US, with inflation taken into account, actually had a larger debt during the 1940s because of World War II.

"Strategic Implications of the Coming Oil Shortage" by Ron Fraser. This article is quite hilarious knowing that oil has now declined in cost due to the (highly controversial) practice of fracking.

June 25. "And the Earth Was Filled With Violence" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry relates several horrific incidents of violence to insinuate that the end (nuclear World War III, conquest by Germany, etc) is just around the corner.

"Debt--The Moral Issue" by Ron Fraser. Here Fraser somehow equates not having debt with morality while once again fear mongering about the national debt (which is actually less per capita then what it was during the 1940s).

July 2. "The Real Ramifications of the Unraveling NATO Alliance" by Jeremiah Jacques. Here Jacques insinuates that NATO's intervention in Libya will cause NATO to fracture allowing Germany to arise as a great power in its own right. Three and a half years later we are still waiting for this to occur.

"Found! King Solomon's Wall" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald boasts of a discovery by archaeologists in Jerusalem. PCG sponsors this archaeology in order to impress their followers that God is with PCG alone. This conveniently makes them forget and/or ignore the problems within PCG. 

"Teach Your Children to Handle Money" by Robert Morley. Here Morley advertises PCG's Imperial Academy. As if three tithes were not enough for PCG.
At Imperial Academy—a grade school and secondary school run by the Philadelphia Church of God, which publishes the Trumpet magazine—grade 11 and 12 students take a personal finance class. One of the assignments they receive is to interview someone from a previous generation about their money habits.
July 9. For whatever reason PCG's writers seemed to decide to demonize homosexuals in this issue with both Stephen Flurry and Ron Fraser demonizing them in this issue. PCG's leaders demonize homosexuals in order to distract PCG members from the problems within PCG.

"The March of the Brotherhood" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald fear mongers that the Muslim Brotherhood would seize power in Egypt. Little did he know that just two years later the Muslim Brotherhood would be cast out of power and suppressed with great violence which caused the loss of at least 638 lives.

"Supreme Court Undermines Parents" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker condemns a decision by the Supreme Court concerning the sale of video games to minors.

July 16. "South Sudan--Future EU Vassal State?" by Ron Fraser. Here Fraser insinuates that South Sudan is fated to be somehow controlled by the EU.

"The Shame of Single Motherhood" by Ron Fraser. In this particularly bizarre article Fraser vilifies single mothers as causing society to disintegrate.
There’s the nub of the problem! When we took away shame from conceiving children out of wedlock, we denigrated marriage as an institution—often even reversing the God-given roles within marriage and putting the moms to work back in the workplace instead of the home—the whole system that had underpinned Anglo- Saxon society for millennia simply broke down. Now we reap the whirlwind: the rapid destruction of the very fabric that has held our society together for so long.
He also bizarrely blames rock music for causing pregnancies out of wedlock to increase.
With the release of the film Blackboard Jungle during the ’50s it suddenly became apparent that rebellion against parents and teachers by teenage youth in American society had become part of the developing postwar culture. That film started the rock ’n‘ roll phenomenon that has since devolved to the gutter “music” of hip-hop.
Wow. Fraser has such contempt for African Americans. It is quite noticeable.

It is astoundingly narrow minded for Fraser to think that just one movie started a whole genre of music.

July 23. "Second Collapse Coming Soon" (TheTrumpet.com). This article quotes a businessman as saying "late 2012 or early 2013 is going to be another very difficult period". The article then says:
The world is heading toward another Lehman moment. Epoch-changing events are in motion—especially in Europe.
It is now near the end of 2014. Thankfully this prediction failed. Why did PCG not foresee that?

"Oklahoma--You're Kidding!" by Ron Fraser. In this bizarre article Fraser boasts that Oklahoma is blessed by avoiding the worse effect of the recession because PCG's headquarters is based there.
Place is important to God. It always has been. He makes that evident by showering His blessings on the location of His choice as He moves the earthly headquarters of His work to suit the times we are living through in any given generation.

Today that place is Edmond, Oklahoma. There is a very direct link between the blessings currently flowing in the state of Oklahoma amid national recession in America and the work of God emanating from the city of Edmond. Though few indeed will see this connection or even admit to it if they do, it is undeniable to those who truly understand God and His ways.

God chose to transfer those blessings to the place where His lampstand moved.
What madness!

July 30. "Unstoppable Spending Hits Immovable Ceiling" by Robert Morley. Here Morley gets himself caught up in condemning the Democrats and President Obama for trying to raise the debt ceiling. Morley seems unaware of the fact that normally Congress raises the debt ceiling as a simple and mundane procedure. Before this incident raising the debt ceiling was as mundane as turning on the light switch when it gets dark.

Morley also seems unaware that the US federal debt was actually higher per capita back in the 1940s due to World War II.

"Israel's Gravitation Toward Europe" by Brad MacDonald. Here, as PCG's writers often do, MacDonald insinuates that the State of Israel is aligning itself with the EU. PCG teaches that the EU will betray the State of Israel in the last days just before Christ's return.

August 6. "The Battle for Syria" by Robert Morley. Here Morley predicts that Syria will ally itself with Turkey and Saudi Arabia and insinuates that the Assad regime would fall. Although I so wished the Assad regime had fallen sooner that has not yet happened.

"Armstrong's Iron Bridge to Israel" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald tells of Gerald Flurry meeting with an Israeli archaeologist. The article ends with these words.
Most importantly, the divinely inspired and led life and work of Herbert Armstrong in Jerusalem is today being perpetuated by Gerald Flurry and the Philadelphia Church of God.
And so we see that PCG's sponsorship of archaeological excavations is for the purpose of aggrandizing Gerald Flurry and his PCG.

August 13. "Why London Went Up in Flames" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry exploits the London riots to fear monger that devastating race riots are just around the corner.
Add the racial component to our family breakdown and it makes for a deadly mixture that’s just waiting to explode at a city near you, like it did in London.

“I am so angry, so ashamed, so utterly dismayed,” writes the London schoolteacher. “The vast majority of these criminals are black. No one will say it. I hang my head in shame, both as a black person and as a teacher.” At least this woman—a black woman—has the courage to say something. No one else will—certainly no one among the leading voices in the white community. ...
But God also says our major cities will soon explode with race riots and violence, just like what happened in London—only far worse—which is why we must warn you about what’s coming.
Stephen Flurry knows many people hate racism and bigotry so he muddles his negative attitude towards people of African descent by criticizing whites as well, not for violence, but for refusing to crack down on rioting by people of African descent that attracts his ire.
Those responsible for LEADING our peoples—most of them white—simply do not have the heart or strength to confront evil, even when it threatens to destroy our cities. ...

Now we don’t take sides with one race over another—whether it’s with weak-kneed white leaders who are afraid to uphold the rule of law or rebellious black youths intent on bringing down the government.
"'We'll Always Be a Triple-A Country'" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker fear mongers that Standard & Poor's degrading of US bonds (which occurred as a direct result of Republican legislators playing politics with the debt ceiling, which Morley seemed to view as a rational idea, also he was quite vague about it) is a sign that the US is on the way to "economic Armageddon" and uses this opportunity to condemn President Obama giving assurances to the American people after that act.
After several wild stock market swings and S&P’s downgrading of America’s credit rating, anxiety about America’s financial future is understandable. Some analysts correctly recognize the S & P downgrade as another mile marker on the road to economic Armageddon.
Hilliker actually means he thinks it is a sign for "economic Armageddon". By the way, what on Earth does Hilliker mean when he talks about "economic Armageddon"?

August 20. "'Welcome to the Fourth Reich'" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald uses a column from a British newspaper to say "the fourth Reich" is here.

This article contains this hilarious example of MacDonald moaning about PCG's writers being criticized by other people for what they say and do.
The Trumpet has often been criticized for highlighting the many Bible passages prophesying the end-time emergence of a German-dominated United States of Europe. ...

No, the article didn’t come from our archives. Nor was it the handiwork of an obscure blogger or some fringe website operating on the margins of the Internet.
Did MacDonald just admit that quoting previous PCG articles does not prove anything? Did MacDonald just admit that he does not trust the news sources they normally use?

First of all it is misleading to insinuate that this writer is saying the same thing as PCG because he does not believe that some former advertising man unlocked the secrets of the Bible that no one else saw, nor that the inaccurate dogma of British Israelism is true.

Two and a half years later we are still waiting for Germany to arise and conquer America.

"London Riots Will Engulf America" by Robert Morley. PCG has been fear mongering that racial minorities will go on a riotous rampage since at least 1992. One would think after twenty-two years of blaring out the same story they might get tired of it.

August 27. In this issue Stephen Flurry demonizes psychiatrists as inventing mental disorders out of thin air. 
And since that time [1994], to no one’s surprise, the “experts” have discovered a WHOLE HOST of new mental illnesses, including behavioral “sicknesses” that are particularly common among young people.
Armstrongism has a long history of demonizing and denigrating medical science.

"China Supports the Palestinians' UN Statehood bid" (p. 6). The problem with this argument is that currently about 130 UN member states supports Palestine being recognized as a state by the UN. PCG's writers really should find a better reason to criticize China then that.

"There Shall Be Famines" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker exploits the famine in Somalia to say that famine will soon afflict America. What nonsense!

This issue quotes Washington Times. (How appropriate.)

September 3. "Libya: Qadhafi's Gone--Now What?" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald chooses to demonize the victorious revolution in Libya by vilifying the brave revolutionaries as being jihadis and accusing them of preparing to ally themselves with Iran.

MacDonald's article is also noticeable for the way in which he condemns America's leaders as collaborators working towards Iran's rise.
The most important contributor to Iran’s rise has been the United States and its Western partners. Our record is impressive.

In spring 2003, we invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein, whose regime pretty much single-handedly kept Iran in check for two decades. In 2005, we endorsed Lebanon’s Cedar Revolution, which ultimately gave rise to the current Hezbollah-dominated government. This February, America and its Western allies proudly supported the removal of Hosni Mubarak, the man responsible for keeping the lid on radical Islam in Egypt and forging Cairo as a regional counterweight to Iran. Right now in Yemen, America is endorsing the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, which would place another feather in the cap of Iran, since it has supplied money and weapons both to Shiite al Houthi forces and to al Qaeda cells there in order to foment chaos in the Gulf state and to distance it from Saudi Arabia.

Now, thanks largely to Western brawn, Libyan strongman Muammar Qadhafi is gone.
"Iran said it aided Libyan rebels" (p. 2). This is an attempt to demonize the brave revolutionaries of Libya as puppets of Iran. Since 1994 PCG has dogmatically insisted that Iran will be "the king of the South" and that the Middle East will rally around Iran. It is shameful that PCG's writers exploited the events in Libya to demonize Iran simply to "prove" that false prophecy.

"The Ratzinger Youth" by Ron Fraser. Here Fraser insinuates that Pope Benedict XVI is just like the Nazis. Little did he know less then two years later Pope Benedict XVI would resign.

"Merkel Tells Serbia to Give Up Kosovo" (TheTrumpet.com). Her words failed. Serbia to this day not recognize the Republic of Kosovo.

Also this issue fear mongers a lot about events in South Africa.

This issue also quotes an article from Press TV, a media outlet sponsored by Iran.

September 10. "9/11 and the Last Hour" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry recites Gerald Flurry's false prophecy that the 9/11 terrorist attacks represented the beginning of 'the last hour'.

"Do You Realize How Soon the World Could End?" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker exploits the tumultuous events of the Arab Spring to insinuate that the Great Tribulation could occur very quickly or suddenly. A more important question to ask is, What if PCG's writers are wrong and the world is not going to end?

"America: Why Race Riots Are Inevitable" by Brad MacDonald. Once again one of PCG's writers fear mongers that race riots are about to occur any moment now, as they have often done since 1992.

September 17. "Israel Enters Nightmare Scenario" by Brad MacDonald. Here MacDonald insinuates that the State of Israel might collapse by 2013.
Netanyahu sees that right now vast tracts of the Middle East, territorially, politically and strategically, belong to Iran and radical Islam. Soon now, this Iran-led radical Islamic mob will descend on Israel with overwhelming numbers and force. Like its embassy in Cairo last week, the Jewish state has a defensive wall, a top-notch military, crack intelligence and state-of-the-art anti-missile defense systems. That wall might hold for a while longer. But with each passing month, its ability to protect and defend will diminish, one missile, one terrorist attack at a time.

Soon, perhaps in a few months or maybe next year [2012] or the year after [2013], the weight of the Islamic mob will cause the wall to crumble and collapse. What will happen then?
Nothing. It is now 2014 and the State of Israel is still here. Clearly MacDonald cannot see the future.

"Iran Helped Plan 9/11" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker accuses Iran of collaborating with al Qaeda in committing the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This article was discussed in a previous post.

"The Great Islamic Awakening" by Stephen Flurry. Once again Stephen Flurry demonizes the brave protesters of the Arab Spring as Islamists and puppets of Iran.

October 1. "Pope Covers All Bases in Germany" by Ron Fraser. Here's yet another false prophecy in which Fraser boasts at how powerful Pope Benedict was.

Also note the bizarre way Fraser characterizes the courageous people working for justice in regard to pedophilia within the Catholic priesthood as "lobbyists for a financial return for real or imagined sexual predation". I find this statement very strange, even for Fraser.
You have to hand it to Pope Benedict. There’s not one group that has questioned his papacy which was not confronted and bluntly faced down by him in his numerous public statements in Germany.

The Catholic dissidents, the secularists, the lobbyists for a financial return for real or imagined sexual predation, the homosexuals, pro-choicers, the Protestants, the Jews and the Islamists— Benedict XVI had a specific message for them all.

Very clearly the message was, I’m not moving. You move back to where you need to be in order to be fully under Rome’s wings.
Little did Fraser know that less then two years later Pope Benedict XVI would resign.

October 8. "Three Men To Watch" by Ron Fraser. Here Fraser lets his Germanophobia get the better of him and he fear mongers that three Germans are waiting to lead Germany's rise to power.
What is it about these three Bavarians—Ratzinger, Stoiber and Guttenberg? ...

There is a reason why we watch these three Bavarians—Ratzinger, Stoiber and Guttenberg. They all share a common vision. It is the vision propounded by Stoiber’s mentor, Franz Josef Strauss, which matched that of the recently deceased Otto von Habsburg. It’s a Holy Roman imperial vision—a vision that has Rome as the spiritual glue that will hold together a revival, a literal resurrection, of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
Fraser, it's not them, it's you. You keep insisting that HWA was right and that he could foresee future events when he could not. That you keep making ridiculous statements like that. Today all three men are out of the halls of power. Clearly this is yet another false prophecy.

"The Riots Are Getting Closer" by Robert Morley. Here Morley exploits the Occupy movement protesters to claim riots are about to erupt in America any moment now. This is a false prophecy PCG's writers have been monotonously blaring out since at least 1992.

[Incorrectly observed Feast of Tabernacles break.]

October 29. "Why You Need To Pay Heed to the Trumpet" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker bluntly tries to get readers to take what he and his follow writers are saying seriously.
[O]ur editor in chief wrote about revolutionized Egypt and Libya joining the radical Islamic camp led by Iran. The last two weeks have seen stunning advancements in this trend in both countries. ...

All these shocking events are unfolding in line with what the Trumpet has said would happen—in some cases to the detail, and in some for nearly two decades! There has never been such powerful proof of why you need to pay attention to the Trumpet and the words of our editor in chief as what has emerged from the Arab Spring over this past year!
Just two years later the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt was routed at the cost of at least 638 lives.

"The Great American Contraction" by Robert Morley. Here Morley once again fear mongers that the American economy is about to collapse.

Quotes Washington Times.(How appropriate.)

November 5. "Is This the Time of the End?" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry insists once again that World War III, nuclear destruction and slavery are about to occur to America any moment now as PCG has been shrilly insisting since 1989.

For whatever reason in this issue both Ron Fraser and Brad MacDonald feel compelled to defend the British monarchy, as though it needed some little doomsday sect based in Edmond to defend them.

"One Shocking Way Drug Smugglers Get Their Guns" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker tries to jump on the band wagon to exploit the Fast and Furious scandal in order to make his readers lose hope that anything will go well outside of PCG.

November 12. "Look! Germany is Conquering Europe!" by Brad MacDonald. How often does MacDonald have to say this before he becomes tired of saying the same thing over and over again.

This issue also quotes an article from Counterpunch, a left wing leaning media website. Considering how PCG's writers tend to lean to the right in regards to politics this is somewhat unusual.

November 19. "Germany Is About To Shock The World Again" by Stephen Flurry. PCG's writers are like a skipping record player saying the same thing again and again.

Quotes Washington Times. (How appropriate.)

November 26. "Radical Islamists Plot to Turn Ethiopia Into Islamist State" by Andrew Miller. Here Miller insists that Ethiopia is about to be turned into a radical Islamist state like Iran. Three years later we are still waiting.

"Muslim Brotherhood on the rise in Egypt and Libya" (p. 2). Little did PCG's writers know that just two years later the Muslim Brotherhood would be violently suppressed with the loss of at least 638 lives.

"Guttenburg Case Dropped" and "Guttenburg is Back" by Ron Fraser. Even though zu Guttenburg was taken out of the halls of power Fraser desperately tries to keep his memory ever present within the minds of PCG members. Fraser does not want them to notice that he had made yet another false prophecy.

"Plugging Our Own Economy" by Robert Morley. Here Morley makes, what is in hindsight, an amusing statement fantasizing about America discovering a new source of oil.
What if America discovered it had a Saudi Arabia worth of oil under its own soil? Guess what? We found that oil—rather, the Canadians did. It just needs a way to get to market. But strangely, America doesn’t know if it wants it or not.
Little did Morley know that later America would indeed discover a large, previously untapped source of oil. This was achieved by using the highly controversial practice of fracking in order to extract previously unobtainable deposits of oil. That is why oil has now lowered in price.

December 3. "Germany Mulls War With Iran" by Ron Fraser. Once again Fraser shows the world how desperate he is to prove that his paymaster is a prophet.

"America's Decade of Defeat" by Stephen Flurry. Here Stephen Flurry exploits the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq to fear monger that Iran is winning and will soon arise to power within the Muslim world.

It is amazing how utterly wrong he is in this article. In 2014 Iraq once again became a matter of concern but this was because of the rise of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's lackeys, not the supposed rise of Iran PCG has been insisting will occur for so long. In fact Iran hates Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's lackeys so much they have even launched air strikes against them.

December 10. "Big Banks Breaking America" by Robert Morley.

December 17. "You Need To Read This Booklet" by Joel Hilliker. Here Hilliker advertises for the latest version of Gerald Flurry's booklet about the Yugoslav Wars which blames Germany and the Papacy for sparking those wars. However as noted elsewhere his booklet is largely based on a false accusation against Germany and the Papacy.

December 24. "Eat The Rich" by Robert Morley. Here Morley shares with the world has this stunning statement.
You might be shocked to learn that the typical homeless person standing on a street corner begging for money in Los Angeles is richer than the bottom 25 percent of Americans too. In fact, anyone who has a couple of dollars in his pocket and no debt has a greater net worth than one quarter of all Americans. That’s pretty sad.
I am shocked. Shocked to learn that Morley would minimize poverty in such a way.

December 31. "Smartphones and Disconnected Families" by Robert Morley. Here Morley tells us how surprised he was that so many people have smartphones while visiting a cafe.
Okay, I admit. I don’t get out as much as I should. But I was shocked by how many people have smartphones. Honestly, I thought that waiting room was a miniature Bizzaro World. Aren’t restaurants places where people come to eat and talk to each other? We sat on a bench across from a family of four. Nicely dressed. Looked successful. Two elementary school children. And not a single word spoken. Just silent tapping and touching of screens. Not one of them appeared to be happy.

Another family of four trudged past and dropped down into some chairs to the left. Out came the iPhones. Down went the eyes. Closed went the mouths. Silence. Then a family of three. They chose to remain standing while they used theirs. I counted up the techno junkies. Besides us, there were 18 others, 15 of whom were using various electronic devices.
"Not one of them appeared to be happy." But they are not trying to impress you, Morley. Why would you expect them to?

Why are you looking at what other people are doing and judging them? It is their own affair. Let them manage their own lives. Relax.

***

And so 2012 begins. But this post ends here.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Sudan's War Against its Southern Minorities

The doctrines of Armstrongism have caused many of its followers to have a rather skewed view of current events. Here is one story their dogmas will lead them to ignore.

Recently Sudan waged a campaign of war against its people in the South striving to destroy their local societies and forcibly unite within the strictly defined national community the leaders at Khartoum have been futilely trying to create for decades. A sad continuation of Khartoum's bloody attempt to crush the non-Muslim, non-Arabic population of the south that they have waged for decades.

A rare glimpse of this tragic and ignored war can be seen in the documentary, Eyes of Nuba, which chronicles the life and struggles of Ahmed Khatir as he documents the deadly campaign of violence Sudan has been inflicting upon the peoples of the south. 

Among the events in this program include a remarkable interview with anti-Khartoum rebels while standing around a tank they had captured from Sudanese governmental forces, an interview with a civilian whose house had been bombed by Sudanese forces, and a screening of his footage to the people at night.

At one point, Ahmad Khatir, who happens to be a Muslim, notes this war is not about religion, as it is often portrayed, noting that Sudanese governmental forces have destroyed mosques in their brutal campaign to subjugate the south. 

Here is a real news story that deserves more attention.

The documentary is Eyes of Nuba.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Eighty North Koreans Publically Executed for Possessing Bibles, Watching Foreign Films, Etc.

Korea JongAng Daily has reported that eighty North Koreans were publicly executed on November 3.
Some 80 people were publicly executed earlier this month in seven cities in North Korea excluding Pyongyang, the first known large-scale public executions by the Kim Jong-un regime, the JoongAng Ilbo reported.

The executions occurred on Sunday, Nov. 3, according to a source familiar with internal affairs in the North who recently visited the country.

The people were executed for relatively light transgressions such as watching South Korean movies or distributing pornography. ...

In Wonsan, eight people were tied to a stakes at a local stadium, had their heads covered with white sacks and were shot with a machine gun, according to the source.

According to witnesses of the execution, the source said, Wonsan authorities gathered some 10,000 people, including children, at Shinpoong Stadium, which has a capacity of 30,000 people, and forced them to watch....

The Wonsan victims were mostly charged with watching or illegally trafficking South Korean videos, being involved in prostitution or being in possession of a Bible.

Accomplices or relatives of the executed people who were implicated in their alleged crimes were sent to prison camps. 
Oh what monstrosities! Once again the elites of North Korea inflict yet another atrocity upon their oppressed subjects just in order to maintain their power and control.  

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Condemns Feigned Persecution

Saw this story about Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, and I cannot help but think of the Armstrongite despots (so-called "ministers") who pretend they and their flock will soon face persecution or are facing such persecution when they do not have a clue what real persecution looks like and are very unlikely to endure such things. 
Christians in Britain and the US who claim that they are persecuted should “grow up” and not exaggerate what amounts to feeling “mildly uncomfortable”, according to Rowan Williams, who last year stepped down as archbishop of Canterbury after an often turbulent decade.

“When you’ve had any contact with real persecuted minorities you learn to use the word very chastely,” he said. “Persecution is not being made to feel mildly uncomfortable. ‘For goodness sake, grow up,’ I want to say.”

True persecution was “systematic brutality and often murderous hostility that means that every morning you wonder if you and your children are going to live through the day”. He cited the experience of a woman he met in India “who had seen her husband butchered by a mob”.
Hat tip Cult News Network.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

North Korean Defector Confronts Legacy of Lies

Saw this on CNN. A story very relevant for those of us who had to deprogram ourselves from HWA's deceptive propaganda.
 To the outside world the images from North Korean state television are nearly comical -- weeping soldiers chasing Kim Jong Un into the freezing sea, elderly women screaming as the young leader approaches, and North Koreans unleashing dogs at a poorly made effigy of a South Korean leader.

But as Chae Young Hee watches, her eyes begin to brim with tears and her lips tremble uncontrollably with national pride. Chae is not a North Korean anymore, having defected to South Korea 11 years ago, abandoning the totalitarian regime. In the North, she experienced starvation, the brutality of the regime and fled with her daughter in hope of a better life in the free world. But as Chae watches KCTV, the North's only television channel its citizens can view, the power of the propaganda she grew up with takes hold.

"They're God," she says, referring to North Korea's trinity, Kim Jong Un, his father Kim Jong Il, and grandfather Kim Il Sung. The tears are now running down Chae's perfectly made up face and she chokes back a sob. "This is how you are brought up since birth. Even I can feel the pull in my heart. I thought I forgot about this feeling since it has been so long.

Read the rest here: North Korea's propaganda machine grips defector 11 years on.

Also relevant to this topic:

Why I Fled North Korea.

North Korea already won.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The Terror in North Korea

After North Korea has detonated a third nuclear explosion there has been a lot of attention of North Korea.

Deservedly North Korea is known all over the world for being a particularly horrific authoritarian society.

Here are some resources detailing the depraved evil of the North Korean regime.

This will not be easy reading.

North Korea: exposing the terrors of the gulag. (Assist News).

being a Christian is a serious political crime in North Korea. Some 200,000 'criminals' are incarcerated in the secretive State's gulag, including tens of thousands of Christians. Possession of a Bible is punishable by public execution. To eliminate disloyal family lines, the regime's policy dictates that three generations of any dissident be incarcerated in concentration labour camps where starvation and gross cruelty ensure the death rate is kept high. It is almost beyond belief that this horrific reality could have endured for more than 60 years. Refugee survivors such as Soon Ok Lee have testified that Christian prisoners are treated even more harshly than other political prisoners. As survivors' testimonies become available, the terrors of the North Korean gulag are exposed. ...

[From a CBS report] When three generations of Kang Chol-hwan's family were incarcerated in 1977, he was only 9. Kang survived 10 years in Camp 15 at Yodok. His testimony is remarkably similar to Shin's, except that Kang was released in 1987 after his 'disloyal' grandparents died. Kang subsequently fled to China after being alerted that security police were coming to arrest him for listening to foreign radio broadcasts. Today Kang lives in South Korea, where works as a journalist and human rights advocate. He became a Christian in South Korea,...

 Kang Chol-hwan later wrote a book, The Aquariums of Pyongyang.

North Korea kills two Christians (Mission News Network).

According to the ministry [Open Doors] that serves persecuted Christians worldwide, one Christian died in one of North Korea's notorious labor camps. Estabrooks explains, "In the first case, this man went back voluntarily and began to share his faith quite extensively within the country. Ultimately, he was informed on, arrested, and put in prison." Open Doors contacts followed the case to the labor camps, where--under a regime of hard labor, little food, and torture--he died.

Estabrooks goes on, "The second situation, which we've learned today, was a Christian going back to China for Bible training and was killed by a border guard as he tried to cross the river.

"He was very excited about his new faith and wanted to share the Gospel with his family," says an Open Doors worker. "He wanted to come back to China to study the Bible more so he could explain the Christian faith better to his family. It is heartbreaking that he was killed. I cannot stop thinking: 'If only he had arrived a little later at the border river, the guard would not have seen and shot him. He could still be alive today.'"

Escaped North Korean Refugee Reveals Nation's Desire for Nuclear Weapons, Intense Persecution (Christian Post)

"Timothy," a 24-year old North Korean refugee...has revealed to Open Doors USA, a persecution watchdog group, that he was tortured almost to the point of death for trying to escape to China nine years ago...

"I remember they showed us cartoons and animated movies about bad Christians," Timothy shared of the 15 years he spent in North Korea. "The Christian God was a monster for me. However, when I was 11, I witnessed the public execution of a Christian. His crime was that he had hidden tiny Bibles in the roof of his house."

"The same year a lady was shot," the refugee continued. "She had escaped to China and went to church there, but a North Korean spy discovered her activities. He had her arrested and sent back to North Korea, where she was also killed in public. I am convinced these practices still occur in my country. As for myself, I learned to trust in God. Thanks to Him, I am still alive."

For a more general overview of the North Korea system of oppression seeThe Hidden Gulag by David Hawk, US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. (PDF.)

It will be a good day when North Korea's vicious and hopelessly dysfunctional dictatorship will come to an end. May that day soon come.

There appears to be some cracks within the regime. They are not invincible.
The North Korean leadership measures most of its decisions against one single overriding standard:  the effect on regime survival. The elites fear if they lose control, the North Korean state will collapse and if that happens, "the South Koreans and Americans will hang us, and if they don't our own people will," Kim Jong Il reportedly told Communist Party leaders in a secret speech in late 1996 at the peak of the Great North Korean Famine (according to an interview I did with a senior defector in 1998)....

A month ago Kim Jong Un purged the vice marshall of the North Korean military, one of the most powerful figures in the army. He did not go quietly: In one report when soldiers were sent to remove him from office, a fire fight broke out with his personal security detail and 30 soldiers died. Last week Kim and his uncle purged the new defense minister, who had only held office for seven months. In July Kim reportedly increased his own personal security to protect himself from any potential assassination plots. Recent graffiti in some parts of the country are openly criticizing Kim's leadership, an exceedingly rare act of dissent usually punishable, for those caught, by a slow death in the political prison camps. (Andrew Natsios, Why North Korea Launched the Missile, US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea)
The day of its fall will be a good day.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Two Stories: Religious Hypocracy Turns Away a Believer, and an Elderly Man Remembers His Former Religion

Just saw some intriguing stories from Godreports.

First Saudi Woman Publicly Announces Her Faith in Christ.

A Saudi woman announces her conversion to Christianity. What caught my interest was her statement that the oppression of the morality police, a clerical police force that enforces religious rules throughout Saudi Arabia, seems to have caused her to become disillusioned.
“The morality police’s treatment caused me to not take fasting and prayer seriously and to eventually convert to Christianity.”
I had heard about this police force while reading Princess by Jean Sasson and the main subject of the book, Sultana, a Saudi princess who pours out the terrible injustices she has seen in Saudi society, speaks very negatively of this morality police, as an insufferable force that oppresses women and force them to live in a dysfunctional society according to a terribly narrow minded version of Islam. It does not surprise me that their oppression has caused this Saudi woman to be disillusioned.

The false prophets of Armstrongism are also guilty of this sort of sickening religious hypocrisy. And like the morality police in Saudi Arabia many of them from Herbert W. Armstrong onwards have also imposed an authoritarian way of life upon their deceived followers that stifles their natural potential in life. Many are the painful sorrows these false prophets imposed on us.

And now this story:

He Waited a Lifetime to see God’s Holy Book

A very touching story about one Mauritanian Christian who has a most intriguing encounter with one of his fellow countrymen.

It turns out this man came from a tribe that was Christian but was forcibly converted into Islam around 1950.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Modern Day Martyr

Read this story about "Mark" a husband and father of two and a Christian missionary who was murdered for it. The report is kept very vague.

Though we did not work directly with Mark (a colleague sent by an African partner mission), across the Arab World our African colleagues are among our strongest discipleship partners. We thank God for their cultural understanding and contribution to ministry.

Mark was part of a team of two families serving in a Muslim region. Late in August, the team received death threats. The families were evacuated, but Mark stayed for one last meeting with believers before joining them.

Saturday night after the meeting while at home preparing his dinner, Mark was shot. He was discovered the next morning in his home, but he had lost too much blood to survive. At his passing, Mark leaves a young wife and two infant twin daughters.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

ASSIST News Wins Passion for the Persecuted Award from Open Doors

I have heard that ASSIST News has been awarded Passion for the Persecuted award from Open Doors.

ASSIST News Service Receives Top Media Award from Open Doors USA

I would like to say congratulations to the staff of ASSIST News for having their work documenting the persecution of Christians.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Al Jazeera Report on Pakistani Christians

Al Jazeera has just released another news report about the situation of Christians in Pakistan who, along with other religious minorities are forced to live under the shadow of an abusive 1986 blasphemy law.

Pakistan Christians feel threatened.

For more information on this topic presented earlier at this blog see: The Oppression of Pakistan's Man Made Blasphemy Law.

Monday, January 24, 2011

The Oppression of Pakistan's Man Made Blasphemy Law

It is very sad to hear about Pakistan's blasphemy laws and how they are used to intimidate religious minorities within Pakistan. Here is some background about these laws:
For background, here is the text of the original law introduced into the Indian Penal Code by British colonial rulers in 1860:
Section 295: Injuring or defiling place of worship, with intent to insult the religion of any class:

“Whoever destroys, damages, or defiles a place of worship, or any object held sacred by any class of persons with the intention of thereby insulting the religion of any class of persons or with the knowledge that any class of persons is likely to consider such destruction, damage or defilement as an insult to their religion, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.”
Here is the version of one of the added clauses which have caused so much acrimony in Pakistan, as amended in 1986 by Pakistan’s then military ruler, General Zia-ul-Haq:
Section 295-C: Use of derogatory remarks, etc, in respect of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)

“Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life and shall also be liable to fine.”
The amendment loses any acknowledgement of intent. Yet intent is not only a fundamental part of any legal system but also an essential attribute of faith. Indeed when Britain abolished its own archaic blasphemy laws in 2008, and these were replaced with laws against inciting religious and racial hatred, the idea of intent was retained.

The row which caused Taseer’s death was about amending the Pakistani penal code to reintroduce the concept of intent and end the death penalty. It was never about repealing the laws, nor about allowing people to insult Islam or the prophet Muhammed. (Pakistan, blasphemy, and a tale of two women, Reuters.)
A lot of attention upon those laws have occurred due to the murder of Salman Taseer, an MP who wished to reform the law in order prevent it being used to abuse religious minorities.

Salman Taseer was driven to speak out against the abusive nature of this law because the tragic case of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, a mother of five, who has been sentenced to death.

While working in the fields last June, she was sent to fetch water. When some of the other woman refused to drink it because it had been carried by a Christian, a spat ensued about the merits of both religions. The other women later went to a cleric and complained that Bibi has blasphemed the name of the Prophet Muhammad.

A complaint was filed and Bibi was charged, convicted, and given a death sentence. (Some Christians in Pakistan convert fear into safety, Toronto Star.)

The abuses of this infamous blasphemy law are well documented. Here is one particularly disgusting case which well illustrates how abusive this law is:

Here's the case when an Ismaili Muslim, Naushad Walyani, was charged with blasphemy for simply throwing away a business card of a man named Muhammad.
As protests and appeals for the freedom of Asia Bibi mount, the controversial blasphemy law has claimed another victim from a religious minority, this time of the Ismaili Muslim sect that is headed by the Aga Khan. The episode proves, if proof were ever needed, how the blasphemy law harms Pakistani civil society of [sic]. The incident took place in Hyderabad, the second city of the province of Sindh. Naushad Walyani, a doctor, is in prison for a seemingly trivial gesture. A pharmaceutical salesman, Muhammed Faizan, visited him on December 9 to sell certain products. The doctor ''after taking the business card of the sales representative threw it in the trash'' writes a local newspaper. Clearly annoyed by the gesture, Faizan returned later with some colleagues to "teach the doctor a lesson". A violent quarrel broke out between the two.
The agent threatened to report the doctor for blasphemy for not respecting the sacred name engraved on the business card. According to local media reports, on December 10 Faizal's colleagues attacked the doctor, who, following a complaint to police under the Blasphemy Act was arrested and is now awaiting trial. His apology and the assurance that he "had no intention of insulting the Prophet by throwing the card in the trash' has served no purpose. The complaint was supported by local religious leaders.
And when you consider that Muhammad happens to be the common given name in the world that is unutterably obscene.

In another case two Muslims were sentenced for life after alledgedly removing a poster on their store which contained Qur'anic verses.
A Pakistan court has jailed a Muslim prayer leader and his 20-year-old son for life on controversial blasphemy charges in the rural centre of the country, court officials said Tuesday....Mohammad Shafi, 45, and his son Mohammad Aslam, 20, were arrested in April last year for removing a poster outside their grocery shop advertising an Islamic event in a nearby village which allegedly contained Quranic verses. (Court convicts imam and son for blasphemy, AFP.)

(That reminds me of a story I read in one of Jean Sasson's books, either Daughters of Arabia or Princess Sultana's Circle. These books are about a Saudi princess known only by the alias Sultana. One of Sultana's daughters became somewhat fanatical in her faith after attending the pilgrimage to Mecca, much to the annoyance of her family. At one point she suggested that the family could not throw away the newspaper because the newspapers contained verses from the Qur'an. Her family were not impressed.)

No wonder the Pope has called for this law to be repealed.

The mere accusation of blasphemy is often enough to whip an angry mob against the unfortunately accused, as may be seen in the terrible case of Latif Masih, 22, who was murdered on November 18, 2010 by his accusers after being granted bail.

The murderer, one of his bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, seems to have been motivated after hearing polemics against Taseer by Islamic religious authorities:
Qadri told a judge Monday in written testimony that he decided to kill Taseer after he attended a gathering on Dec. 31 organized by Shahab-e-Islam, a small Islamist group that operated in his neighborhood in Rawalpindi, just outside the capital, Islamabad. He said speeches given by a cleric leading the group, Qari Hanif, and another member, Ishtiaq Shah, played a major role in his decision. (Sermons motivated killer of Pakistani politician, Yahoo News.)
Just as the forces of reaction did all they could to maintain racial segregation in the South of the US so those who wish to preserve these abusive laws in Pakistan have done all they could to make sure the government will not change this law.

Before the murder a national strike was held by those supporting the abusive law.
Violence flared Friday as police and protesters clashed during a mass protest strike that closed businesses across Pakistan over a bid to end the death penalty for blasphemy. Police said protesters near the home of unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari in the financial hub of Karachi pelted stones as they shouted slogans including "We'll sacrifice our lives -- we'll save the sanctity of the Prophet". (Violence as Pakistan strikes over blasphemy law.)
The murder of Salman Taseer, among other things, seems to have intimidated some Christians into converting to Islam, as documented in this heartbreaking Toronto Star story, Some Christians in Pakistan convert fear into safety.

Although only about 10% of the country vote for Islamist parties they are highly organized and thus are able to wield an impact upon society much greater than their voting figures suggest.

Alas many of the politicians within Pakistan appear to have meekly followed the Islamists' lead are refusing to consider changing this abusive law. The current government insists that no change is being contemplated, even before Taseer's murder.
Pakistan's prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday reiterated that the government does not intend to amend the country's controversial blasphemy law, under which a Christian woman has been sentenced to death.

"Everybody trust me. The government trusts my statement and even the opposition parties believe whatever I promise to them," he told Muslim scholars and spiritual guides from the mystical Sufi strand of the faith.

"You (Sufis) belong to me. Why don't you trust when I say that government would never amend the Blasphemy law?" added Gilani, who hails from a revered Sufi family. (

Pakistan: Prime minister confirms govt has no plans to amend blasphemy law )
Furthermore the Interior Minister has discouraged people discussing the problems caused by this law.
Interior Minister, Rehman Malik on Thursday reiterated that government has no intention to bring any amendment in blasphemy laws, owing to its sensitivity, the people should not play up the issue after the government categorical stance on the subject....The Interior Minister announced to block all un-Islamic materials put on various websites and urged people to inform government if they found any matter of blasphemy on the Internet. He said the government has highest regards for judiciary and its decisions are being implemented in latter and spirit. (Malik for blocking un-Islamic content on websites)
Former Pakistani leader Musharraf, who is currently attempting to re-enter politics, has stated that the blasphemy law must not be repealed.

Even the editor of a newspaper stated to a BBC reporter that Govenor Taseer deserved to be killed, saying incorrectly that the law is divine, completely disregarding the fact that the law is man made and was amended into its current abusive form in 1986. (Alas this particular radio interview is no longer available.)

No wonder so many are willing to protest in support of this abusive law, if even such a presumably intelligent and educated man can carelessly and thoughtlessly believe that the man made law in question is actually divine.

Asia Bibi's current situation in prison has been reported upon by Compass Direct News.
The female warden tasked with Noreen’s security the day Taseer was killed told Compass of the Christian woman’s reaction to the news.

“I was escorting her for her routine walk on the evening Governor Taseer was gunned down,” said the warden, who requested anonymity. “We were passing by a barrack when the news broke out on TV that the governor was dead … She stood there in shock for some time, and then she started screaming and crying.”

The warden added that she helped Noreen back to her cell, “as she could barely walk and kept weeping.”

“She cried all evening and also refused to have supper,” the warden said. “The governor’s killing shattered her
However it appears attempts are being made to keep her safe.
Masih [Asia Bibi's husband] said prison authorities had improved Noreen [Asia Bibi]’s security considerably after Taseer’s killing.

“She’s being kept in a separate cell with a warden deployed 24 hours for her security,” he said. “Only I am allowed to meet her, but even I am searched completely before they bring her out for the meeting. I just hope and pray she keeps safe inside the prison.”

Still, prison officials have reportedly said she will be transferred to another prison soon because of security concerns. ...

Sheikhupura District Jail Superintendent Sheikh Khalid, who recently assumed charge, told Compass that Noreen was the most “high value” inmate of the prison and that he was not going to take any chances regarding her security.

“She is on the hit list of several extremist organizations,” he said, “and there are reports that she might be targeted inside the jail – moreover, she has a 30 million rupee [US$350,000] prize on her head. This is enough incentive for anyone to kill her.”

He said the prison had enhanced its security measures, and additional forces have been employed to guard the premises at night.

“No one except her husband can meet her,” Khalid said. “I have also directed her not to eat anything given to her by any person other than the wardens deployed for her security. We are trying our best to keep her safe, but life and death are in the hands of Allah.” (Jailed Pakistani Mother Living in Constant Fear, Husband Says, Compass Direct News.)
It is good that some are still nevertheless speaking out against Pakistan's abusive blasphemy law.

It is clear that this law is being used to oppress religious minorities within Pakistan and therefore needs to be removed to insure the security and rights of the members of religious minorities so that they may live peaceful and productive lives as citizens of Pakistan.

(Hat tip to Jihad Watch for providing most of these links. I do not agree with everything that is written there.)