PCG Stirring Up Transphobia Again

PCG's Joel Hilliker has posted an article complaining about a transgender woman, Dr. Rachel Levine, getting nominated by President Biden to be assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

In this article Hilliker uses many words designed to stir up fear and animosity towards transgender people. At one point Hilliker condemns what he calls "transgenderism" as a "bizarre new idea about gender" as may be seen below.

This [a proposed law to extend certain protections to transgender people] is a weapon against anyone who does not fully embrace this bizarre new idea about gender, which goes against biology, science and the functioning of family and society that almost all human beings have understood for all of human history. (Joel Hilliker, Transgenderism: Attack on Truth, Attack on Children, March 3, 2021.)

Even if one were to believe that being transgender was somehow contrary to one religion or another Hilliker is still wrong to claim that transgender people are somehow "new." In the Indian subcontinent there is the hijra community which has existed since antiquity. In Samoa there is the fa’afafine community. Transgender people have always been around. Since Hilliker is wrong about transgender people somehow being a new thing what else is he wrong about?

Also Hilliker refers to Dr. Levine numerous times with masculine pronouns refusing to respect how Dr. Levine would wish to be addressed.

Alas, some people are inclined to portray transgender people as a threat to the predominant family structure. But how can this be? Look at India. In many ways it is a more socially conservative society than America. And the hijra community has lived within this society for centuries. 

Transgender people are not a threat to your dreams and aspirations. We should not be afraid of the trangender community.

PCG Promoted Dubious Idea that COVID-19 Originated in a Chinese Lab

Back in March 2020 PCG posted an article putting forward the dubious idea that COVID-19 originated from a lab in China.

What they have found is alarming but not altogether surprising: COVID-19 appears to be a designer virus, a new breed of Franken-gene unleashed on an unsuspecting public. It appears to be a test-tube, made-in-lab pandemic. ...

Did the COVID-19 virus walk out of the lab in the form of an animal that researchers had tested on and later sold for cash on the black market? It’s happened before in China. Could it have walked out another way—perhaps in patient zero? (Timothy Oostendarp, China’s Test-tube Pandemic, March 26, 2020)

(Some readers may have encountered the author's name before. The previous link addresses a certain tragic issue.)

However the scientific consensus is that the virus that causes COVID-19 originated from nature and was not artificially created by human beings. This has been clear since at least March 2020 when a study noted that it was not similar to the other coronaviruses that were previously known and that it resembled viruses for bats and pangolins instead of the previous coronaviruses that can infect humans.

When America was heading into the catastrophe of a pandemic PCG promoted the unfounded idea that COVID-19 originated from a lab contrary to the studied conclusion of most scientists that this virus arose in nature. It is shameful that this organization that tells its followers that they know what is really happening should provide such a ill founded claim to their readers during this most severe crisis.

(Update: March 8, 2021: An additional sentence in the paragraph after the quote has been added.)

PCG Doesn't Know When PLO was Founded

Recently PCG posted an anonymously written article which contains the following section.

Hamas agreed to be part of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PLO is a political organization that claims to be the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The PLO formed shortly after the Six-Day War. It engaged in guerrilla warfare against Israel for over 30 years before it entered into peace negotiations with them in the 1990s. (Will Hamas and Fatah Form a Unity Government?, February 8, 2021.)

A simple search on the internet will reveal that the PLO was founded in 1964, three years before the Six Day War. Why is it that whoever wrote this article failed to get verifiable facts straight?

Considering how often PCG likes to focus on events concerning the State of Israel one would imagine they would know something like this. Clearly that is not the case.

The PCG leadership claim they know what will happen in the future but they do not what actually in the past. What else are they wrong about?

Overview of PCG's January 2021 Issue of The Philadelphia Trumpet

In late November 2020 PCG published the January 2021 issue of The Philadelphia Trumpet. Let us what they said this time.

The editors of this issue are Gerald Flurry, Stephen Flurry, Joel Hilliker, Brad Macdonald, Richard Palmer, Jeremiah Jacques, Dennis Leap and Philip Nice. 

This issue had a circulation of 247,820 issues.

Gerald Flurry has an article announcing that Donald Trump will win the presidential election because certain predictions he made about the future require Donald Trump to remain as president. He takes comfort in Justice Barrett being placed in the Supreme Court and he implies that the Supreme Court will somehow keep Trump in the presidency. He possibly got misled by his partisan favir for the Republican Party and by the "red mirage." Many warned that the results on election night may appear to favor Republicans but after the mail in votes get counted it would be the Democratic Party which would pull ahead. Some of the swing states had rules requiring maul in ballots to only be counted after the regular votes on election day got counted contributing to the delay of results. 

After Biden was declared the winner Gerald Flurry proclaimed that Donald Trump would remain President but his prediction failed miserably.

Stephen Flurry has an article alleging voter fraud in the election.

Richard Palmer has an article about Europeans's negative views of President Trump. This is presented in order to promote the completely unrealistic idea that the European Union will soon militarily conquer the United States.

This passage is badly written.

The radical left is dividing America. The nation’s collapse in moral standards and integrity has made that popular. (p. 16.)

Does "that" refer to the "radical left" or the "nation's collapse in moral standards and integrity"? If the former then this passage should have been one sentence, not two.

Gerald Flurry has an article insisting that the recent normalization agreements which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan have made with the State of Israel will not lead to peace because Flurry's predictions of the future have not yet occurred.

The Infographic discusses the federal aid made to assist people in the ongoing coronavirus catastrophe. 

Gerald Flurry has an article condemning calls for statues of historical persons associated with racism to be removed.

Mihailo Zekić has an article about the recent acts of Islamist based acts of violence that has occurred in Europe. PCG and many of the other Armstrongite groups have a long history of using divisive issues concerning Muslims to provide content for their writings.

Jeremiah Jacques has an article describing Russia and China as being in an alliance with each other. This is identified with the kings of the east in Revelation. It is not mentioned in this article that PCG and other Armstrongite groups teach that this is directed against the future European Empire. 

Josué Michels and Andrew Müller have an article scare mongering about blockchain technology presenting it in a simplistic and alarmist way as something that can be used against America 

Josué Michels has a side article scare mongering about Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. Since 2009 PCG has constantly insinuated that he will be the European dictator fated to militarily conquer the United States of America just before Christ's return. 

Stephen Flurry has an article telling readers how to pray to PCG's version of God.

Brad Macdonald has an article insisting that Donald Trump won the election. Biden's election is portrayed as a sign of America morally disintegrating. The PCG leadership heavily favors the Republican Party in regards to politics. Consequently Biden's election is condemned by the PCG leadership and portrayed in a negative manner.

And so it may be seen that PCG continues to produce their recruitment magazine to gain more converts and to keep PCG members persuaded to continue to be loyal to PCG including by paying tithes.

PCG's Prophecy Fails: Biden Becomes President

After Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election PCG's leader, Gerald Flurry proclaimed that nevertheless Donald Trump would remain President since his Armstrongite interpretation of Bible prophecy required Trump to remain as President. The leaders of PCG under him dutifully repeated Flurry's message.

But on January 20, 2021 Joe Biden succeeded Trump and was sworn in as President of the United States of America. Flurry's prediction failed. Clearly Gerald Flurry cannot predict the future. 

There is no need to live in fear of their dire predictions of the future. Since Flurry was wrong about Trump remaining as President why should anyone believe his prediction that America will soon be conquered by a bunch of angry Germany? Why should anyone believe that he can lead his followers to some place of safety? There is no need for a Christian to join his organization or pay tithes and offerings to his organization. There is no need to live in fear of his dire predictions.

Instead I wish to encourage everyone to avoid COVID-19 by limiting social activity, practice social distancing, wear face masks when interacting with people outside of your household, wash your hands for twenty seconds, avoid touching your face, work from home if possible, etc. With proper precautions this disease will be defeated.

President Trump Impeached Second Time

President Trump has been impeached for the second time following the deadly insurrection against the US Capitol. 

It is clear that some within the Armstrongite organizations are emotionally in this matter even though they say that America will soon be conquered by a bunch of angry Germans. If they really believed that prediction then why would they worry about this?

PCG Moans About Government Spending During World Pandemic

Recently PCG published an article which tries to make people afraid of government spending to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It seems odd to worry about that while the coronavirus runs rampant in the United States and in much of the world. (Christopher Eames, The Cost of Coronavirus Is Beyond Imagination, December 15, 2020.) 

It seems odd to complain that something is somehow "beyond imagination" when one could consult with someone who has a much better grasp of the topic.

Four trillion dollars—that’s how much the United States has spent on its coronavirus response this year, up through the end of October. Four trillion is one of those numbers that is hard to wrap your head around. Most people, including our leaders, simply cannot grasp how gigantic that sum is.

The author should talk to one who can grasp this matter. Unfortunately he continues with this train of thought for the rest of the article instead of consulting with anyone more knowledgeable about the topic. He throws large numbers and absurd similes at the reader focusing his attention on government spending instead of the ongoing coronavirus catastrophe.

America’s expenditure on COVID-19 equals the combined GDP of 135 nations. ... Or you could consider the price in terms of gross domestic product. U.S. coronavirus spending is greater than the GDP of any nation on Earth with the exception of the top three: America, China and Japan (barely). It’s greater than the GDP of the entire continent of South America. It’s greater than the combined continent of Africa and region of Oceania; than the GDP of the Middle East and North Africa combined. It’s equivalent to the combined GDP of the lowest 135 countries in the world. $4 trillion—aimed at alleviating the effects of less than one year of coronavirus, in just one country.

America is a wealthy and populous nation so of course it spends more money then many other nations.

If we spread it out from the first confirmed U.S. coronavirus case (January 20) to the start of October (when we hit $4 trillion), that averages to roughly $15.7 billion per day. That’s two Panama Canals, every single day. That’s an American Revolution every four hours. The Louisiana Purchase every half hour. Buying Alaska every 10 minutes—for over nine months. That is sickening.

There are many problems with such comparisons. The two former events were endeavors that required many people over years to complete and they only needed to be done once. To imagine these things happening many times is absurd. 

The latter two events cited were transfers of territories. After World War II it became the international consensus that a nation's border should not change in order to reduce the likelihood of war over border disputes. Consequently it is now very rare for a nation to change its border for money. It is a largely outdated practice.

But, alas, many of this article's readers will not be able to think critically about these matters and will not see the flaws in the logic of this article.

He then talks about the influenza pandemic of 1918.

Even during the 1918 Spanish flu, which killed some 50 million people worldwide, the healthy were allowed to work. No work meant no food. The choice for heads of households was the possibility of catching the flu and possibily dying—or starvation for themselves and their families.

But was it right that society operated that way? It is strange to see the author not contemplate that question. Furthermore much of the world was negatively affected by World War I hindering the response to it.

The havoc created by the coronavirus is undeniable.  It is now the leading cause of death in the United States. But astoundingly the author tries to minimize the severity of the global pandemic.

But coronavirus is no Spanish flu. Coronavirus is a disease in which 99.9 percent of people who get it survive. 

Don't get this disease. While it is true most people will survive the coronavirus it is so contagious it still kills a lot of people and can overwhelm the healthcare system. That is why lockdowns have been used all over the world to prevent gridlock in the hospitals.

What, then, is all this spending for? 

Many of us have had friends and family die of coronavirus. But we’ve also had friends and family die of the flu and pneumonia. Half of the entire population of the UK is projected to get cancer in their lifetimes. We don’t bankroll for these things. They are hardly mentioned. Do these deaths not matter?

The coronavirus can overwhelm the healthcare system whereas these other diseases can be managed by the healthcare system. There are vaccines for the flu. Cancer is not contagious. His objections wither under fair minded scrutiny.

It is unfortunate that some people happen to minimize the severity of the current world pandemic. Anyone looking to this article for advice will be poorly seeved. We need to take it seriously. Wear your face mask. Avoid crowds. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. When you can get vaccinated. And don't listen to people who minimize the seriousness of this world pandemic.

Allegation of Sexual Harassment at LCG HQ (Banned by HWA)

Banned by HWA has made a post qouting a person making public an allegation of sexual harassment within LCG headquarters. Considering how many times clergy abuse have occurred in other organizations that claim to be religious I am not surprised to hear of such an allegation. 

Sexual harassment is a terrible crime. If these allegations are true such things are further evidence that indicates that being a member of LCG is not a good idea.

May all those who committed such criminal misconduct face the courts of justice.

Gerald Flurry Compares Getting Fired with the Pearl Harbor Attack

Here's Gerald Flurry absurdly comparing the attack on Pearl Harbor, in which 2,403 Americans were killed, with himself getting fired from Tkach's WCG. 

December 7 is a date etched indelibly into the memories of many Americans. On that day in 1941, the Pacific Fleet of the U.S. Navy was smashed to smithereens in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. America’s response was furious and hard-hitting; its entrance into both theaters of World War II marked a turning point of the war. 

But December 7 marks another, exceedingly more important anniversary for God’s people. On that day in 1989, Satan the devil launched a violent, history-altering spiritual attack on God’s Church. On Dec. 7, 1989, John Amos and I were fired and disfellowshiped from the Worldwide Church of God, and the work of the Philadelphia Church of God essentially began.

This is what happens when you think the few people in your splinter group are the only people know what is really happening in the world.

Flurry is celebrating the anniversary of the founding of his splinter group in 1989 even though PCG teaches its members that it is forbidden for them to celebrate the anniversary of one's birth. This inconsistency is carefully ignored.

This December, the PCG celebrates its 31st anniversary of this event.

How good it is to know that there is no need to live in fear of their predictions of doomsday.

PCG's Alex Harrison Passes Away

Exit and Support Network reports that Alex Harrison, an evangelist for PCG, has died on November 29. Here is the report.

December 2, 2020 

PCG evangelist Alex Harrison has died. We could not find out the details of his death. He was the right hand man of GF and was the cause of many problems in PCG. 

On a photo that was sent it said, “Evangelist Alex Harrison died Sunday morning, a few days after arriving from Australia to Edmond. He had served in the ministry for 34 years as a local elder, pastor, regional director and member of the Council of Elders.”