Saturday, December 9, 2017

Mark Armstrong on Pope Francis, Jerusalem Controversy, California Wildfires, Immigration, the Homeless, Trump-Russia, etc.

Intercontinental Church of God's leader, Mark Armstrong, has another weekly update posted online. (December 8, 2017.) Let's see what he has to say this time.

First he rants about Pope Francis. He also mischaracterize immigration as "a third word invasion ... of Western nations" in his feelings of xenophobia which are often expressed in these weekly updates.
Some weeks you hardly know where to start, and this is one of those.  First, the pope has made a big stink about changing the wording of the Lord's prayer!  And why not?  He, and his predecessors have changed everything else about the Bible, what it says and what it means.  Since when are Catholics authorized to read and understand anything in the Bible?  They chant in Latin, pass out wafers every Sunday, defend homosexuality, promote a third world invasion (especially Muslim "refugees") of Western nations, and despise American patriotism.  Since when did they encourage the reading or understanding of the Bible? 
He crudely implies that Pope Francis is desperately seeking attention.
All that said, there are plenty of clumsily translated passages in scripture, otherwise there would be no need for the commentaries and handbooks that put things into historic and linguistic perspective.  What's the pope going to do, find every passage that might be better translated?  Probably not!  The only ones authorized to study the Bible have been the backward, effeminate cardinals and priests.  Mere parishioners have never been encouraged to read and understand the scriptures by the Catholic church.  It just wouldn't be healthy to whatever is left of a flock told that their "vicar" is infallible!  It's almost as if the pope was looking for any pitiful excuse to command the spotlight.
He also calls Pope Franics a "little twerp." After that ad hominem insult he praises President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel even though just about every other national government views East Jerusalem as territory occupied by the State of Israel because it was captured in the Six Day War in 1967 and governments tend to be very reluctant to recognize altered borders.
The little twerp also condemned the truly important news of the week, and that is that President Trump announced that the American Embassy is moving to Jerusalem, finally.  December 2017 will become one of a handful of historic, watershed events in Israel's relatively short history, as Prime Minister Netanyahu just said.  But the Palestinians are rioting!  They're burning tires, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at police!  Oh no!  That's only happened a couple of thousand times before.  The fact is, it goes on constantly and never stops.  They've been raised to battle Israeli police and that's what they do.
He mentions that rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip. Then complains that "the mainstream media, Hollywood notables and European political elite"  are afraid of President Trump's influence upon political affairs.
But they've fired rockets at Israel from Gaza!  Yes, three.  Two fell short, inside Gaza, and another landed on open land, far from any target.  It's not exactly the first time they've done that either.  Every president going back to Reagan promised to do it, Trump did it.  But, as we all hear from the mainstream media, Hollywood notables and European political elite, Trump is burning down the world.  It's even been suggested he's responsible for the California fires!
He then moves on to the fires in California. He has his own politically charged idea about how the fires started.
A more likely conclusion is that California is burning up due to its own self-congratulatory non-sense.  These fires didn't start themselves, based on the admissions of Fire Chiefs.  There have been no storms, no lightening.  But they've got homeless camps growing out of control, and more illegal aliens than they can count.  Whose money will pay to rebuild all the multi-million-dollar homes going up in flames?  Do you pay for fire insurance?  Do those same companies insure California homes? 
He charges that Californian officials are trying to hide what caused the wildfires. To him it is obvious that undocumented immigrants are to be blamed.
Officials refuse to discuss the likely source of the fires, they're too busy dealing with the heart-breaking tragedy of smoldering properties and altered lives to engage in any discussion that might burn a hole through the logic of a sanctuary state that refuses to hold illegal aliens responsible for any and all crimes destructive to public safety.  We just saw them pat themselves on the back for the mind-blowing acquittal of Kate Steinle's killer.  It wasn't REALLY his fault.  He didn't even know he was holding the gun when it went off!
He seems to imply that homeless people may have started the fires. The highlighted phrase below sounds sarcastic to me.
The liberal media went crazy about the story of Park Rangers catching the illegal leaving a fire he'd admittedly set for warmth in remote park in Sonoma County.  The Sherriff said that story was totally irrelevant.  There's no word on what happened, if anything since he was jailed after having been caught red-handed.  But, as officials have said, these fires didn't start themselves.  Whatever you do, don't suspect the homeless or the illegals who are carving out refuge on the outskirts of nearly every city and town in the state.  They are the proof of California's superior empathy toward the poor.  They're are the pope's sacraments, for crying out loud!
He then insists that climate change is a hoax designed to take away the people's freedom.
And then there is this.  Global warming scientists just got caught "red-handed" (again!) "phonying" up sea level measurements.  It seems that the global authorities on such matters, known to evaluate and publish sea-level data were able to take readings showing long-term STABLE measurement data and alter, or "realign" it before releasing it as scientific proof of global-warming and rising sea levels.  The organization is known as the PSMSL the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level.  It was exposed by two Australian scientists in a paper for Earth Systems and Environment, and it joins the jumble of bogus "scientific proof" that global warming is something that should panic everybody into giving up freedom to "save the planet."
He then tries to discredit the ongoing investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia by insisting that "the lawyers, FBI investigators and Justice Department personnel who have been leading the charge" are "utterly corrupt".
Lastly, maybe you've heard the expression, Fruit of the Poison Tree.  It may sound Biblical, but it has legal connotations.  It means that false, or falsely obtained evidence taints an entire case, and it's been used in reference to the Russia-collusion case that is tried and analyzed endlessly by the mainstream media.  If you haven't been able to keep up with the tiresome giddiness with which media hacks cheer-lead the president's downfall you may not yet know how utterly corrupt are the lawyers, FBI investigators and Justice Department personnel who have been leading the charge.  So many scandals are coming to the surface that it may be bigger news than the accusations of inappropriate behavior burning up the headlines.  Well, almost that big.  If CNN had to retract all the false, breathless reports they've made over the past year (including last night!), we might well not live long enough to see it all straightened out.
He then talks about the latest ICBM test from North Korea and scare mongers that something wrong may occur during the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang County, South Korea next year.
But we'll close with some pretty good news.  The report last week of North Korea having successfully completed a test of an ICBM that could reach anywhere in the United States wasn't entirely accurate.  Turns out it broke up on re-entry and was not a successful test.  But the Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held in South Korea, and the North wouldn't need an ICBM to ruin them.
He then ends with these words.
Other than that, everything is looking up!  Have a great Sabbath.   
Mark
What must it be like being in an organization where a man who writes like this is in charge?

2 comments:

  1. Every time that I read something written by Mark, I can't help but wonder what he sees as being his target demographic, if indeed he even has one. The only people I can imagine his missives resonating with are people who are paranoid and filled with hatred.

    I also wonder what solutions he offers for these people, aside from feeding their mental disorders. Is this the next evolutionary step which he envisions for Armstrongism? The one that would finally fulfill their great commission? There is nothing transcendent about his philosophy or message. He is at best an echo of Steve Bannon, not Jesus Christ.

    BB

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  2. Yes, Mark's obscure objective seems to be to preface his Sabbath salute with ravenous rage. At least Bob Thiel tempers his own tirade and offers a cliched cure.

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