Reading John Hagee's In Defense of Israel

While reading For God's Sake by Lee Marsden I learned that among Evangelical Christians the main pro-Israel organization is Christians United For Israel, which was founded by John Hagee in 2006. Learning about this I was curious to learn more so I went and read his book advertised on CUFI's website, In Defense of Israel.

For this post I am reading the original 2007 version of this book.

Let us take a look at what John Hagee has to say on this important topic.

Now before starting I would like to say that here I assume that Hagee is being sincere in what he writes in this book.

After the Osirak Raid of 1981

It talks of how John Hagee reached out to Americans Jews following the bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor in Osirak by Israel in 1981. Hagee says he was aggrieved at how this move was widely criticized when he thought that it was good to prevent the Saddam Hussein regime from being able to acquire nuclear weapons. It was from this frustration at widespread criticism of this bombing of Osirak that he organized a Night to Honor Israel. This became the first of many such occasions.

Was the State of Israel Born in a Day?

Numerous times in this book Hagee talks of how the State of Israel was born in a day. Now it is true that its declaration of independence was made on May 14, 1948, but the processes that led to that moment took many decades to get there. The movement to create a Jewish homeland in the Holy Land had been active for decades before 1948.

Furthermore the Israeli War of Independence did not begin after that declaration. Fighting had actually started shortly after the United Nations presented its proposal to partition British Mandatory Palestine in November 1947. Armed clashes broke out the month afterwards in December 1947. That is when the war started. Not after the declaration. The spiral of violence and destruction quickly escalated months before the declaration of independence. So it is very misleading to say the State of Israel was born in a day. So is every other nation. One could say the United States was born in a day with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. But the process that led up to that moment took years.

Occupation? What Occupation?

Hagee describes talk of Israel occupying the West Bank and Gaza as biased media reports.

In Israel the majority of them [the Palestinians] live in the Gaza Strip and in the area referred to by the media as the West Bank. ... Referring to Israel as "occupied territory" is propaganda. (p. 58.)

These lands were gained by Israel in 1967 in a defensive war. It is misleading to refer to these disputed areas as "occupied Palestinian territories," which implies that the area belongs to Palestinian Arabs and is being held captive by Israelis. (p. 182.)

This is very confusing. The situation is not so simple.

In 1948 the State of Israel was established. The borders were not firmly established until the end of the Israeli War of Independence in 1949. Afterwards other nations granted diplomatic recognition to the State of Israel.

In 1967 the State of Israel acquired East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip after the Six Day War. But in international law there is a law which says that states may not acquire territory by armed force. As far as the other sovereign governments of the world were concerned the territories acquired in 1967 were acquired by armed force and therefore no government on Earth (aside from Israel) recognizes the State of Israel's sovereignty over East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Legally speaking they are territories occupied by the State of Israel.

(This also applies to the Sinai Peninsula when the State of Israel occupied it. But after negotiations following the Yom Kippur War of 1973 the State of Israel returned it to Egypt.)

This is the same reason why Morocco's control over the Western Sahara since 1975 is not recognized by other governments. This is the same reason why Cyprus is recognized as ruling over all of Cyprus even though the North was seized by Turkey in 1974 is now ruled by an internationally unrecognized government that is only recognized by Turkey. This is the same reason why Azerbaijan is still recognized as sovereign over Nagorno-Karabakh regardless of the fact that it has been controlled by Armenians and is affiliated with Armenia.   

Currently 160 UN member states recognize the State of Israel. But they only recognize the 1949-67 borders of the State of Israel. Since all foreign governments regard the State of Israel as only having sovereignty over the 1949-67 borders then the other territories acquired in 1967 (East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights) are regarded by these governments as not rightfully belonging to, and therefore occupied by, the State of Israel regardless of how the State of Israel may view it.

This is why the United States Embassy is in Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem. There is no point in blaming President Obama for this. This has been the situation under Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush.

Shortly after the Six Day War the State of Israel annexed East Jerusalem. But no other government on Earth recognizes this annexation. Later in 1981 the State of Israel annexed the Golan Heights. But no other government on Earth recognizes this annexation.

East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are called "occupied Palestinian territories" not because of any private property of the Palestinians there, but because those territories was acquired by the State of Israel after a war. Who started that war is, legally speaking, irrelevant.

It is a legal opinion that the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem is occupied by the State of Israel. This is why the United States Embassy is in Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem. When the other nations of the Earth recognize the State of Israel they recognize its 1949-1967 borders. What the State of Israel acquired after the Six Day War of 1967 is regarded by every nation on Earth as not rightfully belonging to the State of Israel. These facts are never explained in this book.

Hezbollah

Hagee briefly mentions Hezbollah. What is not mentioned is that Hezbollah was to a certain degree created as a response to the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1982. Back then the State of Israel invaded Lebanon and maintained control over southern Lebanon until 2000. The Lebanese people in Southern Lebanon did not ask to be ruled by the State of Israel. This was a situation that was unilaterally imposed upon them by the State of Israel. It is most unfortunate that the situation deteriorated the way it did.

This complex situation is not explained by Hagee.

The Hamas Charter

Hagee mentions that Hamas has a Charter and Hamas is criticized for having this Charter and not abolishing it.

The charter of Hamas (written in 1988 and still in effect) calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and the establishment of a Palestininan Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. (p. 88.)

But in actual fact Hamas has moved away from this Charter in practice. However due to Hamas' religious nature they do not dare abolish it. Hamas' leaders fear that any such move would be viewed as capitulation towards the State of Israel. This is an unfortunate situation. But nevertheless if one is going to cite the Charter against Hamas it should be made clear that Hamas has in fact moved away from it. The Hamas Charter does not necessarily reflect what Hamas is like today.

Was Begin a Terrorist?

Hagee insists that Menachem Begin was not a terrorist. Hagee recites the King David Hotel bombing. Other shameful incidents associated with the Israeli War of Independence, such as the Deir Yassin massacre, and other shameful acts such as the massacre in Gaza in 1956, are not mentioned at all.

(But I will say that at least Hagee talks about the King David Hotel bombing. As far as I know PCG has never even bothered to mention that terrorist incident.)

Friendly to Jews But Hostile to Muslims

In this book Hagee extends the hand of friendship to Jews. Hagee makes it clear there are friendly disagreements between himself and Jewish religious leaders. But inconsistently he makes no such allowance for friendly disagreements between himself and Muslims. Muhammad is cited as making Islam an intolerant religion. But how is that supposed to reveal how Muslims today happen to view such an issue?

And which Muslims is he talking about? There is much diversity among Muslims. Some are religious. Some are extremely religious but do not take up armed violence. Some have joined extremist ideologies that cause much pain and suffering, mainly against other Muslims. Some are quite secular. There is so much diversity and differences among Muslims.

The overwhelming majority of Arabs are Muslims, with most of them being Sunni Muslims. The remaining members of the population in these countries are Christians and Jews, commonly viewed by other Arabs as infidels. In many places these minorities have only two choices: convert or be killed. (p. 57.)

Now it is true that from time to time there are incidents in various places among Muslim majority countries in which Christians are targeted. But there is so much complexity about many things. Many Muslim majority countries as a matter fact have Christian minorities among them. This has been the case as long as Islam has been in existence.

I came away from this book with the impression that he seems to be trying to unite Christians and Jews by forging common hostility against Muslims. That would not be good. That is no way to have peace. He does not say that but this is the impression this book gave me.

The Sabbath in the State of Israel 

At one point it is mentioned that the Sabbath is observed in the State of Israel.

On the Sabbath in Israel, everything shuts down! There is no transportation. Even the elevators in the hotels and high-rise apartments shut down unless run by electronic control. (p. 157.)

Actually many Israeli Jews are secular and not religious. The social situation is very complicated in the State of Israel.

What Right of Return?

Hagee makes no talk about the right of return. It is mentioned once but is dismissed as non-existent. The problem is never explained to the reader. How does this support the State of Israel in refusing to even talk about this issue that does so much to fuel and sustain the tragic Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

Israel's Technological Achievements

Hagee cites some of the achievements of Israel. How does this help those who are suffering? How do these achievements, as good as they are, help to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

Also there are many impoverished Holocaust survivors in Israel. That is one detail not mentioned in this book.

Elsewhere Hagee says land for peace is wrong, will never work and is contrary to God's will. (Never mind about Egypt.) 

Conclusion

After reading this book I came away from it feeling it was sadly shallow. If you want a detailed chronicle explaining the various troubles in the Middle East this book will not do that. The purpose of this book is to call upon Evangelical Christians to speak up for the State of Israel in the various troubles and trials that it goes through. And specifically this book is a call for Evangelical Christians to join Hagee's organization, Christians United For Israel. But it is better to view events that may be painful to remember in order to soberly view the facts and respond accordingly rather than choosing to ignore problems.

May peace soon come to the Holy Land.

Stephen Flurry Advocates Austerity

Stephen Flurry made a broadcast of the Trumpet Daily complaining about the latest federal budget (December 22, 2015).

Stephen Flurry cites an address by Paul Ryan in order to present the Republicans as being very reluctant to pass the budget. This is done in order to vilify President Obama as all powerful and unassailable. It is asserted that Republicans are unable to do anything to stop President Obama. The paranoid style is alive and well in PCG.

He complains that the "common sense" thing to do to reduce the debt has not been done.

Complains that it fully funds the Affordable Care Act. Claims it is too expensive. Claims it is a trick to hide supposed costs. Actually allowing the health insurance industry to be fully privatized caused health insurance costs to be much higher than in other industrialized countries. The reform was made to make it easier for Americans to gain healthcare.

Complains it fully funds Planned Parenthood. There is no shame about the terrorist attack in Colorado Springs in which three innocent people, including a police officer, were shot to death. All three victims were parents. Six children lost a beloved parent that terrible day. There is no mention of the fact that the claims have already been investigated and nothing illegal was found. (7 minutes.)

Fear mongers that terrorists may be present among Syrian refugees. The Syrian refugees need help, not vilification such as this.

Complains about environmental commitments.

How is this to be paid for? he complains. (11 minutes.) This is about public money. The US government supplies US currency. A government is not like a household. A household has private debt. A household is not allowed to print money. But a government does print money.

Furthermore US bonds are highly prized by investors and many people invest in US bonds because the US government has proven that they can be trusted to fulfill their financial commitments.

Also it is not possible for a government to default on debt denominated in its own currency. The US debt is not as great a problem as is problem as is presented here.

Incidentally the US as more indebted per capita back in the 1940s because of World War II. This complaint about the public debt is a red herring born of ignorance and the false equivalence of public debt with private debt.

Notes that both Senators from Oklahoma voted for the budget. Is he condemning a certain Senator who once spoke to PCG in a meeting in 2013?

Says this is adding more debt burden to our children.

Condemns "wicked burrowing". (18 minutes.) Says this is stealing from our children.

Moans that the debt is stealing from future generations.

Complains that universal health care is justified by trying to take care of the children. Says that instead spending needs to be cut. This is advocating for austerity.

Austerity is a bad idea. Even more it is a terrible idea. A sure fire recipe for disaster.

Austerity is why Greece is such a mess at the moment. Greece is being ordered to cut spending on their people in order to send more money to pay off their debts.

(It is important to note that the eurozone countries do not control their own currency, consequently their debt is more like private debt since it is not possible for Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Cyprus and other eurozone countries to print more money to pay off debts more effectively. The US is not in such a position and thus cannot be dictated to about debt repayments in this way.)

Austerity is one reason why Yugoslavia disintegrated in the late 1980s. It was not the only reason of course but it was a contributing factor.

Austerity is a major reason why Scotland held a referendum on seceding from the United Kingdom. This is also true in Catalonia within Spain.

Any such policy of austerity will particularly harm the poor and those on the verge of destitution. Such a policy will be terrible for such vulnerable people.

America is great. There is no need for the Untied States to go down that terrible path of austerity. If such a thing were to be done considering what has happened in Greece, 1980s Yugoslavia, Britain and Spain there is no telling what it might lead to in the United States.

Complains that Republican legislators are so scared of shutting down the federal government. It would only shut down about 10 to 15% of the government he assures his listeners. Shutting down the federal government is not a good idea. Many people would be burdened by this. It is not good for a government to shut down for partisan reasons.

The American people are badly served with such bad advice.

For more information about why Stephen Flurry is incorrect to scare monger about the federal debt and that the US federal government was actually more indebted per capita in the 1940s see Stephen Flurry Condemns Obama Administration's Foreign Policy—Is He Right?

PCG and Native Americans

PCG is headquartered in Edmond, Oklahoma. Oklahoma has the distinction of being the State that has the higher population of Native Americans per capita. Oklahoma used to be named the Indian Territory. One reason for this is because what is now Oklahoma was the destination of the Native Americans who were cast out of their land and forced to travel the Trail of Tears from 1830 onward. And despite this remarkable history within the home state of PCG's headquarters they rarely ever talk about Native Americans.

Native Americans are rarely discussed in PCG's writings. Sometimes they are mentioned as a challenge to the rule of America because they were there before the rule of the United States was established there. At times it is mentioned that some Americans speculated that Native Americans were descended from Israelites (which is not true).

But PCG's dogmas have no specific use for Native Americans in their tapestry of false prophecies. So they are ignored even though Oklahoma, the state in which PCG's leaders are headquartered, happens to have the largest population of Native Americans per capita. They are there and yet are seemingly unnoticed by PCG's leaders.

Below is a list of quotations in which PCG's leaders obliquely mentioned Native Americans. But they were never included in PCG's tapestry of dogmas and so they are rarely discussed at length.

Now let us presume that the president announced that all land would be seized from its current occupants and redistributed to the descendants of the Native Americans present when the first colonists settled in Jamestown.
And then, imagine the horror of our citizens if the world reacted with relative disinterest.
In other words, imagine you were living in Africa. (Mark Nash, The Resource War, January 2002.)

Israel, on the other hand, was lost from world view, becoming known as the “lost 10 tribes.” Even though most in this world have not correctly identified these lost tribes, there was a time when it was at least more commonly known that they were definitely not Jewish. Oren, for instance, says many American colonists traced the lineage of Native Americans to the lost 10 tribes. (Stephen Flurry, Band of Brothers, February 2008.)

In America too, Islamic groups are pushing for a parallel legal system in which sharia law would be practiced. The American Muslim argues that American Indian tribal courts are a precedent that could be used as a model for an Islamic arbitral system in the U.S. (Robert Morley, Sharia Finance: Last Gasp of a Doomed American Economy, November 11, 2008.)

Speaking at the Power Shift conference in March, Van Jones told the audience that the whole human drama had been leading up to this point of time in America. He said America needed to completely revamp the whole economy to create justice for all and to avoid discriminating against various groups. He said we must pay women higher salaries. He said Native Americans had been locked out of the pollution-based economy and pushed down by the pollution-based economy, and needed to be lifted up in the new green economy. “No more broken treaties, no more broken treaties, give them the wealth, give them the wealth, give them the dignity, give them the respect that they deserve,” he said. “No justice on stolen land. We owe them a debt.” (Robert Morley, A Clear and Present Agenda, September 2009.)

The Chinese, Hindus, Irish, Native Americans and Persians also tell us of the divisions of speech by a supreme God. (David Vejil, The Key to Unlock Biblical Prophecy (Part 1), September 2010.)

According to Van Jones, America has a huge debt it needs to repay its minority groups. He said Native Americans, for example, had been pushed down and locked out of the pollution-based economy and needed to be lifted up in his new green economy. America needs to give them back their stolen land, wealth, dignity and respect they deserve, he said. The government needs to make sure women get paid more. And it needs to stop purposefully spraying chemicals on and poisoning “our immigrant brothers and sisters to get the food we want to eat.”  (Robert Morley, The Riots Are Getting Closer, October 4, 2011.)

(The above article promotes PCG's false prophecy of "race war".)

SAT scores in the U.S. declined for all ethnic groups except Asian Americans, the biggest decline being among blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans. (Anthony Chibarirwe, The Trouble with Education, September 29, 2012.)

Both the COGs and ISIL Say Calamity will Come to the US

After Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's lackeys seized Mosul their lying propagandists began threatening that some sort of catastrophe will fall upon the United States if they should intervene against ISIL.

ISIS also organizes hashtag campaigns, skewing trending terms by encouraging supporters to repeatedly Tweet various hashtags such as ... #CalamityWillBefallUS. The goal is that these terms will then trend on Twitter, vastly increasing the visibility of tweets with ISIS’s message. (Anti-Defamation League, "Hashtag Terror: How ISIS Manipulates Social Media", July 11, 2014.)

So ISIL said "Calamity will befall US".

Who else has been saying such things?

Now of course there are many differences between the COGs and ISIL. The COGs are pacifist and have no history of waging violence. Whereas ISIL is a terrorist organization.

But it is noteworthy that both should happen to claim that some kind of catastrophe will soon befall the United States.

The COGs say this to claim that safety may only be found by joining a COG group (and paying tithes to them).

ISIL said it in a failed attempt to prevent the Obama Administration from intervening against ISIL's terrorism and deadly attacks against the internationally recognized government of Iraq that has horrified the entire world.

Let us learn from this to avoid extremism.

Who Else Condemns Harry Potter?

Recently I was watching a BBC News documentary about the ever lying recruiters for Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's lackeys (ISIL) brainwashing people in Britain to join them in Syria.

The documentary talked about one young woman in Britain who gradually became radicalized into joining ISIL. At the start of her journey into the darkness of ISIL extremism she mentioned on a blog crying after listening to some Muslim preacher (quite likely unconnected to ISIL) railing against Harry Potter.

Wow. Who else was railing against Harry Potter?

In Rowling's books, characters routinely interact with ghosts. Harry communicates with his dead parents through a special mirror. Characters seek guidance from astrologers, cast occult spells and use their paranormal powers to fight their enemies. The Bible condemns this as sorcery, yet it is a part of the ordinary world of Harry Potter. The Harry Potter series teaches young minds a false and evil worldview in which occult powers, condemned in Scripture, can be used as tools for good.
Sadly, instead of condemning the dangerous and un-biblical world of witches and wizards, some churches and clergy have tried to exploit its appeal to youth. Last year, a vicar in one English church held a special "Harry Potter liturgy." A serpent was hung in the church, while a clergyman wearing a wizard's robe led the service. Other elements of the Harry Potter story were brought into the church service. Incredibly, many other pastors expressed interest in having that liturgy for their own churches. (Richard Ames, Dangers of the Occult, September-October 2002.)

The occult appeals to many people. Some try to contact their deceased relatives through mediums. Children read Harry Potter books and become fascinated with the occult. Satanic video games are popular. You need to educate your children on the dangers of the occult, satanic activities and other demonic influences. (Richard Ames, Seven Satanic Deceptions, November-December 2006.)

Now of course LCG is not like ISIL. LCG is an authoritarian cult but it happens to be pacifist.

I am no fan of the occult and it not my intention to encourage anyone into such things.

But after watching that BBC documentary I don't think I can ever look at a condemnation of Harry Potter the same way again.

PCG Slurred Turkish Charity IHH as "Terrorists" (2010)

On May 31, 2010 a flotilla of ships supplied with humanitarian supplies was sailing to Gaza in a bid to break the State of Israel's blockade against the Gaza Strip that has been in force since 2006 and which continues to be maintained to this day. One of the main organizers of this humanitarian flotilla was IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation (İHH İnsani Yardım Vakfı).

In the night Israeli personnel boarded the ships. Nine Turkish men were killed on board the Mavi Marmara. One of them was a US citizen. A tenth man was beaten into a coma and died four years later never regaining consciousness.

PCG responded to this mass lose of life by condemning the organizers of this humanitarian convoy as "terrorists" who "got exactly what they were aiming for". It was asserted that the humanitarian convoy had "nothing that constituted real humanitarian aid." It is asserted that the charity organization that organized the convoy "had ties to terrorist networks" and "invited dozens of terrorists with ties to Iran, Hamas and al Qaeda to participate."

The terrorists who sponsored the Gaza-bound “humanitarian” mission in early June got exactly what they were aiming for: a lethal retaliation from Israel’s navy, followed by a tidal wave of international outrage against Israel. It doesn’t matter that 50 passengers on board the Mavi Marmara were linked to terror groups, or that the “peace activists” attacked Israeli commandos with metal rods, broken bottles, knives and stun grenades, or that three of the Turks killed by Israeli commandos actually wanted to die as martyrs, or that investigators discovered bulletproof vests, night vision goggles and gas masks on board the ship, while finding nothing that constituted real humanitarian aid. (Stephen Flurry, "Israel The Outcast," June 4, 2010.) 

The folks who organized it knew what they were doing. The Turkish group that staged the “humanitarian” mission to Gaza had ties to terrorist networks. It invited dozens of terrorists with ties to Iran, Hamas and al Qaeda to participate. It specifically sought to bust a naval blockade solely intended to limit Hamas’s ability to turn the Gaza Strip into a military bunker. It forced a confrontation, banking on the ability to turn it into a public relations disaster for the Jews. (Joel Hilliker, A Good Excuse to End a Bad Relationship, June 9, 2010.)

Are these serious accusations directed at IHH justified? Reading these words it is clear that these men had no idea about the nature of IHH from their perch in Edmond, Oklahoma.

This post is not about endorsing or condemning a charity organization. This is to correct misinformation. We do not deserve to be misinformed that so and so are "terrorists" without good evidence. We do not deserve to be told that this charity organization had "nothing that constituted real humanitarian aid" on the Mavi Marmara when in fact it is a charity and has done many acts of charity all over the world. There have been controversies but in regards to the Mavi Marmara there is nothing to justify such vicious slurs that PCG directed at IHH.

Turns out IHH was founded in response to the horrors of the Bosnian War of 1992-5.

Did you know that our logo comes from a school sign riddled with bullets in Bosnia during the war? #Srebrenica pic.twitter.com/uljy2VeRPi

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) July 11, 2015

Did you know that IHH was established to provide humanitarian relief to the people of Bosnia in 1992? #Srebrenica pic.twitter.com/05iKSV8reG

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) July 11, 2015

12 years ago, we lost one of the greatest leaders in the history of humanity. Paying tribute to #Alija Izetbegović! pic.twitter.com/d5UkKlbTUD

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) October 19, 2015

IHH has provided aid to Syrians suffering because of the cataclysmic war.

Together with 12 partner organizations from 7 countries, we are sending an aid convoy of 49 trucks to Syria. pic.twitter.com/TIKccv6JjS

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) December 5, 2015

A bakery runned by IHH and @qcharity was destroyed by Russian airstrikes in Syria's Idlib province yesterday. pic.twitter.com/V85VyDXSa3

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) November 30, 2015

Construction work is ongoing to build the world's biggest orphan village in the Turkish border city of Hatay. pic.twitter.com/HusYAFGroR

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) November 19, 2015

IHH along with its partner @qcharity is building a camp of a thousand containers in Shammarin region of Syria. pic.twitter.com/4rcfCxFaFq

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) November 6, 2015

IHH's Sanliurfa office is providing 15,000 loaves of bread on a daily basis to Syrian refugees living in the city. pic.twitter.com/OVShYdktZM

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) October 19, 2015

IHH has distributed food packages, mattresses, diapers and gauze to hospitals in the Serakib region of Idlib, Syria. pic.twitter.com/PqnQYAiCJj

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) September 8, 2015

IHH has begun construction of a new container camp that will accommodate up to 1,000 #Syrian refugee families. pic.twitter.com/WH5DEuVchn

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) August 5, 2015

IHH has sent 9 trucks of humanitarian aid to #Turkmen villages in Syria. pic.twitter.com/DlzrCR888I

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) July 28, 2015

The Palestinian Consul General in Istanbul has attended our food distribution for Palestinian refugees in Turkey. pic.twitter.com/WWmyxSoUly

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) July 13, 2015

IHH has provided aid to Yemen, a country undergoing civil war at present.

Within the last week, IHH has delivered emergency food assistance to one thousand families in #Yemen's Aden city. pic.twitter.com/afOOAeIRAm

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) September 18, 2015

We continue our humanitarian efforts to help ease the suffering of the #Yemeni people. pic.twitter.com/xGtIUo8hip

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) September 2, 2015

IHH has built wells in Africa and Asia.

Since 2002, IHH has been building clean water wells in Africa and Asia. | https://t.co/8VHsggM5KF pic.twitter.com/zAxNJ2O0DP

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) December 17, 2015

Like him, hundreds of thousands of people now have access to safe drinking water in #Bangladesh. pic.twitter.com/ed7MWMVuN9

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) August 26, 2015

In #Chad, over 850,000 people are benefiting from the water wells built across the country. #WaterWellsSaveLives pic.twitter.com/wOjJXh9Fkb

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) August 21, 2015

With 112 wells built in 2015, thousands of #Somalis no longer have to walk miles every day for water. pic.twitter.com/U4ibHpdZSL

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) August 13, 2015

IHH has built homes in Darfur. Since 2003 Darfur has been the scene of intense violence as the Khartoum regime has sought to suppress a secessionist movement there. Some have described the depredations of pro-Khartoum militias as genocide.

IHH has constructed 74 more houses to find a solution to the housing problem of Darfur refugees. pic.twitter.com/gOm0BzwXt1

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) December 1, 2015

IHH has provided aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

Since 2013, the number of Gazan students who have attended free classes at our center have reached 3 thousand 949. pic.twitter.com/rcqiNJtTRy

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) December 1, 2015

Orphan families receive their sponsorship payments at IHH headquarters in Gaza, #Palestine. pic.twitter.com/X9cBkFllol

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) August 13, 2015

The repair work on the Fatimah al-Zahra School, which was damaged during the 50-day war in #Gaza, is almost finished. pic.twitter.com/6e4wNbdVzb

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) July 6, 2015

IHH sent aid to Pakistan after the earthquake there in October.

Our team in Pakistan is walking for 50 mins to deliver aid to 13 families who lost their homes after the earthquake. pic.twitter.com/u2z0qxu6Up

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) October 28, 2015

Our first team has arrived in the earthquake-affected regions on the Afghan-Pakistan border. pic.twitter.com/zXC03hIrsU

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) October 27, 2015

IHH has provided negotiation to release hostages.

Since 2013, IHH's diplomacy team has rescued 2,201 people held captive in Syria, Egypt, Iran, Libya and Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/VAh6x3uULk

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) December 3, 2015

There is more charity work done by IHH.

Faruk Aktas School, opened by IHH in 2010, provides free education to hundreds of children in #Zanzibar, Tanzania. pic.twitter.com/yYYMDOzB3v

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) November 26, 2015

Did you know that the largest orphanage in #Somalia was established by IHH in 2013? pic.twitter.com/SW0QBUreSf

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) November 6, 2015

Rohingyas, the victims of sustained genocidal persecution Intvw with Dr. Maung Zarni - http://t.co/U3yxNCPG6S pic.twitter.com/1GE1T0PeuO

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) July 24, 2015

The number of sponsored orphans has almost reached 70 thousand. No rest until every orphan has a family. pic.twitter.com/a4jNIhRjO6

— Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) July 4, 2015

So it is clear that IHH is fully capable of providing aid as was their stated purpose in sending the Mavi Marmara to Gaza to try and break the Israeli blockade against Gaza.

How dare PCG's leaders slur this organization as "terrorists" when PCG's leaders clearly knew so little about it.

Philadelphia Trmpet Circulation Still Falling

The circulation for the latest Philadelphia Trumpet issue is 286,191.

Once again this is the second lowest circulation figure for The Philadelphia Trumpet since September 2010.

Where is PCG's tithe money going?

Circulation figures lower than the current figure are highlighted.

2010

January 266,767

February 255,767

March 256,767

April 265,285

May-June 269,615

July 258,707

August 269,641

September 284,235

October-November 289,332

December 295,382

2011

January 300,380

February 304,147

March 307,097

April 315,064

May-June 322,410

July 335,444

August 327,731

September 330,232

October 332,530

November-December 326,176

2012

January 330,067

February 333,067

March 333,067

April 334,044

May-June 338,939

July 342,452

August 340,298

September 340,813

October-November 340,813

December 341,259

2013

January 333,214

February 331,273

March 331,130

April 329,122

May-June 332,997

July 335,797

August 332,849

September-October 330,936

November 331, 830

December 328,019

2014

January 325,014

February 323,585

March 323,583

April 320,572

May-June 319,107

July 322,017

August 319,798

September 317,863

October 317,130

November-December 313,286

2015

January 314,408

February 312,399

March 311,350 

April 310,367

May-June 297,255

July 297,242

August 295,801

September 284,800

October 289,188

November-December 293,184

2016

January 287,157

February 286,191

Press TV's Promotion of 9/11 Conspiracy Theories

Back in 2007 Iran, in an attempt to present their point of view to the English speaking world, established Press TV, an English language TV news channel.

Being influenced by Iran's perspective it has some peculiar features. It stridently portrays the Assad regime in a positive light when discussing the Syrian Civil War.

One peculiarity of Press TV is that it constantly insinuates that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were perpetuated by the US government or the government of Israel. Most often they get Americans to present these bizarre claims.

It is well established that Al Qaeda, headed by Osama bin Laden, committed those terrorist attacks. It is right and proper to condemn and refute misinformation which inaccurately claim otherwise. For anyone wishing to know what really happened leading up to the 9/11 terrorist attacks I suggest The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright (2007).

It is one thing to say that certain American officials and intelligence personnel failed to notice relevant information. But that does not mean the US government plotted it.

It is one thing to say that certain politicians used the 9/11 attacks to persuade people to accept policies that would have been rejected without 9/11's occurrence. But that does not mean that those people conspired to commit 9/11.

I am not linking to these articles. I have no wish to send traffic to 9/11 conspiracy theories. I have taken the liberty of adding links to articles rebutting various 9/11 conspiracy theories.

I am also not mentioning any promoters of 9/11 conspiracy theories by name in this post.

Without further ado here is what Press TV have been saying about 9/11.

***

Another Israeli who visibly could not contain his joy at the success of 9/11's “Operation Esther” was Benjamin Netanyahu. When the once and future Israeli Prime Minister was asked about his reaction to 9/11, he said: “It's very good!” Then, catching himself, he added that while it wasn't exactly good, it was certainly good for Israel."

For more than eleven years, Israel has been wildly celebrating the success of its 9/11 operation against the United States of America. The latest example: Israeli children recently dressed up as the burning Twin Towers, complete with impaled exploding airplanes, to celebrate ... Purim. (Israel celebrates successful 9/11 operation on Purim holiday, March 2, 2013. Now deleted from their website.)

***

In fact, the entire AIPAC apparatus, the largest lobbying organization in Washington, is currently engaged in a “full court press,” to stop congress from pushing for the release of the real report. Is this because the real report accuses Israel, not Saudi Arabia.... (‘Mossad, Bush planned, executed 9/11’, December 25, 2013. Now deleted from their website.)

***

The American analyst pointed to attempts by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the powerful Israeli lobby in the US, to suppress the pieces of information in the report, which reportedly identified involvement by the Israeli intelligence in planning and carrying out the 9/11 attacks. (Israel suppressing report on 9/11 role: Intelligence analyst, December 25, 2013.)

***

The evidence presented herein is by no means comprehensive. It is but a small fraction of the available evidence showcasing direct Israeli participation, if not orchestration, of 9/11 to bring about a “war of civilizations” between the West and Islamic world. (Israeli militarism predicated on 9/11 deception, January 26, 2015.)

***

Watching the twin towers and WTC 7 come down, it was obvious to me that the buildings were not falling down as a result of structural damage. When it became clear that the White House had blocked an independent investigation of the only three steel skyscrapers in world history to collapse as a result of low temperature office fires, it was apparent that there was a cover-up. ...
Over these 13 years, physicists, chemists, architects, engineers, and first responders have provided massive evidence that completely disproves the official account of the failure of the three skyscrapers. The response to experts has been for non-experts to call experts “conspiracy theorists.” In other words, the defenders of the government’s story have no scientific or factual basis on which to stand. So they substitute name-calling. (9/11, anthrax attacks, and beyond, October 14, 2014. Now deleted from their website.)

***

[One person's (who was not promoting 9/11 conspiracy theories)] remarks add further impetus to the accelerating campaign, led by the 9/11 family members, to declassify the top secret 28 pages of the 2002 Joint Congressional Inquiry into 9/11. Those pages, according to numerous Congressional Representatives and Senators who have read them, completely overturn the official account and show that "one or more governments" were behind the 9/11 attacks. The governments in question appear to have been Saudi Arabia and Israel, not Iraq or Afghanistan, raising questions about the real motive of the 9/11 wars. ...
The Saudi government ... has even called for the top secret 28 pages to be declassified so it can defend itself. So far, Obama has refused to declassify the 28 pages – which were sealed by then-President George W. Bush – and Congress has not yet voted to force the issue. So it is not the Saudi government but the American government that is covering up the truth. Why would the US government want to hide the truth about the worst catastrophe in its history?
The probable answer is that 9/11 was carried out not only with the help of the Saudi and Israeli governments, but corrupt, treasonous members of the US government as well. Declassifying the 28 pages would reveal that 9/11 was a government-sponsored deception, not an independent "al-Qaeda" operation. This would force the kind of new 9/11 investigation that [one person] advocates. And such an investigation might lead to some very uncomfortable places. (‘US legitimacy waning over 9/11 hoax’, November 22, 2014. Now deleted from their website.)

***

[An individual] says at last the matter has started to unravel and the Saudi involvement in September 11 attacks is just one of its many elements. He maintains that the American account of the attacks is a lie that shows how Washington’s foreign policy and the American media are controlled by Israel.
The analyst slams Saudi, Israeli and American intelligence agencies for conspiring to murder three thousand people by orchestrating the attack on the Twin Towers, as a direct consequence of which hundreds of thousands of more lives were lost in various conflicts around the world. ([Individual]: More secrets on 9/11 to be spilled as story unravels, April 14, 2015.)

***

“The fact of the matter is that Osama bin Laden died on December 15, 2001 in Afghanistan. He was buried in an unmarked grave there in accordance with Muslim traditions, with local obituaries,” he added. ...
“What Obama was doing was attempting to wipe questions about his birth certificate off the front page, and trying to justifying” several of his other actions, [the individual] stated.
“The whole thing was an elaborate charade. It worked as a political theater, as a public relations stunt, by allowing him to proclaim that he had taken out the most wanted man in the world,” he emphasized.
“But the fact of the matter is that Osama bin Laden had nothing to do with the 9/11.  He in fact died ten years earlier. So what we were receiving from the press were simply reports about the second death of Osama bin Laden,” he underlined. (Bin Laden died in Afghanistan in 2001, not in 2011 in Pakistan: American scholar, May 13, 2015.)

***

An American scholar in Wisconsin says the release of US intelligence documents - assuming they are authentic - shows that Osama bin Laden was also interested in knowing the truth about the September 11, 2001 attacks, despite the fact that the al-Qaeda leader was blamed by the US for orchestrating the attacks. ...
“The government tells us that Bin Laden owned a shelf of 9/11 truth books, and other so-called conspiracy literature, alongside analyses by scholars like Noam Chomsky and Michael Scheuer. Both of whom are unwilling to fully address the inside job coup d'etat of September 11, 2001, but who are critical of US foreign policy in other respects,” he said. (Bin Laden wanted to know truth about 9/11: US scholar, May 20, 2015.)

***

In the last days of his life, Osama bin Laden realized that the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States were an inside job, and were not carried out by al-Qaeda militants, according to newly released US intelligence documents. ...
Independent analysts, dubbed by the mainstream US media as conspiracy theorists, have always maintained that the September 11, 2001 attacks have been covered-up by the FBI and senior US officials because it was the “mother of all false flag” operations. (Bin Laden believed 9/11 was inside job: US documents, May 20, 2015.)

***

Former US Vice President Dick Cheney was in charge of the September 11, 2001 "false flag" operation in the United States, says American scholar [name], who has extensively researched the 9/11 attacks. (Cheney was in charge of 9/11 false flag operation: American scholar, July 25, 2015.)

***

The growing anti-Islam rhetoric in the United States underlines the need for further research into the origin of the September 11, 2001 attacks, an American scholar and journalist in Wisconsin says. ...
[The individual is quoted saying] “This underlines the need for the very scholars, journalists and lawyers that he [another individual] wants to murder to stand up and speak the truth; that 9/11 was obviously an inside job,” Barrett added. (9/11 attacks were obviously an inside job: Scholar, August 31, 2015.)

***

9/11; A COVER-UP FOR SAUDI ARABIA
The 9/11 anniversary may mark the deaths of many Americans, or the start of the 'war on terror' which has failed by many accounts, but it also marks one of the most significant cover-ups. US President Barack Obama is under pressure to release secret pages of a 9/11 report 'showing Saudi Arabia financed attacks'. ('9/11; a cover-up for Saudi Arabia', September 10, 2015.)

***

A special review commission on 9/11 has found that disagreements still persist within the FBI over whether there was a broader conspiracy in the US to carry out the 2001 attacks.
Aspects of the continuing inquiry, which is the largest in FBI history, suggests that others inside the US had advance knowledge of the operation and supported the suicide hijackers. (US marks 14th anniversary of September 11 attacks, September 11, 2015.)

***

[A certain individual] rules out the evidence that the US administration announced as a proof for the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, saying that no airplane parts were found near the Pentagon, adding other stories that have been narrated about two other airplanes, which hit the Twin Towers, are unbelievable.
He argues the only regime that benefits from the September 11 attacks is Israel, adding that the regime had some kind of strategic interests in orchestrating such attacks, because Tel Aviv has always benefited from chaos and insecurity.
The Project for the New American Century (PNAC), which should have been called the project for the new Israeli century because of its links with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is a group in the United States that enjoys many interests in orchestrating the 9/11 terrorist attacks. (Israel behind 9/11 terrorist attacks: Pundit, September 12, 2015.)

***

US officials assert that the attacks were carried out by al-Qaeda terrorists but many experts have raised questions about the official account.
They believe that rogue elements within the US government orchestrated or at least encouraged the 9/11 attacks in order to accelerate the US war machine and advance the Zionist agenda.
A special review commission on 9/11 has found that disagreements still persist within the FBI over whether there was a broader conspiracy in the US to carry out the 2001 attacks. (9/11 incident one of the biggest lies told to Americans: Former CIA contractor, October 15, 2015 http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/10/15/433516/911-incident-biggest-lies.)

***

US officials assert that the attacks were carried out by al-Qaeda terrorists but many experts have raised questions about the official account.
They believe that rogue elements within the US government, such as former Vice President Dick Cheney, orchestrated or at least encouraged the 9/11 attacks in order to accelerate the US war machine and advance the Zionist agenda. (Trump faces backlash for blaming Bush for 9/11, October 18, 2015.)

***

US officials assert that the attacks were carried out by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists but many experts have raised questions about the official account.
They believe that rogue elements within the US government, such as former Vice President Dick Cheney, orchestrated or at least encouraged the 9/11 attacks in order to accelerate the US war machine and advance the Zionist agenda. (George W. Bush’s response to 9/11 was awe-inspiring: Jeb, October 27, 2015.)

***

The September, 11, 2001 attacks, also known as the 9/11 attacks, were a series of strikes in the US which killed nearly 3,000 people and caused about $10 billion worth of property and infrastructure damage.
US officials assert that the attacks were carried out by al-Qaeda terrorists but many experts have raised questions about the official account.
They believe that rogue elements within the US government orchestrated or at least encouraged the 9/11 attacks in order to accelerate the US war machine and advance the Zionist agenda.
A special review commission on 9/11 has found that disagreements still persist within the FBI over whether there was a broader conspiracy in the US to carry out the 2001 attacks.
Aspects of the continuing inquiry, which is the largest in FBI history, suggests that others inside the US had advance knowledge of the operation and supported the suicide hijackers. (Bush administration ignored CIA warnings about 9/11 months before: Report, November 13, 2015.)

***

An American writer and socio-political psychologist says that it seems the role of Noam Chomsky is to divert attention from the evidence that proves that the 9/11 attack was an inside job, and provide intellectual credibility to the narratives disseminated by the Western corporate media. ...
“Chomsky's role is to divert attention from the evidence that proves that the terrorist attacks on 9/11 were attributed to a cabal of international power brokers looking to profit from war and take over the currencies of several Middle Eastern countries and extract their resources, while bringing these countries under permanent Western control,” the commentator pointed out.
“Chomsky has stayed consistent to this formula for evaluating the rash of recent Muslim terrorist narratives. The Western mercenary proxy groups called ISIL or ISIS in the Western corporate media has taken responsibility for the Paris event which is reported to have led to the deaths of 130 people,” he continued.
“Chomsky fails to include the evidence that these terror groups are actually arms of the Western foreign policy of increasing dominance and control in the Middle East. Chomsky, in his role as intellectual scholar, brings academia into the narratives in order to lend intellectual credibility to these narratives disseminated by the Western corporate media,” the journalist underlined. (Is Chomsky complicit in covering up Western terrorism?, December 15, 2015.)

***

And so end the list of quotes which show that Press TV is promoting 9/11 conspiracy theories.

I will not speculate over why some people in Press TV chose to promote these outlandish ideas. But it does need to be stated that it will be harder for people to take Press TV seriously as long as this media outlet continue to promote such views. No doubt many of those who work for Press TV know better and their work is hampered with the promotion of such outlandish views.

Palestinian Christians of Gaza Leaving Due to Blockade

How very sad.

After 2,000 years, Christians disappearing from Gaza (USA Today).

Despite the packed pews at Gaza’s Church of St. Porphyrius just weeks before Christmas, Christianity is not booming here. Rather, the worshipers at the 1,600-year-old shrine believe they may be the last group of Christians in Gaza, where they have lived and prayed since the birth of Jesus.

The ongoing Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip and the highest unemployment rate in the world are prompting Christians to leave the besieged area in droves, some using the holiday season to their advantage.

Joel Hilliker Suggests Avoiding All PG-13 Movies

Back in September 2009 Joel Hilliker suggested in an article that followers of PCG should just stop watching PG-13 movies altogether.

To become pure, we must be vigilant gatekeepers for what goes into our minds. Shun entertainment with inappropriate sexual content. Strictly avoid movies that contain nudity or lust-inducing sexuality. Before deciding to see a movie, check reviews from moral-based film critics; websites such as MovieGuide.org provide much more comprehensive explanations of possibly objectionable material than the only-vaguely trustworthy MPAA system employed in the United States. Consider cutting out “R” or even “PG-13″ rated movies altogether. (Joel Hilliker, Keep the Ghetto Out of Your Bedroom, September 2009.)

What a culturally impoverishing thing to do.

Armstrongism has constantly vilified and condemned popular culture in order to isolate us from society so that we become socially dependent upon the COGs.

If one thinks so much of popular culture is somehow sinful or wrong to view or read because of what some religious leadership should happen to say then they are trying to control you.

If does not watch such movies then he or she will stop spending money on such things. That money might go to PCG instead.

Also cutting out such movies will make it less likely that he or she will encounter information that may contradict PCG dogma within such movies. This makes it more likely that he or she will be even more under the influence of PCG.

We need to be aware of what such attempts to control people do to people. The allure of being righteous, doing the right thing and being better than other people is quite alluring and makes the voluntary restriction of such things seems like the good thing to do. But this practice leaves one more vulnerable to falling under PCG's influence.

PCG's leaders tell members to pay three tithes and convince them this is a good idea by saying it is the will of (PCG's) God. The same motive is used even regarding one's finances.