Sunday, March 8, 2020

Fake Church of God Prophet Has Pointers On How To Not Catch Coronavirus


The self-appointed prophet of the improperly named "continuing" Church of "god" is scrambling to get his face on various podcasts and interviews in order to get his message across.

Since many have asked me about it, here is something I posted at COGwriter.com on Tuesday:
Last month, I was interviewed for a holistic podcast as well as a segment for a naturally-oriented television program related to COVID-19, the “novel” strain of the coronavirus.
Basically, I said to wash hands frequently and work to support a stronger immune system.
Avoiding unnecessary contact with the sick can also be helpful for many.
As far as health goes, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote the following Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health:
HERE ARE TEN RULES
1. Sleep — Be sure of good ventilation — PLENTY OF FRESH AIR in the bedroom all night, winter and summer. … Fresh air is FREE — and nothing is more vital to health, but avoid drafts striking you. 
2. Arise — Get right out of bed the instant you awaken. Do not lie in bed, or turn over for a second sleep, no matter how tired or dragged down you feel. A second sleep dulls the mind. 
Nothing is more important in Armstrongism than a brisk towel rub down.
3. Bath and rubdown — Take a regular morning shower bath if possible, making it short and snappy, ending with a vigorous rubdown. If no shower is available, take a tub bath at least two or three times a week. End with cold water, especially in cold weather. This closes the pores and prevents chilling and taking cold. 
If no shower is available, take a vigorous rubdown in the bedroom daily or twice daily, using a turkish or bath towel or massage brush. Begin at wrists and feet massaging vigorously toward the heart. If the room is cold, just apply a little more energy — the vigorous rubbing will keep you warm. 
Vibrate your brain and shampoo your hair every 2 - 3 weeks.
4. Head rub and shampoo — Before leaving the bedroom, massage and rub the scalp vigorously with tips of fingers, suitable stiff bristle brush, or electric vibrator. This stimulates new circulation thru the scalp, makes the brain more active, and is the best guarantee there is against baldness. Shampoo the hair at least every two or three weeks. Be sure to use neutral, mild soap (imported castile is best) and rinse thoroughly. 
5. Water — …. Start in with whatever you can drink, increasing it till you are able to take one or two full glasses. Soon you will crave it. … This morning glass of water is very important. 
6. Breakfast — Avoid too heavy a breakfast. If you eat pancakes, eat but few. Do not eat too many eggs, and never more than two or three times a week. Eggs are good food, but too many produce a sluggish liver. Avoid soggy, heavy foods. Eat some fruit if possible — especially grapefruit, oranges, etc. 
7. Food — In the main, simply eat what you find agrees with you — but be sure to get a reasonable amount of fruits, and leafy vegetables (lettuce, raw cabbage, spinach, etc.) and milk, every day. Avoid meals loaded with meat, potatoes, beans, corn, etc., unless balanced with leafy vegetables and fruits.
For health’s sake eat … none of the meats called “unclean” and forbidden under the Old Testament Mosaic law. Above all, eat slowly, and CHEW THOROUGHLY before swallowing. Avoid overeating. Most people eat twice what they should. 
This did not work too well for Loma, his wife, but it was the membership's fault she was constipated and not his refusal to take her to proper medical intervention.
8. Elimination — Nothing is more vital to health than habitual regularity of elimination. Constipation is nothing but the penalty of lack of regularity. Pills will not CURE constipation. Nothing but the re-establishment of regularity of habit will cure it. For those suffering from this, I would advise resorting to divine healing — but be sure you deserve it by reestablishment of regular habits, preferably at a set time of day. Also regulate diet to aid this. 
9. Breathing — At least three times during the day — preferably bed time, rising time and once during the day — go outdoors, or open all the windows and doors in the house, stand erect, chest out and shoulders back, and BREATHE DEEPLY several times. Inhale slowly through the nose, till lungs are completely full. Exhale through the mouth, till the lungs are entirely emptied of air. Repeat several times. Try to learn the habit of breathing deeply, taking in more air and more completely emptying the lungs at every breath. 
10. Exercise — Few people past twenty- five get sufficient exercise, except those who are farmers, or get exercise through daily labor. Even in this case it is likely that only certain parts of the body are receiving sufficient exercise. Walking in the fresh air every day is good. For those who lead an in-door life, such sports as golf or tennis are splendid. Often bedroom exercises are advisable. Your body and muscles will not likely wear out, but can more easily rust out. Each individual must determine for himself what additional exercise, if any, he needs, as differing daily occupations naturally affect this. 
Of course, to keep the money stream going, the following MUST be done:
It goes without saying that all forms of dissipation must be avoided if these 10 health rules are to prove successful.
So, in addition to the rules like the above, what can be done to support the immune system? 
Well, regular fasting is one item I mentioned when interviewed.
But I AM basically following a version of Herbert W. Armstrong’s Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health (including exercising regularly and not eating any biblically unclean animals). 
Furthermore, yes, I regularly consume a fair amount of fruit, try to avoid a lot of processed foods, pray to God for wisdom, and do fast pretty much every month. 
So much for the "praying to God for wisdom" part.  Epic failure.

27 comments:

Byker Bob said...

Puerile and pathetic. I really like the one about shampooing your hair every 2-3 weeks! Yuk!

Anyone who has ever tried to avoid measles, mumps, or the flu certainly realizes that it is nearly impossible to escape an epidemic. This Covid-19 thing has all of the hallmarks of a major event which will affect our way of life much the same as did 9/11, or the 2008 great recession. Both those events have taken years for recovery.

Best hope resides in the scientists who develop vaccines. We all know how much Armstrongism and current POTUS rely on science! Both are unreliable as resources for dealing with the corona virus.

BB

Anonymous said...

Will Bwana Bob's followers in Africa ever see these recommendations? Has Bob even begun to research the cultural differences between meal preparation in wealthy American households and in poor African ones? What a simpleton!

Tonto said...

Snippets of interest from Booby Thiel:

"Fresh air is FREE"...
wow , I learn something new ever day! :-)

"Often bedroom exercises are advisable. Your body and muscles will not likely wear out"...
Whoa! , file this under the "Too Much information folder" perhaps??

Liam Grabarkewitz said...

Looks like Mr. Thiel likes the vigorous rub down rituals that Herbert W. Armstrong recommended in his autobigraphy. Thiel did not include the necessity for it to be a turkish towel though.

Anonymous said...

You really have to wonder about Theil's gratuitous quoting of the old HWA folklore. That's about as silly as showing church teenagers "Reefer Madness" to scare them straight!

Anonymous said...

That's about as silly as showing church teenagers "Reefer Madness" to scare them straight!

No, that's Gerald Weston's strategy, not Bob Thiel's. Weston has lost all credibility with younger LCG members with his ridiculously out-of-date demonizing of the evil POT. It's not that LCG youth are in any hurry to become pot smokers. It's that even the kids who think drugs are stupid are able to see the flaws in Weston's paranoid and outdated rants. Kids who would otherwise have trusted Weston as a spiritual authority are seeing that he is irresponsibly careless with the facts about marijuana, and are figuring out that if he can't be trusted with straightforward secular facts, he must be equally untrustworthy about Christian truth.

Anonymous said...

And rule number 11 for good health? Avoid joining an abusive cult?

Prayer to God for wisdom? Well, there ain't no Father Christmas. Wisdom must be acquired through self education, such as reading books. Christ worked for the wisdom that He had.

Byker Bob said...

I just picked up a Sunday afternoon Bud at Circle K. Corona beer is on special because nobody is buying it. 😺

BB

Anonymous said...

Fresh Air - Ben Franklin and John Adams once shared a hotel room, and Franklin had to convince Adams that sleeping with the windows open was good for one's health. Perhaps HWA/Bob should have included a recommendation for Franklin's air bath.

Anonymous said...

Well Frankin was a clandestine member of the Hellfire Club and British spy “72” for the Crown.

the Ocelot said...

I take a second sleep most every day No wonder I have a dull mind Thank you God's Apostle!

the Ocelot said...

Don't Bogart that joint my friend
Pass it over to me

Anonymous said...

Must be the pot.

Anonymous said...

the Ocelot

For someone who was/is so deeply involved in Church summer camps to joke about drugs is extremely shocking.
Shame on you.

Anonymous said...

Herbie's point 2 actually goes against the Bible. "Second sleep" was a standard part of human life before nighttime lighting became cheap and plentiful a couple of centuries ago. People would go to bed soon after sunset, then wake up for a couple of hours around midnight before going back for a second period of sleep. It appears that the human body is wired for two separated periods of sleep each night, so why should we try so hard to follow an Industrial Age practice instead of a Biblical one?

The myth of the eight-hour sleep

A Morley said...

I wonder how many times Dorothy endured a bath and vigorous "rub-down" by her father.

Anonymous said...

Herbie's point 2

Good points, 641. I wonder what he thought of Edison, who was known to take periodic naps while working. There is also the concept of having "Power Naps", the afternoon nap for the elderly, and the Siesta.

HWA noted in his Autobiography how he offered big tips to hotel staff to get him out of bed early...

the Ocelot said...

I was never in their camps

TLA said...

HWA's advice was probably reasonable in the early 20th century. Now - 100 years later - in the early 21st century - it sounds like - well 100 years old, and out of touch with modern knowledge.

Byker Bob said...

The corona virus is a zoonotic disease, meaninig that it originated in animals, and crossed over into humans. These are generally very dangerous to humans. The 1918 Influenza virus (H1N1) infected approximately 1/3 of the world population, and 2-3% of the people who were infected died. Estimates of the global death toll range from 17 million to 100 million, with 675,000 dying in the USA. Even remote geographic locations were affected, like isolated Pacific Islands, and the Arctic.

Until data is collected, and trends emerge, scientists will not know precisely how dangerous Covid 19 is. Both the 1918 Spanish flu, and the swine flu of 2009 were H1N1, but the 1918 flu was more virulent and killed many more people.

Right now, I can't get some of our more popular types of equipment until the end of March at the earliest, because some of the Asian factories are shut down as part of the quarantines. This is a widespread disruption which is greatly affecting the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, normally bustling points of entry which have slowed down to a trickle, with workers in jeopardy of losing their homes, and independent truckers on the verge of losing their rigs. It's not an irrational panic that is causing the economic chaos, it is the very prudent measures which are being taken to control the spread of the virus around the world in our global economy. The virus is real, totally identifiable, and can be tested for. This thing is still in its infancy, and we will not know how dangerous it really is until statistics are accumulated.

BB

Anonymous said...

Who specifically wrote LCG summer camps ?

nck said...

CoVID this CoVID that.

I'll be concerned with CLXVID. (C=100, LXVI=66, D=500 = 666)
And behold the City of 7 hills is closed and no one can travel and cruise tho and fro who carries the number CLXVID.

Nck

Anonymous said...

Given the Armstrong sexual escapades, one can only wonder whether that morning towel rub lingered over a certain part of the body.

RSK said...

Lynchburg, Virginia?

nck said...

RSK.... (people at the very back of the crowd) What, what did he say.... the cheese makers??.... Why are the cheese makers blessed?

Nck

RSK said...

Also built on seven hills. :)

nck said...

You mountaineer you.
I'll be prepping at Waltons mountain from Ikes general store if this Corona thing expands. :-)

(made a 3 hour detour several years ago to pay hommage to the Waltons Mountain on my way to "the Hill" at DC :-)) based on a true story.

Nck