Mark Armstrong has finally spoken out about his take on the coronavirus and whether or not to let his members attend services.
If Mark had his way all of his members would be parked in church services today....however, out of respect for the President and the Governor of Texas he says he will "honor" their request to not assemble in groups of 10 or more. You can tell by his sarcastic response below that he thinks he and everyone else is being "flimflammed" over this virus. It is hard for him to sit there and "swallow" what's happening.
“Lock-down” is prison jargon for solitary confinement. Now it’s being used to describe mandatory quarantining for citizens told to “shelter in place.” Some states are promising fines and prosecutions for those who disobey. …
We’ve had to make decisions regarding church services, and here’s our position. Out of respect for President Trump and Governor Abbott of Texas, we’re going to honor their request or order as the case may be, to limit gatherings to ten people or less. We intend to hold a “skeleton crew” Sabbath service here in Tyler, asking most of the congregation to stay home. We expect to have the bare minimum on hand for the service in order to keep current sermons and updates going out via DVD, and we also make the current sermons available on Youtube.
We hope the authorities know what they’re doing. Maybe it’s prudent to wreck the economy on account of this virus, but time will tell. There’s no doubt that people who’ve held their wealth in the stock market are getting hammered. Their only hope is to ride this thing out and hope that the market “takes off like a rocket” (as the President has suggested) once the all-clear is sounded. Assuming it ever is.
Pardon our skepticism, but after being flimflammed by mainstream outlets telling one monstrous whopper after another until their credibility hit rock bottom, it’s not easy to swallow the fear they’re selling. But it looks as though the President and many state governors have bought into the necessity of quarantining nearly the entire population in the hope that the contagion will be brought under control. …
Those trusting in God are not given to fear. That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it.
Mark
29 comments:
All Mark seems to be missing is a red neck, bib overalls, a pickup and a chaw of tobacco. He's the perfect Southern preacher man these days.
I certainly hope that Mark doesn't contract the virus himself. It is often awful to behold a person learning reality through bad personal experiences. Also, once this virus exploded out of China, the international economy was already doomed. The president had to choose between two types of death for the economy. One would be due to the protective methods, which like chemotherapy kills both good and bad to make a patient cancer-free. The other choice involved allowing the virus to run freely and burn itself out as does influenza. The death toll, shortages, overloads on critical services, and fear and panic from that presented greater devastation to the economy and to humanity long term.. That course, ironically, might have eradicated another pet peeve of Mark's, anthropogenic climate change.
Over the years, we've heard of a number of existential threats, and many of them have been dissected and neutralized by scientists. In reading some of the comments of the scientists, I've learned that the threat which they personally fear is the one which would develop so quickly that they would not be able to react in time to deal with the threat, and that it would wipe out sufficient population, knowledge and infrastructure so as to take mankind back to the stone age.
Nobody in authority is kidding themselves that lockdowns and quarantines are going to eradicate Covid 19. These devices are being employed so as to slow down the spread and cycle of the virus long enough so that scientists can develop a vaccine. Estimated time of development is 12-18 months. The reason we have comparisons being made to Spanish Flu of 1918, and Black Plague, is that those were pandemics which existed prior to vaccines and antibiotics (the latter only being effective on bacteria, not virus). So, there were lessons learned from those earlier epidemics which were shelved and forgotten soon after modern medications were developed. Now, they are being recalled and restudied. There are a number of baby boomers, as an example, who contracted polio in the late '40s and early '50s prior to the development of the Salk and Kaprowski vaccines. Public behavior and attitudes changed to a more secure status once these vaccines were proven effective. Same thing with modern medicine and STDs. The AIDS virus, herpes, and HPV made people look back on protective measures normally taken prior to the advent of penicillin.
BB
There is some encouraging news about different products - we may find some medical solutions rolled out by the end of summer.
Medial science has made vast strides in the last 10 years, and the USA still has the best collection of scientists.
Panic is pointless. We should go forward hoping for the best, but ready for the worst.
For example, already it seems as though the anti-malaria drugs chloroquine and hydrochloroquine can at the very least reduce COVID-19 symptoms dramatically. This might turn out to be the difference between life and death for hundreds of thousands, whether or not it is any kind of "cure" for the virus.
Additionally, the next few weeks will likely see thousands of health care workers catching and recovering from COVID-19. Once they have antibodies in their system, these will become vital front-line workers helping care for those who are sick
We've adjusted to the presence of influenza. We've adjusted to the coronavirus known as the "common cold." We'll adjust to this coronavirus, too.
Obviously, you listened to Sean Hannity on Friday, 12:14. While he provided a hopeful narrative, I'm not certain at all that his information was accurate.
At best, all we can do is control our own panic. The panic of others is what has a greater effect on each of us. We are accustomed to things which happen by certain rules. Things upon which we depend are changing at the drop of a hat, and without prior notice. These are times in which we all need to anticipate the unexpected, and to act rationally.
I've mentioned Clare Wolfe's Freedom Outlaw's Handbook on another thread. Not a bad idea to mentally prepare by reading it.
BB
Mark did the right thing. Too many associates are older and the death rate can be up to 13% for the elderly. I give him credit for doing this. This virus is temporary and will pass soon enough. I don't buy the hype being sold about this virus. All the governments of the world are doing with this 'panic' is to ruin their own economy. I believe there are political reasons for this. Ask yourself, who benefits?
"Ask yourself, who benefits?"
Why the global collective of course!
Seven of Nine
Ah, yes. Who benefits?
It would be nice to see some nice incisive thinking on this! Unfortunately, most are incapable of that. You see cliches, like "Obviously the left!", or "Why the right, of course". It's all down hill as each side plays the blame game not realizing that all they are doing is perpetuating their sick little idealogical war as the surrounding world burns down.
The USA is China's biggest outlet for their manufactured goods, and China has funded the US deficits to perpetuate this cash cow. Catholic Church? No. Italy is being devastated. Germany? No. Their economy was already very shaky.
North Korea does benefit in some very tangible ways because the virus is having a leveling effect on all of the world's more powerful nations, which in effect elevates North Korea's own status. Perhaps the same could be said of Iran.
The uber rich will have an opportunity to snatch up assets at bargain basement prices and will come out of the crisis with much more wealth and power.
The effects remain to be seen on Russia. If the Russians are hit relatively lightly, and the US ends up consuming itself with more stabilizing programs and running up the national debt, the Russians could actually surpass us or approach our status as a superpower.
What did the Chinese know and when? Are they telling the truth with their statistics? Did they do a cleanup by executing their sick?
Will the US dollar remain the world's reserve currency when this is over? Remember, England was one of the winners of World War II, but lost their empire in the process.
MARK ARMSTRONG the SON OF A DINK
Never listened to Mark Armstrong before, and don't plan to start listening to him now, that son of a dink and the dinky little rebel group that he inherited from his father Teddy the Dink.
Garner Ted Armstrong should have stopped babbling when he got expelled from the Worldwide Church of God in 1978 by his own father Herbert W. Armstrong for his continual bad behavior. Instead, Garner Ted started his own little Church of Dink, International rebel group to earn money for beer and masseuses.
Next, Garner Ted Armstrong should have stopped babbling when he was asked to resign as leader of the Church of Dink, International in 1997 for spending his masseuse money. Instead, Garner Ted started yet another, even smaller, Incontinent Church of Dink rebel group to earn beer money.
Finally, Garner Ted Armstrong should have stopped babbling when he died in 2003. That usually does it. Instead, dead Ted's old flapping mouth still babbles on the Internet.
It has been nothing but an extra FORTY YEARS of unnecessary, worthless, ear-numbing noise because Garner Ted simply cannot stop babbling.
GTA, STFU!!!
I get the feeling if Barack Obama or Joe Biden were President, Mark Armstrong might have had an open service.
Other COGs are using this moment to remind members of Biblical quarantine instructions - even though they're from the Old Testament.
How are the preppers doing? This should be the moment they've been waiting for.
The Painful Truth said, "I don't buy the hype being sold about this virus. All the governments of the world are doing with this 'panic' is to ruin their own economy. I believe there are political reasons for this. Ask yourself, who benefits?"
MY COMMENT - I am not buying it either, and agree with you! Follow the money, literally!
Tin foil hat time?
“Never let a crisis go to waste” as said by President Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and first said in a different way by Community Organizer Saul Alinsky. Quoting an article from Zero Hedge posted earlier this week: "This is by far, the biggest financial industry bailout ever to take place, at least on this planet. Most Americans have no idea a bailout is taking place and those that do will never come to know that the bailout began in early September. On September 2nd, the Fed began its second epic “bank bailout”. That is, it has nothing to do with the virus".
Last summer, I read an article that stated the world's central banks including our Federal Reserve were buying US stocks in large quantities (think about that one). I surmise that when the Federal Reserve began quantitative easing and purchasing troubled assets (TARP II) beginning last fall, 2019 while the mainstream media had us focused on the impeachment, they also began liquidating stocks first slowly and then in larger quantities.
I was just reading that the financial system bailout (which I personally believe the corona virus, while very real, is providing the cloud cover for under the "never let a crisis go to waste" moniker) is estimated to be much larger than the 2008 financial crisis.
Consider many "preppers" were preparing for Martial Law if a financial meltdown were to ever occur. What do we have now? Essentially soft Marital law under the guise of major health calamity.
Are we the only ones who feel there is something else going on that we haven't been explicitly told about, and the corona virus (while real) is the cover story?
Richard
Byker, I'm the guy who posted at 12:14 PM. I don't watch Sean Hannity. What does his program have to do with my comment? There has been plenty of reporting about the preliminary results of chloroquine therapy on COVID-19 patients. It's preliminary, and as far as I know chloroquine isn't being touted as a cure, but even if all it does is let a person suffer instead of die it's an important development.
The same regarding health care workers. What does their eventual immunity have to do with Sean Hannity? If/when there's a virus rebound next year, one big difference from this year should be the numbers of health care workers who can work safely in proximity of the virus. That's science, not TV politics. I just don't understand your comment.
Seemed as if you were quoting Sean pretty much verbatim, 5:13. He had cited those same factors in the same order Friday on the radio. You may have thought you were bringing some new facts or original thoughts to the table, but you came off sounding like a ditto head.
If he got them from you (doubtful), then I apologize.
BB
Lake of Fire Church of God,
You have grasped the monkey by the neck so to speak. Very good insights. I agree.
The cause of the ropo crisis in the European Union which Germany has said, it will not bail out the banks ever. So the banks don't know which banks in the world lend to the EU and which don't . So they don't lend overnight to each others.
So who benefits? Look at Germany now. It is considering combining all the different nation states debt and make it a Federal debt. They have to do this or their currency goes bust, that is if it is not too late. If you look at the Germany DAX chart, it says all. The DXY, American currency rises as Germany's falls. German is the EU essentially. Is supports the entire mess.
Much more to this I don't understand at this time.
You may have thought you were bringing some new facts or original thoughts to the table
Another strange statement, Byker. Where earlier in the thread had those points been raised? Or will you concede that they were original to our discussion. To our discussion. There are far too many "original" thoughts brought up around here that have no basis in reality. You may enjoy those more than the boring work of science, but facts are what are going to get us through this virus mess.
5.13 PM
It's easy to understand BBs comments. He's a mainstream media parrot. He reguarly criticizes those who disagree with the MSM narrative. BB left the HWA Borg collective and joined the MSM Borg collective.
CNN put together a montage of clips from Fox News showing the gradual change in the Fox viewpoint. As most of you must know, Fox News is the echo chamber for the White House - like TASS in Russia. The shift was from making light of the whole affair and suggesting it was a hoax (Hannity) to a more serious outlook. This tracked closely with the White House's attitude as I tracked it in the media. I think the White House was trying to sugar coat the disaster so that the stock market would not crash - didn't work - to the President's great loss of credibility.
What I object to is Fox News making light of the developing pandemic as if the Democrats were "chicken little" and the subtle black humor they used while people were dying. I do not watch Fox typically but was curious about what their reaction would be to developments. I was expecting a little more concern for the American people and maybe less concern for the White House image. But it was one more revealing incident concerning Fox.
As for Mark A.
1) Quarantining is good OT policy.
2) You should not tempt God.
3) You should obey the laws of the land if this can be accommodated within Christian dogma.
Chill out, Mark. Have an Olympia.
CNN? Is that credible Near-Earth?
Is anything they say credible?
Here I thought Seven of Nine very succinctly told us who benefits.
NEO
Yes, we should obey the laws of the land, since arrest and imprisonment is the alternative. But this does not mean that the laws are just and wise. Christians still have the right to intellectually disagree with the laws of the land.
PS biblical quarantining was applied to the infected, not to the healthy. Demanding that society shut down by everyone staying indoors is not biblical.
Anonymous (7:24):
CNN has its flaws like all news media but CNN is a fount of truth compared to right-wing, paranoid, fantasy Fox News.
Anonymous (7:59):
Paul does not seem to be implying in his statements that we should grudgingly comply with the laws of the land, as if under great duress. That is a view that comes out of the extreme right and extreme left - or the Branch Davidians. You can't be serious that you don't recognize that quarantine can involve either of the examples your cite. Its about separation. I won't respond any further to that one.
I will not be checking back on this post. Bye.
What a shallow thinker you are, 7:59! We do not know who is infected and who is not infected, because there is not universal testing, and some who are infected are asymptomatic. So far, the quarantining is not zero tolerance, it is largely being done on the honor system. And, it is for the protection of the well who will be isolated in their homes from the asymptomatic ill, and protection against the denier/activists who refuse to accept the science and precautions. I personally believe that because of the danger these refuseniks pose to all of society that any who are apprehended for willful and deliberate quarantine violation when ill should be rounded up and held in FEMA camps until the pandemic is controlled, but that is just my personal opinion.
When a vaccine is finally developed, I believe vaccination should be compulsory with no exceptions. To hell with the anti-vaxxers and fanatical religionists. Might as well relabel them as plague-enthusiasts!
BB
BB
March 22, 2020 at 11:18 AM
There is an inherent danger in trusting people who say their here to help. Should you be so trusting?
If we were to attempt to categorize problems, 5:34, one way of doing it would result in two simple categories of problem: 1) The kind which you can resolve yourself, and 2) The kind that are so big and overwhelming that an individual could never even begin to resolve, and for which the resources and pool of knowledge of a collective are required.
You can perhaps make sure you have basic emergency supplies on hand like a month's food, water, extra cash, first aid supplies, disinfectants, a portable generator and the gasoline needed to fuel it, a grill and propane, firearms and some ammunition, but once you get into the areas of infection, even if you are cautious or naturally mistrusting, you will most likely want to roll the dice and trust the assistance of the medical professionals who have traditionally been there to help. There are life and death situations in which nothing is certain, and for which you should carefully consider the odds and play them in your favor. In what we are facing with this pandemic, nothing is really certain. You could have on store all the items I listed as preparations, and someone could steal them, confiscate them, or con you out of them.
The last person whom you would want to trust in the current chaos is someone from an ACOG. Now that would really be foolish and suicidal because they have demonstrated over decades that they do not have members' best interests in mind. They would literally rob you and leave you for dead if it meant perpetuation of their little groups.
BB
NEO
Should we grudging comply with the laws of the land? If the laws of the land are unjust, yes of course. Over 70% of the federal budget is wealth transfer. This is theft, a violation of God's "don't steal." We are forced to pay, but it's moral to do so grudgingly.
I don't need Paul telling me how to comb my hair, and neither do I need Paul telling me how to react in such a situation. Or more accurately, your interpretation of Paul.
There are several on this blog who really need to watch this video.
There, Their, They're
This video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SCtWH2AdvUE
"Over 70% of the federal budget is wealth transfer. This is theft, a violation of God's "don't steal." We are forced to pay, but it's moral to do so grudgingly."
I guess that's why Jesus told the disciples not to pay taxes since Ceasar was stealing from them.
Glad we have you to tell us what is moral and what isn't!
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