Church of God International's Civil War Over Covid-19

 

CGI’s Civil War Over Covid-19

Heretofore, the loudest voices in the Church of God International have minimized the pandemic, disputed the numbers and the science, hinted at hoaxes and conspiracy theories and ridiculed public health measures instituted by local, state and federal governments across the United States. In The International News (Summer 2020 edition), Mike James wrote an article entitled “No Need to Panic Over This Pandemic.” And, after going through the numbers from other historical plagues, he declared “this present virus is not as significant.” Another article by James in the same paper decried the fact that humans themselves are causing these pandemics and warned that bigger plagues are on the way.

In the next edition of their paper (Fall 2020), Pastor Bill Watson wrote: “thousands of convicted felons are being released from prison under the guise of ‘jeopardy to their health,’ due to the Chinese Communist Party’s virus (CCP virus). And California Governor Gavin Newsome has recently reversed his opening of the state and began to close down bars, gyms, restaurants, and churches across California again! All of this is an effort to continue keeping the state and, by extension, the nation, from restarting its economies.” And, in open defiance of the folks in Tyler, Mr. Watson hosted his own Feast of Tabernacles in Medina (mask-wearing was optional).

In a May 2020 “Coronavirus Special Report,” Mr. Watson attributed the virus to a decision by the Obama Administration to give a grant to a virology lab in Wuhan China (the clear implication being that the virus originated in that lab). Indeed, a large part of Mr. Watson’s presentation was concerned with blaming the virus on China (what that contributed to our fight against the virus was never explained). As usual, Mr. Watson’s sources were the standard right-wing outlets like Fox News and Breitbart. Like James, Watson went on to compare the current pandemic to the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. He even questioned whether or not Covid-19 was responsible for all of the deaths attributed to it, and then said that the chances of dying from the virus were minimal and did not justify the measures taken to fight its spread. He went on to suggest that the impact of the virus was being exaggerated to hurt Donald Trump’s chances for reelection. In other remarks on the pandemic, Mr. Watson openly ridiculed mask-wearing and fumed about how it was infringing upon his freedom.

Finally, however, someone in CGI had the intestinal fortitude to push back against Mr. Watson’s war on the science related to the pandemic. In a May 25, 2021 post entitled “Pandemic Lies,” Mr. Jeff Reed wrote: “In the past year, we have seen many new lies originate and spread regarding the coronavirus pandemic. In my life, I have never witnessed this amount of widespread deception spread so quickly. The pandemic was a unique situation in that none of us were prepared for it, and many became so easily deceived. The danger in believing these new lies is that they could lead to your immediate death or the death of someone close to you. For many thousands, they unfortunately have. Satan is a deceiver, and he loves death.”

Mr. Reed went on to cite the horrible statistics associated with the virus and pushed back on the narrative that those death tolls had been “overly inflated.” In fact, he went on to make a compelling case that the death toll from Covid-19 has actually been underreported. And, on a note of optimism about the future, Mr. Reed remarked: 

“As I write this, there is hope that things will soon return to normal. God allowed one of the most outstanding scientific achievements in modern history. Humanity developed several highly effective coronavirus vaccines in the last year using new technologies. Two prominent mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna distributed in the United States have proven safe after hundreds of millions of doses.” 

 

Even so, there was immediate push back from the Bill Watson camp within the church. One commentator even pushed the now thoroughly discredited hydroxychloroquine as a potentially effective treatment for the virus. Indeed, my own nephew (who attends Bill’s congregation) suggested that the Pfizer vaccine had caused his father-in-law’s recent stroke! This, despite the fact that his father (my brother) and his fiancée (who also attend with Bill Watson’s congregation) are currently battling Covid-19! He went on to write: “Jeff, this article is only going to serve to divide the church even more. I received no edification from it but had what I know to my core attacked by it. I disagree with what you have said whole heartedly. Do you think Satan can’t influence information put on a government website? He can, he does, and he will. As your brother, I am offended completely by what you’ve said.”

Unfortunately, if past remarks and the present commentary on Mr. Reed’s post are any indication of what’s to come, my nephew is probably right about the division within the church. It appears that members of CGI currently have two options relative to the pandemic: Support Bill Watson’s narrative or keep your mouth shut! Hope springs eternal though, someone in Tyler did have the intestinal fortitude to post Mr. Reed’s remarks on their website!

For those who are interested in viewing Mr. Reed’s post in its entirety, you may do so here: Pandemic Lies

Miller Jones

 

Deep Fake Of Crackpot COG Prophet Discovered!

 

Satan's wily ways at work persecuting the one true prophet of God!

This is the post mentioned below in Dennis's posting about Bob Thiel believing he is going to be "deep faked" in order to bring persecution on him and the COG's. Talking about himself in the third person, he writes:

More deep fakes are coming. Some will be used for purpose of deceit and character assassination.

I expect that the time will come when deepfake technolgy will be used to make it seem like I, and others in the CCOG, say and/or do things, that we did not say or do. Actually, I mentioned that in a recent sermon: 

 

1 & 2 Thessalonians

The letters/epistles of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians were written around 51 A.D. In this sermon, Dr. Thiel goes over each and every verse in 1 First Thessalonians and Second Thessalonians. He goes over them being followers of Jesus who were imitators of the Churches of God in Judea, the fact that they had persecutions and difficulties, and that they were considered fine Christian examples to the Christian brethren in places like Macedonia. Love, hope, faith, and exhortation are discussed. As are prophetic matters concerning the resurrection, return of Jesus, the falling away, and the son of perdition. Dr. Thiel reminds believers that both Jesus and the Apostle Paul taught Christians to “watch’ what is going on so that they would know better than the world what was happening as well as when Jesus was close to returning. He also discussed uncleanness, sexual immorality, and self-control. He encouraged Christians to be kind and comfort one another. He also warned that while Paul faced letters falsely claimed to have been written by him, in the end times technology allows for “deep fakes” and that believers should not be soon shaken when such happens. Dr. Thiel read Paul’s admonishment to work and to not be busybodies–he also referred to the mystery of God’s plan for the purpose of humanity. This sermon is part of a long-running series to cover each and every verse of the New Testament in the Continuing Church of God by going through all the books.

The persecution complex is high with this one! 

Bob's imaginary fate

Deeply Fake Prophet Worries and Warns of Deep Fakes

In the first century, the Apostle Paul wrote:

"Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as it from us, as though the Day of Christ had come." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

While we don't know exactly how some had concluded that the Day of Christ had already come and gone or even how some didn't believe Jesus had even come in the flesh (2 John 1:7) when he was just in town, we do know the problem of fake letters aplenty had to be addressed by someone of genuine and recognizable authority, whether it was actually them or someone writing as if they were. 

Let's first consider that 2 Thessalonians, a book that worries about fake letters,  itself is considered by many scholars to be pseudepigraphy, false writing, forged and a deep fake along with several other letters in the NT attributed to both Paul and Peter but not written by them. 

According to the biblical scholar, at least 11 of the 27 New Testament books are forgeries, while only seven of the 13 epistles attributed to Paul were probably written by him.

"Virtually all scholars agree that seven of the Pauline letters are authentic: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon," says Ehrman.  

"Individuals claiming to be Paul wrote 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, 2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, and Colossians, he adds.  Contradictory views, discrepancies in the language, and the choice of words among the books attributed to Paul are all evidence of this forgery," the author asserts.

(Note: Along with the fact that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were also originally anonymous gospels whose names were affixed decades later and not eyewitnesses or personal accounts of anything...well, deep fakes are as old as writing. No Gospel speaks in the first person. There is no "And then Jesus said to me". The Gospel accounts are not written as first-person narratives, and there are no direct statements in the Gospels suggesting they were written by people at the scene. )

"But why would an author claim to be an Apostle when he wasn't? The answer is pretty obvious, according to the scholar.

In the early centuries of the church, Christians felt under attack from all sides. 'They were in conflict with Jews and pagans over the validity of their religion ... but the hottest debates were with other Christians, as they argued over the right thing to believe and the rights ways to live,' said Ehrman. Thus Christians aiming to authorize views they wanted others to accept wrote in the name of the Apostles, 'fabricating, falsifying and forging documents,' says Ehrman.

'If your name was Jehoshaphat and no one had any idea who you were, you could not very well sign your own name to the book,' explains Ehrman.  'No one would take the Gospel of Jehoshaphat seriously. If you wanted someone to read it, you called yourself Peter. Or Thomas. Or James. In other words, you lied about who you really were,' Ehrman concludes. According to the scholar, the idea that "writing in the name of another" was a common, accepted practice in antiquity is wrong. Forgery was considered just as deceitful, inappropriate and wrong as it is today."  Forgeries in the Bible's New Testament?

So there's that...  Nothing new to see here. 

However, Deeply Fake Prophet Thiel goes on to worry about himself being deeply faked, discredited, or scandalized. However, he does seem deeply faked already.

 

"Yes, computer technology and artificial intelligence can make very convincing fakes. More deep fakes are coming. Some will be used for the purpose of deceit and character assassination. I expect that the time will come when deep fake technology  will be used to make it seem like I, and others in the CCOG say and/or do things, that we did not say or do. Actually, I mentioned that in a recent sermon." Daily Mail: An AI company is using deepfake technology to seamlessly dub your favorite actor’s dialogue; COGwriter: Dangers of ‘deep fakes’

I'm personally not convinced anyone would bother to take the time to deeply fake something about Prophet Thiel mostly known as "Prophet Who?"  

Now to be sure, Deep Fake technology will lead to about as much skepticism about anything we see in the future as can be imagined. Perhaps that's the point.  One can claim what is real is deeply fake or what is deeply fake is real. Depends on the need.  Like 2 Thessalonians warning about fake letters "as from us" when itself is one. In our time,  like a Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, or Bob Thiel claiming to be what they actually are not and deeply faked even if they fail to recognize it as being so.