Let's take another look at some of the letters sent to PCG's recruitment magazine, The Philadelphia Trumpet.
This is a continuation from Part 1.
August 2010
Here is one letter fearing that the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico as a sign that the second coming will soon occur.
It is time for America to wake up— God knows exactly what He is doing! (“Yet Another Curse,” July). He is in control of the water currents, underground rivers and wind currents. After all, He created them. People need to realize that this is more than a “natural disaster” with extreme implications. I often wondered how all the events that the Bible predicts would unfold, but I do know that God’s Word is sure and they will happen. It is such a comfort to also know God’s greater plan and purposes for mankind, and that is where I try to keep my eyes as I watch these predicted events unfold.
Here is one letter from a man who says he is no longer gay after reading HWA's book, The Missing Dimension in Sex.
I thoroughly enjoyed your article.... I have read The Missing Dimension in Sex, and I have been following the Trumpet for quite a while now. I am happily engaged to a wonderful woman whom God has graced me with. You see, after reading The Missing Dimension in Sex, I’ve finally found who I am. I’ve been saved from the homosexual lifestyle and blessed with this new loving relationship that shines light on my life rather than darkness. I still struggle a lot, but hopefully with God’s help I can continue to grow and prosper. Perhaps we will even have a family someday.
It is now the scientific consensus that this is not possible. We should be weary about such claims.
Here is one letter that complains about drunkenness before slurring Timothy Leary and John Lennon as a "cancer".
From my perspective, the “social norm” continues to shift. Let us look at the recent period when I was in college (1980s). While alcohol was available, you had to be very controlled in its consumption. If one was drunk and underage, you went before the dean. That disciplinary action was followed by a letter home. A classmate of mine was actually sent home—never to return. When the government lowers their expectations, the student standards drop even more. It used to be a stigma to be drunk in public, now it seems to be a badge of prestige. ... Manasseh reached its pinnacle of power and influence in the 1960s. Ironically, that is when the cancer—Timothy Leary, John Lennon and that ilk—started to metastasize in the brains of those easily influenced. ...
Here is one letter from one who often had letters published in this recruitment magazine marveling that what PCG says is so relevant to Australia. It is insinuated that some people are trying to destroy the nation.
I often read your articles and the PCG material, and feel that you are living in Australia. It is amazing how our two countries have identical issues and spineless approaches. ... We live with one absolute: There are no absolutes anymore. Race is now a dirty word. And the modern-day approach is let’s be race-less. ... I suppose if you wish to destroy a nation, tearing everything down that made it great until it is unrecognizable is the most absolute way to go.
What paranoid talk. Who is trying to "destroy" Australia? This is ludicrous. Calm down. It is not going to happen.
September 2010
Here is one letter from one who had encountered HWA's radio broadcasts in the 1950s and 1960s.
Mr. Armstrong’s Plain Truth was always in our home when I was growing up back in the 1950s and 1960s .... I read my Bible and no doubt some of the articles in the Plain Truth but none of Mr. Armstrong’s teachings really registered with me until now. I think God raises a shade on our window of understanding when He is ready. Thank God you carried on Mr. Armstrong’s teachings or people like me would never have known the truth about what is happening now. That took tremendous courage and faith in God’s power. ... Thanks for all the great articles and work the Trumpet staff does. I used to think all TV preachers and religious movements are alike; I was wrong. Thank God He led me to the Trumpet via The Key of David.
Here is one letter from Germany that incorrectly asserts that the Mavi Marmara was trying to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip. This accusation is nonsense.
Thank you for giving this background information about the Marmara incident. The media here in Germany do not tell us that Israel was simply trying to prevent the shipment of weapons to terrorist groups, a completely legitimate aim. Many people here actually believe that Palestinians now must starve because the shipment of “aid” has been prevented by Israel, not knowing that Israel feeds the Palestinians. I am sure Turkey will pay hard for giving up its friendly relationship with God’s chosen people. Let us all pray for Israel.
So nine Turkish men are killed by Israeli personnel and somehow this individual thinks some kind of divine curse will fall upon Turkey for protesting over the violent deaths of nine of their countrymen.
October 2010
This letter is quite baffling. The first half sounds sensible. But then the letter turns quite nasty towards African Americans and simplistically stereotypes them as violent. This letter even asserts that there would be some sort of riot by African Americans if Obama was not re-elected, an absurd accusation.
Racial division has been a hallmark of the republic of America since Jamestown. You are talking about 400 years! We created the problem with our lust for cheap labor and our greed in many ways. We held blacks down in slavery and Jim Crow from 1604 to 1964. This created a divide in our country that seems unlikely to ever heal, sadly. Sad because the Lord Jesus loves and died and rose for all mankind! The left plays the race card always. They want non-whites to stay held down so they will owe their votes to them. My family grew up near the West Side of Chicago where riots after King’s murder destroyed large sections of the city in 1968. Many areas remain in near total poverty to this very day. If Obama is defeated in 2012, I fear blacks will lash out even more than in 1968! It will be a bloodbath. We need our Lord now more than ever!
Unfortunately PCG has a long history of teaching that African Americans will soon lunch a wave of riots against the white majority. This vicious accusation is complete nonsense and will never happen.
Here is one letter mocking transgender people for speaking out about who they are.
Wow, after countless forms, original certificate procurements, and applications for upcoming examinations in the “green card” process to prove exactly who I am so I can remain in the country, I find it incredible that citizens can choose to make this paperwork say whatever they want. I was born with a fantasy too: to be a billionaire. Can anyone legislate that into fruition? I just know I am a rich woman trapped in a poor woman’s body!
PCG has for a long time vilified and demonized transgender people to distract PCG members from the problems within PCG.
December 2010
This issue was fixated on China and also announced the opening of Armstrong Auditorium.
Here's one letter from Australia that seems to wish that the gay community would disappear and is sickened to be told otherwise.
Well written Mr. Flurry.... Whenever I hear or read an article about how society must be more tolerant towards homosexuals and how we must accept that they are here to stay, it just sickens me. I always think about how Lot must have felt vexed in his soul—this is how I feel. There is nothing more beautiful to look at than a happily married husband and wife and happy smiling children surrounding them. God speed the day when the whole world realizes this is the only true way to live.
Here's one letter from California that simplistically stereotypes gays as hateful towards Christians and religion.
Thanks for a splendid article on the problems in society that this kind of aberrant behavior produces.... It really is a rejection of God at its very root. I work with a number of homosexuals here in the Los Angeles area of Southern California and, to a man, they ridicule anything that speaks of religion, God, self-denial, self-control. Rather, there is nothing but contempt for purity, goodness, chastity. It’s frightening, to say the least. It’s good to read that some - one in the world as yourself thinks that history actually does repeat itself and we’re seeing it in so-called modern cities like San Francisco (my dad likes to refer to it as “Sodom by the Sea”). By thumbing our nose at the good God, we’re bringing chastisements down upon our heads. Keep up the good work. I really enjoy your writing.
What venomous nonsense. As a matter of fact many pay people happen to be religious and some of them are Christian as well.
Here is one letter about PCG's false teaching that Germans are descended from the Assyrians.
Thank you Mr. Vejil and the Trumpet for a well-researched article on the origins of the German people.... The Assyrian/German connection is generally accepted by readers of the Trumpet; nevertheless, new research on the topic is always interesting and I appreciate the many secular sources cited. ... I appreciated your article, and I hope to see a future paper on possible language connections of the Assyrians and the Israelites with German and Yiddish. ... It is a fascinating subject.
It is nonsense to say that Germans are descendants of the Assyrians. It is nonsense.
And while it is true that Yiddish is a dialect of German that does not mean that Germans are Assyrians. They are not.
Here is one letter from a person who sings praises to PCG.
As a fiction and poetry writer, I’ve tried the method of keeping everything digital, and I would like to add that there is nothing like the good old way of taking the time to write on paper as well. Typing on the computer is fine, but there’s something about writing with ink that’s special. I agree with the article except in one respect: There is actually a positive side to having an archive of books online—when it comes to the Philadelphia Trumpet! You said we should have at least 30 books on our shelves, and I have that many—all from the Trumpet . I love your books. I order some in paper, but sometimes I read online to save the Church some money. Keep up the good work.
Here is one letter from a person who wishes to send money to PCG after being impressed with what they say.
I wanted to know if your organization accepts donations and/or tithes from individuals. I truly admire your cause and work. My grandfather has been reading the Trumpet magazine for a long time and recently introduced it to me. I absolutely love your magazine, and I thank you for putting the time and effort into helping spread the truth of our blessed Savior Jesus Christ to all those who haven’t yet been saved and presented with the truth. I want to contribute to your ef - fort by making a continual tithe/donation to your church and organization.
Here is PCG's response. (Bolded in original.)
We never ask the public for money, but we do accept voluntarily offered donations and tithes, and they are tax-deductible in many countries.
This is the whole point of The Philadelphia Trumpet. To mobilize people to send money to PCG or even join PCG as a lay member. It is a recruitment publication.
January 2011
Here's one letter impressed with PCG's dogmatic insistence that China was founded by Cush and Nimrod.
When I lived in Hong Kong for a short period, I found it odd that my subway stop in Victoria Park was named “Queen of Heaven.” I thought it referred to Mary but I knew the Chinese were not Catholic. I didn’t know they were once associated with Semiramis. Fascinating!
This idea comes from Alexander Hyslop's 1850s anti-Catholic screed, The Two Babylons. That book is nonsense. But HWA encountered that book in his early years as a preacher and adopted ideas from that book in his synthetic religion.
Here are two letters discussing an article by Joel Hilliker that discussed the prostitution trade in Portland, Oregon as well as the illegal and most disturbing phenomenon of child sex slavery.
Yes, Joel [Hilliker], it is disturbing ! ... Thanks for noticing and caring. Portland is also known as the “City of Roses”! It’s shocking even to me, living only five blocks from the hub of this depraved activity (but wish I didn’t), and I pray for the day I can get out of this city. The roots go deep when examining this problem closely. It’s surprising, but many “nice” people turn away from discussing this. What a travesty of human nature! y our message is a most welcome one. Thanks for taking note of the sinful plight—or blight—of this city!
Here is another letter discussing the same topic.
Thank you for yet another mind-bending article. I had no idea about the enormity of Portland’s depravity. We tend to think of these terms relating to Las Vegas or Hollywood. How very deceived are so many, including myself. Thy Kingdom come.
We must be humble about this topic. Alas, ghastly things like this are happening everywhere.
Here is one letter criticizing PCG's scare mongering against Europe.
You are dreaming.... There is not a single reason for Europe to attack the U.S. There are hundreds of reasons for close cooperation. That the economy of the U.S. is currently tanking is its own problem: debt-financed consumption, outsourcing, unproductive and destructive finance industry, excessive military spending, tax cuts for the super rich, a failing political system, drug addiction, gun addiction, no savings, wasting fossil fuels like there is no tomorrow, greed. ... Change that and the U.S. will prosper again.
February 2011
As if South Africa didn't have enough problems already. There are three letters written in response to an article by Ron Fraser discussing South Africa.
Here is one from South Africa.
I have taken the liberty of reading your well-researched article about South Africa.... It is clear that you are well aware of what the status quo is in South Africa unlike so many others that report on our country without even having visited it. Our country is a mess. We have the highest number of murders and rapes committed in the world. Corruption is on par with all other African nations. What more is there to say? ... The fact is that we have sinned against God. This is truly our punishment. Most of us know exactly which way this country is heading and it’s definitely not toward prosperity.
Here is another letter that lambaste the democratically elected ANC government as "Afro-tribal fascism" and "totalitarian" and accuses the ANC government of enacting some sort of "ethnic-cleansing agenda" against the white minority.
You have the entire frightening, but wholly predictable, future of this latest example of Afro-tribal fascism down to the last dot and comma. We of the taxpaying class are now feeling more and more uncomfortable in this continuing atmosphere of sullen tribal dislike of us in the ethnic minority. I’m personally a retired white male, and I simply cannot bring myself to invest any of my funds or my wife’s savings in any asset class other than liquid money market accounts due to this everyday discomfort we feel. There is a movement of Mugabeism smoldering under the surface, with media freedom now openly being threatened. This is combined with a racial ethnic-cleansing agenda/state religion known as “transformation.” A sad but predictable outcome to totalitarian ANC rule.
Here is another letter from Canada complaining about political correctness.
Well spoken. It takes courage to say what no one else will for fear of being politically “incorrect.” I work in a “politically correct” environment, and I see what happens when someone messes up and speaks their mind. It’s not pretty. Although the subject of South Africa is a hotbed of controversy to say the least, I admire that you took this on and spoke the truth!
Here is one letter mentioning a Zombie walk.
I had never heard of zombie walking before.... Then yesterday, we were trying to drive through the city of Brisbane, and we could not get through. There were people everywhere. They had red paint on clothing and faces to look like blood, and people had masks, etc. It was grotesque and creepy. I looked it up and found that it was Brisbane’s annual Zombie Walk, and they were raising money for the Brain Foundation of Australia. I actually thought it was insulting to the families with brain injuries to have money raised for them in this way.
March 2011
This is really scary. Here is one letter that denigrates medicine as a false God. This kind of dangerous rhetoric has long been used within the COGs to justify HWA's anti-medicine superstition that PCG continues to teach.
You write, “For so many, the last days of life are spent not in peace, but in warfare, armed with faith in the frail weapons of science.” Well penned. Indeed, modern medicine is regarded as a deity in the Western world. Just as man longs to live forever, he also longs to believe in something. He longs to associate himself with a worthy cause. Thank you for giving the readership a worthy cause to believe in. You give us real hope in a time when others are staring at hopelessness.
HWA's anti-medicine has caused untold harm among those influenced by HWA and his various imitators. This doctrine of death continues to be taught by PCG to this day.
Here is one letter in which a husband and wife declare they are "in 100 percent agreement with all the articles."
My husband and I have been married 46 years, and we only fight once a month and that is about who gets to read the Trumpet first when it comes in the mail! Fortunately for me, I retrieve the mail every day so I hide the magazine until the next day and then give it to him to read! After he reads it, then we have a good discussion on all of the wonderful articles. We are both conservative Christians, so we are in 100 percent agreement with all the articles. We thought we were well informed, but we have learned so much from Gerald Flurry. You are very talented in your writings. Thank you for all the wonderful articles. Keep them coming!
Here is another letter in which the writer expresses amazement that most people do not believe in British Israelism. The reason why most people do not believe in British Israelism is simple: It is nonsense.
Thank you so much for your great magazine. There is no doubt that somebody spends a lot of time in tracking down the truth. It is great to have a magazine that tell things as they really are instead of putting right for wrong and wrong for right. I started reading the Plain Truth many years ago, and during a trip to America I was privileged to spend some time walking on the campus in California. It always amazes me that so very few people believe in the British-Israel message and want to call the present Jews “Israel.” They have a lot to account for.
At least they do not propagate misinformation incorrectly claiming that the British and Americans are descended from the Israelites.
April 2011
Here is one paranoid letter insinuating that China is trying to conquer the West without firing a shot.
China, a Communist country with a billion people, seriously decided to use the West’s own Achilles heel, love of money, to expand its economy by using Western corporate businesses to work in China to provide employment and build China’s economy. There is considerable room for China to “modernize” and grow its economy. The financial profits accruing to the Chinese government are used to buy U.S. and European investments, thereby making the U.S. (and Europe) indebted to China. Kruschev said to the West about communism: “We will bury you.” Is China conquering the West without a military battle (which would be logistically very difficult) and without firing a military battle shot?
In the previous issue PCG had published an article badgering people in the other COG groups to join PCG. This article was written as part of an attempt to exploit the UCG-COGWA schism that was taking place at the time.
I thank the author of this article for the hope he bestowed to me and many others trying to find their way back to the bride of Christ! ... I can’t even use the excuse of being disgruntled at Church government under the outstanding stewardship of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong for my reasons for my falling away. For 12 years I played at living before I repented fully, understanding then how much of a nothing I was without the hope and promises of eternal love of our Father to sustain and shape me. That is when I found out about the falling away and break up of WCG. The first thing I wondered was, “Am I too late?” I finally arrived in the 21st century by learning how to use a computer and began searching once again for God’s true Church. I found the PCG website and recognized the true fruits of God’s Spirit within the teachings of this little flock. Along the way toward the discovery of where God went, I was bombarded by splinter group websites and other websites spouting profane accusations against Herbert W. Armstrong and Mr. Flurry. I am still very much a baby in most things spiritual, and to see the loving reminders of how the great God really loves and cherishes His children I have returned time and time again to the PCG website because of the truth being plainly spoken, taught and lived by what I believe is the true family I walked away from long ago. I am so thankful for the pure truth of God’s work being faithfully carried out by this little flock and am happy that I can finally come home to as a prodigal daughter! ... Thank you so much for your faithfulness, otherwise sheep who got lost like me would not have been gifted with the second chance to find their way home. And thank you for this particular article—it is filled with love.
Here is one letter from Malaysia that nostalgically recounts reading HWA's writings in the late 1970s.
Reading your article made me realize how much I miss articles from the Worldwide Church of Herbert Armstrong. I first came to know of him and the Worldwide Church when I was doing post-graduate work in Australia from 1977 to 1979. In that time and for many years after that, I received excellent books written by him like The Four Horsemen, The Wonderful World Tomorrow and many prophecy books on Russia and China. In fact, I still have every book and every copy of the Plain Truth magazine received, even after 33 years. ... I lost touch with the WCG and only recently, thanks to the Internet, happened to access theTrumpet.com . Then I realized that Herbert Armstrong had been vilified by Mr. Tkach and others. I have gone to the websites of the other churches, but I find that theTrumpet.com is true to Mr. Armstrong’s legacy. Thank you for continuing Mr. Armstrong’s work, in particular analyzing and prophesying today’s current affairs from the biblical point of view.
Here is one letter that wildly asserts that the euro was designed to fail.
It’s amazing the articles that I have read months and years ago telling us to watch. Well, I watched, and time after time you guys are right! The euro designed to fail; Germany is in control and gaining everything is correct. Bible prophecy—amazing.
Here is one letter from a Southern Baptist praising PCG's teachings regarding prophecy.
Thank you! I am a Southern Baptist by belief, but I am ashamed to say that the Southern Baptists are missing the mark when it comes to what is happening in the world today and how it relates to the Bible. Thank you for being there and sharing that the world may be falling apart but there is hope in our heavenly Father and Christ.
May 2011
Here is one letter claiming that PCG's predictions regarding Libya and Ethiopia were revealed to PCG in a miraculous fashion.
Thank you with all my heart for your sobering but exciting, detailed but clear, new revelation about Iran’s military strategy as miraculously shown to you by the God of Israel with regard to what’s happening in Libya and that which we should expect to happen in Ethiopia.... I hope we can all keep praying that God will account us worthy to escape when the time comes. I think God will, if He finds us doing His work when He comes, as you are in this powerful article and elsewhere. The Lord continue to guide, inspire and enable you. Thank you so much.
Four years later Ethiopia has not fallen to puppets of Iran as PCG asserted.
Here is one letter insisting that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt would be the King of the South.
You must be blind.... Qaradawi and the Muslim Brotherhood hate Iran and they will most likely form the king of the south as they are south of Jerusalem. We shall see.
Little did either PCG or this writer know the Muslim Brotherhood would later be ousted from power and suppressed with much bloodshed in 2013.
Here is one letter complaining about an attempt by a German company to buy the New York Stock Exchange.
I guess we might as well forget our $700 billion it cost us to bail out Wall Street, right?... I doubt the Assyrians will pay it back.
The proposed purchase was later stopped by a court decision.
Here is one letter from a person mesmerized by HWA's writings and asks to donate to PCG.
Thank you for this wonderful and eye-opening magazine. It helped me a lot to have a deeper understanding about the meaning of life. Since I was a child, I’ve always asked myself what I am; why I am here in this world with all the pain and suffering. I can’t find an answer to those questions. (Sometimes I wish I was not born in this world.) I’ve tried to read self-help books and other books just to find an answer. Yes, it helps, but I can feel that there’s something missing; it’s not enough. Still, I was confused and it seems that my life has no direction. Thank God, I was able to find this magazine on the Internet and was able to read the books The Incredible Human Potential and Mystery of the Ages. I didn’t expect that these kinds of books existed in this world, and it leads me to a deeper understanding about the Bible which is the Word of God and the existence of the true God. I would love to give tithes/donations to this work. Do you accept tithes/donations from non-members?
Here is PCG's response.
Yes. They are tax-deductible in the United States, Canada and many other nations.
This is the whole point of The Philadelphia Trumpet: to mobilize people to send money to PCG.
July 2011
Here is one letter from New Zealand relating how the writer surprised a work colleague by mentioning PCG's stance regarding the war in Libya.
A work colleague of mine asked out of the blue, my thoughts as to what was happening in Libya (“Enemies and Allies” May/June). When I told him to watch Germany as they have interests in this nation and the Middle East area, he was surprised as he thought it was America going on another “empire”-building sortie. If he asks again, I will certainly direct him to this article and the incredible insight you bring to the situation in the Middle East.
Here is one letter responding to PCG's condemnation of the TV show, Skins.
Wow, I didn’t even know this show, Skins, was out there—and it really is a show that is “out there” (“Glamorizing Gomorrah,” May/June). Thank you for addressing this as it desperately needs attention. I for one see the pull of this very Sodom and Gomorrah within the teens in my church and sadly, the worldly ways usu - ally win out because it’s more “fun” with its permissive attitude. They don’t have the sight to see its oppressive results, and since these programs continuously show only the “fun” stuff without the very bad consequences, it re - ally isn’t a true depiction of what teens are like through and through, is it? Sad how slanted everything in this world is. Thanks for setting it straight. Keep it up; this is a wonderful eye opener.
Here is another letter.
I had never heard of this show that you’ve mentioned, but as with all the modern programs, it sounds like complete trash. Today’s generation is quickly going downhill, and what is scary is this generation will be the next leaders in the years to come. They have no respect for their parents, teachers, police or any authority. I hope either Jesus returns soon or I don’t live long enough to see the hell on Earth this generation and their children will create. God speed the return of Jesus.
One reason why these writers would not have heard of this TV show is that it would not be marketed for their demographic.
Here is one letter mentioning how the writer found PCG's recruitment magazine in a hair salon two years earlier.
Thank you so much for opening up the true meaning of Job to me.... I always found the book of Job hard to understand and this made it so clear to me. I found your magazine about two years ago in my nail salon. Ever since, I have been receiving it and every morning I go to the Trumpet ’s website at work. I cannot express enough how thankful I am for the Trumpet!
Here is one letter from a person talking of the nostalgia PCG inspires with their writings.
Talk about service! I sent an e-mail request for the book Raising the Ruins and for a subscription to the Trumpet on March 21, and I got an immediate e-mail acknowledgment. That’s to be expected, I suppose, in today’s world of instant Internet communications. But to see an actual copy of the March 2011 Trumpet was a bit much! In just 10 days from e-mail request to my letterbox from Australia— WOW! I could not wait to get started, burning with great expectations to see the quality of the publication and the content of moral values and usefulness that I had been used to with Mr. Armstrong’s Plain Truth for so long, so many years ago. I must congratulate you on the quality of production. If anything, it is better than the original Plain Truth. Again, I suppose it can be expected with all the technological advances made since those days. I have already gone through about half the issue, and the articles seem as good as those from the good old days. Keep up the great work. Not everybody that has a subscription is going to convert to Christianity, but they will certainly learn to, and probably will, live a moral Christian life, making this world a better place to live in again. Congratulations and God bless! Do keep up your great work.
How sad it is that PCG exploits nostalgia associated with the old Plain Truth to gain more readers.
August 2011
Here is one letter from Germany denouncing the European Union as rotten to the core Satan worshipers and adds a dose of anti-Catholicism by denouncing one official as "Jesuit-trained".
Thank you for this very accurate analysis of the EU elites. You have it exactly right. Our political and economic leaders, especially on the EU level, are liars and losers. The entire EU is corrupt and rotten. Its leaders have no morals and their Christianity is faked—a counterfeit Christianity which is again only a lie. No wonder that a Jesuit-trained Italian will now become the next president of the European Central Bank. They worship the dragon, and they will reap what they have sown. It is regrettable that we Europeans have to endure and finance this rotten system. But Jesus will return soon and the truth will make us free.
Here is one letter praising a PCG article which glorified the British Empire.
Good, well-written article. Unfortunately we get the leftist version on the history of the British Empire from BBC here in England. White slavery—when thousands of Europeans were captured by Muslim Barbary slave traders between 1620 and 1750—is never mentioned.
Actually I had heard a broadcast by the BBC discussing that very topic. It mentioned that if any of those slaves converted to Islam the British authorities did not want them back in any negotiations. It mentioned the bizarre irony that while these ghastly things occurred many thousands Africans were abducted and seized as slaves and shipped over the Atlantic Ocean.
Here is one letter praising HWA's last book, Mystery of the Ages.
I have been a long-time follower of the PCG after I read Herbert Armstrong’s masterpiece, Mystery of the Ages. The more I see happening, the more I worry about our planet. I have read many of the PCG booklets and they are prized possessions in my library. I grew up Catholic and it has inspired my faith, but the PCG has solidified my faith and gives me the answers I need. Keep up the good work.
September 2011
Here's one letter talking about Dr. Eilat Mazar's discovery of a palace in Jerusalem. The letter insists that the media is covering up this discovery.
What an amazing article! A couple of days ago I read an article in the National Geographic about Dr. Mazar and the dig that was kind of disheartening and spoke to the many who disagree with the findings by Dr. Mazar. It seemed like so much in that article was against her and the work being done there. It’s truly amazing that there is such a lack of enthusiasm for what is being unearthed about David’s kingdom. Thank you for bringing out about how the news media is covering it up. It boggles the mind to see how the media go to such great lengths to cover up the real story behind the dig, which is the reality of the Bible that is backed up by the finds by Dr. Mazar.
Three letters were written in response to an article by Richard Palmer which minimized the massacre of 8000 Bosnian Muslims by the genocidal forces of Karadjic and Mladic as merely "a crime of passion".
Best article I’ve read in ages.... I’ve been working in the Balkans for almost 20 years and can’t believe how rarely the truth gets out. So many terrible things have happened to the Serbians since the wars started that I’ve noticed the psychological damage it has done to everyone in Serbia; men, women and children. They’ve been told by the West that they are the “bad guys” so many times that they’re actually starting to believe that rubbish. In truth they did their best to hold Yugoslavia together, but there was no way NATO was going to let that happen.
Here is another letter written by a Serbian man who lived through the wars.
Thank you very much for this article, the best one I have ever read on war in former Yugoslavia. I come from Bosnia and had endured the horrible war in Sarajevo for four years. While living there in the wartime, we would listen to radio supported by the West and could not believe the lies they were saying. They would say that Sarajevo was heavily bombed on a night when a single bullet was not fired, let alone a bomb. It is true that Serbs bombed the hospitals and kindergartens in Sarajevo, but these very places were used by Bosnian Muslims to send bombs to the Serbian part of Sarajevo, which killed so many civilians. That was never reported by the West. The only reports were about casualties in the Muslim part of Sarajevo.
Here is a third letter.
My heritage is Serbian and my father and his father were proud of their heritage. I was taught we were a people who loved the West especially Britain and America. My grandfather fought for the Allies in the Second World War. I can’t begin to explain the despair of my father when he saw the once allies of Serbia stab us all in the back. And for what? The people I come from are a great people who will stand up for what they believe in! ... I love the fact that Mr. Flurry and the Trumpet staff can see all these lies so clearly and appreciate the Serbian people for who they truly are!
But little do they know that the PCG leadership mainly talk about the Yugoslav Wars merely to demonize Germany.
Here is one letter that portrays democracy as a failure and adds a dose of vilifying gays as well.
When I was reading your article, “When Will the World End?” (August) and I got to the line “Mankind’s experiment with self-government is about over,” an ironic thought popped into my head: The latest and last experiment in this world was democracy and it is obviously failing everywhere one looks. America is the lead example of failure with the politicians trying to buy votes with borrowed money, the families in disarray, abortion running rampant and the sexual deviants of society out of control, etc. Ironically, America has been trying to push for democracy in the Middle East and around the globe.
Denigrating democracy like that is really scary. If democracy is not valued we might lose it.
October 2011
Here is a letter that insinuates that the European Union as a "satanic euro-agenda."
Respectfully, I do suggest that far too much prominence is being given in Philadelphia Trumpet feature articles to, specifically, Britain’s (Ephraim’s) relationship with the European Union. In sharp contrast, it is lamented there is conspicuously so very little written by Trumpet staff about the fraught relationships with an increasingly dictatorial EU of all the other European Israelite nations, including Ireland, where there is seething anger and frustration at the EU’s dirty tricks and bullyboy tactics to enforce compliance with what is, in fact, its own end-time satanic euro-agenda.
PCG thought this paranoid letter was worth printing?
Here is one letter from Australia noting how he learned to spend an hour in prayer.
Thank you for your encouraging article “The Secret to Success” (September). I myself have often thought how blessed those students are, that are on your campus. I have been doing the correspondence course for the last three and a half years and I am on Lesson 35. As for prayer, that did not come easy for me. In the beginning all I could give was 10 minutes; today one hour is no problem. You are right, persistence pays and slowly you start to develop the right attitude. Thank you for your slant on this subject as I feel I am not missing out at all, but part of a bigger picture. May God bless this work in all its endeavors.
Here is one letter that has some really creepy jargon embedded in it.
I just wanted to thank you for your article “Six Days Shall You Labor” (August). It brought to my mind a lady whom I worked with until very recently, who definitely had a great attitude toward working, and who still inspires people, including myself, to this day. Having lived through two world wars, this lady waited tables at our local hotel for six days each week for over 60 years. At the age of 97, she has a wonderful personality, a hearty humor, no health trials as far as I am aware, and has absolutely no plans to retire. In fact, she loves her job! To meet her is to realize the absolute blessing that God gives to those who keep this commandment, and I have heard comments from her “fans” to suggest that in fact it is her commitment to working over all these years that has kept her alive and well. I look forward to the day when everyone will enjoy their labor and reap the blessings from it.
"Health trial" is a part of PCG's jargon regarding illnesses and HWA's anti-medicine superstition. Getting is not a "health trial" to somehow prove that one is faithful to PCG's God. When one gets sick see a doctor and get some medicine and take it.
Here is one letter in which it is mentioned that the writer passes PCG's writings among friends and neighbors.
I wanted to thank you for all the literature you have sent to me. I have not been able to read all of it because friends and neighbors are borrowing them from me as fast as I get them.
I shudder to imagine if anyone should end up becoming a member of PCG.
Here is one letter mentioning meeting with Gerald Flurry in a visit to New York.
A subscription to the Trumpet has been my joy for many years, and the Plain Truth before that. All of your publications are a cherished part of my library, and I am also a contributing co-worker as best I can. A special privilege was to meet Mr. Gerald Flurry in person on his New York visit.
Here is one letter describing Dr. Eilat Mazar in a most complimentary way.
Thank you so much for the Trumpet . On the recent issue’s cover, you pictured Eilat Mazar, archaeologist (August). I was thrilled to see the picture and read of her achievements. In November of 1989, I was honored to be given a 10-day trip to Israel by people I did not know who rewarded me for my work with troubled youth and their families. That trip was headed by Eilat’s father and coordinated by her brother. We dined with the heads of state for Eilat’s grandfather, Benjamin Mazar, who was officially the “father of Israel.” While we were on the Temple Mount, she is the one who showed us the archaeological digs and taught us what archaeology is really all about. Having worked with about 80,000 people in many capacities over the years, I have learned to recognize the genuine and the “not so genuine.” The Mazar family has my utmost respect. Thank you for highlighting her accomplishments. That is a compliment for both her and you.
November 2011
Here is a letter from Ghana.
I read this article with a heavy heart. Upon careful analysis of this story, my spirit tells me that the end time is really near. May the eyes of the saints be opened. Please keep up the good work you are doing. I am highly grateful to you for this big revelation, Gerald Flurry.
Here is a letter which incorrectly insinuates that the United States is about to go broke.
Thanks for putting into words the feelings I had when hearing Mr. Obama’s statement that the U.S. will “always be a AAA country.” The nation sure is drunk with delusion! As you have said before, imagine running our personal finances like that.
Here is a letter than encourages parents to spank their children.
Very interesting article.... Every other week, I attend a group counseling session with other women, and one of them in her early 60s has shared with us an incident where she was with her grandson, who’s now 18, when he was just a toddler of 3 years old. They were at an amusement park. She offered him something and he didn’t want it. He wanted more and threw a tantrum. That didn’t sit well with his grandmother. Her daughter (his mother) told him to behave himself, but his grandmother took him and spanked him three times on his rear end. The result? After that incident, he never got out of line again. Not with his parents, not with his grandmother, not with law enforcers. That boy is now in his second year of college, and it took just three good whacks to his rear end to keep him on the right path. If parents take the time to be the law enforcers in their homes, there wouldn’t be the delinquents that exist today.
This is terrible advice. It is second hand. How does the writer even know if this grandmother is telling the truth? I encourage people to pay no attention to this anecdote.
Unfortunately Armstrongism has a long history of encouraging spanking among their followers.
Here is a letter talking about "inner-city" families. He says he was in such a family himself.
“Honor thy father and mother” is good, provided you have a father. I assure you that the majority of the youths that are perpetrating these violent acts do not have a father at home, which is the real problem in most inner-city families. Also, how many of these young people that have fathers at home have irresponsible parents raising them? Young motherhood, fatherless children, irresponsible parents and weak political leadership are at catastrophic proportions in our inner- cities today. In the latter days, it says in the Bible, “the children shall oppress them.” Looks like this prophecy is in full force! Having been raised in the inner- city without a father myself, I remember reading in the Bible, “I will be a father to the fatherless.” As a young adult, I took Him up on that promise and He has not failed me. Pray and seek your Father in heaven, young people, and He will be your Father and guide your life!
"Inner-city" is sometimes used as a coded term to describe African Americans.
Here is one letter written to thank those who send money to PCG.
Thank you so much for the free literature. I’ve ordered all of the books and can’t believe they are free of charge! What a beautiful blessing from God Himself! I’m currently reading The Incredible Human Potential, and can’t believe how many questions I had that are being answered. I’m just thrilled to learn so much that I didn’t know. Wow. Again, thanks to all the co-workers and others who give donations to the Trumpet and the Philadelphia Church of God. Without you, this rare knowledge wouldn’t reach people like me who really need it.
It is not rare knowledge. There are hundreds of other COG groups that teach many of the very same things as PCG.
January 2012
HWA taught that celebrating Christmas is sinful and forbidden. PCG continues to promote this anti-social idea.
This article is very good; very thought provoking.... I wish the whole world could read this! Most of us know this but think it is harmful, but my prayer partner and I have been saying for a long time that celebrating Jesus’ birthday was not mentioned in the Bible—why are we doing it? We came to the conclusion that is was all for the mighty dollar; while this might be part of it, I see and understand that it was truly a trick of the enemy to fool us. Thank you for your spiritual insights.
Here is another letter.
This story needed to be run on the New York Times front page on the 25th. What an eye-opener it would be for the population. Especially the Jeremiah 10:2 scripture about the tree and it being a heathen practice, and being told not to partake of it. Of course that would mean actually opening their Bibles and reading or taking a stand against the age-old pagan practice, and sadly this won’t happen till it’s too late. Thanks for all the great articles you and the Trumpet staff write. They are a light in this dying world with real answers to almost every problem we face today.
The real purpose of banning Christmas is to make PCG members and followers socially depen
Here is one letter thanking the magazine for telling people what is "really" happening in Europe and expressing amazement that no one else notices these things.
Thank you for your September 2011 edition, “Germany Dominates Europe Again.” The articles on Germany rising to power yet again were absolutely fascinating, and seeing how they have done all this with no military action is yet another testament to the German people’s amazing ingenuity. Equally amazing is that the entire planet seems to be blissfully unaware of what is really happening in Europe! Thanks to Mr. Armstrong, I have known all this would happen for many decades now, but seeing it all unfold right in front of my eyes is almost like a bad dream. Thank God that we know what the ultimate glorious outcome of it all will be!
February 2012
Here is one letter praising an article about Steve Jobs which was published shortly after his death.
How captivating, how inspiring: I was dazzled, moved and securely glued to every word I had the privilege to read in this mind-altering article. I am in the technology industry myself; reading your article brought a certain sense of urgency and responsibility on the importance of pursuing excellence and perfection in my work. I will read and reread this article as within it lies the keys and laws of success for the work’s sake. May you and the committed, loyal team continue to work with that pursued, focused, innovative excellence and perfection.
Here is another letter from one who was "very disappointed" that one who was not a Christian should be on the cover.
Mr. Jobs had very little to do with Christianity in his lifetime, and is, as such, a poor choice for the cover of the Trumpet. Mr. Jobs lived and died a victim of the idolatrous perversion of pagans, a Buddhist, after addling his brain with LSD and other drugs. Simply having made money is no excuse for featuring a man in this way. I am very disappointed in you.
On the same topic here is a letter from one who was impressed that PCG would feature a man like him on the cover.
Thank you for providing this insight into the qualities that enabled Steve Jobs to do great things in the business realm and explaining how we can apply those qualities to our spiritual growth. It is impressive that you have been able to look beyond the fact that he wasn’t a Christian and not let that blind you to seeing these valuable lessons.
Don't be fooled. Putting Steve Jobs on the cover is no sign of acceptance of people of all kinds.
Here is one letter that slurs a BBC reporter as a "propagandist."
Lo and behold the Greeks have announced a temporary coalition government to be led by Lucas Papademos.... Also a BBC News correspondent/propagandist was glowingly talking about how Germany, and poodle France, are telling Greece and Italy who should be their premiers! But still the secular media does not know what will happen next. Thankfully I and others have the Trumpet as our news outlet. What is coming will be awe-inspiring to watch.
March 2012
Here is one letter that calls on Britain to leave the European Union or else be a dhimmi. What a way to throw in a dose of Islamophobia while complaining about the EU.
You have been right about the UK’s long- term prospects as a member of the EU (“Beware Britain, Europe Is Gunning for You!” February). I think you are right on target again on near-term EU pressure and threats against the UK. The UK should now vote on leaving the EU, the sooner the better. It’s better to take the blow standing than to submit on your knees like a dhimmi.
Here is one letter that incorrectly asserts that the British royal family is Jewish. The letter then uses that piece of misinformation to accuse the European Union of being motivated by anti-Semitism when they happen to have disagreements with Britain.
I believe that continental European hate toward the British also translates into virulent anti-Jewish sentiment as well. Partly because within Britain resides that special family with a Jewish royal lineage that continues to actively fulfill the scepter promise .... And partly because it has simmered for centuries culminating in the extermination camps of World War II. As Mr. Armstrong and the Trumpet have warned for many decades, the war of words and trade wars that lead to hot wars is fully aimed at the Anglo-Saxon world.
Here is one letter that calls for Britain to transform itself into a fortress while disparaging the European Union. This person has had several letters published in PCG's recruitment magazine.
Isn’t it exciting to witness how everything in Europe is now happening exactly as Mr. Armstrong predicted? I admire the courage of Mr. Cameron. The British have now thrown down the gauntlet to the rotten EU and our corrupt politicians in Berlin who think they can rearrange Europe according to their socialist-corporatist Franco-German model. ... I am sure Britain will leave the EU very soon, exactly as Mr. Armstrong predicted. And then we will witness the emergence of the prophesied strongman of Europe. The British better start to transform their island into a fortress.
Here is one letter complaining about getting banned from commenting.
I followed a link on Drudge Report about that Glee episode.... It took me to an online version of what can only be described as a modern Tiger Beat or 16 Magazine, publications geared towards teens. At the bottom of the article, which praised Fox for being so “progressive” about teen homosexuality, there appeared literally hundreds of comments from teenagers completely enraptured with the “beautiful, sensitive and moving” way in which homosexual sex was going to be portrayed. More than one teen wrote, “There’s nothing wrong with homosexuality!” By the way, I condemn homosexuality whenever I see an article about it, which gets me banned from commenting further 100 percent of the time.
Here is one letter that sings glowing praises to PCG's recruitment magazine. This has clearly been heavily influenced by Armstrongism as the highlighted phrase shows. That phrase is taking from words of HWA condemning college education outside of his WCG.
The Trumpet is constant in gently encouraging godly change in our lives! Like the faithful men and women of the Bible, the authors of the Trumpet articles offer helps toward godly growth and a vision of hope more beautiful than anything this world has to offer—straight from the mind of God, preserved for us within the Bible! ... Again, I thank God for the sound of the Trumpet! This world has served its lusts for so many generations, it will take some major unlearning for us to let go of our desire to satisfy “self.” We don’t have all the time in the world to make changes anymore. There is an urgency present now to get off of the fence—to either become a part of the solution or end up part of the problem. ...
April 2012
Since 1992, if not earlier, PCG has had this long standing and shameful teaching that African Americans will in the near future launch a wave of riots against the white majority. This is a filthy, racist doctrine and PCG constantly taught this racist doctrine that vilified the African American community.
In the previous issue PCG had written a denunciation of Attorney General Eric Holder for complaining about racism.
Here is one letter from South Africa that agreed with PCG's denunciation of Holder.
African politics has reached the U.S., and Americans have not learned anything from what happened in Africa.... Instead they persist with their political correctness and liberalism. As I have always maintained ... liberalism can be compared to the drug trade: It’s destructive and will never be resolved. Only good thing about Europe is that they are now moving to the right. At least they have woken up.
But in South Africa blacks are the majority. That is not the case in the United States.
Here is one letter that insists that President Obama and Holder were planning on launching "a true race war" in the United States.
Mr. Obama and Mr. Holder seem to be dead-set on igniting a true race war in this country. The consequences of such a thing are almost beyond belief ....
Whoever wrote that letter needs to learn that no such "race war" or "race riot" as PCG teaches is ever going to happen. It will never happen.
Here is one letter from a person from Canada who condemns leftists and rightists with abandon.
What an impressive article. Your article exposes what a hypocritical nation not only America is, but all the world! Oh how we need God to fix these problems, for they are far too great for any man to fix. Thank you for shedding God’s light on the situation—and for having the guts to write it. Liberals are far too mouthy these days, and the conservatives ... well ... are too scared to disagree.
Here is one letter from a preacher in Zimbabwe who mentions sharing PCG's writings around with other preachers.
Thank you for sending the Trumpet to me every time. To me the magazine is opening my eyes and mind day by day. I am a preacher by profession, but to me the magazine is inspiring, challenging, motivating and profitable. I always share it with my other local preachers. May God keep on giving you more wisdom. We love you and always pray for you.
As if Zimbabwe did not have enough problems already.
May 2012
Here is one letter insisting that Germany will intervene in Syria.
Great article! (“Lessons From the Blood - bath in Syria,” April). I wholeheartedly concur with your “assumption” that Germany will step in and exert its influence in Syria. That said, as German Foreign Policy stated in its article “Iran’s Achilles Heel” (February 6), Germany’s interests, while cloaked in the guise of humanitarianism, are nothing more than PR and motivated by self-interest as it plays both sides of the field. If indeed Iran is sending in 15,000 of its troops, Germany will have to act and act soon. We see the back-and-forth push of the Daniel 11 kings. How much longer does this sorry world have? Taking it all into consideration, I would say not long! God speed the day of, as the Apostle Peter states, “the end of all things”!
Three years later Syria is even more of a mess because of the civil war sparked off by the Assad regime's violent suppression of protesters in what was initially a peaceful protest movement. That state sanctioned wave of violence compelled many Syrian people to try and defend themselves. But other persons including Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's lackeys took advantage of turmoil to advance their own interests. And now Russia is intervening by launching bombardments of Syria in order to prop up the desiccated Assad regime. Recent reports indicate that were severe bombardments in Douma and Ghouta with many fatalities. May peace soon come to the Syrian people.
There is one section in this issue's letters page entitled "Always adding to the problem". All three letters are written by persons who get their letters regularly published by PCG's recruitment magazine. Here is one of them.
It seems that the majority of U.S. politicians think they have a bottomless money source at their disposal (“An Awesome Secret About America’s National Debt,” April). We hear a lot about how they will save the economy by tackling this serious problem, especially around election time, but all they seem to do is continually add to it. The whole system is based on Satan’s way of get, i.e. politicians want to get elected, so they continually make promises the country can’t afford to deliver, and the voters want to get the promises the politicians are making. We are most definitely heading for ruin ....
Here is one letter from one who recently started reading PCG's writings.
I am so happy that a friend of mine told me of your website. I have the correspondence course and I am really enjoying it. I am also reading the booklet Haggai. It has opened my eyes. I am afraid, not for me, for my children and grandchildren. I pray every night that the world can find peace. Thank you so much for all you do.
July 2012
Here is one letter that calls PCG's writers "professional journalists".
What a well-written article.... This should have been in U.S. News & World Report or the Wall Street Journal. I can’t compliment you all enough on your obvious efforts to be professional journalists, tellers of the truth. The bus story is just awful. ... Take a good long look America; this is what happens when we choose man over God.
PCG's writers are not journalists. They never worked for any newspaper. They quote from news articles, describe a situati