The Big Wobble: July 2009

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SPACE STATION SILHOUETTE: It happened in a split second. On July 26th, the International Space Station (ISS) flew in front of the sun over Orleans, France, where astrophotographer Thierry Legault was waiting. He couldn't see the 0.8s transit with the unaided eye, but his telescope and digital camera captured this image:

Photo details: Canon 5D MkII, Takahashi TOA-150 refractor, Herschel prism, 1/8000s

"The silhouette shows space shuttle Endeavour docked to the ISS," he says. "The shuttle's payload bay arm is visible, too."

Legault has taken many pictures of spaceships passing in front of the sun. When he stands beside the telescope at the moment of transit, listening to the camera click, there is no assurance of a good shot. "I never know if the ship will be visible or not, or if the seeing will give good or bad images. The discovery of the silhouette on the computer screen later is the moment I prefer and is a great pleasure."

The ISS will be transiting the French sun again, perhaps several times, in the weeks ahead, says Legault. Stay tuned for snapshots.

Source

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PANDEMIC & QUARANTINE:
July 23, 2009

The subject of this post will remain on this site for a short time and then it will be placed permanently on the Church website (www.cog-pkg.org) in the “Topics” section of the FAQ.

Due to the understanding we have about pandemics becoming more of a reality in this end-time, it is necessary to address a few matters relating to this subject.

The current strain of the H1N1 flu has rapidly spread throughout the world, but currently it is not as serious as many other flu strains of the past. The uniqueness of this strain is that it is especially dangerous to people with other ongoing health problems and weaknesses, and it is proving to be more dangerous to the young. This strain has proven to be one that replicates more easily in the lungs and can spread beyond the upper respiratory tract to go deep into the lungs, making it more likely to cause pneumonia.

God does address the matter of sickness and the principles of quarantine in scripture. The act of voluntarily quarantining ourselves from others when we have a communicable illness is simply the principle and expression of love. Love toward others should always include concern for their welfare and their protection when we are sick, especially when running a temperature, experiencing flu-like symptoms, coughing, etc., that might be passed along to another person.

In addition, if a serious pandemic does strike one’s own environment, the individual will have to make a personal decision to quarantine oneself from others (such as crowds, work, etc.) if their personal environment becomes too dangerous to be mixing within it. This is a personal judgment each individual will have to make. Such decisions may have to be made for self-protection or the desire to protect one’s family from possibly catching a sickness that could potentially prove fatal.

Although the current strain of H1N1 is only primarily dangerous to a narrow group of people, it is never-the-less very serious to those within that group. Out of love we should exercise the right principles of quarantine if they apply to us.

There are two main concerns with H1N1 at this time. The first is that this flu may become a far more serious problem in the northern hemisphere when the colder season begins to set in. The summer months have highly curtailed the potential for the spreading of this strain, prohibiting it from becoming far more widespread. However, this flu has been spreading more rapidly in the southern hemisphere where they are experiencing the colder seasons, and so the threat of it spreading rampantly in the winter months in the northern hemisphere is high.

The second and more serious concern is that this strain could mutate into an extremely deadly strain and do so very quickly. The potential for this is great, and with the time we live in it is likely. Even if this does not occur, a completely new strain will emerge that will prove to be much more fatal.

Although a person can apply all the principles of quarantine to the best of one’s physical ability, this does not guarantee that a person will be prevented from catching a communicable illness or from passing one along to others. We are to use wisdom (depending upon our own environment) and seek God’s help in all such matters. Following instruction that God gives should be first and foremost in our lives.

Compulsory vaccinations: Along with pandemics there is the likelihood of some governments enforcing compulsory vaccinations. Some will argue pros and cons to such vaccinations, but inevitably it is the responsibility of each individual to make his or her own personal decision in the matter. There can be great risk to receiving vaccinations and obviously there can be great risk in potentially catching a true pandemic illness when it strikes. In all decisions we make, we always place God first and look to Him as our provider and protector.

If a government enforces vaccinations in a time of pandemic, and you essentially no longer have free choice, then you do not change from your position of trusting in God for your protection. In such a case you will simply be trusting in God to protect you from any harm that could come from any potential risk of such a vaccination. Trusting in God for safety and protection from pandemic or from the risk of vaccination is still a matter of placing God first in your life.

Ronald Weinland - Author of “The Prophesied End-Time” & “2008 - God’s Final Witness”

COMING THIS WEEK! The Big Wobble Forum…