Atheism and Science

Atheists think they're free, because they've removed their faith from religion.... and placed it in science... believing with religious fervor that science is the route to liberty of the human mind.

But-- science is just another construct of the human mind, and subject to the same weaknesses we know so well. Viewed 'objectively,' science passes every test for religion! Here's the proof.

If, as its practitioners insist, science were truly 'objective,' there should be only one school of thought (or, shall we say, church of belief) because all objective investigation (using the touted methods of reproducible experiments, mathematical equations, etc.) should lead to the same results and conclusions. But, the fact is that there are many schools (denominations) of scientific belief.

Moreover, scientists (believers) in a given discipline object strenuously if a practitioner from another discipline should have the temerity to cross the forbidden boundaries and bring new, fresh beliefs into their hallowed halls. A classic example is the shameful treatment of Velikovsky (a psychiatrist) in the 1950s. After the early space probes sent back data that confirmed his unorthodox theories, did his critics apologize? No; they simply absorbed the new truths... and stopped any mention of his name.

Today, the battle of scientific dogmas rages between the true church of the classic, gravitational model of the universe, versus the heretical, upstart proponents of the electric universe. Like Catholics and Protestants, Sunnis and Shiites, these two camps loathe each other and their aberrant ideologies.

Clearly, scientific orthodoxy becomes as entrenched as any religious views. This is a natural outcome of human nature, and occurs irrespective of the field of knowledge (be it religious or secular). The problem in both spheres, is that true believers of any stripe refuse to acknowledge this truism, and insist that their truths are somehow immune to the human tendency to cast our biases in stone.

Added to the problem of subjectivity in all belief systems, is the influence of purely practical or operational factors, the primary one being finances. All human systems require money to fund the salaries of the priests who conduct the services/research, instruct the initiates/students, and proclaim the dogmas/theories. In this regard, science may be objectively seen as in a more precarious situation than religion. Ministers are generally paid by their congregation or denominational authority, hence find it expedient to preach the message approved by those authorities.

Scientists, as highly educated individuals, feel they deserve high salaries-- much higher than the average pastor. Those salary levels must be secured by performing research and writing papers that are sponsored by well-endowed corporations. Obviously, the research must be of some relevance to corporate sponsors; but more troublesome, it must not compromise the profits of the corporation for fear of having the funds withdrawn. It's a clear conflict of interest that everyone is aware of, but few dare to question, at peril of their income.

Yet, secular humanists cling to this pathetic faith that science is objective, impartial, and the only system capable of yielding credible models of reality. Sure, there have been great advances in the material realm. Many of the great leaps have been born of the scientific breakthroughs of the 19th century, when the pioneers of electro-magnetism laid the ground-work for much of what followed. Advances in steam, and later, gasoline engines were more due to engineering progress, which resulted in trains, automobiles, aircraft, and so forth. Those early researchers were not beholden to the corporate sector as today's graduates, and were more propelled by a true spirit of investigation.

What passes itself off for science in this 21st century, especially at the theoretical level, is really another form of religion, if only its practitioners had the honesty and courage to admit it. All belief systems, whether grounded in theology or in natural observation, are subject to all the limitations of human psychology. They would all do better to cooperate than compete. But in that regard, they behave as purveyors of consumer products, and scramble to grab as much 'market share' as possible for their stake-holders. Bottom line: in the realm of ideas, humans are as irrational as in all their other endeavors.

Spiritual Warfare

Many readers understand that there are forces pushing society and events towards chaos for the benefit of a small elite seeking total domination. However, most people do not understand the true dimensions of those forces.

What I’m saying is that those forces are demonstrably evil, in a spiritual sense. But more than that, I’m saying that the directing intelligence behind those evil individuals is none other than Satan, as identified in the Bible.

Sure, today’s ‘modern man’ does not believe in the Devil; that’s so yesterday. Great for Satan if the majority don’t even believe he exists! What better cover could anyone have?

For the scoffers and skeptics who can’t accept this premise, how else can you explain the single-mindedness, the coherence of effort, and the success enjoyed by the forces of evil over centuries (if not millennia)? It is simply beyond human ability! No ideology has ever survived intact for such a long period as has this pernicious plan to subject all of humanity to the absolute rule of a self-appointed elite.

You have to suspend your antipathy towards religion long enough to discern the spirit behind the string of evil persons and actions down thru the ages. That spirit is Satan. And his subterfuges and modus operandi also, importantly, account for the ambiguity over a group called the Jews.

Much has been written, especially lately, concerning the Jews and their connection to Zionism, and Zionism’s connection with the Illuminati, Satanism, etc. Some people want to lump all Jews in the same class as the ‘bad Jews;’ others can distinguish between them. But, there’s a spiritual reason why Jews are over-represented in Zionist/NWO schemes.

In every age, God used certain individuals to advance His plan for mankind. After Cain killed Abel, God used Seth as His agent. After the Flood, it was Noah. After the Tower of Babel, God used Abraham. From Abraham’s line, a man called Jacob was chosen after a symbolic struggle from which God renamed him Israel. Later, the remnant of Israel’s descendents was (basically) one tribe called the Jews. From the Jews, God used Jesus, His ultimate servant, to deliver His message.

Jesus told the Pharisees (as religious leaders) that the mission was taken from the Jews and given over to ‘another people’ who will bear fruit with it (see Matthew 23:41). So for Christians to believe that the Jews continue, 2,000 years after Jesus, to be God’s chosen’ is completely unscriptural and baseless. After Christ, the Jews were as any other people on Earth in God’s eyes. The spiritual torch was handed over to ‘spiritual Israel,’ i.e. those of any background who accept the gospel message.

Satan has infiltrated and corrupted every institution created by man, especially religion. At first, Satan tried to stamp out the Christ-based faith, thru the Romans. When that failed, he had a better plan and co-opted the emerging church-- which explains all the occult/demonic symbols found in the Vatican. (By the same token, it explains the weird practices of the Freemasons, another organization effectively used by Satan to advance his cause.)

Just as God had attempted to use the children of Israel for His purposes, so too, the great pretender, Satan, is using the (once) ‘chosen people,’ the Jews, for his evil ends. This started in the 18^th century, with Adam Weishaupt, and got more serious in the 19^th century when Theodor Hertzl instigated Zionism. Today, we are seeing the final flourishing of the Zionist/Illuminati conspiracy. One reason for its success is that a large body of Christians have been duped into supporting the fiction that modern Israel still represents God’s chosen people.

Once you recognize Satan, the picture clarifies. Because Satan’s big ambition in life is to be like God-- to exalt himself over the human race as our God. And notice that this desire to mimic God also explains the demonic obsession with ‘Israel’ (geographically) and Jerusalem, its capital. These literal places have been superceded in God’s terms by spiritual counterparts; but Satan’s desire is to install himself in a temple in Jerusalem.

He’s been working at that goal for literal ages; and he sees its accomplishment as imminent.

Final Stand for Truth

"Truth exists. Only falsehood must be fabricated."

It's a curious thing-- for me, at least-- that when I started writing about the idea of truth, I got rather negative reactions from various people. This reaction puzzled me at first, but as time went on, I came to realize that that's what truth does-- it creates controversy. And that's a story in itself... an important one.

Consider the name I chose for my web-blog (Truthquest): it seems to elicit annoyance or sarcasm from people who may be acquaintances or strangers. Why? Well, many persons are of the conviction that there's no such thing as truth, or that it's completely relative or personal, or that it's just an abstraction with no reality. These views all strike me as incredibly naive and lacking substance. It is baffling to me to have to defend the notion of something as obvious as truth. But then, I exist in a kind of transcendent sphere, where ideals and ethical concepts have genuine reality.

The controversy over something as fundamental to our lives as truth underscores for me the crux of the looming crisis poised to strike humanity and our tenure on Earth. Along with very many traditions and predictions, I also believe that mankind is very close to the cataclysmic end of this age that will be the most tumultuous crisis in our history. However, while the coming crisis will be characterized by physical upheavals of the planet, and social and political upheavals of unparalleled ferocity, I think the underlying conflict will be the final, colossal struggle between truth and untruth.

If anything is the endemic trait of our zeitgeist, it is capsulized in one word-- deception. Maybe I'm just too hyper-sensitive to 'BS,' but to me it's the grating tenor of the times that almost everything that reaches my consciousness from 'official sources' of any kind-- be they government, corporate, religious, academic-- has the stench of self-serving deceit about it. If it's not outright lies, it is usually a noxious mix of lies and selected truth. It's everywhere; all pervasive; in every aspect of our daily lives. And the worst thing is that most people either don't even notice it... or are so inured to 'relative truth' that they accept it as normal. The current generation have grown up in an 'age of persuasion,' with ‘commercial messages' bombarding us incessantly in every corner of urban life, so that distortion and hyperbole are taken as commonplace, and an inevitable part of modern existence.

You've got to understand that this inoculation to distorted reality, packaged as advertising and promotion for every kind of cause (good or otherwise), is a purposeful strategy, one designed to devalue truth in the mind of humankind. And it has succeeded quite well. In place of truth, we have pluralism-- in a global bazaar of cultures and ideologies, your 'truths' (ie. cuisine, music, political system, religion, etc.) are no better nor less valuable than mine. Everybody's truth is equally worthy-- so say the proponents of pluralism... as long as it suits their purposes.

Why do people get so offended by mention of truth, though? It would seem innocuous enough; but no, the reaction can be quite visceral. One reason may be because many skeptics associate truth with religion; and of course, religion is a big no-no with the chic, educated, liberal-minded middle-class. There is some justification for their wariness, because if you do an Internet search on the words 'truth quest,' you will certainly turn up many sites related to churches and religion. However, why should that link to Christianity (in particular) stir such animosity? Could it be due to disgust that anyone in today's pluralistic world would dare to pretend that they possess 'the truth?' The problem is that in rejecting the idea that any creed could corner the market on truth, these opponents then throw out the notion that there is such a thing as truth, altogether. It's a fool's line of reasoning that disempowers its supporter, while playing right into the hands of those hidden powers who want to strip humanity of any hope in a transcendent order of reality above the mundane. Brilliant, on the part of the forces of darkness; and ultimately deadly for the innocent who fall into the trap. As for me, I don’t profess to possess ‘the whole truth.’ What I do know is that I am on a quest for truth; and that is more than most can say.

Note that incomplete truth is not necessarily evil, but can be hazardous. After all, in this world we will not achieve 100% absolute truth in most areas, although it is possible in a limited sense, as in some branches of mathematics, or some purely observational matters (e.g. Is it raining here or not? What color is the object? etc.). We can and do function on incomplete knowledge, because it's all we have, generally. We have to recognize, tho, when we are operating on incomplete information, otherwise we run a real risk of making mistakes when our decisions are taken on the premise that we have full knowledge. For example, an airline pilot once discovered the truth that his aircraft's fuel tanks were empty while he'd been flying under the assumption they held ample fuel. In fact, the tanks had been refueled, but the ground techs were reading the gauges in metric units and assuming they displayed 'imperial' units (ie. liters for gallons). This is a good illustration of where partial truth can get us when we fail to grasp it for what it is.

What the nay-sayers apparently are so inclined against is the intimation that there must exist 'ultimate truth.' They can concede that there exists 'relative truth,' or 'constrained truth' in the laws that govern the physical universe... but they vehemently resist any attempt to extend the phenomenon to its logical conclusion-- that there must, perforce, exist ultimate truth. What are they afraid of? It's not obvious, but appears to be the tacit assumption in this logic that recognizing Ultimate Truth is tantamount to believing in God... and that, of course, is another materialist no-no. No, we must never return to the 'primitive dogma' of believing in God, lest we... what? What would believing in God do to mankind that isn't already being done, this time in the name of godless, unfettered, capitalistic avarice? Can't people wake up and see that what was once done under the guise of religion hasn't stopped; it is now being done in the name of 'democratic capitalism?' In times past, nations were conquered, peoples were murdered and 'ethnically cleansed' in the interests of saving them from heathenism and Christianizing them. Today, nations are conquered, and peoples murdered and ethnically cleansed in the interests of big business seeking new sources of petroleum. And the atheists smugly support commercial interests over religious... because they can't even see a religion if it wears a worldly disguise! And make no mistake; you may think that, oh no, you are a socialist; you don't support big corporations and their predatory practices. Well, how do you think the capitalists justify their predatory exploitation, if not by reference to your patron saint, Charles Darwin, and his godless theory of evolution? For in the purely material, humanist paradise, there is no ethic except the ethic of evolution, which is based on mere survival. In other words, might makes right in the mechanistic universe of Darwin's theory.

A world without ultimate truth is a world without God. And such a society is a hopeless, Orwellian nightmare, not worth living, neither for the trampled masses nor for their soulless overlords. The only way to survive in such a world is to shut one's eyes to the reality of its bleakness, and live life in a constant frenzy of activity, pretending that everything is fine and dandy. That is how the 20th century was lived by a growing majority in the Western nations. While we were madly accumulating material goods, and scrambling for success, we didn't have time to think about the omnipresent question of truth. The hidden manipulators used this materialistic smokescreen to advance many of their objectives, all the while completely unnoticed by a populace drunk on the perverted, fermented fruits of science and technology, the neo-religions of the modern age. Among those objectives were the following:

- ridicule and devaluation of Christianity, making Christians look antiquated and irrelevant to the contemporary world;
- deadening of belief in a 'higher power,' a divine designer, a cosmic creator;
- belief in the triumph of materialistic science to describe reality and explain existence;
- acceptance of ultimate relativism-- since all views are valid, virtually anything goes;
- breakdown of public morality-- we make our own rules, and they are constrained only by 'common consensus;'
- disintegration of the family unit-- since all 'sexual expression' is valid, marriage is outdated, and a family is whatever you want it to be, including homosexual 'parents;'
- breakdown of social cohesion-- under Darwinian morality, it's everyone for himself, and let nature prevail with the weak; capitalism isn't sentimental, we are told;
- Hollywood and the mainstream media now define reality for the masses, and they assure us that we don't know anything-- we must be told by experts, whom they supply.

All of these goals have been largely achieved, and they have succeeded by means of deception. The proponents behind these aims have been using lies, half-truths, and psychological manipulation for over a century to mold society in the desired direction. Their most important weapon is artful lying, which is telling untruths using carefully chosen vocabulary, so that an unpalatable statement can be stick-handled past the normal mental defense mechanisms. It's brilliant, in a way; and yet it has been a favorite ploy since the invention of speech. The difference today is that we now have individuals who specialize in the art of selling lies. They are called 'public relations' specialists, and have attained indispensable status for corporations and governments around the world. Sure, you sigh, you know that; and therefore, you are on guard for such games. If so, you are truly rare, because we are all being constantly set up to fall into these word traps, without being aware of it. Yes, we all figured out pretty fast what they mean by 'collateral damage,' and a few other notable examples. But, have you stopped to consider the pedigree of such words as 'homophobic,' and 'anti-semitism,' for example? You won't find them in an older Oxford dictionary because they were coined in more recent times for very specific, political purposes. By having the media use these terms repeatedly over years, the listeners eventually assimilate not only the word, but the concept behind the word, so that it becomes part of one's background, presumptive knowledge. From the repeated context clues, one comes to 'understand' that it is unacceptable to be called either homophobic or anti-semitic; therefore, one must avoid speaking or behaving in a way that might provoke such labels from others. The original and ostensible intent of these words may have been quite legitimate-- we should, indeed, refrain from attacking people because of their differences from the mainstream. Where this 'political correctness' has led, however, is to a state wherein it is impossible to criticize any aspect of, in these examples, homosexuality or Jews, because these terms have been enshrined into 'anti-hate laws,' and protect these groups from basic freedom of speech.

The mind-conditioning that has been implemented in the Western world over the past century is astounding, and space prevents me from analyzing it further, here. (The reader can find voluminous studies to corroborate my assertions). My point is that 'untruth' (which includes all that does not aim to be 'congruent with demonstrable fact') is now endemic in our society; so much so, that we are no longer even aware of the appalling extent to which this is true. In place of truth, we now have corporate 'brands,' icons and symbols, and national myths. By the time one reaches adulthood, he or she has understood and assimilated the notion that image is everything; that illusion is more powerful than reality. Thus, when someone complains that a certain advertisement is false, or a product isn't as described, or a political party reneged on a promise, etc., the response is that you should understand that you're buying a fantasy, you're electing a perception, you can't expect correspondence with facts or statements. In other words, deceit is a 'legitimate' part of modern life... it has been normalized, just as has various sexual perversions.

The problem is that you simply cannot run a world for any length of time on rampant and institutionalized deceit. That paradigm was tried in the last century in the late, great Soviet Union, and we saw where that experiment ended. More perceptive readers may argue that 'our' society, too, has lied to itself for centuries, and I agree, but also point out that in bygone years, there was enough freedom of speech, and persons of conscience in influential positions that there were restraints on the spread of deceit. In the 21st century, those checks are being rapidly hog-tied and neutralized by the introduction of draconian limits to freedoms once taken for granted, particularly in the USA. Those retractions of hard-won civil rights are almost always based on fears whipped up on events contrived for that purpose. To quote Goethe: 'There are none so enslaved as those who believe they are free when they are not.' From a 'spiritual' perspective (however you want to interpret that notion) this age is characterized by a definitive, titanic struggle between truth and untruth, between The Truth and Deception. The battle lines are being strongly delineated so that everyone who bothers to consider it can become aware of the division. And everyone should be conscious of the split between truth and deception because we will all have to make a final choice, choosing which side we want to follow... to the end.

My purpose in this essay is to pull together the not-obviously-related strands of thought from numerous other essays into a synthesis that portrays the essence of the final battle for planet Earth. Okay, it sounds grandiose, but many commentators are seeing the same thing-- or at least parts of it. I'm trying to put all the pieces on one puzzle board. We are witnessing before our eyes the following currents:

- clear movements towards a one-world 'system' as the inevitable outcome of...
regional, political integration (eg. EU, NAFTA, ASEAN); global trade agreements (WTO); an ever-expanding NATO; reaction to exogenous threats like 'climate change,' terrorism, pandemic, etc.

- attacks on traditional stabilizing institutions such as the family, religion, common mores, all resulting in a disintegration of the social fabric (via alienation, substance abuse, mental health issues, job mobility, etc.) which engenders a state of constant disequilibrium and stress among all citizens;

- attacks and restrictions on civil liberties and free speech under the guise of 'protection of minority rights,' or 'security from terrorism;'

- the calculated transfer of the wealth of the middle classes to the banker elite, under the pretext of bailouts of sinking institutions and stimulating a moribund economy;

- the mysterious appearance or resurgence of viral diseases thought to be conquered a generation ago, among both animal populations and the human populace;

- ever-greater use of deception by governments and corporations to achieve desired aims, and in particular, the use of 'agents provocateurs' to create ersatz terrorist plots, either apprehended or accomplished.

All of these phenomena exist by design, not by mere chance, and their end goal is global domination by a small clique over the masses. Let me state this bluntly: if you can't see these 'big picture' signs of the times, you are in sad shape, and will be completely overwhelmed when the pretences are all dropped, and 'their dream' becomes our nightmare. These major indicators are all out in the open, and if you can't see the connections among them, you have been taken in by the master con-job of the satanic forces behind them.

Another open secret is that the evil cabal is obviously waging a titanic war against two groups of people in particular. Those are specifically, Christians and Muslims. The strategies employed are different. Since Christians are mainly found in the 'Western' nations, they are already in the 'belly of the beast,' exposed to all the egregious degeneration of the modern, atheist, materialist society, and very largely absorbed into that system, often quite cluelessly. Thru the use of the media and the Hollywood propaganda machine, the influence of the Christian faith has been largely neutralized. In fact, a significant sect, recently branded as 'Christian-Zionists' or 'Judeo-Christians,' has proven to be quite useful to the shadow governors, by their zealous support of any who pretend to agree with their aberrant theology and their bellicose leanings.

As for Islam, the crypto-rulers have waged all-out, shock-and-awe warfare against them, deploying all the latest expensive, grisly gadgets of destruction against poorly equipped militias, often composed of warriors who were once under the employ of Uncle Sam's covert agencies abroad. The Muslims (mostly Arabs and mostly civilians) have been subject to merciless carnage-- despite all shedding of 'crocodile tears' by Western leaders. The wars have been based on pure lies, the pretexts fabricated on 'false-flag' operations and blatant poppycock (ie. lies) about spreading democracy and freedom.

Why have the hidden 'powers that be' selected Christianity and Islam as the special objects of their wrath? The reason is simple; so simple that most 'modern' readers will reject it out of hand (ie. without serious reflection). It's because both religions are monotheistic, believing in a supreme creator who rules over the universe and will, one day, call all humanity into account. All other religions (the pagans) can be distilled into the essential belief that man is 'god,' and therefore, he can 'call his own shots.' The conspirators must defeat all belief in ultimate truth, the supreme God, because that belief will resist their real, so far unannounced agenda, which is to present their own leader as the deity, the one who functions as 'chief god,' and as the legitimate ruler of the planet. He will be portrayed as a unifier, bringing squabbling humanity into one, harmonious race, paying homage to his benevolent dictatorship. It will be Orwell's world, with a bizarre, religious twist-- 'Big Brother' will be presented as our god, and our total worship will be demanded. Yes, this will be the Antichrist, the antithesis of Christ Jesus. And his modus operandi is untruth, the antithesis of truth.

While Judaism also professes belief in one God, it appears that the PTB are not too concerned with this faith. I can only speculate on why they devote scant enmity toward Judaism, and one might suppose that it's due to the relatively small number of seriously religious Jews (compared to two billion or so nominal Christians, and another billion Muslims, worldwide). More than that, the Jews are, significantly, still awaiting the arrival of their Messiah. That belief could be quite effectively exploited by the Satanists when they reveal their hero as the 'promised one' of various traditions. In fact, the obsession that the hidden powers have towards Israel gives extra credence to the theory that they intend to install their antichrist in Jerusalem, claiming it to be the seat of their new world government.

The liberal atheists may read this article and say 'This is outrageous speculation.' Their powers of discernment are so deadened by those who put them exactly in that condition, that they can't see the menace that is lurking everywhere in this modern world that they think is marvelous because it has 'freed us from the chains of religion!' And, see-- the humanist/atheists STILL DON'T GET IT! They still think I'm trying to defend religion and sell it thru some covert, philosophical semantics. I'M NOT! The truth is that I don't believe in religion as a pre-packaged paradigm for viewing the world. What I've been trying to tell all of you in reader-land, both believers in God, and atheists, alike, is that ALL systems of viewing the universe, whether packaged as creeds or as any other paradigm, are de-facto 'religions.' How could 'science' have assured us for years that there was no link between tobacco and a panoply of diseases? Or that all kinds of chemical products are perfectly safe for human consumption, when people are dying daily from exposure to them? Ah, you retort, 'It's not the fault of science, but of the people who practice science under false motives.' No kidding? Isn't that exactly what has happened with religion over the centuries? Jesus and other spiritual leaders NEVER advocated violence in any form (indeed, Jesus stated that hatred was akin to murder); yet misguided followers have resorted to violence down thru the ages. ALL belief systems are interpreted by their believers to accommodate self-serving ends. You've got to understand that simple 'truth' if you ever want to understand reality!

So my advice to believers and atheists is to wake up, recognize that pure science and pure religion both purport to explain reality, define truth, but by different methods. Taken to the ultimate, they overlap. They should cooperate, not compete. Instead, they are engaged in a historic struggle because they are both errant, human ideologies run by human masters for purposes of enslaving the minds of their adherents. In fact, they can be seen as yet another prong of the ‘thesis-vs-antithesis’ paradigm so frequently used by the hidden manipulators. Their coming Antichrist will be offered as the solution to this Hegelian dialectic.

Numerous astute observers of the times have noticed many of the things I've described in this paper; few of them want to assemble all the pieces presented here. Especially, many would object to the final religious angle I ascribe to the anticipated ruling cabal. It seems crazy, and presently, there doesn't appear to be a lot of evidence of a 'spiritual angle' to the push towards world governance. That opacity is because many viewers do not comprehend the spirit behind those who frequent the gatherings of the elite movers and shakers at such enclaves as ‘Bohemian Grove,’ where they engage in ‘weird’ practices that can only be viewed as satanic. Freemasonry, one of the ‘fronts’ of the puppeteers, is, in its upper echelons (‘degrees’) based loosely on Gnosticism, and is definitely ‘religious’ in its cosmic outlook. To those who are dubious about the demonic nature of the evil conspirators, I say that their homage to Satan explains how they have been able to sustain their cover up and their momentum over the centuries. Without supernatural assistance, any purely human conspiracy inevitably collapses due to in-fighting, traitors, spies, exhaustion, mistakes, and so on. But the Illuminati (the general term covering all the many tentacles of this monster) have been able to survive and thrive long enough to achieve their critical objectives (back in the late 19th century), and then build on those to attain the position they presently occupy.

By seizing control of the Western world’s banking system, the cabal wields enormous power over the lives of the majority of the global population. We are seeing the early signs of that power in the current ‘economic crisis.’ Then, by gaining effective control over the communications media, the Illuminati have been able to filter and distort the information that reaches the masses, and equally important, have used the media to corrupt and disintegrate society. To those still under the spell of their cradle-to-grave propaganda, these revelations sound incredible. Yet even a little time spent investigating these claims will unveil cracks in the foundations of the illusion. But all of this-- the allegations, the denials, the doubts-- are all part of the cosmic drama that is unfolding before our contemporary eyes. It is the last battle on planet Earth, the battle for truth. As the expression goes, the truth shall prevail... but not before a period of unparalleled havoc, and it must be stated, bloodshed. To the skeptics, hold your derision for a while; keep your senses attuned to the times and their signs. And pledge allegiance only to the quest for Truth.

Christianity Takes a Knock-out Blow?

A recent article in the UK newspaper, The Telegraph, carried the headline “US religious Right concedes defeat[*],’ and a synopsis stating: ‘America's religious Right has conceded that the election of US President Barack Obama has sealed its defeat in the cultural war with permissiveness and secularism.’

For a large constituency of American Christians, this story would be disheartening news, if believed, and hotly disputed by diehards. Did the election of Obama really signal a serious blow to the power of the ‘religious right’ in the US, serious enough to be taken as ‘defeat?’

What ‘Christians’ apparently overlook in this story is how Obama went to some pains to disavow the rumors that he was a closet Muslim, and to affirm his identity as a mainstream, moderate Christian. The issue hit the spotlight when his ‘former pastor’ (as he came to be characterized) attracted a storm of controversy with his stinging rebuke of ‘America’ and its hypocrisy and racism. After a tentative start, Obama had to make a full denunciation of his ‘former pastor,’ but the incident highlighted that he was a church-going Christian of some sort. The fact that the Christian Right seems quite unimpressed with Obama’s declaration of faith seems (to this outsider) to indicate the depth of the ‘liberalism = paganism’ thinking of these well-churched, staunch Republicans for whom only one of ‘their kind’ can be a genuine Christian.

Nonetheless, given the concessionary words of James Dobson and others, it is credible that the religious right did suffer a set-back from Obama’s presidential victory. In that light, I’d like to propose reasons why the Christian right is losing relevance, not just in politics, but in American society at large.

1) With their vehement backing of the Bush Whitehouse, evangelicals and their ilk demonstrated a complete failure in Christian discernment, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. One can understand how good church-goers might be swept up in patriotic fervor and initially support Bush’s neo-crusade against the Islamic hordes of terrorists. But, the story quickly got suspicious when, after declaring that 15 of 19 hi-jackers on 9-11-01 were from Saudi Arabia, the government decided to attack Iraq. If that didn’t temper their enthusiasm for war, the later revelation that Bush and co. lied to convince the world about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction should have. But, sober, objective thinking is not a hallmark of Republicans, especially when jingoistic patriotism and churchianity provide convenient substitutes. Just because a person calls himself ‘born again’ does not make him/her a Christian! Jesus told his disciples that on Judgement Day, some people will claim that they cast out demons in his name... yet he will respond that he never knew them (Matthew 7:21-23). Every American politician has enough grey matter to realize the political value of ending every speech with ‘God bless America;’ but what does that prove?

2) With their dogged focus on relatively ethereal issues that became primary battle grounds-- principally abortion and homosexuality-- the Christian right completely missed the more important priorities of basic justice and human rights; and in so doing they lost much moral authority. What sense does it make to protest abortions in sanitary US clinics... while the American government is killing children in overseas conflicts? Are they implying that American lives are more valuable than foreign lives? That abortion is worse than murder? How much energy does the Christian right expend in railing against the horrors of homosexual relations,... while ignoring the practice of torture in US military prisons? What are these ‘Christians’ telling society about their beliefs-- that the end justifies the means? Jesus told his followers to ‘turn the other cheek’ to the oppressor, but these followers want to strike back with all the weaponry available. You may believe that abortion and homosexual behavior are sins, but many erstwhile moral individuals do not. In the real world, real Christians know where they have to devote their efforts and choose their battles. The religious right is obsessed with righteous indignation and determined to impose its legalistic morality on everyone-- tithing scrupulously on their ‘mint and dill,’ while overlooking the most vile atrocities approved by their favored candidates. In this regard, they share remarkable similarity with the ultra-legalistic, Islamic extremists whom they hate with such vigor!

3) The leadership of the Christian churches in America have betrayed the values of their figurehead, and enervated the Church. We all remember the scandals involving high profile TV evangelists who scammed their flocks for millions of dollars in donations that they used to sustain a decadent lifestyle. However, forgetting those dark scenes, there are other behaviors of church leaders that do nothing positive for Christ’s cause. One of the flagship mega-churches in the world is the Willow Creek church of Bill Hybels and co. who proudly run their organization using the techniques of modern ‘management science.’ So what, you may enquire; isn’t WC one of the most successful churches around? Perhaps, if success is measured purely in management science terms, such as members, committees, ‘ministries,’ programs, etc. But in all that frenetic activity, there is scant evidence of any genuine presence and unction of the Holy Spirit. WC has a great structure... but little soul. Considering that the Christian right has had the ear of the president for eight years, how is it that American society continues to decline in terms of morality, crime, substance abuse, mental health, economics, and so on? What have church spokesmen been doing, and what have they been saying? Leaders like John Hagee have been delivering a message about the exemption of the Jews from Christ’s gospel, and creating something called ‘Judeo-Christianity,’ and with apparently little opposition from other leaders who ought to know better. While high-profile pastors build their empires and book franchises, they can’t seem to spare any time to proclaim a genuine gospel and to denounce fake, non-scriptural propaganda.

4) That brings us to the most essential reason for the defeat of the Christian right, which is their failure to proclaim the authentic gospel of Christ. As the Telegraph story indicates, by putting their energies into worldly politics, the CR have had little energy or inclination to promote the gospel. Yes, various pastors give good sermons on living the Christian life; yet that’s not the overall tone of what is reaching the wider audience of society. If the church can use management science to boost membership, why can’t it use media savvy to broadcast the Christian message of salvation thru Jesus Christ? One of the major problems, as I see it, is that for the most part they don’t even have the true gospel of Jesus! What the mainstream churches have been calling the gospel is a spurious hybrid of Old Testament legalism and New Testament grace-- the two just don’t go together! (Briefly, they tell people that we are saved by believing in Jesus’ sacrificial death for sin... and by obeying the Ten Commandments. In truth, it can’t be both!) This is exactly what Jesus warned about in his rebuke to the Laodicean Church (see Rev. 3); this is the lukewarm condition that baffles so many scholars! Paul clearly condemned this gospel that is no gospel in his letters (esp. Rom, 1 Cor 9, 2 Cor 3, Gal, Col 2, Heb) but our traditions create a veil over our eyes so that even pastors do not see it; and if they do, they are afraid to proclaim it because they understand the reluctance of their leaders to acknowledge the true gospel of grace. So the Telegraph article is correct in suggesting that the Church in America must return to an emphasis on the basics of the gospel if they want to regain some relevance. However, unless they re-discover the authentic gospel of Jesus, they are doomed to slither into continued, probably accelerated, decline.

Conclusion

Without a clear understanding of the gospel of Christ, the churches that claim allegiance to his name will never be able to exercise moral authority or attract critically-thinking adherents. They will continue to be defeated in the courts of public opinion as they are identified with support for ‘fundamentalist notions’ of a bygone era. As Paul wrote (1 Cor 1:18-25) the message of Jesus is foolishness to the ‘modern thinkers,’ the secular humanists of today, and is anathema to the ‘Jews,’ those who are stuck in Old Testament legalism, trusting fastidious obedience to rules over faith in the grace of God. It is a message devoid of real power, and the evidence is everywhere. It is vital that everyone who truly wants to be a follower of Christ must study scripture for themselves, and not blindly follow the interpretations of their denomination or their pastors. By interposing themselves between believers and (knowledge of) God, today’s churches are falling into the same satanic trap that caused Jesus to roundly condemn the Pharisees of his day (e.g. Matt 23). As prophet Hosea lamented, ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...’ His lament is just as appropriate today as it was back in ancient times.

[*] www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/5136050/US-religious-Right-concedes-defeat.html