The Fall of America and the Rise In Spirit Bernie Suarez It wasn't very long ago when the worldview of the United States was one of a country that represented justice, democracy, freedom and moral accountability, even if only in the minds of the naive. Unfortunately, not only does the U.S. no longer remind anyone of these values, but the mention of these values is now scorned by many ordinary Americans that have gobbled up the Military-Industrial-Complex paradigm of the fascist global government. Many well-meaning people now scorn core American values. These are individuals who have been indoctrinated into accepting the perceived social 'norms.' They have been so psychologically programmed into the corporate fascist society they have never really considered deeper moral questions of why they stand for what they do; or how their positions and beliefs measure up historically. The programming and deception is so strong that in some circles expressing enthusiasm about the U.S. Constitution is frowned upon and even mocked as primitive thinking. Far too many people allow themselves to be consumed by often irrational drives carefully induced by the bombardment of programmed news, entertainment and propaganda. This knowledge and awareness of the programmed propaganda and ability to think on your own is proof of the global awakening that is happening. It is in this awakening of consciousness that each and every one of us will be able to change the course of history. The country that was once the place to come to because you knew you would have a chance to flourish, get an education and the job of your dreams, is now the place for corporate and governmental implementation of global tyranny and oppression and exploitation of a voiceless people. The past spirit of America, however, is rising in response to the current challenge. Perhaps this is the natural course of history and social/political/cognitive evolution; we should expect empires to rise and fall as we travel through history and time. Not long ago in America there was some hope for the poor and there was room for dissent; they say you never really appreciate what you have until it is taken away. In America, loss of freedom can now be felt. There was a time when there was a sense that if you can hold a politician accountable by asking the tough questions and demanding answers, that would be enough to keep them honest. Now politicians, in particular at the highest levels, carry on with no sense of accountability acting like they are essentially above the law. The founding fathers held that the order of supremacy included god first, then the people and then the State. Today in America's rising fascist state there is no question that the State comes first. This is fascism and is very un-American. The past spirit of America however, is rising in response to the current challenge This warrants the question: Can a continued majority of a generation live a lifetime without connecting the dots? Or is the mass media effect on humanity coming to an end? Can this ongoing deception stand up to the global awakening and consciousness raising that humanity is experiencing? Will those who are deeply asleep in the matrix ever wake up? If so, how many will die, be illegally imprisoned, tortured and killed in the name of the global government before enough people awaken to stop this madness? This ultimately is the question. Regardless of our future, this much is true: there was once a concept called the United States of America whose core values for survival of its union were based on sound principles. Principles that esteemed natural god-given rights for each individual (notwithstanding the ingrained racism and slavery that prevailed at the time) and felt it necessary to separate the powers of the State because this was seen as critical to for the prevention of tyranny. The founding fathers understood the dangers of powerful tyrannical governments and how they could destroy the country and the dreams of its citizens. Today, we understand and heed these warnings. We understand that there is no life without human liberties; there is no joy without human rights; and there is no future when you fear the government. As a human race we will eventually come to this conclusion as many already have. On March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry once famously said: “Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!’ These words will resonate in the hearts and minds of those Americans that pursue peace, love and justice forever. Many have said, "the answer to 1984 is 1776" and never has this been more true than now. The fall of the United States and the rise of the 'U.S.' Global Empire happened slowly and incrementally, as this was part of their plan. The mass hypnosis we observe in America today was accomplished by slow incremental feeding of lies and propaganda designed to pacify Americans and appeal to their irrational drives. This slow incremental implementation of tyranny by feeding of lies and deception in myriad ways is described by some as the ‘boiling frog´ effect. This effect has caused people to willingly and gladly accept restrictions of their natural freedoms and Constitutional rights.
Likewise, in order to reverse this course, everyone who cares about truth must continue to fight the information battle and continue to do the things that will push us into the next level of consciousness. If we can induce the critical mass that the establishment is so afraid of, we will win this battle of information and get to the business at hand of restoring the United States of America back to where it was at one time. Thankfully, history shows that these things do eventually change for the better. Humanity as a whole will eventually learn its lesson and reestablish the parameters for preventing this from happening again. History teaches that countries can be stolen and ideologies suppressed, but sound ideological and moral principles can also be recovered. Here´s to the political historical and conscious cycle of life and the hope of a new tomorrow. ------------------ Bernie Suarez is an activist, critical thinker, radio host, musician, M.D, Veteran, lover of freedom and the Constitution, and creator of the Truth and Art TV project. He also has a background in psychology and highly recommends that everyone watch a documentary titled The Century of the Self. Bernie has concluded that the way to defeat the New World Order is to truly be the change that you want to see. Manifesting the solution and putting truth into action is the very thing that will defeat the globalists. Activist Post
Sodomocracy And The City James Lloyd As America is immersed in the politically intense period known as an election, we regularly hear about the choices before us as citizens of the United States. The so-called "democratic process" is a phrase uttered frequently, yet very voters actually understand the distinction between a Democracy and a Republic. A Democracy is simply a form of government based on majority rule. One pundit has described a Democracy as two wolves and one sheep voting on what's for dinner. If you think it through, you will quickly realize that such a political entity will inevitably deteriorate to a system in which the consensus, based on an ever changing set of circumstances, is that which is used to determine truth. We note how the very word consensus contains the root word sense (as in sensual), so the communal choices made by a system of majority rule will invariably degrade to the lowest common denominator - a place which will satisfy the physical, emotional, and social desires of the masses. A Republic is, of course, a state which is based upon the rule of law -typically relying upon a foundational document, such as a constitution, articles of confederation, or some other lofty description in which that protocol is the highest standard under which the Republic operates. Historically speaking, the wisest of those involved in constitutional government engineered their primary documents in such a fashion that it's very difficult to change them without a significant, and drawn out effort. This was to counter the popular whims of the people who might make poor decisions without a decent interval in which to consider the ramifications of such flighty choices. The Bible actually speaks of a people who are easily swept away, or even manipulated into changing their minds on a frequent basis. The following text speaks of the absolute authority, and unchanging nature of God (an intrinsic characteristic of a constitution), and then compares those who constantly waver with the immaturity found in children: "There is one body, and one Spirit.One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Ephesians 4:4,6,14). In ancient times, even before the absolute and inflexible rule of law which was embodied in the Ten Commandments, the Scriptures record that certain individuals, most notably Abram (and to a lesser degree, his brother Lot), were ruled by an imperative to live righteously according to a higher mandate. Functioning within a Patriarchal structure, as Abram and Lot's fortunes increased, they ultimately parted ways. In those days, ably articulated in the book of Genesis in the several chapters before Moses the lawgiver arrives on the scene, the power of righteousness was repeatedly manifested - most notably in the case of Abram, who was later to be known as Abraham. The well known figure who was to become the "father of many nations" (Genesis 17:4), Abram was the undisputed leader of a clan which followed his directives. For example, when Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam who headed a coalition of City/States sacked the city of Sodom, and took Lot and his family captive, Abram instructed his servants to attack what was obviously a much larger force - yet the text tells us Abram's servants obeyed without question: "And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan." "And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people" (Genesis 14:14-16). Although these were not actually Abram's sons, clearly this was a family unit - and this model is in accord with the way in which the Kingdom of God is expanded. It's worth pointing out that Abram's much smaller armed family was able to defeat the military alliance of four kings led by Chedorlaomer; yet at no time is Abram ever referred to as a king. Although Democracy as an institutional construct was developed much later in Greece, even though it was accompanied by a totalitarianism in which kings ruled the City/States of antiquity, it is self evident that a rough form of mob rule has existed from the very beginning. For instance, long before the time of Abraham, when people began to multiply and cluster in the years after the great flood of Noah, we see a statement where the people democratically agreed upon a course of action: "And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name.." (Genesis 11:3:44). Clearly these ancients were in communal agreement in deciding upon a course of action. But the majority rule, which has ultimately resulted in Socialism, Communism, Fascism, and Globalism, was never a part of the LORD's plan for His chosen. After Abram liberates Lot, and the Patriarch's brother returns to his life in the city of Sodom, we find the way of Abram does not impact the city dwellers in the legendary place. Although Sodom is notorious for its sexual proclivities, few have noted the simple fact the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah indicates that a form of majority rule was clearly the norm. Most know how God dispatched two angels who were threatened with gang rape by the city's men, yet few read between the lines to see the city obviously had a rudimentary form of Democracy - thus, the fabled den of iniquity may be labeled as a Sodomocracy. As the crowd of brute beasts massed around the house of Lot, the text reveals they were all in one accord. In effect, the majority had decided it was appropriate to take the strangers by force, so the act would have been considered lawful in that wretched place: "..the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them" (Genesis 19:4,5). Most know the story of how Lot tried to conduct a Dialogue with the vicious mob, even seeking to facilitate the crisis by offering them his two daughters, in a futile attempt to satiate the animalistic mob. Ultimately, the singular power of God, manifested through the agency of the two angels, was unleashed - and the fire and brimstone which consumed everything except those chosen by the LORD for preservation, serves as an archetype for the forthcoming judgment of all unrighteousness. -- James Lloyd GEOgram
Who Wants to Live This Way? Only Wealth, Power, and Privilege Count By Stephen Lendman Daily events should scare everyone. Consider the times. Wars rage without end. More threaten. One conflict follows others. So-called democracies wage them. Popular needs go begging. Conquest, occupation, colonization, and exploitation are prioritized. Ordinary people are on their own sink or swim. Rich societies plead poverty. Nothing's available for social needs, they claim. War making priorities matter most. So do policies favoring bankers, other corporate favorites, and super-rich elites. Today's upside down reality endangers everyone. Protracted global Depression deepens. Policies adopted make things worse, not better. Criminality is rewarded, not punished. What better explains than Friday's headline announcement. Imagine Nobel Committee members granting NATO their most coveted award. Warmakers won their Peace Prize. Perhaps they'll be encouraged to keep ravaging countries globally. Why not when war is considered peace. Leaders who wage them reap huge rewards. Peacemakers are vilified. So are social democrats. Hugo Chavez stands out. Most Venezuelans love him for good reason. He cares and shows it. He keeps promises he makes. He shares Venezuela's oil wealth with everyone. Voters rewarded him with six more years. He thanked them responsibly. He'll deepen Bolivarian principles. He called 21st century socialism a work in progress. He wants it advanced and improved, saying: "We are obliged as a government and as the state to speed up the administration of efficient responses and solutions to the thousands and thousands of problems that the Venezuelan people still suffer from. We are obliged to be more efficient, precisely so we can continue every day with greater force." He'll launch "Mission Mercosur." It's the Common Market of the South. He wants it used to advance Venezuelan development. He has railways, deep-water ports, and other projects in mind. He wants more jobs created and exports increased. It's "extremely important….to convert La Ceiba, Trujillo state and the Lake of Maracaibo into international ports. Further, we should start at once to begin the construction of the railway line between the Orinoco and the Caribbean," he said. He also wants social programs expanded. He'll implement what he calls "micro missions." He wants local communities given more control. Let them prioritize needs. "We are drafting up ideas, revising notes and the specific and fundamental objectives of the micro-missions, as there will be many. They will be applied in towns, regions, factories, schools and the different places where they are needed." "We must keep giving power to the people, that is the solution, it´s not the power of the bureaucracy and elites that is going to solve the problems of the people." He also announced a new social missions ministry. It'll work cooperatively with local communities. At issue is helping all Venezuelans. Under Chavez, those most in need come first. In America, other Western societies and Israel, austerity is policy. So is war making. People needs be damned. They never mattered much. Now they're entirely off the table. It's been that way for decades. Today it's worse than ever. Imagine denying them during hard times when help is urgently needed. It's not forthcoming. US policymakers promise deep social cuts ahead. They made plenty so far. Republicans and Democrats are in lockstep. Rhetoric alone differs. Conquest, corporate favoritism, and benefitting super-rich elites matter. Ordinary people are left high and dry. Resources go increasingly for war and other ways to reward America's privileged. Warmakers may go global. Perhaps they plan destroying all societies to save them. Body counts don't matter and never did. Only wealth, power, and privilege count. That's what makes their world go round. Wage enough wars and they won't have one. Today's isn't safe to live in. At age 93, Doug Dowd's commitment for equity, justice, and peace remains strong. His academic career spanned six decades. He's still writing cutting-edge books and articles. He's a radical economist in the best sense. He wants upside down societies right-sided. By email, he sent this writer and others his latest thoughts. He covered much ground. He headlined "We Must Stop Today's Lurch Toward Disaster and Clear the Path Toward a Decent Society." Who can disagree! With America's elections three weeks away, he's justifiably concerned. However it turns out, ordinary people lose. At the same time, Republicans scare him most. Democrats also are up to no good. He urges third party activism. Another way entirely is essential. In 2008, Dowd hoped Obama might change things if only modestly. Now he's one of his sharpest critics. At the same time, Romney is menacing. He and likeminded uber-hawks may "take us toward self-destruction." It's time "We the People" used "our brains, energies, and values" responsibly. Given the alternatives, Obama's the best of two bad choices. He's woefully short of good enough. Once past November 6, working for "a strong, truly democratic" society is vital. It won't happen by accident. Wishing won't make it so. Nor will voting Republican or Democrat. Something entirely different is needed. What passes for normal in America includes wars without end, eroding social services en route to eliminating them, and police state harshness for non-believers. Wars threaten to go global. Dowd is justifiably scared. "Today´s weaponry is insanely more destructive both quantitatively and qualitatively than" decades earlier. "Future wars are almost certain to bring life on the earth to an end." At the same time, it's "unlikely that anyone will do what is necessary to bring government to sanity and decency regarding war." Bipartisan "enthusiasm" urges more. Syria and Iran are prioritized. Romney seems especially eager. What kind of leaders think blowing up countries makes sense. What kind of people support them. Real change is urgent, and not just on foreign policy. Dowd discussed domestic needs. "Militarism is bad enough," he said. What about making matters worse by homeland social depravation. Vital services are being destroyed in plain sight, in real time. They include healthcare, education, housing, and much more. Devastating consequences are certain unless stopped and reversed. Ordinary people must act on their own behalf. No other way works. Witnessing what's ongoing "makes for screams," said Dowd. Elites benefit while millions most in need go begging. Politicians are in bed with corporate crooks. They don't give a damn about life, liberty, equity, justice, and human need. Policies they support show it. Growing inequality is institutionalized. America's heading for oblivion. People needs are ignored. Depression conditions threaten to become catastrophic. Policymakers able to act don't notice or care. Self-interest defines them. They infest Washington like a metastasizing cancer. The longer injustices persist, the worse they get. A race to the bottom assures disaster. It's happening in America, across Europe, and in Israel. Who wants to live this way? Millions are unemployed. Poverty's expanding exponentially. So are homelessness, hunger, and overall depravation. Environment dangers are ignored. Dowd quoted a frightening analysis, saying: "It is clear that unless we make substantial changes in how and what we produce and consume the world will sink into irreversible and increasing dangers to air and water and much else upon which our very existence relies." "There has always been destruction and waste, of course, but in the past century their qualitative and quantitative explosion are on or over the edge of becoming lethal." "Modern ways of what, how, and the ways in which we produce and consume have increasingly poisoned what we depend upon for life." "The products we consumers depend upon for life, industry and agriculture depend upon for their profits. Pushed by their needs and desires, all too many producers - most, immorally, and successfully the giants among them - have through endless product changes and advertising brought out the foolish in consumers, and dangerous levels of waste of our natural resources." "We must awaken ourselves from such enhancement, now, for time is running out in our resources. Life was difficult for most before the age of consumerism. Because of our increasingly frail environment we have made it dangerously so." "It is no secret that today we are facing a planetary environmental emergency, endangering most species of the planet including our own, and that this impending catastrophe has its roots in the capitalist economic system." Try finding media scoundrels explaining what everyone needs to know. Western ones turn a blind eye. Most people have no idea what's going on or how it harms them. Bread and circuses matter more than their own welfare. Worsening crisis conditions aren't understood. Nor is knowing the urgency to act. Change depends on grassroots activism. Nothing else works and never did. It's not a left, right, or centrist issue. Survival's at stake. Everyone who cares must cooperate together or suffer. Independent activism is key. America's two-party duopoly is too corrupt and dysfunctional to fix. Another way is essential. In the 1960s, Dowd was one of 18 anti-war activists. Together they created "The Mobe: Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam." Diverse interests were represented. Included were "socialists, communists, women, unionists, priests, Blacks, academics," and other ordinary people who cared. He and two others were invited to North Vietnam to observe things firsthand. They met Pham Van Dong. He was prime minister from 1955 - 1976. He served unified Vietnam in the same capacity until 1987. "He told us that as long as our movement kept up its demonstrations, the US. would have to hold back from using its atomic bombs, and could not win the war without them." Anti-war efforts are always needed. It's important they become part of "wider political activism." Today it's essential. "Mobe" and similar efforts helped end the Vietnam War. Something similar today can work again. It's never easy, quick, or without dangers. Unless people try, conditions are sure worsen. Inaction guarantees "more misery" for most people. It also assures eventual "war (to) end all." If that's not motivation enough to act, what is? Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net . His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War" Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Growth Is the Problem By Chris Hedges The ceaseless expansion of economic exploitation, the engine of global capitalism, has come to an end. The futile and myopic effort to resurrect this expansion—a fallacy embraced by most economists—means that we respond to illusion rather than reality. We invest our efforts into bringing back what is gone forever. This strange twilight moment, in which our experts and systems managers squander resources in attempting to re-create an expanding economic system that is moribund, will inevitably lead to systems collapse. The steady depletion of natural resources, especially fossil fuels, along with the accelerated pace of climate change, will combine with crippling levels of personal and national debt to thrust us into a global depression that will dwarf any in the history of capitalism. And very few of us are prepared. “Our solution is our problem,’ Richard Heinberg, the author of “The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality,’ told me when I reached him by phone in California. “Its name is growth. But growth has become uneconomic. We are worse off because of growth. To achieve growth now means mounting debt, more pollution, an accelerated loss of biodiversity and the continued destabilization of the climate. But we are addicted to growth. If there is no growth there are insufficient tax revenues and jobs. If there is no growth existing debt levels become unsustainable. The elites see the current economic crisis as a temporary impediment. They are desperately trying to fix it. But this crisis signals an irreversible change for civilization itself. We cannot prevent it. We can only decide whether we will adapt to it or not.’ Heinberg, a senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute, argues that we cannot grasp the real state of the global economy by the usual metrics—GDP, unemployment, housing, durable goods, national deficits, personal income and consumer spending—although even these measures point to severe and chronic problems. Rather, he says, we have to examine the structural flaws that sit like time bombs embedded within the economic edifice. U.S. household debt enabled the expansion of consumer spending during the boom years, he says, but consumer debt cannot continue to grow as house prices decline to realistic levels. Toxic assets litter the portfolios of the major banks, presaging another global financial meltdown. The Earth´s natural resources are being exhausted. And climate change, with its extreme weather conditions, is beginning to exact a heavy economic toll on countries, including the United States, through the destruction brought about by droughts, floods, wildfires and loss of crop yields. Heinberg also highlights what he calls “the highly dysfunctional U.S. political system,’ which is paralyzed and hostage to corporate power. It is unable to respond rationally to the crisis or solve “even the most trivial of problems.’ “The government at this point exacerbates nearly every crisis the nation faces,’ he said. “Policy decisions do not emerge from deliberations between the public and elected leaders. They arise from unaccountable government agencies and private interest groups. The Republican Party has taken leave of reality. It exists in a hermetically sealed ideasphere where climate change is a hoax and economic problems can be solved by cutting spending and taxes. The Democrats, meanwhile, offer no realistic strategy for coping with the economic unraveling or climate change." The collision course is set. It is now only a matter of time and our personal response. “It could implode in a few weeks, in a few months or maybe in a few years,’ Heinberg said, “but unless radical steps are taken to restructure the economy, it will implode. And when it does the financial system will seize up far more dramatically than in 2008. You will go to the bank or the ATM and there will be no money. Food will be scarce and expensive. Unemployment will be rampant. And government services will break down. Living standards will plummet. ‘Austerity´ programs will become more draconian. Economic inequality will widen to create massive gaps between a tiny, oligarchic global elite and the masses. The collapse will also inevitably trigger the kind of instability and unrest, including riots, that we have seen in countries such as Greece. The elites, who understand and deeply fear the possibility of an unraveling, have been pillaging state resources to save their corrupt, insolvent banks, militarize their police forces and rewrite legal codes to criminalize dissent.’ If nations were able to respond rationally to the crisis they could forestall social collapse by reconfiguring their economies away from ceaseless growth and exploitation. It remains possible, at least in the industrialized world, to provide to most citizens the basics—food, water, housing, medical care, employment, education and public safety. This, however, as Heinberg points out, would require a radical reversal of the structures of power. It would necessitate a massive cancellation of debt, along with the slashing of bloated militaries, heavy regulation and restraints placed on the financial sector and high taxes imposed on oligarchic elites and corporations in order to reduce unsustainable levels of inequality. While this economic reconfiguration would not mitigate the effects of climate change and the depletion of natural resources it would create the social stability needed to cope with a new post-growth regime. But Heinberg says he doubts a rational policy is forthcoming. He fears that as deterioration accelerates there will be a greater resolve on the part of the power elite to “cannibalize the resources of society in order to prop up megabanks and military establishments.’ Survival will be determined by localities. Communities will have to create collectives to grow their own food and provide for their security, education, financial systems and self-governance, efforts that Heinberg suspects will “be discouraged and perhaps criminalized by those in authority.’ This process of decentralization will, he said, become “the signal economic and social trend of the 21st century.’ It will be, in effect, a repudiation of classic economic models such as free enterprise versus the planned economy or Keynesian stimulus versus austerity. The reconfiguration will arise not through ideologies, but through the necessities of survival forced on the poor and former members of the working and middle class who have joined the poor. This will inevitably create conflicts as decentralization weakens the power of the elites and the corporate state. Joseph Tainter, an archeologist, in his book “The Collapse of Complex Societies’ provides a useful blueprint for how such societies unravel. All of history´s major 24 civilizations have collapsed and the patterns are strikingly similar, he writes. The difference this time around is that we will unravel as a planet. Tainter notes that as societies become more complex they inevitably invest greater and greater amounts of diminishing resources in expanding systems of complexity. This proves to be fatal. “More complex societies are costlier to maintain than simpler ones and require higher support levels per capita,’ Tainter writes. The investments required to maintain an overly complex system become too costly, and these investments yield declining returns. The elites, in a desperate effort to maintain their own levels of consumption and preserve the system that empowers them, through repression and austerity measures squeeze the masses harder and harder until the edifice collapses. This collapse leaves behind decentralized, autonomous pockets of human communities. Heinberg says this is our fate. The quality of our lives will depend on the quality of our communities. If communal structures are strong we will be able to endure. If they are weak we will succumb to the bleakness. It is important that these structures be set in place before the onset of the crisis, he says. This means starting to “know your neighbors.’ It means setting up food banks and farmers´ markets. It means establishing a local currency, carpooling, creating clothing exchanges, establishing cooperative housing, growing gardens, raising chickens and buying local. It is the matrix of neighbors, family and friends, Heinberg says, that will provide “our refuge and our opportunity to build anew." "The inevitable decline in resources to support societal complexity will generate a centrifugal force,’ Heinberg said. “It will break up existing economic and governmental power structures. It will unleash a battle for diminishing resources. This battle will see conflicts erupt between nations and within nations. Localism will soon be our fate. It will also be our strategy for survival. Learning practical skills, becoming more self-sufficient, forming bonds of trust with our neighbors will determine the quality of our lives and the lives of our children.’ To see long excerpts from Richard Heinberg´s “The End of Growth’ and Joseph Tainter´s “The Collapse of Complex Societies,’ click here and here. © 2012 TruthDig.com http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/growth_is_the_problem_20120910/
THE SIN OF DOING NOTHING BY OLUFUNSO J. OMIDIRAN www.livingsword.org Man could be accounted sinful by reason of what he is, by reason of what he does and by reason of what he does not. However, when we fail to do what we ought to do, we create an untold problem for others and ourselves. In this study, we want to examine some instances when men sin because they failed to do something. 1. OMMISSION- Not taking prompt action e.g. the error of Israelites concerning the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:3-21): "And Joshua made peace with them and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them" v15 By reason of carelessness, Joshua and his people spared those they ought to have destroyed. They even went as far as swearing an oath of commitment to them. The costly error here is that they failed to seek the Lord. They acted presumptuously. How many times in your life have you also acted like this? PRESUMPTUOUSLY? 2. COMPROMISE- Failure to categorically take a stand for God and against unrighteousness: Inability to actively reject what is evil or unacceptable to God. E.g. Eli became a weakling, a mere shadow of himself; he failed to call his wayward sons to order. The anger of the Lord came upon his entire household. "Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. Now Eli was very old and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that were assemble at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? For I hear of your evil dealings by all these people. Nay my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’s people to transgress. If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him; but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them" (1Samuel 2:12, 22-25). "And Samuel told him (Eli) every whit and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good" (1Samuel 3:18). Eli proved so weak and irresponsible. In a moment he lost all that he laboured for in ministry. 3. NEGLECT- E.g. Israeli tribes who failed to take full charge of Canaan. "As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day" (Joshua 15:63). "And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute" (Joshua 16:10). "And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?" (Joshua 18:3). Are we not also failing to possess our own possessions today? To what extent have we neglected our BIRTHRIGHT and RESPONSIBILITIES in Christ? (Jeremiah 48:10). Oftentimes we miss our portion because of unbelief. Unbelief is a lazy attitude in the life of many heirs of the kingdom. 4. INDIFFERENCE -E.g. Lot who dwelt in Sodom and Gomorrah; he was content with staying there in as much as he was earning a prosperous living. Even when the angels were rescuing him from the inevitable inferno of divine wrath, he was reluctant to move on (Genesis 19:15, 16) 5. BEING BUSY DOING NOTHING- E.g. the Prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The young man seemed to be making waves before other vain-minded men, but he was actually a failure before God! He never realized his failure until he lost all his possessions. Do not wait to repent later. Repent when you may still be able to recover something. Actually there is no man who will not ultimately repent (now or later), but some will act too slow or too little, too late; they will weep and wail in hell but there shall be no more remedy then. Will you wait anymore before you amend your wicked ways before the Lord? Every religious effort of man when a he is out of tune with is Maker is a wasted enterprise. 6. SLACKNESS- Not being firm and decisive: God will not take this kindly with everyone to whom He has committed the destinies of fellow men. How much trouble Pastors and Church leaders caused by reason of indecision. Most often they do not want their big congregations to be offended and so they would not rebuke sharply when the Lord so requires. "Cursed be he who does the work of the Lord negligently (with slackness, deceitfully)" Jeremiah 48:10 AMP 7. FEAR OR TIMIDITY- When we fail to do what is right simply because we are yielding to the influences of people, those people will not be able to save us in the day of God´s wrath. Is it not better to do the will of God, even, if it is against popular expectation? Is it not costlier to sacrifice the interest of heaven for that of men? Is it not rather of more grievous pain to be rejected by the Lord than by men? Why not ask King Saul? Saul transgressed because he feared the people. "And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people and obeyed their voice" (1Samuel 15:24). 8. UNTAMED LUST OR INORDINATE PASSION- E.g. Samson, the weakest strong man. He was sold out to his fleshly crave or appetite for strange women. His future, hope and destiny were truncated. He died as a blind slave along with the uncircumcised Philistines with whom he was frolicking. (Judges 14-16). Every frivolous 'Samson' in this world will die ingloriously. Do not make yourself cheap bread to Satan. CONCLUSION: Think about this: We are in trouble when we fail to be A VOICE for God where He has placed or sent us; when we are not setting the right example to others who look up to us; when we fail to humbly seek God for deliverance from our known sins, pretending as if all is well and when we take the enemy of our soul for granted as if he is always a fool. Shalom. IN HIS HOUSE,
November 5th, 2012
http://www.activistpost.com/2012/10/the-fall-of-america-and-rise-in-spirit.html
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http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32778.htm
REV. OLUFUNSO J. OMIDIRAN
LIVING SWORD MINISTRIES INT'L
(Healing unto the Nations)
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