Religious Hypocrisy – doorway to end-time deception…

What is religious hypocrisy?

Simply put, hypocrisy, including religious hypocrisy, is pridefully lying about your beliefs and intentions in order to manipulate others – usually for personal gain. In modern America, religious hypocrites typically use false interpretations of Christianity to deceive those who want to follow them.

The hypocrisy of the right-wing political church

While hypocrisy is rife in politics in general, I specifically call out the American right-wing republican political machine because it blasphemously pretends to uphold “christian values” while openly flouting the actual commandments of JESUS. In truth, propagandists for Christian Nationalism are mostly focused on achieving political dominion over those whom they hate instead of “loving your neighbor and praying for your enemies” (as JESUS commanded). Their “religion” is much closer to political fascism than it is to Biblical Christianity.

Anyone who wants to argue this point can read this article about the widely quoted interview with the past President of the Southern Baptist Convention, where he laments the fact that right-wing conservative “christians” are actually condemning pastors for  preaching the WORDS of JESUS from the BIBLE. Right-wing evangelicals specifically despise the commandments by JESUS to love everyone because those passages oppose their desire to hate the enemies they have chosen to fight in their culture war.

JESUS threatened religious hypocrites with hell

JESUS specifically denounced religious hypocrisy, saying: “…you hypocrites, you honor me outwardly with words but your actions and true beliefs aren’t consistent with what you say; your worship is useless because you stress your man-made rules instead of the commandments of GOD.” (Paraphrase of Mat 15:8-9)

JESUS went on to pronounce a terrible condemnation against the scribes and Pharisees - the seven woes recorded in Mat 23. (A “woe” is a warning of impending doom that will inevitably result from opposing GOD.)

JESUS makes it abundantly clear that unrepentant religious hypocrites (liars) are condemning themselves – HE calls them “sons of hell, vipers and serpents,” and asks them: “how can you escape the damnation of hell?” Mat 23:15, Mat 23:33

Nonetheless, many modern right-wing political christians lie so brazenly that it is apparent that they are not afraid of any consequences in the world to come, connected to their hypocrisy. IMO, the popular “once saved always saved” false doctrine is the self-deception that emotionally empowers people, especially nominal christians, to feel secure in their salvation even when willfully committing sins that the BIBLE says are disqualifying. The BIBLE says that no (unrepentant) liars will be permitted in Heaven. Rev 21:8, Rev 21:27  Hypocrisy is lying.

A modern parallel…

The ancient Israelites killed many of the prophets sent to them by GOD because the rulers hated the message the prophets were sent to deliver. They were often rejected as false prophets because instead of prophesying the blessings that the self-righteous hypocrites wanted to hear, they prophesied destruction if Israel refused to repent. “Killing the messenger” did not stop the prophecy of destruction from coming true. 

One of the woes that JESUS pronounced against the religious rulers of HIS day was for the same kind of hypocrisy. The Pharisees were telling themselves that they were the “good guys” – that they would not have murdered the prophets like their ancestors did. However, JESUS told them that was exactly what they would do:

“… you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up then the measure of your ancestors!” Mat 23:29-33

“Fill up the measure” is a biblical ultimatum that if you keep on sinning, GOD will have no choice but to allow you to be destroyed. This prophecy was fulfilled when the Pharisees and Sadducees rejected John the Baptist and crucified JESUS.

In a striking parallel, modern American dominionists hypocritically tell themselves that they bear absolutely no guilt or responsibility for America’s immeasurable racism; past and present. They refuse to be accused of racism - even when their political sympathies obviously support a future white supremacist vision of America. In their almost universal acceptance of right-wing propaganda against so-called “wokeness,” the modern dominionist church hysterically attacks any discussion of America’s ongoing racism and other related corporate sins.  

Self-Deception in the end times

Dominionism and Christian Nationalism (D/CN) are the motivations behind this hypocrisy. In their warped preterist view of patriotic christianity, D/CNs have convinced themselves that as God’s chosen nation, they must return America to the “values and lifestyles” it was founded on. Then they want to institute a theocratic world government – no matter how long it takes – after which, according to them, JESUS can return. (Preterism and Dominionism are, in fact, titanic end-time deceptions.)

It upsets their un-biblical, fantastical applecart to have truth tellers expose the fact that America was founded on a mountain of horrific soul-destroying sins and that there are, in reality, no decent founding values to return to. This is why they continually repeat the trope that “America was not founded on racism;” they need to believe it, even though racism was written right into the original Constitution. The truth delegitimizes all of their claims of moral authority. The greedy, genocidal, money loving, slaveocracy that was/is America has no historical spiritual imprimatur to lead the world towards a regime of Christian moralism – especially when its own massive sins have long gone unrepented.

Their overwhelming hypocrisy and self-deception lie in the fact that D/CNs are determined to believe what they want - in service of their prideful quest for political and racial supremacy - regardless of what the BIBLE says. Like the Pharisees, they are following in the footsteps of their sinful racist ancestors by refusing to repent and admit that they have the same sinful mindset.

They need to “kill the message” because they fear that the succeeding generations – those they are counting on to continue their quest for “christian” white supremacy - will be derailed hearing the unvarnished truth about American history. Hence, their tooth and nail political fight against “wokeness” and any allusion to America’s overwhelmingly sinful past in the public school curriculum.

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” 1Tim 4:1-2

Dominionism Opposes the BIBLE - Church heresies that Encourage American socio-political dysfunction, Part 4c.

This is part 4(c) in a series of articles showing how the acceptance of anti-biblical beliefs by people calling themselves Christian has led to the current political situation in America - where a large portion of the population is willing to accept fascism to maintain their perceived racial dominance. (See this post for definitions.)

Dominionism is the thoroughly unbiblical belief that politically conservative Americans (dominionists and christian nationalists, i.e., D/CNs) have been called by God to take control of all worldly institutions in order to enforce their version of white supremacist “christianity” on all Americans and ultimately to create a world theocracy under their control.

What if… Dominionism is just a strategy for world control by the evil rich?

America’s “christian” plutocrats have historically told their followers that because they are God’s elect everyone should accept the methods they used to gain control. Inspired by Calvinism, they claim that their money and/or power is proof that they were chosen and that all of their actions represent God’s sovereign will. But what if dominionism is just a long-term propaganda tactic meant to convince naive right wing political Christians to support a totalitarian form of government that will eventually be exported world-wide? What if dominionism is just a means to popularize the one percent’s quest for world domination?

Creating “Another” Jesus to justify the love of money

He who says, I know him (JESUS), but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1 Joh 2:4

In the previous post we examined the “Family,” a powerful politico-religious cult of Calvinist authoritarians who have created a false version of christianity to justify their greed and lust for political power. I promised to show how the oligarchy’s false dominionist christianity (represented in the Family’s theology) opposes the true message of the BIBLE. According to their extreme version of Calvinist double predestination, they believe that they were chosen to rule over the poor and will not be held accountable for any misdeeds because everything they do is ultimately part of God’s plan.

In the documentary about the Family, there is a scene where one of the cult leaders uses the story of David and Bathsheba in an attempt to justify this belief. In the Old Testament, king David stole another man’s wife and caused that man to be killed in an attempt to cover up the adulterous affair. 2 Sa 11  According to the Family’s false theology, GOD ignored/excused David’s terrible sins - adultery and murder - because David was chosen and “elect.” The Calvinist authoritarians claim that GOD ignores their sins on the same basis.

This false interpretation is so dangerous because:

1)    GOD made an eternal covenant with David long before this incident and there is no such covenant with modern D/CNs. The modern Calvinist oligarchs are employing biblical eisegesis – taking phrases and concepts out of their original context to try to prove something that the BIBLE does not actually teach. No credible prophet or righteous person has ever told the 1% that they now represent the elect of God – this is just an idea derived from Calvinism. In fact, the BIBLE says that those who love money and love the world are the enemies of GOD. Jas 4:4-8  1 John 2:15-17 

2)    GOD did not ignore David’s sin. 2 Sa 7:8-16  GOD pronounced a curse on David – his punishment was that he would never have peace in his household and that someone would humiliate him by publicly taking his wives just like he took the wife of Uriah. As an immediate judgement, the child that resulted from David’s adultery did not survive. Later, David’s grown son Amnon was murdered by his half-brother Absalom, after Amnon raped Absalom’s sister. Absalom eventually rebelled and started a civil war, naming himself king. Absalom captured the royal palace and took 10 of David’s wives as his own. Saddened and humiliated, David ultimately regained the throne but 20 thousand Israelites, including his son Absalom, were killed in the war.

So, unlike the false teaching of the Fellowship, GOD didn’t ignore David’s sin just because he was chosen – he paid a heavy price. Like the Puritans who murdered the native Americans to steal their land, the capitalist oligarchs who proclaim themselves to be the elect of God are using an Old Testament promise that was not made to them as a blasphemous anti-christian self-justification.

This false version of Christianity has been called "Jesus plus nothing." Members of the Family are expected to surrender themselves to “Jesus” - in exchange for which, they claim to be saved and to be working for Jesus in everything they do without having to change their worldly behavior or actually becoming Christ-like - IOW without actually obeying the commandments of JESUS. The Calvinist oligarchy’s lawless nominal christianity is just a version of hyper grace (antinominionism), i.e., they believe they are “chosen” so they are not accountable for their sins. (Whether any right-wing billionaires actually believe the Calvinist inspired version of dominionism that their minions promote or whether it is just an authoritarian strategy used to deceive the masses into supporting their regime, is a discussion beyond the scope of this article.)

What JESUS said about the rich and the poor – Lazarus and the rich man…

It is instructive that JESUS gives HIS most direct teaching about the reality of hell in the context of HIS parable about “Lazarus and the Rich man.” Luk 16:19  JESUS presents HIS attitude about the damnable greed of the rich so plainly that it is amazing that anyone pretending to be a Christian would have the audacity to promote an opposing idea.

In the parable, Lazarus, a cripple, begs for food by the gate of a rich property owner who lives a lavish, royal lifestyle. The rich man, whether through maliciousness or simple thoughtlessness, ignores the poor beggar and allows him to starve right outside his house (not even offering him scraps). When both men are dead, the spirit of the selfish rich man is shown being tormented in flames (hell) while Lazarus is seen in the eternal realm of the righteous.

Was Lazarus, crippled and reduced to begging, not among GOD’s elect because of the unfortunate circumstances of his life? Was the rich man proved to be elect and unconditionally saved because he was rich? JESUS teaches the very opposite of what Calvinists and dominionists would have you believe: the rich man was damned because of his selfish greed and the poor man was saved regardless of the dire circumstances of his earthly life. GOD stresses HIS concern for the poor dozens of times throughout the BIBLE.  

Conclusions:

1.    They aren’t really Christians

Way back in the first article of this blog, I said that the actions of American right-wing political christians (D/CNs) show that they aren’t really Christians. As provocative as that statement may sound, it was recently corroborated by Russel Moore, the former leader of the (very conservative) Southern Baptist Convention – the largest protestant denomination in America. Moore, now chief editor of Christianity Today, in a widely quoted interview said that the evangelical church is in a spiritual crisis because right wing evangelical church goers are openly and blasphemously rejecting the teachings of JESUS as sounding like “weak liberal talking points.” IOW, republican parishioners are proving themselves to be more devoted to their hateful white supremacist politics than they are to the WORD of GOD.

Dominionism / Christian Nationalism is just fascist politics masquerading as Christianity. D/CNs blatantly ignore the commandment(s) of JESUS (“love your neighbor as yourself”) and hate any realistic recounting of history that shines the light of truth on the lies they tell themselves to justify their quest for political dominion. In fact, falsifying history is a classic tactic of fascism. The BIBLE tells us that hating the truth is a major indication of end time deception. 2 Thes 2:8-12

2.    Bow down to the rich and they will care for the poor - the farce of “trickle down” economics

One of the biggest political lies in recent decades has been the “trickle down” economics theory. The idea being that if (through tax breaks) the rich and powerful could become even more rich and powerful they would, out of the goodness of their hearts, share their bounty with the poor. This concept is an outgrowth of the Family’s grossly unbiblical doctrine of helping the rich instead of helping the poor.

The concept of helping the rich to get richer so they can be more generous to the poor has proven to be a laughable farce. As we see from the current distribution of wealth in America, trickle-down economics was/is nothing more than a transparent scam – a ridiculous falsehood. In 2023, the top 1% of wealthy Americans hold 36% of the nation’s wealth. The top 10% own almost 70% of the wealth - while the bottom 50% own a mere 2.6%. There are between 700 and 800 billionaires in America. Those few hundred people own twice as much as the bottom 50% of the population (167 million people). About 12% of Americans currently live below the official poverty line, making less than $13K per year - when the average yearly rent for an apartment is $20K. At least 10% (34 million people) in the richest country in the world don’t get enough to eat, including children, while republican controlled state legislatures vote to abolish free lunch programs in public schools. World-wide, 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day, with a quarter of the world’s population, over 2 billion people, living in semi or actual starvation conditions. The idea that the rich will give more if they have more is just a sad joke.

Nevertheless, one might reasonably think that there is some merit in preaching JESUS to the rich so that they might become better people. Historically however, the greed of the rich seems to grow as their paranoia overtakes them and corrupts their souls; the love of money being the root of all evil. Unsurprisingly, the false christian doctrines that cater to the rich have emboldened them to become even more greedy. Not content with massive tax breaks (shamelessly rebranded as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” under Trump), they propose to end as many social programs as possible so they can take even more.

3.    Dominion and the New World Order – the ultimate deception?

For decades conspiracy minded Americans have been groomed by right-wing propaganda to fear a United Nations led world government - the so-called New World Order; a world-wide communistic regime that would enforce a single currency and usher in the anti-christ. What would you say to the possibility that the NWO already exists? Could the so-called New World Order that we were warned to fear in the 80s and 90s already be in place? Could it be that we are blinded by the fact that those currently implementing a NWO are nominal christian capitalists instead of godless communists?

The US has over 1000 military bases operating in at least 80 countries world-wide. The US spends more on its military than the next 10 countries combined – imposing the will of its corporate oligarchy throughout the world. Who indeed, can make war with the beast? Rev 13:4  Is the US the evil empire, a dominionist NWO, that we don't recognize because we have been convinced by everything we've learned since childhood that we are the good guys?

In terms of influencing national and international politics, the Family courts “key men” – with the idea that every person in power, no matter how hypocritical or even demonstrably evil, is somehow ultimately doing god’s will. The Family will do business with that person if they are willing to play ball by calling on the name of “their” Jesus (no matter how insincerely). This false image of Jesus has allowed them to partner with some of the most overtly evil dictators and business people in the world to gain political power and access to money. Thus, the corporate oligarchs blasphemously invoke the name of JESUS to justify their support of murderous third world dictators; selling them weapons produced by America’s military industrial complex to create the havoc that allows corporations to gain control of the oil and other natural resources in their impoverished nations. For those who don’t understand, the political and economic instability purposefully created in third-world countries by the west makes it impossible for average people to continue living there – they risk everything to flee to Europe and America where they hope to find some semblance of the rule of law.  

By promoting never ending war, the oligarchs are getting paid on both ends. They own the weapons contractors who have direct access to your tax dollars and they use America’s military influence overseas to steal what they want from less powerful countries.

Consider that the D/CN promoted to the masses is just a strategic stepping stone; propaganda sponsored by the plutocracy to get right-wing political “christians,” i.e., Trump voters (including police and military), to support the installation of an authoritarian government – an actual NWO anti-christ government that would no doubt, soon set out to destroy them along with everyone else.

The Wrap up – what are they really after?

“The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it."          Billy Graham

The typical joe-sixpack D/CN doesn’t seem to realize that the plutocracy / oligarchy that they idolize are the ones who have always been pushing for total control – the kind of control that is characterized by the desire for world dominion. They are the ones sponsoring the propagandization of the masses, making them believe that democracy needs to be dispensed with in order for whites to maintain political control in America.  

If you have any doubt that the dominionist tune is being called by the billionaire oligarchy, I refer you to the current right-wing blueprint for ending democracy in America – the fascist-minded Project 2025 recently released by the billionaire controlled Heritage Foundation. (We might consider that this plan was probably already available to be implemented had the tragi-comic 1/6 insurrection been successful.) Here are two articles that give an overview of the immediate danger presented by that plan. The fact that the corporate media is not screaming its head off 24/7 about the existential danger represented by Project 2025 should give you an idea of who is in control.

Nowhere does the BIBLE say that men need to use force to gain political control of the world in the name of Christ – to do so would be the opposite of JESUS commanded. Nevertheless, the rich men of the earth seem hell-bent on imposing an international authoritarian government - as evidenced by the fascist strong men who have come to power in the west during the Trump era. A coalition of non-democratic totalitarian western governments appear to be very much like what might be required to give a world-ruling anti-christ figure immediate control – regardless of whether the oligarchy believes in an anti-christ or not. Dominionism pretends to justify itself as a means of enforcing christian morality, but at its core it is just another “man is god” world domination fantasy, white supremacy gone mad.  

The Dominionists – Who are they? Church heresies that Encourage American socio-political dysfunction Part 4.b.

This is part 4(b) in a series of articles showing how the acceptance of anti-biblical beliefs by people calling themselves Christian has led to the current political situation in America - where a large portion of the population is willing to accept fascism to maintain their perceived racial dominance. (See the previous post for definitions.)

The Christian Nationalist Org Chart

The mainstream media often presents Dominionists and Christian Nationalists (hereafter D/CNs) as just the millions of gullible working class republican voters who believe and repeat everything the right-wing media tells them – ie, people whose sense of self depends on being part of “team white America.” However, the republican base did not create the D/CN movement and does not set its agenda, they are merely deceived pawns – spiritual cannon fodder.

The D/CN movement should really be viewed as an organization with a top-down power structure - just like a government or a corporation:

• Top - At the top of the pyramid are the small number of corporate oligarchs (the 1%) who quietly fund and direct the “conservative” movement. They adopt a low profile so that the people on the bottom never realize who the actual enemy is.
• Middle - In the middle, is a much larger group of corrupt self-serving politicians and highly-paid lying media propagandists who act as the middle managers tasked with implementing the “conservative” strategy. They protect the oligarchy by promoting the political falsehoods (wedge issues) that obstruct functioning democracy. Such people have sold their souls for money, as evidenced by their eager promotion of all manner of lies – when the BIBLE tells us that all liars will be damned. Rev 21:8
• Bottom - Finally at the bottom of the pyramid is the great mass of deceived authoritarian followers; the republican base that continues to vote for their own destruction in exchange for nothing more than mere assurances from the propaganda class that their white skin ancestry makes them part of the ruling group – “go team white America.” Never mind that their easy, lower middle-class version of the American dream has been purposefully destroyed by the very same oligarchs that they idolize.

Although they would not be prepared to accept it, I am ultimately writing this for the potential Christian redemption of the great mass of deceived nominal Christians at the bottom of the D/CN pyramid – people who have been brainwashed by decades of right-wing propaganda into rejecting Christian decency and embracing their learned (racist) feelings and instincts instead. They actually stand to gain nothing from D/CN in this world or in the next as they embrace the lies and un-Christian hatred fed to them by their middle management dominionist overseers.

A little history (…OK, a lot of history) about who “They” are

To assess the real motives of those behind the D/CN movement, we need to look at the top of the pyramid and consider what those who fund this movement stand to gain from implementing their hateful racist crusade. To do this, we have to examine the historical background.

Even before the US declared independence, a colonial upper-class was using its monetary power to exploit others – murdering Natives and enslaving Africans. In the late 1800’s, their successors, the wealthy industrialists who had made vast fortunes from land theft and chattel slavery moved to consolidate their control of American industry. These robber barrons, as they became known, insisted that they had the right to treat their white labor force however they wanted – that is, as much like slaves as possible – offering subsistence wages in life threatening work conditions, where child labor was necessary for families to merely survive. When workers demanded better conditions, vicious police gangs were hired by the oligarchs to attack and sometimes even murder anyone who dared to strike.

In 1929, the reckless greed of the business elites led to a stock market crash that kicked off the Great Depression - the worst economic downturn in modern world history. Much as we have seen in recent times, then president, Herbert Hoover, gave government bail outs to the very same oligarchs that had wrecked the economy. In 1933 fed-up Americans elected a new, democratic president Franklin D Roosevelt. Instead of continuing to serve the greed of the oligarchy, FDR instituted the “New Deal” – a series of government programs established to revive the economy by providing jobs and aid to the unemployed working classes. For this, he was branded a traitor to the ruling class.

The oligarchs felt threatened by the new deal, which they deceitfully associated with the rise of (atheistic) communism in Europe. Then and now, anything which gives economic power to the common people (actual democracy) is derided as being socialist / communist because it reduces the elites’ dictatorial power over the workforce and the economy.

False Preachers bless the lovers of money - enter the Wolves (in sheep’s clothing)

As happens (i.e., not by coincidence), a number of anti-labor, pro-big business “christian” preachers were pushed into national prominence during this same era (1930s). Once again, as with the blasphemous “christian” justifications for chattel slavery, the rich would promote a dishonest “us vs them” religious narrative to justify their greed, ie, “god-ordained” free market capitalism vs godless communism. One such preacher willing to provide profane religious cover for the oppressive policies of the business elites was a Norwegian immigrant with anti-union, anti-communist, and pro-Nazi sympathies, named Abraham Vereide. Vereide organized a businessman's anti-labor alliance in the pacific northwest that was dedicated to “breaking the spine of organized labor” on the west coast. This was an odd sentiment for a “christian” organization, especially given that the labor unions were forced into existence by abuses from the elites to begin with. According to the man who exposed the modern power of Vereide’s business cult, truth telling author, Jeff Sharlet:

In April 1935 Vereide, a Norwegian immigrant and Methodist minister living in Seattle, claimed to have had a vision in which he was instructed by God to redirect his Christian ministry away from the “down and out” (the poor) and toward the “up and out (the rich).” He subsequently evangelized among wealthy and politically powerful individuals who shared his concerns about socialism and other “subversive” forces. Strongly opposed to the New Deal policies of Democratic U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Vereide favoured an unregulated economy in which the less fortunate would depend on the religiously motivated charity of those in whom God had vested power and wealth. (Britannica)

Vereide was singing the first verse of what has become an old song: that union organizing was/is communist-inspired and therefore anti-American and un-christian. Never mind that working people were only asking for decent treatment and that the Christian BIBLE plainly tells us that exploiting workers is an act of evil. Lev 19:13, Deut 24:14-15, Jam 2:5-6, 5:1-6, 1Cor. 9:9-10, 1Tim. 5:18  The fact that Vereide’s vision opposes the BIBLE should be more than enough to tell you where it came from. Nevertheless, to those of Vereide’s ilk, free-market capitalism was/is the divine order – in which the rich are “chosen” by god to control the poor. Many modern right-wing political churches, influenced by this attitude, continue to teach that government intervention to help the poor is actually sinful (!) Needless to say, this version of the false “double predestination” doctrine disregards practically everything that JESUS taught. (See the next installment for a breakdown of how this doctrine opposes the BIBLE.)

In the 1940’s, with the backing of big business, Vereide took his act to Washington, DC. His shadowy semi-religious group eventually became one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful lobbying force for international big business interests in Washington. The rise of Vereide’s organization is outlined in Jeff Sharlet’s books and the Netflix documentary, “The Family.”

Back to the “same old” deal

The 1950s are often seen as the “golden age” of white middle class America by the typical christian nationalist. A high school educated unionized factory worker in the 1950s was often able to support a family of 4 on one salary. Ironically, the ease and prosperity of 1950s white America was the culmination of the socio-economic policies implemented by the new deal. The right to unionize, the VA bill, Medicare, Social Security, unemployment insurance, welfare, food stamps, etc., were all new deal inspired government programs.

These are the very same social and economic programs that the corporate oligarchs (directing the conservative agenda from atop the D/CN pyramid) have been working behind the scenes for many decades to destroy. Why? Simply because democracy and economic security for the masses threatens their power. To them, too much democracy means an unstable environment for the oligarchs to maintain their dictatorial financial power - people at ease might start to realize who their real enemy is.

Consider the deceptive lies currently being told by corrupted republican politicians about their plans to allow the corporate oligarchs to control (ie, to end) Social Security. Social Security is literally money paid into a national retirement fund by American workers and it belongs to them and to no one else. Why do these bribe takers want to give it to the oligarchs, who already control the vast percentage of wealth in America? Even though it is an obvious political poison pill for politicians to tell elderly voters that they want to take away their meager retirement income, they are being forced by the oligarchy to quietly propose this as a pretended solution to America’s national debt problem. The oligarchs just want ultimate control - people with no social safety net will have to do exactly what the oligarchy tells them to - or starve in the cold and heat. This is very suggestive of the “mark of the beast scenario” described in the BIBLE – where people will have to sell their souls just to get the bare necessities of life. Rev 13:15-17  How can anyone fail to recognize that the corporate oligarchy is promoting evil at every level?

The incredible power of (wanted) propaganda

Working class D/CNs have been continually duped into fearing that Blacks, Mexicans and recent immigrants will take their jobs and thus their position in society. No one can take what doesn’t exist. The reality is that their jobs were moved offshore to make higher profits in lower-cost labor markets by the very same corporations that destroyed their unions. Labor unions had always supported democratic political candidates who represented the working class. Thus, destroying the unions effectively disenfranchised former union workers by eliminating the funding sources for political candidates that traditionally represented their interests. With the election of Ronald Reagan (1980), the oligarchs put their plan to dismantle the “new deal” into high gear. The republican propagandists openly attacked unions as being greedy, crooked, and anti-american and attacked social programs by promoting the ridiculously false idea that they only helped “undeserving” Black people. Over the course of his presidency, Reagan convinced working class “conservatives” that the same federal government that had implemented the laws which allowed them to have a union job capable of supporting a family of four in their “golden era” - was actually their enemy because it was starting to extend the promise of the “American dream” to Blacks and other minorities.

That’s right, we are where we are because of greed, envy, and petty racism – hence the need for this blog.

The Links to Knowledge – those who seek will find Mat 7:7-11

While writing this particular section, I happened on a fantastic multi-part article that offers far more historical detail than I give - Democracy in Crisis: We’ve Been Headed Here for Decades. (I suggest that you copy the entire 8 part article to your desktop in case it ever disappears.) If you read and study this article as well as some of the other links provided, especially Jeff Sharlet’s material, you will gain an understanding of how the corporate oligarchy has created the political divide we face today - ie approaching the end phase of American democracy.

More relevant links:

https://mbird.com/grace-in-practice/jesus-plus-nothing-equals-a-gospel-tornado/

https://theaquilareport.com/jesus-nothing-everything-an-analysis/

https://harpers.org/archive/2003/03/jesus-plus-nothing/

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Secret-Fundamentalism-Heart-American/product-reviews/0060560053/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewopt_kywd?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews&pageNumber=1&filterByKeyword=nothing

https://www.vice.com/en/article/d3azww/netflixs-the-family-jesse-moss-unmasks-the-political-power-of-christian-fundamentalists-jeff-sharlet

https://theweek.com/articles/503433/dcs-invisible-army-christ

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/msnbcs-imaddow-showi-prop_b_262011

https://truthout.org/articles/the-family-who-really-is-behind-this-secret-organization/

https://www.theunbrokencord.com/writings/jesus-power-disaster-a-review-of-the-family-on-netflix

https://divinity.uchicago.edu/sightings/articles/hidden-roots-betsy-devoss-educational-policies

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2010/09/abraham-vereide-doug-coe-the-family/

https://kottke.org/16/11/the-14-features-of-eternal-fascism

https://kottke.org/tag/politics

https://newswithviews.com/Cumbey/constance126.htm

https://baptistnews.com/article/how-corporate-america-changed-our-religion-a-review-of-one-nation-under-god-by-kevin-kruse/

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/9/25/2054302/-This-Christian-Nationalist-Group-Wants-Power-by-Any-Means-Necessary#comment_81914975

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/8/6/2044226/-America-2021-The-Good-the-Bad-the-Ugly?_=2021-09-27T18:14:06.000-07:00

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/9/2/2049677/-Cabal-1-Christian-Nationalists-amp-Their-Ideology

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/10/2/2055571/-What-Was-the-Real-Reason-for-the-Moral-Majority-amp-What-Was-Paul-Weyrich-s-Radical-Vision

https://deceptionfree.wordpress.com/tag/abraham-vereide/

https://www.globalresearch.ca/christian-fundamentalism-permeates-the-republican-party-sarah-palin-s-links-to-the-christian-right/10167

https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/56/when-money-meets-jesus/

https://www.bookforum.com/print/2201/a-close-look-at-the-roots-of-christian-nationalism-shows-it-to-be-a-recent-corporate-contrivance-14374

http://insider-magazine.org/ChristianMafia.htm

https://www.povertyusa.org/facts

https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Family-international-religious-movement#ref1102462

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2010/09/abraham-vereide-doug-coe-the-family/

Church heresies that Encourage American socio-political dysfunction – Part 4(a). Dominionism and Christian Nationalism

The fear of GOD is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

This is the final article in the series showing how certain un-biblical doctrines, embraced by the right-wing political Church, have contributed to the current hate-filled socio-political situation in America – that is, being on the verge of accepting an openly fascist / authoritarian form of government.

This (multi-part) article will focus on the unchristian, anti-biblical, hypocritical, and thoroughly worldly aims of the American Dominionist / Christian Nationalist movement (hereafter D/CN). Experts who have been studying dominionism for decades have concluded that it is the main unifying element in the right-wing political (republican) church movement. That said, it is vitally important to understand that not all American Christians are dominionists. Christians who are not under this delusion understand that white Americans are no more important to GOD than any other race or nationality. 

Definitions – What do they believe?

Dominionism is an unbiblical belief that white (republican/evangelical) Americans have been called by GOD to take control of all worldly institutions and rule over them (and everyone they affect) according to their (false patriotic) version of Christianity.

Note that there is a spectrum of dominionist belief. So-called “soft dominionsts” claim to be benign – only wanting to “influence” the national dialog. That notwithstanding, their leaders announced years ago that they are determined to “do whatever is necessary” to achieve their goals. (The ongoing corruption of the federal judiciary is a prime example.)

At the other end of the spectrum is the OG form of dominionism known as Reconstructionism. Although it is downplayed today, Reconstructionism is the doctrinal forerunner of D/CN. It is an openly racist form of Calvinism that has a stated aim of implementing the death penalty for selected “moral” offenders if the reconstructionists could ever take power. See also Dominion Theocracy.

Christian Nationalism – An ahistorical conviction that the United States was founded as a white, Christian nation and that the separation between church and state outlined in the First Amendment of the Constitution either never existed or doesn’t mean what it says. In sum, it is a devious indirect way of stating that only white “christians” should be afforded full citizenship rights in America.  

Note: Some commenters on the last post were skeptical about a reference made to the long-standing conservative plan to call a constitutional convention. I wrongly assumed that this was common knowledge. These are links to mainstream articles about it. The revisions that the D/CNs want include strengthening “state’s rights” and honoring the “original intent” of the Constitution. These are just code words for reinstituting legalized white supremacy.

Conclusion #1

D/CN is nothing other than a political “rule the world” fantasy that blasphemously invokes the name of JESUS as a cover / self-justification.

JESUS never sought worldly political power and rebuked his disciples for even making the suggestion.

Peter was told that he was speaking for satan when he declared that JESUS should be Israel's worldly political messiah instead of doing GOD's will by going to the cross. Mat 16:23 D/CNs are doing exactly the same thing – they are rejecting JESUS’ commands to show mercy, to love your enemies, and to humbly carry your cross. Instead, they are to plotting to force society to bow down to them in the name of their false god - white supremacy.  

More to come…

In the subsequent parts of this article, we will see (part 4b) who the D/CNs are and why they feel it is crucial to vilify all attempts to present the real history of America (e.g., book-banning and the sham attacks against “CRT”), and (part 4c) how D/CN directly opposes the words of JESUS in the BIBLE.

Church heresies that Encourage American socio-political dysfunction – Part 3, Racism

This is the third part of a series of articles showing how certain un-biblical attitudes in the Church have helped to create the current political situation in America – that is, being on the verge of accepting fascism.

What is Fascism?

Fascism is an anti-democratic authoritarian form of government. It often rises to power through the corporate propagation of nationalist and racist propaganda (lies). Once in power, fascists suppress internal opposition through state violence and mass imprisonment. (Definitions are in the blog post.)

The Plan

Republican strategists have recently begun to openly float the idea that "democracy" (representative government as defined in the US Constitution) can and should be canceled if the “right people” get to stay in charge. (A conservative plan to call a constitutional convention to reinstitute legal white-supremacy has been in the works for decades.) The kind of government that they are proposing is a form of fascism that will eliminate the basic voting rights of Blacks and other Americans who are not aligned with the corporate right-wing nationalism that the oligarchs are seeking to enforce. This desperate eleventh-hour effort to prevent the loss of white rule in America proves that the right’s pretended patriotic reverence for the US Constitution has never been anything other than rank hypocrisy.  

Do the “ends justify the means”?

One small problem for the “win-at-all-costs” republicans who consider themselves to be Christians - fascism is the very definition of anti-christian evil. It relies on hate, lies, and racist violence to gain and maintain power. Hitler came to power by stoking the resentment of Germans who could not accept that they lost WWI (1918). They wanted someone to blame, a scapegoat. The Nazi’s offered up a racial minority, the Jews. Do you recognize a pattern? 

In their rise to power. the Nazis openly stated that they were only emulating America’s racial policies and though it has been purposefully forgotten, the Nazis were supported by a vast number of racist Americans. There was a mainstream Nazi movement in the US that lionized Hitler and actually supported the Nazis throughout WWII. Hitler’s satanic fascist dream of racist world domination resulted in a world war that ultimately cost the lives of 50 million people (WWII). 1 Peter 5:8-9, John 8:44 Who can say what might be the long-term outcome if modern American fascists get their way – we already have mass imprisonment, what else might they come up with? It certainly brings a number of apocalyptic (end of the world) scenarios to mind.

Ironically, although many white American political christians feel empowered to denounce their political enemies as demonic, it is they who are standing at the very precipice of hell for willfully rejecting the BIBLE’s overriding lesson – to love your neighbor as yourself. Mat 22:37–39. They are literally driving people away from CHRIST with hypocrisy and hate for the sake of achieving political dominion. Rom 2:24 So this is my point; to ask political Christians if they are willing to risk their eternal salvation to have their way in this world? JESUS rejected his disciples' desire for worldly dominion. 

A news flash from the past

Will the American right-wing political church actually accept fascism to maintain their vision of white supremacist American exceptionalism? News flash – it has always done so in the past. Unfortunately, many unbelievers blame this on Christianity itself, instead of blaming the greed and racism of those who try to justify their race pride with feigned religion.

A little history

The US Constitution officially mandated that America become a fascist police state in Article 4. Every state government was required by Federal Law to detain, question, and arrest Blacks who had escaped from slavery and return them to their tormentors. In other words, the entire country was a fascist police state arrayed against innocent Black people. The Fugitive Slave Act was codified as federal law in 1793 and again in 1850. When the law was strengthened in 1850, the refusal by some states to directly participate in the slave system was cited as a major grievance by the confederates in their (Civil War) articles of succession. 

Historically, many American church denominations supported chattel slavery and thus the fascist police state that enforced slavery. They falsified the teachings of the BIBLE to support the genocide, enslavement, and oppression of Africans and Natives. They employed the very same authoritarian propaganda against their victims that we now recognize as fascism: they are evil, inferior beings, … it is us vs them, …if we don’t destroy them - they will destroy us, etc. It was all done for the love of money and greed and pride continue to be the motivations today. 1 Timothy 6:10 

The “woke” history that they fear:

Even though the Fugitive Slave Act was repealed in 1864, the fascist police state arrayed against Black people remained in effect through Jim Crow laws, lynching, jury nullification, debt peonage, disenfranchisement, economic racism, for-profit prisons, and police violence. (See definitions below.)

The idea that these simple historical truths might become common knowledge is apparently what all the mercenary anti-woke political prostitutes are pretending to fear. Why? Is it because these truths negate any possible spiritual justification for white christian-nationalist rule as the population numbers begin to change and white people no longer hold a numerical majority? Is it because acknowledging the evils of American history will delegitimize the trope that America is justified in all its imperialist actions due to some sort of white, nominally christian, exceptionalism? Is America’s ruling class promoting culture-war simply because the propaganda of American exceptionalism ultimately legitimizes the capitalist power of their military industrial complex? (See definitions.)  

Love your enemy – will racists (or fascists) be in Heaven?

It is amazing that any committed racist can actually believe they are justified in the eyes of GOD, that is, that their actions and attitudes are acceptable to GOD when they oppose the BIBLE? An overwhelming number of recent political disclosures prove that if you vote republican, you are voting for racism – whether you can admit it to yourself or not. (There is no shortage of high-profile republicans who readily admit that they are disgusted with what the Republican Party has become.) Over and over, we see American white people expressing vile murderous racism but when confronted, they simply claim that they are not racists. Such people are living in a state of political and religious delusion brought on by the hateful satanic propaganda that they greedily consume.

People, please remind your right-wing relatives and acquaintances (who claim to be Christians) that JESUS likened hatred and contempt for others (racism) to murder. Mat 5:21-26 The BIBLE tells us that no murderers are allowed in heaven – disqualifying sinfulness is as much about ongoing attitude as it is about action.

Definitions

Authoritarian government – (Enforcement of) blind submission to authority, as opposed to individual freedom of thought and action. In government, authoritarianism denotes any political system that concentrates power in the hands of a leader or a small elite that is not constitutionally responsible to the body of the people. (Britannica)

Jim Crow Laws - Any state or local laws that enforced or legalized racial segregation in America. These laws lasted for almost 100 years, from the post-Civil War era until around 1968, and their main purpose was to legalize the marginalization of African Americans. (GSU)

Lynching – Extra-judicial murder; to put to death, especially by hanging, by mob action and without legal authority. Since the Civil War, thousands of African Americans (some innocent, others purely as acts of terrorism) have been lynched by white mobs; often in demonically gruesome ways, followed by ritual desecration of the bodies.

Jury nullification - Jury nullification is when a jury votes to acquit a defendant despite clear evidence that the defendant violated the law. (Blacks Law Dictionary) Jury nullification has historically been a normal occurrence in America, especially the south. It was/is used to deny justice to Black victims of white perpetrators. The 1992 LA Riots were the result of jury nullification when a mostly white jury seemed to flagrantly ignore video evidence showing the brutal and prolonged police beating of a black motorist.  

Debt peonage – Defined as a condition of enforced servitude by which the servitor (debtor) is compelled to labor against his will in liquidation of some debt or obligation. (Justica) In the post-civil war American south, poor Black people were often arrested on a made-up charge of “vagrancy,” ie, not having any money on them. They were fined, and then made to pay off the fine by being forced to do hard labor on a plantation farm. It was used as an extension of slavery in conditions that were as bad or worse.

Disenfranchisement - The state of being deprived of a right or privilege, especially the right to vote, eg, disenfranchisement of minority voters. Disenfranchisement was used to enforce economic racism against Black Americans after the official repeal of slavery. Lynching and other forms of terroristic violence were used against Blacks to keep them from demanding or exercising voting rights.

Economic racism – The systematic denial of opportunity in education, employment, and access to capitol that has led to the average Black family having less than 10% of the personal wealth possessed by the typical white American family. Substandard schools in poor areas vs well-equipped schools in rich areas is a prime example of ongoing economic racism in America.

Exceptionalism – The idea that the United States of America is a unique and even morally superior country for historical, ideological, or religious reasons. (Britannica) The belief in exceptionalism is based entirely on hypocrisy and an agreed-upon false history.

Military industrial complex – A reference to all the components of a nation’s military establishment, including the private businesses involved in producing weapons and other military equipment. President Dwight D. Eisenhower …warned that the growth of the defense industry posed a threat to democracy. (Political Dictionary) The Military industrial complex has granted itself direct access to taxpayer funds in the name of national defense. (After WWII, the Department of War was rebranded as the Department of Defense.) It is actually an evil corporate business, a merchant of death that forces the Government to buy overpriced weapons systems that it does not need and then creates the war scenarios where the weapons are used, so they can sell more. The only purpose is to create more profit to satiate the insane greed of the oligarchy.

Church heresies that Encourage American socio-political dysfunction – Part 2, Dispensationalism

This is the second part of a series showing how several widely accepted false teachings in the Church have helped to create the current political situation in America – that is, being on the verge of accepting fascism. The teachings being examined largely contradict the most fundamental commandment of scripture - to love your neighbor as yourself. Mat 22:37

What is dispensationalism?

Dispensationalism is one of the core doctrines of the American right-wing political church. As such, it has had a far-reaching impact on the American political landscape. Many of the “end-time” apocalyptic beliefs that many American Christians have come to accept as indisputable truths were only conceived after 1830 by the inventor of dispensationalism, John Nelson Darby.

Definition

The word dispensation (to dispense) means to give, provide, or distribute goods / services to people. Darby arbitrarily divided the BIBLE timeline into 7 eras or dispensations; claiming that GOD had a different way of dispensing salvation to people during each era. His bottom line being that the Jews don’t need to accept JESUS to be saved. One BIBLE verse, lamely taken out of context, was/is used to legitimize the whole scheme: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 The original verse means to study the word and interpret it correctly – it has nothing to do with breaking history down into arbitrary divisions.

Scofield’s “Bible”

Dispensationalism was popularized and became part and parcel of American fundamentalist Christianity upon the release of C.I. Scofield’s Scofield Reference Bible Notes in 1909.

Scofield’s “Bible” was/is a King James Bible that added commentary notes written in plain English. The notes promoted fundamentalism and dispensationalism at a time when conservative Christians felt that their values were under attack by modernism. Unfortunately, for many Americans, those “values” included anti-black racism expressed through segregation and disenfranchisement – thus keeping America’s long history of christianized hypocrisy intact.  *See the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Report on Slavery and Racism for a shocking description of the racist values held by many conservative “Christian” theologians in the early 1900’s.  

Heresy

There is so much wrong with dispensationalism – so many specifics that contradict the BIBLE – that I can only realistically address a few of the most egregiously heretical aspects.

Uninspired commentary

Scofield’s bible was the first Bible that had been published in over 300 years that had uninspired commentary notes presented on the same pages as inspired scripture. At the time, many considered this to be blasphemous because it encouraged readers to accept Scofield’s twisted interpretations as being equal to scripture.

The Gospel not meant for the Church (?!!)

Scofield claimed that the Gospel, as taught by JESUS, was (mostly) not meant for the Christian Church (!) IMO, this is the most outrageous claim ever made by dispensationalists. The original dispensational teaching was/is that JESUS’ ministry and teaching was to the Jews – that the doctrines meant for the church are only outlined in the letters of Paul. IOW, classical dispensationalism claims that JESUS and Paul are teaching two different gospels. This is a blasphemous contradiction of scripture.

Scofield intimates that the Sermon on the Mount (where JESUS outlines what it is to be a true Christian) is Old Testament law. He says that JESUS’ commandments will not be in effect again until it is the law for a supposed (exclusively) Jewish millennial kingdom on earth – after the Christians have been raptured to their kingdom in heaven! Note that this doctrine was widely denounced by mainline churches as an outright rejection of JESUS’ commandments.

Scofield’s note at Mat 5:2 discusses the Sermon on the Mount and then states:

“…For these reasons, the Sermon on the Mount in its primary application gives neither the privilege nor the duty of the Church. These (commandments to the church) are found in the Epistles.”

IOW, it doesn’t apply to the modern Christian church. In his notes for Ephesians 3, after a somewhat self-contradictory interpretation of Eph 3:6 - where he has to talk around the fact that Paul says that the church is one body of people composed of Jews and Gentiles, Scofield goes on to say:

“In his (Paul’s) writings alone we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny of the Church.”  

Jews don’t need JESUS

Dispensationalism teaches that modern unbelieving Jews do not have to accept JESUS to be saved. Dispensationalism claims that non-believing Jews will be saved in eternity according to OT covenant promises that are supposedly still in effect from their “dispensation.” Again, this is a direct contradiction of scripture – which says that the only way to GOD is through JESUS. Joh 14:6 Dispensationalism teaches that Christians will be saved in heaven while the Jews will be segregated to an earthly kingdom. The BIBLE actually says that the church is one “new man” composed of Jew and Gentile; that the combined church body is Israel.

The Rapture will be a secret

Dispensationalists teach a secret / pre-tribulation rapture and more than one “second coming.” According to dispensational doctrine, Christians will be taken away suddenly (raptured) without warning, and no one will know what happened to them. The BIBLE does not teach either a secret rapture or a pre-tribulation rapture. (At Rev 4:1, Scofield adds a note that is erroneously related to the rapture of the church – i.e., “come up here".) The BIBLE actually says that there will be unmistakable signs worldwide before the second coming of JESUS - that HE will appear like lightening; lighting up the sky from east to west. IOW not secret.

Dispensationalism’s highly speculative and unreasonably specific outline of the end-time scenario has led large factions of the church to accept the eisegesis represented in popular fiction like the Late Great Planet Earth and the Left Behind Series as being representative of Biblical truth. Some dispensational thought demands that secular Jews populate Israel in order to be slaughtered in the end time battle of Armageddon; where only a small number of Jews will supposedly survive to populate a segregated millennial kingdom on earth – with all Christians having been conveniently transported to heaven. Matthew 24:27

Slavery and Racism were and are justified

Scofield’s bible notes justify anti-black racism and support white supremacy. Scofield’s note at Gen 9 boldly restates a pre-civil war false interpretation that was used to justify chattel slavery.

According to the false interpretation, Noah (the father of all the races) curses his son Ham (who according to the BIBLE is the father/ancestor of the races that initially inhabited parts of the middle east and Africa. Slavers and racists falsely claimed that this curse gave them biblical justification to use Africans as slaves because all Africans had supposedly been cursed through Ham. In his note at Gen 9, Scofield claims that (my additions in parentheses):

(5) A prophetic declaration is made that from Ham will descend an inferior and servile posterity Gen_9:24; Gen_9:25. (He means the enslaved Africans in America and their descendants.)

(7) A prophetic declaration is made that from Japheth (supposedly the white northern European races) will descend the "enlarged" races Gen_9:27. Government, science, and art, speaking broadly, are and have been Japhetic, so that history is the indisputable record of the exact fulfilment of these declarations. (Note that this could only be considered to be true from a historically and geographically ignorant Eurocentric viewpoint.)

The actual story in the BIBLE can be summarized thus: Noah got drunk. Noah’s son Ham saw him passed out, naked in his tent. For an unstated reason, this led to Noah proclaiming a curse against Canaan, Ham’s son. Noah said that Canaan would be a servant to his brothers, Shem and Japheth. The GOD of Shem was blessed (inferring that Shem was blessed). GOD would make space for Japheth (enlarge) and Japheth would live in the tents of Shem.

·      Note that Ham had three other sons who were not cursed.

·      The word translated as “slave” here is often shown as “servant” in the OT. Throughout the BIBLE, the words for slave and servant are often interchangeable.

·      No one really knows what the word translated as “enlarged” actually infers in this context.

Why Gen 9 has nothing to do with modern chattel slavery

The following is an (incomplete) outline of reasons why Gen 9:20-27 has nothing to do with modern chattel slavery and in no way justifies or excuses the horrific (satanic) evils of the trans-Atlantic slave trade:

1.   First and foremost, Ham was not cursed and neither were his other three sons. Lazy (or malicious) commentators often repeat the phrase: “GOD cursed Ham.” GOD did not curse Ham. Noah did not curse Ham either. In fact, it can be deduced from Gen 9 that Noah couldn’t have cursed Ham because GOD had already blessed him. 

2.   No one knows what Ham and/or Canaan did that caused Noah to curse Canaan. The actual offense and who committed it is so vague that the meaning of this episode has been a source of (often wild) speculation since ancient times. The Rabbis had many theories, but often ended up just blaming Noah for getting pass-out drunk in the first place.

3.   At Gen 10 the BIBLE shows how the sons and grandsons of Shem, Ham and Japheth became the progenitors of the various nations around the Mediterranean and south into Africa.

4.   Ham’s descendants are shown as settling to the east in Iraq and Arabia, in Palestine, west across Mediterranean Africa, and south into Egypt and Ethiopia. Canaan’s descendants were the people living in Palestine who the Israelites displaced when they escaped slavery in Egypt. The Israelites had already mixed with the Hamite Egyptians – e.g., Moses’ second wife was an African. Num 12:1

5.   Many commentators over the centuries have contended that the displacement of the Canaanites was the final fulfillment of the curse against Canaan. The OT treats the rest of Ham’s descendants in the same way it treats the other nations. Note that individuals and groups from all the Mediterranean nations had been enslaved at one time or another.

6.   When Noah blesses Japheth, saying that GOD will make a place for him, can any reasonable person actually believe (as Scofield implies) that it means that 3500 years later, northern Europeans will be justified in using any means necessary to rape the world of its material goods?

 7.   Here are a series of quotes from an article posted at conservative, reformed TGC about the false interpretations about the “curse of Ham.” It provides mainstream denominational agreement with all that I have written above:

 …there is no curse of Ham in Genesis 9 or anywhere else in the Bible.

 …the “biblical” doctrine used to justify the enslavement of dark-skinned peoples is completely fabricated and has no exegetical warrant. (I.e., it is not taught in the BIBLE.)

…prior to 1865 …The curse served as a prooftext for pro-slavery preachers, enabling them to make heavenly sounding justifications for the hellish enslavement of dark-skinned image-bearers (of GOD).

…Patrick Mell (1814–1888), the fourth president of the Southern Baptist Convention, proposed: “From Ham were descended the nations that occupied the land of Canaan and those that now constitute the African or Negro race. Their inheritance, according to prophecy, has been and will continue to be slavery . . . [and] so long as we have the Bible . . . we expect to maintain it.”

…Satan is a master of Scripture-twisting (Matt. 4:1–11). He is the deceiver behind false teachers who serve his purposes by “disguising themselves as . . . servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:13–15). Given both its lack of exegetical warrant and its evil fruit, “the curse of Ham” interpretation can only be described as a “doctrine of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1–3).

…(Although) slavery was abolished in 1865, echoes of this false doctrine continued to reverberate throughout America’s culture and churches. Prominent pastors used it to support segregation, and its sentiments fuel modern-day white supremacist theology.

What would JESUS Say?

The Europeans, who like all conquers attacked people in order to steal their stuff, decided that their success meant that they were not only destined to rule but were justified in their conquests, regardless of the utterly anti-Christian methods that they used. Methods which, as we see from this episode, included the blasphemous and hypocritical misuse of BIBLE texts to justify themselves.

The heretical misinterpretation of Gen 9 contradicts everything that JESUS commands in the New Testament – it deviously attempts to use an obscure OT passage to justify actions that are deadly soul-destroying sins – especially according to the NT.

Americans had the BIBLE to tell them that it was wrong when they decided to use chattel slavery and genocide to get rich. There is no excuse – then or now. People who today are getting their sense of self-worth from racism and nationalism still have the option to repent before it is too late.

Conclusion

Dispensationalism is so internally contradictory, that it has been revised over the years to try to bring some of its more heretical teachings in line with the mainstream. (I say this to anticipate the arguments from modern dispensationalists who claim that they have corrected many of the errors of the classical dispensationalists.)

My question however is this: Why stay loyal to a system that you acknowledge was faulty from its origin?

Dispensational doctrine has had a far-reaching impact on the world view of many fundamentalist Christian denominations – continuing to encourage them to ignore the main commandment of the NT – to love your neighbor as yourself.