If you've never heard the phrase, learn a little about the concept of a Biblical Worldview.
Briefly, a "cult" is a community which demands and receives from its members belief in doctrines which are contrary to the Bible, or obedience to commands which are contrary to God's Commands.
A cult can be led by a single charismatic figure (like Jim Jones in Jonestown), or the cult can be more bureaucratic (like the Jehovah's Witnesses; do you know the name of the head of the JW's? or the head of the Mormons?). Bureaucratic cults work more through peer-pressure than by the seductive appeal or threatening authority of the charismatic leader (German: "Führer") or guide (Italian: "Duce" [from Latin dux meaning "guide"]).
I used to be a member of the Libertarian Party because of the powerful way it began its Statement of Principles:
We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual.
This is a very important statement.
Imagine an American tourist, on vacation on the other side of the globe, carrying his suitcase. He's walking down the street of a town or village he's never seen before. He's very visibly dressed like an American, not a local. He walks up to a home. He doesn't know who lives there, and the family inside has never had any contact with the tourist before. The tourist puts his suitcase down in front of the front door, opens it up, and pulls out a machine gun. He kicks in the door and starts yelling at everyone to get down on the floor, sprinkling his command with the foulest language. Nobody in the house understands English, but they all get down on the ground because this guy is obviously a dangerous psychopath. He continues yelling. The children are crying. He points his gun directly at a teenager, who soils his britches. Grandfather is having a heart attack. He won't make it.
How do you like the way this guy is representing America?
"Reprehensible," you say.
Now let's change one key fact in this horrifying scenario. The "tourist" is a soldier, and he's asking people in the house if they know where any "terrorists" are.
Now this man has gone from "reprehensible" and "psychopath" to "man of courage," "hero," who is "serving his country" and "protecting our freedoms."
Unintentionally, he's also recruited that teenager into the ranks of the "terrorists" who are defending their grandfathers from American "imperialists."
There are many religious cults, and they may well pose a danger to people who can be victimized by cult brainwashing. Mothers are saddened when their children join one of these cults.
But the "cult of the omnipotent state" does not only engage in brainwashing through its schools, but it uses violent physical force against those who resist its brainwashing, including armed robbery, kidnapping, murder, and genocide using lethal weapons of mass destruction.
Yet many mothers are proud when their children join this cult.
And this is the greatest danger of this cult: it's members sincerely believe in its moral goodness.
There are many brands of Mormonism. Some practice polygamy, others don't. But they all share some essential characteristics of Mormonism, like becoming god of your own planet. Or whatever.
There are many brands of "the State." The "United States," the "United Arab Emirates," "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland," "Islamic Republic of Iran," and many others. Especially among those nations in "the West," there is a common doctrine that unites all these "nation-states." They all agree that members of the cult leadership have the right to engage in activities that would be "crimes" if committed by ordinary mundane cult members. These cults agree that not only does the leadership have the right to do things that would otherwise be considered immoral, but cult members have a duty to honor and applaud these actions, even if they would condemn the same behavior if committed by mere members or outsiders. And if the cult leadership commands the members to do these same acts, the members are morally obligated to obey. Those who disobey the cult leadership are despised by other members, even if all the cult members would not obey any ordinary cult member or outsider who made the same command.
If the cult leadership commanded members to give money, they would, but if you or I commanded cult members to give us their money, and threatened violence if they refused, they would (rightly) say we have no right to their money, and are guilty of extortion.
The cult leadership has rights to steal, to kidnap, and to murder -- "rights" which ordinary people do not have.
Every Professor of Political Science in every college and every university in the world will agree that this is the very essence of the institution we call "the State" or "civil government" -- a monopoly right of violence. Forbidden to "laymen," but a "right" of the state -- to do what would be a "crime" if you or I did it.
But the "United States" is arguably the most dangerous and evil branch of this abominable cult.
I believe the United States is the most evil and dangerous government on the planet.
"Criminals" kill hundreds, even thousands of people a year. They steal thousands, even millions of dollars a year.
But the cult of the State exceeds the crimes of criminals by orders of magnitude.
But during my lifetime, the "government of the United States" has killed, crippled or made homeless tens of millions of innocent non-combatant non-caucasian civilians around the world, and confiscated or destroyed TRILLIONS of dollars of private property. "The State" is more evil and dangerous than all common "criminals" combined.
During the 20th century, this global cult, in all its various nation-state factions, killed hundreds of millions of human beings, enslaved billions and stole or destroyed trillions of dollars of private property.
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The greatest amount of evil committed in the world today |
"The Cult of the Omnipotent State" is also the largest organized crime syndicate on the planet -- larger than any "private sector" mafia, cosa nostra, or drug cartel. "The United States" is the largest "church" in this global cult, and is the most evil and dangerous faction of the cult on the planet. It is the enemy of God and humanity. Its violent, life-strangling tentacles extend around the world.
One might argue that the government of North Korea is more purely evil than the United States, but it's not more dangerous. Statistically speaking, the average human being living anywhere on planet earth is more likely to have her rights to life, liberty and property infringed by an employee of the cult of the United States government than by any other government or terrorist organization. Hence, more "dangerous."
But I think God (the Judge of all mankind) might render a verdict that the U.S. is more evil than North Korea. It will take a lot of exploring to wrap your brain around that claim, and most Americans are not motivated to explore it, but rather to ignore it, or actively suppress it. When I was in high school, I would have thought such a claim to be "communist" and "anti-American." As I became a more devout Christian, while remaining conservative and patriotic, I would have regarded that claim as "rebellious."
- 1 Samuel 15:23
- For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the Word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king.
But now, as I get older and start to receive AARP junk mail, I've lost my "patriotism." I look back and realize that during my lifetime, the United States Government did the following:
Jesus warned:
45 But if that servant ... begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.47 And
that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
49 “I came to send fire on the land, and
how I wish it were already kindled!”
Luke 12:45-49
There's still a lot to appreciate about Mormons, and about the cult of the United States. I admit I still get a little misty-eyed when I hear a good version of "The Star Spangled Banner" (like NFL pro Reggie Wayne). Cult de-programming is a lifetime task. America was once a Christian nation. But the United States is now a "secular," statist nation. We have apostatized from the true religion and now pay tithes to a false religion.
A "cult" exists when members obey the cult's commandments even if they contradict God's Commandments. A secularist would say a "cult" exists if members obey the cult's commandments even if they contradict the member's own conscience. The word "conscience" comes from two Latin words, "con" (with) + "science" (knowledge), speaking of something we "know" "with" God. The Bible says there is no such thing as an atheist; everyone knows God exists (Romans 1) and we show the work of God's Law written on our hearts (Romans 2). A Christian agrees to "discern" the will of God with greater detail and to apply it in life (Romans 12:2: 1 Corinthians 2:14 Ephesians 5:10; Hebrews 5:14). The cult member is more concerned with discerning the will of the cult.
The Bible-believing Christian condemns cults because The Cult takes the place of God in the life of its members.
Nowhere is this more true than in the realm of "politics."
"The State" ("civil government") is the most dangerous and evil cult.
And the United States is the most evil and dangerous faction of this cult.
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I believe the Bible is an Anarchist Manifesto