A hallway filled with American flags. Posters of the troops. Even a scheduled evening celebration that consisted of a 5-minute trailer with theatrical music meant to drive up your emotional state and give you goose bumps. Charged words flashed across the screen: Honor, Country, Freedom.
No, I wasn’t at a military recruitment event. It wasn’t even a government building or a movie theater, which often serve as fertile environments for statist propaganda.
Nope, all of this happened at church last Sunday. A place where, according to the cornerstone of the entire religion, we are to treat others how we want to be treated.
Yet there I was, sitting in the auditorium, reflecting on a very sad truth: The Abuse of American Soldiers. The oligarchs treat them as pawns, the general population convinces them of nonsense like they are fighting for our freedoms, and politicians parade them around like props in a theatrical show every few years to get votes. In reality, these young 20-year-olds are sent off to kill people they have no quarrel with. To defend not our freedoms, but corporatism. The elites in this country have turned the American solider into both a victim and a bully.
Anyone reading this probably has a fairly good grasp of the unification of government and big business in this country. But what about churches? Whether you believe in God or not, the churches in America are frighteningly infected with unthinking nationalism.
As I walked down the church hallway, staring at the poster that advertised a Tuesday worship service to honor the troops, I thought to myself, “maybe I should just give in.” The oligarchs have infiltrated every aspect of our lives with their worldview. Mass media, Hollywood, public schools, the economy, even our places of religious worship. Heck, they are even able to frame the perception of what it means to be a “normal” human being. Perhaps that’s at the root of many problems I face when raising my children.
Raising kids to be sovereign thinkers in this world is akin to an ant trying to climb a mountain during an avalanche. Essentially, I’ve taken on a task that is proving to be even more difficult as time goes on and the kids age.
On a personal level, I wanted to introduce my children to the teachings of Christ. Unfortunately, I can’t even do that the “normal” way by going to a church. Instead, I will likely have to do that at home in a similar spirit to our homeschooling.
Balancing my role as a father, and making sure my kids are thinking for themselves, will ultimately be my greatest achievement. In the end, I don’t want to be the designer of my children’s thoughts. I don’t want to replace the state. I just want to allow them to be raised in an environment where they think for themselves. It’s a lot harder than it sounds.
I think I’ll start by approaching the pastor this week with my children, and having an honest conversation with him about the state worship I witnessed. Maybe that will be the solution. For me to put myself in awkward conversations with everyone who has Stockholm syndrome. On second thought, maybe not…
– Daniel Ameduri aka The Dissident Dad
For more info see this author’s bio.
Some very good points and thoughts. I am a Christian and often feel as if some preachers are a lot more pro-war then they should be.
As individuals we have the God given right to self defense. Why regardless of someone’s view on government would they allow(in their view.opinion of when force is OK) the state to do more than that? Yet it happens all the time. I also see one’s country being promoted in a way that almost makes it seem that our duty to it is on par with our duty to God.
I believe the ultimate goal of the oligarchs is to replace religion with worship of the state, so you are correct. They are moving the people in their direction. Very very strange how compliant most people are.
Even stranger how compliant churches seem to be.
Well written. One request when you talk to the Pastor remind them that for over half a century the abusive application of the state secrets privilege and related doctrine, act, executive order, administrative action, regulation and policy abuses have damaged in one form or another thousands of children. Encourage the Pastor to help lobby so that with any common sense by our legislation body, this summer, they will revamp the Patriot Act such that this abuse will be less likely.
Let me say I sort of admire you, for doing what you do and freeing yourself from the thought tyranny we have fallen vicitim to. But I have one question for you, not to be disrespectful, just out of curiosity: If you freed yourself from worshipping the state, how come you haven’t freed yourself from worshipping god?
ignorant question, Matti, which merely demonstrates your lack of knowledge of spiritual matters.
In the context of organized religion I completely agree with you Matti but with that said and not so much as a state of worship but real visceral experience, there is something there, what it is I would not claim to know exactly. Is it something beyond or just a chemical reaction in the brain again not sure, but every time I have chosen to engage in a truthful open way through meditation, yoga/martial arts and conscious living , proper nutrition I am immediately rewarded with clarity, contentment , new information, creativity and for lack of a better description profound spiritual experience. This I can not deny. In my opinion there is something beyond us and what I find with most Atheist’s or just common skeptics is that if their honest with themselves they have dismissed a possible connection with a greater force before they have ever given it an honest chance to prove themselves wrong.
“No, I wasn’t at a military recruitment event. It wasn’t even a government building or a movie theater, which often serve as fertile environments for statist propaganda.
Nope, all of this happened at church last Sunday. A place where, according to the cornerstone of the entire religion, we are to treat others how we want to be treated.”
All one has to do to know that the state has infected your relationship with God is to listen and or watch a country music song/video, these fucktards wreak of blind nationalism and false christianity. Waving their flags while holding their crucifix and hooting and hollering in jubilee while we bomb women and children with brown skin.
Shall I move on to the Roman Catholic demon pedophile hoard. For those of you who call yourselves Christian remember you are forever linked to the murder , rape, crusades , pedophilia, persecution and general ignorance that is the Christian church whom of which very rarely exemplify the teachings of the man Jesus Christ. You don’t need religion to have a relationship with the creative force and lets not be so arrogant as to think we can name or even should name such a force. American’s just love to join their team’s with very few seeing through the bull shit lie that is everything we have ever been taught and this goes especially for the Christian right. I grew up as a Christian and even as a young boy was confused by my love for the man they called Jesus and the hypocrisy that I witnessed before my eyes. Sorry for the rant but I loath the ignorant manmade bull shit religions.
Well put. Also, remember and give credit where credit is due that the Catholic Church has paid out billions regarding the pedophiles. While there hand may have been forced, one has to give them credit where credit is due. For all practical purposes the Church has admitted they are not above the law. Meanwhile for over half a century the tax payer funded intelligence gathering serial pedophiles have admitted nothing. Yet the supreme court, legislative body, and executive branch still find ways to give impunity to tax payer funded intelligence gathering serial criminals. My current soapbox is to get the legislation body, this summer, to revamp the Patriot Act such that this abuse will be less likely.
You know, the US kills non-stop and it has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with corporatism and class warfare. I don’t know why it is so many American liberals fail to acknowledge the reality that human beings will contrive one excuse after another to slaughter each other – religion is just one of the excuses they have used historically. Had it not been religion they would have found another. To blame religion for the penchant many men share for brutal warfare evades the real problem.
So it was strange that you realized your own churches allegiance to the Globalist Corporative Collective yet then you projected that guilt onto those in the military. Then condemning them as someone defending Corporatism (a.k.a. Fascism). Surely then you’ve never served in the military. Have you? Well then I can tell you that “we” don’t fight for ‘Corporatism’ any more then you do as a citizen in that same system. We fight for survival. We fight for our own survival as well as those around us. Just as you do as a father to a family. Aren’t you bolstering up ‘Corporatism’ too by participating in its system? Of course you are in the same manner the “Good Germans” did from 1933 to 1945. But now you Mister Christian are on even a more evil train then the Nazis are. The Globalist Collective have their own vision of a ‘New World Order’ even more diabolical then their disciples, the Nazis did. What will you do to resist their evil plans? Hmm? Blame soldiers who are mere pawns like the rest of the citizenry? You’re waking up and that’s good to see, but now you need to take up the full array of Ephesians 6:10-20 and stand against every facet of evil in the world. For you, it may begin in your own church (Revelation 18:4-5,24). To to put yourself in awkward conversations with everyone who has Stockholm syndrome. Surely you will witness to all of those pawns? Or on second thought, maybe not…
I can’t speak for The Dissident Dad, but I can tell you that based on your comment, it appears we read two entirely different articles.
He wasn’t projecting guilt onto those in the military at all. He was clearly making the disturbing connection that the Church was promoting nationalism and militarism generally. In fact, he clearly states:
“The oligarchs treat them as pawns, the general population convinces them of nonsense like they are fighting for our freedoms, and politicians parade them around like props in a theatrical show every few years to get votes.”
This is quite clearly making the point that soldiers are being used and treated as tools in a greater and diabolical geopolitical game.
In fact, nothing about what you wrote makes even the slightest bit of sense, or implies that you even read the article closely.
Michael Krieger, the fact you confess you can’t even make the “slightest bit of sense” from what I wrote speaks volumes as to why you can’t even understand what The Dissident Dad wrote here either.
The “point” is that he failed at making a point. Neither you, nor the DD can make a “point” when it concerns a group of people you know nothing about. The DD is trying to project a point onto American Soldiers, which neither he nor you knows anything about. Based on ignorance of the subject of the American Soldier as well as prejudiced stereotypes. Which altogether creates a flawed presupposition.
Dissident Dad then gave up the point at the end by remarking “on second thought, maybe not…”. So the only point is to slander those who serve in the military, while doing nothing to try and remedy a presupposed wrong. He could’ve made a point if he’d had the moral backbone of admitting he belongs to the same system that the society he participates in which perhaps he can see in his own church. But he was unable to adequately qualify that confession other then to merely retreat from it.
More civilians die, and are maimed every year then all military personnel any given year, and yet he, and apparently you too seem to have the belief of some type of moral superiority over those in the military. You can’t. You and Dissident Dad serve the same government that commands our military, yet you two seem to have developed some type of cognitive dissonance to that fact. But then that’s the preferred position of any hypocrite, isn’t it?
I suggest if you don’t understand someone’s comments then you refrain from responding. But we all know that you do understand hence the condescending remarks. And your sycophantically inferring you can’t speak for Dissident Dad only tells us you are just attempting to curry favor from him. Otherwise don’t give us the rhetoric of not speaking for someone else you don’t know just as Dissident Dad does about ‘American Soldiers’.
Here’s suggestion to all of you who “pretend” to have the power to speak for other people you know nothing about; don’t do it. Stick to your own experiences or you’ll get called out by those who know more about the subject then you do.
But let’s be honest too as to just why some of you think you qualify to remark on any person serving, or who served in the military. You’re just acting as someone else’s “pawn”, a “Useful Idiot”, and a willing “dupe” of someone else’s agenda. All of which is so much morally inferior to military service to one’s country, and dishonest.
Chuck, you have an incredible ability to make a claim and then respond with lengthy nonsense without ever supporting your initial claim.
Where have I, or where did the Dissident Dad “project guilt onto the military.” That was the entire basis of your gripe and you didn’t show any evidence where it happened. You just made something up and then proceeded to get on a soapbox and ramble on like an imbecile.
I have consistently said I feel sorry for the troops. They are pawns. We are pawns. But they are pawns who risk their lives, get limbs blown off and lose their husbands and wives back home for no reason. Most of them are no doubt well meaning, which is why it is so sad that they get shipped overseas to fight for 0.001% profits, and if they return often commit suicide.
No amount of invented bullshit by you will change everything I have ever said about the military. Please show me one example in all of my writings where I “project guilt onto the military.”
Rather, I always collectively feel sorry for them and show them compassion. Now go back to sleep.
Chuck- you note that you fight for your survival as well as those around you. As a soldier this is a fight for a literal survival where as a parent I am fighting for a metaphorical survival of my children’s ability to think critically. The corporate state put your physical existence in peril and that is what is at issue here. We at home will not die if we succumb to the hype and participate blindly in the system but soldiers face the real possibility of doing so. Matter of fact it seems the two situations are 180 degrees apart. If we at home blindly support the state and never look below the surface at the real reasons for confrontations our state engages in we live with a sanitized world view and psychologically it is much easier. However when soldiers go to fight a war without challenging the state’s reasons it is harder- their live is on the line. Even if they survive there are scars even if you can’t see them. Your anger is misplaced. No one is looking down on you- no one is condemning you. This article is condemning the state’s intrusions into every aspect of our lives. This intrusion is so the state can continue to support the corporations unchallenged. I simply will not lay down and surrender to the state’s/corporations’ agenda. I am fighting but it is so the next generation of young men and women will not put their lives in danger for people who deceive them. I am sorry if you were offended and I don’t want to minimize what you went through- I just don’t want my children to go through that experience.
I regularly watch Chuck Baldwin preach on Sundays at 2:30 mountain time. A real patriot preacher.
http://libertyfellowshipmt.com/Resources/LiveStream.aspx
Good article!
“I think I’ll start by approaching the pastor this week with my children, and having an honest conversation with him about the state worship I witnessed.”
I’m very interested to know how that turned out! Let us know!
Excellent article. thank you.
I thought about forwarding this excellent article to my minister, but after reading your last paragraph, I agree…NOT a good idea.
Contrary to what you imply, I have spiritual experience and I did enjoy it. I just believe it is entirely a product of my own mind.
Ask the pastor’s thoughts on War Prayer by Mark Twain. Better yet ask if he’ll read it to the congregation. I was baptized at 10 years of age. I do not attend church for many of the same reasons I do not listen to modern consumerism music. There is no spiritual substance to be found in either institution.