The US Military-Industrial Complex, the Real Bible, and the Ministry of Jesus Christ

The US Is Becoming A Failed State: How Do We Turn This Around?

By Rev. Paul J. Bern

The United States of America, if I may risk pointing out the obvious, is failing. Debilitated by the ongoing debacle in Afghanistan, by lying to the whole world about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq back in 2013, and by the extreme political divide that currently exists here in America. America has failed miserably to adequately tackle the systemic problems in our debt-based economic system. The US has failed to so much as consider the deep flaws in our system of government as it currently exists.

America’s leadership, and particularly those in charge of the military-industrial complex, have trashed the reputation of the United States and damaged our image abroad for years to come. America has failed to adequately protect its citizens from violence at home (the plague of murders by rogue police officers across the US is only one example of many). Moreover, we have failed in education, in health care, in human rights, in religious tolerance, and even with regard to the incarceration of its citizens, as the overcrowded and dangerous US prison system attests to. In fact, we look a lot like the USSR in 1990 – except with a lot more big-screen TV’s. And we all know what happened to the former USSR during the 1990's.

The Bible has a few things to say about waging war. “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.” (Revelation 19:11) Right off the bat, this verse makes it abundantly clear that waging war is not our job, it’s God’s. If we worship the Prince of Peace together in peace, we can learn to wage peace instead of waging war. We can build up together than destroy with blood in our eyes. The apostle James similarly wrote in chapter 3 of his timeless epistle to the greater Church, “17) But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18) Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” Based on this alone, the US military-industrial complex, for the most part, is out of step with the 21st century world.

Of course, you may well take issue with my central contention. You may say that we are prosperous because our GDP is so large, or because America is the richest country in the world. Or that our government works properly (pardon me for a second while I LOL), or even that we have a great health care system (laughing even harder), and that since most of us are Christians anyway, who do we have to tolerate? I respect your right to those opinions – freedom of expression is one of the few things our country hasn't managed to screw up in the last couple of hundred years. But in every case, the data – and Scripture – backs me up. I will try and substantiate my claims first, before putting forth a few solutions of my own.

The first problem is the economy, or what’s left of it. The 2008 TARP bailout granted hundreds of billions of dollars – with strings attached – to private companies such as Wall St. baking concerns who then used the money to short-sell the market, make countless billions more, handing the government back its money (removing the strings) and paid out lavish bonuses while Americans lost their jobs, savings, houses and cars. America's national debt threatens to exceed one year's Gross Domestic Product. While this is occurring, a record number of laid off workers are leaving the US workforce forever due to a complete lack of opportunity to better themselves. One in four US workers who are long-term unemployed and over age 50 will never work again. I know this to be true from personal experience because I was one of those most unfortunate individuals.

Across the world America’s reputation is tarnished, perhaps for decades to come. We are seen as an economic and religious bully, and we don't seem to care. We vilify our political enemies for their human rights records while we import cheap goods from countries that we know exploits child labor. Moreover, America has more people incarcerated than all the other countries of the world combined. We are, to much of the world, intolerable hypocrites. Is it any wonder that they see us this way? When it comes to medical care, American health care apologists will continue to defend the current system at all costs, claiming that so-called “socialist” states such as England, France and Sweden kill their citizens at will in order to save money, or they may make you wait for up to thirty years for a kidney transplant. Neither of these, of course are true.

When our kids can't even get health care, that should be a major 'red flag' indicating that something is terribly wrong. Any anthropologist will tell you that we took care of our young much better when we were Neanderthals – so what's changed? For one in four American kids to be dependent on food stamps at some point in their formative years – and 25% of them are – is a social injustice of the highest order to the point that it foments much outrage and anger. As such, I think that this issue should have people out in the streets protesting and being disruptive against the whole darn system in order to foment some real change. Why don’t you all put down your phones, your tablets and set aside your video games so you have a clear schedule and get yourselves involved?

Why do I think so? We deny basic human rights to our own people, and Americans of good conscience everywhere are fed up to their eyeballs about it. Women still make 79 cents for every dollar a man earns in the workplace. The overwhelming majority of those who are incarcerated are people of color. Moreover, whom anyone chooses to marry is not a matter for the government, it is a matter for the individuals who marry each other. Speaking as a mature Christian man and Web evangelist, I adamantly refuse to judge same-sex couples for getting married (that's between them and God).

Forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian doctrine, and it is central to the self-identity of every true believer. As to what religion to follow, since I am a full-time ambassador for Jesus Christ, I will lead any and all toward Christ who want to go, and often with plenty of encouragement along the way. Although some may not like or agree with the choices others make, they are inalienable rights of choice, and you should be free to exercise them as you will because that is the law of the land (see the 1st Amendment in the US Constitution).

As far back as 2005, statistics showed that hate crimes against Muslims were increasing 50% year-on-year. Even so, the FBI reported that in 2019 hate crimes against homosexuals had increased 18% from 2014, and those motivated by religion had risen by 12%. This is discouraging to say the least. The track we have taken over the last fifty years has been the wrong one. We have let corruption, greed, intolerance, desires for fame and a stubborn refusal to acknowledge our problems almost ruin our nation. We are failing to live the American Dream, and if we don't start now our children and grandchildren will never even know what it was.

I have eight common-sense but fairly radical ideas, and I'm sure you have some of your own. I have chosen not to expound on what I personally think the consequences of these actions would be, as I would be diving headlong into speculation that could easily be challenged. Instead, here’s 8 facts that are indisputably ultimate truth.

[1]. Immediately and totally stop all corporations from giving money to political parties. (it’s called “bribery” in the Bible)

[2]. Acknowledge that, when it comes to government, politics and religion do not mix.

[3]. Make a promise to our children: You will all be well-educated, and you will be well-treated when you are sick.

[4]. Change the game. Capitalism is a debt-based economic system combined with a federal republic system of government. It is a system that has run its course for all practical intents and purposes (see the US national debt). So much debt has accumulated throughout the world that there is nowhere nearly enough money in the entire world – all the combined world economies – to pay it off. At some point in the near future, more and more countries are going to find themselves insolvent. When no one can pay back their debts, the whole thing comes crashing down, and that includes the USA. Are you prepared for this eventuality?

[5]. Take a leaf out of the Bible and just treat everyone else with dignity and respect. “Love your neighbor as yourself”. If it was good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for all of us. Leave the gays alone because you're a sinner too, you just commit different sexual sins than they do. Leave the Blacks and Latinos alone, because racism has no place in church, and because equality is scriptural. (see 2nd Corinthians 8: 13-16) Leave the Muslims, the Jews and the Christians alone. When respect departs, lawlessness is the next train along.

[6]. Pay for it. Child labor is inexcusable. If it costs an extra ten bucks, or extra hundred bucks, to buy something that was made by willing workers, pay it. And the same goes for government. You want health care? Pay for it. More troops? Pay for them. Tax breaks for corporations? Ditto. If you have to raise taxes to pay for it, raise taxes. Stop acting like giddy schoolkids with mom's credit card, and pay for what you consume.

[7]. Form coalitions based on issues, not political parties. Not every NRA member is anti-abortion. Not every tree-hugging hippie thinks that owning a gun is wrong. When a party tells you how you should think, and what issues should be thrown together into what bucket, you're a lot closer to communism or fascism than you think you are.

[8]. Buy American products whenever possible. From what I can tell, the great empires of yore – from Egypt to Rome to England – were 'first-to-market' with some manufacturing innovation or other, that led to more innovations, and greater strides, that in turn led to them becoming the largest producers of goods in their region. This happened to the USA from the dawn of the twentieth century until the 'fifties. Then we began to transform into a service economy, just as those others did. Producing goods is what is making China become a world powerhouse, and if we are to compete, we must produce our own. American isn't always the best, and it's almost never the cheapest, but if we are to reinstate our status as the world's greatest country, we need to start by supporting our own businesses and workers. To refuse to do so is to deliberately commit an injustice. Enough said!