Trump and Morrison Prosperity Doctrine

The Destruction of Our Planet and the Prosperity Gospel.

 

1st Public Draft, 30/09/2020

 

Introduction

Capitalism and Ever Growing Money Supply

It seems we have certain obstacles to this vision. The whole economic system is built to make profits for corporations at the expense of the environment. And we know now for sure that money is made from thin air – it is now called Quantitative Easing. Because the pool of money can be expanded whenever the banksters decide, most mathematical formulas and models about money and the economy are incorrect. Neoliberal economics fail people and the environment WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO LIFE ON THE PLANET.

 

Our planet is being trashed to make money. I want the world, and the humans on it, to be here for the next million years so all of us and our children can create a beautiful world where we can all live creative lives filled with joy and happiness. President Kennedy apparently said: “Where there is a wrong we must right it”. Or as Einstein puts it, we can’t solve a problem with the same level of consciousness that created it in the first place.Essentially, we need clean air, clean water, clean food, and clean energy to survive and to start to thrive. And a financial or gifting system that works for all.

We are witnessing the 6th Extinction says well known Microbiologist Dr. Bruce Lipton. See his video here: https://youtu.be/ZSUin8Ai8Y0

Genesis 2:15, The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon." This famous verse continues the discussion of wealth, and makes explicit what was implied in Matthew 6:21: a person cannot pursue both material goods and spiritual well being. The two goals are mutually exclusive.

 

To begin, we must all recognise the incredible evils that some of our leaders are implementing. The first step is to recognise that most of them are narcissistic or pathological, or worse.

 

Climate Change, “Born Agains” and Pentecostals

Part of the reason for inaction on Climate Change is the vast number of Climate Deniers, or those that just want to ignore it, or worse, just refuse to do anything about it, and want to leave it to Jesus. Evangelistic religions, mainly American, effectively say : “Only Jesus has the power to shift the climate.”  Lucas Jacometti, Pastor of the C3 Church in Hobart, Australia, said that in a sermon on climate change scepticism.

A very good article about Climate Change and Australian Pentecostal Prime Minister Scott Morrison is here: https://reneweconomy.com.au/morrisons-refusal-to-move-on-climate-and-the-prosperity-doctrine-99530/   One paragraph says: “Some evangelicals cite religious reasons for avoiding climate solutions. They subscribe to the belief that “God will take care of everything” or even that climate change is a sign of their coming salvation after the “end times,” they write. Many Pentecostals expect the world to end in 2050, it seems.

The Wall Street Journal has an article “Why don’t Christian conservatives worry about climate change? God.” Here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/06/02/why-dont-christian-conservatives-worry-about-climate-change-god/

 

American Prosperity Gospel

If we look around, we can see that one of the main countries that is caught in the money trap or mammon is America.  Of all the “developed” nations in the world, it is the one that cares the least for its citizens – it has no universal health care and is acting as though the Wild West never ended by killing each other and destroying property at an alarming rate.  It seems as though America was never civilised. Furthermore, it has little or no regard for the welfare of people of the world. 

Despite calling itself Christian, American “Christianity” is almost the total opposite and acts against the Ten Commandments constantly. America is totally trapped in the concept that making money is good – at the expense of everyone else on the planet. The Prosperity Bible is destroying the planet. Why is making profits for shareholders a higher priority than protecting our only home? In large part, it is the American version of Protestantism, and in particular it’s cults and the Prosperity Gospel.

 

Good Works and Predestination

 Why is this so? Where do these ideas come from?  We need to go back to Martin Luther and John Calvin in the 1500’s.  They said that Good Works are not necessary for salvation, and that we are predestined to go to heaven or hell.  The Calvinists became the Huguenots (French Protestants) who became the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims were thrown out of England and settled America. They wanted to know if they were going to hell or heaven, and decided that if they were rich that they were blessed by God and if they were poor, sick or black they were going to hell. And if you were going to hell, then there is no need of a social security system or healthcare as it is better that you get off the planet sooner rather than later.

And so most Americans essentially believe that they need to be rich to get to heaven. And if people really believe this, then they will do anything to get rich, even if it means destroying the planet.

As time progressed, many cults were born in America.  Most still believed that money was the key to getting to heaven, even though Jesus expressly said that the love of money was evil. Some of these cults added the concept that the world was run by the devil and that there is no such thing as Good and Evil. In other words, God will look after the planet and us and we cannot make judgements.  We cannot even see danger for this is a judgement in their eyes. And combine this with Protestant’s statements that Good Works are not necessary, and we are well on the road to creating the world we live in now – a world where money and competition replace love of our neighbours and nature. Not having to do Good Works removes the habit of doing good anywhere, and allows evil to take over.

American cultish Protestantism just doesn’t work to tend for and care for God’s creations. Instead of serving God, most people these days are trapped by “The Love of Money”.

The concept of Predestination goes further.  It breeds narcissists such as Donald Trump and Scott Morrison. The American religious cults such as Pentecostalism are only interested in making money. Further, this money making vision blunts our capacity to look at society as something that needs to be supported. It breeds cutthroat competition, hardships and fear. 

 

Fear Controls Us

When we are fearful, the body’s energy systems put the energy into Fight, Flight and Freeze, and our logical minds are shut down.  We literally cannot think because our blood is directed elsewhere. The world is caught up in fear forced upon us by an all enslaving monetary system and now the Corona Virus. The virus now keeps many people at home which, paradoxically, could give us time to actually think and solve our problems.

Many New Age religions and similar state that there is no such thing as good and evil. They say that everything is good and should be left to God and that our help is not required.  This belief effectively stops people making any decisions. However, we are part of God, and have been given the ability to think and create solutions to our problems. Also, we are God’s hands, and we can use them to beautify the planet and support it. Good works and the ability to make good decisions are very important.

Many believe that greed and avarice are the main causes for the terrible conditions on our only planet right now.  People believe that making profits are more important than looking after the environment, even though we know that if we don’t have a good environment, we will all die. And we have been taught that competition is how we get ahead even if it is at the expense of others.

  

We Are Part of God, and We Are God’s Hands

 And so – what to do? Most religions say that God or the Life Force is everywhere.  If God is everywhere, then we must be part of God because there is nowhere else for us to be.  And our hands are an extension of God – we literally are God’s hands. We must use our hands and minds to look after the Creation.

  

Correcting Our Errors and Saving the Planet

 What must we do. Some ideas for action.

  

Taking Action

 And so, where can we start?  Several world leaders have already set up organisations with these thoughts in mind. 

 

 Summary:

 

 

Summary

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

 

The Pope and Good Works: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2017/02/the-pope-on-salvation-by-works/

“Why don’t Christian conservatives worry about climate change? God.” Here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/06/02/why-dont-christian-conservatives-worry-about-climate-change-god/

 Morrison’s refusal to move on climate, and the “prosperity doctrine” https://reneweconomy.com.au/morrisons-refusal-to-move-on-climate-and-the-prosperity-doctrine-99530/

 Five aspects of Pentecostalism that shed light on Scott Morrison’s politics https://theconversation.com/five-aspects-of-pentecostalism-that-shed-light-on-scott-morrisons-politics-117511

 A Pentecostal PM and climate change - Does a belief in the End Times inform Scott Morrison’s response to the bushfire crisis?  https://www.themonthly.com.au/blog/james-boyce/2020/09/2020/1578533086/pentecostal-pm-and-climate-change#mtr

 Australian neo-Pentecostal perspectives on anthropogenic climate change https://sciencereligionspectrum.org/blog-posts/australian-neo-pentecostal-perspectives-on-anthropogenic-climate-change/