SocietyWatch
Democratic Socialists of America membership
The Democratic Socialists of America (dsa) gained 1,152 new members on June 27—the day after self-described democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won an upset in New York’s 14th congressional district. Over the last three years, dsa membership has grown from 6,000 members to 48,000. In addition to these official card-carrying dsa members, roughly 57 percent of Democrats now say they prefer socialism to capitalism.
Socialism refers to the government taking complete control of the entire economy: Marxists consider it a transitional stage between destroying capitalism and creating a Communist utopia. Socialists usually downplay this, but the aim of socialism in the United States is to overthrow its constitutional form of government, violently if necessary.
President Abraham Lincoln famously quoted Jesus Christ when he said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand” (Matthew 12:25). The growth in the number of Americans with extreme ideological views is leading to a time when Americans will have to learn this lesson the hard way.
Confucius Institutes infiltrate U.S.
The United States Congress passed a bill on August 1 that limits Department of Defense funds for Chinese-language programs at U.S. universities that host Confucius Institutes. The defunding may have limited effect, however, as these institutes also receive funding from the Chinese government.
There are over 100 Confucius Institutes in the U.S. Their primary purpose is to influence a new generation of leaders to support China. In addition to teaching about Confucianism and communism, these institutes teach future American leaders to take a more accommodating position concerning China’s history of human rights abuses. If China succeeds in this propaganda initiative, it will remove resistance against its domination of Tibet, Taiwan and much of Asia.
The Bible describes a time when God will allow Gentile nations like China, Germany and Russia to rise to prominence because of a weak-willed America (Leviticus 26:19). You can prove this for yourself by reading Herbert W. Armstrong’s free book The United States and Britain in Prophecy.
Rise of American-style Buddhism
A Buddhist meditation practice called mindfulness is taking over corporate America. According to a Business Insider report dated August 12, “Silicon Valley executives like Twitter and Square ceo Jack Dorsey are going on Buddhist meditation retreats, high-end spas in big cities are installing ‘meditation pods,’ meditation app Headspace has raised $75 million, and each year hundreds of Wall Streeters are following Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio’s lead and paying almost $1,000 to learn Transcendental Meditation.”
The most popular forms of meditation in the U.S. are secularized versions of ancient Hindu and Buddhist practices that began in India and spread through Asia.
Like yoga, acupuncture and homeopathy, transcendental meditation is part of a new type of secularized, American-style Buddhism. These practices are contributing to the “spiritual but not religious” phenomenon that has pulled almost 1 in 5 Americans away from traditional biblical beliefs.
The Prophet Isaiah specifically corrected the ancient Israelites for forsaking God’s law and embracing Eastern philosophies. “O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers” (Isaiah 2:5-6).
Government cash handouts supported by 40 percent of British
Almost half of Britain’s population supports the idea of a universal basic income, a policy where the government provides each citizen with a certain amount of money each year. A July 27–29 poll by Populus found that 41 percent of respondents supported what has historically been a fringe idea.
A report from the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce finds that universal basic income is “rapidly breaking through into the mainstream political discourse.” Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell plans to include a basic income pilot scheme in the Labour Party’s manifesto for the next election.
But the Bible warns against a mentality of greed and dependence. King Solomon warned that poverty befalls those who don’t work (Proverbs 6:9-11), and the Apostle Paul commanded that if someone did not work, he did not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Britain’s rejection of biblical economic principles is a major factor in its financial woes.
