There's a war going on, with deadly serious consequences, and you are part of it. You are either directly engaged, or you are a pawn being manipulated by those who are. Humanity has recognized this conflict since its beginning, and powerful institutions, like religions and governments, have been created in humanity's defense. But this war is being lost, because those institutions, our defenses, have been compromised and corrupted by the enemy. What is this war? It is the battle of good versus evil. Why does it matter to you? Because the quality of your life, and maybe even your life itself, and the lives of all the people you care about, hang in the balance.
So, which side are you on?
To answer this question, we must define the sides. The dividing line between good and bad is the Golden Rule stated in its negative form -- "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you." This simple maxim defines the floor for what is good and the ceiling for what is bad (think of the bad being down in the basement, and the good being on the main floor). Evil is simply bad taken to an extreme (think of a putrid sub-basement pit).
The founding fathers of the government of the United States drew a line in the sand dividing bad from evil when they wrote the Declaration of Independence. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Evil may be defined then by doing to others that which denies them their lives, their liberty, their ability to pursue happiness, or any of their other unalienable rights. Killing innocent people, like the United States is doing in Afghanistan and Iraq, is evil. Imprisoning innocent people, like the United States is doing in Guantanamo Bay and in other off-shore secret prisons, is evil. Forcing all Americans to labor many hours to finance these criminal activities, as the tax laws of the United States do, is evil. How is it that our government, originally designed to support the common good, could become an instrument of evil?
The Bible tells us how. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." (1 Timothy 6: 7-10) When a private organization controls the creation of money, evil will naturally congregate there, because money is the tool needed to convince good people to do evil things. In the United States, that private organization is the Federal Reserve, and it is the bastion of evil that clandestinely steers the government into directing Americans to do evil. Good American men and women serve as soldiers to defend our country, yet because they are trained to obey orders in the pursuit of their daily bread, they obediently invade sovereign countries and take innocent lives. Good American men and women serve our justice system, yet because they are paid and need to earn a living, they torture those labeled as enemies and deny them access to real justice. And good American men and women serve the IRS, yet because they are dependent on a paycheck, they consent to ruining the lives of others when commanded to do so. But is money all it takes to make good people serve evil?
No. Another ingredient is needed: deception. Just as a wolf in sheep's clothing gains the trust of its next victim, evil pretends to be as good and innocent as a country mom. Pleasant, smiling faces explain in soothing terms why bailouts, deficits, surveillance, new rules, more prisons, and more wars are necessary, and why you must pay for these things with another portion of your unalienable rights. The evil people must convince the good people that everyone is united in service to the common good. The soldiers are told that they are fighting to defend the freedoms of their loved ones. The police, jailers, and torturers are told that they are enforcing the laws necessary for civilization and harmony to exist. The civil servants that participate in stealing from the poor to give to the rich are told that fairness demands their actions. All are subjected to pervasive public propaganda designed to deceive and control. And it is working. Evil is winning. Can it be stopped?