Century of the Self, Part II

Watching this part of the documentary reminded me of Revelation 17-18. In particular this from chapter 18:11:

"The traders will cry and carry on because the bottom dropped out of business, no more market for their goods: gold, silver, precious gems, pearls; fabrics of fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet; perfumed wood and vessels of ivory, precious woods, bronze, iron, and marble; cinnamon and spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine and oil, flour and wheat; cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots. And slaves—their terrible traffic in human lives. Everything you've lived for, gone!  All delicate and delectable luxury, lost! Not a scrap, not a thread to be found!" The traders who made millions off her kept their distance for fear of getting burned, and cried and carried on all the more: Doom, doom, the great city doomed! Dressed in the latest fashions, adorned with the finest jewels,in one hour such wealth wiped out!

I would say that this series has done a good job of pointing out the problems with our modern mass-market society. I think Revelation is also critiquing this. But the solution the series offers is totalitarian in nature. There is a yearning for completeness that the producers think can be provided through society. It can't.

There is that Jesus-shaped hole in us that needs to be filled, and fill it we will with sex, drugs—even with Rock ‘n’ Roll. I might try to fill this hole with an iPad if I am not careful. The producers of this series, as people of the left, might try to fill it with society. There is an element of society in our individual Jesus-shaped holes. The assembling together of believers is a good thing—but church has a downside.

We risk confusing the shape of the Jesus-shaped hole and trying to make it a church- or religion-shaped hole. 

The corporations want you. Government wants you. Society wants you. Even the church wants you. But God wants you too. Matthew 6 (NIV) tells us:

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

This was the only scripture my agnostic father knew. "A man cannot serve two masters." My father related it to the real estate industry, but here I am using it to point out that you cannot serve Babylon the Great and God. What are corporations, governments, society, and yes, most churches, really after? You know the answer. You must choose, for by being unaware you choose Babylon by default. 

I hope this series is helping you understand the process by which Babylon wants to choose for you. I hope you decide to choose for yourself , and choose wisely. 

I recommend that if you are going to watch the series you begin with part I. 

Here is part II. 

How Are You Controlled? Century of the Self Part I

The video I share today is part one of an interesting BBC documentary that tells of the process by which we are controlled-The Century of the Self.  I first posted this over three years ago. Since I listened to it again, I thought that reposting this was important. This may be the most important documentary ever filmed. 

The first step in leaving Babylon the Great is learning about how we are being controlled. Only then can you avoid manipulation. I know that asking you to watch a 4 hour documentary is a lot to ask. But it is important. I will post one part each Tuesday until all have been posted. 

Here is part I.

Be a He-Man: Cut the Cords

I have long ago stopped basic cable. While there is always questionable subject matter,  the main reason I stopped was the ads. I don't think we realize the large negative effect these have on us. Buy, buy, buy, and then buy some more is the goal of advertising. It used to be only eight minutes per hour in the sixties, now it is sixteen minutes.  

There is plenty to watch with minimal commercials. Even with the recent increase, Netflix still seems a bargain. I watch Hulu more. Pay the extra four dollars and get the commercial lite version of Hulu.  

While YouTube is cracking down on copyright violations, there is still a lot available. Paramount has a new channel on YouTube with lots of movies from its past. I would not call them the greatest movies in Paramount's history, but many of them are OK, especially if you are watching them the first time.

Like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

Brazen?

For those interested in military matters this longish article on the current Russian military might be of interest. 

In particular I want to focus on the word chosen in the subtitle by the author for propaganda purposes.

"Vladimir Putin's brazen moves in Syria and Ukraine."

The United States destabilizes the whole Middle East--and Putin's decision to help an ally is brazen! The fact that most readers will not even notice the pejorative term "brazen" shows just how effective US propaganda has been.

No leader of Russia is going to allow its only warm-water military ports to be seized by NATO. This is exactly what was at stake in Ukraine. Victoria Nuland gave a speech a few years ago at the National Press Club where she admitted that the US was spending 5 billion dollars to destabilize Ukraine. She was also caught in an intercepted phone call planning Ukraine's transitional government. When asked what the EU might think about this her response, again caught audibly, was "Fuck the EU."

But yet Putin is the brazen one!

Naturally, nations have differing interests, and nations will do what they feel is in their own best interests. Russian and US interests are not the same. The idea that Putin wears a "black hat" and Obama a "white hat" is very humorous. What is not humorous is that the propaganda masters of the US are largely getting away with it.

So when you read articles such as the one I linked to at the beginning of this post, read critically. Think about the word choices the author of any article uses. Ask yourself the question, "Am I being played?"

Of course you are. Don't let it happen.

Amazing Grace?

 This video was instrumental in my decisions to start blogging again. While I know some will find it inspiring, I found it disgusting.