Feldman Module 11-2
Religion & Culture
 Religion can be the chief influence of a culture – Islam
 Religion can be a unifying force for cultural morality.
 Religion can be ignored in a culture – The “state
church” of Denmark is Lutheranism.
 Differing religious views within a culture can be a
cause for conflict.
Sociocultural Influences
Culture
 Behavior patterns, beliefs, and all other products of a
group of people that are passed on from generation to
generation
 Ethnocentrism — tendency to favor one’s own group over
other groups
Cultural Worldview
 Elements of the non-material culture (ideas, beliefs,
values, etc.) are generally held together by an integrated
and coherent worldview, which is a comprehensive but
basic idea of how the world works and/or ought to
work.
 To the extent that this worldview is shared among the
members of the culture, the worldview and the culture
remain stable with low levels of change.
Socialization into a Culture
 Children are taught the ways and ideas of their culture,
and this provides a backdrop for their development
 However, an inconsistent or multiple culture is more
difficult to learn and often creates doubt and
confusion.
America is a “Kingdom Divided”
 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to
desolation; . . .
 Matthew 12:25,
Holy Bible, KJV
What are the major points of division?
 Should we be globalists/world citizens or
nationalists/patriots?
 Being overtaken by an international, world government
 Should we be socialist or capitalist?
 Moving toward a European-style Socialist state
 Should we have a large or small government?
The New World Order
 What Is Globalism?
 . . . The belief that events in one country cannot be
separated from another and that the world is moving
toward a form of government and economics that
transcends traditional nation-states.
 A small but powerful group of internationalists have been
working for decades to bring various aspects of our society
under one, universal system.
• Kirby Anderson
• Worldviewtimes.com
What is elitism?
 . . . The belief that a small and certain group of people
are, in fact, better equipped to rule the world than are
others and that the rest of the people are best
governed by the elite.
 A group of about 300 families control most of the
world’s wealth.
 Some are apparently convinced that it is their right and
duty to rule the world.
 Extremely
wealthy
international
bankers
from all around
Who
are
the
power
elite?
the world, with a larger concentration in Europe and the
U.S.
 European royalty, heads of state, & other extremely rich
and/or powerful people.
 Backed on the next level by heads of corporations &
universities; powerful politicians, etc.
 And who are not?

The rest of us
Why do we need a New World Order?
 In response to need or desirability:

“Many think a solution that rises above any one nation must be
found.”

Financial Times, Jan., 2009
 Reasons (Good solutions or just useful idiots?)
 Peace
 Saving the environment
 Equality
 Regulation of business
Or is it just the enjoyment of money and power?
How about the U.S.?
 As we become global, Americans should expect –
 Loss of national sovereignty
 Loss of prosperity
 Erosion of freedom
 Erosion of privacy
 Enslavement to a lifetime of debt
New World Order: Proponents
 Council on Foreign Relations
 July 29, 1921
 Promotional arm of the ruling Elite in the U.S.A.:
politicians, academics, media, most Presidents &
Secretarys of State (Sometimes called America’s
Shadow Government)
 Original goal: to federate the English-speaking
people of the world
 Accused of desiring the overthrow of the Constitution
& American sovereignty
New World Order: Proponents
 Bilderberg Group (The Alliance)
 Formed 1954, Holland
 100 elite picked by Lord Victor Rothschild & Lawrence
Rockefeller
 Initial purpose: Create the European Union
 Current purpose: microchip world population by 2017
 35 member steering committee
 Annual meetings, surrounded by armed guards
 Club of
Rome
New
World
Order: Proponents
 Established 1965/1968, Bellagio, Italy


75 members, 25 countries
Connected to Round Table & NATO
 Goal: to be a forum to discuss future world system; main
concern, world population
 1973 – organized the world into 10 regions
 1976 – agenda, redistribution of wealth
 Concern: world population control; Council on
environmental action – aggressive sterilization, abortion,
contraception
New World Order: Proponents
 Trilateral Commission
 Formed 1972


Offshoot of CFR, Bilderberg
Rockefeller instrumental (Jimmy Carter, Zbignieu Brzezinski)
 Called for management of America’s future (take over
key policy positions), community of nations, world
government (socialist)
 Meets annually, closed to media
 Reported to reject the idea of constitutional
democracy
And, of course, the UN.
What is sustainable development?
 . . . Development that will not erode the world’s
resources over time to the point that they cannot be
replenished.
 . . . A plan to eliminate as much as 85% of the world’s
population
 . . . Outlined in United Nations Agenda 21
Competing Worldviews
 Traditional American
 Representative Republic
 Free Enterprise Capitalism
 Nationalism/patriotism
 (Christianity)
 Opposing
 Socialism (Progressivism)


Communism
Fascism (Nazism)
 Globalism

Elitism
What were the founders of the United States
seeking freedom from and freedom to do?
 Freedom from government oppression.
 Freedom to speak, worship, and generally live their
lives without government interference.
Traditional American Perspective
 Currently generally known as Conservative/”Tea
Party”/(Republican more so than Democrat)
 Small government/low taxes

Vs large government/high taxes
 Rule of Law/Constitution

Vs. rule by those in power
 Personal freedom & responsibility

Vs. government dependence
 Patriotism/nationalism

Vs. globalism
 Government exists to serve the people

vs. the people existing to serve the government
Preservation of Freedom
 Rule of Law – the Constitution
 (As opposed to rule by the powerful)
 One thing standing in the way of socialist takeover is
the U.S. Constitution and the freedoms or rights that it
guarantees.
What freedoms are we worried about?
 Bill of Rights – Amendment I to the U.S.
Constitution
“Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof.”
What freedoms are we worried about?
 Amendment I:
“. . . Or abridging the freedom of
speech or of the press.”
 Attempts to control the internet
 Overt expressions of desire to silence FOX news and
talk radio (e.g., Rush Limbaugh)
What freedoms are we worried about?
 Amendment II: . . . “the right of the people to keep
and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
 Issues of legislating gun control have surfaced for
several decades, and some laws have been enacted.
 People are buying up guns and ammunition.
 The underlying assumption of this right is that it is
difficult to control an armed populace.
Limitation & Division of Powers between the
Federal and State Governments
 Amendment X: “The powers not delegated to the
United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited
by it to the States, are reserved to the States,
respectively, or to the people.”
Sovereignty Bills
 Worldnet Daily, Feb. 24, 2009
 “ The State of Oklahoma hereby claims sovereignty
under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of
the United States over all powers not otherwise
enumerated and granted to the federal government by
the Constitution of the United States.”
 Sovereignty bills had been passed or introduced in 33
states by August 2009.
Socialism
 Government regulation of private enterprise
 Government provision of services to citizens
(entitlement)/government control of those services
 Big government/ high taxes
 Redistribution of wealth (social justice)/few opportunities
Assumptions of Socialism
 Government has the right to control the people.
 Rule of the people by the powerful rather than rule of
law/constitution is acceptable.
 People exist to serve the government.
 People need little personal responsibility or freedom and (in
fact) are not capable of handling it.
Communism/Socialism
 What are the similarities?
 One leads to the other. Lenin said that the end goal of
socialism was communism.
 Progressive -> socialist -> communist
 All agree that people need to be ruled, and do not have any
rights other than what the government offers them. This is
oppression.
Communist/Socialist Governments
 Tend to lead to totalitarian dictatorships
 Control the lives of their citizens:
 Jobs & income: no competition, prescribed by government
 Housing: no private property, government rental
 Clothing: government stores, storehouses, possible uniforms
 Travel: restricted, often not allowed outside country
 Religion: official, state-sanctioned & regulated
 Speech: no right to criticize the government
 Healthcare (life and death): no choice of care
 etc.
Communist/Socialist Governments
 Generally imprison those who openly disagree with them
(political dissenters)
 Have track records of murdering their own citizens, sometimes
into the millions
 Tend to have poor economies because there is no incentive to
work hard where income is redistributed
How about the Economy?
 “Fascism should more properly be called corporatism
because it is the merger of state and corporate power.”
• Benito Mussolini
 This was the form of government in Nazi Germany when
Adolph Hitler was in power.
 The “Third Way” currently being advocated by former
President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister
Tony Blair advocates an interlocking type of cooperation
between government and business (nationally or
internationally) that fits the definition of fascism.
Historical Relation to America
 Communism did not really get a foothold politically until the
early 20th Century
 (Marx & Engels did not publish the Communist Manifesto until 1848.)
 The United States spent much of the 20th Century trying to
stop the spread of Communism.
 Cuba/South America
 Korean War
 Vietnam War
 Cold War
 Ronald Reagan/Berlin Wall
 And Nazism (National Socialism)
 WWII
What is infiltration?
 Working to get people of your worldview/political philosophy into key
positions in government, media, education, and business
 Using these institutions to indoctrinate the remainder of the citizens into
agreeing to your rule
 Tactics: control of information, creation of dependency upon the
government through giveaways and promises; creation of crises and fear
causing people to give power to the government in exchange for
protection; creation of discontent among some groups
 These are tactics of Fabian or Gramscian Socialists
Sociocultural Influences
Tactics to Destroy a Culture
Destabilization of the family
 Issues with Religion
 Censorship of information in education
 Bias and withholding of information in the
media
 Emphasis on social rights rather than
responsibilities
 Rapid and uncontrolled immigration

Just how socialist has the government become?
 Four Socialist organizations in the U.S. House of
Representatives, including chairs of 11 of the 20
committees. [Prior to the fall 2010 elections]
 Progressive Democrats of America (6)
 Congressional Progressive Caucus (74)
 Congressional Black Caucus (43)
 Democratic Socialists of America (?)
Individual Interface of Faith & Culture
 George Barna –
 “Every person’s central choices in life are driven by their
worldview, and everyone’s worldview is greatly
influenced by their spiritual inclinations. Their social
and political preferences are closely tied to their
spiritual beliefs and practices.”
Christianity
The Foundational Religion of The United States is
 “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.
That to secure these rights, governments are instituted
among men, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed. That whenever any form of
government becomes destructive to these ends it is the
right of the people to alter or to abolish it, . . . . .
Where did our ideas come from?
The Bible
Equality
 All men are created equal –
 Endowed by our Creator with certain,
unalienable rights –
 Rights come from God
The Protestant Work Ethic
 Hard work + thrifty living = prosperity.
 This created a prosperous middle class.
 Also rejection of the concept of royalty/nobility.
What about the Middle Class?
 “The more I read, hear and research, the more I am willing to
believe this financial crisis which was mostly birthed in the
Clinton administration and continued by the George W. Bush
administration, was possibly orchestrated in order to destroy
the Middle class and implement radical, extreme socialism; . .
“
Brannon Howse
Christian Worldview Network
Our culture is no longer unified by identification with the
Christian faith.
 Christian by default?
Barna. Jan. 12, 2009
 For much of America’s history, the assumption was
that if you were born in America, you would affiliate
with the Christian faith.
 50% in a recent survey said this is no longer true.
Christian Apostasy
 Denial of Biblical beliefs; truth and authority of the Holy




Bible (Apostasy)
Mentality of salvation by good works
Universal salvation of all faiths and those with no faith
The idea of many equal paths to God – universal religion
Liberation theology
 Started around 1900 with questioning of the infallibility of
the Holy Bible.
Who among Christians Has a Biblical Worldview?

Source: Barna Polls in 1995, 2000 and 2005 Respondents: self-described Christians
yes
no
9%
91%
 Absolute moral truth exists
34%
66%
 The Bible is accurate
50%
50%
54%
46%
44%
56%
 Biblical worldview
 Beliefs about truth:
 Truth is discovered only through logic, reason,
and experience
 The Bible, the Koran (Qu’ran), and the Book of
Mormon are different versions of the same truth
What Do “Christians” Really Believe?
yes
no
 God is the all-knowing, all powerful
 creator who still rules
70%
30%
 The Holy Spirit is only a symbol
40%
60%
 Jesus lived a sinless life
40%
60%
 Satan is real
27%
73%
 Demons are real
67%
33%
What Do “Christians” Believe about how to get to Heaven?
Only 30% believed that salvation comes through correct
beliefs.
50% believed in salvation (getting to heaven) on the basis of
good works.
Only 28% believed you cannot get to heaven by good
works.
50+% believed some non-believers can get to heaven (42%
included atheists)
75% believed people are not born sinful, but neutral
Secularization - The Emergent Church
Critics Description
 (Compromising) Generally apostate – questions
doctrine
 Ambiguous idea of truth (postmodern)
 Universal salvation
 Social justice gospel
 Open to pagan (non-Christian) practices
 Yoga
 Meditation (contemplative prayer)
 Walking the labyrinth
Is the Influence of Christianity in
America Waning?
 “at the close of 2008, few Americans perceive that
religion is thriving in U.S. society, and a relatively
small majority believe that religion is relevant to
solving today’s problems. They also believe the overall
influence of religion is declining.”
2008 Gallup Poll
With What Competing Ideologies are people
trying to merge traditional Christianity?
 New Age/Humanism/Cosmic Humanism
 One-world Spirituality
 Liberation Theology/Social Justice (Marxist)
 Socialism/Communism (atheist)
 Islam (Chrislam)?
How about the New Spirituality?
 New Age “Cafeteria” Religion
 Based on personal experience
 Cosmic Humanism
 God is in everything. (Pantheism)
 We are all gods.
 Wicca is popular; reincarnation is popular; meditation
and occult practices are popular
New Age Gospels?
 Oprah Winfrey (and many others)– many paths to
God; spirituality is about feeling, not belief
 Marianne Williamson – A Course in Miracles


LSD gave a whole generation a spiritual experience
Helen Schucman in 1965, wrote this course.
 She believed that she was channeling “Jesus”. However, her
“Jesus” contradicted the historical one of the Bible.

He said there was no sin, no need of a savior, salvation comes
from yourself, and Jesus was just a man.
One-World Spirituality: Do we really all need to
be on the same page?
 Evolutionary humanism (Man will spiritually evolve on into






godhood.)
Hindu pantheism (God is in everything.)
Occultism
 Practice, experiences, channeling “ascended masters”
Socialism/social justice
Environmentalism (nature worship)
Coming Alien Invasion (U.N., Vatican)
Goal: Unified world
What is liberation theology?
 It is Marxist, Communist tactics and doctrine
masquerading as (Catholic) Christianity.
 It has a history among liberal Catholic theologians,
and was practiced extensively in South America by
Jesuit priests in the 1970s and 1980s.
What is liberation theology?
 Basically, it advocates redistribution of income.
 How is this different from charity?
 It also advocates Christian cooperation in the
overthrow of governments to obtain social justice for
the poor and oppressed.
What is liberation theology?
 What is currently happening?
 Rev. Jim Wallis claims to be a spiritual advisor to the
President. He has had relationships with the
communist Committee in Solidarity with the People of
El Salvador and has rallied support for the communist
Nicaraguan regime. He is calling for “social justice” in
America.
What is liberation theology?
 It has more recently become popular among socialist-
leaning, protestant evangelicals.
 Tony Campolo (The Red-Letter Christians) says that
“Christians should engage in efforts to change the
political and economic structures of our society
because these structures do not adequately address the
needs of the poor and the oppressed.”
What is liberation theology?
 Together they want the U.S. government to further tax
America’s rich and give the confiscated proceeds to the
poor.
 They do not seem to realize what when you do this, most
of the money ends up in the pockets of highly paid
government administrators (about 75%), or in the case of
foreign aid, the Swiss bank accounts of dictators.
 Columnist Thomas Sowell insists that we could raise every
poor person in the U.S. out of poverty in one week while
reducing the program budget by 75% simply by getting rid
of the government bureaucracy.
And How About the Muslims?
 The Muslim goal is world domination.
 To achieve this they are using population,
immigration, and terrorism.
 Their agenda is the U.S. is to become a mainstream
(the dominant) religion, become numerous enough to
elect a mayor of a large city, and eventually a president
(2024).
 They also want many countries, including the U.S. to
become Sharia compliant.
 This would cost us our freedom of speech, freedom of
worship, and women’s rights.
And How About the Muslims?
 The ideologies (not people) of Christianity and Islam cannot peacefully
coexist. – What is Chrislam?
 While Christians are told only to share their faith to make converts, Muslims
are permitted to persecute and even kill unbelievers who refuse to convert.
 Muslims are currently persecuting Christians, Jews, and others around the
world.
 Iranian leaders believe they must destroy Israel and the United States so that
the Mahdi (the Muslim messiah) or the 12th Imam will return to convert the
whole world to Islam (the caliphate).
Why Americans would not be happy to be Sharia
compliant?
 Islam orders/commands:
 1. . . Jihad (war) against the infidels (unbelievers).
 2.. . Apostates to be killed.
 3. . .death for critics of Muhammad, the Qu’ran, & Sharia.
 4.. . Fornicators to be whipped and adulterers to be stoned to
death.
 5. . . Homosexuals must be executed.
 6. . . Highway robbers should be crucified or mutilated.
 7. . . Male & female thieves must have a hand cut off.
 8. . . An injured plaintiff may extract an eye for an eye.
 9.. . Husbands may hit their wives, even if they merely fear
highhandedness
 10. . Drinkers and gamblers should be whipped.
And how about prophecy?
 Christian Prophecy
 Belief that the Second Coming of Christ will be soon


The nation of Israel has been restored.
There appears to be a one-world government on the horizon.
 Doctrine of the Rapture
 Belief that Jesus will remove his true followers from the Earth prior to
a 7-year period of time called the “tribulation” during which the
world is ruled by a world dictator and terrible judgment takes place.
 The belief that Jesus is returning to rescue Israel and set up His
kingdom there, and that the United States will surely be judged
if we are not her ally.
Islamic Prophecy
 The 12th Imam or the Mahdi will come and convert the
whole world to Islam. He will bring Isa (Jesus) with
him to assist him in doing this. The unbelievers will
be killed.
 There are a number of interesting parallels between
Christian and Islamic prophecies.