Clean This House: We are at War

Dear Editor,

We are at war. It is nothing less than a life-and-death situation, both physically and spiritually. I am not speaking metaphorically. I am not exaggerating for effect. It would be wrong for me to speak any less emphatically. I am gravely serious, and it is high time we all realized just how perilous our situation really is.

Actual lives, including our own, are at stake by the hundreds of millions; for the ramifications of this war are global in scope. Even as we speak blood is being spilt and lives ravaged by the thousands because of this conflict.

I do not use the awful word, war, to be divisive or to foment a feeling of contention. Rather my intent here is to offer a remedy to this reality whereby peace may eventually come.

The enemy in this war is a lie that we as a people have embraced which will bring our destruction except we repent. When I say "we," I refer to virtually every one of us -- especially those who think to exclude themselves.

The lie is that we can shift our responsibility onto the heads of our leaders, be they religious or political, and that they will take care of us, and that there are no serious repercussions in doing so. This is a devastating lie. It is false. Preposterous. WRONG. Deadly!

In religion this lie takes the form of placing implicit trust in one's higher ecclesiastical leaders such that what they say is to be accepted without question no matter what, as if God himself said it, when the truth is that each person must "stand or fall by himself, and not for another, or not trusting another." (JST-Mark 9:44)

In politics, this phenomenon takes the form of welfare-state government, properly called socialism, in which the responsibility for taking care of ourselves and our neighbors is delegated to the government. The corollary of this lie is that it matters not where the money comes from so long as it comes, and the people are taken care ofCso that no one "falls through the cracks."

It matters very much where the money comes from! In fact, it matters so much that our temporal and spiritual survival hinge on it. When the funding comes from the government, it had to be collected by force. There are only a few legitimate roles of government where such force is justified, and those were defined in the Constitution of the United States. Redistribution of the wealth is not one of those -- far from it. To use the coercive power of government for this legalized plunder turns such funds into nothing other than blood money. To then participate in this robbery (which we all do because of how pervasive this system has become) is to defile one's garments with that blood.

We must stop putting our hands into the collectivist pot! We must start taking back the responsibility by voluntarily taking care of those who have needs -- even if they are currently being covered by government entitlement! There are many non-profit, charitable organizations already in place which can be strengthened (and cleaned up if necessary). Let us boycott the illegitimate government services and invigorate true philanthropy. Let's pull together and prove that charity works.

If we do not have a monumental change of heart along these lines, this blood will permanently stain our hands and we will be destroyed when this whole spiraling morass collapses under its own weight. Without divine intervention, the vicious cycle of socialism can only end ultimately in destruction, as its captivity brings massive bloodshed, both through resistance and through political "purgings" -- not to mention other socialist nations inflicting weapons of destruction to help solidify their grip on power in the socialist world.

How can I say it any more plainly? It is time to stop turning the other way and ignoring this satanic usurpation of our responsibility and the freedom with which it is synonymous. Let us begin in this once great nation, beginning in our own neighborhoods. It is time to take back our responsibility, both in religion and in politics. Let this be our crusade. And may God's grace help us cleans our hands from the blood and sins of this generation.

As for those traitorous conspirators who have knowingly sold us down this socialist road to destruction, let us identify these kingmen, and out with them, giving them the punishment prescribed by law for treason. This must be attended to with utmost vigilance and seriousness.

In speaking of such wolves, I must include those who have found their way into the church flocks as well. Let us utilize the mechanisms usually already in place to identify and remove these predators, as the silencing of the saints has granted this satanic plot one of its greatest advantages. No more. Look at their track record and prove their guilt, and pluck them out so they can repent or reap the full weight of the law for treason. There is a religious imperative to keep wolves out of the flock. We must obey that command or be devoured. Our salvation hinges on it.

Enough is enough! We are at war! Let's renew this nation to its greatness so that God will not have to obliterate us when he comes to overthrow the kingdoms of this world, treading us under foot like so much salt that has lost its savor.

In closing, I hereby both give permission to duplicate this letter in other newspapers and to read it on the air waves. Send a copy to your government representatives as well as to your ecclesiastical leaders so they can get the message. Together with God we can win America back. This is one crusade that must win and will win, for God is on the side of truth and freedom.

Sincerely,

Sterling D. Allan, Fountain Green, Utah; November 1, 1995
& Brian Gibson, Provo, Utah