“And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Mark 3:25
Although it has been called such, America has never been an actual “melting pot.” Most people groups have always maintained their unique culture and identity. However, America is more divided today than she has ever been. Quite simply, the United States is a house divided and partisan disagreements run deeper than ever measured. We must reach back to the War Between the States to find periods of US history where the country has been more divided; and even then, we were divided into fewer groups. We were less fragmented than today.
This division is easier for all to see today than it was then. During the War Between the States, unless enemy troops were marching through your town or a loved one was in battle, many Americans might go weeks at a time and not be reminded of the war. Not so today. The media keeps us constantly aware of the divide. Plus, social platforms only increase the problem.
Years ago, it was only very limited editorials in the newspaper we had to contend with. Today, people from a multitude of persuasions are constantly sharing their political and societal views on apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more. The problem is that these platforms have a worldwide audience and with virtually no accountability. Comments, often totally unfounded, still spark fear, anger, and resentment. Many times, those speaking have no idea of what they are talking about. But the rambling chatter still takes a toll. A recent poll suggests that sixty per cent of Americans say our nation’s “best days are in the past”.
Criminal investigators always ask themselves a crucial question when starting on a new case: Who stands to benefit the most from the crime? So, I ask you this same question: who stands to gain the most from sowing division and hatred in America? The obvious answer is; those in charge, the ruling class…the government.
The Constitution, although often ignored, is still the law of the land. Through the Constitution we learn that the citizen is the master over the government. “We the people” are the ones who hold the power, not a group of elite bureaucrats. However, government has learned that if they can keep the people fragmented, foolish, and frightened, the power of the people will be diluted. Government knows that division causes conflict. Surely this was proven in China/Taiwan, East and West Germany, North and South Korea, and in North and South Vietnam. Government likes to divide even though the long-term results are seldom favorable.
Of course, government also likes problems, because problems give government an excuse to grow. Sometimes going so far as to create problems to solve, or implementing programs to address problems that don’t even exist.
First, let’s consider how government likes to create problems so it can grow its power and control. Explaining this is as simple as a study of supply and demand. For example, racism is a valuable tool for dividing people. Trouble is, most clear-thinking people, regardless of race or religion, are not racist. For most rational people, racism doesn’t make any sense, so it doesn’t just happen. It must be created. So, when government determines that we are not divided enough because there is a shortage of racism, they create more. They accomplish this by creating more racism, through short-sighted programs that give preference to a particular race.
Now, I am not saying that racism has never existed, nor am I stating that it does not exist today, I am just saying that it is not a monumental problem for most Americans anymore. Yet, even at its climax, government at the local, regional, state and federal level always played a role in creating and maintaining racial inequality. A wide range of laws and policies were passed, including everything from who could vote, who could be a citizen, who could own property, where one could live, and various segregation laws, were all government programs to keep us divided. Government sponsored racism is still being implemented against African-Americans, but it is also being waged against Hispanics, Christians, political conservatives, and straight white men.
Second, Government also likes to exploit hate. Hate is also a great tool to divide us. Since government does not think there is enough hate, they are seeking to create more. Selected prosecution has caused hate. When one group can riot and be ignored while another group is vigorously prosecuted, that causes hatred to grow. Things such as gun control, abortion, election legitimacy, climate change, vaccines, and masks can turn one group against another. Cultural, economic, and political issues generate outrage and hostility. We are constantly being told that the other side does not play fair. Now, let’s also throw in another ingredient–enmity. It is clear that partisan Americans dislike each other a great deal. The result is politics of fear and rage, where the party in power uses the resources of the government to oppress the other side.
Third, Government also likes Americans to be in debt. At any time, government feels there is not enough debt in America, they seek to create more. Taxes have been a method in which a government can modify personal behavior. If the government wants people to stop doing something, it creates a “sin” tax to make it more costly. When a government offers tax incentives for acquiring debt, they are basically stating they want you to purchase things with debt. The government then rewards you when you comply. The economy hums along best when people buy and buy and buy. Whether or not they need or can afford what they’re buying is beside the point. The government and all the business interests don’t seem to care.
Fourth, Government desires for citizens to be ignorant. Governments don’t want a population capable of critical thinking, they want obedient workers, people just smart enough to pay taxes and just dumb enough to passively accept what their leaders tell them. I am not saying we are stupid, just ignorant. “Stupid” means “unable to learn.” Most American people, are very capable of learning regardless of their social, economic, or educational backgrounds. “Ignorant” means “lacking knowledge.” It is altogether different from “stupid”, and that’s what the government wants. They desire American voters to be ignorant of the intricacies of many issues in public policy. Take socialism for example. Socialism is a system of government that has been a disaster everywhere it has ever been attempted. Yet: 70 percent of millennials say they will vote for socialist candidates, and an astounding 36 percent of millennials say they approve of communism. These people are dumb as rocks. We are talking about the mental capacity of a turnip; pathetic ignorance of the highest level. Where did they obtain this lack of knowledge? The amazing answer is: in school.
I mentioned racism earlier. Crying racism seems to be the very easiest way to take advantage of the ignorance of Americans. Never mind that America is one of the least racist countries on Earth. Never mind that we recently elected and re-elected a black president in a country that is made up of a population that is 14 percent black.
Our ignorance shows in liberal cities that defunded their police departments and — surprise, surprise — murders and other crimes have skyrocketed. Pretty sure a kindergarten student could have predicted that outcome.
No, Americans aren’t actually stupid, but they are highly ignorant. Government has systematically brainwashed millions of kids from kindergarten to college into believing that America has been a bad, racist country from our founding. They were taught that we are bad because we have too many freedoms and that socialism is the only viable system of government. They have been taught that the only truth can come from far-left media outlets and that only a bigger and more powerful government, void of outdated Constitutional restraints, can cure the ills of our corrupt society.
Fifth, Government has also learned that fear is a good way to divide people while increasing their own power. So, if there is not enough fear, government seeks to create more. John Adams observed, “Fear is the foundation of most governments; but it is so sordid and brutal a passion, and renders men in whose breasts it predominates so stupid and miserable, that Americans will not be likely to approve of any political institution which is founded on it.” The Founding Fathers hoped the American people would possess the virtues and strength to perpetuate liberty. Unfortunately, politicians over the past century have used trick after trick to send Americans scurrying to politicians to protect them.
In the same way that some battered wives cling to their abusive husbands, the more fiascos the government creates, the more some voters cling to rulers. In the days after the 9/11 attacks, polls showed a doubling in the number of people who trusted government to “do the right thing.” The media fanned this blind faith. The Bush administration exploited this trust to unleash itself at home and abroad, and the nation is still paying the costs of its post-9/11 infatuation with government protection.
Bogus fears can produce real servitude. The Founding Fathers expected the American people to bravely stand up for their rights if their rulers trampled the law. Citizens cannot cower on cue without forfeiting any possibility of keeping government on a leash. If America is to have a rebirth of liberty, it must begin with a rebirth of courage.
Sixth, Government has learned to protect and isolate itself from “We the People.” Will anyone ever really be held accountable for destroying our republic? No, not unless the voters wise up. Political tribalism protects America’s leaders from being held accountable for everything from failed policies to war crimes. Furthermore, the government has led in the moral decline of its citizens to the point that most don’t acknowledge that we are accountable to God. So, if leaders are not accountable to God, or to the people, who remains to be accountable to? Answer, no one! Mission accomplished!
Government healthcare, welfare, and education, are all failed programs. But Washington is in love with itself, so once you gain political power, it means never having to say you’re sorry. It’s not that ordinary Americans never get what they want from the political system. It’s just that they only get what they want if the elites in control want the same thing.
No, government cannot be trusted. The irony is that most Americans know this, but they still want to give it more power. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, only 24 percent of Americans trust the federal government, down from over 70 percent during the late 1950s. So, why do we keep voting for guys we can’t trust? When will we learn that man lives by production, government lives by confiscation and redistribution?
America may be divided, but yet in many ways we are still a unified country, bonded together by more than we might think. On the surface it may sound like I despise my country. I do not! I love my country; I just don’t care much for the government because the government seems to despise our country. Recent government actions are not consistent with a free republic. My hope is that once again all Americans will come together under the Constitution, under one flag and pledge allegiance, under one God, to one country.
You see, Jesus said: “… if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Those words were true when He said them, and they are still true today.
Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry for over forty-five years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries and Christian Bible College.