Faith-Based Fascism: Turning Churches into the State’s Bagmen

The economic heart of fascism in the 1930's was the "government-private industry alliance."

It still is.

In this alliance, the state provides limited funds and promotion of favored businesses. The businesses provide profits that are taxed. The state's bureaucrats increase their influence over the economy by way of favored business enterprises.

The state is now heralding faith-based welfare. State money is used to favor some ministries, which conform to state requirements. In this way, the churches get "matching funds" from the state, and the state gets another avenue into the lives of the public. There will be more welfare clients, and there will be restraints on what the ministries can say and do with the money. The state extends its influence by means of confiscated money from the voters.

There are no free lunches. But church leaders forget this. They preach that grace is free to recipients, but then they preach the need for ethics: personal reform. They do not see that the state is imitating the gospel, but with confiscated funds. "Free money from the state, but then personal reform." The state is in charge of the reform program.

He who pays the piper calls the tune.

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