|
The idea of American wealth originating in Black slavery has been proclaimed for decades but has particularly taken root in the last 10 years. The obvious reason is to give credence to the liberal myth that American wealth is stolen! I offer five answers to this falsehood: 1.First, in the history of the world, not just in America or the Western world, the existence of slavery is a constant! In other words, in every nation; every people group, every tribe; every race; every culture; and in every society, etc.—slavery existed. If slavery was able to make people wealthy…then it would have eviscerated poverty---everywhere!!! On the contrary, slavery is irrefutably the WORST economic system ever devised by man!!! Why? First, mankind cannot create success, any more than he/she can create air, lungs, the sun, the moon, the oceans, etc. God alone creates both the elements for success(earth-Ps24:1), and the principles of success* and man can only use these two areas—BECAUSE--it is God’s will for man to succeed(Josh1:8). My point is, although man has a history of trying--he cannot do life alone!! On the contrary, whenever man has attempted to go life alone--leaving God out--even when using God’s elements and principles, over time it always ends in tragic failure! Why? The pleasures of sin last only for a season(Heb11:25). Slavery is a great example of man trying to succeed without God, or do life alone. Furthermore, my next point (point 2) is yet more evidence of this human arrogance! 2.Second, slavery cannot generate enduring wealth! First, it is obvious that those enslaved accumulate no wealth—either immediate or enduring--precisely because the fruit of their labor is stolen. This point is the absolute greatest reason slavery does not create wealth!! Why? Legitimate wealth creation will benefit all! Next, just as important is that the riches of the enslaver…are fake! Why? Because of debt! The elephant in the living room of slavery is debt! I repeat, ‘slavery organically creates debt’! And again, why? Because the slaves must be fed, clothed, housed, and provided health care, to name a few—all of which must be subtracted from any profits. Slavery literally destroys the three greatest motivators of work: 1.the enslaved family-the number one motivator of wealth building, a.k.a. ‘generational wealth’; 2.it creates a hatred for work in the enslaved because it requires work without reward; and in the enslaver by creating a superiority complex, and rebellion ending in abject laziness. 3.And most importantly, slavery destroys the unique purposes of both the enslaved and the enslaver. While the destruction of the unique purpose of the enslaved is obvious, the enslaver’s unique purpose is also destroyed because all unique purpose ends with serving mankind…not only self—like slavery. Furthermore, slavery requires a force of overseers to both coerce and measure the work done; and an entirely separate security force to keep slaves from running, and bounty to re-capture them when they do! Therefore, much more money was necessary to sustain any profits—because of all the negatives. The high cost of a slave demands creative, relentless, and ever-increasing cruelty to coerce productivity. Yet, the obvious problem with cruelty is that it destroys both motivation and productivity. Cruelty often involved everything from murder, beatings, selling family members, down to a rejection of providing food(or very little food), housing, and clothing for slaves, etc.---and I repeat, all of which organically rebounded in creating even less productivity! As any rational person can understand, reward not cruelty is the greatest motivation of productivity; and productivity is God’s path to wealth(Gen1:26-28). However, slavery can create ‘some’ riches, because it involves work which is ‘THE’ foundation God created and gifted to man to facilitate financial increase. However, because riches are different from wealth, slavery can create neither wealth, nor enduring wealth!! On the contrary, the greatest productivity comes from purposed work…not coerced work! So, the curse of rejecting God’s plan for productivity (Gen1:26-28) remained in the southern states—because of their slavery! The final result is the enslaver’s riches were a mile wide, but only an inch deep!!! In other words, slavery’s actual wealth was social…it was a show! Once again, God’s word has the answer, which is “durable riches”. Proverbs 8:18 declares, “Riches and honor are with me(wisdom); yea, durable riches…”. The word “durable” conveys the idea of ‘enduring’ or ‘lasting over time’ or ‘does not decay’ which is a virtue conveyed through God’s unchanging nature, i.e.His faithfulness. In reality, only virtue can create enduring wealth! Because virtue and slavery are mutually exclusive—‘enduring wealth’ cannot be created by slavery!! 3.If it is true American wealth was stolen, then morally, it ought to be returned. The Bible calls it restitution. First, the God’s word forbids theft: “do not steal” (Ex20:15). Second, in the case where a thief is captured, Exodus 22:7 declares he/she ought to pay double in restitution. However, Proverbs 6:30-31 is much worse: “30.Men do not despise a thief if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; 31.But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.” The person, or people group, or political party, or nation, etc., who is caught stealing can’t get away with just an apology!!! No! No! No! He/they must pay restitution from 2 to 7-times what was stolen!! In other words, if America stole its wealth, it must return it 2-7 times. If that is true however, because liberal America uses the principle of ‘returning to the past to determine contemporary truth’, which allows us to conclude that America stole its contemporary wealth, to be consistent, we must also use that same principle on the restitution of any stolen wealth, which allows us to conclude that our contemporary American wealth is built upon that stolen past wealth! Because this is true, contemporary American wealth must be part of that wealth returned to those from whom it was taken! In other words, the contemporary people who proclaim American wealth is stolen, ought to be the FIRST to return their contemporary wealth to those from whom it was stolen!!!! If not… it’s called first-class hypocrisy!!! 4.In the excellent book ‘God is a Capitalist’, author Roger McKinney writes regarding the “stolen wealth of Babylon, Greece, Rome, the Ottoman Empire and Spain” which he calls “primitive accumulation”: “Their capitals became the wealthiest in their day and the envy of the world by conquering others and stealing their wealth. But, unlike America, none of those nations sparked an industrial revolution because capital decays. Capital cannot be accumulated and held on to for centuries. The owners spend it on consumption so they must continually replenish it either through conquest or through the market. Entropy destroys capital in the form of buildings and equipment. All of the ancient empires succumbed to decay when they extended their borders to the limit and could no longer conquer and steal the wealth to replenish what they had consumed.” In other words, McKinney is saying the gold etc., that was stolen from other lands by these nations was used to build buildings, roads etc. Therefore, their ‘philosophy’ that wealth must be stolen to possess and increase it cannot be sustained, without ‘continuing’ this practice over time. The problem for the plundering nations is the victim nations may either run out of wealth to steal, or they may become stronger and destroy you in battle! If America stole its past wealth, from whom is it stealing its contemporary wealth? Or, if America’s wealth is built upon Black slaves, how is America’s contemporary wealth sustained and increased considering slavery is abolished?!?!! Present-day statistics show America has the greatest GDP in the world---and it’s not even close! On the contrary, plundering wealth is not God’s design for nations to possess wealth…creating it is!! For this, and other reasons, nations remained poor until God’s system for creating wealth, i.e.free markets, arose at the end of the 19th century! Remember, my point is that slavery does not create wealth---and for millenniums, although history is full of slavery, that very history proves slavery has never produced wealth! This fourth point leads inexorably into my fifth and final point. 5.The first graph below is from ‘Economics 201’ called the ‘Hockey Stick’ graph. It reveals that individual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remained basically the same until the end of the 18th century. The second graph lists the same information by nation. These graphs are the ‘mic-drop’ evidence: 1.slavery does not create wealth 2.Black slaves did not create American wealth First, notice the ‘Hockey Stick’ graph line remains constant for millenniums!!! Individual GDP remained low in spite of…or better yet…BECAUSE of, the fact that slavery existed in every nation, among every people group for thousands of years—all over the world!!! Second, as the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were created and implemented in 1789, slavery began to end in America toward the end of the 18th century! Incredibly however, the graphs reveal that as slavery ended in America, American GDP began to rise…but not only in America—it began to rise all over the world! Why? The American Declaration of Independence and Constitution were God-designed not only for America, but to usher in freedom all over the world!!! Check-out the prophecy of Abraham Lincoln: “The Declaration of Independence gave liberty not alone to the people of this country, but hope to all the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weights would be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance. This is the sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Independence...” I repeat, notice the individual GDP line began to rise at the end of the 18th century but made a steep incline beginning at the end of the 19th century--in spite of the abolishment of slavery!!! And what’s more, the GDP line literally ‘shot up’ through the 20th century!!! AND, what’s more again….look what nation led the way in the rise of individual GDP: The United States of America!! As other nations began to apply the freedoms found through the Western Culture**, whose origin is Gal.5:1,13, Lev.25:10*** etc., then those nations, even though they were pagan, also had a steep rise in their GDP!! Of course, the freedoms of America happened through the Biblical economic system of Capitalism—which is that same system that also allowed for the nations of the world to financially prosper! In conclusion, these graphs are incontrovertible evidence proving that American wealth was not built on slavery!!! I repeat, America did not steal her great wealth from the Black slaves!!! *i.Special revelation, i.e.The Bible, for example, Josh 1:8; ii.General revelation. God created principles in His created things that facilitate success, for example the law of sowing and reaping (Gen8:22). **The Judaeo-Christian ethic ***The verse on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. QuoteBit "The time has come for Christians to vote for honest men, and take consistent ground in politics or the Lord will curse them...Politics are a part of religion in such a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to their country as a part of their duty to God." -Charles Finney, preacher, Revivalist, University president.   *The Judaeo-Christian ethic
**The verse on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. QuoteBit "The time has come for Christians to vote for honest men, and take consistent ground in politics or the Lord will curse them...Politics are a part of religion in such a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to their country as a part of their duty to God." -Charles Finney, preacher, Revivalist, University president.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
