A Modern Woman's Perspective On The Kingdom of God on Earth


March 14, 2016

Rules For Radicals Still In Play

     If you have taken any amount of time to stay informed about American politics, then you are most likely familiar with Saul Alinksy and his Rules for Radicals.  The book is a primer for "the have-nots" in order to empower them to gain social, political, legal and economic equality by challenging the current agencies that promoted their inequality. In short, Alinsky was a believer in the classic Marxist theory which states that Communism is the final stage of the evolution of human socioeconomic relations. In the Marxist model, the feudal state is overthrown by the rise of the bourgeoisie, ushering in the capitalist epoch. Capitalism is then overthrown by the rise of the proletariat, which ushers in not communism, but the Socialist state. Each previous step is the necessary precondition for the next.  And we now have a Presidential candidate, in Bernie Sanders, who is a professed Socialist, and the younger generation is eating it up!
     So, can you see Alinsky's theory being set in motion in our recent history?  Think back to the 1960s and specifically, the 1968 Democratic Convention for President.  Also, it has been effectively argued that the political statesmen of this era have, throughout their careers, drawn inspiration from Alinsky and his call for "fundamental change".  John Fund of the National Review presents an informed argument that both President Obama and Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were avid students of Alinsky and his methods.
     His siren call, so to speak, to idealistic and impressionable students was "social justice".  And his approach to obtaining that goal, in the words of the Washington Post, would come to rely on   “generating conflict to mobilize the dispossessed.”  All you have to do is convince any useful group of followers that they are somehow dispossessed or deprived or cheated.  That's where outside agitators and community organizers become valuable tools of the Alinsky method of disruption.
     Alinsky also argued for moral relativism in fighting the establishment: “In war the end justifies almost any means. . . . The practical revolutionary will understand [that] in action, one does not always enjoy the luxury of a decision that is consistent both with one’s individual conscience and the good of mankind.” You can see that the absence of any universal moral truths will lead to whatever action is necessary to gain a personally desired outcome.
     Alinsky liked to boast that those who have the knowledge of his tactics can often achieve preemptive surrender of local officials, businesses, and political power bases.  He also touted the success of his tactics of intimidation.  His most oft-quoted rule is “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. . . . One acts decisively only in the conviction that all the angels are on one side and all the devils on the other.”
      We have seen that tactic used most effectively by this Administrative, in creating racial and social division; and in the ongoing political and legal battles that former Secretary of State Clinton is now undergoing.  MoveOn.org has been a model student of Alinsky tactics, and we have seen them administered in the recent riots and protests in Ferguson, Cleveland, St. Louis and Chicago.
     And now the rules for radicals are evident in the protests beginning to surround the current political season.  Just this past weekend, a rally for Donald Trump was cancelled, due to the threat of violent protestors.  But the sad fact of the matter is that I'm not sure how many of the protestors actually know the specifics of why they are protesting.  This generation of Facebook and SnapChat aficionados have become useful tools of agitators who will feed into this generation's desire to participate in drama of any sort.  So when the status quo, or their entitlement, is threatened in any way by a Donald Trump, they are easily convinced they are being deprived of what is rightfully theirs.  That's where the "pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it" tactic becomes most beneficial.   And when a young person doesn't really know what they stand for, or can't articulate it, they become manageable tools for suggestion and manipulation.
     Nothing has changed in the Alinsky methods in the 45 years since he wrote his influential Rules and dedicated it to "Lucifer".  His followers have stuck to his proven tactics ... to incite constant struggle and agitation so that the oppressive “system” would eventually be brought to its knees.  The sad fact, as D.L. Adams articulates in his excellent article, Saul Alinsky and the Rise of Amorality in American Politics, is that Alinsky was a nihilist.  That characteristic is defined as "the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless; there is found nothing to approve of in the established social order", therefore it is best to destroy it.  No wonder he dedicated his book to Lucifer; he's the perfect model of "the Destroyer".
     But perhaps the saddest element of all this chaos is that in the midst of the promises "to take back", to "fundamentally change", and the "virtue of the struggle", there are no real solutions proffered.  It's all about the perceived righteousness of the struggle.  In fact, as Adams suggests,  “Struggle” itself is the purpose and goal of the Alinsky way.
"All life is warfare, and it's the continuing fight against the status quo that revitalizes society, stimulates new values and gives man renewed hope of eventual progress. The struggle itself is the victory." (Alinsky interview)
     And what is left lying in the ashes of that victory?  Society is further divided; there are severe cracks in our moral foundation; and Alinskyites have to keep coming up with a new "struggle" to keep themselves relevant and maintain their power.  Saul Alinsky promised his followers Utopia, and all we've reaped is continued disillusionment and disparagement.  But isn't that exactly what Lucifer has been offering us since the Garden?  It's time we quit listening to the promises of a long-dead radical and turn to the hope that individual responsibility and accountability offer.  Morality and ethics may have no value for the "radical" who wants to overturn the institutions of society and save the world, but they are gifts to us from a God who truly desires the best for us.  Isn't it time we start following His rules?  
   
Galatians 5:10    "I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty."




4 comments:

  1. Belle,
    It is interesting - you should be able to look at a devoted Christian and see Jesus, and if you look at a devoted Luciferian, you should see Lucifer. Alinsky, in line with his fallen father, "incites constant struggle and agitation so that the oppressive system would eventually be brought to its knees." What is more interesting to me is your statement regarding the perceived righteousness of the struggle, the virtue of the struggle, as well as the victory is in the struggle itself. I've often wondered if Satan really believed he could win his spiritual war with God. I've often thought about the demons being cast out of the two in the region of the Gadarenes. They knew they had a time coming when they would be sent to be tortured for all eternity. I guess when one is in a state of deep rebellion, you know your actual outcome, but devote yourself to the struggle nevertheless, and the only victory that can be claimed is in the struggle itself. The only problem for Lucifer and his followers is that fact that they cannot obtain the freedom from the divine, "oppressive" God they so vehemently seek. Freedom by itself definition is "the absence of any control (slavery), constraint (or restraint) or from the power of another." The destroyer himself has failed to achieve such lofty aspirations. Only God is truly free and those He delivers enjoy the freedom to worship Him in truth and spirit, yet no created being has "absolute" freedom except God alone. It is so sad that multitudes follow Lucifer's failed mission and its ultimate consequence. At least the struggle of the Christian life is, in fact, a virtue, making us more Christ-like (yes, their struggle makes them more like their leader too), but we actually do receive "Utopia" as an inheritance, not in the place, but in the Person. Nobody ever appears to be experiencing any bliss in Hades!

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    1. I am in awe of your ability to see this matter clearly and to elucidate it so concisely! You obviously see the spiritual ramifications of such utter and complete rebellion against God. And that's what it is … it is not really about "social justice" or equalizing the resources between the "haves" and "have nots". At the very foundation of these so-called political movements is a very real rejection of God as Lord of your life. The sad thing is they don't even realize that they have exchanged the freedom that comes from God for the bondage of lies they receive from Lucifer. Thank you for putting everything into perspective for us.

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  2. In concert with the previous comment, Isn't one of the problems that we are losing the 20 somethings because they are able to see the effects of their dabbles with occultic powers? Even if they were raised in the church no one has demonstrated Gods supernatural power. The Church as a whole has not embraced using the power of Jesus i.e. his authority. So when our kids seek dark side or left hand path occultism through Dungeons and Dragons or Vampirism or astral projection or the myriad of "fun" or "harmless" parlor tricks that have real results they reject The Most High God as weaker or less effective. This loss of the "kids" I believe rest soley at the feet of the Church leadership for being weak and tepid on their theology and its application…2 Cents.

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    1. I couldn't agree with you more! When you have Pastors who don't believe that there is real spiritual warfare with real spiritual entities, you will have an entire congregation that is left defenseless against the attacks of the Enemy. Furthermore, they will be ignorant of the power they have through the Holy Spirit and the authority given them by Jesus to wage this spiritual battle. I believe you right... our kids have real experience with the forces and power from the dark side, and they have seen real results. But they have no idea how to call upon the power of the Holy Spirit, and no evidence that it is greater and mightier than anything from the devil. The supernatural power of our Savior and the Holy Spirit are not taught nor spoken of ... these kids will perish for lack of knowledge.

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