The American people are beginning to awaken to the freedom they have given away. It is now clear the FBI, the Justice Department, the IRS and other government agencies have been persecuting people for their political and religious views. Our courts have trampled on the religious definition of marriage, and the so-called “progressives” want to use the power of government to force us to participate in gay marriage. This targeting of “incorrect” viewpoints is not “progressive” at all, as it contradicts our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and, in fact, regresses us to the spirit of the infamous Spanish Inquisition.
The inquisition was the prototype of totalitarian systems designed to eliminate all belief contrary to the politically correct beliefs of the authorities. In the case of the inquisition, the politically correct belief was a form of Roman Catholicism. Later emulators of the inquisition spirit tried to force compliance with the French Revolution, Nazism and Communism. Today, the spirit of inquisition is rising in places like Venezuela, Turkey and Russia where Democracies are being converted into authoritarian governments. And the same trend is beginning to appear in the U.S., where the politically correct “progressive” beliefs in big government, sexual “freedom” and secularism are targeting those who believe in limited government and who hold Christian views.
The methods of the inquisition spirit have varied little down through history. First, the authorities gain control of the law enforcement mechanisms of society either directly, as in the case of the communists, or indirectly, as in the Spanish Inquisition. Secondly, the power of government is used to find those who may have opposing views. Those who come to the attention of the government, whether “guilty” or not, are then made into an example to terrorize the population into compliance. Often the victims of the inquisition spirit are not told why they were targeted and, like the Tea Party IRS applicants in 2012, they are simply left in legal limbo.
Sad to say, in the U.S., with its legacy of freedom, the inquisition spirit is growing strong. The current American manifestation began on college campuses, where “progressives” have ended academic freedom and used the inquisition spirit to eliminate all politically incorrect speech, as was evident by riots when conservatives are invited to be speakers. The media’s longstanding bias against conservatives is spreading to businesses, as in the case of a man fired by Google for expressing his beliefs. Now people with religious convictions against abortion have been targeted by Obamacare, those who believe in traditional marriage have been forced to participate in gay marriage ceremonies and schools were told they cannot protect the privacy of their female students. Persecution has come to America.
As intercessors, we must realize that we do not struggle against the individuals, but against the inquisition spirit itself. We must pray that the Lord will bless our enemies with the knowledge of the Lord and a desire for freedom. We pray that the spirit of inquisition will be turned back in our government and business, and we pray for a revival of Christianity and freedom on the college campuses where the inquisition spirit began.
Above all we pray that America will remain a free country where we can worship God without government persecution. {eoa}
Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries, spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God; the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage; and co-founder with his wife, Pat, of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.
