That's true. We are moving in the direction slavery for now with the mounting regulations, fees, abrogations of rights, property grabs and so on. What we're not seeing enough of in political speech is that the robbery is mostly done at state and local levels. Generally, our nation is morally bankrupt, with one side in politics pushing mostly for federal crooks and the other pushing for state and local crooks (both kinds socialist overseers).
As I see it, many of us no longer have the option of continuing to be good little consumers in supporting their positions, incomes and political activities. And because of the economic slide caused political/regulator constituents, many more will fall from what they're calling the middle class (very inflated).
People who are willing to do some real work won't be needing their energy, food or builders and not much of their fuel. There are still relatively unregulated areas and areas that are no longer enforced as much. Have a look at this. Socialist investment/revenues rackets are being poked right in their eyes by those who won't need to buy much at all for heating energy (in Portland, OR of all places).
Rocket Mass Heater Permittinghttp://www.ernieanderica.info/rocketmassheaterpermitting
How is it all related to freedom of religious expression? Those who no longer have the time and money for socialist political activism will no longer be masters over others. There were also some problems with immorality cropping up in media and various locales just before the Great Depression. The Great Depression solved those problems. Our current situation with respect to debts is much worse, so the remedy will be much greater.
A history teacher told my class in 1973, that we (Baby Boomers) were spoiled rotten. After enlisting and going to Ft. Leonard Wood to pay a debt to my elders (who had enlisted before and lived right), I realized even more that he was right and have increasingly realized it since.
Heavy Hitters: Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2014http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php
American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees $60,949,129 [Democrat] 81% [Republican] 1%”
National Cmte to Preserve Social Security & Medicare $10,414,606 [Democrat] 82% [Republican] 17%
Leviathan (Uncle Sam employs more people than you think) National Review ^ | 02/03/2011 | Iain Murray
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...nearly 40 million Americans employed in some way by government."
During our moral and economic decline, there are many pretenders out there, who are actually Atheists and/or idolators to various extents. Or they wouldn't be doing what they're doing.
More believers in China? Good. But what about politics and freedoms in China? Not so good. People there are physically moved in large herds from one place to another by the PLA and really have no rights. Same in Russia. Russia is one of the more corrupt nations in the world--far more corrupt than the U.S.A., even now.
Politicos on both sides here write their yearnings for those policies to be implemented here, in the U.S.A. (examples: those politically connected folks who've insulted and demanded that all unemployed Americans move to Texas for the latest boom and bust, that we pay the national debt to foreigners with our natural resources, that commie state legislators choose senators, demands for a national sales tax, that America be turned into a rental society, and on and on).
There's no good side in politics, so the situation may be solved through the default process and hard work of those trying to become more self-sufficient, to save more instead of borrowing, those who pray sincerely and repent and so forth.