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I suspect Baptists, Non-denominationals and house churches would be the most difficult to harm - it would be like trying to shoot down a flying giant plastic sheet. If there's no backbone like on a kite there's nothing to break.

The thing is that there are other methods -- like we've seen the invidious attempts by some non-denominational pastors to say that there is no hell, we know already the black "baptist" churches etc.

Both structured and unstructured churches are equally at risk -- with different forms of attack

For instance, have you read 1984? George Orwell talks about a dystopian future in which the State is utterly in control. And that's the American fear

YET, if you read Aldous Huxley's "A brave new world" you see a different world where the persecution is caused by us, the people. Natural reproduction has been done away with and children are created, 'decanted' and raised in Hatcheries and Conditioning Centres, where they are divided into five castes (which are further split into 'Plus' and 'Minus' members) and designed to fulfill predetermined positions within the social and economic strata of the World State. Fetuses chosen to become members of the highest caste, 'Alpha', are allowed to develop naturally while maturing to term in "decanting bottles", while fetuses chosen to become members of the lower castes ('Beta', 'Gamma', 'Delta', 'Epsilon') are subjected to in situ chemical interference to cause arrested development in intelligence or physical growth.

anyway, to the crux of this the world is a gilded cage that we build for ourselves

And we see that in the US now where we are slaves to the television, where we gawk and get scared about everything because we are taught to fear.

We get our information from the almighty TV -- indeed many folks practically worship their television or computer. We confuse information with knowledge, information with wisdom. and pride ourselves on this -- we say we have read the Bible so many times and heard this great preacher and that and can quote them, but do we actually KNOW? Or do we blindly repeat what we have heard?

That is the latter problem that is probably more dangerous than Big Brother -- because when we have Big Brother, we can rebel against it, but when Big Sister is us, then we are subtly tied in, plugged in, cathetered and connected.

Thank you so very much, dear brother in Christ, for your two essay-posts with all of those fascinating and informative insights!

I only have two observations:

First, the malpractice insurance for ob/gyns in the U.S. is mind boggling evidently because many parents in these days of abortion on demand seem to expect a perfect baby. If the U.S. survives the economic tsunami then I would expect genetic engineering to advance exponentially because of this. And a nation of manufactured people as envisioned in Gattica would be much easier to manipulate.

But I do not think that will be our fate: Maranatha, Jesus!!!

Second and most importantly, God never leaves us or forsakes us.

The U.S.S.R. and China both tried to "kill" God as communism requires. Buildings may be destroyed, religious leaders killed, captured or marginalized. But only God can kill a soul.

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. - Matt 10:28

In those very nations despite all the persecution people remembered and talked among themselves forming house "churches" or two or more people. The communists could not stop that.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. - Matt 18:20

And today there is a spiritual awakening in those very countries which sought to "kill" God.

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? - I John 5:4-5

That is why I said disorganized Christians are the most difficult to harm - e.g. the house churches, the non-Denominationals and the Baptists.

God's Name is I AM.