Related articles and resources:

• Socialism: The New American Civil Religion, Form #05.016 (OFFSITE LINK)-describes how America has become socialist.  Part of SEDM Forms page.
• Government Establishment of Religion, Form #05.038 (OFFSITE LINK)-describes how governments establish religions generally.  Part of SEDM Forms page.
• Delegation of Authority Order from God to Christians, Form #10.008 (OFFSITE LINK)-describes how the bible is a trust document and you are the fiduciary, steward, officer, and agent of God, and why it does not allow you to act as a "public officer" of a pagan government.  Part of SEDM Forms page.
• Social Security: Mark of the Beast-describes how Socialist Insecurity is how the government has made America socialist
• Social Security: Idolatry and Slavery-Pastor Matt Trewhella
• Statism-Pastor John Weaver.  Fascinating.  Part of SEDM Sermons page.

God, in Exodus 20:3, as part of the Ten Commandments, said:

"You shall have no other gods before Me."

Our life as Christians should revolve around putting God at the top of our priority list.  That means supporting His causes with the first fruits of our labor and tithing to the church.  Here’s the scripture to back up this assertion:

“Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”
[Prov. 3:9-10, Bible, NKJV]

But how can we tithe to the church and put God first, if we illegally pay almost 50% of our income to all the following combined taxes before God even gets his first dime in out tithes?:

1.        Federal income tax (25% of our income).

2.        State income tax. (15%  of our income)

3.        Property tax. (5% of our income)

4.        Sales tax. (2% of our income)

5.        Estate (Death) taxes. (up to 100% of our income and our assets over a lifetime!)

Instead, the first fruits of our labor and almost 50% of our living income (and 100% of our assets when we die) go to the GOVERNMENT first in the form of income taxes, before we ever even see a dime of our own income, and we put way too much emphasis and reliance on the government to help us.  In effect, we allow or permit or volunteer ourselves to become government slaves and they become our masters and thus we lose our sovereignty and thereby make God of secondary importance, presumably because we want a hand-out and government “security”.  But listen to what God says about this type of abomination:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man [and by implication, governments made up of men], who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord.  He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes.  He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.  But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.  He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” 
[Jeremiah 17:5-8, Bible, NIV]

By surrendering our sovereignty and letting government become our god, we have committed idolatry: relying more on government and man than we do on God or ourselves to meet our needs.  Jesus Himself, however, specifically warned us not to do this:

“Away with you , Satan!  For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him ONLY [NOT the government!] you shall serve.’”
[Matt. 4:10, Bible, NKJV]

This kind of pernicious evil violates Psalms 118:8-9, which says: "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.  It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in princes."  I translate “princes” to mean “government”.  Likewise, such idolatry also violates Psalms 146:3, which says: “Put not your trust in princes, [nor] in the son of man, in whom [there is] no help. “ 

But can government REALLY be a religion from a genuine legal perspective and can we prove this in court?  Absolutely!  Lets look at the definition of “religion” from Black’s Law Dictionary to answer this question, and notice the highlighted words:

“Religion.  Man's relation to Divinity, to reverence, worship, obedience, and submission to mandates and precepts of supernatural or superior beings.  In its broadest sense includes all forms of belief in the existence of superior beings exercising power over human beings by volition, imposing rules of conduct, with future rewards and punishments.  Bond uniting man to God, and a virtue whose purpose is to render God worship due him as source of all being and principle of all government of things. Nikulnikoff v. Archbishop, etc., of Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, 142 Misc. 894, 255 N.Y.S. 653, 663.”
[Black’s Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition, page 1292]

Now we will take the highlighted words from this definition of “religion” above and put them into a table and compare worship of God on the left to worship of government on the right.  The results are very surprising.  The attributes in the left column of the table below are listed in the same sequence presented in the above definition and have asterisks next to them.  Those attributes without asterisks provide additional means of comparison between worship of God and worship of government (god with a little “g”).

Table 1-1: Worship of God (Christianity) v. Worship of Government (idolatry)

Isn’t that interesting?  The other thing you MUST conclude after examining the above table is that if anyone in government is a “superior being” relative to any human in the society they govern, then the government unavoidably becomes an idol and a god to be “worshipped” and submitted to as if the government or its servants individually were a religion.  In the feudal system of British Common Law from which our legal system derives, they even call judges “Your Worship”:

“worship  1.  chiefly Brit: a person of importance—used as a title for various officials (as magistrates and some mayors)  2: reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also: an act of expressing such reverence 3: a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual 4: extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem <~ the dollar>.” 
[Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1983, ISBN 0-87779-510-X]

We started with a government of law and not of men but we ended up with the opposite because of our apathy and ignorance:

“The government of the United States has been emphatically termed a government of laws, and not of men.  It will certainly cease to deserve that high appellation, if the laws furnish no remedy for the violation of a vested legal right.” 
[Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137; 1 Cranch 137, 2 L.Ed. 60 (1803)]

“Dulocracy.  A government where servants and slaves have so much license and privilege that they domineer.” 
[Black’s Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition,, p. 501]

The book of Judges in the Bible shows what happens to a culture that trusts in man and the flesh and their own feelings rather than in God’s law for their sense of justice and morality.  Below is an excerpt from our Bible introducing the Book of Judges to make the moral lessons contained in the book crystal clear:

The Book of Judges stands in stark contrast to Joshua.  In Joshua an obedient people conquered the land through trust in the power of God.  In Judges, however, a disobedient and idolatrous people are defeated time and time again because of their rebellion against God.

In seven distinct cycles of sin to salvation, Judges shows how Israel had set aside God’s law and in its place substituted “what was right in his own eyes” (21:25).  The recurring result of abandonment from God’s law is corruption from within and oppression from without.  During the nearly four centuries spanned by this book, God raises up military champions to throw off the yoke of bondage and to restore the nation to pure worship.  But all too soon the “sin cycle” begins again as the nation’s spiritual temperance grows steadily colder.

…

The Book of Judges could also appropriately be titled “The Book of Failure.” 

Deterioration (1:1-3:4).  Judges begins with short-lived military successes after Joshua’s death, but quickly turns to the repeated failure of all the tribes to drive out their enemies.  The people feel the lack of a unified central leader, but the primary reasons for their failure are a lack of faith in God and lack of obedience to Him (2:1-2).  Compromise leads to conflict and chaos.  Israel does not drive out the inhabitants (1:21, 27, 29, 30); instead of removing the moral cancer [IRS, Federal Reserve?] spread by the inhabitants of Canaan, they contract the disease.  The Canaanite gods [money, sex, covetousness] literally become a snare to them (2:3).  Judges 2:11-23 is a microcosm of the pattern found in Judges 3-16.

Deliverance (3:5-16:31).  In verses 3:5 through 16:31 of the Book of Judges, seven apostasies (fallings away from God) are described, seven servitudes, and seven deliverances.  Each of the seven cycles has five steps: sin, servitude, supplication, salvation, and silence.  These also can be described by the words rebellion, retribution, repentance, restoration, and rest.  The seven cycles connect together as a descending spiral of sin (2:19).  Israel vacillates between obedience and apostasy as the people continually fail to learn from their mistakes.  Apostasy grows, but the rebellion is not continual.  The times of rest and peace are longer than the times of bondage.  The monotony of Israel’s sins can be contrasted with the creativity of God’s methods of deliverance.

Depravity (17:1-21:25).  Judges 17:1 through 21:25 illustrate (1) religious apostasy (17 and 18) and (2) social and moral depravity (19-21) during the period of the judges.  Chapters 19-21 contain one of the worst tales of degradation in the Bible.  Judges closes with a key to understanding the period: “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (21:25) [a.k.a. “what FEELS good”].  The people are not doing what is wrong in their own eyes, but what is “evil in the sight of the Lord” (2:11).

The hypocrisy and idolatry represented by a government of judges or of men rather than law not only violates the first and greatest Commandment in the Bible found in Exodus 20:3, but is also more importantly violates the First Amendment  to the U.S. Constitution:

First Amendment:  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. 

How do government servants make themselves or the government they are part of into a “superior being”?  Here are just a few highly unethical and evil ways:

1.        Write laws that apply to everyone but them.

2.        Manipulate the enforcement of laws so that government servants don’t have to obey.

3.        Exceed their jurisdiction or lawful authority and not be punished or prosecuted for it.

4.        Abuse officially immunity or sovereign immunity with the blessing and collusion of a corrupted judiciary to protect themselves from punishment for their wrongdoing.

5.        Lie to or mislead a grand jury and not be held accountable for it because they would have to prosecute themselves if they did.

6.        Judges suppressing admission of evidence in court that is would undermine their power or control over society.

7.  Making cases unpublished where the government was litigated against and lost, thus preventing them from being cited as precedent.

8.    Judges telling juries that they must rule in the case based on what the judge says is the law rather than based on a reading of the actual law.

9.      Abuse the purpose of the legal system to terrorize and persecute Americans for their political activities or to coerce them into giving up some right that the law entitles them to.  Most Americans can’t afford legal representation and government abuses this vulnerability by litigating maliciously and endlessly against their enemies to terrorize them into submission and run up their legal bills.  This makes their victims into a financial slave of an expensive attorney who is licensed by the same state he is litigating against, which imparts a conflict of interest that prejudices the rights of his client.

TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 77 > Sec. 1589.

Sec. 1589. - Forced labor

Whoever knowingly provides or obtains the labor or services of a person -

(3)  by means of the abuse or threatened abuse of law or the legal process,

shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. If death results from the violation of this section, or if the violation includes kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or the attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, the defendant shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or life, or both

By making itself a “superior being” relative to the people it governs and serves and using the color but not actual force of law to compel the people to pay homage to and “worship” and to serve it with their stolen labor (extorted through illegally enforced income taxes), Congress has mandated a religion, with all the many necessary characteristics found in the legal definition of “religion” indicated above, and this is clearly unconstitutional.  The only way to guarantee the elimination of the conflict of law that results from putting government above the people is to:

1.        Make God the sovereign over all of creation.

2.        Make the people servants to God and his fiduciary agents.

3.        Create government as a servant to the people and their fiduciary agent.  Make the only source of government authority that of protecting the people from evil, injustice, and abuse.

There is no other rational conclusion one can reach based on the above analysis.  There is simply no other way to solve this logical paradox of government becoming a religion in the process of making itself superior to the people or the “U.S. citizens”.  The definition of “religion” earlier confirmed that God must be the origin of all earthly government, when it said:

“Bond uniting man to God, and a virtue whose purpose is to render God worship due him as source of all being and principle of all government of things.”

One of our readers, Humberto Nunez, wrote a fascinating and funny article showing just how similar government and most religions really are as follows:

GOVERNMENT IS A PAGAN CULT AND WE’VE ALL BEEN DRINKING THE KOOL AID

By:  Humberto Nunez

Government is a pagan cult. When you join the Armed Forces, the first thing they do is shave your head. Just like in many cults, where they shave your head. The Army also uses sleep deprivation in Boot Camp, just like many cults do, to brainwash their people.

Secret Service Agents are willing to “die for their beliefs” (in defense of The President: their cult leader).

Many men say that they would “die for their country”. This is a form of pagan Martyrdom for the pagan cult State.

Many today say that “religion has caused more war… “ and blah blah blah.

But the fact is that governments send out draft cards, not churches. Governments started WWI and WWII, not religion. In fact, during times of peace governments hate religion because religion is the governments’ #1 competition for allegiance, and during times of war, governments use religion for their own agenda.

Another similarity to cults: FBI Agents even dress similar to Mormons, and have the same type of haircuts. Many cults have a dress code of some kind, just like in the Army, and even in the Corporate world.

When you join the Moonies you would probably end up selling flowers for them, and the Moonies will keep all the profits from the work you do. When you work today, the pagan cult State takes your profits (in the form of income taxes), and they won’t let you leave their cult (the State). If you attempt to not pay your taxes, you would be arrested and branded a criminal.

Now, I did a little research into the symptoms and signs of a cult and found these 5 Warning Signs: (to distinguish a cult from a ‘normal’ religion)

1. The organization is willing to place itself above the law; this is probably the most important characteristic.

2. The leadership dictates, (rather than suggests) important personal (as opposed to spiritual) details of followers’ lives, such as whom to marry, what to study in college, etc.

3. The leader sets forth ethical guidelines members must follow but from which the leader is exempt.

4. The group is preparing to fight a literal, physical Armageddon against other human beings.

5. The leader regularly makes public assertions that he or she knows is false and/or the group has a policy of routinely deceiving outsiders.

Now, let’s break these down one by one.

1. The organization is willing to place itself above the law; this is probably the most important characteristic.

Example: Death Penalty.

What is the purpose and intention behind State sponsored Death Penalty?  The primary purpose and intention behind State sponsored Death Penalty is not to deter crime, nor is it to be tough on crime.  To understand the purpose and intent behind this, we must study psychology, in particular, behavioral psychology; like in training a dog. To train a dog, one must use behavioral modification techniques. For example, the primary purpose and intention behind anti-smoking laws is to get you to obey the State. Before you can train a dog to kill, you must first train the dog to obey simple commands; like sit, and roll over. The same is true of recycling laws. Glass bottles are actually much safer for the environment than plastic bottles. The primary purpose and intention behind recycling laws is not to save the environment, it is a behavioral modification technique to get the people to obey the Government.

Now, back to State sponsored death penalty laws. The primary purpose and intention behind Death Penalty laws is to get people used to the idea that the State is above the law. It is illegal for people to kill and to murder. With State sponsored Death Penalty laws, the State is Above the Law.

There you have symptom #1:

1. The organization is willing to place itself above the law; this is probably the most important characteristic.

2. The leadership dictates, (rather than suggests) important personal (as opposed to spiritual) details of followers’ lives, such as whom to marry, what to study in college, etc.

I can give a dozen examples of this behavioral modification ploy of cults. Recycling and anti-smoking laws were two examples I explained above. Dictating the behavior of Americans today is pervasive throughout our entire society.

3. The leader sets forth ethical guidelines members must follow but from which the leader is exempt.

We can see this today very clearly when it comes to violence. Many Americans today are forced to attend Anger Management Courses while at the same time the State uses violence (like in the Iraq War).

4. The group is preparing to fight a literal, physical Armageddon against other human beings.

Three words: War on Terrorism

5. The leader regularly makes public assertions that he or she knows is false and/or the group has a policy of routinely deceiving outsiders.

I don’t think that last symptom (of a cult) needs further explanation.

Well there you have it; the Government has all of the 5 major signs/symptoms of being a cult.

For the philosophy behind The Nature of Government I recommend this read:

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/nature_gov.htm

It is A MUST READ for all Americans and all freedom loving peoples of the world.  It is so good that if I start quoting from it, I’ll just end up pasting the entire article here in my article. So I’ll just leave it at that and say you the reader here MUST READ IT.

Now, the atheist says “Show me God.”  I say, “Show me government.”    I do not believe in the existence of government. Now hold your horses, I know that sounds silly at first, but let me explain.

Let’s say you were on a ship full of people. Now the people in that ship went insane and started hallucinating, thinking that you were an alien from another planet and that you must be killed. If those people on that ship killed you, you would really be dead, literally. Just because of the reality of the consequences of that mass hallucination (you being dead) does not prove that you were really an alien. It just proves that the people were suffering from mass hallucination. So, just because the so-called ‘government’ can arrest you and put you in jail, that does not prove the existence of government. It just proves mass hallucination.

Let’s start again now:

The atheist says “Show me God.”  I say, “Show me government.”  Now don’t tell me the White House. That is not ‘government’. That is a building.  That’s just as if I were to show an atheist a church (a building), that would not prove the existence of God.

Ok now, you might show me a Police Officer in uniform, and offer proof on how he can actually arrest me, to prove the existence of Government.

Well, I can show an atheist a priest in uniform, but that would not prove the existence of God. Even if Congress gave priests the authority to arrest people on the streets that would still not prove the existence of God to an atheist. Just like a cop in uniform does not prove the existence of government, it only proves that the people are suffering from mass hallucination.

People today are obsessed with the laws of the pagan-cult State. The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, etc. etc, people meditating day and night on the ‘laws’ of the pagan-cult State, as opposed to the Law of God.  Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, these men have become cult figures.  They have replaced Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Moses, as the men of God to be pondered on and studied.

Sacrifice for Protection

In ancient times, people performed human sacrifice to their pagan false gods for ‘Protection’ from the gods. They believed their gods also played the role of ‘Provider’ by performing human sacrifice for rain for their crops for example.

Today, the US Fed. Govt. is asking for “Sacrifice for Protection’. The State today is now saying that the people must sacrifice their Freedoms and Liberties for ‘Protection’ from terrorism (demons, evil spirits, etc.) and that the State will then ‘Provide’ them with safety.

This is metaphorically a form of human sacrifice. It is not a human sacrifice where you literally kill someone (like in the Death Penalty), but it is a “human” sacrifice. I mean, the State is not asking the animals to sacrifice their Freedoms and Liberties, it is asking us humans, so it is a “human” sacrifice as opposed to an ‘animal’ sacrifice in that sense. Also, there is death involved; the death of our Freedoms and Liberty.

By the way, State sponsored Death Penalty is another form of human sacrifice for the pagan-cult State, and State sponsored abortion is a form of child sacrifice for this pagan-cult State.

Black Robes: Judges and Devil worshippers

Judges wear Black Robes just like Devil worshippers. The Judges’ Desk is the altar of baal. They bring men tied up in handcuffs before the altar (Judges’ desk) and these men are for the human sacrifice and the entire court proceeding is a satanic ritual.

Sounds crazy? Is it a coincidence that the ‘language of the court’ is Latin (ex: Habeas Corpus) just like the ‘language of a Catholic Exorcism’ is also in Latin? Lawyers speak Latin in the court room just like Priests use Latin when performing exorcisms when you have a ‘case’ of full DEMONIC POSSESSESION.

Also, the same type of ‘respect’ a Priest would expect from a visitor to his church is the same type of respect a Judge expects in his court room. There’s even a penalty for disobeying this ‘respect’; it’s called “Contempt of Court”.

Another psychological conditioning behavior modification technique being applied on the American Public is this: Television shows like Judge Judy, Judge Joe, all these People’s Courts television shows. The primary intention and purpose behind these so-called Court Room Justice shows is to condition the public to get used to entering a court room with NO Trial by Jury. In not one of any of these types of shows do you ever see a Trial by Jury; that is not a mistake, it is intentional, and by design.

I can go on and on with this article and offer a million more details.

To conclude, if the US Govt. plans to attack Iran, North Korea, etc. in the future. And if there is the possibility that this War on Terrorism might lead to WWIII.  Then, that is nothing but pagan-cult MASS SUICIDE.  And the US Govt. is a pagan cult, and WE’VE ALL BEEN DRINKING THE KOOL AID.  [Does Jim Jones from Ghana ring a bell?]

Now, some readers of this article (especially neoconservatives) would automatically brand me an Anarchist. I am not an Anarchist, what I am questioning is the role of government. According to the Founding Fathers of America, the role of government was to protect your Individual Rights. NOT TO TAKE THEM AWAY.

And finally, if the people will not serve God, they will end up serving and being slaves of government. I am sure many Christians would believe this, and even some followers of eastern philosophies; for this is a form of 'Bad Karma'.

And, if man will not serve God, then woman will not serve man.  This is also a form of 'bad karma' [and it may also explain why the divorce rate is so high].

Another fascinating and funny article that helps to clarify just how God-like our government has become is as follows:

The Ten Commandments of the U.S. Government

I. I am the Lord of the Talmud, thou shalt have no Biblical God before me.

II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any but Satanic images: the witch, symbol of the city government and police department of Salem, Massachusetts; the five-pointed occult pentagram of Sirius, of the state religion of Egypt, emblem of the Department of Defense and our Armed Forces, and the badge of US law enforcement at all levels; the pyramid of Pharaoh, capped by the all-Seeing Eye of Horus, emblazoned on the currency in the denomination of one shekel.

III. Thou shalt not take the name of thy god in vain: thou shalt not blaspheme the name Rabbi, Israeli, Zionism, "U.S. government", or any politician or agency.

IV. Remember the Wal Mart sale on the Sabbath Day, and keep it holy by spending. Seven days must thou labor, that thereby thou shalt spend ever more.

V. Honor thy son and thy daughter. Neither spank nor say no to them when they seek to consume the sex and violence that is dangled before them from every lawful venue. Thy daughter shalt dress like a cheap harlot from the age of eight onward, and thy son shall engage in bloody video games, likewise from his eighth year. All of these are legal and profitable, saith the Lord.

VI. Thou shalt not kill the molester of 150 children in his prison cell, and thou shalt condemn the convict who executes the molester, lest such justice be encouraged, and lest it be known that the convict had greater common sense and honor than a legion of our judges.

VII. Thou shalt commit adultery and televise and popularize it throughout the land, and broadcast it into Afghanistan and Iraq, that thereby the Muslims shall be vouchsafed a share in our democracy and freedom.

VIII. Thou shalt not steal from us, for we detest competition.

IX. Thou shalt indeed bear false witness, for by perjury our Law is established.

X. Covet thy neighbor's goods and thy neighbor's wife, for thereby doth our Order prosper. 

I’ll bet you never even dreamed that there were so many parallels between Christianity and government, did you?  I’ll bet you also never thought of government as a religion, but that is exactly what it has become.  The idea of making government a religion or creating false idols for the people to worship is certainly not new.  Here is an example from the bible, where “cities” are referred to as “gods”.  Notice this passage also criticizes evolutionists when it says “Saying to..a stone 'you gave birth to me.'".  Evolutionists believe that we literally descended from rocks that evolved from a primordial soup:

"As the thief is ashamed when he is found out,
So is the house of Israel ashamed;
They and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their prophets,
Saying to a tree, "You are my father,'
And to a stone, "You gave birth to me.'
For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face.
But in the time of their trouble
They will say, "Arise and save us.'
But where are your gods [governments] that you have made for yourselves?
Let them arise,
If they can save you in the time of your trouble;
For according to the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah.”
[Jeremiah 2:26-28, Bible, NKJV]

Leaders know that if you can get people to worship false idols and thereby blaspheme God with their sin, then you can use this idolatry to captivate and enslave them.  For instance, in the Bible in 1 Kings 11-12, we learn that Solomon disobeyed the Lord by marrying foreign wives and worshipping the idols of these foreign wives.  When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam hardened his heart against God and alienated his people.  Then he fought a competitor named Jeroboam over the spoils of his vast father’s remnant kingdom (1 Kings 12).  The weapon that Jeroboam used to compete with Rehoboam was the creation of a false idol for the ten tribes of Israel that were under his leadership.  This false idol consisted of two calves of solid gold.  The false idol distracted ten of the 12 tribes of Israel from wanting to reunite with the other two tribes.  To this day, the twelve tribes have never again been able to reunite, because they were divided by idolatry toward false gods.  Here is a description of how he did it from 1 Kings 12:25-33:

Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan 

²⁵ Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel.
²⁶ Jeroboam thought to himself, "The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. ²⁷ If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam."
²⁸ After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." ²⁹ One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. ³⁰ And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there.
³¹ Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. ³² He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. ³³ On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.
[1 Kings 12:25-33, Bible, NIV]

Similar to Jeroboam, the government conquers the people by encouraging them to become distracted with false idols.  These false idols include:

1.        Government.  This translates into worship of and slavery to government through the income tax and an obsession with petitioning government to protect people from discrimination or punishment for the consequences of their sins, including homosexuality, dishonesty, and infidelity.

2.        Money.  They use this lust for money to divide and conquer and control families by getting them fighting over money within their marriage.  They encourage people to get marriage licenses they never needed in order to get jurisdiction over the spouses and their assets, and then they make it so easy to get divorced that it becomes economically attractive to marry people for their money.  This means that people get married for all the wrong reasons, and make themselves into slaves of the state in the process of using the state courts as a vehicle to plunder their partner using community property laws.

3.        Sex.  A fixation with sex, homosexuality, fornication, and adultery.  People who are obsessed with anything, and especially sex, are far less likely to be informed about the law or vigilant about holding their government accountable.

4.        Sports and television.  People who are hooked on Monday night football or the latest host soap or sitcom aren’t likely to be caught visiting the law library or reading the Bible as God says they should.

5.        Materialism.  This manifests itself in an obsession to acquire and keep “things”.

6.        Sin.  In the past, the government outlawed gambling and lotteries.  Now most states have actually institutionalized this kind of sin.  The government holds lotteries and even advertises them.  Indian reservations have become havens for legalized gambling.

Have you ever visited a doctor’s office for minor surgery?  What the doctor does is administer a local anesthetic to numb your senses in the area he will be cutting and operating on so you won't experience pain or feel what he is doing.  The government does the same thing.  Before they hook you up to “The Matrix” using their umbilical called the “income tax” to painfully suck you dry, they use a “local anesthetic” that numbs your senses and your discretion.  This “local anesthetic” is the sin and hedonism and idolatry they try to get you addicted to and distracted with that they use to make you into a slave:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” 
[Jesus in John 8:34, Bible, NKJV]

Once you are a slave to your sin, you are far less likely to give them any trouble about being a host organism for the umbilical they hook up to you called the income tax that sucks your life and your labor and your property dry.  They supplement this local anesthetic with a combination of cognitive dissonance, lies and propaganda, ignorance generated by the public schools, and an occasional media report about how they trashed a famous person to keep you in fear and immobilized to oppose their organized extortion and racketeering.  This trains you never to trust or respect your own judgment well enough to even conceive of questioning authority or challenging their jurisdiction.

"Surely oppression destroys a wise man's reason.
And a [compelled] bribe [called income tax] debases the heart." 
[Ecclesiastes 7:7, Bible, NKJV]

This concept of government as a religion especially applies to the field of taxation.  The Internal Revenue Code is 9,500 pages of very fine print.  We know because we have a personal copy and read it often.  How many people have taken the time to read the Internal Revenue Code in its entirety, and even among those very few people who have read it completely, how many believe that they fully and completely understand it well enough to swear under penalty of perjury that facts they reveal and statements they might make about their own personal tax liability would be completely consistent with it?  If you don’t meet these two criteria of having read it completely and often and having a full and accurate understanding about it that is truthful and consistent with its legislative intent, then any statement you make on a tax return that is based on your state of mind in that instance becomes simply a matter of usually misinformed or ignorant “belief”.  There’s a good word for this condition of believing something without knowing all the facts.  It is called “faith” and it is the foundation of all religions in the world!:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” 
[Heb. 11:1, Bible, NKJV]

Isn’t “faith” based on a “belief” in something which you have not seen sufficient scientific evidenc