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Excerpt
Beware of False Profit$
By Devin L. Walker
The excerpt is taken from pages 110-112 of his book, “An Appeal To the African
Church In America: Beware of False Profit$!”
As I have emphasized throughout this appeal, the greatest enemy to humanity is
the current economic system that places profits before people. However, far too
many churches have not only remained silent on the evils of this system, but
have also participated in its maintenance and success. The number of church
ministers whose salary now exceed a million dollars is growing larger day by day
and represent the worst form of religious exploitation. The history of basically
all major world religions is rooted deeply in the abolition of class societies;
however, many of today's churches support the system of ruling class versus
working class, and condemn those within the working class for their status in
society. It is far too easy to attack the underdog - the drug dealers,
prostitutes, violent offenders, petty thieves and others - because this group
within society is the least organized and, consequently, least likely to react
to this public exposure. However, many of these same churches are not willing to
speak-out against the greatest purveyors of crime and violence in the world,
i.e., Wall Street, corporate America, and the ruling elite that determines who
eats and who dies.
The United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, through an economic and
political system that puts profit before people. Therefore, the sole motivating
force in a Capitalist system is the "Bottom Line" i.e., reaping the largest
material and monetary gains possible at any cost. However, the cost is paid by
the masses of people who suffer from the greatest human atrocities the world has
ever seen.
African people scattered in over 125 countries around the world know the
inhumane effects of a system that places profits before people all too well.
When we look at the list of atrocities that have and are being committed in the
name of profit, we can quickly see why the United States, along with its
European allies, have the blood of our people on their hands. Chattel-Slavery,
Manifest Destiny, Settler-Colonialism, Apartheid, Segregation, racism,
militarism, hunger, homelessness, and countless other oppressive conditions all
have been, and continue to be, committed today in the name of profit, only to
benefit a small minority of the earth's population who have attained more
resources than they could ever spend. The wealth and level of development that
exists in America causes many to proclaim that the United States is the greatest
country on earth. Any thinking person must realize that this material wealth
exists as a direct result of genocide committed against American Indians, the
forced labor of Africans under Chattel-Slavery and Settler-Colonialism, and
through the theft and exploitation of natural resources around the world.
It is only through profit that inequality is able to exist in the world today.
It is only through profit that the majority of the earth's population does not
have adequate food, homes and health care. It is only through profit that
millions of our people are incarcerated in prisons throughout the world. It is
only for profit that the United States has amassed the largest Military
Industrial Intelligence Police Complex the world has ever seen for the exclusive
purpose of protecting those profits. And it is because of profits that Africans
are faced with the terrible contradiction of being amongst the world's poorest
people, while the continent of Africa is one of the richest continents on earth.
The Irish Republican Socialist Committees states that, "profits are nothing more
than wages stolen from the people." Corporations earn profits by not paying
their workers. Those that grow the food are not those who eat the food. Those
that mine the earth for diamonds, gold and other natural resources are not the
ones that benefit from their very own labor. This is why the emphasis in a
Capitalist society is to consume more than one produce. Today, the United States
consumes close to 40 % of the earth's resources. However, when this occurs, it
also means that those who produce are not allowed to consume (or benefit) from
their own labor.
The redistribution of wealth represents food, homes, education, health care,
families, community and peace. Any excess gained from the work of the people
should not go toward fattening the pockets of a small group of individuals or
their corporations that they use to hide their dirty deeds. On the contrary, it
should be used to take care of those in society who cannot do for themselves,
such as the elderly, disabled and children. Furthermore, it should also be used
to guarantee that food, homes, education and health care are a right, not a
privilege. African people around the world must organize against the system of
profit that seeks to control the entire world. African culture has its origins
in communalism, which places people first, not profit. In the name of profit,
our enemy is organized, but we are not.
The church must unequivocally state that it is opposed to any type of society or
system that places profits before people and call for a campaign that will
redistribute the wealth of the world from the few to the many. They must now
come to organize with religious and non-religious organizations that hold
similar ideals to be able to overcome this great evil amongst us. There is no
doubt about the role that churches have played in the eradication of
Chattel-Slavery and segregation throughout the Diaspora, and the elimination of
Settler-Colonialism on the continent of Africa. However, the church must now
come to build a new chapter in its own history that solidifies its place in the
struggle for the emancipation of the working and exploited people of the world.
The church cannot afford to be concerned only with raising money for
anniversaries and building funds, but must also be concerned with justice. It
must forge an anti-class struggle that will eliminate the different class
systems that are allowed to permeate throughout society. Each church should
include in its by-laws or constitution that the current system of profit is the
greatest enemy to poor people and is diametrically opposed to the principles of
their particular religion.
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