{"id":262499,"date":"2016-08-18T18:56:48","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T18:56:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/?p=262499"},"modified":"2016-08-18T20:03:14","modified_gmt":"2016-08-18T20:03:14","slug":"dont-let-propaganda-looming-cashless-society-deceive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/latest-news\/dont-let-propaganda-looming-cashless-society-deceive\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t let propaganda for the ‘looming cashless society’ deceive you"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since its invention in Babylon around 4,000 years ago, money has changed from gold coins,\u00a0to coins of lesser value; to paper notes\/cheques, plastic cards, and finally, silicon chips.\u00a0\u00a0Within the next few decades, it\u00a0is looking more and more likely\u00a0that\u00a0there will be no more hard cash (coins\/notes) left.\u00a0\u00a0By this point, the notion of using physical money\u00a0will be\u00a0for many people a distant memory tinged with disbelief.\u00a0\u00a0“How did we ever manage something so clumsy and backward?”<\/em>\u00a0many will say.<\/p>\n

We know people will say this because an increasing number of people are\u00a0already<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/span>saying similar things.<\/p>\n

In January, 2016, John Cryan, Chief Executive of one of Europe\u2019s biggest banks, Deutsche Bank, predicted that:\u00a0\u201cCash, I think, in ten years time probably won\u2019t (exist). There is no need for it, it is terribly inefficient and expensive.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Most of the arguments for\u00a0a\u00a0cashless society\u00a0sound sensible and logical, especially on first glance.\u00a0\u00a0People who argue against the ‘progress’ and ‘sense’ of this development\u00a0have been accused of being backward, suspicious, or\u00a0worse.\u00a0 In light of this, it is\u00a0going to take considerable courage and character to refuse to conform to the inevitable process unfolding before our eyes.\u00a0 It is also going to take wisdom and discernment in order to disentangle the issues.<\/p>\n

This article explores\u00a0five\u00a0<\/strong>ways\u00a0in which people are being heavily conditioned to accept the cashless society,\u00a0and it concludes with what we\u00a0need to do in order\u00a0to take a stand against this.<\/p>\n

(1)\u00a0Rhetoric<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The use of violent and aggressive language consistently gives the impression that Cash is something we need to treat as an enemy, and thus kill or make war against.<\/p>\n

The headline to one article reads:\u00a0\u201cOne Swede Will Kill Cash Forever\u2014Unless His Foe Saves It From Extinction.\u201d<\/em>[1]\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/span>The article features the story of Abba front man, Bjorn Ulvaeus,\u00a0who\u00a0became a key spokesperson for the cashless society after his son was robbed.\u00a0 Ulvaeus postulated that the chance of this happening would have been greatly reduced\u00a0if\u00a0paper money\u00a0(exchanged for stolen items) did not exist.<\/p>\n

It follows that if we argue against the cashless society we\u00a0become a “foe” of the status quo, having aligned ourselves with criminals; or worse still,\u00a0terrorists<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0This is not an exaggeration, as the following\u00a0headline from The Guardian reveals: “Crime, terrorism and tax evasion – why banks are waging war on cash.\u201d<\/em>[2]<\/p>\n

Rhetoric used to drum up support for the cashless society also echoes the\u00a0scaremongering and propaganda\u00a0used to galvanise public support for military action.\u00a0\u00a0Another newspaper headline about Sweden, the\u00a0global forerunner of the cashless society, exclaims: \u201cSweden wants to kill cash within 5 years, and it\u2019s getting really close.\u201d<\/em>[3]<\/p>\n

Back in 2007, in an El Pais<\/em> article titled\u00a0\u201cThe Great Advantage of a Cashless World\u201d<\/em>[4], <\/a>Guillermo de la Dehesa, a Spanish economist, former senior civil servant and international advisor to Banco Santander and Goldman Sachs, condemned cash as\u00a0the source of all crime and wrong-doing.\u00a0 He stated:\u00a0“Without cash, we would live in a much safer, less violent world with enhanced social cohesion, since the major incentive fuelling all illegal activity… would disappear.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Can the public really be convinced that changing the\u00a0\u201cform\u201d\u00a0that money takes will bring an end to greed? \u00a0Obviously illegal activity will continue, even if much of it has to do with devising ways to work around a cashless society. \u00a0But a bigger\u00a0threat\u00a0looms in the form of criminal use of the power that banks and governments will receive if they gain a total monopoly on all of our transactions. \u00a0The world will be forced to accept whatever terms, charges or exchange rates the system wishes to implement, since there will be no way to withdraw our wealth and hide it in a mattress like we used to be able to do in the \u201cgood old days\u201d.<\/p>\n

The strategy being used\u00a0by cashless\u00a0proponents (like\u00a0Guillermo de la Dehesa)\u00a0is to allow no room for middle ground.\u00a0 We are being\u00a0instructed to make a clear decision about\u00a0whose side we are on. \u00a0According to their terms, if\u00a0we continue to use paper money\u00a0we are probably doing something\u00a0bad: if we choose to go cashless, only then will we\u00a0have a chance of being accepted as one of the “good guys.”<\/p>\n

While cash is repeatedly accused of being the Enemy, its replacements are continually romanticised.\u00a0 Jack Dorsey, founder of mobile payments provider, Square<\/em>, shared the following take on mobile money:\u00a0“I think there is a general desire in American culture right now to find something that is more crafted, more personal. As anyone who’s ever received money as a gift will tell you, there\u2019s nothing more impersonal (and, of course, more untraceable and anonymous) than cash.\u00a0 Mobile payments will fix that shortcoming.”<\/em>[5]<\/p>\n

Once again, we are given a picture which assumes the lack of\u00a0cash\u00a0inside a birthday card will make a payment into your bank account seem more romantic by default. \u00a0The impersonal nature of cash is certainly not resolved by using an even more impersonal electronic\u00a0transfer. \u00a0And Dorsey raises another issue, which, in fact, robs cash of quite a nice characteristic, and that is the ability for us to donate something anonymously.<\/p>\n

For many months, Barclays bank in the UK romanticised cashless alternatives by bombarding customers with the slogan:\u00a0“Learn to love your PIN”.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0Another major bank, HSBC, lined the walls of airport corridors with posters featuring a picture of someone’s finger with a QR code tattoo on it.\u00a0 The accompanying (creepy) slogan\u00a0decreed:\u00a0\u201cYour data will be your DNA… the future is full of opportunity.\u201d<\/em>[6]<\/p>\n

In addition to military and romantic rhetoric, competitive jargon has been used to give the impression that the end of cash is a goal toward which we are all striving. \u00a0Headlines commonly refer to\u00a0“the\u00a0race<\/em>\u00a0to become the first cashless society.\u201d[7] By making it a “race” to be the first person, business, or country to achieve the various steps toward a cashless society, the public is being conditioned to think that “winning” this race is necessarily a good thing, in every way. \u00a0No thought is given to whether or not the race is what everyone wants, or indeed whether\u00a0the course\u00a0may end at the top of a cliff.<\/p>\n

Clearly, the trumpet has sounded for\u00a0all nations to jump aboard the transition to a cashless economy as quickly as possible – like a black hole sucking everyone into alignment and submission.\u00a0\u00a0Between the lines of each type of rhetoric being formulated to usher in the cashless society is a clear warning: if you\u00a0wish to keep your wealth, lifestyle and reputation you\u00a0must\u00a0<\/em>conform.<\/p>\n

(2)\u00a0‘Reason’<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The media tends to ignore arguments and concerns that people have about\u00a0the impending\u00a0cashless society until or unless they can come up with a strong argument to challenge the concern.\u00a0 The benefits are touted in an effort to convince us that there is no reason at all to be concerned about un-named dangers. \u00a0The dangers themselves\u00a0–\u00a0in particular Christians teaching about the Mark of the Beast – are generally ignored altogether. \u00a0In this way, the public is being\u00a0steered to\u00a0make a\u00a0c<\/span>hoice that\u00a0appears to have no basis for any concern. \u00a0Here is a line from one Fox News report: “There is no credible cause for concern about implanting these tiny microchips under your skin.\u201d<\/em>[8]<\/p>\n

The\u00a0number of reasons being given in favour of a cashless society feel weighty.\u00a0 Arguments have included such things as simplifying banking, with no more need to mess around counting or looking for loose change;[9] wiping out the drug trade and crippling terrorism;[10]\u00a0improving the efficiency of immigration and law enforcement;[11] ending bribes;[12] hindering tax evasion; and\u00a0creating a safer, more “transparent society”, where everything is accounted for and “above board.\u201d[13]<\/p>\n

Secondary reasons include such things as the environmental benefit of\u00a0not using paper money, and increased hygiene in cases where paying for goods (like meat) with\u00a0cash could potentially spread bacteria.[14]<\/p>\n

In developing countries, cashless payment systems, like M-Pesa, have opened up banking services to people who would not otherwise have access to them; enabling individuals to wire money back to family members in rural Africa, for example.[15]\u00a0 Who would\u00a0not\u00a0wish to see poorer, less fortunate individuals benefit from opportunities like this?!<\/p>\n

The younger generation – future voters and bread-winners –\u00a0are being heavily primed.\u00a0\u00a0An increasing number of schools have incorporated biometric fingerprint scanners in daily lunch lines for kids, which reduce the need for personal identification numbers or cash.\u00a0 There is never a\u00a0shortage of\u00a0children\u00a0agreeing to be interviewed saying\u00a0this makes queuing up for lunch\u00a0that much easier.\u00a0 One 14-year old stated:\u00a0\u201cAs long as there is money in my account, I won\u2019t have to worry about anything.\u201d<\/em>[16] But is this true?\u00a0 Do children have\u00a0nothing\u00a0to worry about\u00a0as they are\u00a0being conditioned\u00a0to accept\u00a0a cashless society, on the basis of unthinking convenience?<\/p>\n

Recent articles have even included arguments\u00a0that buskers[17]\u00a0and homeless people[18]\u00a0will be\u00a0aided by the creation of cashless “apps” enabling them to exchange electronic donations for items like food, thereby eradicating the problem of physical cash gifts being used for drugs or other illegal activities.<\/p>\n

Clearly a\u00a0lot<\/em>\u00a0of thought is being put into convincing us that every aspect of the cashless\u00a0society is being considered, and that all the necessary “solutions” are being found.\u00a0 Arguments are, of course, consistently chosen for the express purpose of pushing through the cashless society.\u00a0 We are being conditioned to believe that\u00a0this is in our best interests – the dawning of a “brave new world” of convenience, efficiency and transparency.<\/p>\n

While there are benefits\u00a0to going cashless, the pay-off is definitely not a \u2018profitable\u2019 one.\u00a0 We are being\u00a0encouraged to sign away our freedoms\u00a0and to exercise blind faith in policy-makers and institutions that\u00a0will bail out banks at the drop of a hat, while\u00a0watching people’s pensions disappear down the plug hole.<\/p>\n

As Ellen Brown wrote in her article \u201cThe War on Savings: The Panama Papers, Bail-Ins, and the Push to Go Cashless\u201d:\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s all about knowing where the money is and who owns it, in order to tax it, regulate it, \u201csanction\u201d it, or confiscate it.\u201d<\/em>[19]<\/p>\n

Understanding this deeper motivation, has led to several articles being written by people zeroing in on the issue of Negative Interest Rates and their relation to this\u00a0push\u00a0to go cashless at all costs.\u00a0\u00a0A negative interest rate allows the bank to charge interest on money kept in the bank.\u00a0\u00a0This naturally encourages people to withdraw their money.\u00a0\u00a0Without cash, people will be forced to keep their money in a bank and to pay the banks whatever they require. \u00a0This separates people from their money while enabling the banks to reap enormous revenue streams.[20]<\/p>\n

Contrary to what the public is being led to believe, the real “winners” of the war on cash are\u00a0<\/em><\/span>not<\/em>\u00a0the vast majority\u00a0of the\u00a0public. \u00a0The winners are those individuals who stand to significantly profit from it – mainly the banking\u00a0cartels and those who support their policies.<\/p>\n

(3)\u00a0<\/strong>Ridicule<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Mastercard, one of the main financial institutions propelling the cashless society, commissioned a billboard advertising their lead debit brand, Maestro,\u00a0emblazoned with\u00a0the slogan:\u00a0\u201cCash is so last millennium!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Between the lines, users of cash were being labelled as\u00a0archaic and behind the times.<\/p>\n

To many people\u00a0the\u00a0colossal elephant in the room which\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>being missed is the prophecy in Revelation 13:16-18<\/a> and Revelation 14:9-11<\/a>.[21] The Bible\u00a0warns\u00a0of a\u00a0future scenario where\u00a0people are forced to make a choice about their relationship to the monetary system, with profound, eternal consequences, depending on what\u00a0is decided.\u00a0 In the prophecy, a final world leader makes it compulsory for everyone to have some kind of mark in their right hand or in their forehead, without which they can neither\u00a0buy nor sell. \u00a0The Bible warns that God\u2019s wrath will be poured out\u00a0 \u201cwithout measure\u201d on anyone who takes that mark. \u00a0There really is no banking answer to this prophetic passage, apart from rejecting God and the Bible.<\/p>\n

Obviously going cashless does not necessarily mean that one must accept a microchip implant. \u00a0But this is where it is all heading. \u00a0More and more people who do not accept the authority of the Bible are making peace with the idea that they will eventually be given a microchip implant.\u00a0 When shown the biblical prophecy, they often show surprise at such an amazing\u00a0\u201ccoincidence\u201d, that this should have been described so accurately nearly 2000 years ago.<\/p>\n

In 2004, a handful of night clubs in Europe began offering their clients the “VeriChip”\u00a0–\u00a0a rice grain-sized RFID\u00a0device which could be implanted inside a person’s body, to\u00a0be used for all financial transactions within the club.[22]\u00a0 Since then there have been a handful of small experiments along similar lines.<\/p>\n

As more people become aware of the\u00a0prophecy, more attempts will be made to discredit it, and to discredit or ridicule anyone who believes in it.\u00a0 Was it just a coincidence that the first Apple computer was sold for $666, the number referred to in Revelation 13:18 as being linked with the\u00a0\u201cMark of the Beast”?[23] Although individuals have argued that\u00a0Apple’s logo (with a bite out of it) was not chosen as a flaunt to God (re Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden), it is hard to believe that the sale price and its direct relation to the Mark of the Beast prophecy, was not chosen without at least\u00a0some\u00a0<\/em>foreknowledge\u00a0of where it was all leading!<\/p>\n

A recent article went much further, published with the title:\u00a0“Satan\u2019s Credit Card: What The Mark of the Beast Taught Me About The Future Of Money.”<\/em>[24] The article\u00a0is written by a guy who\u00a0travels to Sweden to get implanted with a microchip credit card.\u00a0 The title speaks volumes: Here is a person who is obviously aware\u00a0of the prophecy, and he is belittling\u00a0its seriousness and asking others to do the same.\u00a0 The public is being conditioned to see a perfectly normal and healthy\u00a0individual who is not burning in hell, with the obvious insinuation that there is nothing to worry about.\u00a0 This helps to make a mockery of the biblical warning, even though it blatantly overlooks the fact that the punishment promised in scripture will not come until some years later.<\/p>\n

Another way in which a balanced discussion concerning the prophecy gets frustrated, comes from people within the institutional church itself.\u00a0\u00a0The media occasionally interviews “Christian\u201d\u00a0preachers, getting them to endorse and defend the chip with various reassurances.\u00a0 These have included arguments that\u00a0the RFID chip is not the prophesied mark\u00a0because it is currently being implanted in the left hand or the forearm, rather than in the right hand or\u00a0forehead, as the prophecy states.<\/p>\n

So, while some light is being brought to the subject, the underlying aim is to consistently discredit the genuine concerns people have about the prophecy and its relation to current developments.\u00a0 It is likely that we will see more and more of this ridicule and confusion as the global implementation of the cashless society unfolds.<\/p>\n

(4)\u00a0Repetition\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Humans are suggestible: if you keep repeating a message with enough volume and frequency, the chances of\u00a0someone giving it credence increases.\u00a0 (How many of us have caught ourselves humming the tune to a cheesy pop song with\u00a0terrible lyrics?!)<\/p>\n

Advertising experts know that\u00a0if you repeat\u00a0a message over and over, it becomes embedded in peoples’ consciousness.\u00a0 Banks, retailers, politicians,\u00a0and other agencies who will benefit from the cashless society, have the funds and motivation to use media outlets and public spaces to sell their products and proclaim their views.\u00a0 This is\u00a0where the rhetoric and reasoning for the cashless society is likely to be repetitively preached, wearing people down in a war of attrition.<\/p>\n

Billions of dollars worth of advertising is focusing only on the benefits, which are further enhanced\u00a0through glossy looks, sex appeal, and other positive images. \u00a0Consequently, people’s reality can become sufficiently blurred for us to all cave in.\u00a0 Repetitive advertising can easily deceive and condition people to buy something, or believe something, that they\u00a0may otherwise not have. \u00a0A good\u00a0illustration\u00a0of this is Coca Cola. \u00a0Repeated surveys by Pepsi show that the public consistently favours Pepsi in a blind taste test, but when they see the Coke label, they change their position and say that they favour Coke.[25]<\/p>\n

New articles (and marketing campaigns) about the impending\u00a0cashless society\u00a0are being commissioned on a daily basis.\u00a0\u00a0We\u00a0have touched on how repetitive\u00a0slogans, like\u00a0“the war on cash”, and\u00a0“the race to become cashless”\u00a0are used.\u00a0 Additionally, statistics, facts, polls and dates are repeated.\u00a0\u00a0Over and over we have reports drummed into us that another country is \u201c\u2026aiming to go cashless by 2023″;[26] or that:\u00a0\u201c\u2026A new study\u00a0has revealed\u00a0that a third of Brits believe cash will be ‘extinct’ within the next 15 years…”[27] and so on.<\/p>\n

These consistent plugs for the cashless society reinforce in people’s minds the\u00a0idea that there is no way of escaping it;\u00a0you may as well just bow down and accept it instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Peter McNamara, chief executive of NoteMachine, which runs 9,000 ATM\u2019s across Britain and Germany said:\u00a0\u201cThere is a real danger that the UK is being\u00a0railroaded\u00a0towards a cashless society, with the agenda driven hard by technology giants and card issuers who are keen to capitalise on the digital age \u2013 yet the evidence to support this suggests hype rather than reality.\u201d<\/em>[28]<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, whatever the realities are about where the cashless society is taking us, there is another reality taking shape, which is becoming more and more impossible to change.<\/p>\n

(5)\u00a0Reality<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Spin created to exaggerate the weaknesses of cash, while exaggerating the benefits of cashless alternatives, is conditioning people to think differently in order to get them to act differently.\u00a0\u00a0But we are being\u00a0conditioned to accept the cashless society even more deeply through circumstances themselves: The element of choice is quickly being eroded away.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0countries like Denmark thousands of ATM machines have been physically removed in recent years, making it more difficult for people to obtain cash there.[29]<\/p>\n

In Ireland – a nation\u00a0among the biggest users of cash and cheques in Europe – a\u00a0charge on all ATM transactions has been introduced in an attempt to encourage people to go cashless.[30]<\/p>\n

Even 10 years ago it would have been almost unheard of for cash payment of goods and services\u00a0to be declined.\u00a0 However, these days, in\u00a0various sectors of retail and commerce (especially the Internet), the use of cash is becoming increasingly more difficult, if not impossible.[31]<\/p>\n

In a growing number of\u00a0cities it is no longer possible to pay for\u00a0certain forms of public transport using cash.\u00a0 Stockholm, for example,\u00a0has outlawed cash for travel on\u00a0its Metro, and in Central London\u00a0customers are no longer\u00a0permitted to pay bus drivers using cash. \u00a0Alternative means of payment (e.g. contactless payment)\u00a0are required for public transport in many major cities.\u00a0 In some cases where different payment options are still available, cashless options\u00a0(e.g. London\u2019s \u201cOystercard\u201d or Sydney\u2019s \u201cOpal card\u201d) are incentivised by making them considerably cheaper.[32]<\/p>\n

It follows that the harder and more expensive it gets to use paper money and coins \u2013 as more tax is put on it, as fewer outlets allow it, and as retailers and authorities\u00a0become more suspicious of it\u00a0–\u00a0the more people will\u00a0be forced to use alternative forms of digital payment, if they wish to continue with their lifestyle.<\/p>\n

In light of this, when we are told (for the umpteenth time) that\u00a0\u201cmore and more people are\u00a0choosing\u00a0to go cashless?\u201d\u00a0<\/em>we need to seriously question how honest a picture this is.\u00a0\u00a0For many people, the \u201cchoice\u201d to go cashless is being dictated by circumstances that\u00a0they have little or no control over.<\/p>\n

Garry Duursma, the head of Market Development and Innovation for MasterCard, delivered a clear message to retailers\u00a0in Australia (another\u00a0leader in the race to go cashless):\u00a0“As Australia marches towards a cashless future, the retail industry has increasingly sought to remove barriers to cashless transactions,”\u00a0<\/em>he said.\u00a0\u201cTo remain relevant and competitive, it is\u00a0essential\u00a0for retailers of all sizes \u2013 indeed, any customer-driven business \u2013 to facilitate cashless transactions.”<\/em>[33]<\/p>\n

Retailers are being told that unless they provide cashless options their profits will suffer.\u00a0 Consumers are being told that unless they go cashless they will be seen as suspicious.\u00a0 It is easy to see how the reality of a cashless society is being determined by profit (greed) and respectability (fear), with both playing into\u00a0the other, to create an inevitable outcome.<\/p>\n

The way the cashless society is being presented and steered has, in fact, become a\u00a0self-fulfilling prophecy.\u00a0\u00a0The motivation comes from those with wealth and power.\u00a0 The resources needed to\u00a0push through such a society (e.g. media, technology etc.) already exist.\u00a0 And a growing percentage of the public\u00a0are climbing on the bandwagon of these developments in order to maintain access to employment opportunities, goods and services.<\/p>\n

In just a matter of a few years we have seen how\u00a0much of the developed world (and a growing percentage of the developing world) have been conditioned to become heavily dependent on mobile phones.[34]\u00a0\u00a0People now have the option of using technology like Google wallet, Apple Pay and Android Pay, to\u00a0make payments through this means.\u00a0\u00a0Dave Birch, Director of Innovation at Consult Hyperion, which helped TfL (Transport for London) launch contactless payments, announced:\u00a0\u201cSmartphones are the final nail in the coffin for cash.\u201d<\/em>[35]<\/p>\n

In a short space of time millions (if not billions) of people have transitioned from paying for goods and services with cash, to paying\u00a0using Smartphones or contactless credit cards.\u00a0\u00a0It is easy to see how the public will come to accept the next logical \u201cadvancement\u201d in the evolution of the monetary system – swiping a reader with an implantable RFID chip. \u00a0While Smartphones can easily be lost or stolen, having an RFID credit card inside one\u2019s hand will be more convenient and will appear to solve this security issue.<\/p>\n

It is only a matter of time before cash\u00a0really\u00a0is a thing of the past.<\/p>\n

Taking a stand<\/strong>
\nSome people argue that buying up gold or other forms of portable wealth is the solution to this development.[36]\u00a0 This is not true!\u00a0 The only way out of cashless conditioning is to develop a faith bigger than cash, whether hard or\u00a0electronic.\u00a0 We cannot break the cycle by replacing one form of\u00a0monetary dependency with another. \u00a0This is something which Jesus recognised long before the Bible makes any mention of the Mark of the Beast. \u00a0He said,\u00a0\u201cTake no thought for food or clothing, for after all these things do the nations of the world seek, but seek first God\u2019s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these [other material] things will be added unto you.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 (Matthew 6:31-33<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Cash or no cash, it\u2019s still a money-based mentality and a money-based society which makes electronic money such a powerful tool by which to control the masses. \u00a0What we see happening now is just a move toward\u00a0a cleaner, more convenient and advanced form of money.\u00a0\u00a0The human race\u00a0has been conditioned over thousands of years, since Babylonian times,\u00a0to accept the lie that money is what makes the world go round.\u00a0 People can only be conditioned to accept the\u00a0cashless society\u00a0because we have been conditioned to put our faith in money in the first place.<\/p>\n

Seeing\u00a0through the conditioning that is\u00a0driving\u00a0the world closer and closer to the Mark of the Beast, will help us to understand that money does\u00a0not\u00a0<\/em>make the world go round.\u00a0\u00a0The Bible tells us that the love of money, whether physical or electronic, is responsible for all the evils and\u00a0injustices in the world.\u00a0(1 Timothy 6:10<\/a>) \u00a0These injustices and evils\u00a0will not\u00a0disappear simply through changing the appearance <\/em>of cash \u2013 i.e. making it invisible by doing away with notes and coins, or eventually\u00a0implanting the means of exchange inside our bodies.\u00a0\u00a0The problem\u00a0can only be dealt with through a change\u00a0of heart \u2013 confronting our fear, greed and attachments and replacing these with something more powerful and more spiritual.\u00a0\u00a0Developing trust in God and\u00a0care for mankind leads us to\u00a0want<\/em>\u00a0to take money out of our interactions and relationships because we are choosing to be motivated by something purer\u00a0and deeper – i.e. Love.<\/p>\n

Some\u00a0people have found in the life and teachings of Jesus (e.g. Matthew 6:24-34<\/a>) a way out of money-dependency.\u00a0 Jesus\u00a0taught that it is impossible to\u00a0serve two masters and that we\u00a0would each need to make a\u00a0choice between serving God or serving Mammon (i.e. money and what it can buy).\u00a0 He did not say that the choice would be between working for tangible, hard cash, as opposed to invisible, electronic cash!<\/p>\n

In recent years, the media have shared stories of\u00a0boundary-pushers (like Mark Boyle) who do not\u00a0profess to be Christian but who have felt led to experiment with moneyless living.[37]\u00a0 It is likely that\u00a0people of conscience\u00a0will align more and more as circumstances force people into one of two camps – money-dependency or moneyless living \u2013 when cash is finally and permanently done away with in future.\u00a0\u00a0It is essential that we do\u00a0not wait until this point before doing anything about it.<\/p>\n

Taking a stand now means re-conditioning ourselves to think outside the box.\u00a0\u00a0This will lead us to refuse various forms of technology and identification required for smooth-sailing in the system.\u00a0\u00a0Recognising the serious consequences at stake should help us to accept the inevitable inconvenience and marginalisation we will face from choosing this course of action.\u00a0\u00a0However, we will be able to rest in the knowledge that our decisions and actions are grounded on what is right, and we will begin to experience more of what it means to have faith in God.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0the world\u00a0races blindly towards its cashless and inevitable destination, we are being given only one choice: Stay on this runaway train ride to hell, or jump off the system conveyor belt now, before it is too late.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have explored five ways in which the banks and their allies\u00a0have\u00a0been conditioning the world to accept the cashless society as the next, inevitable step toward the Mark of the Beast. \u00a0They have used rhetoric<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0to play on our fears and emotions; some impressive reasons <\/strong><\/em>to prove they\u00a0have considered and dealt with all potential problems; ridicule<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0to discredit opponents; and then they have brainwashed us by repeating<\/strong><\/em> these strategies\u00a0<\/span>over and over ad infinitum<\/em>. \u00a0The end result has been an over-powering reality<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/span>which is going to force everyone to give in and do it their way in the end.<\/p>\n

The only alternative is to learn how to live without money\u2026\u00a0by putting our faith in something bigger than money, as we brace to take a stand in this important and urgent end time battle for our souls.<\/p>\n

REFERENCES:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1] \u201cOne Swede Will Kill Cash Forever\u2014Unless His Foe Saves It From Extinction\u201d\u00a0(Mallory Pickett – 8\u00a0 May, 2016)<\/p>\n

One Swede Will Kill Cash Forever\u2014Unless His Foe Saves It From Extinction<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n