Freedom Man Press

by Gunner Steele

Your entire life you’ve been lied to about what Capitalism is and whether or not it is moral. As Americans, the leftists who oppose Capitalism and instead embrace socialism, communism, collectivism, progressivism or any other statist ideology make it easy to assume that Capitalism must be good because…well, with such evil people opposing it, that must mean that it’s good! And those on the right tell you all types of good things about Capitalism making you think that it is good because, for example, "American Capitalism has provided a higher standard of living than any other social system in history." And that is almost partially true.

The problem is that neither the leftists nor the Capitalists are correct. They are both very wrong, and ultimately immoral. In this article, I will be making the case that the optimal system, and the only one that is ordained by God is a FREE MARKET society, which is no way the same thing as a Capitalist system. Perhaps this is the first time you’ve ever heard that Capitalism and the Free Market are not the same thing—but they are not. In fact, they are opposed one to another as you will see shortly…

For the sake of this article, I am going to define Capitalism based on reality and what it actually does and produces and not necessarily from an academic standpoint. According to the academics, Capitalism is “an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit.” And that definition is fine and dandy, but what Capitalism has become in the real world is simply this—it is the economic system that seeks profit above all else. In short, Capitalism only cares about making profit. Nothing else matters.

Biblically speaking, we can say that those who espouse capitalism are those who “…suppose that gain is godliness…” Interestingly enough, the Bible describes those who support this position as “men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth,” and the Bible exhorts believers to “withdraw thyself” from these type of men. (I Timothy 6:5).

To take it a bit further, Capitalism also holds onto the idea that a person’s own self-interest is served by that person gaining profit. Admittedly and quite obviously, profit is helpful and beneficial to most people. But, it should go without saying that there are limits to how useful individual wealth can be. We all know that money can’t buy happiness, health, peace, righteousness, or salvation, amongst other things. It certainly can be used as a tool to advance your life’s purpose, but personal profit should be the MEANS TO AN END, and not the END ITSELF.

And this is where Capitalism completely breaks down because it truly only concerns itself with profit. And we have been taught to believe in America, that Capitalism fosters competition, and that competition allegedly is the engine for creativity, innovation, and prosperity. We’ve been told to believe that profit is the greatest tool for incentivization because it gives people a reason to want to be better, or to create better products and services.

The problem is that it is simply not true.

Sure, Capitalism might seem like a good idea when you are given a false dichotomy and told that there are only two options—Capitalism which uses profit as an incentive, or Socialism which uses force as an incentive. Between those two options, Capitalism is certainly the lesser of two evils. But it is still morally wrong, and ultimately, it is devastating for the general welfare of the people.

There are multiple incentives that go far beyond profit that are superior tools to guarantee better products and services in the marketplace (more on this later).

Capitalism, on the other hand, will always cut corners, lower quality, and maximize efficiency at the expense of excellence as long as profits are maximized! There is a reason why McDonald’s quality is crap, Starbucks coffee is trash, and American based airlines offer the worst service in the world. It is because Capitalism sucks and it has not created the environment to exalt or maximize the spirit of excellence. On the contrary, Capitalism works diligently to give you the worst product or service possible as long as it is still turning the maximum profit available.

If you live in America and you despise the poor quality food products we have, our horrible health care that harms and kills more people than it helps or heals, the despicable educational system we have, and you detest the lack of options and diversity in technology services, cellular services, internet service providers, vehicle options, the aforementioned airline products, and the disgusting lack of quality or TRUTH available in American mainstream media, make no mistake about it, you have Capitalism to thank for all of it.

Let me make a very simple and very true statement that you will begin to realize more and more each day after reading this article—America is not a free society, it is a Capitalist society. America is also not a Democracy nor a Republic (which it is supposed to be), it is a Corporate Oligarchy fueled by Capitalism. That’s not only what we are, but it is what the people want—either because they were brainwashed for it, or they never knew there was any other option.

Remarkably, both Republicans and Democrats want America to remain a Corporate Oligarchy—because they all profit handsomely off of it.

And don’t let the Socialists fool you, they likewise love American Capitalism because it has made them among the wealthiest and most powerful political rulers in human history.

Instead of comparing Capitalism to Socialism or Communism where Capitalism will always demonstrate superiority, Capitalism should be compared to the Free Market. These are the two systems that should be challenged and put head-to-head against one another. Shockingly, the average ignorant, government educated American Republican, thinks that Capitalism and the Free Market are the same thing. Not only do they conflate the terms, but they generally combine them and speak of them as if they were one and the same! You’ve heard it called, “Free Market Capitalism.” But such a thing does not exist! That’s like being a “Socialist Libertarian,” or an “Atheistic Christian,” or a “Gay Muslim.”

You either have a Free Market, or you have Capitalism, but you can’t have both. And I will prove this to you demonstrably and empirically. But first, let me define the “Free Market” for you in the easiest way possible. A genuine FREE MARKET is where there are no government regulations and no government subsidies. That’s it.

A FREE MARKET MEANS THERE IS:
1. No government regulations.
2. No government subsidies.

Just based on that definition alone—a system and a society where there are no government regulations and no government subsidies—can you please tell me where on earth does a genuine free market exist? It certainly does not exist in America where we subsidize everything from public schools and COVID vaccines, to abortions and transgender research studies. We likewise regulate everything to the point that you can go to jail for selling raw milk or for having church services during a fake pandemic. We even regulate how many hours you must have studied before you can cut someone’s hair “legally.”

So don’t give me this nonsense that America is a Free Market society. Not at all. We are a Capitalist society. And every transgression against the Free Market, even those I mentioned above, exists for one simple reason—they are making people an incredible amount of profit! And that profit keeps the “powers-that-be” in charge. That’s right, PROFIT funds corruption and keeps corrupt politicians in power. So, with enough profit, the most corrupt amongst us will always ultimately rise to the top and will be able, with their ill-gotten gains, to prevent anybody from removing them from power. That’s what Capitalism does. And look around, my friend, does it sound familiar?

Are you living in that society that I just described that is created by Capitalism, or are you living in a free society, where individual citizens are free to conduct trade, worship God, eat, sleep, invent, create, and move society forward, totally unencumbered by capitalist forces and government intervention?

Think about it this way…if you invented a brand new airplane that flew twice as fast as modern airplanes, cost 1/10th the amount of money to build, could carry four times as many people, and operated on free energy (by exploiting magnetism so that it used zero fuel), do you believe you could bring that invention to market? Do you believe that you could start a company building these new types of planes, while simultaneously upending the entire travel industry? What do you think would happen to you?

Obviously, you would either be mysteriously un-alived, or your patents would get bought out by major corporations, whom you would have to sell to under threat of serious harm to you and your family.

Does that sound like a free society? Where you’re so free that you can’t enter a marketplace because your products or services threaten other large powerful entities? And instead of the government existing to PROTECT you from those large powerful entities, on the contrary, the government FACILITATES the abuse against you and partners with those entities because they keep them in power through PROFIT.

Let me repeat, Capitalism doesn’t care about doing the right thing, nor does it care about humanity, health, or righteousness. Capitalism, in its ugliest and most extreme form, will actually kill you as long as it can make a profit from it. Likewise, if your life is a threat to profit for some capitalist power center, Capitalism again, will kill you.

Capitalism does not teach its adherents to revere that which is best, nor that which is morally superior, rather it reveres only that which maximizes profit.

The Free Market cares nothing for profit and only reveres that which is FREE and that which promotes liberty. And by “free” in this context, I obviously mean that which is liberty based and not that which costs nothing. So let me make the contrast plain and simple:

FREE MARKET = the end in mind is liberty and freedom.
CAPITALISM = the end in mind is making money and profit.

Now of course, free people will, by default, make profit. But the profit will be reasonable and dictated by the marketplace itself. It will not be manipulated by government powers or monopolistic entities.

Sure, a genuine Free Market can easily create billionaires and people who become outrageously wealthy. But it will only do so in direct proportion to how well those people were able to serve the people with products and services that they genuinely wanted because they were superior to everything else.

Capitalism, on the other hand, creates billionaires because, with their existing profits, they were able to consolidate their power, buy off corrupt and feckless politicians, eliminate competition through coercive means, and manipulate the marketplace unfairly to give themselves advantages they would not otherwise have.

This is why Capitalism creates so many billionaires who have earned their wealth from government. It is also why so many billionaires have a two-way street between themselves and their partners in crime in government, as do their companies. Notice how much interaction there is between Google, Facebook, and other “big tech” companies and the government. Notice how much interaction there is between Big Pharma and the government. Notice the revolving door between politicians, lobbyists, and Fortune 500 companies. That’s Capitalism. Capitalism will always seek a means to manipulate and control the marketplace for its own profit.

So if profit is not the best incentive, then what is? Well, there is nothing wrong with profit being AN incentive, but it should not be THE incentive. You see, what the Free Market truly does for people is that it allows one’s humanity to thrive!

You and I are not robots. We are not biological machines. We are human beings, with a mind, body, and soul. Capitalism essentially robs us of our mind and our soul and leaves no room for your humanity to shine. That's what corporatism in America is all about—using and abusing the labor force (whether in white collar cubicles or blue collar factories), treating people like biological machines, stripping them of their humanity, and doing so all in the name of maximizing profits!

But each and every one of us, in our most basic and raw human level, have passions and desires that fuel our lives. Even “depressed” people who don’t feel that they have a “purpose” in life, are still driven by our raw human elements like love, desire, passion, pride, glory, family, and faith!

Why does someone strive to be a gold medal Olympian? For the profit or for the glory? Why does a man sacrifice his entire life to capture the heart of a woman he wants to spend his life with? For the profit or for love? Why does an entrepreneur sacrifice a “good job” or security to open a small business in his neighborhood where he knows he’ll never get rich from it? For the profit or for the desire to be his own boss? Why does a little old grandma spend hours of time and use only the finest ingredients to make the most delicious pie to donate to the church bake sale? For the profit or for her pride in her traditional family recipe? Why does a man choose to stay home with his wife and children instead of spending his nights and weekends at the office with Wall Street executives to further his career? For the profit or for his family? And why do Christians submit themselves, even in bad jobs where they know they will never advance, working hard and doing their very best work possible? For profit or for faith? After all, the Bible teaches its followers, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10), and "…whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord,” (Colossians 3:23). This means those of us who are believers are supposed to do our very best work at any and every job, as if we were working for Jesus Christ himself! Capitalism can never create that type of incentive. That incentive comes from the deepest level of one’s faith! And only a true Free Market could ever facilitate that.

The major problem with Capitalism is that it only seeks PROFIT, it does not seek progress. It does not seek excellence; it only seeks financial gain. And Capitalism can only produce excellence when excellence is the means to an end and not the end or motive itself.

You see, excellence nearly always creates profit in business. But profit is not always the result of excellence. You want proof? Look at Fortune 500 companies and tell me if the industry leaders who make the most profits are likewise the creators of the very best products and services that the industry has to offer. Does Taco Bell make the best tacos? Does Microsoft make the best software? Does Walmart sell the best of anything? Do they have the cleanest stores? Do they offer the best buying experience? Do any American media companies offer the most reliable news? So don't buy the lie that Capitalism creates excellence—it simply does not. Capitalism follows the Capitalism Bell Curve (which I will describe in a subsequent article), and will always ultimately end up providing the worst products with lower and lower quality over time once they have consolidated their power and ensured that the marketplace has no other options. Capitalism does this because the end in mind is not quality, nor excellence, but just profit.

And this is where and why Capitalism fails—it can only produce that which creates profit.

And guess what, if FREEDOM is a hindrance to profit, Capitalism will happily remove and eliminate your freedoms in order to seek profit. Everywhere you see regulations in America, those regulations exist because, if the marketplace were free, the existing powers-that-be would have their profits and power threatened. So, Capitalism simply removes those freedoms through regulations, coercion, extortion, or intimidation in order to maintain its profit.

The reasons why so many Christians, conservatives, libertarians, patriots, right wingers, and Constitutionalists have been duped into believing in and supporting CAPITALISM is because:

1. They have conflated the Free Market with Capitalism. They are not the same and are actually in conflict one with another.
2. They have judged Capitalism not on its own merits but in comparison to Socialism or Communism which are definitively far worse.
3. They have absorbed the propaganda from the right wing media machine which exalts and celebrates Capitalism, because that same media machine is birthed out of and sustained by Capitalism and is existentially capitalistic itself.
4. Their Pastors and church leaders have been so weakened by capitalist ideology that they are Biblically void and doctrinally vacuous.

One of the main problems with the ideology of any social system, be it Communism, Socialism, Fascism, Feminism, or Capitalism, is that the tenets of the ideology infect the culture and the culture thereby infects the faith and life of the people.

This is why you will see that religions tend to favor the belief systems of the country in which the religious adherents live. American Muslims are generally far different in their daily lifestyle and general belief systems than Iranian Muslims or Saudi Arabian Muslims. Hindus from India generally live very different lives than Canadian Hindus, even those with Indian roots.

This is because the culture infects their faith often more than the other way around.

And this is why the American Christian church is so weak and pathetic. Most American Christians are capitalists first, whatever their “race” is second, and then Christians after that. So, what does that look like in America?

Well, it means that churches in America are far less interested in the fruits of the spirit, holiness and sanctification, being salt and light and preserving the world from the contamination of sin, taking care of the poor, healing the sick, and spreading the genuine gospel of Jesus Christ, and are mostly only concerned with one thing—CHURCH GROWTH.

In America, people think a church is a good church if it is big. “Pastors” are considered successful if they have a big church and lots of followers. Ultimately, wealth and worldly success are most lauded in the American church and godliness is basically irrelevant.

Why do you think the American church is so full of fornication and divorce, with many members being addicted to drugs (prescription or otherwise) and pornography, and with the majority of them being obese. Yeah, that’s right, I said obese. You know that gluttony is actually a SIN in the Bible, right? But for some reason that is never preached about. I wonder why? I wonder how big a church would get if the Pastor preached against gluttony and fornication?

You see, churches today don’t preach any message that would minimize the amount of members it has because that is not capitalistic! Capitalism seeks profit, and profit in the church comes from more members! This is why the American church is famous for being weak, pathetic, and impotent. It’s not just a caricature, but it is a reality.

This is why the American church can and should be referred to as "Corporate Church" or “Churchianity.” It’s just about growth in membership and not about the Biblical elements of Christianity or about spreading the gospel.

Like with any other problem, the solution to a lie is the truth. The solution to the evil of Capitalism is the Free Market. And the way to promote the Free Market is to educate people about the immorality of Capitalism and the glory of the Free Market. But in order to get there, those who previously supported Capitalism have to be humble enough to recognize their error and to change their belief system so they can promote the Free Market, where there are no government regulations and no government subsidies.

Before you start whining and complaining that it is impossible, remember that the society and government that the US Federal Constitution describes is a Free Market society. There were essentially no regulations nor hindrances to free trade in the Constitution nor were there any industries which were allowed to be subsidized by Big Government. The sick Capitalist society we have today is the one we allowed to come to power and prominence by simply ignoring and avoiding political and spiritual roles altogether.

Think about it—what are the two subjects people tell you never to talk about? Politics and religion. And what are the two subjects that control basically 99% of everything you do in life? Politics and religion. Is it any wonder they don’t want you talking about it?

So learn about it, talk about it, and live the truth that you know is true!