Page 18 - Michael 2024 May

Social Credit and the Kingdom of God

“The future of Christian civilization depends
on those who have grasped Douglas’ idea.”

Here are excerpts from Eric If the present state of the world is not the
Butler’s book “Releasing Reality”, result of policies fashioned by individuals who are
subtitled “Social Credit and the organized to advance those policies, but is the result
Kingdom of God”, which was of blind forces and mere chance, then clearly there is
produced in 1979 to commemorate nothing the individual can do about averting further
the centenary of the birth of Clifford disasters. This is the village idiot theory of history,
Hugh Douglas. It demonstrates and naturally it tends to produce a passive attitude
how Social Credit brings a new towards events. It cripples individual initiative.
relevance to every aspect of man’s Eric Butler
affairs. The author concludes with Christianity did not develop by chance
the observation that the future of Christianity now But the absurdity of the theory can be
depends upon those who have grasped the “glimpse demonstrated by asking, “Did western Christian
of reality” provided by Douglas: civilisation develop over nearly two thousand years
by ‘mere chance’?”
by Eric D. Butler The development took place because sufficient
Astronomical debt, crushing taxation and inflation individuals strove, sacrificed, many died, to advance
produced in the Roman Empire the same disastrous a concept of how individuals should live together in
economic, social and political results which are a society. The retreat from that civilisation has taken
feature of what is now clearly another disintegrating place because individuals, with an anti-Christian
civilisation. The lessons of history are vital. Those view of how men should live, have used instruments
who refuse to learn from the disasters of history are of power and influence to strive to create a world
doomed to repeat those disasters. in which their philosophy prevails. They must be
Douglas’s vital contribution towards an described as conspirators, even though many of
understanding of real history was to show how the them are in competition with one another.
money system has, over centuries, been a major
instrument through which power has been centralized. “Practical Christianity”
Douglas shed a blinding light on much of what
The basic flaw in the system had appeared obscure or irrelevant concerning
Douglas described how when he first made Christianity. His presentation of the vital importance
his discovery about the basic flaw in the present of the Doctrine of the Incarnation was a revelation to
finance-economic system, he thought that all he me, and I have long come to the conclusion that Social
had to do was to tell those in control of the system Credit is, as Douglas said, “practical Christianity”,
about the flaw, that they would thank him, and then and that the very future of genuine Christianity
proceed to correct the flaw. But he soon discovered now depends upon Social Credit and the Douglas
that so far from wanting to correct the flaw, those in revelations.
control of financial policy were determined to resist It is relatively easy to criticize the alleged
any suggestion of correcting a flaw which made disastrous effects of Christianity on the human
the progressive centralization of power appear drama, but G. K. Chesterton was right when he said
inevitable. that so far from Christianity having failed, it had not
The Marxists and other will-to-power groups also yet been tried. To the extent that it had been tried, it
strongly resisted any corrective policy which would has resulted in a tremendous advance for mankind.
remove the conditions they require for revolution. Without the Christian influence, the highwater
As Douglas said, he soon realised that he was mark of western civilisation, reached before the First
embarking upon a project which would not only World War, would never have been possible. Since
absorb the whole of his lifetime, but many lifetimes then, there has been a retreat from Christianity.
to come. In revealing the basic flaw in the finance- That retreat can, however, be reversed if sufficient
economic system, Douglas was brought face to face individuals will, with proper humility, search for what
with the more basic question of the age-old power has gone wrong, and realistic repentance takes place.
question.

18 MICHAEL May/June/July 2024 www.michaeljournal.org