Video link -> https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2106915463963754498/vid/avc1/1920x1080/eFh6OyJcoTJ9EpmN.mp4
Source -> https://shitter.thepixora.com/TranslateMom/status/2106915576094351721#m
As context:
Between the 1960s and 1980s, under the pretext of “fighting communism,” the CIA infiltrated Christian movements throughout Africa and the Global South with the mission of steering Christian doctrines away from so-called “liberation theology” (teachings that encouraged people to stand up to corrupt governments and take collective action to improve their lives), because this doctrine was allegedly “communist.”
It funded and facilitated the explosive growth of a completely new form of Christianity, now known as the “prosperity gospel,” and invested millions of dollars to promote it throughout the Global South as part of its Cold War efforts. This new doctrine disregarded any form of collectivism and encouraged people to view their Christian faith and salvation as individualistic matters that could be measured by specific individual outcomes, such as economic “blessings.”
It was the perfect capitalist Trojan horse, because it convinced people to stop thinking of progress as a shared national endeavor and instead view it as an individual responsibility—which meant they didn’t need to organize into pressure groups, political movements, labor unions, student unions, or any other collectivist entity that the U.S. government considered “leftist” or “communist.” It was a resounding success and turned the world’s poorest people—in sub-Saharan Africa—into rabid, money-obsessed capitalists, albeit without capital.
And in case you’re wondering if this means that all the megapastors in Lagos and Abuja are agents of the U.S. government, the answer is simple: do a one-minute Google search and find out where they all earned their degrees in theology or received their training as pastors. There’s your answer.
Although a lot of people are blaming evangelicals, I came to stress here that Lula made a very shitty government, running on the program of Brazilian financial sector. After four years of austerity measures, and ruining opportunities to approve popular laws like the end of the 6x1 work schedule, it's no surprise that Lula's government is weak.
Anti-marxism-leninism / anti-USSR / "anti-stalin" has only one destination in the end: fascism. If they want to crocodile-cry "authoritarianism" and then cede the ground to the authority of capital and fascists then they are either incomptetent, malicious or both.
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Folks need to internalise that the material always comes before the ideological. CIA and their willing compradors have no weapon through imperialist versions of religion if the material conditions provides immunity against it. I would even say these malignancies would have grown even without western intelligence help.
https://redsails.org/masses-elites-and-rebels/
I often get the sense that the autodynamism of dialectical materialism is severely understudied and undervalued in the West.
It's important to remember that while the clergy has some political power, we should always also focus on what we are not accomplishing as a communist movement and why
Is Lula even worthy of being called a reformist? I'm curious. I know almost nothing about Brazilian politics. I just know Bolsonaro is shit and Lula has gotten some praise in some left-ish circles in the past but seems to pan out as socdem at best?
I've heard him called a "Statist" which I think is very apt in the wrong ways. His central policies are just the peaceful maintenance of bourgeois state institutions and remaining social programs, but without even proposing reforms. It's stagnation as ideology.
Well, some people would say Lula is a social liberal at best. The Workers' party, though, used to be quite diverse, with different caucuses and militant groups. However, ever since Lula became president, the new left (neoliberal) group took over and every year the party turned right at every new presidential election. WP militancy also became very depoliticized and turned into a Lula's personality cult.
Lula was a socdem from the beginning and Brazilians comrades were critical of him. Especially since the all of the Brazilian Left had to swear allegiance to the PT. He also screwed over Maduro and blocked Venezuela’s ascension.
BUT he is the lesser evil and Brazil is one of the major powers of the global south - the literal first acronym in BRICS - which Lula aligned with. Bolsonaro Jr is likely to cut ties and subordinate nearly 200 million people to the Imperial Central itself. Further isolating Cuba, Nicaragua and to an extend Venezuela and Mexico who both now have to walk on eggshells.
This is definitely a major blow for China and the Free Peoples of the World.