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tasks. Even this magazine you hold
in your hands is the product of
state-of-the-art technology.
But here's the rub. Such technol–
ogy requires four things: 1) ample
raw materials; 2) proper physical
plants for assembling the techno–
logical products; 3) personnel
trained to discover and implement
the technology; and 4) stable gov–
ernments that allow all of the above
and distribution of the product.
The most needed raw material is
energy.
What's the world's most
common source of energy? Oil.
Who's the biggest producer of oil?
The West's avowed nemeses: the
Soviet Union.
Who controls the bulk of the
Free World's oil? OPEC (Organi–
zation of Petroleum Exporting
Countries), whose countries main–
ly are of a culture (Islam) largely
contrary to Western secular val–
ues.
lncluded also in the raw materi–
als needed by the West are exotic
metals available only in two areas:
the Soviet Union and southern
Africa. Any casual reader of
today's news is aware of the seeth–
ing turmoil presently
en~roaching
on southern Africa. Think what
would happen to the technological–
ly dependent West if these strate–
gic resources fell into unfriendly
hands.
What about modero physical
plants to build televisions, comput–
ers, airplanes and weapons?
Today, it is ironic that the
United States has become a victim
of its own post-war generosity.
Post-war Japan and West Germa–
ny, gutted by Allied bombing,
received a massive influx of materi–
al and technological aid. While
American and British (and other)
industrial plants remained rela–
tively intact and functioning, Ger–
man and Japanese plants were
rebuilt from scratch. These plants
utilized new technology. They
incorporated more efficient sys–
tems, while much of the West was
burdened with outdated plants and
machinery.
Further, American and British
industry became largely unionized,
with more and more strikes para–
lyzing their respective economies.
The result? Higher prices for the
consumer. U.S. domestic steel
16
prices, for example, have risen so
high it's cheaper to
import
steel in
many cases than to buy locally.
In Japan, efficient robots replace
human laborers, resulting in more
uniform quality and lower costs.
Only a few U.S. plants can retool to
become more competitive because
of the loss of money (capital) in
flagging trade.
Now consider this shocking fact:
"By 1980, the United States had
managed to become
/ast
among the
world's industrialized nations in
annual rate of productivity growth.
Our yearly productivity increases
are hovering at zero or have actual–
ly gone negative, while other
nations ... are attaining substantial
productivity increases"
(America's
Techno/ogy Slip
by Simon Ramo,
page 41, emphasis added).
If
you're an American, this
means your unstable economy
could knock you out of a job-as
millions worldwide already know.
lf
you live and work outside the
United States, this means your
country has a reduced market in
the United States, and major
unemployment problems. It is
rightly said that " when America's
economy catches a cold, Europe is
hospitalized with pneumonia."
Finding the Answers
Few realize the true underlying
reason for the West's economic and
technological crisis!
Have you ever wondered why
and how the United States- and
the English speaking world in gen–
eral-originally obtained its mate–
rial, industrial and technological
strength beyond anything experi–
enced in the rest of the world?
And have you ever seriously
wondered why the United States is
losing national strength-and how
the nation could recover it?
The answers líe not where you
may think but in a source you
wouldn't expect- a source book
that is rarely considered. It reveals
the simple, astonishing
solutions
to
the problems engulfing the West.
The greatness and might of both
the United States-and the former
British Empire in its day-were
promised, believe it or not, more
than 3,000 years ago. And the
future of both the United States
and Britain- and other countries
too-is already written in this
source.
The West embraces nominally a
religion based on an
Jsraelitish
book-the book (actually a
co/lec–
tion
of books) today called the
Holy Bible.
lt
is a book that largely
concerns Israel.
It
traces the origins
and development of this people,
with only a relatively small portion
devoted exclusively to the first cen–
tury A.D. expansion of the Church
Jesus founded. In this source book
you can find the astounding origin
and development of both the
United States and Britain.
In this book, too, lies the spiri–
tual knowledge, that if rightly
applied, would transform this world
into an economic, technological and
political utopía!
And mark this! Spiritual knowl–
edge is the most practical, needful
commodity today-yet almost no
one understands the profound
implications of deliberate neglect
and rejection of this vital knowl–
edge.
To understand
why
the world
today is what it is, you need to
write today for your free copy of
the book
The United States and
Britain in Prophecy.
(See inside
cover for addresses.) This book by
Editor-in-Chief Herbert W. Arm–
strong explains in fascinating, grip–
ping detail the biblical prophecies
describing the origin and develop–
ment of two of the West's promi–
nent countries.
Let us here summarize why we
have had such advanced technologi–
cal nations as the United States and
Britain: God made a promise of
national greatness to the patriarch
Abraham and he made that prom–
ise
unconditional- that
is, it
must
come to pass (Gen. 22:16-18).
However, he imposed
conditions
on
Abraham's descendants, specifical–
ly the ancient nation Israel, if they
wished to receive these blessings of
national greatness in their time,
instead of in later centuries.
In effect, God gave ancient
Israel a choice.
If
Israel obeyed
God's laws, statutes and command–
ments, lhey would be blessed.
1f
they disobeyed they would be
under a national curse. This disobe–
dience the Bible calls
sin
(1
John
3:4).
Israel said to God, "All that the
The PLAIN TRUTH