The Devil's Trio - Part 1 · May 01, 2002

The Devil's Trio - Part 1 · May 01, 2002
By Elder Lawrence Nelson

In our last two sermons we have discussed two members of the devil’s trio. The first is the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13, which the Bible clearly identifies to be the papacy. The second is the lamb-like, two-horned beast found in the same chapter which is the United States of America, established as a Protestant nation and described as becoming so apostate as to join hands with the papal power of Catholicism.

In this message I will discuss the third member which comprises the devil’s end-time trio which the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy reveal to be spiritualism. The following quotation from Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, p. 451 reveals what we are to expect from this evil, last-day union of the Papacy, apostate Protestantism and spiritualism. “When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God’s forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation’s iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to return.”

With this sad, heartbreaking introduction, let us pray. Our loving Father, in the name of Jesus we plead for divine guidance as we discuss this third power of spiritualism, which is an intricate member of the devil’s end-time trio. We realize that we are attacking the very dragon himself, which in Thy Word describes Satan as being able to produce wonder-working miracles of deception for the purpose to honor his papal mark of authority – Sunday worship. We plead that Thou wilt awaken Thy sleeping church to this danger. Help each member to become such students of Thy Word, through divine guidance, that we shall be able to resist this deceiving power of Satan and gain victory over his delusions, for we must discern truth from error. This we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let us now turn to the scriptures where we find this third part of the trio – spiritualism – which comprises the devil’s trio. Let us read Revelation 13:13, 14 and Revelation 16: 14, 15. “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

We begin with a question: “What major belief is held in common by the religions of this world (except God’s remnant) which makes it absolutely impossible to resist the power of spiritualism?” – We will find the answer in The Great Controversy p. 551. “The doctrine of natural immortality, first borrowed from the pagan philosophy, and in the darkness of the great apostasy incorporated into the Christian faith, has supplanted the truth, so plainly taught in Scripture that, ‘the dead know not anything.’”

This false doctrine of man’s consciousness in death opens the door for the supposed spirits of the dead to communicate with the living. This becomes a secret channel used by Satan to perform miracles by the impersonation of evil angels to deceive anyone who believes in the immortality of the dead. Inspiration informs us the coming of the Lord is to be preceded by “the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10.

The apostle John, describing the miracle-working power that will be manifested in the last days declares, “He doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do.” Revelation 13:13, 14. “No mere impostures are here foretold. Men are deceived by the miracles which Satan’s agents have power to do, not which they pretend to do.” Great Controversy p. 553.

Let us never underestimate what Satan is planning to do with his miracle-working power in this end time for we are told, “That mighty being who could take the world’s Redeemer to an exceedingly high mountain and bring before Him all the kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them, will present his temptations to men in a manner to pervert the senses of all who are not shielded by divine power.” Great Controversy p. 554. Can you imagine what it will be like when Satan appears as Christ performing unbelievable miracles to prove that he has changed the seventh-day Sabbath to Sunday worship and that all must keep Sunday holy – the first day of the week? Have you considered the result? The answer is very obvious. The entire world will be turned against Seventh-day Adventists with satanic zeal to force them to comply or die.

The Devil's Trio - Part 1 · May 01, 2002

The Devil's Trio - Part 1 · May 01, 2002X
By Elder Lawrence Nelson

In our last two sermons we have discussed two members of the devil’s trio. The first is the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13, which the Bible clearly identifies to be the papacy. The second is the lamb-like, two-horned beast found in the same chapter which is the United States of America, established as a Protestant nation and described as becoming so apostate as to join hands with the papal power of Catholicism.

In this message I will discuss the third member which comprises the devil’s end-time trio which the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy reveal to be spiritualism. The following quotation from Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, p. 451 reveals what we are to expect from this evil, last-day union of the Papacy, apostate Protestantism and spiritualism. “When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God’s forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation’s iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to return.”

With this sad, heartbreaking introduction, let us pray. Our loving Father, in the name of Jesus we plead for divine guidance as we discuss this third power of spiritualism, which is an intricate member of the devil’s end-time trio. We realize that we are attacking the very dragon himself, which in Thy Word describes Satan as being able to produce wonder-working miracles of deception for the purpose to honor his papal mark of authority – Sunday worship. We plead that Thou wilt awaken Thy sleeping church to this danger. Help each member to become such students of Thy Word, through divine guidance, that we shall be able to resist this deceiving power of Satan and gain victory over his delusions, for we must discern truth from error. This we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let us now turn to the scriptures where we find this third part of the trio – spiritualism – which comprises the devil’s trio. Let us read Revelation 13:13, 14 and Revelation 16: 14, 15. “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

We begin with a question: “What major belief is held in common by the religions of this world (except God’s remnant) which makes it absolutely impossible to resist the power of spiritualism?” – We will find the answer in The Great Controversy p. 551. “The doctrine of natural immortality, first borrowed from the pagan philosophy, and in the darkness of the great apostasy incorporated into the Christian faith, has supplanted the truth, so plainly taught in Scripture that, ‘the dead know not anything.’”

This false doctrine of man’s consciousness in death opens the door for the supposed spirits of the dead to communicate with the living. This becomes a secret channel used by Satan to perform miracles by the impersonation of evil angels to deceive anyone who believes in the immortality of the dead. Inspiration informs us the coming of the Lord is to be preceded by “the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10.

The apostle John, describing the miracle-working power that will be manifested in the last days declares, “He doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do.” Revelation 13:13, 14. “No mere impostures are here foretold. Men are deceived by the miracles which Satan’s agents have power to do, not which they pretend to do.” Great Controversy p. 553.

Let us never underestimate what Satan is planning to do with his miracle-working power in this end time for we are told, “That mighty being who could take the world’s Redeemer to an exceedingly high mountain and bring before Him all the kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them, will present his temptations to men in a manner to pervert the senses of all who are not shielded by divine power.” Great Controversy p. 554. Can you imagine what it will be like when Satan appears as Christ performing unbelievable miracles to prove that he has changed the seventh-day Sabbath to Sunday worship and that all must keep Sunday holy – the first day of the week? Have you considered the result? The answer is very obvious. The entire world will be turned against Seventh-day Adventists with satanic zeal to force them to comply or die.

Consider the devil’s preparations that all will accept the manifestations of spiritualism as divine. In Great Controversy p. 556 we read, “Spiritualism, which numbers its converts by hundreds of thousands, yea, by millions, which has made its way into scientific circles, which has invaded churches, and has found favor in legislative bodies, and even in the courts of kings — this mammoth deception is but a revival, in a new disguise, of the witchcraft condemned and prohibited of old.”

I can testify to this by personal knowledge. During the months I spend in Europe while engaged in the General Conference youth work it became evident to me that spiritualism was spreading all through Europe. In Zurich, Switzerland while preparing for the Youth World Congress for all of our young people I was astonished to discover that this city, which for so many years had been a haven of Protestantism, had now become the European center of spiritualism.

Toublers of Israel

TROUBLERS OF ISRAEL

DATE OF PUBLICATION: MAY 2002 

I did not want to write about the ____ situation. I still don't. Some things you do not want to touch, for even getting near them makes you feel unclean.

We live in a time when everything is right. Anything goes, especially standards. Do anything you want. The only thing wrong is to say that something is. There are no rules, no standards. Eat, drink, and be merry; for tomorrow well do it again, and there's no one to stop us. At least, they better not try. Besides, nearly everyone's doing it anyway. Don't risk being different; and, above all, don't say that something might not be right.

Kill the babies and protest if the government tries to eliminate the wanton murderers. Be sure to reelect the politicians and protect the big corporations. States should guard the rights of the homosexuals and accept payoffs from the pornographers and gambling industry. Congress had better remember on which side its bread is buttered. Money and friendships count; morality no longer does. That, in a nutshell, is life today in our secular world.

The churches—including our own are not doing much better. Think not that the Catholic bishops are the only ones moving problem pastors instead of firing them. We have been doing it for years.

In the 1980s, the late John Adam (a finance attorney based in Memphis who was the first to uncover the Davenport scandal before the bankruptcy occurred in our Davenport Syndrome;see our Financial Tractbook) learned that, after a church officer in the Alabama-Mississippi Conference had led a young Adventist girl into sin, the conference was planning to transfer him out-of-state so he could carry on his practices elsewhere. When Adam threatened them with full exposure, the conference buckled and discharged the vile minister.

There was the Adventist minister in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California who led his associate pastor, a woman, into sin. In order to hold onto her job, for a time she felt she dared not refuse him. But eventually, under pressure from her own conscience and her husband who knew what was happening, she went to the conference office in the hope of getting the senior pastor fired.

The conference president listened to what she had to say and then fired her!

She went to court over the matter. We have the complete papers here. Fully backing him, the Central California Conference paid all the adulterous senior pastors legal expenses, which included a costly, but persuasive attorney.

The judge ruled that, because both sides acknowledged that the adulterous relation had continued for a time, she could not collect damages for being fired because of what her supervising pastor did.

But that ruling meant that the conference fully acknowledged that he was a practicing adulterer, with a track record of over a year!

As soon as the trial ended, the man was transferred to the Southern California Conference, where he is today senior pastor of a major church, the one with the largest number of (active) homosexuals. They do well together, and the conference is happy because the cozy arrangement increases the number of offerings brought into church coffers.


And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel (1 Kings 18:17)?

Who was the troubler? The one who blew the whistle or the one actively involved in the sordid lowering of standards? Which one was destroying the nation of Israels moral fabric? Which one was trying to save it?

When I started typesetting tracts in the late summer of 1979, as explained in my autobiography (Story of My Life), I only intended to print missionary tracts. But after typesetting sixteen Great Controversy extracts as tracts, five summary ones (now in our Shelter in the Storm, Mark of the Beast, and Final Crisis Foretold) and several other tracts (Out of the Cities, You Can Overcome, etc.), I learned about the Desmond Ford crisis. Aside from discharging him, church leaders were careful to say little in refutation of his errors or in defense of our historic positions. They feared to rock the boat, lest the liberals among us become uncomfortable.

So, five years before Firm Foundation magazine was established, I prepared and sent out over thirty tracts in, what I called, my Firm Foundation Series; all of it was against Fordite errors (see our 320-page New Theology Tractbook).

As the years passed, there were other matters to be discussed, including:

Our college administrators were protecting new theology teachers. And, in October 1984, the General Conference got the Annual Council to pass an academic freedom ruling, permitting our teachers to do pretty much as they pleased (Theological Freedom, WM110).

Our conferences were protecting the new theology pastors who were graduating from our colleges while the North American Division was busy, hailing faithful believers into court in order to destroy their small congregations (see our various Trademark books).

Our General Conference was busily sending personal representatives to the World Council of Churches headquarters, in Geneva (see our Seventh-day Adventist/Vatican Ecumenical Involvement: Book 1: History, 80-pages, and Book 2: Documents), and working out secret agreements.

The notorious secret agreement over keeping quiet about the Sabbath proclamation, which occurred in the late 1990s, was one of the worst (Secret Interchurch Planning Agreement [WM906] and Update on the Secret Interchurch Planning Agreement [WM914]). We are now living with it, and are only beginning to feel the full brunt of its effects. That agreement was one of the causes of the current revolt among our laity in South America (see our explosion tracts). Leadership had carried out so many compromises with Catholicismthat our laymen decided to begin the open evangelism and proclaiming our historic beliefs to the world, teachings which church leaders wanted hidden.

All levels of our denomination have changed because our mores have changed. The Word of God is no longer the authority in the church. We had entered an era of no rules, no morals, no standards. Anything can be done as long as nothing negative is said about leadership. (See pages 3 and 4 for recent examples.)

I did not ask for the job I now have, but I was willing to accept it. Am I now to be quiet? Does not the world need more whistle-blowers rather than less?

There is no one in our nation able to stop the gambling interests. The moral foundations are gone. As far as the legislators are concerned, it is just a matter of who offers the biggest bribe. Nothing can stop the homos. They have the money on their side.

Ellen White predicted that the civilized world would be brought to its knees because Protestantism had thrown out the Ten Commandments. And so it has happened. A terrible condition of things has set in.

There are no longer moral standards, and whistle-blowers are treated like dirt. A similar condition exists in our own denomination. Those of you who have dared to speak up about the growing liberalism in your local church well-know what I am talking about.

If you are a church worker, do as you want; well protect you. And woe be to those who protest. We have a word for them: They are troublemakers and will be dealt with.

Every organization knows that whistle-blowers are a danger to their security and authority. And no organization will blow the whistle on another one. They want to live together in peace. Don't tell what I'm doing wrong, and I wont tell what you're doing wrong.

Yet it is the whistle-blowers who alone are able to slow the crumbling state of affairs in our nation and in our denomination. And even if they do not succeed, at least they did what they should do. It is better to do right and suffer and die for it than to go down to the grave in self-preserving silence.

In our culture today, it takes a crazy man to cry standards when things are sliding downward. Yet that is exactly what is needed. In past ages, people were burned at the stake for doing it. Do not expect roses and back-patting today for telling the truth about what is going on.

And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy fathers house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim (1 Kings 18:18).

Who are the troublers in our church? Those who are keeping the commandments or those who are forsaking them? Those who obey the standards laid down in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy or those who flaunt them and, by their example, lead still others into sin?

Source

.

The Lone Star: The Story of Liberia

The Lone Star, the flag of Liberia

Ton Vriens, Grain Coast Productions

When freedom raised her glowing form

On Montserrado's verdant heights

She set within the dome of night

Midst low'ring skies and thunderstorm --

The star of liberty.

A question of freedom

Six thousand miles from the United States lies a country whose flag bears a striking resemblance to the American one: alternating red and white horizontal stripes and, in the upper left-hand corner, a dark blue square. Against this blue background is a lone white star -- the star of liberty. The flag is a symbol of the history of the Liberian state, its relationship with America, and its search for its own identity.

The present-day Republic of Liberia occupies 43,000 square miles (slightly more than Tennessee) in West Africa. It is bordered on the southwest by the Atlantic Ocean and surrounded by Guinea, Sierra Leone, and the Ivory Coast. From antiquity through the 1700s, many ethnic groups from the surrounding regions settled in the area, making Liberia one of Africa's most culturally rich and diverse countries. Settled in the early 1800s by freeborn Blacks and former slaves from America, Liberia, whose name means "land of freedom," has always struggled with its double cultural heritage: that of the settlers and of the indigenous Africans.

From America to West Africa

In 1816, a group made up mostly of Quakers and slaveholders in Washington, D.C., formed the American Colonization Society (ACS). The Quakers opposed slavery, and the slaveholders opposed the freedom of Blacks, but they agreed on one thing: that Black Americans should berepatriated to Africa. The Quakers felt that freeborn Blacks and former slaves would face better chances for freedom in Africa than in the United States. They also saw repatriation as a way of spreading Christianity through Africa. The slaveholders' motives were less charitable: They viewed repatriation of Blacks as a way of avoiding a slave rebellion like the one that had taken place on the island of Santo Domingo, today's Haiti.

Despite opposition from many Blacks and from white abolitionists, the repatriation program, funded by ACS member subscriptions and a number of state legislatures, moved forward. In 1822, the first 86 voluntary, Black emigrants landed on Cape Montserrado, on what was then known as the Grain Coast. They arrived with white agents of the ACS who would govern them for many years. Many others followed, settling on land sometimes purchased, sometimes obtained more forcefully, from indigenous chiefs.





Settlers shared the land with indigenous tribes. (:48) Watch




The first years were a challenge: The settlers suffered from malaria and yellow fever, common in the area's coastal plains and mangrove swamps, and from attacks by the native populations who were, at various times, unhappy -- unhappy with the expansion of the settlements along the coast; with the settlers' efforts to put an end to the lucrative slave trading in which some ethnic groups were engaged; and at the settlers' attempts to Christianize their communities. Despite these difficulties, the Black settlers were determined to show the world that they could create, develop, and run their own country. And so they kept arriving.

In 1824, the settlement was named Monrovia, after the American president (and ACS member) James Monroe, and the colony became the Republic of Liberia. Over the next 40 years, 19,000 African American repatriates, sometimes known as Americo-Liberians, settled in Liberia, along with some 5,000 Africans recaptured from slave ships, and a small number ofWest Indian immigrants.





Early settlers brought their place names and architecture. (1:48) Watch



Settlers were determined to create a Black America overseas. (1:42)Watch




A two-tiered society struggles to stand on its own feet

The settlers recreated American society, building churches and homes that resembled Southern plantations. And they continued to speak English. They also entered into a complex relationship with the indigenous people -- marrying them in some cases, discriminating against them in others, but all the time attempting to "civilize" them and impose Western values on the traditional communities. After Liberia declared its independence in 1847, Joseph J. Roberts, a freeborn Black who was born in the American state of Virginia, was elected Liberia's first president. It had taken fewer than 25 years for the Blacks from America to begin to govern their own, free country. Soon after his inauguration, President Roberts traveled to Europe, where he was received in the courts of Queen Victoria and Napoleon III. Queen Victoria gave him a gunship to combat slavery, which had continued along the coast with unscrupulous native traders who preyed on weaker ethnic groups. Not surprisingly, England and France were the first countries to recognize Liberia's independence in 1848. Roberts and his senators, all American-born, resolved to create a country based on the principles of justice and equal rights.

The settlers built schools and a university, and during the early years, agriculture, shipbuilding, and trade flourished. Yet as Liberia expanded its borders, a government of repatriates located largely on the coast attempted to establish control over a growing native population located largely in the interior. Over the next few decades, escalating economic difficulties began to weaken the state's dominance over the coastal indigenous population. When the financially burdened ACS withdrew its support, conditions worsened as Liberia tried desperately to modernize its largely agricultural economy. The cost of imports was far greater than the income generated by exports of coffee, rice, palm oil, sugarcane, and timber. Liberia was also struggling under the burden of heavy loans, primarily from Britain. By 1909, the government was bankrupt and forced to borrow further, in large part from the United States.




Forced labor was very much like slavery. (2:23) Watch



To bring in more revenue , the Liberian state leased large areas of land to American companies such as Firestone, which operated a massive rubber plantation in the African nation. The terms of the leases were strongly in favor of the private companies. The final straw came in 1930 when an accusation by the League of Nations, of "forced labor ... hardly distinguishable from slavery," turned out to be true. The government collapsed, and the new president, Edwin Barclay, dealt with the mounting discontent among his people by introducing increasingly repressive laws.

An international profile, and trouble at home

 

Despite its political, economic, and social troubles, Liberia, as the only free republic in Africa, was a model for African colonies struggling to achieve independence. William V.S. Tubman, elected president in 1944, further highlighted the country's world profile by traveling abroad and allowing international investment in Liberia. With this investment and the income from the newly discovered mineral deposits, he modernized parts of Liberia (mostly along the coast) and built schools, roads, and hospitals. Tubman also expanded the incorporation of indigenous populations into the social and economic mainstream, granting them, for example, the right to vote. Under Tubman, Liberia was a founding member of the United Nations as well as of the Organization of African Unity, and he strongly championed the independence of other African states.

Despite these developments, the gap between the ruling elite and the indigenous populations increased. Tubman was criticized for being too influenced by the United States and its interests in the area (i.e., the fight against communism), and for repressing political opposition. Tubman's rule became gradually more authoritarian : He changed the constitution to allow himself to remain in office for seven consecutive terms, gagged the press, and introduced a system of government spies to report on all political activity.





Tolbert wanted Liberia to be a force for African unity and civil rights. (1:12)Watch



Tolbert became a tragic figure. (1:03)Watch




By the time Tubman died in 1971, frustrations in Liberia were running high. His vice president and successor, William R. Tolbert, attempted to improve the economic and political climate by introducing many new changes. But the damage of the past seemed irreparable. The majority of the population was poor and lacked basic amenities such as access to safe water and electricity. Tolbert's attempt to liberalize Liberian society backfired -- some thought he was moving too quickly, while others thought he wasn't moving quickly enough. Many could no longer bear the political dominance of the descendants of American settlers. At the same time, Tolbert's own administration opposed his efforts to bring more indigenous Liberians into the upper echelons of government. Tolbert's proposal in 1979 to increase the price of imported rice, a basic part of the Liberian diet, as a tactic to encourage local production was interpreted negatively, and this provided the spark for demonstrations which rapidly turned violent.




Doe led the coup that resulted in the assassination of Tolbert. (1:10) Watch



Doe's supporters thought the coup would get rid of Americo-Liberian domination. (1:20)Watch



Doe didn't understand the complexities of the task ahead. (1:00)Watch




Violence spreads

Some soldiers in the army sympathized with the demonstrators, but others strongly believed in the power of the military. In 1980, a group of enlisted men led by Samuel K. Doe, a 28-year-old indigenous master sergeant, fought their way into the presidential mansion and shot Tolbert to death. Shortly afterwards, 13 members of the Cabinet were publicly executed. Hundreds of government workers fled the country, while others were imprisoned.

Many people welcomed Doe's takeover as a shift favoring the majority of the population that had been excluded from power. The new government, led by the leaders of the coup d'ètat and calling itself the People's Redemption Council (PRC), lacked experience and was ill prepared to rule. Soon there were internal rifts, and Doe began to systematically eliminate Council members who challenged his authority. Paranoid about the possibility of a counter-coup, Doe began to favor people of his own ethnic background, the Krahns, placing them in key positions. Among ordinary Liberians, support for Doe's government soon dampened.

In 1985, Doe declared himself the winner of a presidential election he had actually lost. His corrupt government became more repressive, shutting down newspapers and banning political activity. The government's mistreatment of certain ethnic groups, particularly the Gio (or Dan) and the Mano in the north, resulted in divisions and violence among indigenous populations who until then had coexisted relatively peacefully.




Rebels were ready to be organized by Taylor. (1:28) Watch



Taylor was rumored to have the backing of affluent Liberians who wanted to get rid of Doe. (:50)Watch




Civil war

The brutal treatment they faced at the hands of the Liberian army drove some indigenous northerners across the border to the Ivory Coast. There, a man named Charles Taylor organized and trained many of them. Taylor had previously served as deputy minister of commerce under Doe, but was imprisoned for allegedly transferring millions of government funds into his own account. He was reported to have bribed his way out of a Massachusetts jail. When Taylor and his force of 100 rebels reentered Liberia in 1989, on Christmas Eve, thousands of Gio and Mano joined them. While they formed the core of his rebel army, there were many Liberians of other ethnic backgrounds who joined as well. A brutal civil warensued.




Military peacekeeping forces gave a fragile sense of security. (3:35)Watch



People hoped that a vote for Taylor would mean an end to the bloodshed. (1:31)Watch




In September 1990, Doe was captured and tortured to death by another rebel group originally associated with Taylor, while fighting between the rebels and the Liberian army escalated into civil war. Entire villages were emptied as people fled. Soldiers, some of them still children, committed unspeakable atrocities, raping and murdering people of all ages, in what became one of the world's worst episodes of ethnic cleansing .

Five years later, at a conference sponsored by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United Nations and the United States, the European Union, and the Organization of African Unity, Charles Taylor agreed to a cease-fire and a timetable to demobilize and disarm his troops. In a climate hardly conducive to free movement and security of persons, he won a 1997 presidential election against 12 other candidates. Liberians had voted for him in the hope that he would end the bloodshed.

The bloodshed did slow considerably, but it has not ended. Violent events have flared up regularly since the end of the war. Taylor, furthermore, has been accused of backing guerrillas in neighboring countries and funneling diamond monies into arms purchases for the rebel armies he supported, and into luxuries for himself.

The end of the turmoil?

Seven years of civil war undid much of what Liberia had achieved. Most of the country's infrastructure and public buildings were destroyed. Two hundred thousand people were killed, and another 800,000 displaced from their homes. Close to another 700,000 became refugees in neighboring countries. Recent reports from international political, environmental, and humanitarian groups point to Liberia's sky-high unemployment, continuing human rights violations, and the uncertainty of the upcoming 2003 elections.

Today, the Liberian people are just beginning the slow process of recovering from the economic, social, political, and psychological trauma of the war. The world waits and watches to see if the cycle of clashes between different populations has truly been broken, and if Liberia can rebuild itself as a unified nation to achieve the promise of its star of liberty.

Then forward sons of freedom march

Defend our sacred heritage

A nation's call from age to age

A nation's loud triumphant song

The song of liberty!

The Lone Star forever, the Lone Star forever

Oh, long may it flow over land and o'er sea

Desert it, no never!

Uphold it, forever!

Oh, shout for the Lone Starr'd banner, all hail.

Related links

Africa: South of the Sahara: Liberia:
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/liberia.html
An extensive list of links to dozens of Liberia-related Web sites, from Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources.

Liberia's History: Time Line:
http://www.denison.edu/~waite/liberia/history/index.htm
Prepared by a former Peace Corps volunteer to Liberia, this timeline focuses primarily on the achievements and challenges of the many men who have held the top office in Africa's oldest republic. The timeline ends with President Tolbert's execution in 1980, and a literal question mark as to how the country's problems escalated to this point.

Liberia: History:
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0859267.html


Cartage (Central Array of Relayed Transaction for the Advance of General Education): Liberia:
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/GeogHist /histories/history/hiscountries/L/liberia.html


The Liberian Connection:
http://www.Liberian-Connection.com/


Liberian Embassy: Liberia at a Glance:
http://www.liberiaemb.org/info.html


History: Liberia:
http://www.ku.edu/history/VL/africa/liberia.html


African Studies: Liberia:
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies /Country_Specific/Liberia.html


African-American Mosaic: Colonization:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam002.html


Time Line:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/libhtml/liberia.html



Contributors

Anjali Mitter Duva is a freelance writer and consultant based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

This essay was reviewed by D. Elwood Dunn, a professor of political science at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, and by Womi Edith Neal, a District of Columbia public school teacher and founder/executive director of the Grass Roots Theatre Company in Bethesda, Maryland.

© 2002 WGBH Educational Foundation

Source
.