AMERICA - THE WHORE OF ALL THE EARTH

While I am more prone to look at abortion statistics and out-of-wedlock pregnancies when I cite the whore of all the earth rhetoric, I guess there is nothing more reassuring that we are in the number one spot than the following stats that someone compiled and put on LDSFREEDOMFORUM.COM. Just thought I would share:

More evidence that America is Babylon the great:

Revelation 18:
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

After reading again this chapter of Revelation I wanted to do some research and find out which countries imported the most of each of the goods listed in verses 12-13. The answer probably comes as no surprise; only one nation fits the description - the United States of America. Where I could find multiple sources for each of the items listed in red above I tried to include them.

Top 10 importing countries:
1 United States $ 2,314,000,000,000 2011 est.
— European Union (minus internal trade) $ 2,000,000,000,000 2010 est.
2 China $ 1,743,468,000,000 2011 est.
3 Germany $ 1,339,000,000,000 2011 est.
4 Japan $ 794,700,000,000 2011 est.
5 France $ 684,600,000,000 2011 est.
6 United Kingdom $ 654,900,000,000 2011 est.
7 Italy $ 541,200,000,000 2011 est.
8 South Korea $ 525,200,000,000 2011 est.
9 Netherlands $ 514,100,000,000 2011 est.
- Hong Kong $ 493,200,000,000 2011 est.
10 Canada $ 459,600,000,000 2011 est.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_co ... by_imports

Top 10 Gold importing countries:
The following countries imported the most gold by value in 2005.
1. India $10.9 billion (33.1% of top ten gold importers, up 6% from 2004)
2. United States $4.4 billion (13.5%, up 10.9%)
3. Turkey $3.9 billion (11.8%, up 11.4%)
4. Italy $3.5 billion (10.5%, down 2.8%)
5. Canada $2.3 billion (6.9%, up 60.1%)
6. Australia $2.1 billion (6.5%, up 18.5%)
7. Thailand $2 billion (6%, up 71.4%)
8. Malaysia $1.4 billion (4.1%, up 9.2%)
9. Japan $1.3 billion (4.1%, up 12.1%)
10. Germany $1.2 billion (3.5%, up 17.9%).
Source: http://daniel-workman.suite101.com/top- ... ies-a40840

Top 10 Gold buyers in 2010.
1. India 963.1 tons
2. China 607.1 tons
3. United States 233.3 tons
4. Germany 126.9 tons
5. Turkey 114.6 tons
6. Switzerland 91.7 tons
7. Saudi Arabia 87.5 tons
8. Vietnam 81.4 tons
9. United Arab Emirates 72 tons
10. Russia 67.5 tons
Source: http://www.china.org.cn/top10/2011-08/0 ... 114682.htm

Some thoughts on Gold: India is historically and culturally very big consumers of gold, so it comes as no surprise that they top the list. However, what is interesting is that China, who did not make the top 10 in 2005, suddenly by 2010 is the second largest gold buyer. Another interesting thing to note is who else also suddenly makes the top 10 who hadn't before... Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, and Russia – All Middle-Eastern and Communist countries. Why the sudden change? Might this be an indicator that they are gearing up and preparing for war? Historically it takes gold - lots of it - to wage war; it costs money to buy weapons, armor, resources, pay troops, and bribe other nations. Just something to think about.

Top 10 Silver importing countries (in thousands of dollars):
1. United States: 3,430,430
2. Japan: 1,863,410
3. Switzerland: 1,851,580
4. Germany: 1,507,080
5. Hong Kong: 1,428,380
6. Italy: 595,983
7. India: 370,304
8. China: 348,281
9. France: 271,528
10. Thailand: 215,780
Source: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_w ... atinum-etc

Top 10 silver consumers in 2010:
1. United States
2. China
3. Japan
4. India
5. Germany
6. Italy
7. Thailand
8. South Korea
9. UK and Ireland
10. Belgium
Source: http://www.statista.com/statistics/2161 ... tric-tons/

Top 10 importers of pearls, precious stones, metals, coins, etc. (in thousands of dollars):
1. United States 52,297,727
2. India 52,193,819
3. Hong Kong, China 33,453,587
4. United Arab Emirates 24,818,222
5. United Kingdom 19,708,006
6. Germany 16,316,930
7. Switzerland 16,258,680
8. Belgium 16,129,709
9. Canada 12,616,375
10. Japan 11,526,829
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 71)

Top 10 importers of pearls in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. Japan 355,441
2. Hong Kong, China 307,007
3. United States 274,284
4. Australia 139,285
5. Switzerland 52,824
6. Italy 41,970
7. China 39,248
8. Germany 35,982
9. United Kingdom 19,577
10 France 18,183
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 7101)

Top 10 diamond importers in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. India 22,102,643
2. United States 18,644,171
3. Hong Kong, China 14,688,017
4. Belgium 14,321,012
5. United Arab Emirates 10,553,674
6. Israel 8,392,193
7. United Kingdom 7,479,538
8. China 3,997,716
9. Switzerland 1,714,245
10. Thailand 773,445
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 7102)

Top Silk importing countries in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. Italy 329,706
2. India 292,008
3. Hong Kong, China 223,769
4. United States 162,356
5. Japan 149,311
6. Viet Nam 126,275
7. China 124,435
8. Republic of Korea 112,118
9. Germany 93,890
10. France 89,134
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 50)

Top 10 importers of clothing and apparel in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. United States 35,694,143
2. Germany 16,697,380
3. Japan 12,618,824
4. United Kingdom 10,769,634
5. France 10,365,117
6. Italy 7,693,970
7. Spain 7,108,831
8. Hong Kong, China 6,907,138
9. Netherlands 4,250,448
10. Belgium 3,765,379
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 62)

Top 10 importers of wood and wood products in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. United States 12,190,755
2. China 11,234,863
3. Japan 10,432,773
4. Germany 8,075,408
5. Italy 5,255,004
6. United Kingdom 4,977,677
7. France 4,632,612
8. Canada 3,033,489
9. Belgium 2,790,880
10. Netherlands 2,780,522
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 44)

Another Top 10 wood importing countries list, this one from 2004 (in millions of dollars):
1. United States 21,726
2. Japan 10,591
3. China 5,167
4. United Kingdom 4,928
5. Italy 4,317
6. Germany 4,260
7. France 2,831
8. Canada 2,496
9. Spain 2,417
10. The Netherlands 2,123
Source: http://www.sadctrade.org/files/Wood%20a ... oducts.pdf

Top 10 importers of worked ivory and animal carving material in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. United States 24,617
2. Hong Kong, China 11,653
3. Japan 10,925
4. Italy 7,094
5. Germany 6,709
6. Spain 5,698
7. France 5,514
8. French Polynesia 3,647
9. Chinese Taipei 3,129
10. Netherlands 2,947
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 9601)

Another interesting list which may be equally telling…

Top Ten Countries With Most Ivory Seizures (2006?):
Country No. of Ivory Seizuers
1. United States 1,435
2. Namibia 409
3. France 375
4. United Kingdom 367
5. Germany 261
6. Belgium 237
7. Tanzania 210
8. South Africa 155
9. Malawi 132
10. Zambia 104
Source: http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-te ... zuers.html

Top 10 iron and steel importing countries in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. Germany 29,386,724
2. China 25,326,244
3. Republic of Korea 24,866,855
4. United States 22,517,939
5. Italy 19,366,021
6. Turkey 16,118,937
7. France 14,462,069
8. Belgium 12,521,775
9. Chinese Taipei 11,225,681
10. Thailand 10,999,403
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 72)

Top 10 countries importing iron and steel products in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. United States 28,263,261
2. Germany 19,787,805
3. France 10,750,938
4. China 9,150,701
5. Canada 9,112,990
6. United Kingdom 7,610,325
7. Republic of Korea 6,698,065
8. Mexico 6,622,701
9. Russia 5,958,004
10. Japan 5,654,327
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 73)

Top 10 importers of copper and copper products in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. China 46,183,467
2. Germany 12,548,728
3. United States 8,941,092
4. Italy 8,190,109
5. Chinese Taipei 6,064,184
6. Republic of Korea 6,020,329
7. France 4,762,752
8. Belgium 4,353,562
9. Thailand 3,583,143
10. Turkey 3,299,333
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 74)

Top 10 marble importers in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. China 1,488,425
2. India 118,914
3. Italy 113,509
4. Chinese Taipei 86,450
5. Libya 66,808
6. United Arab Emirates 34,706
7. Syrian Arab Republic 31,376
8. Singapore 29,080
9. Greece 27,603
10. Algeria 25,048
…
38. United States 3,518
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 2515)
I don't know how accurate this list is - the data for the U.S. seems kinda low for what would be expected. I suspect the U.S. imports more than the data indicates, but can find no other reliable sources to verify or quantify world marble imports.

Top 10 importers of cinnamon in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. Mexico 46,301
2. United States 42,232
3. India 13,040
4. United Arab Emirates 9,510
5. Bangladesh 8,409
6. Germany 6,932
7. Japan 6,043
8. United Kingdom 5,365
9. Netherlands 5,131
10. Colombia 4,699
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 0906)

Top 10 importers of coffee, tea, and spices in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. United States 5,943,264
2. Germany 4,190,130
3. France 2,012,468
4. Japan 1,876,922
5. Italy 1,465,451
6. United Kingdom 1,333,472
7. Canada 1,252,041
8. Belgium 1,246,309
9. Russia 959,268
10. Spain 941,313
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 09)

Top 10 importers of gums, resins, balsams, extracts, etc. (used in making incense, perfumes, salves, ointments, etc.) in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. France 70,368
2. India 66,829
3. United States 61,501
4. Germany 36,514
5. United Kingdom 25,889
6. Italy 23,527
7. Netherlands 22,537
8. China 20,049
9. Saudi Arabia 17,354
10. Russia 14,431
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 1301)

Top 5 wine importing countries in 2008 (in metric tonnes):
1. Germany 1,366,340 m/t
2. United Kingdom 1,080,250 m/t
3. United States 831,788 m/t
4. France 570,018 m/t
5. Russian Federation 417,515 m/t
Source: http://www.top5ofanything.com/index.php?h=16e0c4df

Top 10 importers of wine in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. United Kingdom 4,518,436
2. United States 4,461,891
3. Germany 2,696,772
4. Canada 1,699,641
5. Japan 1,334,806
6. Belgium 1,147,624
7. Netherlands 1,107,933
8. Switzerland 1,054,075
9. Hong Kong, China 898,484
10. Russian Federation 825,094
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 2204)

Top 10 importers of animal and vegetable fats and oils in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. China 8,884,173
2. India 4,794,979
3. United States 4,548,969
4. Germany 3,996,519
5. Italy 3,784,294
6. Netherlands 3,436,340
7. France 2,403,066
8. Malaysia 2,231,730
9. Pakistan 1,852,323
10. Belgium 1,840,317
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 15)

Top 10 importers of wheat flour in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. Iraq 312,011
2. Indonesia 261,254
3. Uzbekistan 230,945
4. Afghanistan 229,567
5. Brazil 217,662
6. Angola 135,781
7. Netherlands 127,007
8. United States 102,385
9. Tajikistan 92,184
10. Hong Kong, China 89,437
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 1101)

Top 10 importers of cereal flours (other than wheat) in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. United States 65,245
2. Spain 45,852
3. Angola 27,827
4. Canada 24,032
5. France 22,334
6. Hong Kong, China 22,118
7. Germany 21,876
8. Guatemala 19,538
9. China 19,170
10. Belgium 16,853
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 1102)

Top 10 importers of wheat in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. Egypt 2,181,907
2. Italy 1,874,417
3. Japan 1,667,547
4. Brazil 1,528,252
5. Indonesia 1,424,275
6. Algeria 1,251,588
7. Netherlands 1,076,152
8. Republic of Korea 1,066,839
9. Spain 1,053,287
10. Germany 894,836
…
17. United States 584,382
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 1001)

Top 10 importers of live animals (beasts) in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. United States 2,384,441
2. Italy 2,062,502
3. Germany 1,951,885
4. Venezuela 1,011,462
5. Netherlands 905,532
6. Belgium 737,968
7. United Kingdom 693,280
8. Spain 655,896
9. Saudi Arabia 595,988
10. Hong Kong, China 479,629
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 01)

Top 10 importers of sheep in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. Saudi Arabia 522,340
2. Italy 123,454
3. Kuwait 108,008
4. Bahrain 81,375
5. Oman 76,562
6. France 49,283
7. Qatar 47,158
8. Lebanon 44,921
9. Jordan 43,274
10. Iran (Islamic Republic of) 32,052
…
65. United States 156
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 0104)
I am a bit surprised that according to this data the U.S. ranks so low on sheep imports, however, from other sources I can find the U.S. indeed seems to import very little in the way of sheep. Still, only $156,000 for the entire year seems an unreasonable amount and I wonder if it might not be more.

Top 10 importers of horses, asses, mules, etc. in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. United Kingdom 495,016
2. United States 226,823
3. Ireland 205,453
4. Japan 163,260
5. Australia 101,988
6. France 82,920
7. Hong Kong, China 78,600
8. Italy 70,170
9. United Arab Emirates 64,516
10. Canada 57,257
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 0101)

Top 10 importers of vehicles (cars, trucks, vans, etc.) in 2010 (in thousands of dollars):
1. United States 116,768,040
2. Germany 35,208,871
3. France 31,166,550
4. United Kingdom 30,506,846
5. China 28,921,282
6. Italy 28,048,487
7. Belgium 24,619,577
8. Canada 22,321,127
9. Australia 14,300,094
10. Spain 11,608,908
Source: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/Stat_ ... t_country/ (click on product 8703)

Human trafficking and slavery. Due to the nature of this problem there is very little if any information and data available on which countries rank highest in terms of importation of human trafficking and slavery. One thing is for certain though, human trafficking and slavery in the United States is a very real problem, even if no one wants to acknowledge it. According to the Department of Education:

“Contrary to a common assumption, human trafficking is not just a problem in other countries. Cases of human trafficking have been reported in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and some U.S. territories. Victims of human trafficking can be children or adults, U.S. citizens or foreign nationals, male or female.

According to U.S. government estimates, thousands of men, women, and children are trafficked to the United States for the purposes of sexual and labor exploitation. An unknown number of U.S. citizens and legal residents are trafficked within the country primarily for sexual servitude and, to a lesser extent, forced labor.” Source: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/o ... sheet.html

According to other research, as quoted by the FBI, that number could very well be into the hundreds of thousands. Source: http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publi ... rafficking

As can be seen by the above data, the United States ranks in the top 10 (and more often than not, the top 3) importers of every singly good listed by John in Revelation 18, other than sheep (ranked 65th), wheat (ranked 17th - ranked 8th however on wheat flour) , and marble (ranked 38th). The only other nation that can even come as close to the U.S. as being on as many of those top 10 lists of importers is Germany.

It is no gross understatement to say that America is (by far) the world’s largest consumer of luxury goods.