Our country was once a great God fearing, God respecting country. People adhered to the principles of God’s Word. Not all people were of the same belief, but were in the political realm respectful of God’s sovereign influence. Over time the definition of freedom has been misconstrued. We, through inactivity, have allowed it. Today the “Politically Correct” attitude is so intertwined into many people’s lives that to remove it would most certainly leave the country mortally wounded or create civil unrest among its citizens. Some say that it is too late… I guess I am naïve enough to refuse that notion, but it will take you and me changing our lives.
Freedom used to mean things like the freedom to pursue a job in the field of your choice or whether to drive a Ford or Chevy. It has never meant we are free to disobey laws. We are all in submission to some authority. Without adequate authority anarchy would definitely ensue. Through the years God, and his place in our country, has taken a back seat to our desires. People did not want to be inhibited by the rules that he placed on us, even if they were meant to protect us. There are those who still cling to God and try to live for him and obey his laws and implement is principles. Their task is made difficult by a coexistence with people want to ignore or destroy these principle because they don’t want to seen as inferior. They are unwilling to seek the truth and submit to it.
I read an article a few weeks back about a man who has sued many times to stop things like the use of the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. He openly professed to be an Atheist. He claimed that this practice somehow violated his rights or infringed on his freedoms. Now this same man wants to remove the words “In God We Trust” from our currency.
Why is this important? Let’s examine what freedom is again. Is this man’s freedom threatened? No. He is free to choose his religion or a lack there of. That is what is great about this country. You can be an idiot if you want. So if his freedom isn’t really threatened, then why is he pursuing these cases? The answer is simple. He really isn’t worried about his freedom; he just wants to stop the truth. The truth is undeniable and he is apparently not as confident in his atheism as he would have you believe. Basically this probably makes him feel guilty. This means there is hope for his soul…
Or does it? You see if he continues to pursue things like this there are people in places of authority in this country who don’t share the desire to recognize God as the source of ultimate truth, and they would also like to silence those who do. These people are generally referred to as liberals.
Liberals say you cannot legislate morality, but they are the same ones that will appoint judges that make laws that limit expression of constitutional freedoms such as free speech in the case of The Fairness Doctrine. There is a double standard as with many of society’s ills. “Fairness”… This is laughable. Seeking the truth you find that this is merely an attempt to use the government to silence opposition to the eroding of our founder’s intent in regard to religion and expressions of faith. If you want proof the intent, listen to this series of lessons at http://www.thebible1.net/audio/silencingofgod/ or go to your local library and read some of the founder’s documents. Review the preambles to the state’s constitutions. These were highly educated men who came from a country that dictated one religion so they understood the definition of freedom. These men cared so passionately about freedom that they went to war for it.
Folks we must have that same passion for the truth. Be honest with yourself when you seek the truth or you will never find it. No matter if you are honest or not the truth will still be the truth. Consequences for denying it are universal and will undoubtedly find the violators.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Dear Senator Obama...
You know I was thinking this morning… I went home last night and sat down to watch what I thought was my latest DVR’d edition of the O’Reilly Factor but I got the first half of the Saddleback Debate/Chat Session. The one thing that hit me in Barrack’s comments was that he wants to figure out a way to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. I thought, “Barrack do you really?” “Do you also want to reduce the amount of people on unemployment?” “What about people that are on welfare?” “Do you want to really help bring about equality in races?” I want to assume for a moment that he really would like to solve these problems, and not make a career out of taking advantage of the problem for monetary gain. I will assume he understands that there are absolute truths that exist and we must acknowledge them before true solutions can be found. Truth is not relative, opinions are and opinions can be wrong.
Okay lets reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. Let me start by asking a few questions. What are the causes of unwanted pregnancies? 1. Sexual promiscuity. 2. Lack of Birth Control. 3. Rape. These are the top ones I can think of. Let’s address these issues. First, Sexual promiscuity, is having sex when you are too young and/or not married or ready, that is my paraphrasing of the definition, you can look it up. Barrack you are a Christian. You claim to believe the words of the Bible. The Bible clearly condemns this. If it does and the answer seems so clear why is it still a problem? Lack of proper grounding and teaching of fundamentals in the home that would encourage young unmarried people to refrain from sexual activity? I think that would be a safe assertion. I.E. Abstinence. First whose place is it to teach that? Family or Government? Answer is Family. What is the first step in making a good decision? Who is involved? The individuals. So there must be individual accountability or deterrents before individuals will decide to stop being sexually promiscuous. Which scenario is more likely to be a deterrent if a young woman is sexually active and becomes pregnant? 1. Abortion is widely available and common place. (The sweep it under the rug attitude.) It was a mistake let’s not “punish” her with a child… Does she learn anything from this scenario? OR 2. Let’s pretend Abortion is not legal or available (except under the strictest of medically urgent circumstances.) and she has to endure labor and choose to raise the child herself or give the child up for adoption. Which scenario is the correct option? Which one is a Biblical consequence of ignoring the command for abstinence? Does the Bible teach that there are consequences of our actions? Are not the commands in the Bible (God’s Commands) there to actually save us from trouble and consequence? If we seek to make natural consequences to breaking God’s commands easier, through Government intervention or any other means are we not robbing individuals of the opportunity to grow as God would have planned? So to boil this down and make it more simple, if I was a young unmarried person and I knew that I stood the chance of losing freedom by being tied down to raising a child in my youth and working to support a family I might not be so likely to proceed with the act. If parents taught their children that if they choose to ignore their teachings and the teachings of God they would be expected to pay the consequences. Possibly the other option could be that you as a young father or mother you choose to give a child up for adoption to a family that could adequately support a child. What is the consequence? The knowledge that you have a child that you did not get to know. Is that harsh? Remember you had the knowledge in the beginning to prevent this from happening but you chose to ignore it. The last two causes Birth Control and Rape are both common sense issues. Couples who don’t want children should do something about it surgically (vasectomy or hysterectomy), medically or accept the consequences if they don’t. Rape is a crime and rapists should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. (Which is better kill the villain or the child that resulted?) It all ultimately goes back to a lack of teaching of the fundamentals along the way.
Unemployment is a system that has noble intentions, but as with most government controlled programs, many people take advantage of the system. There are people who get laid off that simply don’t try as hard to get a job because the have x number of months of unemployment coming still. Once again, we can trace this back to a lack of fundamental teaching. My father always pushed me to work, whether it was mowing the yard, chopping wood, or cleaning the house, but the greatest thing he did was teach me to take pride in my work. To recognize and appreciate a job well done. To this day I love mowing the grass because the results are so gratifying (if you do it properly). What does the Bible teach about work? Plenty… One scripture teaches that if a man doesn’t work, he should not eat… Harsh?, no just emphasizing the importance of contribution to family and society. Another thing to consider is the first century Church. What did they do. They took up collection and shared amongst the brethren. Another key to note is that the government didn’t do this, it was the Church… The Church was extremely vital. The government must give more respect to the Church and recognize just how fundamental the Church is to a truly successful society. Back to the work issue, we must not create programs that pad people to the point that they lack the natural motivation to improve themselves once again. People who abuse welfare are the same way. It is a system that inhibits growth. Don’t get me wrong, these systems should exist, but they should either be more strictly policed or turned over to the Church. Government programs are not always the answer.
Racism is a word that as a white male I am so sick of hearing. There are so many that claim to hate it but actually thrive on its existence. MLKJ desired equality, but today few actually want it or understand what it really means. They want to be victims in the Post Modern age. Being a victim gives you access to so many of (again) the programs that create a vacuum of personal betterment. How can a young minority ever be equal if we continue to give them benefits based on race. Growth begins with personal integrity… Harsh? No the truth. ACLU, NAACP are groups like this that benefit when people remain victims. There are individuals that make their livings rushing to the aid of poor downtrodden minorities but wouldn’t be caught dead rushing to aid of a white victim of racism. What is the real problem? People are the real problem. So the answer is to deal with racism honestly. We must recognize that a it is very possible for a black man to be guilty of racism and hate crimes just as much as a white man. Punish racism on an individual basis. Use the same scrutiny to examine everyone. Many don’t know this, but there are actually groups and programs that give special treatment in business and construction to companies simply owned by minorities, females, or homosexuals. This is hypocrisy, racism, and sexism. This is ignoring truth and is absurd from a logical position. It certainly doesn’t promote equality. People don’t want to hear it but it is true. We must again teach people and quit allowing them to be ignorant of truth. People must truly want to embrace and get to know each other before racial healing can begin. Don’t assume stereotypes are true. They only breed ignorance and division.
Difficult situations like the ones I have outlined above are things that no one enjoys, so let’s not make them easier to accept or only make people abhor them less and become less motivated to change. Tolerance of situations cause the number of people involved to grow. When the “situation” is ignorance of truth and true solution, the outcome becomes very bleak. The application of this truth seeking can be applied to many of our social problems today. Let’s turn back to the fundamentals. Truth only works when you submit to it.
Okay lets reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. Let me start by asking a few questions. What are the causes of unwanted pregnancies? 1. Sexual promiscuity. 2. Lack of Birth Control. 3. Rape. These are the top ones I can think of. Let’s address these issues. First, Sexual promiscuity, is having sex when you are too young and/or not married or ready, that is my paraphrasing of the definition, you can look it up. Barrack you are a Christian. You claim to believe the words of the Bible. The Bible clearly condemns this. If it does and the answer seems so clear why is it still a problem? Lack of proper grounding and teaching of fundamentals in the home that would encourage young unmarried people to refrain from sexual activity? I think that would be a safe assertion. I.E. Abstinence. First whose place is it to teach that? Family or Government? Answer is Family. What is the first step in making a good decision? Who is involved? The individuals. So there must be individual accountability or deterrents before individuals will decide to stop being sexually promiscuous. Which scenario is more likely to be a deterrent if a young woman is sexually active and becomes pregnant? 1. Abortion is widely available and common place. (The sweep it under the rug attitude.) It was a mistake let’s not “punish” her with a child… Does she learn anything from this scenario? OR 2. Let’s pretend Abortion is not legal or available (except under the strictest of medically urgent circumstances.) and she has to endure labor and choose to raise the child herself or give the child up for adoption. Which scenario is the correct option? Which one is a Biblical consequence of ignoring the command for abstinence? Does the Bible teach that there are consequences of our actions? Are not the commands in the Bible (God’s Commands) there to actually save us from trouble and consequence? If we seek to make natural consequences to breaking God’s commands easier, through Government intervention or any other means are we not robbing individuals of the opportunity to grow as God would have planned? So to boil this down and make it more simple, if I was a young unmarried person and I knew that I stood the chance of losing freedom by being tied down to raising a child in my youth and working to support a family I might not be so likely to proceed with the act. If parents taught their children that if they choose to ignore their teachings and the teachings of God they would be expected to pay the consequences. Possibly the other option could be that you as a young father or mother you choose to give a child up for adoption to a family that could adequately support a child. What is the consequence? The knowledge that you have a child that you did not get to know. Is that harsh? Remember you had the knowledge in the beginning to prevent this from happening but you chose to ignore it. The last two causes Birth Control and Rape are both common sense issues. Couples who don’t want children should do something about it surgically (vasectomy or hysterectomy), medically or accept the consequences if they don’t. Rape is a crime and rapists should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. (Which is better kill the villain or the child that resulted?) It all ultimately goes back to a lack of teaching of the fundamentals along the way.
Unemployment is a system that has noble intentions, but as with most government controlled programs, many people take advantage of the system. There are people who get laid off that simply don’t try as hard to get a job because the have x number of months of unemployment coming still. Once again, we can trace this back to a lack of fundamental teaching. My father always pushed me to work, whether it was mowing the yard, chopping wood, or cleaning the house, but the greatest thing he did was teach me to take pride in my work. To recognize and appreciate a job well done. To this day I love mowing the grass because the results are so gratifying (if you do it properly). What does the Bible teach about work? Plenty… One scripture teaches that if a man doesn’t work, he should not eat… Harsh?, no just emphasizing the importance of contribution to family and society. Another thing to consider is the first century Church. What did they do. They took up collection and shared amongst the brethren. Another key to note is that the government didn’t do this, it was the Church… The Church was extremely vital. The government must give more respect to the Church and recognize just how fundamental the Church is to a truly successful society. Back to the work issue, we must not create programs that pad people to the point that they lack the natural motivation to improve themselves once again. People who abuse welfare are the same way. It is a system that inhibits growth. Don’t get me wrong, these systems should exist, but they should either be more strictly policed or turned over to the Church. Government programs are not always the answer.
Racism is a word that as a white male I am so sick of hearing. There are so many that claim to hate it but actually thrive on its existence. MLKJ desired equality, but today few actually want it or understand what it really means. They want to be victims in the Post Modern age. Being a victim gives you access to so many of (again) the programs that create a vacuum of personal betterment. How can a young minority ever be equal if we continue to give them benefits based on race. Growth begins with personal integrity… Harsh? No the truth. ACLU, NAACP are groups like this that benefit when people remain victims. There are individuals that make their livings rushing to the aid of poor downtrodden minorities but wouldn’t be caught dead rushing to aid of a white victim of racism. What is the real problem? People are the real problem. So the answer is to deal with racism honestly. We must recognize that a it is very possible for a black man to be guilty of racism and hate crimes just as much as a white man. Punish racism on an individual basis. Use the same scrutiny to examine everyone. Many don’t know this, but there are actually groups and programs that give special treatment in business and construction to companies simply owned by minorities, females, or homosexuals. This is hypocrisy, racism, and sexism. This is ignoring truth and is absurd from a logical position. It certainly doesn’t promote equality. People don’t want to hear it but it is true. We must again teach people and quit allowing them to be ignorant of truth. People must truly want to embrace and get to know each other before racial healing can begin. Don’t assume stereotypes are true. They only breed ignorance and division.
Difficult situations like the ones I have outlined above are things that no one enjoys, so let’s not make them easier to accept or only make people abhor them less and become less motivated to change. Tolerance of situations cause the number of people involved to grow. When the “situation” is ignorance of truth and true solution, the outcome becomes very bleak. The application of this truth seeking can be applied to many of our social problems today. Let’s turn back to the fundamentals. Truth only works when you submit to it.
A Few Quotes to Start With
"Search for the truth is the noblest occupation of man; its publication is a duty."-- Anne Louise Germaine de Stael (1766-1817) French author
"We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth...For my part, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst; and to provide for it."-- Patrick Henry (1736-1799) US Founding Father Source: "The War Inevitable" speech to the Virginia Convention, March 23, 1775
"We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth...For my part, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst; and to provide for it."-- Patrick Henry (1736-1799) US Founding Father Source: "The War Inevitable" speech to the Virginia Convention, March 23, 1775
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