Small Advocacy Groups Turning World On Its Head, & It's Not a Good Thing

Pondering our upside down world, where homosexuals are exalted over heterosexuals, where living alone or cohabitating is exalted over traditional marriage, where having the State raise kids (send to school, get fed, propagandized, indoctrinated, inoculated, suffocated, anything but educated), lip service paid to military service while undercutting them though PC social programs and underfunding and underpaying the people, where the secular is exalted over the religious, where Islam is exalted over Christianity.

Then I think, how is it possible that the gay population, about 3% of us, have gained so much control over how we speak, how much pop culture is controlled by that small amount of folks. How is it Blacks, about 12% of us, control how we speak, how much of our pop culture and politics are controlled by that small of a segment of the population. Most of our population, over 85% identify ourselves a Christians, yet a few percent of atheists and secularists are getting crosses torn down all over the country, Ten Commandments getting torn down, the government forcing religious institutions to violate centuries old beliefs and principles and forced to comply upon threat of jail, fines, or both. Small groups, huge impact, totalitarian mindset.

Mostly because the rest are regular folks going about the business of working, paying bills, having relationships and kids the traditional way, and those cares outweigh the eroding of what has traditionally worked over the centuries. Most just don't glam on to a cause; environmentalism, sexism, feminism, socialism, Marxism, racism (blacks' notion if you're white you're privileged and a racist by definition), secularism, atheism and all the rest. It's deconstruction. It's easier to tear down than to build up, and from there not just maintain but improve.

It's easier too to engage in labeling, stereotyping, and name calling than to apply what works: communication, tolerance, acceptance, forgiveness. The things all the advocacy groups mentioned above have in common is just that. If you disagree with gays, you're a homophobe, with Blacks you're a racist, if secularist or atheist you're intolerant, a bigot and forcing your [Christian] beliefs on others. The opposite of course is true. The racism, hatred, bigotry, labeling, stereotyping, intolerance is emanating from those advocacy groups. BTW, if you point out to environmentalists 'global warming' is not supported by any true science, you're a "denier". That of course is to put you in the category of being a holocaust denier. See how it works?

Going back to the 6th Century, how is it Christianity was the most powerful force throughout the Middle East, bringing charity, hope, love, institutions to heal the sick and wounded and helpless, was replaced by a top down brutal genocidal, totalitarian "religion" that advocated the murder of those that did not then, and now do not agree with them. We're going to allow that again, except now in this country, in Western Civilization? And now a small group in this country that for some reason reject the Christian principals and actions that, based on Judeo-Christian scripture, are the best, proven guide, for successful government and personally successful lives, are advocating for Islam over Christianity and totalitarianism over democracy.

I have this suggestion for Christians. Many of us bemoan the weakening of our Religion, the values and the attack on behaviors that work with a 100% success rate when applied. Take a page from the 3%, the 12%, the small groups that have had a profoundly powerful effect on us, on Western Civilization, and speak up, push back, and educate. Jesus gave us the Great Commission. We just aren't doing it. Take a note from the Apostle Paul. He never backed down one bit even after beaten, stoned, imprisoned.

Talk about your faith at work. Talk about it a gatherings and parties. Talk about it at political gatherings. Live it too; that's the biggest witness. See, the effect would be bigger than all the small advocacy groups accomplish through hatred, lies and bullying. Christians have the guide, the historical personal histories to model after. We have what the advocacy groups don't: love, faith, hope, charity. They do it the wrong way, and look how successful they've been. Think about engaging and doing it the right way.

The Great Commission. Previous thoughts here, here, here. 

Winter, Enya and the Book of Sirach

Every few years here in Las Vegas it snows. On occasion I've lived in parts of the country with seasons , but am a beach and desert dweller. I did, when living in snow country, enjoy it. 

How I remember sleepless nights

When we would read by candlelight,

And on the windowpane outside

A new world made of snow;

A million feathers falling down,

A million stars that touch the ground,

So many secrets to be found

Amid the falling snow.

Maybe I am falling down.

Tell me should I touch the ground?

Maybe I won't make a sound

In the darkness all around.

The silence of a winter's night

Brings memories I hold inside;

Remembering a blue moonlight

Upon the fallen snow.

Maybe I am falling down.

Tell me should I touch the ground?

Maybe I won't make sound

In the darkness all around.

I close my window to the night.

I leave the sky her tears of white.

And all is lit by candlelight

Amid the falling snow.

...and here's some observations of winter from the Book of Sirach

A word from God drives on the north wind.

He scatters frost like so much salt;

It shines like blossoms on the thornbush.

Cold northern blasts he sends that turn the ponds to lumps of ice.

He freezes over every body of water,

And clothes each pool with a coat of mail.

He sprinkles the snow like fluttering birds.

Its shining whiteness blinds the eyes,

The mind is baffled by its steady fall.

Thoughts on the First Day of the Year, What We Should Focus On This Year

 A new year begins. Some make resolutions, which are often nothing more than a wish list for wanting to indulge in what is thought of as beneficial behavior. Bottom line is we should always eat healthy, do the best we can at work, treat people right and all the rest as a matter of life style every year. We should strive to do all things better every day. Maybe instead we should look back at the past year, and see what we fell short on, and work to improve those.

My personal life was good last year; only made one bad decision I can think of, and paying a bit of an emotional price right now. My church has spent the last year healing from some bad things that happened the year before. Prayer and good leadership is bringing us about and getting us back on track as far as we treat each other. All our programs this past year that feed the poor, missionary work, outreach and the rest were still taken care of, with a lot of success. That's Love, Hope, Charity at work.

Expanding further, I can only hope some more people come to their senses to refute the bad things happening in politics and culture. Kids being suspended from school for using their thumb and index finger to form a pistol. A five or six year old kid gets suspended for sexual harassment for kissing the hand of his "girlfriend".  Homosexual sex is being taught to elementary school kids, and the heterosexual family is being diminished and diss'd because it's homophobic or something.

The war on men, emasculating them. Pay attention to commercials and it's the male that is always the stupid one, and a child or woman corrects him. Actually in this country (and world wide)  masculine men, traditional family, Christianity, personal responsibility and all the rest are under attack. The State will replace all that has worked throughout civilization. Congress critters and other politicians and their paymasters know better than us how to live our lives. We can see what the destruction of the family, by secularists and atheists, have brought. Lower college entrance exam scores, increased high school dropouts (and monstrously ignorant and stupid "students"), higher out of wedlock births with attendant teen pregnancies, higher rates of violence and juvenile delinquent activity, higher STD rates to name a few things rotting the base of our civilization.

Another note on politicians and their paymasters. They advocate that massive debt to the tune of $trillions is a good thing. We have two or three coming generations being born into debt. There may be times when debt is unavoidable, but having it as a lifestyle or as an economic policy is nothing less that disastrous. The Bible teaches economic policy. Just read the account of Joseph and the principles he applied to get Egypt out of economic disaster. 

The "elites" are no more than bullies, and if you don't "get it" and conform to their notions, they will destroy you. Bakeries and photographers shut down; they tried and shut down Chick-fil-a and Hobby Lobby and several businesses. That would have thrown hundreds out of work if they were successful at closing down those larger companies. It's not enough that one has different values and belief system than the "elites", but you must be destroyed. So much for tolerance. They're still trying and destroy Sarah Palin, advocating shitting and pissing in her mouth, or mocking Mitt Romney's family for adopting a black baby. BTW, let's drop "African American"; it was the sole concoction of racist and race hustler Jesse Jackson. An intolerant hate monger if there ever was one.

Ultimately, Christians need to stand up, be forceful, and advocate for manly virtues, the virtues of heterosexual marriage, good education and the rest. May I be so bold to say we need to educate Leftists, Secularists, Atheists, about what sin is. When I saw the attack on "Duck Dynasty" personality Roberts for his using the term "sin" to describe certain behaviors, we Christians needed to stand up and say what "sin" is. Sins are those things that distance us from God. There are things that work. Happily in this case, there was enough of a backlash to make things right. Roberts got his job back, but more on freedom of speech than on the deeper issue of working to diminish or remove sin from our lives.

I said in my previous post that scripture, Old and New Testaments, are the best guides for living. Here's what scripture says about the family.

"...God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons." (Sirach 3:2). We have pretty much rejected this.

"Wives, be subordinate to your husbands,  as is proper in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives,  and avoid any bitterness toward them. Children, obey your parents in everything,  for this is pleasing to the Lord." (Col 3:19-21) This is a seriously misunderstood verse about women; it doesn't mean what secularists and atheists that are the elites and bullies say it does. Sadly many Christians don't understand either. I guess this is another blog that needs to be written.

"Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another… put on love,  that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts…And be thankful." (Col 3:12-15) This has been replaced by cohabitation and divorce...those are not a solution to relationship problems.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." (Col 3:16) The rules and guides for living found in scripture, a record of things that have worked for thousands of years are rejected and replaced by Elitists that live in the meme, in the moment advocating the materialist values of their anti-Semitic, anti-Christian world view. It doesn't work. It has a 100% failure rate 100% of the time. The things that work bring us closer to God. Reject the natural order of God, the rules and behaviors that work and we get the mess mentioned above.  

When we talk about sin, we know what Leftists, Secularist, Atheists  are rejecting what works, and the  result of that thinking destroys family, faith, hope, charity, liberty. It's destructive and demeaning, mean and intolerant. They think that taking out notions of sin and tradition and replacing it with laws and rules, forcing behavior through those, rather than providing wisdom and guidance for a sinless heart and loving behavior as the best way. No. Fails every time. Some powerful men rejecting the natural order of things with their own laws and rules will always lead to the morass we live in now. Parents and children must find a church so all can communicate with all generations, give and get guidance and wisdom. A counterculture that only benefits. 

As the new year begins this day, Jews and Christians must be more vocal, and push back against the intolerant elitists, bullies and liars that are destroying civilization while saying they are saving it.