One Reason Why a Facebook Break was Necessary

   Hello all, it’s been a little while since my last blog post and I’m thinking it’s time for another one. Much has happened since my last post including and most importantly, the 2012 Presidential election. I also, within the last week and a half, decided that I needed a break and have deactivated my Facebook account. Shocker I know, but honestly I really needed it… There’s quite a bit that lead to this break but the final straw was facebook itself, or rather, the ignorance of some of the people on it. So, this post is basically going to serve as ventilation for me concerning this topic. I’m sure you can come up with a list of your own about the things Facebook users say that annoy you and I may very possibly be on that list so keep in mind that this is just MY perspective of things, this is MY opinion, this is NOT some dogma of mine so please don’t treat it as such. I apologize in advance if you find yourself offended at what I’m about to say, but as you know, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I think I’m in the right place to state mine.

   With the setting of the election just beyond the horizon, I have to admit my heart is still a bit afflicted.  You see, I didn't think that it could be some sort of “end all” to our nation’s calamities, but I have to admit that I was hoping  we would cease from going the wrong direction. I’m sure by my tone you have guessed that I did not vote for Barack Obama. If so, you’re right. But I don’t want my post to be about why I didn't.  I do, however, want to talk about those who did vote for him, particularly those on my Facebook. You see I found a growing yet disturbing trend among those that I personally know who voted for him. Not only were some of them annoyingly obnoxious about it, posting meme’s and what not on their news feed, but they were also very ignorant about the subject of politics all together, and that’s not all; they all, for the most part, couldn't even give a clear and concise reason why they voted for him. If you ask me, nothing can be more dangerous to a nation then the ignorance of its people. When I asked my relatives why they voted for Mr. Obama, most did not respond, and the one that did tried to avoid reason by simply stating, “…because I wanted to and I have the right to.” She’s right, she does have that right, but that answer was more than unsatisfactory; it was frightening.  You see, Adolf Hitler was voted into office by people just like her, he was voted into office by people who had been brainwashed by the government education system and/or society as a whole. Adolf Hitler was voted into office by those who could not think for themselves, and sadly I’m seeing that same trend in America today.

   I don’t, nor will I ever claim to be the sharpest tool in the shed, or the brightest bulb in the tanning bed (< That one’s for you ladies), but if there is one thing I know, it’s that we should never abandon or ignore our history, because when we do, history tends to repeat itself. A friend of a Facebook friend of mine (emphasis added) directed a quote toward me by Stephen Hawking that says “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.” I couldn't help but chuckle at how ironic it was that the quote, considering the context in which she used it, actually, more accurately described her and all who were opposing me on the topic of “separation of Church and State,” the religious background of forefathers and the influence of the enlightenment on our nation. Anyway, I stopped myself from going further in that conversation because I realized then that what students, including these Facebook friends, are receiving in government run schools and secular colleges today is really, in a nutshell, the illusion of knowledge. How it is that much of today’s youth have similar, if not exactly the same views on social political views? How is it that the majority of young Americans that voted, voted for a man with a failing track record, who by the way, was a bigger spender then the man the liberals blame for our bad economy? Because they are being taught what to think, not how to think! Hitler stated “He who controls the youth controls the future.” All it takes is a little observation to realize what is truly happening.  Government schools, like any other government program, will ALWAYS favor the government, and is it really necessary to mention the grip that the liberal media has on today’s society, not to mention it's youth? Revisionism at its finest has the coming generation believing that morals and/or religious convictions have no place in government or politics, which is ultimately what has lead to “my heart still being a bit afflicted,” and ultimately was the final straw before deciding that I needed a break from all the chaos and wickedness brought about by the young and ignorant.  I think Mike Huckabee stated it best when he said “…our country has slipped into a deeper state of dependence on government than I wanted to believe… It's also increasingly apparent to me that our real problems are not political, but spiritual."
   This is all but a season though, and I can confidently say that I am and will be alright, because my God is still God. Although my country and it's citizens may fail me, He will never leave me nor will he ever forsake me. Thanks for reading, Yours truely -Brenda

On November 6, 2012 I voted my conscience, my principles and religious values, and I voted for love of  country and it true history.

The False Freedom of Subjective Truth

Hello fellow readers... Today I wanted to share an article my husband wrote a while back on Examiner.com. It sort of goes hand in hand with last weeks blog post but this deals a little more with the secular worldview of subjectivism rather then the biblical responsibilities of the Christian. I really hope you enjoy it if you haven't already read it. Your's Truely, Brenda! 

The False Freedom of Subjective Truth 

Philosophy as a whole has been on a constant state of decline. Many have abandoned embracing truth as truth and believe there is no absolute truth to be found at all. This is known as subjectivism. Subjectivism is a philosophy which teaches that there are no moral absolutes in our world and that truth is subjective to the individual. It stresses the subjective self rather than objective knowledge. To put Subjectivism in modern, eloquent speech, “There are different strokes for different folks”. This philosophy has immense moral implications that must be examined.

According to the Christian world view, mankind is entirely sinful upon conception. From the fall of Adam, man has been captive to what the Bible calls sin. Throughout history there have been many philosophies that have greatly increased sinful actions or what the secular world would call immoral acts. C.S. Lewis exclaims that, “Correct thinking will not make good men of bad ones; but a purely theoretical error may remove ordinary checks to evil and deprive good intentions of their natural support”. This error is subjectivism. To say that there are no moral absolutes is a danger to the entire human race and a tangible threat to the modern church. When there is no longer a standard by which we judge all moral action, chaos will reign supreme. Suppose a man chose to convince you the ocean was pink by placing a gun to your head. Would he then be morally wrong in deciding that this is how he will handle your doubt? Not at all if morality is subjective. It is completely arbitrary. You are then perfectly groundless to accuse him of anything. C.S. Lewis once said that, “Unless the measuring rod is independent of the things measured, we can do no measuring.” In other words, unless there is some objective standard by which we judge morality, then we are groundless to assume anything is morally wrong. The word “immoral” becomes altogether meaningless.

One of the major reasons many individuals hold to such a philosophy is because they want to break away from traditional biblical morality. The Bible, for many, is yesterday’s news and should be done away with. Unfortunately for them, they cannot escape the traditional morality they seek to throw out. C.S. Lewis has this to say about the subjectivist:

“He usually has at the back of his mind the notion that if he throws over traditional judgement of value, he will find something else, something more "real" or "solid" on which to base a new scheme of values. He will say, for example, "We must abandon irrational taboos and base our values on the good of the community" - as if the maxim "Thou shalt promote the good of the community' were anything more than a polysyllabic variant of 'Do as you would be done by' which has itself no other basis than the old universal value judgement that he claims to be rejecting. Or he will endeavor to base his values on biology and tell us that we must act thus and thus for the preservation of our species. Apparently he does not anticipate the question, 'Why should the species be preserved?' He takes it for granted that it should, because he is really relying on traditional judgements of value. If he were starting, as he pretends, with a clean slate, he could never reach this principle. Sometimes he tries to do so by falling back on "instinct." "We have an instinct to preserve our species", he may say. But have we? And if we have, who told us that we must obey our instincts? And why should we obey this instinct in the teeth of many others which conflict with the preservation of the species? The reformer knows that some instincts are to be obeyed more than others only because he is judging instincts by a standard, and the standard is, once more, the traditional morality which he claims to be superseding. The instincts themselves obviously cannot furnish us with grounds for grading the instincts in a hierarchy. If you do not bring a knowledge of their comparative respectability to your study of them, you can never derive it from them.”

As individuals attempt to separate themselves from biblical principles, the abstract principles of the truth cry out from within their own heart. The scriptures are very clear on this issue. For example, in Romans 2:14, Paul says that, “When the Gentiles, who have not the law, do by nature the things in the law, these having not the law, are a law unto themselves showing the work of the law written in their heart, their conscience also bearing witness..”. According to scripture, the moral law of God is written on the heart of every human being. Philosophy has tried its best to steer away from this and suppress what they already know in their heart as true. Much like in wrestling, an individual must suppress his opponent, but in doing so, he must remain in contact with his opponent at all times. Therefore one can only pretend to have escaped what they consider “religious bondage” all the while the Law of God is being made known to them through their conscience.

What does this mean for the Christian? The moment the Christian Church no longer embraces objective truth, the foundation of the Church is swept from beneath it. Christianity is made up of creeds, confessions, and doctrines all professing an absolute truth. The Church is to be on its guard against such philosophies as Subjectivism. As John Calvin put it, “A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth was attacked, and yet remain silent”. As the secular world continues to try and liberate itself from moral standards, the Christian must remain vigilant to preserve objective truth for as it is written, “The truth will set you free”. 
                                   

Morality: Our Obloigation as Christians

   What is going on with our culture?  It seems like every time I turn on the TV or go on online, I am bombarded with the acceptance of immorality of all sorts. But the worst is seeing professing Christians taking part in the tolerance of immoral behavior, and actually defending it! When I observe some of the unbiblical claims many “Christians” make, two things come to mind. The first is right out of scripture, Matthew 7, which instructs us not to judge others unrighteously, but to judge a Christian according to the fruit he/she produces. The second is Bradley Heath’s definition of what a Christian ought to be. In his book “Millstones and Stumbling Blocks,” Heath maintains that he does “not expand it [Christianity] to include all who are baptized into the church; the sheep and the goats both get wet. Repentance and baptism may initiate the Christian life, but I describe the ‘Christians’ as those who acknowledge their obligation to the truth-claims of the Bible. These Christians not only profess saving faith, they demonstrate it through obedience to God’s word. They are doers and not merely hearers (James 1:22).” With that said, this blog is directed to Christians, and/or those who call themselves Christians.

   With the 2012 elections approaching, I’m beginning to discern the sheep from the goats. Not because of who’s voting for whom, but because this is when people flagrantly display their moral standards, however illogical they may be. Though I do believe that we should vote according to our convictions, as Christians, our convictions should be founded on scripture alone.

   There are many things I have seen certain Christians defend that don’t immediately make me consider their fruit as spoiled, but it sure does make me wonder and ask myself, “How is this morally acceptable to a Christian?” 

   Let’s take for example, this war on drugs dilemma, and those who concur that legalizing drugs is the best thing for our country. Really? Do they realize that legalizing drugs only makes the immoral use of them legal, it doesn’t change that it is immoral. “But it ends this war on drugs that our government is spending billions of dollars fighting,” someone said to me. So the answer is legalizing drugs and freeing criminals imprisoned for drug violations? Why not legalize prostitution while we are at it? I’m sure that would cut down on human trafficking some. Oh, but wait a second, prostitution is sexual immorality and as Christians we’re suppose to stand against immorality! Right?!

This other example is one that, quite literally, gives me a headache, mostly because of the number of “Christians” who are following the social leads. I mean, I’ve heard it ALL! “Christians shouldn’t judge, we need to love,” “Jesus never taught against Homosexuality, Paul did!” “If Christians are going to be against homosexuality then they should also not eat shell fish or pork!” There is also the excuse that, “Their life style doesn’t affect me so why should I care what they do?,” and, “not all Christian scholars believe what you do (that it’s a sin),” or, “I’ve prayed about it and feel that I should support marriage equality.”Lastly, “I’m a Christian but I am also an American and believe in freedom, and believe the Church should stay out of the way of government (separation of church and state).” Sadly, there are a lot more excuses where those came from. Quite frankly, none of those have ANY valid biblical support.  There is also no doubt, whatsoever, that homosexuality is in fact a sin, according to scripture (when read/studied exegetically). You can try and redefine the text as much as you’d like, but you just can’t justify it through scripture.  So, I’m sorry, but if you are one using those arguments to defend your support for same sex marriage, as a Christian, you have demonstrated that you do not acknowledge an obligation to the truth-claims of the bible.  I don’t say that to discourage you, but to encourage you to look beyond the status quo of our culture and instead look to Christ, who is the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12.2).

And of course, we cannot be on the subject of morality and leave out, perhaps, one of the greatest moral dilemmas of our time; Abortion. Now, before I go on, I want to mention that I actually know some genuine, God fearing Christians, who are not completely against abortion. But again, if we are to be Christians with an obligation to biblical truths, we need only the scriptures to draw that line of morality concerning abortion.  The bible says, “Thou shall not commit murder.” There you have it, the line has been drawn!  While many Christians and/or denominations attempt to justify abortion in certain circumstances, like rape or unwanted pregnancies, the fact of the matter is that God has already established abortion/murder as immoral. We cannot, in our depraved nature, try to redefine immorality. God is the creator of life, not a rapist or two fornicators. Therefore, though the acts are sinful which led to pregnancy, the conception is entirely Gods eternal decree. 

As Christians, we must stand against immorality in whatever form it may take. “Tolerance” has become a word for some to hide behind to escape his/her biblical responsibility, but it must be seen as the true evil it is. We cannot continue to tolerate and condone immoral behavior. Instead we must pick up the word of God which is living and active, sharper then a double edged sward that discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart, and use it to defend truth and what is morally right. We also need to be mindful that morality, in a nation, will begin to diminish the moment we begin to tolerate ANY form of immorality. The more we tolerate, the faster it diminishes. As I sit here typing, our nation’s moral compass doesn’t exactly point north, but, if His people, who are called by His name, will humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, He promises  to forgive our sins, and heal our land.

My hope is that you find this encouraging, and if you find that I’ve said something that is not on par with scripture, feel free to correct me. After all, I am prone to mistakes as much as anyone else. 

                                                              Your’s Truely, Brenda!

These are a couple of recommended titles that deal with this subject. “Culture Shift: The Battle for the Moral Heart of America” by Dr. Albert  Mohlar and  “The Puritan Hope”  by Iain Murray.