Showing posts with label Perverseness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perverseness. Show all posts

Saturday, November 7, 2009

The Modern Skeptic by GA Chesterton

The new rebel is a skeptic, and will not entirely trust anything.
He has no loyalty, therefore he can never be a true rebelutionist. And that fact that he doubts everything gets in his way when he wants to denounce anything. For all denunciation implies a moral doctrine of some kind, and the modern rebelutionist doubts not only the institution he denounces, but the doctrine by which he denounces it...
As a politician he cries out that war is a waste of life, then as a philosopher that life itself is a waste of time.
A Russian pessimist will denounce a policeman for killing a peasant, then prove by the highest philosophical principles that the peasant ought to have killed himself.
A man denounces marriage as a lie, then denounces aristocratic profligates for treating it as a lie.
A man goes first into a political meeting where he complains that savages are treated as if they were beasts, then takes his hat and umbrella and goes into a scientific meeting, where he proves that they practically are beasts.
In short, the modern revolutionist, being an infinite skeptic, is always engaged in undermining his own mind.
In his book on politics, he attacks men for trampling on morality. In his book on ethics, he attacks morality for trampling on men.
Therefore the modern man in revolt has become practically useless for all purposes of revolt. By rebelling against everything, he has lost his right to rebel against anything.


And THAT should give you enough to think about for the rest of the day :)

Friday, May 29, 2009

WHAT???

From FOX NEWS...

Pastor David Jones and his wife Mary have been told that they cannot invite friends to their San Diego, Calif. home for a Bible study — unless they are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to San Diego County.
"On Good Friday we had an employee from San Diego County come to our house, and inform us that the Bible study that we were having was a religious assembly, and in violation of the code in the county." David Jones told FOX News.
"We told them this is not really a religious assembly — this is just a Bible study with friends. We have a meal, we pray, that was all," Jones said.
A few days later, the couple received a written warning that cited "unlawful use of land," ordering them to either "stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit," the couple's attorney Dean Broyles told San Diego news station 10News.
But the major use permit could cost the Jones' thousands of dollars just to have a few friends over.
For David and Mary Jones, it's about more than a question of money.
"The government may not prohibit the free exercise of religion," Broyles told FOX News. "I believe that our Founding Fathers would roll over in their grave if they saw that here in the year 2009, a pastor and his wife are being told that they cannot hold a simple Bible study in their own home."
"The implications are great because it’s not only us that’s involved," Mary Jones said. "There are thousands and thousands of Bible studies that are held all across the country. What we’re interested in is setting a precedent here — before it goes any further — and that we have it settled for the future."
The couple is planning to dispute the county's order this week.
If San Diego County refuses to allow the pastor and his wife to continue gathering without acquiring a permit, they will consider a lawsuit in federal court.

What is this country coming to???

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The Creed for the Modern Thinker

I heard this article on a Ravi Zecharias podcast. It is by Steve Turner, an atheist and English journalist. It was published in a secular paper, and I have copied most of it here...


Here is the creed for the modern thinker:
We believe in Marx and Darwin.
We believe everything is ok as long you don't hurt anyone to the best of your definition of "hurt" and to the best of your definition of "knowledge".
We believe in sex before, during, and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that everything's getting better despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated and you can prove anything with evidence.
We believe there's something in horoscopes, UFOs, and bent spoons.
Jesus was a good man just like Buddha, Mohammad, and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher, although we think basically his good morals were really bad.
We believe that all religions are the same - at least the ones that we read were. They all believe in love and goodness, they only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.
We believe that after death comes nothing because when you ask the dead what happens they say nothing.
If death is not the end and if the dead have lied then it's compulsory heaven for all except perhaps Hitler, Stalin, and Genghis Khan.
What's selected is average, what's average is normal, and what's normal is good.
We believe that there are direct links between warfare and bloodshed.
Americans should beat their guns into tractors and the Russians would be sure to follow.
We believe that man is essentially good - it's only his behavior that lets him down.
This is the fault of society, society is the fault of conditions, and conditions are the fault of society.
We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him, and reality will adapt accordingly - the university will re-adjust, history will alter.
We believe that there is no absolute truth except for the truth that there is no absolute truth.
We believe in the rejection of creeds and the flowering of individual thought.


PS - If chance be the father of all flesh, disaster is his rainbow in the sky. And when you hear "state of emergency", "sniper kills ten", "troops on rampage", "youths go looting", "bomb blasts school" it is but the sound of man worshipping his maker.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Exile

Today I read in II Kings. I had been noticing that just about every king of Israel was evil, and I was waiting for another good one who didn't offer sacrifices to Baal and all that. But the little title over chapter 17 read, "Hoshea Last King of Israel". And guess what? He was bad too. So since the Israelites had rejected him for years and continued doing all these detestable things, God sent the Assyrians to attack Israel and they took Samaria captive. There is a long explanation if you will about why these things took place. Read 2 Kings 17:7-23. You can sense God's sorrow that his people didn't listen to him. You can tell he didn't want to remove them from his presence. Even after the exile, the Samaritans did the same things as before, so God sent lions among them. It was reported to the king of Assyria, "The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the God of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires." They had been away from God for so long they forgot all about his commandments! One of the priests of the LORD came to them and taught them how to serve God again, but it says, "Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places... They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought." They served two masters. They worshipped the LORD, and whatever else they wanted. God says later that this is a bad thing! And how often do we do it today? We serve God, but whatever else we want can also be our god.


But wait! Judah is still out there and they have a new, good king! Hezekiah removed the high places and smashed the idols and all that! Hooray!
But Assyria is coming to take them too. Sennacherib came and shouted threats and said that God told him to come and take Judah into captivity. But that made God angry, and he put many of Sennacherib's soldiers to death. Not an arrow was shot into Jerusalem. Because Judah came back to God, he saved them. God's not mean for punishing those who disobey him - he is quick to forgive and see the best in us!
Everybody should read 2 Kings 17-19 today. It is a great example of God's willingness to forgive us and see our hearts.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

What Is Life All About?

The Google search, "What is life all about" has gotten quite a few hits. The very top result is users.aristotle.net, which explains thus:


"You cannot be classified as useless, because you aren't really supposed to have to make yourself useful. Look at the natural world. What is the use of a tree? Well, it has many uses, but it isn't TRYING to be useful. There's the difference. It's just doing what it wants (or so we assume) and in the process of doing that it does its job in the natural order of things. Despite all the rantings of moralists, you are in the same boat. The only way you are ever going to do an ounce of good in the world is to do what you want. Do what makes you happy, or at least what distracts you from your misery.
How, you may ask, does doing what you like do any good? Look around you. Look at people who seem to be trying very hard to be useful. Are they really doing good things for people? Or do they make everyone around them miserable with all their moral uppidyness and incessant busy bodying? I suspect it is the latter. The people who really do others some good are the people who are doing what they like and who aren't very interested in being useful. They are usually interesting to be around, because they are doing things that interest them. They are often fun to be around, because they appreciate fun and know how to laugh and not take anything too seriously. They inspire other people to figure out what it is that they want to do by example, thus causing more people to be interested in life and interesting to be around, fun loving, etc.
Out of all the people we meet in life, these people who are doing their own thing are the people who have the most profoundly positive impact on us and thus make our lives richer in the most fundamental, meaningful way. Can you really call that useless? Sure, working in a soup kitchen will feed people, but if you're being a martyr about it because you don't really want to be there, everyone around you will see right through you and hate you for being moralistic and insincere, and you will end up doing more harm than good. So, revel in your perfect uselessness. It's the useful thing to do."


There are other explanations of equal feeble-mindedness and absurdity for different reasons you may be asking why you exist. They all bash "the moral enthusiasts", God, and anyone that is trying to do something with their life. Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen! Does this explanation of what your life is not disappoint you? Don't you want to have a purpose? Don't you want to know the TRUTH?
Have I got good news for you! You are NOT useless! Or worthless.

If you're wondering about the meaning of life, read the book of Ecclesiastes. If you think life is meaningless, you will find that many elements of life are. Wisdom, pleasures, toils, advancement. Some of these things ARE life to many people. If you live for them, your life is meaningless. But in the last two verses of Ecclesiastes, Solomon states the conclusion of the matter, the meaning of life.


"Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgement,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil."


That is the duty of man. Fear God and keep his commandments! Trust and obey! It's not, "do what makes you happy" because pleasure is meaningless as well. You will only find fulfillment if you carry out God's plan for your life. He's excited about it! You can be useful to God of all things! Are you ready to find life and find it more abundantly? Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. And you are not worthless - to God you are a precious, special gem. There is so much more the Bible has to say to you - why don't you give it a shot?

Friday, January 23, 2009

What have we become?

Our current president has reversed the "Abortion Funding Policy" today. It "gives federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option."

OPTION!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Tod Preston, a spokesman for Population Action International, said thus. "Women's health has been severely impacted by the cutoff of assistance. President Obama's actions will help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, abortions and women dying from high-risk pregnancies because they don't have access to family planning."

Yeah, ok, unintended pregnancies are kinda the "victim"s' fault, funding folks that are fans of abortion is NOT (logically speaking of course) the brightest way to go about REDUCING abortions, as said Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee...

"President Obama not long ago told the American people that he would support policies to reduce abortions, but today he is effectively guaranteeing more abortions by funding groups that promote abortion as a method of population control."

Perverse. Abominable. When people killed their children in the Bible, God calls it "detestable" and when his people started doing it, he called it profanity.

Well America, I hope you're happy.