Without a frame work of religion we seem to be unable to turn devastating events into positive social change.
Any attempt to do so results in claims of hate speech.
A quick list of obvious problems in our society.
1. Sexual Exploitation, I think Muddy Valley made a comment about American Apparel advertising. Kim Kar.....n is famous because she got a shower in a sex tape.
2. Greed, the insane bank bailout, jobs going overseas, unions, local farmers.
blah, blah, blah....
I'm sure we could all add to the list.
I suppose the bottom line is in fact greed.
Where are any moral leaders? Everyone is corrupted in some way.
However, there can never be a national revival as someone might say something about 1. Abortion, 2. Gay Love....
I think you could address basic human failings as shown in scripture without every mentioning those two items. Of course there is the problem with adultery, oh, and greed, and dishonesty, loving one's neighbor, pride, and actually being willing to acknowledge one's own sin.
But, the message of repentance and forgiveness of sin is supposed to overcome all of that.
There is no doubt that we will get a new national religion to replace the old one. I am sure it will be more like the old pagan religions, someone or something dear will have to be sacrificed, there will be clergy, there will be rites and rituals, and there will be oppression.
Perhaps it will be Islam, perhaps some strain of the Humanist Manifesto as in the USSR or Marxism or it will be science.
But I could be wrong, there is a good chance things will just continue as they are. True Blood, Unicorns, Global warming, and rich people suck, will be the unifying force, as we are fleeced, morally, spiritually, and financially.
Have a nice day...
Posts
Boy, this is some heavy reading for so early in the morning. Depending on my mood of the day I might be inclined to agree that its the "end times" and bring it on, theres nobody left worth saving anyway. But today, I'm thinking don't worry, be happy, we'll be fine. The human race, much like rats and cockroaches are very adaptive and able to survive pretty much anything.
ReplyDeleteRalph, I'm not all that invested in my argument. I was watching the BBC and the utter ineptness of the leading powers and the horrible screw ups that are going to give insane fanatics chemical weapons and that a 22-year old has his finger on North Korea nuclear button and I keep thinking about all Minor Prophets Class I had in College years ago. You don't even have to believe in God to see that the sins Jeremiah was warning about are the stupidity and greed of the USA and other world powers today. Of course we don't study that sort of thing and no one has the intellectual depth to apply the lessons of literature and history to their daily lives.
DeleteThe only lessons we learn from the Bible today is that if two men lie together they must be stoned, that is of course why Washington had to pass the Chronic legalization law. It was a civil rights issue...
Heck, I just wanted to make an obscure joke about gobal warming being a religion and I just got wound up.
I gotta go to work!
The reason for it all?
DeleteOver-population.
Two neighbors fighting over a back yard fence line becomes two nations etc.
The old prophets figured out how many generations it would take to fill the earth to the point that it couldn't survive, and came up with the "end time"
Nothing mysterious. Just scary.
It's becoming very hard to be different and yet still lead a peaceful, private life. The bigots and righteous have multiplied too.
About time to go fishing.
ReplyDeleteMake their End Game come true.
This is all too heavy for me. I'll go fishin' like Bobby.
ReplyDeleteA question for our times: Whose nose would Walt Kelly tweak? I always feel better after reading at some vintage Pogo.
ReplyDelete"We have met the enemy..."
DeleteSorry guys, you can't go fishing. You are not on the approved list for a license and besides the fish are our brothers (and sisters, of course) according to Gaia, PETA and HHS.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading TR, a biography of Teddy Roosevelt. We ain't seen nothing of corruption yet. We are not even close to Rome in the later empire or London before the Wesley revival.
Why do I read history? Because it reminds me of how bad it can get and how revival does happen.
Why do I read my Bible? Because it tells me how bad it can get and how revival can happen.
Yes, it will get worse. Yes, it can get better.
Grace and peace.
Pumice, We have no history and we do not understand what we read. There are no emerging personalities to bring honesty to the national discourse or on the religious side, to stand like John Wesley and lead a revival.
ReplyDeleteAmerican individualism has degenerated into selfish greed and what are we doing to do? Walk around with a sidearm to prevent being robbed or randomly shot?
We start by preparing ourselves spiritually but we don't stop there.
DeleteWe keep posting and dissenting.
And actually, the last thought isn't too bad, either. If someone had been carrying the recent school shooting would have been a lot less tragic.
Meanwhile, I will lock my doors and bury the family silver in the back yard.
Grace and peace.