When you hear the word Fundamentalist, what words, images, or thoughts come to mind? Ignorance? Someone who disbelieves science? Maybe an image of someone dressed in a very old fashioned way? Sheltered, home schooled, and socially awkward children?
What about conservative? Xenophobic? Out of touch? Or perhaps even hateful?
How about patriotic? Simple minded? Gullible? Over zealous?
Admittedly, one can come to far different associations depending on their point of view. But the fact is whenever we hear a label: be it Christian, liberal, communist or homophobe, we associate many things, good or bad, with that label. These associations allow us to bypass critical thinking and immediately pass judgment on a complex situation so long as we can fit it in one of our boxes.
This is natural, but there can be a danger to it. Many play off our natural tendency to label. They try to create certain associations so when you hear a given label you immediately associate it with negative things. For example, gay rights activists have successfully labeled anyone who opposes gay marriage, on any grounds, as hateful and homophobic. No one wants to hate so we break with the behavior of those we associate with such negative things. Effectively creating associations with a label and then attaching that label to a person is a sure fire way to destroy their cause.
And we do all this apart from the rational thought process. For a label is no more than a way for us to lazily by pass critical thinking and judgment.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Friendship with the World
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?
James 4:4
Through the generations the Church has seen three threats against our salvation Satan, self, and society (corresponding to the hard path, the shallow soil, and the thorns of Jesus’ parable respectively).
Nowadays most laugh at the idea of the Devil. A myth, no more. While other generations perhaps gave him too much thought, we give him too little; both errors empower him.
Pop psychology tells us the self is good. Our desires are natural and what is natural is good. Evil is not our fault; rather it is the effect of our genetics, environment, or education. If only man had perfect education, environment, and breading he would be compelled to be good.
Finally, most Christians do not see themselves as strangers and aliens in this world (as Peter declares we are). Many seem to idealize the world. The world is where all pleasure and joy lies (debaucherous sex, drunkenness, etc)—Christianity is simply a negation of those (purity, sobriety, etc). In their idealization of the world many want to live as close to the world as they can without losing their salvation. The heart follows the eyes. The heart, the center of our will, will follow our eyes, our desires. What we long for we will take. If we long for the things of this world we will run after them. The trick is not to have as much of the world as we can without losing our salvation. Rather we should strive to desire good things so that the fulfillment of them will bring us happiness.
You don’t think you can create desires? You think your desires are natural? Is it natural to prefer a Lexus over a Ford? Men make millions to condition our desires by means of advertising. The fact is we live in enemy territory; we live in weedy land. If we do not fight the weeds and thorns they will overcome us. If we do not fight our desires with truth (like the fact that sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death), then we will be overcome by them. This is a fight we can win, but to do so the first step is to recognize that it is indeed a fight.
James 4:4
Through the generations the Church has seen three threats against our salvation Satan, self, and society (corresponding to the hard path, the shallow soil, and the thorns of Jesus’ parable respectively).
Nowadays most laugh at the idea of the Devil. A myth, no more. While other generations perhaps gave him too much thought, we give him too little; both errors empower him.
Pop psychology tells us the self is good. Our desires are natural and what is natural is good. Evil is not our fault; rather it is the effect of our genetics, environment, or education. If only man had perfect education, environment, and breading he would be compelled to be good.
Finally, most Christians do not see themselves as strangers and aliens in this world (as Peter declares we are). Many seem to idealize the world. The world is where all pleasure and joy lies (debaucherous sex, drunkenness, etc)—Christianity is simply a negation of those (purity, sobriety, etc). In their idealization of the world many want to live as close to the world as they can without losing their salvation. The heart follows the eyes. The heart, the center of our will, will follow our eyes, our desires. What we long for we will take. If we long for the things of this world we will run after them. The trick is not to have as much of the world as we can without losing our salvation. Rather we should strive to desire good things so that the fulfillment of them will bring us happiness.
You don’t think you can create desires? You think your desires are natural? Is it natural to prefer a Lexus over a Ford? Men make millions to condition our desires by means of advertising. The fact is we live in enemy territory; we live in weedy land. If we do not fight the weeds and thorns they will overcome us. If we do not fight our desires with truth (like the fact that sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death), then we will be overcome by them. This is a fight we can win, but to do so the first step is to recognize that it is indeed a fight.
Quick Thoughts on Education
I recently attended my sister’s graduation. She graduated from a Catholic college in a mid-sized mid-western town. The student speaker was an elementary education major. During her speech she declared her professional goals: to teach children to value peace and the ways of non-violent resistance. She flat out said that in her mind it was not her job just to teach kids how to read and write, rather she said those things paled in comparison to discovering the true inner value in all of us. Hopefully people were just being polite, but they actually applauded her.
This is a perfect example of why I will never send my child to a government run school. School used to be a place with the goal of imparting knowledge; now it seeks to indoctrinate and brainwash. In the name of diversity schools abandon the truth and teach lies. Children can be taught to pray to prayer dolls or mother earth, but not the One True God. Children can learn about Buddha, but not Christ. They are told that it is normal to have sex when you want to without limits, love and marry others of your own sex, and have your sexual organs mutilated and take hormones to transform your physical sex. They are told that anyone who disagrees with these platitudes are either ignorant or hateful.
Furthermore, with their focus on self confidence, schools graduate a bunch of dunces who are confident in their ignorance! Our children test worse and worse every year, but feel better and better about themselves. Could there be a more dangerous situation? It is the height of folly to think oneself smart and above listening to another more qualified. While it is wisdom to know one’s limits and be willing to be corrected. We are raising the former type of citizen.
This is a perfect example of why I will never send my child to a government run school. School used to be a place with the goal of imparting knowledge; now it seeks to indoctrinate and brainwash. In the name of diversity schools abandon the truth and teach lies. Children can be taught to pray to prayer dolls or mother earth, but not the One True God. Children can learn about Buddha, but not Christ. They are told that it is normal to have sex when you want to without limits, love and marry others of your own sex, and have your sexual organs mutilated and take hormones to transform your physical sex. They are told that anyone who disagrees with these platitudes are either ignorant or hateful.
Furthermore, with their focus on self confidence, schools graduate a bunch of dunces who are confident in their ignorance! Our children test worse and worse every year, but feel better and better about themselves. Could there be a more dangerous situation? It is the height of folly to think oneself smart and above listening to another more qualified. While it is wisdom to know one’s limits and be willing to be corrected. We are raising the former type of citizen.
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