by I stumbled upon this quote yesterday and found it very sobering in light of American history and the way our culture is heading down a godless track toward becoming a society of people determined to create and kow-tow to their own various codes of ethics.
From bondage to spiritual faith.
From spiritual faith to great courage.
From courage to liberty.
From liberty to abundance.
From abundance to selfishness.
From selfishness to complacency.
From complacency to apathy.
From apathy to dependency.
From dependency back again into bondage.
~Alexander Tytler, University of Edinburgh
For extra entertainment, go read the lively discussion over at MInTheGap’s. His post, Morals without Christianity is generating a lot of comments, especially garnering my attention. When someone claimed that “Christianity’s waning influence has had a positive effect on morality” I sat up and said, “Wha-at?”
Here’s what I really said:
“All you have to do is look to the public school system to see how the *mandated* absence of God has affected morality. Not to mention, morality is being redefined every second.
Some people consider it moral to put the elderly out of their misery by lethal injection. These types of “mercy killings” were popular during the Nazi regime, when the value of human life was determined by Hitler and backers of his twisted philosophy. If we don’t keep to a golden standard, let’s use the Biblical one for example, who’s to say what is acceptable and what’s not?
If the murder rate is waning, why have school shootings exploded en masse in the past decade? These aren’t crazed “Christian” kids doing the shooting.
Because we Christians strongly believe in right and wrong, according to the Biblical standard, we’re becoming extremely unpopular. I’m not saying Christians are perfect, just that God’s mandates are.
We’ve all been around children whose parents allow them to set their own standards for behavior. That’s where I think America is heading, and it’s toward a major disaster. That’s the problem…we’re not just human robots, capable of falling into a reliable set of “virtues”. From our early childhood we stumble and fall into trouble time and time again. If left to our own devices we’re pathetically headed down a dead end road of unhappiness and selfish ambitions. Where’s the morality there? Is it good for society? Doubtful.
There has to be a standard. I believe that God created us, and that life is precious and should be protected according to His Biblical mandates. If evolution is correct, and we’re all some highly-evolved species of animal, then that same life devalues pretty quickly according to whoever happens to be calling the shots (Hitler? Stalin?).
By all means, blame Christianity.”
Good grief. When I get going, I really get going. But honestly, this type of reasoning inflames me, when it should just move me to compassion. The sad thing is, no matter how many comment wars we engage in, I probably am not going to make a dent in their convictions. I wonder how big of a difference we actually can make online, when so much depends upon our words and no real-life interaction. That being said, who am I to limit God and His ability to work however He so chooses?
In the meantime, may God have mercy on America.
Love what you wrote here! How true it is.
Cheri’s last blog post..All about a quarter
I don’t know you, but I think I know your kind.
I don’t mean that in a derogatory way, but do you know what you are saying.
You say you want america to be ruled by gods law. Thats insane, because you can’t actually support the stoning to death of disobediant children. Or do you?
You can’t actually support the killing of atheists. Or do you?
You can’t actually support the subjugation of women. Or do you?
Oh and before replying to my comment you might want to check your facts about hitler. He was a avowed christian to the end and garnered much support form the christians, the catholic church, and the pope.
Oh and the theory of evolution is correct. This is not disputed by any reputable scientist.
Oh and the school shootings, yes the fact is that the shooters are for the most part christians.
So what does that say about your golden standard ?
You really need to rethink your position on the biblical law of god.
Oh and which god do we use?
Thank you, Cheri. I’m glad you stopped by. 🙂
Hello Evolouie,
Hitler was a very messed up individual, he may have claimed to be a Christian, but he had a lot of details completely twisted according to his own philosophies. Your claim that the school shootists were Christians (when in actuality, they picked off several Christians)is not fact. And Evolution being anything more than a long-protected scam promoted by universities and scientists and backed up by absolutely no facts whatsoever…in my opinion…
Obviously, as I stated in my last few sentences above, I’m not going to be convinced by this type of reasoning. We’re coming from opposite poles. You have no Biblical understanding, or you wouldn’t make such uninformed claims about the God I serve. You don’t really want to know more, judging from your accusatory stance or I’d gladly take the time to share why we aren’t seeing these things the same way.
Sometimes we just have to agree to disagree.
Mary,
I think you are right, all the way!!! God bless you. Juli
Thanks, Juli!
What a great article Mary! So true! Of Canada too, not just the US.
Mary,
You insulted me out of ignorance. You claim I have ” no biblical understanding” Mary, you just proved my point.
Thank you.
As for my claim of Hitler being a chrictian:
Have you ever read Mein Kampf, maybe you should.
“I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator.”
– Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Vol. 1 Chapter 2
And as for your claim about evolution:
“evolution being anything more than a long-protected scam promoted by universities and scientists and backed up by absolutely no facts whatsoever,”
“a long protected scam” Scam ? Protected? Who is running this scam? and protecting it from what?
Do you know what peer revied means? Do you know what a fact is? Do you have any idea of the overwhelming data that proves evolution to be a fact?
And that the theory of evolution explains the data in great detail.
WOW, you apparently don’t keep up.
“when in actuality, they picked off all the Christians”
This is a bogus lie by the christians to get sympathy. That claim has be debunked sp many times in so many media that I find it hard to believe you never got the word….
Yes we will just have to agree to disagree. The reason being your not a reasonable person.
You did not reason yourself into believing what you believe, so I can not use reason to show you your errors.
It is regretable that we even have to have this conversation.
For it is not my intent or has it ever been to deconvert you to your original state as an atheist, but to keep you from forcing your silly belief into the lives of thinking and rational people such as myself.
I’ll make you a deal, you don’t pray in my school and I wont think in your church.
Wow, all I can say, is that that person really likes to twist things, assume that he or she is all knowing about Christians, and perhaps needs to seek medical help. Mary, think of what Jesus had to deal with on this Earth. Many people just are nasty, and I for one, let them go in one ear and out the other. God bless you Mary. Juli
Hey Mary,
I’ve had a similar conversation going on. I’m already exhausted by it… 🙂
But my prayer is the same. God have MERCY upon us!
Hello again, Evolouie,
You know, I’m reading an awesome book right now, by Mark Cahill called, One Heartbeat Away. I can’t wait to blog about it here soon. I think you’d even find it a fascinating read, especially with your views on evolution. I appreciate that you want to stand up for what you believe in, and that you have agreed to disagree with me.
Geri, Juli and Holly, thanks, as always for stopping by and for your encouragement. Conflict can be exhausting, that’s for sure, but it’s not all bad. They are good reminders of how important it is to remain sharp and grounded when it comes to our foundation in Christ.
Wow! This thread has been interesting. I’m not sure what else to say except God does indeed know all that is going on in the world today. But one day this world will be no more. So many people will then realize what a mistake thier beliefs have been. Posts like these remind me of how grateful I am for my salvation. God already knew that alot of the world would reject His free gift. As Christians, we have to stand.
R.L.Scovens’s last blog post..Health and Happiness
Wow! Sounds like an amazing read. We always have room for improvement in our marriages, I think. It’s just too easy to settle in to the familiar. Keep us posted on your fave parts.
Laura
p.s. Mary, I made your homemade chicken and noodles this weekend! My husband couldn’t get enough. Delicious! Unfortunately, I didn’t have a pasta maker, so…my sides and arms are still sore from all the kneading and rolling! but it was worth it. Thanks for the great recipe!
laura’s last blog post..Supermarket Poetry
R.L., so true, thank you for weighing in over here on this…
Hi Laura, somehow your comment got put apart from the Gen X post…did you intend for it to be that way? Just making sure, because of the drawing for the book. 🙂 I’m SO glad you made the chicken and noodles! Homemade noodles ARE so hard to roll out, you are one strong and determined woman! If your dh loved them that much, then a pasta machine is much more likely to come your way, huh? 😉 Thank you for letting me know you tried it!
Mary,
I stumbled upon your blog today, and I want to encourage you to keep blogging, and to use the internet as much as you can. I have only recently begun using the internet and already I have found that it has the ability to make a real impact both in reaching out to those who need the pure Word of God and also in connecting believers to make a kingdom impact.
A personal thought on the matter is that you will reap a harvest in due season.
Blessings,
Bill Brannan
Thank you, Bill. This has been very encouraging. I appreciate you taking time to share here. It’s amazing all the connections I’ve made in the few short years I’ve been blogging. May God bless your ministry as well!
~Mary