One of the movies that I find most interesting and poignant is “The Patriot” starting Mel Gibson. Although the historicity of the movie has been questioned, it is a fair portrayal, in general, of some of the issues that took place during the American Revolution. At the end of the movie, when the colonists are about to defeat the royal forces at the battle of Yorktown, the actor that portrays Lord Cornwallis utters a phrase that could describe all that is going on around us today: “how has it come to this”? The thought that, again in the actor’s words, a “rabble” could have defeated the mightiest military in the world at the time was unthinkable.
Fast forward to our nation in our own day. When I look at the
events that have transpired in this country, especially over the last year, I
can’t help but feel rather befuddled. Start with some of the onerous restrictions
that some states and cities have instituted in the wake of the Corona virus. Although
some restrictions may be called for and we certainly can discuss those matters,
there are some in places like California and New York who have made it clear
that part of their intent is to restrict the worship of the true church. They may
not have stated it explicitly in public, but some have been caught in their
private moments saying just that. In response to this intent, many churches
have either accommodated the governing entities or have closed their doors
never to open again.
As the summer progressed, we were treated to a seemingly never
ending parade of demonstrations, riots, “insurrections,” and arrests related to,
ostensibly, the death of a black man at the hands of a group of white
policemen. Unless you’re blind or a raving partisan, and unfortunately there are
far too many of those, it must be admitted that the demonstrations, which may
have started with good intentions, quickly devolved into lawlessness and
violence. The most telling picture of what was going on was perhaps the many
images of newscasts showing buildings burning in the background while the
reporter informed us that “these, mostly peaceful demonstrations” were
continuing all over the country. There is nothing like ideology to blind the
eyes of the ideologue.
Then, of course, we have our recent election. And again, we
can argue the merits of the Trump side who suggest that the election was, in
their words, stolen and that Biden will be an illegitimate ruler. The point
that I want to focus on, however, is the events that have followed the voting. Accusations
and counter-accusations have flown about with abandon. Many on the left side of
the spectrum have conveniently forgotten that four years ago they recklessly
claimed that Russia had stolen the election for Trump with whom they had
colluded. Of course, they had no proof to that effect, but hey we should not
let the truth or falsity of a claim determine whether we believe it, right?
All this culminated in a couple of events this week that show
the utter depravity and perversity that our society continues to demonstrate. First,
the state of Georgia found it necessary to elect two leftist senators to seat
in that chamber. One of them, the “reverend” Raphael Warnock, is a supposed
pastor who supports abortion by calling it a “moral good” and a necessity for
women in order to have access to all the “health care” that they need. The left
is good at the euphemisms game. Abortion is “reproductive health,” euthanasia is
“death with dignity,” and so it goes.
Then you have the spectacle this past Wednesday, of people
breaching the barriers at the capitol and creating all kinds of havoc once
inside. Several people were killed, many arrested, and several others were
injured in a demonstration of lack of self-control that was breathtaking in its
brazenness. It matters little what side of the political spectrum you may be on.
To witness such a display of wanton destructiveness is appalling. Some have
claimed that the demonstrators were ultra-rightists, and others have said that
they were infiltrated by such leftist groups as Antifa. Regardless, such a riot
is a demonstration of how perverse our society has become. Again, as Lord Cornwallis
said, “how did it come to this”? How is it that a nation that was founded on
moral principles that respected “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”
and which understood that these rights are given by God, not by the system and
not by the government, devolve to such a low place?
I’ll tell you why. Because that society, the society that we
no longer recognize has sold itself to the humanist, secular ideas that plague
the human mind. Atheism and its spawns, have so destroyed the human mind that
it is inevitable for such to end where it has. When your worldview tells you that
you’re little more than “cosmic dust” and that your end will be no different
than the dog that you rescued from a shelter, how can you think that your life
has any kind of lasting, eternal value? All restraints are thrown off because
pleasure and your desires are more important than anything else. Although those
who deny the existence of God can’t help but live like there is in fact One,
they insist in their proclamations that their position is one of “human dignity”
that in reality has no foundation on anything of value. If such is the case,
then how can anyone possibly overcome the despair that comes with such thinking?
“For even though they
knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they
became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were
darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible
God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed
animals, and crawling creatures.” Romans 1:21-23
Good article Pastor Mike. But I think the word you are referencing is "rabble" not "ravel"
ReplyDeleteOops! You're right. That's what I get for trusting the spell-checker too much. Thanks.
Delete"Ravel" could be used, meaning a tangle, though perhaps you did mean rabble. Excellent article!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteDavid; I always had you pegged as one of those "rabble rousers" ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the article, Mike. Romans 1 has a lot to say about our modern world.
ReplyDelete