June 06, 2012

To Keep Us from Speaking

I get angry at those who attack the public displays of the Ten Commandments, who demand that memorial crosses on government land be removed and who want to take Christ out of Christmas. I just realized that the folks who are trying to stop the Gospel message have a lot in common with the Jews who killed the prophets. Paul views such craftiness as an effort to keep people from being saved. “They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved.”  (1 Thess 2:15b – 16a NIV)

1 comment:

Steve Corey said...

Gail;

-----Philosophy can get pretty strange when it spreads a tarp over the Word of God. Some “geniuses” achieved great popularity in spite of propagating such myths as nothing exists - everything comes into being in its observer’s field of vision and “disappears” with his leaving. People actually swallowed this hogwash as great philosophy. But from it and similar lines of mental insufficiency, public ignorance strolled through the subjective reality craze of late.
-----Although physical objects like the chair I’m sitting upon solidly exist whether or not I have eyes in my backside for observing it, public beliefs and ideologies must be observed before norms can form from them. In very subtle ways the presence of crosses, displays of the Ten Commandments, nativity scenes, etc. create the sense of awareness and basic feelings which foster beliefs as well as refreshing mental images and information which define beliefs. It isn’t enough for the atheist that such icons merely reinforce the beliefs of their beholders, even if the belief is vitriolic disbelief. They must have an environment supporting only the non-existence of God. For them, it is the only way they can make God go away and leave them alone (especially when they might accidentally reflect upon what they’ve heard of God’s special treatment coming for those who reject His truth.)
-----Actually, they are more right than they should admit. It’s clear that the presence of evil is in this world. The presence of God is just as apparent. It won’t remain that way forever. There comes a time when God’s rejecters will have a place totally free of God to enjoy all to their little selves for ever and ever and ever. Of course, they will have to put up with those haunting memories of God’s magnificent glory they will have observed on judgment day. Maybe they can convince themselves they just made that part up. Maybe blistering toes and smoking bottoms will help them forget.

Love you all,
Steve Corey