[Note: This is a repost from the old blog location.]
I was reading a paper today, and there was an editorial about this past election. It seems that a rather Republican household decided after the election to fly their flag upside down. For those who are unaware, flying the flag upside down indicates a state of emergency. Of course, the only emergency that is supposed to authorize such a display of the flag is one that causes the danger of loss of life, limb or property. In other words, it is just another sad attempt at making a political statement through exaggeration.
You know, after watching the election and some of the stupidity that went along with it, I came to a conclusion that those who will vote for McCain will vote for McCain and those who will vote for Obama will vote for Obama. Not very startling, for sure, but I came to this conclusion because I noticed that reality really had very little bearing upon how one swore he would vote. I have shared the Howard Stern audio clip where a reporter went into Harlem to ask about who they would vote for and why. The twist, if you haven’t heard it, was that the reporter asked them about policies that McCain actually supported, and as long as they were attributed to Obama, the people were for it. Even worse, it seemed that none of them realized that Sarah Palin was McCain’s running mate instead of Obama’s. On the other hand, I know someone that I tried to convince that Obama was not a Muslim. Obama has openly stated he is a Christian, something that would get a Muslim stoned in certain parts of the world. The answer? “But, his middle name is Hussein!” I just don’t even know why I even try.
How is it that these things can be? I realize our schools aren’t what they used to be, but I’m not sure that accounts for the lack of critical thinking, not to mention common sense, that seems to pervade us. I keep coming back to ideology. People are so willing to give in to a certain type of ideology that they will turn off their brains if necessary to keep out any and every conflicting idea.
The ironic thing is that I have seen this in some “Christian” emails floating around. There are things in them that simply are not true. They might state that Obama is a Muslim, or that he refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance, etc. They might state that Pepsi refuses to put “Under God” on cans that contain the Pledge of Allegiance. They might state that Madelein Murray O’Hare is petitioning the FCC to stop religious broadcasting [which, I’ll admit is quite a feat to do this from the grave]. On and on it goes. But, what of it? If the lie promotes Christian values, what is the harm, huh? Think about it before you answer. There are 224 verses in the KJV that contain the word “truth”. One of them is 2Pe 1:12, which says, “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” In Jn 18:37 Jesus says, “Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” And, of course, Jesus says to the Father, “Thy word is truth” (Jn 17:17b). God hates a lie so much he calls a lying tongue an “abomination” (Pr 6:17).
And yet, one thing I learned from the book Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas by Daniel J. Flynn is that it is very often that people will justify telling a lie, making up statistics, and even whitewash a leading advocate of a certain ideology if that ideology is one they ahere to. People will turn a blind eye to Margret Sanger who advocated eugenics (as well as did some other Americans up until the end of WWII), People will conveniently forget that WEB Dubois was a communist, and they will even hail him as an “integrationist” when he actually preached that blacks should separate from whites and form their own communities (he even went as far as to be naturalized in Ghana). So, should I really be surprised that the same people who vote for Obama also voted in some states against gay marriage? Should I really be surprised that many who voted for Obama are also prolife? Should I be surprised that people will refuse to believe and tell others that Obama is a Muslim, refuses to say the pledge, etc? Why should I be surprised?
by Daniel J. Flynn is that it is very often that people will justify telling a lie, making up statistics, and even whitewash a leading advocate of a certain ideology if that ideology is one they ahere to. People will turn a blind eye to Margret Sanger who advocated eugenics (as well as did some other Americans up until the end of WWII), People will conveniently forget that WEB Dubois was a communist, and they will even hail him as an “integrationist” when he actually preached that blacks should separate from whites and form their own communities (he even went as far as to be naturalized in Ghana). So, should I really be surprised that the same people who vote for Obama also voted in some states against gay marriage? Should I really be surprised that many who voted for Obama are also prolife? Should I be surprised that people will refuse to believe and tell others that Obama is a Muslim, refuses to say the pledge, etc? Why should I be surprised?Since the time of Adam and Eve, mankind has tried to create his own solutions. He has tried creating his own rules, his own government, his own religions and his own social mores. The result has been misery on a global scale. The result has been the slow destruction of the planet, war, disease, famine and oppression.
You know, there used to be a time in this country when people looked to God. Yes, our leaders were selected by the people and for the people, but the people looked to God for the ultimate outcome. And, our leaders looked to God to help them lead. Obviously, none did it perfectly, but they searched Him out as best as they knew how. Now, God has been removed from politics except for a token nod to conservative Christians. We are caught in the secular humanist trap that we will solve our own problems. We look to ourselves instead of God for the most part. Our selfish greed has caused bubble after financial bubble. This latest one is a direct result of the “greed is good” philosophy. We look for a savior, but not to THE Savior.
Will we learn before it is too late?