So, where did we leave off? Oh yes, that's right. We were talking about the degradation of morals in our society, the entitlement epidemic and a general disregard for personal responsibility. How did we get here? Well, as far as the moral decay goes, I believe T.V., Movies, Music, and other forms of media are primarily responsible. As I stated in my last post, sexual innuendo is everywhere we look. It has been normalized in our society to the point where you can't watch cartoons without sitting through an erectile dysfunction commercial. No, seriously.......The Cartoon Network! Why? Even condom commercials are common place in prime time T.V. on national networks. And why not? The shows they are advertising on are drawing the demographic they are targeting. And since almost anything is fair game, might as well make some more money, right? Speaking to the entitlement disease that is plaguing this generation, some answers can be found in the following video. It was put out during the "Occupy" movement and explains the generational outlook as well as anything I've ever seen. I encourage everyone to watch this and do everything in your power to reverse the pattern! It can be found at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAOrT0OcHh0
Finally, the disregard for personal responsibility. This, I believe, is also an epidemic. The outrage caused by the Hobby Lobby decision certainly gave some indication of that, but it's much more. A sense of personal responsibility is decaying at a rapid pace in every aspect of American society. It seems that very few believe in consequences for our choices. And it all really does come down to choices. Upset with the compensation package at Wal Mart? Simple. Don't work there! Don't like working for minimum wage? Apply yourself and get an education so you don't have to! If you are trying to support a family on your part time job at Bob's Burger Barn, then you're right. It's not going to happen. But the real question is why are you trying to do that in the first place? Part time, minimum wage jobs are not intended to be a sole source of income for a family of 4 to 6. So, where did you make the wrong choices that got you into that situation in the first place? Dropped out of high school, perhaps? Maybe not. Maybe you just chose not to go to college and further your education. Or maybe you did go to college for a while, but you decided it wasn't for you anymore. Maybe you got a bunch of tattoos and piercings in college and can't figure out why the bank won't hire someone with a barbell stuck in their cheek? As for the kids, maybe life wouldn't be so hard if you held off on having so many, until you get a career that can support them. Here's a hint.....It may require some personal restraint and/or some birth control that, yes, YOU are responsible to provide for yourself!
All of these things have led us to where we are now as a society. Due to the downfall of family values and morals, those of us who proudly call ourselves Christians, find ourselves in a battle. The name Christian has become a sort of Scarlet "C" that we wear on our chest, welcoming the vilest of accusatory and hateful name calling from those who would rather not take the moral high road. Having morals and values, means that sometimes you don't just get to do what you want or what feels good in the moment. You don't get to treat your body and soul like a pornographic playground. Those that would like to continue that type of lifestyle are appalled by those of us who speak or act against it. We are called women haters, misogynists, homophobes, hypocrites, extremists, etc. And for the record, believing in family values doesn't automatically make someone a homophobe or against gay rights. It just means that our values are more traditional. I believe very firmly in the concept of family values. And for that, I'm accused of hating gay people. I believe in monogamy, and for that I'm labeled old fashioned or prudish. I believe in the sanctity of marriage and the sanctity of life, and for that I've been told that I'm an idiot and a right wing Evangelical moron. I eat meat, wear a leather belt and fish for sport, so I'm an animal hater. Anyone seeing a pattern, yet? It's pretty obvious. If you disagree with anyone on any subject whatsoever, it apparently means you HATE them.
Well, I don't hate very often, but when I do, these are the things I hate. I hate having to watch erectile dysfunction commercials on every commercial break. I hate that I can no longer watch television or movies without seeing constant sexual content, nudity and innuendo. I hate that I can't have a hamburger without wondering if someone, somewhere was licking the ketchup off of a young woman's chest and thighs. Thanks, Hardee's! I hate that my children are being raised in a society where abstinence is deemed an impossibility and promiscuity is taught as the norm in our schools. I hate that a soldier entering his new barracks room for the first time, will no longer find a Bible in his night stand, and that he will be punished under the UCMJ if he dares to publicly recite or display verses from that Book. I hate that we can't use the word Christmas in our schools, or display any religious symbols of the season. I hate that the schools are teaching "Religions of the World" in Social Studies, while barely mentioning the Christian Faith. I hate that hard work and earning an honest living has taken a back seat to laziness, entitlement and free stuff. I hate that all of my expenses have gone up 30-40% over the past 5 years, while my pay has gone down by 10-20%. I hate that my insurance premiums and deductibles have doubled so that someone else can get for free, what I sweat and bleed for every day. I hate that being a white, middle class, heterosexual, carnivorous, monogamous, Christian male with family values and a sense of moral and personal responsibility, puts me at the disadvantage and labels me as the "hater". Maybe I am a hater. But I hate the sin, not the sinner. I hate the viewpoints, not the people who form them. I hate the state of the world and society, not the people in it. I hate the choices, not the chooser.
Yes, there are plenty of problems in today's society, but Christians aren't the problem. Young single mothers are working two jobs just to barely make ends meet. People are dying of heroine overdoses, getting killed by drunk drivers. The homeless are suffering without food or shelter. There are plenty of examples of suffering in this world. But sadly, many of these examples are the direct result of poor choices, made by people with low self esteem, low moral fiber and very little sense of consequences and personal responsibility. Sad, but true. Now, this all may make me sound pious and close-minded. But it's quite the opposite. I have made many choices in my life I am not proud of. All of which led to some fairly serious consequences. That doesn't make me a hypocrite. I am a sinner. I have broken many of the Lord's commandments. I struggle daily to keep myself from sin, as I will never measure up to the example I have to follow in Christ. We all fall short. That's the price we pay for who we are. So, as Christians, we have to have compassion for those who suffer every day. But that doesn't mean we have to agree with the choices that got them there.
Yes, in today's world, the word Christian is a dirty word. It is equated with terms like hate, intolerance and hypocrisy. But those accusations are falsehoods, perpetrated by a society of people who would rather feel good in the moment, than do the right thing or make the hard choices. So, I will wear my Scarlet letter "C" with pride, and I will continue to absorb the spits of venom from the opposition that goes along with it. Because without pain, there can be no relief. Without darkness there can be no light. And without suffering there can be no compassion. I am called to this service by my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and his great commission, and I will not back down, just because the left majority would like me silenced. I follow the Holy Bible, which I believe to be the perfect, inerrant word of God, and for that I will not apologize.
Thanks for Reading......
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Christian - The New Dirty Word Part 1
Hello, all!
After another extended absence, I am back. What a year it has been so far! There's a lot to talk about, so let's just get to it.
Recent current events have led me to write again, not to satisfy my own insatiable need to be heard, but more so to inform everyone that I now find myself unable to sit on the sidelines and watch, while society is eroding, moral fiber is disappearing, family values are becoming harder and harder to find, and most importantly, my faith is being undermined, attacked and targeted for extinction. I used to be okay with watching it all unfold from afar and shake my head, but not any longer. I've grown very tired of having to defend my beliefs on a daily basis, only to be called a hypocrite, misogynist, homophobe and my favorite one, Evangelical nut job.
Some recent facebook posts about the Hobby Lobby ruling by the Supreme Court have set me off a bit. I guess I was a ticking time bomb, already, and the clock finally ran out. Post after post, people are disappointed with the ruling, saying it is a setback for women's rights. I'm, of course paraphrasing, because the actual language used in most of them is not suitable to use in this blog, another trend that's becoming all too popular, as well. But we'll get to that part later. Most seem to be upset that the Christian owned company is willing to supply men with Viagra and vasectomies, while denying women intrauterine devices and the Plan B drug. To this first claim, I say, "apples and oranges". Firstly, Viagra, while it is certainly often over prescribed and misused, is a medication for a medical condition, and has nothing to do with the birth control issue of this debate. It should not even be a part of the conversation. Secondly, a vasectomy is a medical procedure that could be necessary for any number of medical conditions, not just as a means of birth control. I'll also gladly point out, that it's female equivalent, tubal ligation, is also still covered under the health care plans in question. So much for those arguments. Now we'll move on to the treatments that Hobby Lobby did not want to provide. Let's begin with intrauterine devices. Hobby Lobby's Christian ownership took a stand, that this form of birth control went against their beliefs. Agree or disagree with them, they have that right to those beliefs. The intrauterine device's ONLY function is birth control. Some Christians believe that all birth control is wrong. I personally don't feel that way, but others, in this case, the owners of Hobby Lobby, do. The other one in question, was the plan B drug. Again, this drug's ONLY function is birth control. Hobby Lobby did not want to provide these services because their ONLY function is birth control. For the same reason, they will not be providing condoms to the men that work for them, even though condoms actually have the dual purpose of disease prevention, but that's just semantics. The majority of the posts by those outraged by these decisions are using words like Misogynist, Hypocrites, Haters, and the always disparaging Right Wing Evangelical Idiot. And, it even gets worse. There are reports that there are groups who are staging a SEX-IN at Hobby Lobby locations. For those of you who aren't quite sure what that means, they will pick a date and time and go to Hobby Lobby locations and perform sexual acts in public at these stores, in protest of the Supreme Court's decision. Way to keep it classy, ladies! Openly defiling a persons private business, property......all class. So, I thought I'd discuss some of the possibilities of why some are so outraged in the first place. Here goes.....
In my humblest of personal opinions, I see two main issues causing this school of thought. First, and foremost is the lack of personal responsibility in today's society. Unfortunately for us all, it all comes down to choices. Every choice we make has consequences. If you are not willing to take responsibility for your own actions and choices, why should the government or the company you work for take up your slack? Essentially, what those opposed to this decision are saying, is that they want Hobby Lobby to pay for their contraception, so they can be free to have sex whenever and with whomever they want, with no consequences. Sorry, ladies, it doesn't work that way. What you want to do with your own personal life is certainly your own business....until you are asking me as a taxpayer or me as an employer to pay for your indiscretion. Then it becomes my business. Sexual promiscuity and the universal acceptance thereof is the culprit in all of this. Society has deemed promiscuity as the norm. While you are arguing against the violation of women's rights, and the exploitation of women in this country, you may want to take a look at the cause of it all. Which brings me to the second issue at hand.
Everywhere you look, be it television, film, billboards, magazines, etc., women are exploited sexually for profit. Apparently, we can no longer sell a hamburger or even a bottle of drain cleaner without sexual innuendo or scantily clad women in the ads. Hollywood perpetuates the image of sex everywhere, and it's all being marketed to our children. The key demographic being targeted are young girls aged 12-20. What they wear, the music they listen to, the movies they watch, the people the associate with, the food they eat or in some cases, don't eat, is all geared towards their sexuality. Everything revolves around them being "hot" enough. Sexuality is their currency in the free market of acceptance. Girls at the lower end of that spectrum are at their most impressionable period in their lives. Everywhere they look, they are told they're not "hot" enough, or they're overweight, or their skin isn't tan enough, their hair isn't the right color or style, and so on. They come away from their middle school years with low self esteem and poor self worth issues. So, what do they do? Anything they can to gain acceptance. Anything they can to feel wanted and loved. Anything they have to do to get attention from the boys. And in todays' warped society, that means sex, and lots of it. The pressure for them to be sexually active, promiscuous and to dress like it, is incredibly high. So, choices are made to do things to fit in. Society is telling 11 and 12 year old girls that in order to fit in, they have to be sexual beings. Age 12! The pressure is high for the boys, too, but nowhere near the level of the girls. They're the ones who have to be "sexy". They're the ones who have to ask their parents for birth control. Oh wait, sorry. I forgot the laws changed under the current administration. young girls no longer need their parents permission for birth control or abortion services. So they don't have to ask mom and dad anymore. Which is good, because mom and dad don't really want to deal with any real issues anyway. They'd rather the schools raise their kids so they have time to purport their own sexually deviant behavior without being disturbed by those pesky kids! Is everyone paying attention, yet? And when all else fails, and they just can't seem to gain acceptance through sexuality, they cut themselves, or commit suicide, or start using heroin. Eventually, you have an entire society that bases it's self worth on sexuality. Add to that the entitlement complex that has arisen in the last 15-20 years, and the recipe becomes what we are seeing today. The average twenty-something woman believing that it's the taxpayer's, government's or her employers responsibility to provide her with the ammunition she needs to fight off the consequences of her chosen lifestyle. Oh, if it were only that simple..... What does this all have to do with the dirty word "Christian"? Find out in Part Two......to be continued.......
Thanks for reading,
After another extended absence, I am back. What a year it has been so far! There's a lot to talk about, so let's just get to it.
Recent current events have led me to write again, not to satisfy my own insatiable need to be heard, but more so to inform everyone that I now find myself unable to sit on the sidelines and watch, while society is eroding, moral fiber is disappearing, family values are becoming harder and harder to find, and most importantly, my faith is being undermined, attacked and targeted for extinction. I used to be okay with watching it all unfold from afar and shake my head, but not any longer. I've grown very tired of having to defend my beliefs on a daily basis, only to be called a hypocrite, misogynist, homophobe and my favorite one, Evangelical nut job.
Some recent facebook posts about the Hobby Lobby ruling by the Supreme Court have set me off a bit. I guess I was a ticking time bomb, already, and the clock finally ran out. Post after post, people are disappointed with the ruling, saying it is a setback for women's rights. I'm, of course paraphrasing, because the actual language used in most of them is not suitable to use in this blog, another trend that's becoming all too popular, as well. But we'll get to that part later. Most seem to be upset that the Christian owned company is willing to supply men with Viagra and vasectomies, while denying women intrauterine devices and the Plan B drug. To this first claim, I say, "apples and oranges". Firstly, Viagra, while it is certainly often over prescribed and misused, is a medication for a medical condition, and has nothing to do with the birth control issue of this debate. It should not even be a part of the conversation. Secondly, a vasectomy is a medical procedure that could be necessary for any number of medical conditions, not just as a means of birth control. I'll also gladly point out, that it's female equivalent, tubal ligation, is also still covered under the health care plans in question. So much for those arguments. Now we'll move on to the treatments that Hobby Lobby did not want to provide. Let's begin with intrauterine devices. Hobby Lobby's Christian ownership took a stand, that this form of birth control went against their beliefs. Agree or disagree with them, they have that right to those beliefs. The intrauterine device's ONLY function is birth control. Some Christians believe that all birth control is wrong. I personally don't feel that way, but others, in this case, the owners of Hobby Lobby, do. The other one in question, was the plan B drug. Again, this drug's ONLY function is birth control. Hobby Lobby did not want to provide these services because their ONLY function is birth control. For the same reason, they will not be providing condoms to the men that work for them, even though condoms actually have the dual purpose of disease prevention, but that's just semantics. The majority of the posts by those outraged by these decisions are using words like Misogynist, Hypocrites, Haters, and the always disparaging Right Wing Evangelical Idiot. And, it even gets worse. There are reports that there are groups who are staging a SEX-IN at Hobby Lobby locations. For those of you who aren't quite sure what that means, they will pick a date and time and go to Hobby Lobby locations and perform sexual acts in public at these stores, in protest of the Supreme Court's decision. Way to keep it classy, ladies! Openly defiling a persons private business, property......all class. So, I thought I'd discuss some of the possibilities of why some are so outraged in the first place. Here goes.....
In my humblest of personal opinions, I see two main issues causing this school of thought. First, and foremost is the lack of personal responsibility in today's society. Unfortunately for us all, it all comes down to choices. Every choice we make has consequences. If you are not willing to take responsibility for your own actions and choices, why should the government or the company you work for take up your slack? Essentially, what those opposed to this decision are saying, is that they want Hobby Lobby to pay for their contraception, so they can be free to have sex whenever and with whomever they want, with no consequences. Sorry, ladies, it doesn't work that way. What you want to do with your own personal life is certainly your own business....until you are asking me as a taxpayer or me as an employer to pay for your indiscretion. Then it becomes my business. Sexual promiscuity and the universal acceptance thereof is the culprit in all of this. Society has deemed promiscuity as the norm. While you are arguing against the violation of women's rights, and the exploitation of women in this country, you may want to take a look at the cause of it all. Which brings me to the second issue at hand.
Everywhere you look, be it television, film, billboards, magazines, etc., women are exploited sexually for profit. Apparently, we can no longer sell a hamburger or even a bottle of drain cleaner without sexual innuendo or scantily clad women in the ads. Hollywood perpetuates the image of sex everywhere, and it's all being marketed to our children. The key demographic being targeted are young girls aged 12-20. What they wear, the music they listen to, the movies they watch, the people the associate with, the food they eat or in some cases, don't eat, is all geared towards their sexuality. Everything revolves around them being "hot" enough. Sexuality is their currency in the free market of acceptance. Girls at the lower end of that spectrum are at their most impressionable period in their lives. Everywhere they look, they are told they're not "hot" enough, or they're overweight, or their skin isn't tan enough, their hair isn't the right color or style, and so on. They come away from their middle school years with low self esteem and poor self worth issues. So, what do they do? Anything they can to gain acceptance. Anything they can to feel wanted and loved. Anything they have to do to get attention from the boys. And in todays' warped society, that means sex, and lots of it. The pressure for them to be sexually active, promiscuous and to dress like it, is incredibly high. So, choices are made to do things to fit in. Society is telling 11 and 12 year old girls that in order to fit in, they have to be sexual beings. Age 12! The pressure is high for the boys, too, but nowhere near the level of the girls. They're the ones who have to be "sexy". They're the ones who have to ask their parents for birth control. Oh wait, sorry. I forgot the laws changed under the current administration. young girls no longer need their parents permission for birth control or abortion services. So they don't have to ask mom and dad anymore. Which is good, because mom and dad don't really want to deal with any real issues anyway. They'd rather the schools raise their kids so they have time to purport their own sexually deviant behavior without being disturbed by those pesky kids! Is everyone paying attention, yet? And when all else fails, and they just can't seem to gain acceptance through sexuality, they cut themselves, or commit suicide, or start using heroin. Eventually, you have an entire society that bases it's self worth on sexuality. Add to that the entitlement complex that has arisen in the last 15-20 years, and the recipe becomes what we are seeing today. The average twenty-something woman believing that it's the taxpayer's, government's or her employers responsibility to provide her with the ammunition she needs to fight off the consequences of her chosen lifestyle. Oh, if it were only that simple..... What does this all have to do with the dirty word "Christian"? Find out in Part Two......to be continued.......
Thanks for reading,
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