Ministry of Truth Just Kidding Update - 20 Sep 2024 - Virginity

 

Virginity

A social construct that stems from harmful "patriarchal" mindsets.  Waiting for marriage to have sex hurts everyone, including the profit margins of those who help women exercise their reproductive rights. 

More info: 

• https://www.theblaze.com/news/planned-parenthood-virginity-social-construct

Newspeak Dictionary Recent A-L M-Z FAQ

 

Christian Objections to Trump

Trump is a very polarizing figure.  It seems that either people love him or hate him, with few people on the fence.  I've found it interesting that one demographic with mixed emotions is conservative, evangelical Christians.  This group has little in common with the progressive liberal agenda, which is actively opposed to traditional values and a Christian worldview.  But despite sharing many economic, voting integrity, morality, parental rights, and safety issues with conservatives, some are either actively opposed to Trump, or at least are ambivalent.  What drives this?  Why is this group often among the lower voter turnout demographics? 

Objections and Contrasts

Trump isn't a Christian

• Honestly, that may be true, but there are few, if any, committed followers of Christ that have been presidents in the last century.  Some have suggested that perhaps he is a young, immature Christian, or is on a journey toward Christ, like Jordan Peterson.  Regardless, we really are not electing a spiritual leader, and we should be looking for a candidate who shares our view of America, who will fight to preserve our rights and freedoms, and who will not be actively hostile to our values. 
• For me, it matters most who best aligns with the Judeo-Christian worldview of the Founders, and who will support conservative values in the culture wars.  Personally, I would vote for a non-Christian (e.g. a Hindu or Mormon) with whom I share values (but not theology), rather than someone whose party supports socialism, environmental worship, immorality, and the destruction of the nuclear family.

Trump is mean and insults people

• He makes mean, vicious tweets, often in ALL CAPS.
• He talks like a New Yorker, with rough language and personal attacks.  He speaks his mind, sometimes unfiltered, but you know where he really stands.  
• Rhetoric and ridicule are powerful tactics in debate and politics.  Perception is often more valuable than reality, and that is why a one-sided media is so dangerous.  Is exposing ridiculous stands by assigning "labels" really a terrible thing?  How about constantly misrepresenting a person and their character with unproven assertions and mischaracterizations like the Democrat supporters constantly do?
• And even if aspects of his personality greatly offend you, how is he really any different than many others in the media and political power?  How should that be a deciding factor in voting decisions?  Should feelings trump policy and results?

Trump lies

• See my perspective on the difference between truth, lies, rhetoric, and opinions here.
• All politicians spin records, positions, the economy, and world events to their advantage.  Often it is from their perspective, and it is really disingenuous to claim that these are always "lies".  Perhaps in some cases they may actually be factually inaccurate and deliberate distortions of the truth, but far more often they are perspectives on larger issues that require more than just sound-bites.
• I find it hard to swallow that an unbiased person can rake Trump over the coals for his campaign rhetoric, while giving a pass to the other side, which in many ways is far more egregious.  According to his critics he is worse than Hitler, a threat to democracy, will take away women's rights, and is racist and anti-Semitic.  Seems like that justifies anything to the Left, including assassination!

Trump won't admit defeat

• Yes, given the way that the election was run and votes tallied, Joe Biden was elected President.  
• There are legitimate reasons to question the validity of the outcome, though, when there were numerous irregularities that abounded.  Would these have made a difference in the outcome?  We'll never know, because it has become taboo to even question election integrity issues.  Did the media interfere in the election by failing to cover/expose/deny inconvenient truths?  What impact did last minute (possibly illegal) changes to voting methods in various states have?  What is wrong with demanding only eligible citizens get to vote, requiring voter id, and proof of citizenship?
• Note: Virtually every national election in recent years has been challenged by the losers, many times by the Democrats.
• Do you want a leader who will quit and give up, or someone who will keep trying to win?  I think we saw that spirit in Trump right after an assassin came close to taking his life because of the hatred toward him and what he represents.  Do you want a leader who will stand up for what is right to other world leaders, or to be a puppet of a political oligarchy?

Trump is a woman hater and abuser

• Was Trump basically a super-rich playboy who enjoyed his fame, power, and fortune?  Of course!  Did he always live a virtuous and morally pure life?  Seems not likely, but also be careful with blindly believing past accusations.  Has he continued this way of life, or has he changed?  I'd argue that his recent track record shows change.  As scripture says, we need to make fair and unhypocritical judgments.    
• Held to the same standards, many current politicians (including presidents and hopefuls) look to be guilty of taking bribes, influence peddling, adultery with wives of staffers, political careers started by affairs with older men, credible rape allegations, DEI discrimination against the most qualified, and even inappropriate showering with children.  Who has raised their children well, and who has crack and sex addicted ones?  I think that says a lot about their parenting and character, don't you? 
• Do current candidates (and their parties) have an active disdain for traditional sexual morality, or do they champion moral perversions in the name of diversity and pride? 

Trump will be a dictator and is a threat to Democracy

• Really?  How did you come to that conclusion?  Is he a threat to democracy, or a threat to their power and control?
• Trump was President for 4 years.  During that time, what did he do that could be called dictatorial?  Democracy clearly didn't die.  He was a leader, and leaders make hard decisions.  The implication by the Left is that now it will be different because he said, "I'll be a dictator on Day One!"  Of course, just like the Charlottesville claim that he said that white supremacists were good people, this is also a deliberate distortion (i.e. "a lie").  What he said is that he will "be a dictator" and immediately reverse all of Biden's unwise executive orders ASAP.  If making executive orders makes one a dictator, then you need to convict them all.

Trump is divisive and polarizing

• It is claimed that he is polarizing and divisive, as if that is necessarily a bad thing.  Many great leaders have been, and forced people to pick a side (e.g. Jesus, Lincoln).  Maybe it is a time to take a stand and not just go with the establishment party leadership.  
• And "C'mon man," the constant stream of propaganda from the mainstream media and progressive politicians isn't?  They constantly try to divide us along DEI lines: race, sexuality, oppressed status, identity, and more.  They teach our kids to be ashamed of who they are because their skin color is different than others.  They tell us that their opposition is so evil that we must silence and destroy them.   

Trump will seek revenge

• Trump has been unbelievably targeted by unjust attacks both during office and in the years since.  He has been impeached for ridiculous reasons, assigned blame for a riot where he clearly called for peaceful protest by patriotic Americans, persecuted with lawfare and farcical over-charging of "novel" crimes, and constantly smeared by the media when he tries to defend his policies and actions.
• Yet, what indication is there that he will "seek revenge"?  I suspect that the Democrats are shaking in their boots because they know what they did to him, and fear that once the shoe is on the other foot, that they are next.  Maybe that will happen, or maybe not.  Sometimes the only way to stop a bully is to make them feel real consequences for their actions.  As an example, did Trump "lock her up" after the election for Hillary's crimes of destruction of evidence?  The evidence was there, but no, he didn't. 
• This claim is just a big red-herring and has no basis in fact.  Just a scare tactic like claiming that granny will be thrown over the medicare/welfare cliff if the other party is elected.

Trump has a big ego and is not humble

• I tend to agree with this and personally feel like this is something he needs to work on.  However, is this really a disqualifying characteristic?  I don't know many individuals who are at the top of their respective fields that don't have some level of pride in themselves.  Can that be a bad thing?  Yes, if not tempered.
• Related to this are claims that he doesn't have empathy.  Where did that idea come from except the Democrats and their media?  Supporting policies that you disagree with, such as deportations, doesn't mean he has no empathy.  Since when is expecting enforcement of our laws and justice in prosecution mean?  In fact, he cares deeply about the safety and welfare of the American people first.  His interactions with victims of crimes and disasters seems to be very genuine, so on what basis do you claim that it is faked?    
• Again I would ask that this be fairly applied when you are making critical judgments.

 Trump is not 100% Pro-life

• Trump appears to be a pragmatist on abortion, at this point, in a highly divided country.  While he agrees that abortion is a terrible thing, he realizes that you have to win elections to impact policy.  His position appears to be in support of state-level restrictions on most abortions, except in the cases of rape, mother's life, and very early week pregnancies.  
• As a Christian, I personally feel that abortion is wrong in almost every circumstance, except in rare cases where it is really needed to save the mother's life.  Yes, carrying a baby to term is a burden, perhaps even an involuntary one, but killing an innocent baby is far worse.  But, I would rather compromise and ban most abortions, even if it means some still happen, rather than being a political absolutist and end up with all abortions being legal with no restrictions.  Start somewhere first, and then work towards better laws.  Sometimes the "all or nothing" approach is actually the worst choice morally.
• He did appoint conservative justices to the Supreme Court that overturned the terrible Roe vs. Wade ruling, thus returning the power to the States.  He agrees with this ruling and that it is best left to the individual states to decide how they want to regulate it. 

Trump takes credit for the COVID vaccine

• In the midst of the pandemic, as President, he facilitated the development of a vaccine.  He often has taken credit for getting this done rapidly.  It seems that he may have gotten bad advice from some people on this, but in the heat of the moment, it may not be fair to be too judgmental.  Can we really say that he knowingly pushed a harmful vaccine out to the public, especially when he was being advised that it would save millions of lives?
• While he never forced vaccinations, as Biden did, he did encourage people to take it.  Whether it ultimately saved lives may be questioned by some.  Clearly, it was a rapid development, with insufficient testing prior to release.  There were significant side-effects for some, especially in the young, who generally had the least risk from the disease.  While it is controversial, I cannot fault high-risk people for taking it when recommended by their trusted doctors, right or wrong, and it is wrong to demonize them.
• Remember which president completely locked down the country and schools, forced masking, and mandated vaccinations on pain of termination.

Trump is a racist and anti-Semite

• Let's see -- he has immediate family members who are Jewish and was the best Presidential supporter of Israel ever.  Yep, that has to be anti-Semitic.
• Does being anti-illegal immigration make him racist?  Do repeated out of context quotes about supporting white supremacy make it so? 
• Does defunding and sanctioning terrorist states and groups make him an Islamophobe too?
• How in the world did you ever come to the conclusion that he is a racist?  Oh, by listening to the liberal progressives and their mainstream media outlets!?!  Shame on you for trusting them!

Trump hates immigrants

• Understanding that uncontrolled illegal immigration is harmful to our country and wishing to see it fixed is hardly hatred.  If anything, this is compassion and love of OUR COUNTRY.  
• Putting restrictions or halts to the massive influx of illegal border crossings is a good thing.  As is enforcing our asylum laws and regulations as intended, without the perversion of letting them be used to let most crossers to stay indefinitely.
• Some claim that this Nationalism is antithetical to Christian values.  But it is a liberal distortion of Christianity to claim that concerns about the oppressed, refugees and illegal migrants, and even the environment must take priority over responsibilities to care for our own people first.  As I previously noted, a sinking life raft can't save anyone.
• Finding humane ways to deport people is not cruel, but it is just.  Perhaps disincentivizing employers with tax consequences for hiring illegal employees would put pressure on them to return.  Rewarding unlawful entry and identity theft with permanent status, and free welfare, healthcare, and lifestyle support does nothing to fix the situation, but rather makes it worse both now and in the long run. 

The Takeaway

Voting for the progressive liberals, or just not voting at all, will be a disaster for our country in terms of the continued lurch away from traditional values, destruction of our economic systems, and the division of our country along racial and progressive CRT ideology.  If your personal hatred of Trump extends that far, then I suppose you will get what you deserve, at the expense of the rest of us.  

Instead of voting for those holding to values antithetical to the Christian Worldview, why not ... ?

• Vote for our constitutional freedoms. 
• Vote for Supreme Court Justices who will faithfully uphold the Constitution.  
• Vote for a better economy.  
• Vote for voter integrity and not mob democracy.  
• Vote for law, order, and safety by supporting the police and military.  
• Vote for secure borders and less trafficking and drugs.  
• Vote against endless foreign wars.  
• Vote for protecting our freedoms from censorship and against suppression of free speech.  
• Vote for all human life, regardless of arbitrary categories, including the unborn.  
• Vote for Equality over Equity, Color-blindness over CRT glasses, and Real Justice over Social Justice.

God help us restore our country!

Truth Month - July 2024 - Day 31 - Celebrate Truth, All the Time. All the Time, Celebrate Truth

 

Truth Month - July 2024

Day 31 -  Celebrate Truth, All the Time.  All the Time, Celebrate Truth

It is not currently popular to stand for the truth.  Relativism reigns and new destructive philosophies such as CRT, DEI, and radical social justice vie for dominance against traditional values.  Words are redefined to win arguments and influence morality without firing a shot.  Feelings and desires are now said to define reality, and rights are granted and revoked as the powerful find useful.  "My truth" and "my lived experience" carry far more weight than inconvenient objective truths.

All is not lost, but it all starts with YOU.  Don't give in to redefinitions of truth and what is good/evil.  Question their assumptions and ask them how they justify their claims, or how they came to their conclusions.  Refuse to use their language and the Orwellian Newspeak they use. 

I would encourage everyone to not just embrace real truth for a limited time, but rather to incorporate it into your core values and promote it daily.

Truth Month - July 2024 

Truth Month - July 2024 - Day 18 - Good and Evil both exist. Fight for good. Resist evil. (Ethics - Do the greater good)

 

Truth Month - July 2024

Day 18 - Good and Evil both exist. Fight for good. Resist evil. (Ethics - Do the greater good)

A principle in ethics is "Choose to do the greater good."  Sometimes this is recast as "Choose the lesser of two evils."  Regardless, our responsibility is to first identify good and evil, and then to work toward the former and against the latter.  

For most people, it is obvious that some form of evil exists.  But what defines evil and does it actually exist?  For real evil to exist, there must be an objective standard by which to judge it.  Relativism has a hard time with calling anything evil, since it is just the subjective opinion of the individual, group, or culture.  An individual may even belong to different groups with different moral standards.  Take this example, “Terrorists like to kill people; I like to save them."  Now who’s to say which is better… and more importantly how does the relativist make a determination that is more than just their preference or opinion?  Perhaps they just deny that objective standards exist by which to determine right and wrong, truth and falsehood.

In reality, we can't define good and evil on our own, but we can recognize it because we have a moral intuition that is built into our nature.  We know in our core that evil is real, and that it is something to be opposed and fought.  There is a way to ground morality, and that is in the morally perfect Creator who is the standard.

Truth Month - July 2024 

Truth Month - July 2024 - Day 17 - Our worth as human beings is not based on external characteristics, what we can give society, our development level, or any conferred status, but on our intrinsic value as creatures made in God's image.

 

Truth Month - July 2024

Day 17 - Our worth as human beings is not based on external characteristics, what we can give society, our development level, or any conferred status, but on our intrinsic value as creatures made in God's image.

Why are human beings valuable?   Is it based on power, title, or influence?  Does my personal self-image determine what I can contribute?  Are babies worth more/less than people in their prime?

From the dawn of civilization, it has been recognized that it is wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being.  However, the definition of human being has been more fluid.  In some cultures, killing and eating a captured enemy was appropriate.  Some have viewed women or minorities as property to be owned or treated as objects.  Others have been okay with abandoning or killing the old, the infirm, or inconvenient members of their society.  Infanticide of the unwanted and killing of the unborn are allowed by others.  In all these cases, the humanity of the subject was viewed as less than others, thereby justifying their treatment.  

Should the value of a human being be determined by subjective factors?  The Christian worldview holds that all people are made in the Image of God, and hence have fundamental value and dignity.  This worth is not dependent upon their station in life, their level of development or dependency on others, what they can contribute to society, or any other mental or physical characteristics (see S.L.E.D.)  It is solely based on the fact that we bear the likeness of God, and that is reason enough.   

Truth Month - July 2024 

Truth Month - July 2024 - Day 14 - All people have dignity and worth, but not all actions and beliefs are true or good

 

Truth Month - July 2024

Day 14 -  All people have dignity and worth, but not all actions and beliefs are true or good.

Most people would agree that all people have dignity and worth.  The Christian worldview grounds this belief in the fact that we are created in the Image of God, and thus have inherent value.  However, it is a fallacy to assume that because of this status, criticizing the actions of a person or challenging their deeply held beliefs is out of bounds.

So what is good or evil?  Intuitively, we know that all beliefs and cultures are not necessarily good or true, or at least some are better than others (e.g. cannibalism, torture of babies).  But only a worldview that holds to objective morality has the grounding to justify calling something good or evil, right or wrong.  Cultures that hold to relativistic morality lose the ability to fairly criticize others, since they have no objective basis to claim their views are morally superior.  In fact, relativism results in moral claims becoming just preferences (e.g. "I don't like that").  

For example, given relativistic morality, one can't claim that slavery is actually wrong, since slave owners can just as easily claim that it is right.  The most that can be claimed is "I believe that you are wrong and I'd prefer that you don't do it".  The problem is that we all actually have a moral intuition that tells us that it is wrong.  The Christian worldview explains this insight as a reflection of the Image of God in all of us.  Relativism fails to have that explanatory power.

Truth Month - July 2024 

Ministry of Truth Daily Update - 09 Jan 2024 - Biological Boy/Girl

 

Biological Boy/Girl

Phrases that oversimplify a complex subject and are often used by anti-transgender activists to inaccurately imply that a trans person is not who they say they are, denying their authentic gender identity.  Other misleading terms include: 

• born a man
• born a woman
• biologically male
• biologically female
• biological boy
• biological girl
• genetically male
• genetically female

More info:   

• https://glaad.org/reference/trans-terms/

Newspeak Dictionary Recent A-L M-Z FAQ

Christian Fatalism

There's an old Doris Day song Que Sera Sera, "Whatever will be, will be..."

As believers, we have an assurance that God is ultimately in control, even though we don't know the future or see the whole picture. While God promises to walk beside his followers through trials and life's challenges, that doesn't negate the consequences of our choices or circumstances that could have been changed if different choices had been made. Nations even suffer judgment and trouble because of bad decisions of the people or the leaders.

Unfortunately, lately I've heard pastors, leaders, and other Christians sounding more like Christian Fatalists, singing "Que Sera Sera". What do I mean by that? I mean that they sound like they are throwing their hands up in the air and accepting without question whatever happens, regardless of the costs and dangers coming. For instance, in regard to the election their comments seem as if they view the choices as morally neutral and so, for "unity's sake" we should be okay with whatever the outcome, "because God is in control and will work through it to accomplish his purposes."

Do you say the same thing about a tsunami that kills thousands?

    "Oh well, God will work his will."

What do you say to the child dying from cancer?

    "You know, God has this all under control and it will be okay."

What about when the Supreme Court ruled to make abortion a right and destroyed the meaning of traditional marriage?

    "Oh, you know, that's just part of God's plan."

No! That is an abhorrent attitude and is not well thought out. I hope you see that is not an appropriate response. You should be appalled and dismayed. You should grieve with others. You should provide care and comfort. You should do what you can to mitigate these injustices and evils. You should stand again evil.

Your actions, inactions, and choices matter to God and can directly impact others. There are consequences to how you choose to behave, who you affiliate with, and who you endorse for leadership positions. God allows bad freewill choices, but it doesn't let you off the hook. God can and does work his plans despite evil, because he sees the whole picture and is omnipotent.  We, on the other hand, need to make the best choices we can and stand against evil and erosion of societal values. We have a culture that in many ways supports and is responsible for widespread abortion, the loss of family structure, the decay of sexual morals, and the lack of respect for authority and traditions. Loving our enemies, who too are made in God's image, does not mean to fail to fight against the wrongs they stand for and want to foist upon others. Passivity allows evil to triumph. Throwing away your vote to unelectable candidates is foolish.

So how then should we live? We are sojourners in this world and this is not our final home. We can trust that God will work through the events of our lives to grow us into stronger relationship to him and to become more like His Son, Jesus. It may not be fun or easy. In fact, it seems that the norm is that we will have struggles. But we should not get so stressed out about the problems of the world and in our lives that we forget that our mission here is to reach out with the Good News and make real disciples in the time we have. However, other things matter too. Especially those things that impact the future and well being of others. That too, is our responsibility.

Should children as young as 8 be able to change their genders?

Last night at his town hall event, Joe Biden appears to imply that children as young as 8 should be able to change their genders. That is an unbelievably radical suggestion that should shock the conscience. Doesn't it seem to be abusive to the child to enable these psychological and physical changes in a person who we don't allow to make other important life decisions because of their maturity level? Note: This is a separate issue from whether or not fully grown adults can/should make these kinds of choices for themselves.

At the root, this is a Worldview issue, one that embraces a relativistic view of morality. Under relativism, morality is defined by either the self, groups, or the broader culture. There can be no objective set of moral standards with regards to sexuality, personal behavior, or social interactions.

Before you blindly vote against Trump and other Conservatives, please think about the Worldview the Democrat Party supports. Voting for the liberal progressives will further entrench these evil policies. As a Christian, I find it unconscionable to support the moral positions of the Democrat Party Platform.

"Reasons" to Vote for the Biden/Harris Democratic Socialism Agenda

 

1. Continued support of unlimited late term (and even post term) abortion, gov't paid of course, in the name of women's rights.  Progressive Christians know that supporting social justice is far more important than protecting innocent human life.

2. They will ensure that the Supreme Court is filled with activist judges who will enact policies or "discover" rights they can't get created through the people's legislators.

3. Abolish our law enforcement system and replace it with "something else", with no police or jails, as pushed by the moral leaders like Colin Kaepernick.  We know that people are fundamentally good and it is society that forces them to commit crimes.

4. Trump Bad!

5. Redistribute wealth in the name of reparations for past wrongs and to right economic disparities, even if it destroys the economy or punishes people who have done nothing wrong

6. They listen to the scientists who agree with them, ignoring other experts and considerations. We need to shut down our economy and livelihoods again in the name of saving us from today's crisis.

7. Force socialized medicine on the US citizens, whether they want it or not.  Better to destroy the whole system, than to make allowances for the people who might fall through the cracks.

8. Abolish Capitalism and math, since they are racist.  Replace it with a more just system like Communism  Democratic Socialism.

9. They'll enact tolerant laws and policies that restrict bigoted religious freedom, ban offensive expression, and eliminate biased conscience excuses.

10. Create more states to gain political advantage. After all, Somalia needs more representation than just Minnesota.

11. We should allow unlimited immigration to flood our social safety nets.  Since we can't afford to care for our own poor, vets, and elderly, why not?

12. We need to continue open-ended spending and gov't debt increases to fund things like free college and student loan forgiveness for all those who didn't pay their own way or who took on too much debt.

13. They support the Social Justice Gospel and Critical Race Theory, because they are doctrine-free Christians, not those backward Conservatives, who (like Jesus) think All Lives Matter.

14. Get rid of guns for self-defense and militias.  Who needs guns anyway?  There will be no violence and bad guys won't kill innocent people anymore, if they can't get them.

15. "Peaceful" riots and protests are politically advantageous, so they will continue to be implicitly enabled, but publicly decried 😉😉 by public leaders.  After all, we should not prosecute rioters thinking they are exercising their 25th Amendment rights.

16. Patriotism is wrong and we should not be proud of this country, which was founded on systematic racism way back in 1619.  The same goes for Western civilization and its oppressive religion.

17. Since it was an insult to Muslim nations to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem and to broker unacceptable peace deals between Israel and some Arab countries, these actions need to be repudiated and voided, just like Trump did with Iran.  We can't have a president who actually talks to foreign leaders and does tough negotiations, instead of bowing down to them.

18. Trump Really Bad. Of course, Conservatives are also racist, sexist homophobes who hate anyone different than them.  

19. We despise aggressive like Republicans and can only work with weak leaders like Romney or McCain.  We all know everything Trump says or does is wrong.  Trump is rude and calls people names (just better than Joe and Kamala).

20. America First is offensive and racist.  We need to wipe out the idea that America ever was great.

21. Our superior leaders know what we need better than we do.  We don't need to know their glorious plans for us.

22. Energy policies like the Green New Deal will create all the energy we need if we wish hard enough, so we should just get rid of all those fossil fuel and nuclear power plants now to save our planet, regardless of the consequences.

23. Allowing choice of schools would be catastrophic to our children, the public school system, and the teacher's unions.

24. We trust that Joe's handling of Swine Flu, as Obama's VP, shows how he will handle COVID19.  Since fewer people died under his watch (with many more infections), and because more have died under Trump, clearly Joe is better.

25. Trump Really, Really Bad.

26. Waiting until after the election, then we can tell you.

Disclaimer: If you haven't figured it out yet, this is a satirical take on reasons often heard for the voting decisions of the progressive left.

True Non-violent leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones. Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers."   Martin Luther King Jr., 11 Dec 1964

So true.  He was a real leader.  Where are those today?  So what is the agenda of the violent mob then, since it is obviously not real justice and equality?  Even the "peaceful" protestors chant and write despicable things about other human beings.  Dr. King was not in favor of tearing down the family and societal structure of America.  He knew that this kind of revolution is evil and immoral.

What messages are we sending our children?

Where are the leaders willing to stand up and say what needs said? Influencers such as social activist heads, pastors, entertainment icons, prominent political leaders, and especially parents around the kitchen table, all need to speak about what matters for healing.

No nation can long stand with antipathy for civil authority. We need people who lead by both example and speech to model respect. If your goal is peace and reconciliation, then you must change your actions and attitudes, and then do your best to influence those you can to do likewise. To fail to do that is not noble nor is it moral. In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis got it right, “We make men [and women] without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”

No amount of police reform or defunding can work without sustained leadership teaching respect and civil attitudes toward those tasked with upholding our democratically established law instead of fearing the mob. To teach disrespect for authority, especially police or federal ICE agents, just perpetuates the war and cannot bring any reconciliation.

We cannot have disregard for all human life and private property rights. Envy and covetousness of those who have more than you do is not a virtue. Disdain for rule of law, because you decide it violates your subjective morality, is only destructive.

We rightly condemn Arabs who teach their children to hate the Jews. We rightly condemn those who teach that others with a different skin color are inferior. We should also expose those who indoctrinate our children and culture with the idea that it is noble to disrespect and openly resist authority and the rule of law.

We should rebuke those who work to tear down respect for the one nation founded on principles of equality granted not by gov't, but by God, and which fought a costly civil war to right the great evil of slavery. Is it virtuous to decry it, but offer no better examples or practical solutions? Is it just to mislead others with straw man arguments against the founding principles of our country, which has never been perfect, but is set up to allow self-correction and the righting of wrongs? Yet we see this time and again. This is the big sin that needs to be publicly confessed and repented of.

Ask yourself, are you throwing the first stone? Do you condone, implicitly support, or refuse to rebuke the rebellious attitudes, destruction, and violence toward innocent human beings? Do you silently encourage vigilante "rush to judgement" lynch mobs, which ethical people know cannot be tolerated? Most major incidents that have sparked the recent rioting and violence have their roots in criminal activity. The disrespectful attitudes and actions of those perpetrators often result in injury or death to the officers and/or the malefactor. There are very few cases where a respectful interaction with law enforcement ends unjustly. When there is actual wrongdoing, is it better justice to enforce laws or to allow anarchy? Where are the leaders correcting the initial false narratives and never openly questioning or urging calm, thereby failing those who might listen and learn?

Whether you're a Hatfield or a McCoy, can you follow Jesus' example and be the first to not return wrong for wrong? Can we send the right messages to our children and heal our land?