If our country ever collapses into chaos and we lose our precious freedoms, our colleges and universities will be largely to blame for it.
The vice provost of New York University, one Ulrich Baer, has declared that trampling on free speech “ensures the conditions of free speech” (https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomlindsay/2017/04/30/nyu-administrator-goes-full-orwell-violating-free-speech-ensures-the-conditions-of-free-speech/#4f6ac8243718 ). Put that in your postmodern pipe and smoke it. It’ll make you as loopy as he is.
It’s simply “undebateable,” says this Stalinist wannabe, that we must kill our First Amendment to protect the fragile feelings of “minorities,” who must be rigidly shielded from ever hearing anything they don’t want to hear. It’s necessary to silence some of the people–us, he means–for the good of “a greater group of people.” This is what has been learned, he prates, by studying postmodernism and other forms of fractured logic.
He goes on to praise the Soros-funded thugs of Black Lives Matter, and other violent “protesters,” for “keeping watch over the soul of our republic.”
Don’t even ask for his definition of a “republic.” It’s bound to make no sense. For that matter, I’m not sure I want to find out what he means by “soul.”
So how about it, America? Are you ready now to stop pouring money into these institutions of “higher learning”? Or isn’t the pot boiling hot enough for you yet?
The attack on free speech began with an attack on God and His Word. Both still continue . . .
https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2017/05/02/northern-arizona-u-prof-heather-martel-orders-student-to-stop-reading-bible-before-class/
So this female Gender Studies prof thinks Muslims have a “right” to commit rape? One immediately envisions a certain form of poetic justice.
The Strong Delusion persists.
Very much worth sharing. . .
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-church-doesnt-need-any-more-coffee-bars
That quite an evocative article.
Just before you posted this, I found myself contemplating how my views on life have changed over the last few years. Things that used to appeal to me have lost their luster. All I want is the Kingdom of God. Everything this world has to offer pales in comparison to this one need, the need for truly righteous conditions.
From that point, my thoughts were about the many lawless people we see around us these days. I wonder if part of God’s plan is for them to have their fill of selfish desire so that they might realize the futility of what this world has to offer. Will the people that clamor for absolute moral freedom someday come to hate all that this freedom brings along with it?
I can only reflect upon my own experiences and I’ve learned that everything I ever wanted came at an emotional cost. I tend to see “things” as utilitarian these days. A new car might be more reliable than an old car, but all things carry hidden costs.
For me, this realization seems to close the circle, with regard to this fallen world. Fame and fortune in our world would amount to a higher position on the trash heap, but little else.
Coffee is nice, but the reality of the fallen world makes it seem a bit weak. (Pun intended.) A prosperity gospel doesn’t really impress me; we need our Lord to return and to deliver us from a world of sin, violence, heartache and broken dreams. This world is a death camp, run by Satan. I don’t really care about having a motor home if I’m in a death camp.
My heart goes out to this young widow.
Amen, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
You always seem to capture things with such insight, Unknowable, and I quite agree with your analysis.
Hope you’re feeling better 🙂
Thanks, Linda.
I think that our God is offering us a lot of opportunity to learn, just by observing the world around us. If I possess any insight whatsoever, it’s because of Him and not me. I assure you, He had to pound every bit of understanding into my stubborn psyche. 🙂
You’re going too far, kimosabe. “The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork” (Ps. 19:1)–which is to say that God created this world and pronounced it very good. It is marred by sin, but the earth is still the Lord’s and God’s stuff still works. It’s only man’s stuff that doesn’t.
I couldn’t stand a world without any good things in it, small and inconsequential as they may appear to be. I thank God for these small things, because they are his blessings. They are one of the ways he keeps us sane.
We are here to work and do our best. We can’t always do that. But I don’t believe God is pleased when we give in to despair, wash our hands of everything, say it all sucks, and wind up muttering to ourselves while the bad guys run wild. Which is exactly what the Western church has done for the past 100 years.
There are death camps in the world, but God didn’t make them. And I think He will help us if we call on Him as we work to get rid of them.
Good points, Lee. I don’t advocate giving up, but like Solomon, I see that the achievements of this world amount to mere vanity. I still get out there and do my best, but the true reward comes when God opens His hand and blesses every living thing.
I didn’t take that as giving up, but rather a change in priorities. It’s true, God did create the heavens and the earth and saw that they were good. Then the interloper arrived and set out to destroy. Revelation 21:1 says: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
I see the goodness of the earth, of creation, of life and the utter beauty of it all, both the physical beauty, and the beauty of purpose. But I also see how effectively the opposer has hindered God’s provisions. People in the US struggle, and this is one of the best places to be. In some places, conditions are unthinkable.
Perhaps the best way to explain the change in my thinking is that I can no longer think in terms of simply feathering my own nest. It truly hurts me that I have family members in hardship (mild by Syrian standards, but hardships nonetheless). If I had a huge windfall, I would want to help my family first and foremost, not to mention providing for the medical needs of friends that lack insurance. Had I the money for a new house and a fine new pickup, I would probably buy such things, but I would also remain in the workforce and try to help my family.
I have always believed in free markets, free enterprise, prosperity and self-made achievement. I still believe in these things, but my idea of prosperity, these days, would be that every living relative have a safe, strong house in which to live and have their material needs met. I wouldn’t even desire a Corvette or a big house as long as others in my family were feeling the effects of want.
Our priorities change. And what we used to think we ‘needed’, we now see were never needs at all. We wake up one day with the realization that want and need are entirely different things.
That’s for sure. I always fancied myself an enlightened consumer. I knew the best cars, the best musical instruments, best hand tools, etc. I still have an interest in such things, but I don’t see these as being all that important. One can have the best of everything and still not be satisfied. The health of my loved ones is incomparably more important.
I hope nobody thought I was advocating the worship of material things. One look at this apartment would disabuse anyone of that notion.
Some of the good things God gives us, He gives to all: the orderly procession of the seasons, the rain that grows our crops, and His very presence in our lives. For these we ought to give thanks, and enjoy them as He meant them to be enjoyed.
Of course not, Lee, and likewise, we’re not saying there’s nothing to be thankful for. Quite the contrary. But even creation groans waiting for Our Lord. Meanwhile, we too groan in anticipation.
Groaning with you, Linda
I suppose it was bound to happen:
https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2017/05/03/a-new-york-school-is-trashing-all-its-textbooks-to-go-modern/
Talk about groaning – UGH! Wickedness is so thick, breathing good air becomes difficult.
Maybe they forgot to teach the students how to read. Public schools have been known to let that slip their minds.
I guess I’d better write about this–too important to ignore. Thanks, Linda.
My point is that nothing material can compensate for the effects of a fallen society which seems to be rushing headlong towards its own demise. Were I to experience the windfall of the proverbial “million”, that would certainly address some practical matters, but the true problem is mankind’s alienation from our Creator. Even a million bucks wouldn’t make it less frustrating to watch human society suffering as it is.
At that point, an absurd thought struck me, imagine a man buying a new, top of the line motor home, and then being herded into a death camp. When viewed from such a perspective, the joy of material wealth seems a bit pale. And that’s how I see our specific time, the events of this last year.
We go through life and God provides for us, but we all long to be saved from a dying world. God could send me a billion dollars without any effort, but a billion dollars is nothing compared to the value of seeing God’s son arrive on a white horse. No matter what we may be suffering in this world, the value of actually seeing God’s deliverance with our own eyes is a blessing beyond description.
Amen, come quickly Lord Jesus.
Reminds me of the parable about the man who built a bigger barn to store all his excess of crops and thought he could sit back and just enjoy everything. The Lord had other ideas. Luke 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
That parable has taken on new meaning of late, at least for me.
Let me start by saying that I am a believer in free enterprise and that every person should be free to do whatever their God given talents equip to to exceed at. I am not troubled that some become wealthy. If one builds a better mousetrap they may harvest their due profits with my every blessing.
That having been said, I see the riches of this world as being quite ephemeral. In a world of overnight billionaires, we shouldn’t be surprised when wealth disappears as quickly as it comes.
You can be so rich that you need to replace your storage barns and the next day have nothing. Our relationship with our Creator is more important than life itself.
The excesses that usually accompany great wealth many times become a stumbling block – the love of money, and the quest for more (when is enough enough?) have more than once led to ruin – financial, physical and spiritual.
That’s a good point. While I am all for true prosperity, I’ve noticed that wealth doesn’t seem to equate to happiness.