George Washington: still great
This was true decades ago, when R.J. Rushdoony wrote about it, and has only gotten more true since.
Leftids like to tear a country down before they take it over. One of their techniques is to smear the great men and women in the target country’s history. Then they can replace them with their own slimy, miserable excuses for heroes.
This happens primarily in the public schools, which we all pay for, and then shifts into high gear in (feh!) college.
Maybe someday we’ll stop letting them do it.
They do not realize that they are losers too, along with those they are trying to harm.
On a much smaller scale, I was the victim of slander at one time. A couple of people in a church I attended had a problem with me and, instead of solving it face to face, as Jesus prescribed, they decided to talk up my every shortcoming and even fabricate events that never happened. Soon these rumors took on a life of their own and for years I found myself facing shopworn accusations that I had debunked repeatedly.
Even though the church leaders knew the facts and had no problem with me, this slander never stopped. Some of it was incredibly petty, I had been observed squealing the tires on my parent’s car when I was 16 and I bore the reputation of reckless driving, well into my forties. Some of it was much more serious, and it had a detrimental effect upon my life that I will never outlive.
Solomon was right: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof”. Experience has taught me to be sparing with my words when speaking about others, and not to be quick to accept things I hear about others at face value. Frequently, when all sides of the story are heard, a far different picture emerges.
The Founding Fathers cannot confront their accusers, nor speak in their own defense. They are helpless targets of slander, and persons with no scruples can act without consequence from any human authority. In the long run, they will not prosper, because their Creator sees it all and Revelation tells us that the liars are condemned to a negative judgment.
For the rest of us; it’s easy to fall into a pattern of repeating interesting things we’ve heard, but that can lead us into perpetuating slanderous talk. Even when the negative talk is true, it may not tell the whole truth, and may seek to pervert the truth by presenting matters in a slanted manner. As the old joke says: it’s better to be silent and thought of as a fool than to open our mouths and remove all doubt.
Holy cow. You’ve reminded me of the time I got suspended from school because someone, some malicious little villain, told the teacher that I’d called her a big ape. It was untrue, my parents knew it was untrue–but it went on my record.
It pretty much disrupted my entire life. Eventually I had to leave that church, which is a shame, because I had been a member since my teens and had literally been there the first time the building was used for services. I had actually done work on the building and guarded the construction site when it was being renovated. These days, I wouldn’t walk in the door, and pity anyone who does.
I’m not trying to wallow in self pity; I moved on and built a new life, but my point is that the effects from mere words can be devastating. There were real costs; costs which could be measured in dollars, and immeasurable costs in the realm of emotional pain.
Gossip, tittle-tattle, slander… I sometimes wonder what the Lord sees in us.
I have just gone through that kind of thing. Not me, but a close friend. Hateful text messages sent from someone who had been a close friend to her. Hateful messages (slander) from someone we both know. I had to step in and tell her to stop. That ended it. I know her well, and never would have thought she would text such hateful texts. She said she was sorry, and knows it was wrong. That may be, nevertheless, the hurt and pain she caused, for no good reason, will last a lifetime. Their friendship is over.