From July 24, 2017
How many times have we encountered this? “My grandson that I really, really love was so unhappy because he couldn’t marry his boyfriend; but now he can, and he’s just so happy! And I’m happy that he’s happy, so I’m all in favor of gay marriage and that’s why I have the Rainbow Flag on my lawn…”?
Moral standards that are handed down by God, and have stood unchanged for thousands of years, must quickly give way–because someone is “unhappy” with them. Naturally, we want our loved ones to be “happy.”
Even if we don’t quite know what the word means, anymore.
The Bible believes in happiness. “Happy is that people, that is in such a case; yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15). “[H]e that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he” (Proverbs 14:21). But the word is never used to describe sexual anarchy.
Still, for the sake of whatever “happiness” is, people with blinding speed discard the moral code in which they were raised. There was once a baby shower here, in front of this apartment building, complete with DJ and free beer, to celebrate an impending out-of-wedlock birth. The mother-to-be, who had not yet divorced her husband, was having the baby by her shiftless, no-good boyfriend. And the yard was full of “happy” people “celebrating” the event which, at one time in their lives, they would have viewed as a moral calamity. Mr. Boyfriend, by the way, stuck around long enough to beget another child by this woman, then fled the scene. Leaving the baby strapped into a car seat, Mommy worked full-time while Mr. Boyfriend played video games and gambled.
But they were “happy” for a while.
Are God’s laws bad because, if we obey them, they keep us out of messes like this? Or are they just bad because God doesn’t like us to be “happy”?
But, hey, well, if we’re gonna trust other sinners, if we’re gonna trust What’s Happenin’ Now, instead of trusting God… God doesn’t know what’s best for us, but Bill Nye the Science Guy does. Anything to be “happy”–right?
If we compare life in the US today with life in the US fifty years ago, the shallowness of today’s “happiness” stands out in start relief. Satisfying our every momentary whim is a poor substitute for happiness, but apparently some people live only for the moment.
There are several divorced people among my acquaintances and most of them have tales of betrayal and sometimes theft, as a result of their marriage breaking up. There is a common thread to most of these stories and that is sexual immorality. One partner in the marriage feels dissatisfied and claims to be justified in leaving the marriage. In many cases, they rush into a “relationship” and fight tooth and nail over every marital asset. Almost invariably, the prodigal mate asks to come back at some point and the drama reiterates.
But this seems to require one thing in order to happen, at least one mate has to have chosen sexual immorality over loyalty to their partner. They are not thinking beyond the immediate. When a couple splits up, they are affecting the family from that day forward. Children and grandchildren will be affected and every family event will be a juggling act to keep warring parties away from one another. I can think of several situations where this is happening today.
So yes, we have astounding levels of freedom in our day, far beyond anything we’ve ever seen in the history of the US, but these freedoms have come with a cost which has harmed our social order. Families are becoming a rarity and lifelong marriage is the practice of a relative handful. Even persons claiming to live as Christians are affected, ignoring the fact that biblical standards prohibit revolving door marriages. Freedom from God’s commands is not all that desirable.
Speaking of happiness, I wonder how happy Hil-liary will be if she sees this list – and the rest of those who made it too. lol
https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2017/07/24/hillary-clinton-voted-second-most-hated-person-in-hollywood/
That’s quite a list. I can’t think of one person on that list that I would care to meet.
My friends and I met Horace Clarke a few times, but he’s not on the list.
LOL! Libs don’t even like their fellow libs.
Nearly nine yers on, the inexorable march away from morality continues, unabated. Since this was first posted 8 1/2 years ago, I watched one of these scenarios play out, among my social circle. A family was broken, children raised by two parents are now raised by one natural parent and a step parent. The rejected party passed away, far too young, and the situation is beyond irreversible.
Lives will be changed for generations to come. Relationships will be altered and undoubtedly, there will be regrets in the long term. In my own family, an act of immorality, over 140 years ago affects lives to this day. Procreating children is the most powerful thing that humans do, and doing so in an orderly manner is better for everyone.
This is so true. The consequences of thoughtless reproduction (one of humankind’s strongest drives) will affect generations to come.
I grew up with one relative who was born of an adulterous act, and it cast a pall upon that branch of the family. When I was a child, I didn’t know the reasons, but there were certain relatives who were never spoken about and some strange relationships. Distant cousins who may or may not have been actual relatives. Later in life, I was able to fit the puzzle pieces together and realized what had happened.
This is not to suggest that someone born of such circumstances should be burdened by guilt, but the level of confusion was off scale. Why was someone’s grandmother nowhere in the picture? Why was did same person’s grandfather have a different surname? Was he actually the grandfather, or not? Perhaps the most important question was; why would no one talk about any of this?
The family is a blessing. No family is without shortcomings and challenges, but at the end of the day, family is the most powerful tool we have in establishing an orderly life. Family can help someone to plan, to obtain useful education, and to become self sufficient. Family can help when one family member is in need of help and emotional support. Family is a great place to reflect upon our blessings and share the goodness of our lives with others. Of I could have anything, it would be more interaction with my relatives.