Well, our Christmas tree is up, it’s trimmed, our new stove is cooking a duck for Christmas dinner, the cats are asleep, and my stars, am I beat!
I can’t believe I haven’t posted Silent Night yet. Let us remedy that, forthwith.
As for that Pew Poll–well, Robert Louis Stevenson didn’t call that character in Treasure Island “Blind Pew” for nothing.
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Blind Pew… one of the villains
A word to live by: No one can do very wrong by going against the trends.
Somehow I missed this Pew Research report that came out last month (http://www.pewforum.org/2017/12/12/americans-say-religious-aspects-of-christmas-are-declining-in-public-life/), claiming “Shrinking majority believes the biblical account of the birth of Jesus depicts actual events,” etc.
At the heart of this report we have this. “Most U.S. adults believe–” the word “observe” would be more accurate–“the religious aspects of Christmas are emphasized less now than in the past.” Duh! Really! You mean, after a decades-long, concerted effort to mock and vilify Christians who believe the Bible, some people have either turned away from that belief or else keep quiet about it? Gosh, who’da thought it? Propaganda really works! Thank you, teachers’ unions, noozies, and lawsuit-happy lawyers.
You can be sure the nooze media were popping their buttons over this one, just like they do with every year’s just-in-time-for-Christmas “Christmas stinks” report.
Pew sez belief in the historical accuracy of the Biblical account of Christ’s birth is 57%, down from 65% in 2014. That’s just three years.
I take this with a boulder of salt. I don’t know how Pew phrased the questions, how they decided who to ask, and other details that can dramatically skew the outcome of a poll.
What to do?
Like a wise lady once said, “When things get darker and harder–sing louder!”
God’s will shall be done, no matter what people think. Actually, I don’t think He spends a lot of time worrying about trends in popular opinion. God will keep His promises, He will do what He has said He’ll do. And if people don’t want eternal life, forgiveness of sins, the healing of all hurts, and the restoration of the world… I guess that’s their lookout.
I’ve figured out what my problem is. There are more Christmas carols than I have readers to request them. Meanwhile, “thewhiterabbit” has asked for O Little Town of Bethlehem. I hope nobody minds my opting for Elvis Presley as the singer. I pay no attention to his rock and roll. But oh, what a voice! And, by all accounts, a man who loved the Lord and didn’t mind using his God-given voice to praise Him.
I flubbed a hymn request by “thewhiterabbit,” so much for perfection–well, here’s the one you wanted, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. I opted for Bing Crosby’s performance–beautiful. But all of Christmas is beautiful.
I couldn’t let Christmas pass without The First Noel, another carol we were once allowed to sing in school. I hope you like this rendition by the Dublin Welsh Male Voice Choir.
Let’s have some more requests! Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.
Requested by “thewhiterabbit,” Hark! The Herald Angels Sing–I hope you like this rendition by Amy Grant.
Charles Wesley published the lyrics to this Christmas hymn back in 1739, and Felix Mendelssohn composed the familiar melody 100 years later.
Would you believe we used to be allowed to sing this in… school?
Somtimes us Interllecturals we “are” so Smart we culd jist Kiss our selfs al over!
Hear at Collidge we has set Up a “nattividy seen” whith “a” Computer in the mainger insted Of that baby becose The Computer it is a Simble of Ssciance and Proggrest it is goin to Make “the” World toetully Perfict!! This hear is Reel Salivation,, not that fake salavation them christins thay Awlyaws talk abote!!!
As sooon as we gets Word Press or Faice Book to set “it”up we can putt a Computer Chip in Evryboddy’s brane and then the Computer it wil know “evry” time somone thay Think a hatful thuohght or somb Other Thing that is wrongg And bad and then The Govvermint it wil take Out yore brane and Fix “it” so yiu cant think No More Bad Things!! that is the whay to Control al them ordrinary dum peple so thay Cant vote “for” Trumpt no more!!
Jist think Of “it”!! No more Bad Thinking!! And than evryboddy Thay wont has to “work”” no more thay can jist “de-voat” al thare Time “to” studdy and aslo Vidio Games!! No more work, no more buzness and no more No-Good ritch peple trying to Make a prophit!!!! The hole world It Will be Perffict!! Becose Sciance it have All The Anssers!!
Like my prefesser he sayes “The Peple thay can ownly be Trooly Free iff yiu take Awaiy thare freedim!!!” But yiu has to go to Collidge and be a Introllectural befour yiu “can” under-stannd that!
I’m a storyteller. I collect stories by watching movies and TV. Sometimes this is hard on me.
I don’t know whether these TV shows reflect something in Western culture that has really happened, or are just being shaped by somebody’s agenda. But it really does seem, in this vast collection of fiction, that the default position of almost all the characters is ABC–Anything But Christianity. The few Christians who do appear in the screenplays are almost all portrayed as nuts, and the other characters respond to them as they would to a strange animal species inexplicably appearing in their midst.
It is not “unbelief,” because there’s nobody who is without some set of beliefs or other, but rather “misbelief.” They don’t believe in God, they don’t believe in Jesus Christ. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what they believe in. Other times it’s easy: their own smartness, the State, Science, evolution, the coerced perfectibility of man, or some other inanity.
When I was growing up, virtually everyone I knew was a Christian of some kind. Some polls tell us that most people, at least in America, are still Christians. But the TV shows and movies tell us Christianity is over. Are the producers trying to make it be over by saying it’s over? Say it often enough, and people come to believe it, and it becomes true.
So I don’t know whether it’s true or not. But if it is, how did it happen? This has all been within my own lifetime. People are now proud of things they ought to be ashamed of, love things they should hate, and hate things they should love.
What can we do but proclaim Christ’s Kingdom, God’s sovereign grace and love, and truth as revealed in God’s Word? We can’t make them listen. No one can force anyone else to accept salvation.
O Lord our God, keep us from the evils of this age. We fear the institutional church has lost its power: but who knows if that was not your will, because you have something better in mind for us? Give us wisdom to understand these times, so that we might more wisely serve Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Our King. In Jesus’ name, amen.
This ninny didn’t even have WordPress to make him look like a ninny.
https://leeduigon.com/2015/12/05/the-biggest-ninny-in-the-bible/
If this doesn’t make your eyes fill up, you’d better get your fluids checked: you might be running low.
O Little Town of Bethlehem, sung by the immortal Nat King Cole–and unless I miss my guess, the art is by Thomas Kincaid.
Tchaaa! WordPress got me again! Automatically disabled the comments. Grrrr!