Challenging evening with liberal friends…

Frustrating, because they don’t like to talk “politics” - no discussion allowed.

We had another wonderful time with these great friends this evening, playing cards, munching and talking small talk.  Two bits of “small talk” provoked some interesting deeper insights.  Incites might be more to the point.

One was a short discussion about the direction of music from generation to generation.  I brought up the increased vulgarity, lack of melody, harmony, general musicality and sense of discipline and musical talent as we experience in the rap, hip hop and heavy metal of much of today’s Top 40 compared to the music of 30 to 50 years ago.  Our friend corrected me and said “vulgarity is your term.  What’s vulgar to you isn’t vulgar to others.”  I agreed with that.  Some people are more vulgar than others and may not consider what they do and say to be vulgar.  But then I went a step further and asked our friend “if the music and behavior of subsequent generations is increasingly rebellious and vulgar in the eyes of the previous generation, will there be a point when that vulgarity becomes so vile and demeaning that it is damaging to society – becomes destructive – even to the point of threatening its very existence?”  She dismissed that prospect by reminding me that every new generation goes through this “rebellious” phase.   That’s when I quit my end of the conversation realizing she is a moral relativist.  To her there is no “right or wrong”; no distinction between good behavior and bad behavior; there is no behavior or attitude that will bring the culture down.  It all just “is.”  She just dismissed one of the major reasons for millennia of failed civilizations.  How can you argue with that?  So I didn’t.

The next tidbit of conversation was during a Cat Stevens song.  I mentioned it would be interesting to hear his conversion experience to Islam.  Our friend pondered that comment for a moment after the cards were dealt, and then mused “it makes sense, because Cat Steven’s songs were often about peace.”  I questioned that conclusion when I said “it sounds more like an oxymoron to me – converting to a religion that is certainly not known for peace.”  She countered with great surprise giving her view that Islam certainly is a peaceful religion.  Then she said “look at Christianity and the Crusades.”  I reminded her that was over a thousand years ago and expressed my own amazement that anyone today would consider Islam a religion of peace instead of the violent fascist political system Islam is today.  She dismissed my thoughts as just focusing on a few radicals. 

Knowing they don’t like to discuss politics, I exercised an uncanny amount of self-discipline and didn’t expound on the true nature of present day Islam.  It was enough for the moment that I planted seeds of bewilderment that anyone would think of Islam as “peace loving.”  If she was open to anything, I would certainly share these websites with her: The Religion of Peace and Jihad Watch and a couple of my previous posts here and here.  If I could, I would pry open her brain and pour the content of these sites into her.  But I think there may be some sort of Teflon coating on the synapses that prevents absorption of new information.

Senator Warner Declares Homosexual Acts “Moral”

How many of our long-standing, culture-shaping “moral standards” rooted in the Bible are going to bow to special interest pressure and become “politically incorrect?”

As recently as a few years ago, the big news would have been someone being “outed” for the immorality of homosexual behavior. Today the big news is someone being “outed” for suggesting that homosexuality is immoral.

Here is the story:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon's top general expressed regret Tuesday for voicing his personal view that homosexuality is immoral, but he did not apologize for the comment that drew criticism from lawmakers and gay-rights groups.
In a newspaper interview Monday, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, likened homosexual acts to adultery and said the military should not condone it by allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces._________________

In response to General Pace’s comments, Senator John Warner declared that homosexuality, and by extension, homosexual acts, are not immoral. In other words, he declares homosexual acts to be moral.

Perhaps John holds Biblical principles in low esteem. Perhaps John, like many others, believe the Biblical criticism of homosexuality is a vague, isolated and detached principle bearing little relationship to the primary theme of Scripture. Maybe that is why the Warners of the world cavalierly dismiss this particular type of immorality.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The theme of the evil of homosexual acts permeates both the old and new testaments. Here are a few examples:

• Genesis 13:13 "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.”
• Genesis 19:5 “And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.” (Sexual immorality was the reason for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.)
• Leviticus 18:22 “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”
• Deuteronomy 23:17 “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor ba sodomite of the sons of Israel.”
• Isaiah 3:9 “The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.”
• Romans 1:27-30 “And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
• Jude 1:7 7 “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

From Genesis to Jude, the message of the immorality of homosexuality as one among many sexually immoral behaviors runs throughout.

In this life, some have more or less of a predisposition toward alcoholism, toward drug addiction, toward homosexuality or other sexual perversions, toward violent behavior, toward impatience, and toward a wide variety of other shortcomings of human behavior. A measure of human character is our ability to bridle our negative predispositions. Just because we refuse to bridle our predisposition toward violence does not make our violent acts acceptable. Just because we refuse to bridle our predisposition toward homosexuality does not make our homosexuality acceptable.

The teachings of Christianity expressed in the Bible are this nations’ basis for morality and law. When out of convenience or as a result of political pressure groups and influence we dismiss one clear Biblical moral teaching, we begin the unraveling of all the rest.

Let’s check out what other Biblical declarations of immorality, upon which this nation’s moral standards and laws have been based, might soon be declared null and void by political decree…

Thou shalt not murder.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt honor thy mother and father
Thou shalt not covet.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Which Senator or other half-witted politician wants to declare some of these Biblical standards null and void? Its bad enough that many of us fall short of these standards, despite considering them to be sound moral standards. But to purposely declare these standards irrelevant and not worthy to strive toward is idiocy.

What is the basis for morality? Is it what the most vocal group claims is OK? Is it something that can be determined by a pollster?

So, if the “Child Predators Association” or “The Man-Boy Love Association” or the “Animal-Human Love Association” or “defenders of murder” groups (trust me, there is a group representing every perversion you can imagine, and some you can’t) ever become prominent, Senator Warner and other amoralists may then declare child molestation, man-boy love, and murder to be moral.

General Pace is apparently considered “an unenlightened throwback” with regard to his moral standards by the folks who have declared traditional morality obsolete. Others might admit he has a right to his personal moral beliefs, and agree that such beliefs may still be valid, but argue he has no right to express them in a public forum or in the carrying out of his duties.

Wow! In either case, this smack down bodes trouble for our nation’s leaders, as well as for this and future generations.

Since when does a leader, a public leader in high places, lose his right and obligation to speak out on moral issues? That is a major part of the job of a good leader...not only to be a good moral example, but to speak out for morality.

And what is the next moral imperative that will be struck down by ignorant, self-serving, “politically-correct”, but ultimately destructive decree?

I see it coming. Soon there will be a time when nothing is considered immoral, when there is no basis for law, for abiding by laws, or for civil behavior. At such time as everyone does what is right in his own eyes will be the death of order and death of civilization. Thus will come a second Dark Age, unless Gods patience draws to a close and another cleansing occurs.

I thank God for people like General Pace. I pray there will be many more leaders just like him who rise up for Godly values with courage and conviction in the face of ignorant adversity.

Sir Elton - Poster "Boy" for Anti-Religion

Its human nature: Smokers do it...alcoholics and addicts do it...gays do it... perverts do it... abortionists do it... thieves do it... Islamo-fascists and their sympathizers do it...illegal aliens and those who benefit from their law-breaking do it. When they tire of hearing that their behavior is wrong, they attempt to eliminate the source of the standard that constrains their behavior.

Sir Elton John is defending his Royal Gayness with a call to ban all religion. You can substitute any of the above-listed destructive predispositions for "gay" and end up with the same hope on the part of the lover of absolute libertarian behavior. You can substitute "law" or "ethics" for "religion" to refer to any standard that is inconveniently constraining.

I've actually heard a smoker defend her addiction by denying the validity of the studies that say smoking causes cancer. She rationalizes that if the same intensity of study were applied to stringbeans that stringbeans will be found to cause cancer, too. Addictions, habits, and predispositions, whether perverted or not, can be mind-bending, indeed.

So much so that a self-rationalization mechanism kicks in creating a Napolean complex that demands the outrageous. Case in point: Gay Sir Elton's defence of his behavior demands a ban on all religion as reported by Matt Drudge:

"ELTON JOHN: 'I WOULD BAN RELIGION COMPLETELY'Sat Nov 11 2006 15:42:55 ET
Sir Elton John wants religion banned completely -- because he believes it promotes hatred of gays. Speaking to the Observer Music Monthly Magazine the singer said religion lacked compassion and turned people into "hateful lemmings". The PRESS ASSOCIATION reports: In a candid interview for a dedicated Gay issue of the magazine he shared his views on topics as varied as being a pop icon to Tony Blair's stance on the war in Iraq. He said there was a lack of religious leadership, particularly in world politics, and complained that people do not take to the streets to protest any more. Sir Elton said: "I think religion has always tried to turn hatred towards gay people. Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays." But there are so many people I know who are gay and love their religion. From my point of view I would ban religion completely." Organised religion doesn't seem to work. It turns people into really hateful lemmings and it's not really compassionate."

Yes, Sir Elton, and our standards against murder and rape cause people to have a problem with murderers and rapists. How awful of us. How "lemming" of us. Sir Elton, why don't you just thank your "God of no standards" that you don't have aids...yet...and that you're not burdened with the "hassle" of procreation.