Friday, August 6, 2010

Is it really against you?

I have never met a person who didn't like to think that people were against him. Let's face it, we love to play the martyr card; we love to be the stoic victims who boldly endure the insults and the slings that people cast against us. Oh woe is us! Can I say that it is safe to say that many times this attitude is overblown?

There are times when people are against you - not just people complaining, but people in positions of power and authority who want to do you wrong. That is rough. But times when other people simply don't care what you think? Eh, that's not them being "against" you - that isn't them persecuting you.

What makes me to say this? Well, there's court stuff going on in California, and there's been another round of "Oh my, they are so anti-Christian". No. Gay Marriage proposals are not anti-Christian, they aren't part of a nefarious plot to drag all Christians to the stake (although I'm sure that there are some proponents of Gay Marriage who might like that). This isn't "anti-Christian" - it's "achristian". This isn't a sign that people want to do you harm - it's just that they don't care what you say or think.

You know what - we may not be the dominate force on culture that we used to be. That isn't persecution. That's just the general world not being with you or for you. This isn't persecution - not yet.

3 comments:

Ted Badje said...

Not yet - not all people who want gay marriage are persecuting Christians, but in California there are many who will berate Christianity and Christians for believing homosexuality is wrong.
I am not so much a Lutheran believer in the 'Two Kingdoms' to not believe that the forces of darkness are gathering against the church, in the form of the secularists, and people opposed to the clear messages of God's word. There is a call for discernment, as Paul preaches. I listen to talk radio, but I don't think President Obama can easily pass the Freedom of Choice Act, which would invalidate many state laws regulating Abortion. The consequences against such an overreach from voters would be devastating to the Democrats. I also don't believe the Republican party or the Tea Party are the salvation of social conservatives. The GOP seems to follow its own interests, and leaves the Christian social issues in the dust. Any real movement from Christians has to originate from the churches, and not any political machine.

Rev. Eric J Brown said...

We must make a distinction between the normal wickedness of the world (which we see in full), and when the world moves against us. If we freak out at the former, how will we ever be able to be prepared for the latter?

Chad Myers said...

This is another domino in the line of the corruption of marriage.

This was, sadly, predicted 130 years ago:
"When the Christian religion is rejected and repudiated, marriage sinks of necessity into the slavery of man's vicious nature and vile passions, and finds but little protection in the help of natural goodness. A very torrent of evil has flowed from this source, not only into private families, but also into States... Then, if they are hindered by law from carrying out this shameful desire, they contend that the laws are iniquitous, inhuman, and at variance with the rights of free citizens; adding that every effort should be made to repeal such enactments, and to introduce a more humane code...' Pope Leo XIII, February 1880,Arcanum 27

He was writing about divorce at the time.

Marriage was undermined by allowing divorce (the marriage itself) and contraception (the family anchor that cements the marriage bond).

When you allow divorce, divorcees can't say that fornicators or adulterers are immoral. When you allow fornication and adultery, the fornicators and adulterers cannot say that homosexual behavior is immoral. When you allow homosexuality, you can't say that other perversions are immoral.

Pull the marriage pin, and everything else falls apart.