Angel of Light

Angel of light most beautiful,

Gloriously radiant,

But only by reflection,

Of the divine.

 

Mistaken in your belief,

The glory was your own.

Your aspiration,

The highest throne.

 

Fallen to earth,

Beauty retained,

But only as a façade

A diabolical deceit.

 

You roam the earthly sphere,

Whispering in our ears,

Sly and attractive

On the surface.

 

Judging by outward appearance,

We think we are safe.

Until the trap is sprung.

We see too late.

 

Spirit of the living God,

Whisper in my ear,

Give me discernment

To know Truth.

The Power of Words

During the non-stop coverage of the protests/riots at the capitol, I heard Norah O’Donnell talk quite piously about the “power of words.”  She was referencing the ways in which Trump’s comments have been incendiary and caused the uprising.  I find this ironic given the ways in which the media in general, and Norah herself, have contributed to the divisiveness of the past year.

Is Trump guilty of using words…lots of words in person and by tweets… to throw gas on fires?  Yes, he certainly is.  He has been very unwise in both quantity and quality of words.  He has said much that is irrational, and it has resonated with lunatic fringe who are eager to translate words into actions.

However…

The media shares in the guilt.  Trump has been so hated from the beginning that absolutely everything he has done has been dissected and criticized in a way I have not previously seen.  Please don’t try to tell me the same thing happened to Obama or Bush or that it will happen to Biden.  Many of Trump appointees were raked over the coals unmercifully without a chance to prove they could do the job.  In contrast, some of Biden’s appointments, although there are valid concerns, have barely been mentioned in the media.  Biden is on camera bragging about a quid pro quo, but Trump was impeached for suspicion of the same.

The worst is always assumed of Trump.  If the media doesn’t know what he is doing, they assume he is off golfing…i.e. loafing.  Recently when that was the accusation, he was in fact off visiting the troops in Afghanistan.  A president cannot publicize everything he does.

The media long ago stopped reporting the news and began editorializing.  Trump did not just “ say” something.  He “lied” about something.  Do they think we are incapable of making any judgments for ourselves?

This has become a vicious cycle of unwise comments from Trump, over reaction from the media, Trump lashing out, the media responding, Trump getting angrier and the media getting more hostile.  The situation has escalated because both sides have been unwise.  Trump has frequently behaved like a toddler throwing a tantrum.  The best approach to that situation is to ignore the toddler and go about one’s business.  Do not reward bad behavior with attention.  Award good behavior.  Is there nothing positive Trump has done that the media could have emphasized?  Actually, there is quite a bit.

There is currently an ad for CBS now running in which Norah’s voice is heard saying that the most important question is “why?”  She and the rest of the media ought to be doing some soul-searching regarding “why” we are in the current morass of hatred and confusion. 

Yes, Norah…words have power…and that includes your words.

We are facing destruction

I have never been very interested in politics…but the nature of man does interest me.  Here are some thoughts.

A dictatorship or monarchy would work well as a system of government, if the despot had a strong moral compass and was inclined to be compassionate.

Democracy works well when the people have a strong moral compass and are inclined to be compassionate.

Capitalism works well when the members of the society behave morally and are inclined to be benevolent and even philanthropic, if they acquire more than their fellowmen.

Socialism works well when the members of the society have a strong work ethic and are tolerant of not acquiring more than their fellowmen.

Here’s the pattern…no form of government or economic system is sustainable outside of a strong set of moral values, a robust work ethic, and an inclination to care about those around us.

And…that is why the United States is in trouble.

History revisionists have attempted to remove the Christian context in which our country was formed, but it was fact.  Our government has only lasted as long as it has because of its moral underpinnings.  That has changed in my lilfetime.  When I was young, even people who were not overtly Christian understood the value of Christian principles and of having moral absolutes.  This is no longer the case.  We are not only pluralistic, but also relativistic.  Almost anything can be rationalized as tolerance.  It has become more important to be “tolerant” than it is to be “moral.”

We are on the slippery slope to destruction.  It is not Trump’s fault, and it will not be Biden’s fault.  It is our fault as a society.

II Timothy 3:1-5 (Phillips translation)

But you must realize that in the last days the times will be full of danger.  Men will become utterly self-centered, greedy for money, full of big words.  They will be proud and contemptuous, without any regard for what their parents taught them.  They will be utterly lacking in gratitude, purity and normal human affections.  They will be men of unscrupulous speech and have no control of themselves.  They will be passionate and unprincipled, treacherous, self-willed and conceited, loving all the time what gives them pleasure instead of loving God.  They will maintain a façade of “religion,” but their conduct will deny its validity.

The nature of man is not basically good and moral.  We are desperately wicked and in need of a Savior.

And…there is a Savior!

I John 1:9 (KJV)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Without repentance, we are facing destruction both individually and as a nation.