The Supreme Court of the United States heard oral argument last week in the case of 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, a pre-enforcement challenge to Colorado’s anti-discrimination law filed by a web designer who desires the right to refuse to design wedding websites for same-sex couples. The question before the Court is whether the State of Colorado can, without violating the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, compel an individual to engage in speech with which she fundamentally disagrees. The reason for her unwillingness to engage in a particular creative project is less relevant than the government’s lack of power to compel her to do so - the State violates the First Amendment by virtue of compelling speech just as much as it does so by denying the free exercise of religion.
The left-leaning punditocracy fears the conservative majority of the Supreme Court will eviscerate all antidiscrimination laws by declaring a right to discriminate as a component of the right to the free exercise of religion. As the question is presented in the case before the court, it would be unnecessary and inappropriate to resolve the case in that way. Under the freedom of speech portion of the First Amendment, the government is already prohibited from compelling individuals to engage in acts of creative expression (speech) with which they disagree, regardless of motive. Freedom of speech - not freedom of religion - decides this case, but the true exercise of the Christian religion would compel the opposite result.
Followers of Jesus are bound by our Lord’s command to a higher standard of conduct than the government can compel. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-48), Jesus said
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
While the Supreme Court appears likely, on the basis of compelled speech doctrine, to find in favor of 303 Creative and Lorie Smith, its owner, a higher authority has already found to the contrary. If Ms. Smith calls herself a Christian, she needs to rethink her actions in the light of her Lord’s command to love her enemies, lest she find herself embarrassed (or worse) when she stands before Him and he asks, “Why did you call me Lord and not do what I said?”
The following six proposed Amendments to the Constitution of the United States are offered as a starting point for discussion. Other Amendments might be desirable, but I feel these are most urgently needed in response to current crises.
[Proposed] Amendment XXVIII
Clarifying the Scope of the Second Amendment
The right to keep and bear arms shall be subject to the same level and type of regulation applicable to the right to own and operate a motor vehicle. Mere possession of an unlicensed firearm cannot be criminalized, nor can the use of such a weapon in self-defense. Transactions in commerce, and use other than in self-defense, are subject to regulation by the States and Congress, as appropriate.
[Proposed] Amendment XXIX
Restoring the Privileges and Immunities of Citizens
Neither the right of an adult to personal autonomy, nor the rights of personal privacy in intimate relations between consenting adults, being Privileges and Immunities of citizens of the United States, shall be infringed.
No citizen of at least eighteen years of age may be denied the equal protection of the laws, due process of law, or the Privileges and Immunities of citizens, on the basis of race, religion, sex (including gender, gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation), age, or disability.
Any citizen whose Rights, Privileges, or Immunities under this Constitution by a State or any person acting under color of State or Federal law shall have recourse in the Courts of the United States. Neither Federal nor State agents, nor agencies and instrumentalities of the several states, shall have immunity from suit under this Section, whether qualified, judicial, or sovereign.
Congress shall have the power to enforce this Amendment by appropriate legislation.
[Proposed] Amendment XXX
Reforming the Federal Judiciary
Federal Judges are appointed for life. The base salary for a Federal Judge shall be set as provided by law, as well as the terms and additional compensation for Federal judicial appointments above the District Judge level. Assignments to specific positions within the Federal Judiciary above the level of District Judge shall be made by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, and shall be for the term of years provided by law, after which the Judge may elect return to his or her original District or be assigned to a more convenient open position by the Administrative Office of the Courts of the United States, or such other Office to which Congress shall vest that authority by law.
All Federal Judges shall be subject to the same Code of Judicial Ethics, and Congress shall provide for its enforcement by means of civil and criminal penalties. Convictions for violations of that Code shall be deemed convictions by the Senate under Articles of Impeachment, and the Senate shall determine the penalty by majority vote.
Unless otherwise provided by an Act of Congress, appointments to the Circuit Courts of Appeals shall expire after ten years.
Appointments to the Supreme Court of the United States shall be for eighteen years and expire on the 30th day of June in the eighteenth year of the appointment. The President shall for each annual Term of the Supreme Court, designate a list of Federal Judges to serve on a rotating basis to hear and decide cases where one or more Justices are unable to hear the case due to illness, disability, or recusal under the Code of Judicial Ethics. Said list shall expire on the 30th day of June each year, and a new list shall be provided by the 1st day of October.
Effective immediately upon ratification of this Amendment, the term of the longest serving justice shall expire on the 30th day of June of each successive even-numbered year, with the Justice whose term is expiring eligible for Senior Status, with all the rights and responsibilities of that designation, or retirement.
[Proposed] Amendment XXXI
Restoring Sanity to the First Amendment
The rights of persons under this Constitution shall be construed to extend only to natural persons. As artificial persons, business corporations and similar entities organized under the laws of the several States shall be subject to regulation by, and the jurisdiction of the courts of, their state of incorporation, the state of their principal office, and the laws of Congress that regulate interstate commerce. The corporate form may limit the liability of the owners for the activities of the corporation, but the rights and privileges of the owners shall not extend to the corporation to shield it from liability for acts of discrimination or the obligation to comply with generally applicable laws.
[Proposed] Amendment XXXII
Dealing with Seditious States and Rogue Governors
Congress shall, by law otherwise consistent with this Constitution, provide for the dissolution, liquidation, and reconstruction of State governments that willfully and repeatedly choose, by means of legislation or enforcement, to restrict or abrogate the rights of individuals under this Constitution; the process provided under such a law shall provide for enforcement by the Executive, standards for adjudication by the Judiciary, and popular ratification of a new state constitution as a condition for readmission to the Union as a State. During the pendency of a reorganization, the state shall be governed as a dependency or territory of the United States, and its Congressional delegation shall have voice but no vote in their respective Chambers.
[Proposed] Amendment XXXIII
The President Is Not Sovereign
Congress may provide means, independent of the Executive, to enforce the laws of the United States against the Executive Agencies and Officers, be it by an Independent Counsel, a Special Prosecutor, or some other instrumentality. Such agency may be charged with investigating and prosecuting any matter referred by Congress.
The President is not immune from either criminal investigation or civil process in Federal Court. For State court matters, both civil and criminal, the President may remove the case to Federal court; all criminal cases in Federal court shall be stayed during the remainder of his term in office without regard to any limitations period, and may subsequently be remanded to State court. Civil cases removed to Federal Court shall be handled expeditiously, keeping any personal testimony or appearances by the President to an absolute minimum, and never requiring him to appear in person in court during his term.
The power of the Executive to pardon offenses against the United States shall not extend to himself, his immediate or extended family, his business associates, or any alleged or convicted co-conspirators. To be deemed valid pardons must be specific (limited in time and scope), in writing, published, and delivered to the National Archives, unsealed, within three calendar days of being signed.
Videos from The Victory Channel have been cropping up in my YouTube recommendations for weeks. After writing a rant about false prophets, which I have not shared yet, I was led by the Spirit to consider more charitable interpretations of why these "Prophets" are giving false information in the name of the Lord.
My first thought was that maybe God told them His choice was going to win the election, and they just assumed God would prefer a corrupt malignant narcissist who literally embodies the Seven Deadly Sins to any Democrat (or a qualified Republican). Obviously, anyone who would assume such a thing needs to spend some time getting reacquainted with Jesus, but I guess it's possible they heard something from God and filled in the details.
This morning, the Spirit led me to I Kings 22. Let me set up the story:
Back in the days of Elijah the Prophet, God's people (the majority, at least) were ruled by a malignant narcissist with a foreign wife (Ahab & Jezebel). Ahab got his leaders (and the neighboring King Jehosaphat of Judah) together and complained that part of their country (the town of Ramoth Gilead) had been stolen from them. During this "stop the steal" rally, King Jehosaphat expressed reluctance to take military action without first hearing what God had to say on the subject, so King Ahab brought together his board of spiritual advisors (400 prophets) and asked them, "Should I stay, or should I go take my country back?" To a man, the 400 prophets said "Go, for the Lord will give it into the King's hand."
Jehosaphat, not being an idiot, asked for a second and more objective opinion. "Is there no longer a prophet of Yahweh here to ask?"
1 Kings 22 (NIV)
8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
“The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.
9 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”
10 Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. 11 Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’”
12 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
13 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”
14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.”
15 When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or not?”
“Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
16 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
17 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”
18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”
19 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’
“One suggested this, and another that. 21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’
22 “‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.
“‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.
“‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’
23 “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”
I'm confident my readers can spot the applicability of this text to the present situation. For the sheep without a shepherd who are confused, go in peace, and bless your heart.
For the rest, and with apologies to Paul Harvey, here's the rest of the story.
Not wanting to misrepresent the situation and bear false witness to facts I hadn't observed, I watched the first two or three minutes of this video:
I had to stop due to the outright delusion and heresy by that point - if you claim God appeared to you and spoke about His Son, YOU ARE A LIAR. NO MAN HAS SEEN GOD AT ANY TIME. Jesus is the express image of the INVISIBLE God. You have no credibility. Now, sit down and shut up before someone who knows the Word of God (living and written) goes all prophetic on your ass. Keep declaring the word of whatever lying spirit is feeding you this bullshit, and God will enforce His word on false prophets to protect His name.
Since 1918, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge, has been a Christmas Eve tradition. Broadcast (with one exception) by the BBC every year since 1928, the service tells the story of God's plan to reconcile the world to himself in Christ through nine scripture readings interspersed with carols by the choir and hymns by the congregation. The readings have been fixed since 1919, and the opening and closing hymns are similarly static, but the songs between "Once in Royal David's City" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" vary from year to year, with new Christmas works for choir introduced from time to time.
Here are my favorites:
Organ Prelude
Opening Hymn
The Bidding Prayer
Beloved in Christ, be it this Christmastide our care and delight to hear again the message of the angels, and in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying in a manger.
Therefore let us read and mark in Holy Scripture the tale of the loving purposes of God from the first days of our disobedience unto the glorious Redemption brought us by this Holy Child.
But first, let us pray for the needs of the whole world; for peace on earth and goodwill among all his people; for unity and brotherhood within the Church he came to build, and especially in this city (town, village) of ... and diocese of ...
And because this of all things would rejoice his heart, let us remember, in his name, the poor and helpless, the cold, the hungry, and the oppressed; the sick and them that mourn, the lonely and the unloved, the aged and the little children; all those who know not the Lord Jesus, or who love him not, or who by sin have grieved his heart of love.
Lastly, let us remember before God all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore, and in a greater light, that multitude which no man can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom in the Lord Jesus we are forever one.
These prayers and praises let us humbly offer up to the Throne of Heaven, in the words which Christ himself hath taught us:
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
May the Almighty God bless us with His grace; Christ give us the joys of everlasting life, and unto the fellowship of the citizens above may the King of Angels bring us all. Amen.
Invitiatory Carol
The First Lesson
Genesis 3: 8–15; 17–19
The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate." The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you among all animals
and among all wild creatures;
upon your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
And to the man he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,
and have eaten of the tree
about which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it’,
cursed is the ground because of you;
in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
Adam lay ybounden Bounden in a bond Four thousand winters Though he not too long And all was for an apple An apple that he took As clerkes finden written in their book Nay had the apple taken been The apple taken been Nay had never our lady Abeen heavenly queen Blessed be the time That apple taken was Therefore we bound singen Deo gracias, deo gracias!
The Second Lesson
Genesis 22:15-18
The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, "By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice."
The Third Lesson
Isaiah 9: 2; 6-7
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness--
on them light has shined.
For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The Fourth Lesson
Isaiah 11: 1–3a; 4a; 6–9
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
With righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
The Fifth Lesson
Luke 1: 26–35; 38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
The Sixth Lesson
Luke 2: 1; 3–7
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Seventh Lesson
Luke 2: 8-16
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.
Hymn:
The Eighth Lesson
Matthew 2: 1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
OFFERTORY:
The Ninth Lesson
John 1: 1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
This is my fantasy/wish list for music for the First Sunday of Advent with readings from the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B. The music can be plugged into any traditional order of worship, but I envisioned a traditional Book of Common Prayer order.
The service begins with (what else?) Bach's Wachet auf!
The choir follows immediately with the Introit, sung from an alternate location (gallery or back of the nave if they are normally at the front, chancel if they are normally in the back)...
...which is followed directly by the Entrance Hymn with an extended introduction if necessary to allow the choir to get into position for the procession).
The hymn for the Service of the Word (Sequence, Gradual, Gospel Acclamation, or Hymn of the Day) is
For the Offertory, a suitable choral setting of "The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns", followed by the first two stanzas of "O come, o come. Emmanuel" as the Presentation Hymn.
During communion, "Let all mortal flesh keep silence"
Non-Evangelical Christians in the Western world (following the Revised Common Lectionary) have been camped in the parables of the Kingdom for weeks, with the last three weeks of the Church Year spent in the 25th Chapter of Matthew. While Pat Robertson, Kenneth Copeland, and Paula White-Cain have been prophesying the desires of their hearts, full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing, the faithful around the globe have been listening to Jesus and practicing His teachings.
On Sunday, November 8 (following the American Evangelicals' Great Disappointment), we heard the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13). Those who were not prepared for what was to come were left out in the cold, while the wise ones were celebrating with the Bridegroom. In the context of Jesus' parables (particularly in Matthew), wisdom is equated with hearing and doing Jesus' teachings - and the next two parables support that interpretation.
November 15th featured the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The Lord left on a long journey, empowering his servants to take care of business in his absence. Upon his return, he conducted a performance evaluation and handed out rewards and punishments as warranted. The servant who thought his master unjust (dishonest, etc.) and therefore was too afraid of losing to do what was expected ended up out in the cold, while the faithful servants who did what was expected of them were welcomed with joy.
Finally, on the 22nd, we heard non-parable (more a declarative prophecy) of the Judgment of the Nations (Matthew 25:31-46), where Jesus is crystal clear in delineating His expectations - the standard by which the final judgment will be conducted. A whole bunch of people who thought they were on the Lord's side - prophets and miracle workers among them - will be massively disappointed with their final outcome.
Now that the results of the 2020 Presidential Election have been tabulated and certified, and after considering the lessons of the last three weeks (both in and out of Church), I feel comfortable sharing more widely what I've only told a select few. Since at least 1992, I have held the view that the winner of the Presidential election had been and would be the individual whose heart (not the party platform) was most open to the teachings of Jesus - not the so-called "Biblical principles" espoused by American Evangelicals, but the red-letter stuff Jesus actually said. Cycle after cycle reinforced that belief - even the mess of 2000. Then 2016 happened, and I asked the Lord for an explanation as to why He allowed a man who embodied the works of the flesh and the Seven Deadly Sins (with none of the fruit of the Spirit) to ascend to the Presidency, when there were far better candidates available, at least in the Republican primary field. He told me He was giving them the leader they deserved in order to expose the moral and spiritual bankruptcy of the Republican/Evangelical coalition. I believe the condition of American Evangelicalism has been well and truly exposed, but I could be wrong - there may be more corruption and decay that has yet to see the light of media exposure in the Internet Age. For those who continue to embrace "alternative facts", the plague is out there and cares not for your religious freedom or the false prophets who have told you "all will be well" - especially those who prophesied a Romney residence or a second Trump term.
When it comes time for the final evaluation, the only thing that matters is how you live out the words of Jesus. Feed the hungry. Care for the sick, if you can't find the faith to heal them. Show hospitality to immigrants and refugees. Seek humane treatment for prisoners - and don't look the other way when cops kill unarmed civilians. If you oppose abortion (and rightly so), ensure the social safety net can handle health care, child care, food, and housing for those babies and their mothers. Otherwise, you're not pro-life -- you're just anti-sex. You can put the red-letter teachings of Jesus into practice in your own life, and advocate for them in society, or you can find yourself left behind, out in the cold, and in the company of the devil and his angels. Choose wisely.
So-called
conservatives are complaining about social media "censorship". They are acting like Marxists, worse than the
whiny social justice warriors they complain about incessantly. What do they propose to do about this huge
problem? Class action lawsuits? Government takeover of private property?
A lawsuit would get
dismissed for two reasons. First, social
media accounts are set up under terms of use agreements that contain
arbitration clauses. Second, in the
event there was a court that would ignore Federal law and refuse to enforce
binding arbitration, there is no plaintiff with standing to bring a suit under
Article III of the Constitution because there are no damages. YouTube won't publish your rant video? How much did you pay for the right to post
whatever you please? Oh…nothing? Well, here's your money back, with
interest. Go home, Karen.
You would deny the
property owner the right to tear down your posters from their fence, or paint
over your graffiti? You demand YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter to allow you to do
whatever you want using their facilities that you don't pay for? If you are demanding
the right to use someone else's private property like it was public property,
you're a goddamn communist. If you don't like YouTube controlling the bandwidth
it pays for, you need to pay for your own. If the Government shuts down free
speech, that's unconstitutional censorship. If a private company enforces terms
of use you agreed to when you set up an account on their platform, that's
capitalism. You're free to speak from the public square and publish your rants
in a newspaper or magazine you print at your own expense, but you can't
commandeer private property for your purposes. Grow up and stop like acting
like the frickin' Marxists you claim to oppose.
