Posts
Thanks for the question! It is a very common topic for discussion. There has always been a lot of debate and confusion regarding the topic.
The short answer to your question is: Yes. Speaking in tongues is a real thing.
The confusion revolves around two major points though.
First, speaking in tongues does not mean the same things to everyone who uses that term.
In many instances in the Bible, people are given a Spiritual Gift by God to be able to speak another known language so as to communicate with people who don't naturally speak Greek. Check out Acts Chapter 2. In this instance the apostles are given a gift where they can speak in many languages and the people who are listening are shocked that they each can hear their teachings in their own native language. It is also spoken of many times in the book of Revelation, (chapter 5,7,10,11,13, 14 and 17). One cool thing about this gift of the spirit is that it is one of the first ways that God truly demonstrates that the Gospel of Jesus is intended for everyone, no matter their language, race, or previous creed or religion.
Personally, I have not seen this gift or experienced this gift in the way it seems to be described in Acts and Revelation. I have seen people who on mission trips where they don't know a language all that well be amazed at how well they are able to communicate with people of other languages, and how well these people seem to understand their broken Spanish or Swahili or whatever the language may be.
When Bible scholars refer to this gift, they call it Xenoglossy, and there is much debate over other occurrences and mentions of the gift of Tongues on whether this is actually what they are referring to.
Second. The more mysterious and controversial version of the Gift of Tongues is referred to as Glossolalia. This is a gift that the Holy Spirit bestows on a person where they are able to speak their own personal language to communicate with God. This gift seems to be much more common. This seems to be what Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 14 when he is talking about the gift of tongues. Make sure that you note what Paul says about how it is only meaningful to the person doing it unless someone can interpret it, and how in church it would be better to utter 5 intelligible words than ten thousand in a personal prayer language.
Among many churches who consider themselves Pentecostal or Charismatic, they will tell you that they believe that anyone who is "filled with the spirit" should be able to speak in tongues (glossolalia). Many of these churches give time and opportunity during the services for people to do this, or even to learn how to do it. I personally went to one of these types of churches a few times in college. I had decided that if speaking in tongues was something that God wanted me to do, I wanted to do it. I prayed for the gift, and several other people prayed for the gift for me. I never received the gift. A couple of people told me that at the time I was too shy. Other people told me that I was not full of the spirit. Since then, I have been told that "in order to start speaking in tongues, you have to just start speaking in tongues." When I let them know I was baffled by this, they told me that I needed to start opening my mouth and uttering noises, and more would come. This has not worked for me either. I believe at this point that it is not a gift that God needs for me to have or use right now.
Since that experience in my life, I have seen churches who use tongues do quite a bit of harm by being divisive and labeling people as either "spirit filled" or "not spirit filled" based solely on the possession of this one gift. In my personal opinion and interpretation of scripture, this puts WAAAAAY too much emphasis on what Paul clearly states is a less important gift. It also causes people to believe that we manipulate the spirit for our own needs and desires, but in actuality scripture seems to teach that the Spirit is not ours to control, it is God's wild presence with us that won't be limited by our desire to tame and domesticate it.
Mountain Park chooses to not feature this gift in our services. We believe fully that it can be and is a part of some people's personal relationships with God. We don't deny that it happens, but we believe that featured in our services without explanation and interpretation it would add more confusion than it would be worth for the body. Because of our "Safe Place to Visit" mission statement, we wouldn't want a newcomer to be overwhelmed, scared or confused by it.
For more information...
Wikipedia has some interesting information about it, but much of it is biased by either people who are extreme on either side of the debate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia
Also Bible.org has a very informative article on it with tons of great scripture references at http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=393
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Ask Questions – Speaking in Tongues?
Ask Questions – The Question of Homosexuality
Here is the big question about Homosexuality
Michelle,
Wow, thanks for asking the question. It is funny to me because I just taught about this issue this past Sunday in Hot Church. We recently did a Sex, Love and Dating Series in Hot Church and the number one question that was asked by more students than any other by a long shot was the question about Homosexuality. You can certainly see that this question is so important to so many people in our culture.
I'm sure that as you ask this question that you have some background knowledge on what the Bible says. There are many groups that look at verses like Leviticus 18:22 Which says: 22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
And for them, that settles it.
Leviticus 20:13 is even more harsh: 13 " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
Those verses seem pretty cut and dried, until you wonder about them in context. Many people will point out that many of the laws and rules in Leviticus are "purity codes" that were abolished by Jesus. Other purity codes include laws that state that a man can not cut his beard or the sides of his hair. Or that tattoos are forbidden. Or that they can not eat pork. There are many other purity codes that we now do not keep. Many people say that the reason for these purity codes were not there simply to please God but to separate the people of Israel from the other tribes around them that they wanted to stay above.
It is also important to note that in the years that these laws were in effect for the Israelites, it was rare for anyone to be singled out for these sins and put to death. This was shown strongly when the Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery. (John 8.) This was not a common occurrence, but they brought the woman to Jesus to see how He would react to them trying to get her executed on this basis.
Many people will also point out that the New Testament is not silent on the subject of Homosexuality.
Paul talks about the issue a couple of different times, but there is also a lot of controversy over these statements as well. In 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1, Paul refers to homosexuality...but... there is quite a bit of scholarly debate over why he used the words that he used. The two words that he uses in these passages are: (Greek) malakoi and arsenokoiati. Neither of these words, were very common at the time. In fact, the common words were derivative words from the language that the Hebrews used to describe homosexuality. The words that Paul used are not found in too many other places to describe homosexuality. The place where these words were most commonly used was when people were referring to a Greco-Roman practice of an older male, taking a younger (early teen) boy to be his student, and many times turning them into somewhat of a sex slave. Seeing as how this is not clear, the most common New Testament verse used to talk about homosexuality if found in Romans Chapter 1.
Romans 1:
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
There is no doubt that this describes not only the male homosexual act, it also describes the female act as well. Many people are quick to point out that what Paul is talking about here, yes is about the homosexual act, but in its context is talking about the Roman worship of idols and Roman gods. This is Paul's major problem with the Roman church. That they walk away from their new found Christian faith to "indulge" in old Roman practices which included worshipping idols in orgies and sexual situations with people of the same sex. These were situations when heterosexual people would commit homosexual acts in order to fit in with the Roman gods and the Roman culture. Many homosexual people will be quick to point out that this in no way describes homosexuality for the homosexual.
So, what conclusions do we draw from all of this?
I have to personally say that the issue is confusing to say the least. The most intelligent and scholarly Christians that I know admit that this is not a simple issue at all.
Years ago a student called me and asked to speak with me. He was one of the smartest students that I have ever worked with and, in my opinion, the best Bible study leader I have ever worked with (as a high schooler). He told me that he believed that he was gay. This student, who is smarter than I am, spent more time than I will probably ever spend researching the issue. The last time I had talked to him, he had been studying the issue for years, diligently. He had not come to a conclusion to answer his biggest question about: "what is God calling me to do?" Because of this, he has not chosen to act on his homosexual urges. He has chosen not to date men or women. It has led to a lot of loneliness and sadness, but he continues to wait until God will reveal something to him. I have to tell you that I admire this person more than I can say. Anyone who can deny themselves in order to wait on God has integrity beyond compae.
A few other things that I would like to add...
Regarding the question of whether homosexuals were born that way or have become that way because of their environment.
Still there is no conclusive research to show whether the causes of this are genetic, enviromental, or simply God given. From what I can tell, the only people that claim to have the answers to those questions are ones who are trying to further their own agenda. Beware of these people.
Regarding statistics
There are so many conflicting statistics about homosexuality. Many homosexual websites claim that 10% of all people are homosexual. Many anti-homosexual websites claim that number is lower than 1%. The answer is probably in the middle. People love to bend statistics for their own agenda, beware.
One Christian website claims that the average homosexual man has over 600 sexual partners in his lifetime. While I am sure that there are some people who, because of their own insecurities with their sexuality do become hypersexual and attend orgies and bathhouses, this is not the norm.
One anti-homosexual website claims that over half of the murders in New York City last year were perpetrated by homosexuals. This one is just obviously false.
Another Christian site claimed that homosexuals are responsible for most child sexual abuse. This is absolutely false. More and more psychological studies are showing that child sexual abuse is not about lust or sexual attraction, it is about power and dominance. When men do this to boys, it is not because of attraction, it is because of a need for power and pain. It is truly not correct to blame this on homosexuality.
The truth however is that 30% of teen suicides are caused by teens who are questioning their sexuality or have already identified themselves as homosexual.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among Homosexual teenagers.
50% of homosexuals claim that they have been disowned by their parents because of their sexuality.
80% of homosexual teens claim to be victims of constant harrassment.
Regarding the question of whether homosexuality is a sin.
I personally do not believe it to be a sin to BE a homosexual. Whether the cause is genetic or environmental, I do not believe that the people who claim to be homosexual are in control of this desire.
Practicing homosexuals are a whole other issue. I have been raised to believe (through my upbringing and church history and doctrine) that homosexuality is not God's Ideal. I choose not to use the word sin to describe homosexuals because it is certainly different than so many other things that we call sin. Lying, cheating, killing etc. are sins that are born in our selfishness and our desire to take what we want and disregard the rights and feelings of others. Homosexuals however are people who have a desire that is different from homosexuals, they are not in control of it, and when homosexuals act on this desire by having loving and consensual relationships with a person of the same sex, they are not acting out of evil or selfishness, but the same desires that all mankind have that I believe are God given: the desires to love and be loved, touch and be touched, know and be known by another.
I think that it is demeaning to lump homosexuality in with sins of selfishness. Perhaps our language doesn't have a word to describe it, but it certainly is not the same.
Regarding Sex outside of Marriage.
I do however, believe that the Bible makes a strong and unwavering case that sex outside of marriage is a sin and is dangerous. Promiscuous and uninhibited behavior outside of marriage whether before marriage or during marriage is definitely forbidden. People who are homosexual who live promiscuous lifestyles and use the confusing scriptures on homosexuality as their defense are walking on the shakiest ground.
I often get asked the question of what should happen if the Nation legalizes gay marriage. Personally, I don't think it should matter one iota. The United States and the State of Arizona have no Biblical right to determine who can or can't be married. Since marriage is a sacrament, only the church should be able to decide. Our state and country can say all they want about what constitutes a civil union for tax purposes, but a marriage is between two people and God.
How should heterosexual Christians react to Homosexuality?
It's clear that Jesus calls us to compassion. He did this in John 8 with a woman caught in adultery as well as in John 4 with a woman who was having a promiscuous lifestyle.
People who are homosexual deal with so many difficult issues. Rejection from parents,family and friends. Loneliness. Depression. Misplaced sexual feelings. We need to respond to this with compassion.
In my job, I deal with so many teenagers who are struggling with their sexuality. I tell them all that it is normal to struggle with these feelings. I read the other day that 75-90% of all people who now call themselves heterosexuals have at one point or another had confusion, curiosity or questions about their own sexuality. I tell teenagers that just because they are struggling and have questions and curiosity, it does not make them a homosexual. I once as an adult attended a youth conference organized by a YMCA chapter. At that conference, we were not allowed to talk about God, but every night when the counselors got together, they would tell the stories of how many students in their cabins were "finally coming out of the closet." They organized celebrations for these students.
I personally thought that it was manipulative and wrong to urge students to declare themselves homosexual or heterosexual because of questions and curiosity that they were having.
I tell students that there is nothing wrong with "not dating." There is nothing wrong with taking a step back and praying and waiting for clarity. It is so difficult for students in our oversexualized culture where they are bombarded with images and thoughts that they are not yet old enough or mature enough to grapple with. That mixed with all of the lies and stigma about sex and homosexuality are a toxic combination for insecure and hurting students. They feel that there is something wrong with them if their number one priority is not seeking out intimate relationships.
I also believe that God calls us to Conviction about our beliefs. Before we start preaching our beliefs and feelings, we need to be able to back them up. Right now there are far too many Christians and Non-Christians who have a strong Conviction, but no research to back it up. These people are dangerous.
We also need to be sure to know that we are all beautifully broken. I tell the students that our #1 concern should be believing and communicating that: God created us, God has a plan for us, God knows everything about us, and God loves us anyway, God loves us so much that He seeks after a relationship with us that is made possible by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for us.
Anyway Michelle, I know that is a lot of info. I hope it helps with your question. Let me know if you have any other questions.
In Christ
Mike
Ask Questions – Is Speaking in Tongues Real
Here is another question that I was asked about speaking in tongues…
Thanks for the question! It is a very common topic for discussion. There has always been a lot of debate and confusion regarding the topic.
The short answer to your question is: Yes. Speaking in tongues is a real thing.
The confusion revolves around two major points though.
First, speaking in tongues does not mean the same things to everyone who uses that term.
In many instances in the Bible, people are given a Spiritual Gift by God to be able to speak another known language so as to communicate with people who don't naturally speak Greek. Check out Acts Chapter 2. In this instance the apostles are given a gift where they can speak in many languages and the people who are listening are shocked that they each can hear their teachings in their own native language. It is also spoken of many times in the book of Revelation, (chapter 5,7,10,11,13, 14 and 17). One cool thing about this gift of the spirit is that it is one of the first ways that God truly demonstrates that the Gospel of Jesus is intended for everyone, no matter their language, race, or previous creed or religion.
Personally, I have not seen this gift or experienced this gift in the way it seems to be described in Acts and Revelation. I have seen people who on mission trips where they don't know a language all that well be amazed at how well they are able to communicate with people of other languages, and how well these people seem to understand their broken Spanish or Swahili or whatever the language may be.
When Bible scholars refer to this gift, they call it Xenoglossy, and there is much debate over other occurrences and mentions of the gift of Tongues on whether this is actually what they are referring to.
Second. The more mysterious and controversial version of the Gift of Tongues is referred to as Glossolalia. This is a gift that the Holy Spirit bestows on a person where they are able to speak their own personal language to communicate with God. This gift seems to be much more common. This seems to be what Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 14 when he is talking about the gift of tongues. Make sure that you note what Paul says about how it is only meaningful to the person doing it unless someone can interpret it, and how in church it would be better to utter 5 intelligible words than ten thousand in a personal prayer language.
Among many churches who consider themselves Pentecostal or Charismatic, they will tell you that they believe that anyone who is "filled with the spirit" should be able to speak in tongues (glossolalia). Many of these churches give time and opportunity during the services for people to do this, or even to learn how to do it. I personally went to one of these types of churches a few times in college. I had decided that if speaking in tongues was something that God wanted me to do, I wanted to do it. I prayed for the gift, and several other people prayed for the gift for me. I never received the gift. A couple of people told me that at the time I was too shy. Other people told me that I was not full of the spirit. Since then, I have been told that "in order to start speaking in tongues, you have to just start speaking in tongues." When I let them know I was baffled by this, they told me that I needed to start opening my mouth and uttering noises, and more would come. This has not worked for me either. I believe at this point that it is not a gift that God needs for me to have or use right now.
Since that experience in my life, I have seen churches who use tongues do quite a bit of harm by being divisive and labeling people as either "spirit filled" or "not spirit filled" based solely on the possession of this one gift. In my personal opinion and interpretation of scripture, this puts WAAAAAY too much emphasis on what Paul clearly states is a less important gift. It also causes people to believe that we manipulate the spirit for our own needs and desires, but in actuality scripture seems to teach that the Spirit is not ours to control, it is God's wild presence with us that won't be limited by our desire to tame and domesticate it.
Our church chooses to not feature this gift in our services. We believe fully that it can be and is a part of some people's personal relationships with God. We don't deny that it happens, but we believe that featured in our services without explanation and interpretation it would add more confusion than it would be worth for the body. Because of our "Safe Place to Visit" mission statement, we wouldn't want a newcomer to be overwhelmed, scared or confused by it.
For more information...
Wikipedia has some interesting information about it, but much of it is biased by either people who are extreme on either side of the debate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia
Also Bible.org has a very informative article on it with tons of great scripture references at http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=393
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Ask Questions – Is it normal to Doubt God? To doubt faith?
Here is a response to a question that I was asked about whether or not it is normal or right to have doubts and question you own faith…
First of all, YES, it is extremely normal to feel doubts and have many questions in regards to faith.
My personal commentary is that I always say that the people who make faith look easy, or who make it look like there are easy answers to everything do more damage than they do good. There are a lot of questions that the Bible itself just doesn't answer.
Some of my big ones are…
Why is there no mention of dinosaurs in the Bible?
If you add up the genealogies of Bible people and continue that to this present day, the Bible makes it sound like the earth is only 6,000 years old, but every reputable scientist tells us that the earth is Billions of years old…What is up with that?
Did God and the Devil really make a deal to allow Job to be tortured in the Book of Job?
How could Noah fit all of the animals into the Arc?
Was Goliath really a giant?
And many many more.
Not one of those questions has been adequately answered to me, for me to say that I understand and have no doubts about it.
When I entered College at ASU, I took as many religion courses as I could and was shocked that the Professors (both Christians and NonChristians) took great joy in pointing out these problem areas in scripture. They were literally taking a jack hammer to my faith, and I could not put the pieces back together. I got to the point that I didn't know if I could really be a Christian and believe this stuff.
Until…
I took a hard look at the Gospels (the stories about Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and heard about Harvard Law school doing an actual court trial on campus to determine whether or not they could prove that Jesus is who scripture says He is.
Their first decision is that the only way to prove something was to recreate it in a laboratory environment. Obviously you can't do that with human history. So they redefined the terms of what they were trying to do. They were trying to verify that Jesus actually rose from the dead.
Among their evidence…
The fact that Jesus was written about by non-Christian historians like Josephus, Tacitus, Tertullian, Eusebius all talked about Jesus the man and about the rumors about what He was doing. They could very easily verify that Jesus was an historical figure that walked on Earth, and caused quite a stir in His part of the world.
They next looked at the historical accuracy and integrity of the four Gospels. They compared the writings about Jesus to the writings about Plato and Aristotle. They found that in the writings of these two teachers that we believe are historical, the time span between when they were written and the earliest transcripts that we now have in our possession was like 1200-1400 years, and we only have a handful of copies of these ancient manuscripts. What this tells us is that these manuscripts could have potentially been altered.
However, we still take and teach those history books because they are very verifiable with archaeology and with other writings of the time. When we look at the New Testament, we actually have less than 100 years, probably only 40 years between when they were written and our earliest copies of the manuscripts, not only that, but we have over 7200 separate copies that date back to that time and they are almost identical to each other. This means that someone would have had to alter many many manuscripts.
Harvard Law concluded that the New Testament was as historically accurate document and as likely as accurate as any teachings that we have about the lives of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Below is a table that compares that accuracy.
Date | Earliest Copy | Approximate Time Span between original & copy | Number of Copies | Accuracy of Copies | |
Lucretius | died 55 or 53 B.C. |
| 1100 yrs | 2 | ---- |
Pliny | 61-113 A.D. | 850 A.D. | 750 yrs | 7 | ---- |
Plato | 427-347 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1200 yrs | 7 | ---- |
Euripides | 480-406 B.C. | 1100 A.D. | 1300 yrs | 9 | ---- |
Aristophanes | 450-385 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1200 | 10 | ---- |
Caesar | 100-44 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1000 | 10 | ---- |
Livy | 59 BC-AD 17 | ---- | ??? | 20 | ---- |
Tacitus | circa 100 A.D. | 1100 A.D. | 1000 yrs | 20 | ---- |
Aristotle | 384-322 B.C. | 1100 A.D. | 1400 | 49 | ---- |
Sophocles | 496-406 B.C. | 1000 A.D | 1400 yrs | 193 | ---- |
Homer (Iliad) | 900 B.C. | 400 B.C. | 500 yrs | 643 | 95% |
New | 1st Cent. A.D. (50-100 A.D. | 2nd Cent. A.D. | less than 100 years | 7200 | 99.5% |
So not only do we know that Jesus was a real guy who walked the earth, we also know that the Gospels are extremely accurate, and were not changed or altered. These documents were as verifiable as sworn affidavits would be in court today.
Finally they looked at the impact that Jesus had on His culture. We find that hundreds of people claimed to see Jesus after his Crucifixion was witnessed by hundreds. We also find that the eye witnesses sacrificed much to perpetuate this story.
In other words, in a court trial, in order to discredit an eye witness account, you show that the witness had motive to lie and benefits from his/her lie. However, none of the disciples got rich. Verifiable history tells us that all or most of them got killed. Not just killed, but they were tortured and asked to renounce their faith. They refused and suffered horrifying fates.
Peter was crucified upside down, because he said that he was not worthy to be crucified in the same manner as his savior Jesus. Nathanel was supposedly skinned alive. Almost all of them have verifiable historical records of their martyrdom. What I am sure of, is that people don't suffer and die for a lie.
The most verifiable historical documentation, the most credible of witnesses, and the outside verification made this an open and shut case for the Harvard Law School who was able to convince a jury of their peers (skeptical and educated peers) that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is verifiable.
I say all of that to say this. Much of what we read in the Bible cannot be verified with that same certainty. But the facts about Jesus is what our whole faith is built around. Personally, I don't need to have ALL of the answers about some of that Old Testament stuff. But what I am certain of is that if what I read about Jesus is true, there is a response that I owe Him and that is my faith. I may not be able to answer all of the questions that I have, but that's OK because I have the answer to THE question.
I can't answer the question about why God lets bad things happen to good people. I can't answer the problem of evil or suffering in this world. But the question that I feel very confident in answering is that Jesus is who the Bible says He is. I personally put this in the center of my faith.
Additionally, it is important to know that the Old Testament was not written to be a Science book or a History text. When pen was put to paper, the intent was to show the character of God and the way that He led the Israelites to where they currently were.
If you were to ask me how I can prove that there is a God, I would reply that I know there is because of what I know about Jesus.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Blessings
The Question of Homosexuality
The following is part of a series of responses to questions that I was recently asked to write. One of the new priorities at our church has been to value people's questions. I have decided to work hard to not only value the question but to respond in an honoring way to the person and the question. Here it is…
Michelle,
Wow, thanks for asking the question. It is funny to me because I just taught about this issue this past Sunday in Hot Church. We recently did a Sex, Love and Dating Series in Hot Church and the number one question that was asked by more students than any other by a long shot was the question about Homosexuality. You can certainly see that this question is so important to so many people in our culture.
I'm sure that as you ask this question that you have some background knowledge on what the Bible says. There are many groups that look at verses like Leviticus 18:22 Which says: 22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
And for them, that settles it.
Leviticus 20:13 is even more harsh: 13 " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
Those verses seem pretty cut and dried, until you wonder about them in context. Many people will point out that many of the laws and rules in Leviticus are "purity codes" that were abolished by Jesus. Other purity codes include laws that state that a man can not cut his beard or the sides of his hair. Or that tattoos are forbidden. Or that they can not eat pork. There are many other purity codes that we now do not keep. Many people say that the reason for these purity codes were not there simply to please God but to separate the people of Israel from the other tribes around them that they wanted to stay above.
It is also important to note that in the years that these laws were in effect for the Israelites, it was rare for anyone to be singled out for these sins and put to death. This was shown strongly when the Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery. (John 8.) This was not a common occurrence, but they brought the woman to Jesus to see how He would react to them trying to get her executed on this basis.
Many people will also point out that the New Testament is not silent on the subject of Homosexuality.
Paul talks about the issue a couple of different times, but there is also a lot of controversy over these statements as well. In 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1, Paul refers to homosexuality...but... there is quite a bit of scholarly debate over why he used the words that he used. The two words that he uses in these passages are: (Greek) malakoi and arsenokoiati. Neither of these words, were very common at the time. In fact, the common words were derivative words from the language that the Hebrews used to describe homosexuality. The words that Paul used are not found in too many other places to describe homosexuality. The place where these words were most commonly used was when people were referring to a Greco-Roman practice of an older male, taking a younger (early teen) boy to be his student, and many times turning them into somewhat of a sex slave. Seeing as how this is not clear, the most common New Testament verse used to talk about homosexuality if found in Romans Chapter 1.
Romans 1:
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
There is no doubt that this describes not only the male homosexual act, it also describes the female act as well. Many people are quick to point out that what Paul is talking about here, yes is about the homosexual act, but in its context is talking about the Roman worship of idols and Roman gods. This is Paul's major problem with the Roman church. That they walk away from their new found Christian faith to "indulge" in old Roman practices which included worshipping idols in orgies and sexual situations with people of the same sex. These were situations when heterosexual people would commit homosexual acts in order to fit in with the Roman gods and the Roman culture. Many homosexual people will be quick to point out that this in no way describes homosexuality for the homosexual.
So, what conclusions do we draw from all of this?
I have to personally say that the issue is confusing to say the least. The most intelligent and scholarly Christians that I know admit that this is not a simple issue at all.
Years ago a student called me and asked to speak with me. He was one of the smartest students that I have ever worked with and, in my opinion, the best Bible study leader I have ever worked with (as a high schooler). He told me that he believed that he was gay. This student, who is smarter than I am, spent more time than I will probably ever spend researching the issue. The last time I had talked to him, he had been studying the issue for years, diligently. He had not come to a conclusion to answer his biggest question about: "what is God calling me to do?" Because of this, he has not chosen to act on his homosexual urges. He has chosen not to date men or women. It has led to a lot of loneliness and sadness, but he continues to wait until God will reveal something to him. I have to tell you that I admire this person more than I can say. Anyone who can deny themselves in order to wait on God has integrity beyond compae.
A few other things that I would like to add...
Regarding the question of whether homosexuals were born that way or have become that way because of their environment.
Still there is no conclusive research to show whether the causes of this are genetic, enviromental, or simply God given. From what I can tell, the only people that claim to have the answers to those questions are ones who are trying to further their own agenda. Beware of these people.
Regarding statistics
There are so many conflicting statistics about homosexuality. Many homosexual websites claim that 10% of all people are homosexual. Many anti-homosexual websites claim that number is lower than 1%. The answer is probably in the middle. People love to bend statistics for their own agenda, beware.
One Christian website claims that the average homosexual man has over 600 sexual partners in his lifetime. While I am sure that there are some people who, because of their own insecurities with their sexuality do become hypersexual and attend orgies and bathhouses, this is not the norm.
One anti-homosexual website claims that over half of the murders in New York City last year were perpetrated by homosexuals. This one is just obviously false.
Another Christian site claimed that homosexuals are responsible for most child sexual abuse. This is absolutely false. More and more psychological studies are showing that child sexual abuse is not about lust or sexual attraction, it is about power and dominance. When men do this to boys, it is not because of attraction, it is because of a need for power and pain. It is truly not correct to blame this on homosexuality.
The truth however is that 30% of teen suicides are caused by teens who are questioning their sexuality or have already identified themselves as homosexual.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among Homosexual teenagers.
50% of homosexuals claim that they have been disowned by their parents because of their sexuality.
80% of homosexual teens claim to be victims of constant harrassment.
Regarding the question of whether homosexuality is a sin.
I personally do not believe it to be a sin to BE a homosexual. Whether the cause is genetic or environmental, I do not believe that the people who claim to be homosexual are in control of this desire.
Practicing homosexuals are a whole other issue. I have been raised to believe (through my upbringing and church history and doctrine) that homosexuality is not God's Ideal. I choose not to use the word sin to describe homosexuals because it is certainly different than so many other things that we call sin. Lying, cheating, killing etc. are sins that are born in our selfishness and our desire to take what we want and disregard the rights and feelings of others. Homosexuals however are people who have a desire that is different from homosexuals, they are not in control of it, and when homosexuals act on this desire by having loving and consensual relationships with a person of the same sex, they are not acting out of evil or selfishness, but the same desires that all mankind have that I believe are God given: the desires to love and be loved, touch and be touched, know and be known by another.
I think that it is demeaning to lump homosexuality in with sins of selfishness. Perhaps our language doesn't have a word to describe it, but it certainly is not the same.
Regarding Sex outside of Marriage.
I do however, believe that the Bible makes a strong and unwavering case that sex outside of marriage is a sin and is dangerous. Promiscuous and uninhibited behavior outside of marriage whether before marriage or during marriage is definitely forbidden. People who are homosexual who live promiscuous lifestyles and use the confusing scriptures on homosexuality as their defense are walking on the shakiest ground.
I often get asked the question of what should happen if the Nation legalizes gay marriage. Personally, I don't think it should matter one iota. The United States and the State of Arizona have no Biblical right to determine who can or can't be married. Since marriage is a sacrament, only the church should be able to decide. Our state and country can say all they want about what constitutes a civil union for tax purposes, but a marriage is between two people and God.
How should heterosexual Christians react to Homosexuality?
It's clear that Jesus calls us to compassion. He did this in John 8 with a woman caught in adultery as well as in John 4 with a woman who was having a promiscuous lifestyle.
People who are homosexual deal with so many difficult issues. Rejection from parents,family and friends. Loneliness. Depression. Misplaced sexual feelings. We need to respond to this with compassion.
In my job, I deal with so many teenagers who are struggling with their sexuality. I tell them all that it is normal to struggle with these feelings. I read the other day that 75-90% of all people who now call themselves heterosexuals have at one point or another had confusion, curiosity or questions about their own sexuality. I tell teenagers that just because they are struggling and have questions and curiosity, it does not make them a homosexual. I once as an adult attended a youth conference organized by a YMCA chapter. At that conference, we were not allowed to talk about God, but every night when the counselors got together, they would tell the stories of how many students in their cabins were "finally coming out of the closet." They organized celebrations for these students.
I personally thought that it was manipulative and wrong to urge students to declare themselves homosexual or heterosexual because of questions and curiosity that they were having.
I tell students that there is nothing wrong with "not dating." There is nothing wrong with taking a step back and praying and waiting for clarity. It is so difficult for students in our oversexualized culture where they are bombarded with images and thoughts that they are not yet old enough or mature enough to grapple with. That mixed with all of the lies and stigma about sex and homosexuality are a toxic combination for insecure and hurting students. They feel that there is something wrong with them if their number one priority is not seeking out intimate relationships.
I also believe that God calls us to Conviction about our beliefs. Before we start preaching our beliefs and feelings, we need to be able to back them up. Right now there are far too many Christians and Non-Christians who have a strong Conviction, but no research to back it up. These people are dangerous.
We also need to be sure to know that we are all beautifully broken. I tell the students that our #1 concern should be believing and communicating that: God created us, God has a plan for us, God knows everything about us, and God loves us anyway, God loves us so much that He seeks after a relationship with us that is made possible by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for us.
Anyway Michelle, I know that is a lot of info. I hope it helps with your question. Let me know if you have any other questions.
In Christ
Mike
The Anti Sermon on the Mount
The Anti Sermon on the Mount
So Jesus addressed the crowd saying:
"Do you want to know who is blessed?
God blesses people with happiness, they are happy because they take charge of the things around them.
God blesses people with health, the healthy are the ones who live upstanding lives.
God blesses people with influence, they are the ones who assert what they believe is the best way to live on others.
God blesses people by satisfying their desires, these are the people who live the most holy lives.
God blesses people by being nice to them, these are the people who are nice to others.
God blesses people by revealing His secrets to them, these are the people who are holier and wiser than you.
God blesses people by calling them His children, these are the people who hate sinners and wage war against them.
God blesses people by giving them power and authority, these are usually the politicians, pastors, celebrities and authors.
You are blessed when they hate you for saying things that are true like: How much God hates homosexuality, or How much God hates Harry Potter, or How Christian your country is, or how God turns his back on sinners and people of other religions. Be glad and rejoice because God will keep blessing you with wealth, authority, wisdom and His secrets. That is, of course, how God has been blessing the saints and prophets before you.
Salt and Light
Christians are to be the salt of the earth. Add flavor to everything by taking all art and making Christian copies of it. Christian music, movies and television are the only things worth watching.
Christians need to be the light of the world too. Remember that you are the only people who know anything at all. Everyone else is being deceived by evil philosophies and religions that the devil created in order to confuse them. God made sure that you were born into a Christian nation so that you could use your money and influence to light the rest of the world with television, the internet, music and of course your military. Make sure that you force the rest of the world to see how smart and superior you are so that they too can want to be as Holy as you are.
The Fulfillment of the Law
Don't think even for a minute that I came to do away with the Law. Remember that I came to fulfill the law. What I mean by this is that because of me, you won't have to keep the ridiculous laws like not eating pork, and not working on the Sabbath. What I am freeing you up to do is to pick and choose which laws you want to make important. For example, since gayness and abortion are so gross, you'll want to make sure and not allow anyone to do those things. Basically, the sins that are the "everybody's doing it" type sins are totally OK. It's fine to use my name in vain as long as it is for a good cause, like when you are really pissed off. Remember that you need to be holier than people who are lost and pathetic non-Christians, so be sure and pick the sins that you aren't currently doing to preach against.
Murder
Remember when God gave you the commandment: "Don't kill people"? Let me redefine murder for you here. If you are really angry, that is like actually committing murder, with your heart. Basically what I mean by this is not to be angry at your family, friends and people at church. If you are angry at someone who is less holy than you, it's pretty much OK. It's OK because you are really hating the sin, and not the sinner. As long as someone has done something really awful to you, it's actually OK to kill them as long as a group of twelve of your peers agrees with you. Also, if they practice another religion, live in another country, and seem like a big threat, their lives are forfeit. I call this the "Jack Bauer Rule": if someone seems like a threat or is in any related to anyone who poses a threat to your way of life, you can pretty much do whatever you want to them.
Adultery
Remember that God already said not to commit adultery? Basically, what God meant by this is that it is wrong to have sex outside of marriage, before or during marriage. You need to know that even if you lust after someone that you're not married to, you're committing adultery in your heart which is just as bad as actually doing the deed. When it really comes down to it, it is really impossible to expect that anyone can really resist this temptation. This is kind of an "old-fashioned" law when you really think about it. The best thing that you can do here is to hold a high standard in what you say. If you are struggling in this area, keep it a secret. Your own will-power should be good enough to overcome the problem. If you're subscribed to a website, cut it off. If the lotion causes you to spank your monkey, throw it away. Don't cut off your internet connection though, I'm sure that you'll need that, and don't install a monitoring software, that may slow down your computer's performance for your video games. You can always ask forgiveness after the fact, anyway. If you are having sex before marriage, it is probably because you are too good looking and popular to be able to deal with the temptation.
Divorce
It was also said: "whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce." This is only common sense. Divorce pretty much falls into that "everyone is doing it" category. So it's OK as long as your spouse is a real jerk. It's probably better than spending time and money trying to make counseling work. Remember, people don't really change.
Oaths
Again, your ancestors and God have already told you that lying is wrong. If you took an oath to God, it's a good idea to keep it, and if you made an oath to a person, you should do your best to keep it. But remember, sometimes lying can really get you out of a bind. It's not like you're a politician or anything, if lying makes you or someone else feel better... I mean, what is truth really anyway?
Eye for An Eye
Remember when people used to say that if someone does something to you, you get to punish them by doing the same thing to them. This is a really horrible idea anyway. If someone punches you in the face, don't hit them back. It will just escalate. If someone hurts you, just sue them. Remember that it is never your fault. People just hate you because you are better than they are. If someone steals something from you, they are probably just poor and can't afford their own stuff. Deport them to their home country where they can just steal from their own people or take a job where they can make bad wages and not steal your jobs.
Love Your Enemies
You heard it said: "Love your neighbor and hate your enemies", I am telling you to love your enemies. You can do this by praying for them. That's actually pretty much it though. Since they are dangerous and obviously live under one of Satan's other religions, you can kill them to protect the other people who are holier than they are. If it's an enemy at school or work, you'll want to make sure that everyone else is on your side and not theirs. Remember that if you are holier than they are, good stuff is going to happen to you, and they are going to get what is coming to them sooner or later anyway. They will probably be taking your order at McDonalds one day when you are rich and successful and when that happens you can bask in the way that God has blessed you more than them because of your faithfulness and good deeds.
Matthew 6
Giving to the needy.
Be careful not to look like you are trying to bring attention to yourself when you do your "Acts of Righteousness."
Right now, since it is trendy to give to the needy, it is important for you to talk all about how other people should be giving. Give sermons and write blog posts about Darfur, Aids in Africa, and injustice in the rest of the world. Remember that as a Christian, the most powerful thing you have is your voice, so make it heard. Clamor and annoy and write petitions that will influence your government to give to the needy and interfere in international affairs. That way, the money that you are giving for taxes can go to help someone rather than line the pockets of the politicians. This way, you won't have to give your own money and won't have to look like a hypocrite.
Prayer
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites who love to pray in front of the whole congregation. Remember that there is a formula for having your prayers answered and they will only be answered to your satisfaction if you pray the way that God wants you to pray. First, butter God up by telling Him how awesome He is. Then thank Him for all of the good stuff that has happened to you. Don't babble on and on, get to the point and ask God for what you want. Do this at the same time each day in the morning. This is the quiet time that God requires of you. Then ask God to bless you financially, to bless you professionally, and to bless your family with obedient and healthy children.
Pray like this:
God, you are so amazing, awesome and powerful. Thank you for being on my side.
I pray that your kingdom comes to earth to make all of the sinners and heathens pay for their transgressions.
Help me pay that mortgage on my half million dollar home and help me pay for the cable and my car payment too.
Forgive me of my sins, and I'll forgive the people who have wronged me. (But please give them your awesome justice.)
Help give me the will power to not sin, and keep the devil from messing me up like he always is doing.
Remember to forgive others who have sinned against you. You'll see them get what they deserve at some point.
Fasting
When you fast, don't make a show of it.
People will notice when you drop a few pounds. You should be on a Christian diet anyway.
Treasures in Heaven
Do not store up treasures for yourself here on earth. They will all turn to dust one day. Remember to store up treasures in heaven for all eternity. That way, you can live in a mansion in heaven while the people who brag about their earthly possessions today will be living in shacks for eternity.
If you do this, then God will bless you financially here on earth anyway. Many will never understand how it makes sense for pastors who drive BMW's to give a sermon on building treasures in heaven, but remember that there is a difference between buying stuff and being blessed with stuff. Allow yourself to be blessed by stuff. This will happen when you finally tithe a full ten percent to your church. That ten percent tithe is like a high yeild investment, God will bless you back ten fold for whatever you give to Him.
Do Not Worry
I'm telling you not to worry about your life. God is going to take care of you. The more faithful you are, the more blessed you'll be. Don't worry about your clothes or the food that you eat. God already blessed the country that you live in for being the most Christian country in the world.
If God clothes the grass of the field and birds of the air, then why should you worry? If you are a faithful Christian, it won't be a Kmart blessing, God will hook you up at Abercrombie. You won't be in the broken down Hyundai, you'll be riding tall in a Ford Explorer.
Matthew 7
Judging Others
Don't judge others or God will judge you too. God will use the same measure to judge you that you use to judge others. So make sure that if you are going to point out the speck in someone else's eye that you don't have a 2x4 in yours. So, if you point out someone else's elicit affair, be sure that you aren't getting a little something on the side. If you're going to point out that your friend fudged his score in golf, make sure that your card is itself honest. You'd best keep to only hating the things that non-Christians and homosexuals are doing. Those are definitely the sins that good Christians have to worry about. I mean think about it. Just being born to Muslim parents can be considered a sin. If you are a Muslim, basically everything you do is a sin anyway. Same thing with homosexuals. Since they haven't repented of their gayness, every moment of their lives is a sin.
Ask, Seek, Knock
Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. Remember that if you ask the right way, then you basically control what God will do for you. As long as you ask the right way, God will hook you up. It's all about doing it the right way. Be sure to treat others the way that you want to be treated, and remember, if you were a low down dirty sinner like almost everyone else is; wouldn't you want somebody to tell you that you are "lost" and and dying in your sins, then you could find the right way.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
Enter through the secret hidden, narrow gate. The gate that leads to hell is wide. Remember that you are a chosen few who have the secret of eternal life revealed to you. You must have done something right if you found the narrow gate. Hand this secret out to the people who have gotten their act together. You'll be a part of a pretty select club of elite and holy Christians.
True and False Prophets
Watch out for false prophets. They'll come to you in sheep's clothing, but they really are wolves. You can recognize them because they will be different than you are. You'll recognize the good prophets and teachers because they will teach the stuff that you have already heard, they won't ask provocative questions, they won't freak you out. They will teach that there is a formula for the Christian life, "if you do this, then you will get what you deserve." Their enemies will be the same as your enemies, and their friends will be your friends.
True and False Disciples
Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of God will enter in. Many will say "we taught and drove out demons and did some amazing things." Then I will tell them that I never knew them. They were the ones who told people to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" and who were too politically correct to hate the people that they were supposed to hate.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
Everyone who puts my words into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. But everyone who struggles with my teachings and questions what your teachers are saying obviously built their house on the sand. They are wobbly in their faith. They live their lives in the grey area and their house will be blown down by the hurricane. You shouldn't worry about the houses and lives of those people who live in the bad part of town, they basically did it to themselves, they should have gotten a job and stopped being poor and sorry for themselves. If they weren't so sinful and had been faithful, God would have already blessed them and they would live in a better place anyway. That, of course, is unlike those of you who hear my teaching, do your daily quiet time, do your formulaic living so that God can bless you. You will live in a mansion in the good part of town. A hurricane wouldn't mess with your part of town, and if something bad did happen, God would put you up in the Hilton.
After Jesus finished speaking, the people were amazed that they now understood the clear difference between right and wrong. They chose to be right by praying the prayer that was written on the back of the business card of the local pastor who was passing them out of the back of his Mercedes. This is what each one of them had wanted to hear.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Steps to Founding and Creating “the greatest, best country God has ever given man on the face of the Earth.”
Thinking recently on our country's general election for president, I read a comment by news commentator Sean Hannity where he talks about the greatness of America. In fact, he uses the phrase: "America is the greatest, best country God has ever given man on the face of the earth."
I wondered if our founders and finders had explicit instructions on the creation of this country that dictated how this country was put together. Here, I theorize, is a recipe that some people might have used.
I know before you even read this that you will see some vitriol. Most of that is from watching the reactions of McCain supporters after the election and their bitterness and reaction to what has happened. I should state for the record that I know that many inventors and great people have been a part of the founding of this country and have been a part of helping it grow. I am however saddened that some of the greatest founders and thinkers have had their invention and theory watered down by the interpretation of others who wish to paint our history with their own brush. I still have yet to find anyone more heroic for their actions and words than Martin Luther King Jr in in the last millenium. Maybe Ghandi, maybe Martin Luther. There have certainly been great Americans and great things that our country has done. I write the below recipe to see how popular faith and popular culture have formed to take religion and culture down the tubes in our nation and discolor the history of a Nation that was founded with a great idea, but less than admirable ideals.
Steps to Founding and Creating “the greatest, best country God has ever given man on the face of the Earth.”
Step 1: The Finding
Find the Continent on which your country will be built totally by accident.
This is by far the best way to find the land that will eventually become the Country that God will give you. Go sailing on a foolhardy mission to find fame and riches across the ocean and then bump right in to your new continent.
Remember that the continent that will be the future home to your country may already have many different nations and tribes on it. So first look to trade with them, then look to just assume that you can take any resource that you want. Remember, it is not actually their country since God is planning on giving it to you and not them. Start treating it as such. Remember also that the people are there at your disposal too. Use them as you will, and when you get tired of them be sure to pass on some kind of pox or disease.
Step 2: The Inhabiting
Remember that this is your land. Just because people are already on it, you need to believe that it is your destiny to own it. Even though those people are pretty willing to let you start your own colonies and share the land with them, you need to remember to take the good land and if some of their tribes or homelands border with you be sure to make them move somewhere else, somewhere west. Remember too that since their God is not your God, you need to call them savages, believe that they are less qualified than you to own or do anything and just keep pushing them west.
This is an important standard to set in this place… remember that since their skin is darker than yours, they automatically are not as destined as you are to own this land. Also remember that their God is stupid and if they do not start speaking your language and worshipping your God, they need to either move, or work for you as a slave, or die; those are the choices.
Later on, your country is going to be founded based on Religious freedom, so be sure that they know that they are free to start worshipping, speaking, and dressing like you; if they reject this kind of freedom, it is ok to kill them.
You’ll also want to keep in mind this skin color discrimination thing. People with darker skin will not be worth anything until the advent of professional sports, so you have hundreds of years to do with them whatever you want.
Step 3: The Building
Keep in mind during this phase of the process that you are rich and white. If you are going to own an amazing country, you’re going to need someone to do the actual work. You might see the big problem here though. You’re going to need some labor. Being rich and white, you’ll of course need some slaves. But oh no… you’ve already pissed off the natural resource that you had in the Natives who inhabited the land before you.
Don’t get a conscience now though. Remember that they are godless savages. The only reason that they are pissed and want to kill you is because when you tried to take the land that they were already living on and even pretty willing to share with you, you gave them diseases, pushed them out of their land and killed the resistant ones. Who needs them? They didn’t even want to take the religion that we were offering to them.
So since you are an entrepreneur and have no conscience, just get some more labor. The Mexicans and Indians are far too angry and laid back to be of any real help, so you’re going to have to import some. Go ahead and ship them in from Africa. Their skin is even darker, so you will feel even more superior. They probably won’t want to come, so, you’re going to have to capture them and fill a boat with them. A bunch will die on the long boat trips, but that’s actually going to make the survivors even more happy to be here and be your slaves.
In a few hundred years, people will worship your nation so much that they will hardly ever mention that the work was done by slaves.
Step 4: The Freedom
The time has finally come to dump the ugly overlord country that you came from and retains control of the land in which you live. It’s a shocker I know, but they don’t want to pack up and leave. They wanted to make some money off of this place. You’ll need to know though that freedom only comes through war. Write that down, it’s important. In order to justify a lot of killing in your name, you’re going to have to make people believe that the only thing that makes their country free is the people who fought and died for it.
It will also be a good precedent to fight a war based on money. This is going to happen throughout the future. You’re going to need to justify war with money, so set a good standard here. Make the war bloody and send them packing.
Step 5: Governing/The Importance of a National Religion
You may have to pretty this up a bit so that it doesn’t look discriminating, racist and unfair, but here are the basic premises that you will need to keep in mind while writing and enforcing your laws.
All men are created equal except: People with non white skin, People of other religions, People who have differing opinions, People with Vaginas, People who sympathize with the wrong kind of people, People who don’t want to be rich.
In order to make these things palatable, you’ll need to form your own religion. This is tricky because you need to claim to honor religious freedom, so you’ll just have to bastardize your own faith. Here’s how it works…
Put the 10 Commandments in schools and courthouses, and make a big deal about them. But break them whenever it helps the country. You’ve already been hypocritical, as you’ve killed natives, slaves, and any country who got in the way of the founding of your own country. In order to justify killing, you’ll just have to make the argument that the people you killed deserved it, or were not real people at all based on their race, religion, or beliefs.
Be sure to proclaim that “Eye for an Eye” kind of living rather than the “Do unto Others” type of living. It’s easier to justify hate and prejudice when we ignore the words of Jesus.
Discard the entire sermon on the mount. That stuff might make you have to honor and respect people rather than discriminate against them.
One of the most important religious moves you’re going to need to make though is to tie your nation’s founding and it’s system of governing which need to be capitalism and democracy, into your religion. Even though it is not biblical, as long as you mention God once in a while, people will begin to live and believe that the person who makes the profit is right. And… that the majority is always right as well. Caring for the minority and poor are going to be too distracting for your country, and should only be done once you are so rich and powerful that the money won’t be missed. It will also give the hippies something to do so you can get them out of your hair later.
Step 6: Wars
Now, if you have set things up correctly you can basically go to war against anyone. Call everything a war of self-defense, you can justify it with faith. You’ll need to defend capitalism against communism. You’ll need to spread democracy. Etc. These are important ways to justify killing and wars. Sooner or later, you will realize that you might need to fight a war and let the slaves go free. The cool thing about this is that you can spin that whole slavery thing. A hundred and fifty years later, all they are going to remember is that their country is the one that set the slaves free. Nobody is going to remember this as a country that was built on the back of slaves, a country that mistreated these people for hundreds of years. This kind of hypocrisy is really no big deal.
Don’t worry about those slaves going free either, you won’t really have to give them any real rights for at least another hundred years anyway. And hey, just because you can’t call them slaves anymore doesn’t have to change much. Pay them a salary and they will just have to pay it back to you for rent. They will all be poor when you set them free, and remember, in capitalism, the poor people are as good as slaves anyway. Plus, if you need more slaves, you’ll soon be able to outsource your labor to other countries and oppress people on the other side of the world.
Also, as far as War goes, you’re going to have to make it clear to your citizenry that the most important thing that their country does for them is to protect them. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do and to manage. Make sure that they are scared enough to give you enough money to build the most crazy unnecessarily huge and advanced army ever. When this army is built, and your country controls 80% of the world’s wealth and Natural Resources, you’ll be pretty unstoppable.
You’ll be so powerful that you will have a bomb that you own and no one else owns. You’re going to be able to drop this technology on another country at will. In fact, when you get sick of war, drop a couple of these and don’t worry about it. You’ll kill about a quarter million people, primarily citizens whose reason for dying will be that they lived in a town that housed a weapons factory. You’ll already be so powerful in the world that no one can do anything about it. The world will have the same reaction to you that you had when you watched the new Batman movie and the Joker introduced the hide the pencil trick. The whole world will just stare at you and say: “did he really do that!? Did I just imagine that?! Damn! Note to self… don’t mess with that guy.”
Nobody is going to ever mess with you again. Ever! Anyone who does is an enemy to freedom, capitalism, and democracy.. and is therefore… against our way of life and our religion. This certainly sounds like Sir Bedevere in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Your citizenry will just sound like the maniacal peasant mob saying “burn the witch!” to cheer you on in whatever you choose to do.
Step 7: Enjoy Your Country
Now that you have set yourself up for being rich, white and super powerful you can sit back and watch the money roll in. The beauty of it is that you actually never had a monarchy or an oligarchy, but what you end up with is an empire where you are the deity. You can claim that you are powerful because of your entrepreneurial nature and your inventiveness, but the joke is on everyone else. You never really invented all that much. What you did do is make yourself and your lifestyle the gold standard for making money and measuring happiness. You literally are THE man!
It is important to note however that the society that you just created is a complete monopoly. Eventually the rich will rule the country and money will buy and sell laws and votes. This is good news for you as long as you have little to no conscience and hey.. if money buys votes and laws, you will be the beneficiary anyway.
It is also important to note that you may also be perceived as something of a monster around the rest of the world. Again, this is no big deal as long as you are not bogged down by a conscience or sympathy.
You’ll also need to be aware that you so bastardized the religion that you liked at the beginning that your country will no longer know the truth in your Bible. The Illusion of the happiness that money brings should distract them from their search of any purity of faith anyway.
You should also know that in the society that you created, only three things motivate the mob of people. Money, Sex and Fear. You can use Fear anytime you need to bolster your own position of power. Invent an enemy to fight, a threat to stand against, a disease to worry about. The Pharaoh wasn’t swayed by any of the plagues thousands of years ago, but if Moses could have used terrorism, economic crisis, or STD’s the Pharaoh would have set his people free in an instant.
This couldn’t be a better deal for you. In order to be rich and powerful a deity among your people, all you had to give up is your conscience and your faith.