Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Apathy

Apathy. For a non-action type of word, it is one that I have seen as being fairly "active" these days. For some odd reason, many Christians do not seem to want to be involved with the dire issues facing our nation today. Why is that?

Here's the definition:



ap⋅a⋅thy   /ˈæpəθi/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ap-uh-thee] Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun, plural -thies. 1. absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.
2. lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.
3. Also, ap⋅a⋅thei⋅a, ap⋅a⋅thi⋅a  /ˌæpəˈθiə/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ap-uh-thee-uh] Show IPA Pronunciation . Stoicism. freedom from emotion of any kind.Origin:
1595–1605; ap·a·thy (āp'ə-thē) Pronunciation Key
n.
Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference.
Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness.

[Latin apathīa, from Greek apatheia, from apathēs, without feeling : a-, without; see a-1 + pathos, feeling; see kwent(h)- in Indo-European roots.]


The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Apathy

Ap"a*thy\, n.; pl. Apathies. [L. apathia, Gr. ?; 'a priv. + ?, fr. ?, ?, to suffer: cf. F. apathie. See Pathos.] Want of feeling; privation of passion, emotion, or excitement; dispassion; -- applied either to the body or the mind. As applied to the mind, it is a calmness, indolence, or state of indifference, incapable of being ruffled or roused to active interest or exertion by pleasure, pain, or passion. "The apathy of despair." --Macaulay.

A certain apathy or sluggishness in his nature which led him . . . to leave events to take their own course. --Prescott.

According to the Stoics, apathy meant the extinction of the passions by the ascendency of reason. --Fleming.

Note: In the first ages of the church, the Christians adopted the term to express a contempt of earthly concerns.

Syn: Insensibility; unfeelingness; indifference; unconcern; stoicism; supineness; sluggishness.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

Explore the Visual Thesaurus »Related Words for : apathy
indifference, spiritlessness

Main Entry: apathy
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: Lack of emotion or interest.
Synonyms: disinterest, impassivity, incuriosity, incuriousness, indifference, insensibility, insensibleness, lassitude, lethargy, listlessness, phlegm, stolidity, stolidness, unconcern, uninterest, unresponsiveness


A friend of mine (who I met at the first church back in the 90's) is now attending the church that did absolutely NOTHING in the effort to pass Proposition 8. Such a decision by that church may not be considered wrong. Such a decision by that church may not have mattered much (in their minds). Such a decision may not have even been considered "apathetic" by some. But to me? It was a huge disappointment. Such a decision by that church, for me, was the "clincher" to knowing that it wasn't the right place for our family to call our new church home.

I saw their inaction and un-involvement on this crucial issue as a mistake. You may not agree with me on this, but to me, it was a huge error on the part of the pastors.

I know. I am guilty of judging. But that is OK - according to God's Word we are to "judge rightly."

Luk 12:57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

Jhn 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

1Cr 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

1Cr 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

If the huge amount of PRAYER first and foremost, effort by pastors, individuals, and voters, as well as all of the treasure spent on the passage of Proposition 8 didn't happen, then what would have been the result?

Faith without works is dead. I think that the Proposition 8 issue was a perfect example of faith and works - working together. Work is an action word...not an apathetic word.

I am seeing lots of apathy on the part of some Christians regarding the Obama citizenship issue. So be it. But please don't frown upon those of us who are actively supporting, pursuing information, and sharing that information on the 40 plus lawsuits already in the works to get to the truth of the matter.

I applaud all of the lawyers who are working tirelessly to get to the bottom of this issue. I don't need to go into detail - much of it has already been posted here at this blog. I would just ask that those of you who have written to me, objecting to my posting on this issue to recognize that there are MILLIONS of people who are now aware of this potential threat to our Constitution.

Think of it this way. You know how people tend to "pick and choose" what to believe from the Bible and so live their lives in a pseudo-Christian type of way? What is at stake when that happens?

Answer: True, genuine salvation. Jesus told us, "you MUST be born again." Pseudo-Christianity isn't going to save you.

I submit to you today, that the same (on a lesser scale, mind you) is true about our nation and it's Founding Documents. When we drift away from the truth, wisdom, integrity and loyalty to what the Founders' and Framers put into our Constitution and other founding documents, then the erosion of all that our nation was originally built upon will get worse and worse...until our Constitutional Republic is unrecognizable anymore.

I, for one, don't want to just sit back and let this to happen. Not without a fight.

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.


Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,


Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.


Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is].



With God's help and our WORK - if it be His will to save us from this downward spiral into the cesspool of spiritual, moral, intellectual, and physical oblivion - then as Christ Followers, we are to do all that we can while we occupy this earth. To sit back in apathy, would be a huge error.

Christine

*******

[Something strange just happened. I attempted to put quotes around the "apathy" definition, and some of my post was zapped! Maybe God edited it?? It's a mystery...]

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” [often attributed to Edmund Burke - but some say it isn't his quote]

When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.
- Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents (1770)

Quotes about apathy:

By far the most dangerous foe we have to fight is apathy - indifference from whatever cause, not from a lack of knowledge, but from carelessness, from absorption in other pursuits, from a contempt bred of self satisfaction.
-William Osler

A university professor set an examination question in which he asked what is the difference between ignorance and apathy. The professor had to give an A+ to a student who answered: I dont know and I dont care.
-Richard Pratt

Apathy is a sort of living oblivion.
-Horace Greeley

Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand.
-Bodie Thoene

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

John 18:21 Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.

In this context, Jesus was asking for due process like evidence and witnesses.

John 18:22 And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?

John 18:23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?

Why didn't Jesus turn the other cheek in this situation? Why shouldn't Christians have the legal right to make other people ashamed of their actions? And the answer to that is that love which doesn't protect ceases to be love.

Christinewjc said...

Kelso -

If you happen to drop by here, then you will read my response to your comment over at pitchforkland. The browser "aborted" when I tried to access that blog. Perhaps it's a sign to stay away.

Good for your girlfriend that she is happy in her Catholicism. I was brought up in the Catholic church, but later learned of too many man-made traditions were added and that salvation was not taught as being guaranteed through belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. However, I know of MANY former Catholics who have become born again Christians.

Are you aware of the very first words that Jesus spoke over 2,000 years ago when he started his three year ministry on earth?

"Repent, for the kingdom of God is near."

The first step in order for sinful man (all of us) to be reconciled back unto God is to repent of our sins. Repent means to confess and willingly "turn away from."

The Gospel of Christ also tells us that we MUST be born again. Jesus himself said this (See John 3).

Jesus asks each of us, "Who do you say that I am?" We all must answer his question before we physically die and leave this earth.

The trouble is, many of the religious denominations that you mentioned that you "like" and tend to favor - are ones that (unfortunately) make the grave error of skipping over the Cross of Christ. Then, they pretend that upon their own merit, they get to leap over that huge gulf-of-sin between Holy God and reprobate man; straight into a pseudo realm of forgiveness, mercy, grace and salvation.

If the truth be told, you can't get there that way.

Christ's sacrificial death on the cross paid the enormous ransom necessary for the forgiveness of mankind's sins. It is only then that the mercy, grace and salvation takes up residence in the believers heart in the form of the Holy Spirit of God.

You dislike American evangelical denominations. As an atheist, I can certainly see why. The denominations you mentioned avoid the cross of Christ and do not require anything of the "believer."

However, Jesus does require of us.

True relationship (not religion) is accomplished by doing the opposite of what your favorite denominations adhere to...that is...we know to Beware the Crossless gospel.

The plumbline of the Scriptures helps us to avoid error, heresy, and apostasy -that is so prevalent in many churches today.

You may not "like" the truth that is revealed through Jesus in the Bible, but that does not mean it isn't authentic and absolute truth.

Jesus told us in his prayer to the Father, "Your Word is truth. Sanctify them with the truth."

Once forgiven for our sins, we are sanctified (a lifelong process) in God's truth via study and application of the Bible.

Jesus told us, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Through reverence for what Christ did for us at the cross, we honor his holiness and righteousness through obedience to the commandments.

The Bible is God's Word to all mankind. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error.

2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalms 12:6; 119:105, 160; Proverbs 30:5

Anonymous said...

Isn't the problem that so many "Christians" are just that - in name only? Many go to church and worship the Lord but are not aware of BASIC Christian doctrines. Many maybe most have not COMPLETELY accepted Christ and become born again.

Isn't that the same problem with "Conservatives" too, both pols and voters? Many are RINOs who do NOT resist the ugly tactics of the oppo Dem party and who celebrate "Bipartisanship."

Here's something "bipartisans" and cafeteria christians have in common -- they are both PERILOUSLY in danger of damnation for their refusal to turn to a TOTAL reliance on Christ.'

The election of Barack Hussein 0bama is a dangerous warning about our country and our constitution. I believe that God has sent this economic crisis on our shoulders as punishment for our electoral folly. I think other crises and plagues are on the way = BIG TIME.

If you look at the CAUSES of the meltdown, it is overwhelmingly the fault of DEMOCRATIC types of people: poor blacks, rich Europeans, illegal latinos, old hippies, young punks. There is a big conspiracy among ALL these types to undermine our Capitalist and Constitutional way of life.

We need to cleanse our nation of this peril. We need to return to basic, CHRISTIAN forms of government. We can start by restricting the vote and the right to hold office only to BORN-AGAIN Christians who believe in Jesus as Lord and will swear to govern by the Word of God. Other Christians belonging to false Churches - Catholic, Anglicans, UCC - who live modestly and within the Law of the Bible, may be permitted to remain in this land consecrated to God, as long as they serve the Faith and endeavore to MOVE TOWARDS a biblical understanding of Christ.

The Great Doomed Majority who will not worship Christ, who will not serve the Living Word of God, will have to be removed from this land. Some can return to Eretz Israel and live free lives as allies of the United States. Others - the pagans, the Muslims, the secular progressives -- will have to placed wherever they can find a new home to contaminate away from AMERICA's shores. I am sure CANADA will gladly take the millions of Zombie Obama worshippers into her decayed midst.

This work of cleansing make take years but it will be of the highest benefit to our nation. No more will abortion, sodomy, and filthy living be tolerated. Think of the real STIMULUS that can be applied to our young Christian unemployed as they find new work cleansing our great cities like New York or Chicago, rounding up the rabble and sending them north, and then cleaning and restoring the cities into temples and workshops for Christ?

Think of what a cure for apathy this great national project would be! No more would imposters be able to bamboozle the pagan masses in order to win over votes. Now a true, reborn-in-Christ leader like Sarah Palin or Philip Berg or Alan Keyes would emerge to lead this great land into a kingdom that would glorify Christ and hasten his return! I can only hope and pray but I will do anything to restore this land to the BIBLICAL, Christ-centered philosophy of our founders.

Christinewjc said...

Well said Rebecca, except I don't agree that only Christians should vote in elections. There ARE plenty of Christians - especially born-again Christians who either didn't bother to vote or mistakenly fell for Obama's rhetoric and voted for someone (Obama) whose policies stand completely against God's Word.

Our pastor encouraged us to "vote God." In other words, vote the Bible because God has given us that Bible to guide us in our lives.

What you describe - a pagan free nation - WILL happen during the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth at the Millenium.

Until then, we need to be busy sharing the Gospel of Christ with as many as will hear it, and as the Bible says, "redeem the time for the days are evil."

Christians are to be "salt and light" in this dark, sin-filled world. There are millions of people who are hurting...especially spiritually. They attach themselves to all kinds of worldviews and philosophies that don't work and are anti-God.

I recall Deepak Chopra actually admitting that he "embraces his uncertainty." All that does is lead a person into spiritual oblivion. No need for that! Jesus Christ has given us all that we need, in Word and deed, to be certain of our ultimate destiny with Him.

When people are in such a state as "spiritual oblivion," they won't admit it but they actually resent the "salt" that the Word of God presents. When salt is applied to an open wound, it stings but also cleanses. The Gospel we share "stings" their wounded souls - but it is desperately needed in order to guide them towards repentance.

They can't stand the "light" of the Gospel because they scurry around in the darkness of evil, sin and death.

Jesus Christ is our ONLY REAL HOPE - in this world and in the next.

A man who is "worshipped" as obama has been by many of his followers is sure to disappoint, disillusion, and ultimately devastate those who placed so much hope in him.

We, as Christians need to be there to comfort them and pick them up from the fall-out that is sure to come.

Right now - they deeply resent any of us for sounding the alarm bells about Obama and his horrible policies and worldview. He leads people towards a culture of death - but the people don't see it...yet.

I hope and pray that REAL HEALING in this nation will one day occur through the Christians - who are currently distained, scorned, cursed, abused worldwide, and even killed for their faith.

One day, all nations and peoples will bow to His Holy Name. The choice will be whether they bow in fear because they will be judged for their sin (which we ALL DESERVE!), OR, they will have accepted Jesus Christ as the substitute for their sin on the Cross at Calvary - and through repentance, they will be forgiven for their sin and reconciled back unto God.

There is no other way to God! Jesus told us that no one can enter the kingdom of heaven except through Him. He said it, I believe it and that settles it.

Thanks for the comment, Rebecca. (You are the original Rebecca who often posts here...right? Sorry to doubt but your comment sounded a bit different than usual...that's all.)

Anonymous said...

Lol it is me alright... sorry if I soudned a little over the top i'm just REALLY upset today becuase I work at the Post Office and they had to install PORTRAITS on the wall of the Fraud-in-Chief and his PIG accomplice Biden the Abortionist.

I tried to talk to my boss about it but no luck. When will this nation WAKE UP about the Birth Fraud Peril?

Your thoughts on the return of Christ and the New Millenium are GREATLY appreciated. I have ALWAYS longed for the return of Christ and the New Jerusalem... at least ever since I was saved. But in good times like we had for the past eight years it's easy to forget how NEEDFUL that is. We NEED Christ as our Lord and our King. So many of the problems in the world will NEVER be solved my men, only by him in His RIGHTEOUS power.

God bless!

Anonymous said...

Rebecca...there is a place just like what you think America should look like. It's called Iran. You're more than welcome to relocate there if you don't like the fact that we are a free nation and everyone, including "DEMOCRATIC types of people: poor blacks, rich Europeans, illegal latinos, old hippies, young punks."

And maybe when you're there you could seek some professional help. Your medication obviously isn't working.

Christinewjc said...

John,

I will let Rebecca reply to you more completely. However, I'm just curious. Under the descriptions given, which do you fit under?

"DEMOCRATIC types of people: poor blacks, rich Europeans, illegal latinos, old hippies, young punks."

Anonymous said...

Actually Christine, I'm a poor, young, illegal Blatino punk, whose parents were rich, old, European hippies.

I'm definitely not an extreme far right, fringy kind of fundamentalist christian, buying into every conspiricy theory that's floating around on the web.