Saturday, March 30, 2013

Fighting the World, the Flesh, and the Devil




When I read about the uproar over Dr. Benjamin Carson's remarks on Hannity regarding his beliefs about marriage, I instinctively knew that he would get even more backlash from the progressives.   It wasn't enough to berate him after his National Prayer Breakfast speech (which was awesome!!!), the haters have continually gone after him for his straightforward (and frankly refreshing!) opinions that challenge the lies of Obama.   Now, his offer to be commencement speaker at Johns Hopkins is being challenged by the gay-indoctrination-brainwashed students. So...what else is new?

Here's a brief excerpt from the article:


Host Sean Hannity asked Carson his opinion on same-sex marriage, given the Supreme Court's consideration of two gay marriage cases this week.

"Marriage is between a man and a woman," Carson said. "It's a well-established, fundamental pillar of society and no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality -- it doesn't matter what they are, they don't get to change the definition."

Students accused Carson of effectively comparing "gay relationships with pedophilia and bestiality."

Dr. Carson responded, saying:

Asked about the students' objections, Carson on Friday told MSNBC it's "their day and the last thing I would want to do is rain on their parade."

Asked whether he's told the university he would not deliver the address, Carson said he was "waiting for appropriate channels."

Carson also told the Baltimore Sun that people  "have completely taken the wrong meaning out of what I was saying."

He added: "Now perhaps the examples were not the best choice of words, and I certainly apologize if I offended anyone. But the point that I was making was that no group of individuals, whoever they are, whatever their belief systems, gets to change traditional definitions."
When Dr. Carson listed additional sexual behaviors along with homosexual behavior, he was pointing out that "no group of individuals, whoever they are, whatever their belief systems [should] get to change the traditional definition of marriage."  If the students think that listing additional aberrant behaviors (actually, very disgusting behaviors!) is so upsetting, then they are impinging upon Dr. Carson's free speech rights. 

The truth is, those who like to be pedophiles want the laws changed!  A behavior that here-to-fore was always deemed illegal, disgusting, evil, and sinful, is now being trumped up as "normal" and wants to be included as the new "gay rights" group - so to speak - when it comes to "human rights."  You see, it's a very slippery slope.  Once one group is given the right to change the over 2,000 year old definition of marriage, what will prevent another group - no matter how evil and disgusting - to change their "right" to marry and use the term marriage for their aberrant relationships?

I suspect that these students probably are mostly on the side of Obama and didn't like knowing that Dr. Carson was going to be a commencement speaker.  Perhaps they were just looking for something to use in order to protest and oust him as a speaker.

The author of "The Lord Is My Shepherd" shared an interesting comment he made towards someone who disagreed with his views and wanted to have a verbal fight with him.  It was shared in Chapter 8 "His Provision on Life's Tablelands" which discussed the verse of Psalm 23 that reads, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."

Here is what he wrote:

He [the person who disagreed with him] said we'd have to fight about one thing and another thing, that I was in for a fight, and that if I didn't fight with him over these issues, I wasn't much of a fighter."

The Lord gave me words for the moment.  I told him I was just as much a fighter as he was, but I was fighting the world, the flesh, and the devil.  "If you want to fight with me," I said, "you'll have to decide which of those categories you fit into."

He didn't bother me much after that.
Awesome retort...wasn't it?  But could you imagine if Dr. Carson said those very words back towards the students that were accusing him?  Instead, Dr. Carson did what he could do to tone down the rhetoric.  But the truth is, Dr. Carson IS utilizing his new-found fame to "fight the world, the flesh, and the devil."  It's just not politically correct to say so.

Originally, I wanted to share a guest commentary today that I read in the March issue of The Good News, etc. Christian newspaper.  In a way, it is related to the argument that started between Dr. Carson and the students from Johns Hopkins, so I have decided to include it in this post.

The article is entitled, "Pastor welcomes atheist's billboard," by Chris Clark

The article can be read online in it's entirety here: Digital Edition When you get to the page, click on the page 6-7 below, and then on the single page icon at the top of the page next to the arrows.



Pastor Clark explains several misconceptions [including the misuse of  the phrase "separation of church and state] that isn't in the U.S. Constitution] regarding the bans that are being argued about in courtrooms across the country regarding religious displays in our nation.  He explains why the atheist's billboard (which states, "Atheism - a personal relationship with reality.") doesn't threaten him or his faith and how he is convinced that he knows the Truth, is being transformed by that Truth (Romans 12:2) and that his personal relationship with Jesus Christ convinces him; despite the arguments of those who don't believe.

He writes:

It has been said that a man with an argument is at the mercy of a man with an experience.  I know what I know; I know Whom I know; and that relationship is continually transforming me. 

So how is it that I am supposed to be threatened by people who go to such lengths to try to convince others that man is god, when along with that idea they offer no hope, no purpose for life?

In a way, I see this struggle much as what Elijah faced upon Mount Carmel, when he challenged the Baal priests to build an altar  and call on their god while he built an altar and called on the God of Israel, to see who was the true God.

So let the atheists and humanists spend their money and erect a billboard to convince the public of their god, of their constructed reality.  We as followers of Jesus are billboards ourselves, our transformed lives serving as a perennial testimony to Jesus' life and power.  Our own personal relationships with the Creator ought to speak much more loudly than does a billboard by the freeway.



Hat tips:

Fox News.com
Good News, etc.


P.S.  While typing too fast this morning, I misspelled "Creator" and it came out as "Crator."  I thought of the difference between the term Creator vs. crater, and went to dictionary.com.  For the slang portion of the verb "crater" it reads:

Quote:  verb (used with object)
10.
to make craters in: Bombs had cratered the landscape.
11.
Slang.
a.
to cancel, abandon or cast aside: to crater the new project.
b.
to destroy or ruin: One more disappointment won't crater me. /quote
 
That term ironically describes the atheist's billboard effort and intent against people of faith...doesn't it?  Ha!

3 comments:

Arlen said...

I think your post today points out two thing wrong with the the United States, if not the world, today.

And I have a challenge for the so-called "progressives." The challenge is to name me one civilization that has survived once homosexuality hit the mainstream.

As to atheists, they MUST be really insecure to try and force their beliefs on everyone. I mean honestly, it takes more faith to believe that no god exists than to believe in God.

But there is Good News and hope for all of you. Jesus loves you like no one ever has. Check Him out; He's in the Bible.

Christinewjc said...

That's a good and logical challenge, Arlen. It is amazing that people today are so duped into believing that such an aberrant behavior (as old as biblical times, in fact) is "normal," "natural," and not sinful, and/or, is not an offense against God. What God Almighty thinks of it is stated many times in the Bible.

As far a the atheists go, we also know what God thinks of them! Their foolishness is stated in Scripture.

How anyone could possibly ignore, reject, or mock what Jesus Christ did for us on that cross at Calvary is beyond comprehension. There is no greater love than for a Man to lay down his life for his friends. That God-Man is Jesus Christ! Are you, readers here, His friend?

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday tomorrow Arlen!

Christinewjc said...

Regarding the push for same-sex "marriage," also see:

Protect Biblical Marriage blog: God's Plan for the Gay Agenda