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FREEDOM
by Helen Murray Western society is so immersed in a delusional concept of freedom that it is permitting all manner of abuses in its name! The original concept of "freedom" is biblical, and it is to that source that we owe that particular value. The original biblical concept of freedom has to much more to do with freedom from the influence of lies and delusions than with the ability to do or say whatever one wishes and consider it of equal importance with every other person's opinion. (John 8:32 NKJ) The issue has become the more obfuscated because of convenient beliefs that everything is relative. If the law of gravity were relative to the temperature of the day, the whole world would disintegrate on the first temperature change. Spiritual laws do not vary from generation to generation. Like natural laws they remain steadfast whether we like it or not. For example the law of consequence is like the physical law F= ma. What I do today has a consequence that has far-reaching effects both now and down the track. If it were not so we could have no effect on our world at all. Yet our concepts of freedom these days refuse to acknowledge the parallel laws of consequence. Thus people expect to speak their mind (fly a swastika or burn the national flag) with no consequence at all, or play schoolboy pranks with no consequence, or give overly light sentences in court without the consequence of informing people that they can get away with anything if there is enough money to pay the right lawyer. There are consequences to us permitting such "freedoms", namely the gradual development of a violent society that is way out of control. Children have 'freedom' to threaten adults who try to discipline them, because they expect entertainment, not discipline. What consequence will eventuate from this? If you try and teach them manners they respond that they will not be your friend. If you do not train a horse or a dog, then it is dysfunctional in society and no-one will want it. Train it to a high standard and it's in great demand. It's exactly the same with the future generation. We've taken religion, nationalism, and idealism out of the system and the current consequences reflect that in the major disrespect for anything over the age of twenty and outside the sexually driven rock 'n roll culture. We've taught them to be greenies, and that has some value, but won't make heroic citizens out of them. The reading material in the school libraries favours various forms of witchcraft, piracy etc. and the excuse is that it generates interest in reading for the children. It also generates a lot of other things which will have degenerative consequences for society. I look for reading material in the school library and find almost nothing I'd dream of reading to my own children. I'll end up having to write my own stories with proper heroes who stick up for right values if I don't get thrown out first. The stories I looked at this week had the seeds of pornography. Hardly suitable for a primary school child. It seems that shock value is the great inspiration in literature and media these days, and it's harder and harder to increase the shock value of literature/drama/lyrics after so many years. Short of re-thinking the whole of our social and education system from the very beginning, it is not rocket science to see that the future is going to be very violent. Already we are dealing constantly with elder abuse (people used to look after their aging parents!) Few children have normal mother and dad family stability and we are teaching them about condoms, not about sexually generated disease and the freedom of monogamous marriage and healthy, emotionally strong children. Time to face a few facts and get real. Freedom is about dealing with the facts and consequence, and not about spurious rights that enable people to manipulate the system. Time we spoke of privileges, and not rights. Governments offer privileges that need to be appreciated, not rights that offer means of manipulation. Yes, I know there'll be backlash from humanitarianism, but they've had a fair go for forty years, and the culture has degenerated fast. We need to make alternative plans for the future. Grandmother, teacher, bushlover, horse-lover, gardener, poet , stirrer and passionate person, especially about Jesus. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |