A Lesson Learned---Counter Culture is Cool

Our life is the sum total of experiences or the world would have you believe that. Life itself is the experience that needs to be lived and felt and the greatest moments that can be lived by the world’s standard’s may not be considered so great. Within a very liberal culture, which we viewed in depth this semester, morality and faithfulness is not highly esteemed or given value with regard. Ideas such as faithfulness, sexual purity, and God have no place within their decadence. But where has it taken us? To celebrate a diseased ridden, money lovin’, baby killing culture makes absolutely no sense to me. The celebration of self and what self can “experience” no matter who is hurt or what is done is now our accepted norm. And it is tragic!
What do profit if you gain the whole world and lose your soul? The decline of family and morality should be shocking and appalling but it is not. In the M&C it quotes Madonna saying she admires real men, the heroes of the gay movement who were flamboyant drag queens and transsexuals (p.90). We just celebrated Memorial Day and I don’t see where their definition of hero fits in. What self-sacrifice did have they ever make? Their greatest cause is to make our culture genderless and that is heroic? They are trying to redefine the word hero and doing a very poor job of it. I have no problem with gay’s in the military or anywhere else but the absurdity of their claims cannot by me be ignored or accepted. The essay goes on to say that the academic feminists think the ideal husband is a bookworm husband and that these women fear and despise real masculinity (p.89). But transsexuals and cross dressers are real men? Who, by the way, don’t even want to be referred to as men! Do you see the inconsistencies and do you have a problem with them?
Madonna was referred to as the future of feminism and it gives a very clear picture of that. Pornographic, cross-dressing and decadent. They claim no longer will we be as Girl Scouts in regards to sex. As far as sex is concerned children need to be children and not adults. But the push of this agenda on our children cannot be ignored. We see the defense of the music industry by Hilary Rosen. We all know she says music can’t prompt to action. Well, let us reason together. Madonna is a music artist whom they were producing. The music was used to promote the gay agenda, a new feminist agenda and as Madonna herself said sex education for our children. That is causing action. Changing or influencing a persons opinions to accept what you believe. And it doesn’t prompt to action? I disagree. The music is being produced with a very clear agenda to affect society and culture and it is not just Madonna.

Drugs were also mentioned and condoned in the M&C. Artists use drugs to stimulate creativity and it is okay? Since when? How can we tell our kids not to use drugs by give applause and awards to artists who do? Just one more inconsistency. The only genre of music where it is not considered a pro but a con is gangsta rap. They pick and choose where they assign their approval for the majority is steeped in drugs, violence and sex. Rock n’ roll is sex, violence and drugs but it isn’t considered a negative. I suppose most drive by’s aren’t done by rock n rollers but there is plenty of other types of violence that is. The promotion of suicide and harm to others is very prevalent. I hate the way Courtney Love was treated by the industry after Cobain’s death. They offered no hope or help just ridicule. They have no answers for us.

The one essayist that seemed disturbed by our culture but way off base was Allan Bloom. He states, “My concern here is not with the moral effects of this music-whether or not it leads to sex, violence, or drugs. The issue here is its effect on education...”(p.41). Are we not receiving an education on sex, violence and drugs? The moral effects means that there are no morals! He believes the height of education is a liberal education. What then is he complaining about? Liberality is the discard of any moral that may hinder “free” expression. Another inconsistency. People are just exercising their liberal rights. If we were to mention morals we might mention God. Mr. Bloom’s only higher knowledge would be education. He would be considered a conservative liberal. This moral less majority has aggressively pushed God out of everything. Mr. Bloom I have a problem with it too only I very much care about the MORAL effect of sex, drugs, and violence and I believe in the God of the Bible and Jesus Christ. What is happening with the liberals and their tolerance message is that they will tolerate everyone and anything except Christians and their God. I am not a liberal and do not want to be counted amongst them. I prefer to stand for what is right and cannot adhere to their confusion. I do not need to attain more worldly wisdom to have the effects of it in my life. I see the effects. As a matter of fact I have had enough experiences to know I don’t want to experience any more of it. It only brought hurt and heartache to me as it has to us all. God wants our life experience to be filled with joy and love. Most of us can say it is not what our lives are filled with everyday. There are moments but God wants our lives to filled with His love and joy everyday. Not just random moments. This was a lesson in the culture and what have learned? You are now able to better express yourself in writing about these topics. I hope you have had some eye-openers. I have had my faith substantiated. I do not want what they have to offer and reading and writing about the moral decay has strengthened my faith in God. God is the answer. To you all I extend my prayers and hope that as you navigate through the muck and mire out there and that you start making better choices and decisions. Just remember God always there to help you and He is the best choice.

"I'd be lost without my blogger." -Sherlock Holmes. Masterpiece Mystery! Ep.3- A Great Game!

My passion is not writing. My passion is helping people. I like to write about something that will help someone. Correct perceptions are not only necessary but life saving. Sifting through the muck and mire of today there are many questions we ask. With our writing assignments we could reflect our general assumptions or beliefs about a particular topic. These are also known as opinions. The communication of our ideas about any given subject can help you, through writing, to clarify what it is you do believe. Perhaps you can see that what you thought about any given subject was incorrect or help you acquire more knowledge about that subject. Whatever the medium a finer discernment is definitely beneficial.

Blogging is not a private journal. You must keep your audience in mind and that is the number one rule for writing. Remember your audience. That is pressure applied. If, as an individual, you have found writing through the blog therapeutic I do suggest you pursue a private journal. That can also sharpen your writing skills and help you manage your feelings. A healthy outlet. Catholics have confession to attend as a healthy outlet. I have wondered if online confession was available where you could just type what you feel you need to confess or say. Can it be compared to a weekly therapy session? I certainly think so. Confession is available for any emotion or inner conflict. That is a positive to me. If not confession then prayer. Praying to God is always a good thing and therapists have now deemed it one of the best therapeutic practices available. God already knew that it is a good thing we do too.

With journaling or a diary you can take inventory of your emotions. One of my favorite commands is “Be angry and sin not. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.” Ephesians 4:26. It allows me to acknowledge what I feel but I should not let it cause me to sin. We all know that pent up emotions become negative emotions and are harmful to ourselves and others. How do I feel angry, sad, or whatever and not sin? Blogging can be used as a tool to combat those emotions. Maybe abortion sickens you as it does me and you just have to speak out against it. Perhaps there is something you find exceptionally great and want to share it. Whatever you have inside of you that must come out writing about it some how, some way, is helpful. It is one of the number recommended methods of emotional healing that I know of besides forgiveness.

I don’t know if I will continue to blog but I do know that I need to write weekly. I hope that you as well find your way through communicating with yourself, or God, about how you feel because of what you experience on this planet. Whether it is completely exhilarating or devastating give voice to your feelings. That is not sin and I have found that it is something we need to do. Blogging may not be necessary but you being a healthy minded individual is. Bless you on your blogging journey if that is what you continue to do or whatever method that you may choose that does work for you. Just remember an old but very wise saying, “If you don’t want someone to read it, don’t put it on paper.” That’s right, always remember your potential audience.

You Have the Right to Reject

What do Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, and Marilyn Manson all have in common? They have all been accused of Satanic worship and have been censored and banned because of these accusations in their time. What do you think about devil worship? In 1990 Ozzy Osborne went on trial because someone suicided to one of their songs. The song’s title, “Suicide Solution." Judas Priest also faced charges because two teenage boys committed suicide while listening to their album Stained Glass. A modern day band known as Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids have been censored and stopped from performing around the world. Connected to the Marilyn Manson cults are murders and suicides.On stage Mr. Manson rips apart Bibles and openly worships Satan. The most well known murders connected with this cult band are the Colombine murders in 1999.

Two young men who were professed Marilyn Manson followers and professed Satanists killed some of the known Christians at the high school they were attending then they killed themselves. The Marilyn Manson Cult was forced to cancel their national tour after this incident and became labeled as public enemy number one. Do you agree with this ban and censorship? What about their music? Do you think it can cause someone to do something such as murder? If the people believe they are receiving commands from Satan or the devil to kill from the music you better believe the music will prompt them to action. The question that must be asked then is why does the music industry keep producing their music then? They keep denying that the music has any real influence even though they have achieved cult status and people are being harmed.

Last week we are asked about obstacles we faced when writing our essays. My only obstacle was being faced with cults and their practices. The teacher gave me a 0 on the blog because that is what I said I found troublesome. The material you are researching may be unpleasant. It is very unpleasant to think about people murdering other people in the name of Satan but they do.
I was faced once again with my belief system. Do I believe in God and the devil? I obviously am a Christian which I talk about in all that I write about. It is my belief system and it affects every area of my life. How I think, what I do, and how I perceive our culture. Did it cause me to doubt God or did it strengthen my faith? For some it may cause doubt because they want to know why God created a being such as the devil to begin with. For individuals like myself it strengthened my faith. The reason being is that I know we all have a choice to do evil or good. It is a choice. I chose to follow God. I do not like the practice of evil. I do not want to hurt others or see them hurt. This includes self defense. I will defend myself, but gosh darn it, I wish I didn’t have too. Jesus in His word says, “By this all men will know you are my disciples if you love one another.”John 13:35. I am not ashamed of the gospel for that very reason. Love. There are many things to give yourself to while alive on earth and the Bible tells you the exact thing that will happen when you do not operate according to Gods word. A curse will happen. Gods word tells us how to love Him and others and by doing so we will be blessed. I truly believe in God’s Holy spirit and I also believe in evil spirits. I also believe that a person can be possessed by them. I choose the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit of love versus being possessed by evil spirits. The above mentioned bands and people according to my belief system are partnering with devils. Yes, I believe they are in league with Satan.  Are you?

Cults, Cult-ure, and What We Practice

There are many obstacles we encounter in life whether it be completing a tough assignment for a class or other life obstacle’s in reaching a desired goal. I am forty years old and have reached none of the goals I have ever set except for staying in church. I have had financial, physical, and relational problems a plenty. It always seems like 1 step forward 10 steps back. If I had a multiple choice form in regards to problems I could mark All of the Above. Yet still I strive and try I must.

In 1995 I took a vow to serve God and never leave the church or Him no matter what. For that reason the word vow was chosen. In marriage vows are taken, maybe not seriously, but they are taken. I have not been perfect in my service to God but no one is. I can say that I am still in church today and more in love with Jesus now than ever before. God is faithful to His word even when I am not and He is still revealing His love to me in many amazing ways.

The topic of cults and worship can stir up many questions within. One is confronted with what it is you actually do believe in. Cults have a reputation for adopting very negative and harmful practices. Often we see that there is the distortion of truth involved. A cult leader with bad intentions or Satan is magnified. Do you believe in the worship of the devil?

As an American you of course believe in freedom of religion but to what extent? We want to label the stories we hear about cult worship and practices as fairy tales. To believe that evil such as that exists and people want to practice evil themselves is something we do not wish to comprehend. Yet we are surrounded by the out right blatant abuse and horrors that serving the devil causes. I know we do not wish to think of ourselves as being in service to Satan but what can be concluded when we support murder, sexual deviance, and lawlessness? God says if you are not for me you are against me. Matthew 12:30.

One commonly known cult practice is human sacrifice. Everyday we kill thousands of American children to serve the god of sex, the god of money and the god of violence. What other reasons and in whose name do we do this? It is not in the name of Jesus or the God of the Bible that this is done for He says, Thou Shalt Not Kill. We are saturated with pornography. It is literally every where you look. It is a diseased and death ridden industry. Thou Shalt Not Fornicate or Commit Adultery. As for money God says you cannot serve Him and mammon (money). So which one do you bow your knee too?

Most of us are not professed Satanist’s and would reject that idea altogether but I challenge you to look at what it is you support with what it is you do. God says, “If you love me you will obey my commandments.” John 14:15. The last time I looked at the commands they seemed to be full of wisdom giving us humans clear instruction on how to live our lives. To do otherwise is considered rebellion. To break the laws of our land is also considered rebellion. The law says that murder is a crime punishable by law but we break that law everyday with legal murder, abortion. It seems we are confused calling good evil and evil good. The devil is known as the author of confusion and thats what he does best. He loves deception. Are you deceived? I hope that at least now you are seeing clearly and your eyes are opened to the truth. The next step is opening your heart.

What's a Pirate's Favorite Letter? RRRRRRRR..........

Arrggg me hearty I am here to steal all your internet booty! Arrgggg...

Well obviously theft is involved if they are calling it piracy. Another dishonest act done by someone on planet earth. No surprise there. Illegal music downloads are gotten from somewhere. Why are the ones making these downloads available not penalized? And why do the musicians claim that wanting money is selling out but they want to criminalize their fans for not giving them money for down loading their songs? I’m not buying any of it and the truth is people are confused. If someone says one thing but does another what is concluded? This inconsistency causes their word to become completely invalid. The word confusion means disorder, bewilderment, and just the state of being confused. I am accusing everyone of disorderly conduct and not just individuals who steal. I am accusing people who lie, cheat, lust, commit adultery, fornicate, slander, covet, murder, hate, greed and commit all acts of disobedience! We have been charged as guilty. We have broken the commands of God and I know your guilty of breaking more than one because I myself am. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God...Romans 3:23.

We either are or have been serving the author of confusion. His name is Lucifer. He wants to be God and he wants your worship. He doesn’t even care if you call it something else as long as you are doing it and are in disobedience. His main agenda is to steal, kill, and destroy for he is the chief of all acts of piracy. He is the chief of all abusers.
Laws are important we need to have accountability. There is no argument there. But what exactly do we deem right or wrong? People say one thing and do another. Our own government, run by man, says one thing and does another. Murder is illegal unless we say it isn’t so. Lying is okay to fit our purposes and agendas to accomplish the lust and greed of our flesh. We are surrounded by these inconsistencies which are nothing but lies. We are surrounded by confusion.

We don’t have to be confused about God creating Satan. God gives us a choice. You may choose evil over good. You may call evil good therefore rejecting all of God’s wisdom and love. That is catastrophe and exactly what we create when we do that very thing. I do not recommend it. You do not have to serve the father of all lies.You have the power to reject that by exercising the gift of choice God gave you. The author of all life is calling. The Alpha and The Omega, where there is no darkness or shadow of turning. When you are in darkness you cannot see. Obvious confusion but not oblivion. You know people are hurting them selves and others. Let the word of God be a lamp unto your feet so in darkness you won’t stumble. Become a person who says what they mean and does what they say. No longer be a person tossed around to and fro on the winds of double mindedness. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways, he is confused. Let God renew your mind so you can be free. Darkness is not your destiny but living in the light of God’s love is.

WARNING: Content Questionable

I am licensed to kill! I am licensed to drive! I am permitted to do these things. Licensing gives permission. To use something of someone else’s legally you have to have permission which gives them license to use it. Like songs to promote products a license is required. The ethics behind licensing is directed at money. Why is this so hard to comprehend? To make millions by using your song to promote a product is selling-out? What’s the big deal? My question is what was the original content of the music to begin with and how and what are they using it to promote now? Content should be the issue. I have permission by God, by Him I have been given a choice, a license so to speak, to do whatever I think is right. He does not recommend it and neither do I but you have that option. For there is a way that seems right unto a man but leads to death. Proverbs 14:12.Yes, we are concerned with content. The content of your character. What is it made of? The contents of your mind and heart. What fills them? If the collection of money is the issue and is what everyone uses as a mark against true artistry then the rest of their practices need to be examined as well. We like to pick and choose what we think is right and wrong. We apply many shades of grey with no absolutes.

The truth is everyone loves money to some degree but the root of all kinds of evil is the LOVE of money not the money itself. 1 Timothy 6:10. Why would this be the root of all evil? There is enough abundance on earth to supply every need and want but because of greed people are in lack. Literally starving and dying because of greed. This is not the heart of God in case your wondering about the contents of His heart. He says to us “Let it be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Matthew 6:10. What does Heaven look like? Everyone has an abundance, nothing lacking, nothing broken, and we are serving one another in love. That’s what God’s idea of work looks like. All of our needs are met by us serving in kindness with generosity, one to another. What does the contents of your heart and mind look like? Does it look anything like God’s or are you filled with greed and lust? With all of the natural disasters taking place we might want to reexamine our priorities. Maybe it is making you think twice about what is really important. That loving God and others is the most important thing.

Does money come before God therefore it has become your God? What does your idols look like? To get back to Heaven’s agenda, which is love, requires a renewed mind. To do this you need God content. If you fix your heart and mind on the things of God and not this world you will see a change.A change that can affect the world around you because of God’s love. The inward content will be outwardly expressed. But it has to begin with you.You have been given permission to choose, now with that choice what will you do? Just because you can do something doesn’t make it right and the question you need to ask is this beneficial for myself and others. Heaven is not a garbage can or sewer and if it was no one would want to go there. So the importance of content is understood. Then if the opposite is true for Hell why do we want to go there? Start promoting the things of God and make Heaven happen for yourself and somebody else today.

You Have Been Weighed and Measured and Found Wanting

Today I saw Lindsay Lohan on the cover of a magazine supposedly wasted again. This has become normal for Miss Lohan and they are not portraying it favorably. I would have to interject with if it was Lady Gaga she would receive an award. Whats the difference? Charlie Sheen is committing adultery and using pornography. He’s rich and seemingly has it all. Is this acceptable because of his money and status? Tiger Woods is another figure who has fallen into adultery with the use of pornography. Why is it better for Charlie Sheen than Tiger Woods? Mr. Woods has received much more negative publicity while Mr. Sheen’s behavior has been sensationalized in a positive manner. We see these contrasts and they are inaccurate. It is okay for one but for another it is not? One has to wonder who set that standard.
In the music industry drugs are an accepted norm what ever the reason may be. For the most part it is considered a positive, a way to supposedly enhance artistic ability. But not so for gangsta rappers. Drugs and gangsta rap are a negative? Could someone please explain this to me. When has illicit sex or drug use ever been a positive? How can we deem it cool for some but uncool for others? Where did that thinking come from and when did these subtle’s become accepted. Are these opinions right? Do you see the discrepancies in what has become “accepted norm’s”?

An accepted norm is a prevalent attitude concerning something. Can you think of something you believe to be true but maybe isn’t but because everyone accepts it to be true you believe it. There is an attitude concerning the things of God that have become accepted norms that as an American I cannot accept. For instance, we are not to speak of God in public when by our own government Evolution is classified under religion because it is a belief system yet it is taught in the public schools. I thought “religion” was not allowed? Who told us that and why do we accept it as truth?

The number one fallacy of the day is the separation of church and state. If you do some research you will find that clause was put there to protect the church and its believers from the state interfering with their right to assemble or worship. Many of our forefathers came to America seeking freedom from religious persecution. They wanted to prevent that from happening but it is happening before our very eyes. Today we can talk about anything but the God of the Bible. That kind of God talk is censored!

The discrimination is heavy and some say the Christian religion has been reduced to a theory. If it is theory then it has a place in our schools next to the evolutionary theory that is taught as truth when in fact it is but a theory. I say it has been reduced further than that to an unmentionable. The one’s preaching tolerance seem to have none for the Christian God. They are trying to push God out of everything. Why is okay for some to talk about their belief systems and not others? A belief system is just something you “believe” to be true. Our government at least got that one right. As an American, who has freedom of speech and religion, I refuse to be silent because of an incorrect accepted norm. I believe in Jesus Christ and have the right to speak openly about it. It is what I believe.

America was known as the great melting pot by the 1780‘s. In 1970 we became known as the great salad bowl. No, we do not all look alike or sound alike, this is America and that is why I agree with the salad bowl metaphor. As for the idea of the melting pot that could be applied to the tolerance message of today. That no matter what you believe to be true it is your right as an American. The only time I draw an intolerant line is in regards to children. That is another discussion altogether but a discussion about rights as well. Slavery has been abolished and to that I say amen. Let tolerance be what we now embrace as long as the same courtesy is given to all.