Monday Morning Music Ministry

10-14-24

When I was younger I was part of the “Love Generation.” Or so I was told. It did not seem so at the time. Without answering the burning question “How old is Marschall???” I will just say that it was during the era of campus unrest, street riots, assassinations, political turmoil, and protests. 

I thought then, and think now, that the generation’s “Love” kind of passed me by. I gratefully recognize now that society has calmed down, matured, and gotten to a point where love, not hate, now prevails. I direct the jury’s attention to today’s spate of campus unrest, street riots, assassinations, political turmoil, and protests. In my best broken French I will say, Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose – The more things change, the more they stay the same.

This rule of life is… a rule of life. Recent archaeological discoveries reveal tremendous engineering achievements in what we otherwise call “pre-history,” by unknown peoples and forgotten civilizations. Ancient societies might not have had video games and fast food, but many of our ancestors assayed the stars, produced fine art, and were sophisticated in their understanding of human nature. (I wish we understood humans half as well.)

Of course this applies to Revealed Truth as well, in fact better than any other applications. God’s Word has never changed. You are near, Oh Lord, and all Your commandments are true (Psalm 119:151). His Words are true, cannot change, must be righteous, and beneficial, in all times and in all places. He would not be God otherwise. Our tastes change – styles of music, forms of worship, flavors of ice cream – but if there is anything we need in life, it is the constancy, reliability, and integrity of God’s Word.

… the “good with the bad.” Of course I cannot suggest anything is “bad” about God’s Word and his commandments and promises. But – back to understanding “human nature” – we bristle at some things. Inconvenient truths. Rules of conduct and morality. Warnings about disobedience; sinning.

One thing that the “world,” and many Christians, do not well understand – or maybe do not want to understand – is that once we become Children of God, accept Jesus, and follow those Commandments the best we can… the promise of paradise seems to grow dimmer, or further away. Heaven will be our home, but “Heaven on Earth?” It is not promised in the Bible.

In fact, just the opposite is promised, predicted, and prophesied. The Bible’s many heroes and heroines comprise a gallery of persecution. Hebrews Chapter 11 is nicknamed the Hall of Fame of Faith – names of many saints and noble souls who endured much… and never reached their various Promised Lands. We honor them, but they sustained calumny, abuse, and rejection in their days.

Jesus Himself told His disciples, and, through them, us that we can expect such treatment. From the world, from society, even our families. He went further: He said the world would hate us. And He drove home the point by saying that if the world will hate us (and if we cannot understand such treatment), we must remember that the world hated Him first. And worse. To the point past persecution, abuse, rejection, betrayal, and slander; the world hated Him to death.

As we navigate this life, through this world, how willing are we to withstand opposition? Mild, wouldn’t you say, compared to what Jesus endured?… what His followers through the years faced?… Friends and family, Jesus told us, might become as enemies in their hatred toward us.

These reminders are harsh, but remember that God’s Word does not change. Whether the issues are the election’s; or the family squabbles are about your values and life choices; or… anything at all, God’s Word did not allow for loopholes. No free passes. No rule changes late in the game.

The world hates us. Sorry, Christians – you will experience many blessings, but if you are true disciples, you will also go through hell on earth. If the world, the devil, and evil people leave you alone, you might not be doing your job as a follower of Christ. If it were not so, He would have told you. So… have a fun election, and a good Thanksgiving get-together, and some robust debates. Heaven does await. The “Love Generation” – Eternity – will be ours.

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Click: Tulsi Gabbard sings ‘Amazing Grace’ With Her Parents

10-7-24

Whether it is the logic of the issue’s presentation, or the frequent statements by Pro-Choice people, I have changed my attitude, and my stance, on the matter of Abortion. Count me as favoring the procedure.

This might surprise people who have known me, and are familiar with my views, but henceforth I will advocate against the so-called “Pro-Life” positions. In deference to people who have joined these contentious debates with me, as well as readers who might be interested in arguments that have changed – for they have, in society, for many people in many ways – I will present my reasons.

They are not new with me, for the Abortion debate has been engaged uncountable times. But I will summarize the salient points of my new home, Pro-Choice.

• In a democracy, the majority rules. And these days Abortion is accepted by many people; it is urged upon everybody; and is no longer a taboo procedure to be ashamed of. It seems like “Pro-Life” is in the minority.

• Besides the change in public “morals,” there are the advances in birth control. Abortion has been made easy, cheap, and widely available. And now, technology has brought us pills and liquids and various abortifacients that will do the job just as well as surgery.

• Since birth control is no longer a matter of opprobrium in society, Abortion ought be regarded as another, maybe after-the-fact, form of birth control. Over and done.

• In that view, we know from the scientific community that the earth is over-populated, and resources are being stretched thin. Going forward as a species, we need fewer, not more, people.

• There are many couples, married and unmarried, who simply are not ready to start a family. If we are free to express mutual love, we ought to be free of the burdens of parenthood. If you hated your parents, don’t become one yourself. Stop that life.

• In practical terms, again speaking of over-crowding, limited resources, and the convenience of family situations, we must frankly embrace the woman who inspired the contemporary Abortion and Family Planning “Enlightenment,” Margaret Sanger. She taught us that the lower rungs of society – especially the poor, the chronically unhealthy, and inferior groups like African-Americans in her view – ought to be thinned out.

• Not excluding teen pregnancies and “extra-marital” affairs, the majority of Abortions, and a higher percentage of Abortion clinics, are in neighborhoods of the poor, underprivileged, and African-Americans, already. This is a start, and should be encouraged.

• “Freedom” is an attractive, compelling word. It has persuaded me, and many others, in the context of the Abortion debate. Except for matters like murder and “hate speech,” the government should not adopt restrictive laws and regulations. Legalize Abortion, drugs, “mercy killings”; and then begin to restrict outworn traditional practices.

• Speaking of “hate speech,” all the familiar views and traditions of many cultures and peoples – views from Aborting babies to personal religious expression – ought to be banned too. Some enlightened countries imprison people who maintain cherished customs and practices, and we can look forward to doing so here, too.

On second thought…

Of course these are not my views. But separately or together, they are the views of many people in the United States. And only a few of those concepts are old, “outdated.” For instance, Margaret Sanger warred against “Negroes” who, she believed, had too many children. Today her followers might sound compassionate but still embrace the idea of thinning the “under-served.”

The American culture of consumerism, our throw-away mentality, and the ethos of Life Is Cheap, seduce many people to subscribe to the ideas I listed. “Everybody does it”; “Mind your own damn business”; and “Who does it harm?” have supplanted the 10 Commandments.

“Who does it harm?” is, of course, a dishonest question that many people are happy to ignore. Of course, Abortion harms the unborn baby. Pretty severely. It is easy to ignore the silent screams, isn’t it?

As to the points above:

… Democracy does not determine right and wrong. Too often it is a weapon to mask the evil that men do. God does not depend on our opinions of His Commandments.

… As to easy forms of birth control (hmmm, why is it not called “fetus control” or “blob control”?): Even if government imposed legality, why must the public pay for others’ Abortions-on-Demand? Why force doctors and nurses with consciences to participate in killing babies?

… Over-population can be addressed by resource-management. If a woman “gets in trouble” (what a bizarre phrase) perhaps kids can learn to stop screwing; perhaps parents, and schools, and oh yeah, the church, can remember how to wisely counsel decent behavior.

… The not-so-veiled racism of Sanger’s spawn merely proves the French saying that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

… In the end, we realize that Freedom is fungible, at least as we employ it. Freedom to kill babies is literally selective, partial-freedom at best. The Aborted baby is given no “Choice.”

How often do people think these things through? If a woman kills her baby, and the father objects, is it “fair” that he has no say in the matter… especially as the Law says he is obligated for Child Support otherwise. If a baby was aborted, do the parents wonder, years afterward, where and what their child would be like, be doing? A vast majority of babies with birth “defects” are Aborted these days… but have you seen a mother’s life that has been transformed, loving for that child she bore?

We have become a Culture of Death, no better than those “primitive” societies we read about in faraway places and ancient times, that practiced infant sacrifice. Today we sacrifice our children to the gods of convenience and pleasure. Science breaks its back searching for the Origin of Life… discovering new life-forms… and desperate to find evidence of Life in the universe. But science – and so many of us – have become callous to the practice of killing babies, snuffing out Life.

No matter the circumstances, God’s Word tells us that every child was known and “formed” by Him in the womb. His ways are mysterious to us, sometimes, but He is sovereign. Did Jesus come to earth to save souls, yet we destroy them first? That is the devil’s job, and joy. And our curse.

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By the way, if you are a reader, or have had this message passed to you, and are somewhere near my pretend-position here – and if you have been wracked with confusion or guilt or regrets – you must remember that even Abortion is something that God forgives. Repentance and cries for forgiveness “God will not despise.” He is the Lord and Giver of Life (yes, a reason we must not play God) and He yearns for fellowship with you… and helping minister to your problems.

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Click: I Hear Your Voice