Asking the right questions
I knew beforehand that my proposals for what our nation should do in regard to its waging an unjust war against Iraq would seem outlandish to many (”crazy” as one commentator put it). They are outlandish because we all “know” such things do not happen. For the last century, the winner takes all with no thought to justice.
The point of the comment, though, was to propose looking at the Iraq War from a different perspective. The Cryptocracy wants us to think in terms of the false dichotomies they offer us. Should the army stay another six months or stay indefinitely? Should we increase our forces or keep them at the same level? The debate is over, once we accept these as the only alternatives. But there are many more options. And the one option that is never presented is any one that follows from well thought-out biblical principles.
The same thing holds for the elections. Many think that by not supporting Republicans, one must support Democrats. Again, a false dilemma. As Christians we must not allow our enemies to set the parameters of what constitutes acceptable answers or solutions.
People recognize false dilemmas in most situations. If the waitress at Denny’s asks if we want a burger or club sandwich, we would probably laugh since we know there are many other items on the menu. But for some reason it is difficult for us to recognize the numerous options available for the bigger questions.
Christendom in its current state cannot stand unified around the true solution to the current crisis, partly because it has too quickly accepted its enemies’ way of putting the question, and partly because it is not practiced at turning issues inside out and looking at them a different way.
Much of what goes on today in the “culture wars” is futile. Great effort is exerted by our Kulturführers and their followers, but their engine is almost always running in idle. At the outset, it is not even necessary to believe that the Scriptures provide us with everything we need to confront the issues of this world with solid and workable answers. To paraphrase Henry Higgins, “why is Scripture never even tried?” That’s how bad the situation has become.
If we accept the dialectic the media masters, politicians, social engineers, and PR firms spoon feed to us, we have already lost.
In my associates and I monitoring the lives and cite of Mr. Butler and Mr. Harris, we can’t help but notice yet another popular false dilemma. Mind you, neither I nor my associates are fans of Mr. Butler—after all “either you are with us or you are with the terrorists”—but one can’t help but point out the false dilemma of either Mr. Butler buy into the Republican/Democrat debate and vote or he is apathetic. And, as is packed into this, that he is an apathetic Christian; after all, he is a Christian. It is worth taking to heart the fact that Mr. Butler is a Christian college dean; professor of Philosophy, apologetics, theology, etc; a father and homeschooler; speaker; writer; debater; and a composer of a website, all of which endeavors to promote and glorify Christ, change the lives of individuals, build up the church, confront the unbelieving world, and so forth.
He is hardly apathetic in the living out and promulgating of his religion, for on his worldview, it is Christ and His law which will ultimately change the world—politically and otherwise—not any particular political party or system which is not built upon Christ. For those to accuse him of apathy for “not buying the left right debate,” raises a question: What constitutes a vibrant active Christian, a mere ‘voter,’ or one preaching and proclaiming Christ, following and promoting His law, educating and building up the church, unwilling to compromise and accept anything less than gospel truth?
Comment by secret agent +J(o)>S~H** — February 8, 2007 @ 7:05 pm
As one of the two people to use the word “apathy” in reference to Dean Butler, I want it to be clear that my comment was narrowly focused on the electoral options (apathetic as between Democrats and Republicans).
Dean Butler’s passion for the Truth should be clear to the blindest bat.
-Turretinfan
Comment by TurretinFan — February 8, 2007 @ 8:51 pm
If I’m neither for torture by pulleys nor for torture by blow torches am I then apathetic?
If I’m neither for Buddhism nor for Hinduism am I then apathetic?
To suggest so is to miss the point altogether, quite the contrary, there is a deep concern, one is by no means neutral or indifferent with lack of emotion, but rather (in the case of Mr. B and the right/left dichotomy) has a rather firm position and alternative, one which amongst other things recognizes both alternatives as decisively wrong.
Moreover if what is being asserted is that Mr. B cares not as to whom will be elected, for reasons already mentioned, therefore he is apathetic, then surely one may ask, Does Mr. B not care about what will happen as a result of x or y being elected? For surely he does care and is by no means apathetic, it is just that all candidates as Mr. B argues will lead the country in the very same direction, thus whomever is elected at this point ultimately matters not, but from my perusal in times past of the accusations made against Mr. B as being apathetic, I never gathered (perhaps I’m mistaken) that those accusing him were merely attempting to state the obvious, that being on his view all candidates will ultimately render the same results.
Comment by secret agent +J(o)>S~H** — February 8, 2007 @ 10:43 pm
Josh,
To your to questions:
Yes, you are apathetic, that is to say, indifferent between two options with regad to which you have no preference.
Dean Butler is apparently indifferent between D’s and R’s. That does not make him apathetic in general, or apathetic even towards politics in general.
I do rue having produced so much confusing with the word “apathy.”
I hope that now, after several clarifications, you see what I’m saying.
-Turretinfan
Comment by Turretinfan — February 8, 2007 @ 11:38 pm
Fellas -
There is no need to use a title before my name. As at Presbytery, a simple “Mr.” will do.
Comment by MRB — February 8, 2007 @ 11:54 pm
TF -
Yes, I never took you to mean that I am generally apathetic. I will even own your “charge” that I am apathetic about whether R’s or D’s are in power just so long as this is understood as not implying that I am apathetic about affairs political.
Comment by MRB — February 9, 2007 @ 8:50 am
Of course, if I am forced to accept your trialectic (new word), i.e. Republicans, Democrats, or dinner at Denny’s, then I will go ahead and sign up for death.
Great stuff (except for the fact that you might know what’s on the menu at Denny’s),
Greg
Comment by Greg — February 10, 2007 @ 7:55 am
Oh Lord I do not think its about apathy. I think some don’t like it because Mr. Butler isn’t stupid. I guess I can start with the Presbyterian church. I consider it far more gone than freemasonry. I think some replying fit that category quite well. I looked at some of their disinformation in replies to other writers. To be sure they are the inventors of the Gay marriage. They will have fun with that wont they. Take up both the for and against side. I would say 98 percent of that whole organization isn’t worth the time of a reply even. In fact I would go as far as to say they are so far gone even a trip to Bishop Robinson’s church would be more enlightening.
Why take up the for and against side. See they love to stir people up about social issues. Gay marriage, abortion, pornography etc. So while we are chasing the shiny metal rabbit around the track. They are upstairs at the gate helping to rob the till.
Then never bring up the money on all the shows. CNN, FOX/CBS or ABC or even NBC. You think they would be debating this multi-trillion dollar budget in public. However they do not. Who’s going to build that fence across Texas? You do not know. It is a 28 billion dollar contract after all. I guess they will not be debating that however. You do know about the woman that just died, Oprah and other really pressing issues however. And since the affiliated companies of all these news organizations benefit in the form or Big government contracts. They will not soon be investigating themselves. So see there is something in it for them after all.
So you might want to find out who really owns Raytheon, Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, Colt firearms and Martin Marietta to name a few. I haven’t even started on the security companies that benefit and the smaller ones that supply them. One of the replyers might know something about that. Do you have no shame?
So one question I have is this. Now that we have Democratized Iraq. Another words forced conversion to the Democratic philosophy by the sword. Do they get nifty things that they never had that come with it. Like well abortion on demand through the ninth month. Unlimited pornography. Gay marriage. Houses of prostitution in there cites, strip clubs and government corruption that would choke a cow. After all they never would allow most of that before. We are so self-righteous now aren’t we?
When you make one of your whitewashed replies. Which I expect. You might want to take this into consideration. We are far from stupid and the people that come to this site for the most part are. Some of us actually follow God here and not the devil.
Comment by George Roy — February 10, 2007 @ 11:10 am
Dear Mr. Roy,
Did you realize that mass media is a form of entertainment, not enlightenment?
-Turretinfan
Comment by TurretinFan — February 10, 2007 @ 4:23 pm
Well right on the numbers. You mean like C-Span? Or would you be talking about Congress? I see a multi-trillion dollar budget. You can tune in to those programs you won’t see any debate on the numbers or who gets the contracts much less have them mentioned or any type of itemization. What you will see is a lot of Mr. Smith goes to Washington dramatization.
I found what I was looking for. Some have their own interests at heart and could care less for dying men.
Comment by George Roy — February 10, 2007 @ 7:46 pm
Very Right Dean Holy Patriarch Reverend Butler–
Agreed. Now, given that we are over there, what course now best satisfies biblical principles?
Assuming it is improper for us to be over there, what now, since we are over there. There is little doubt withdrawal tomorrow of all U.S. forces would very probably plunge the country into chaos and perhaps bloodier civil war. I think immediate withdrawal would be reckless endangerment of even more lives.
The goals seem to me to be: 1) Withdraw 2) After having done what is reasonably possible to at least attempt restoration of some civil stability, so that we do as little total destruction as possible.
Withdrawing is not a difficult goal to achieve. Load men and equipment on planes and ships and leave. I know it is actually a massive complex effort, but it is not one requiring debate of a philosophical nature.
The second goal is one I’m not sure I can answer, nor is it one I am sure I see how biblical principles help answer. Having that as a goal seems to be biblically-principled, but achievement of the objective seems to me very fact and circumstance specific. That being the case, I’m not honestly sure how achieving that goal would look a lot different than what is being done now.
Short of setting up a democratic government, perhaps escorting the dominant party to power and promising rebuilding aid for a limited period of time in exchange for them making some sort of guarantee to preserve peace and not initiate purges of political enemies as soon as we leave. Any aid we committed would surely pale in comparison to the amount spent on massive troop deployment.
That plan has all sorts of problems, too, but it seems to me it would be helpful to actually consider solutions. We’ve established that we shouldn’t be there. Perhaps focusing energies on solutions as to how to fix it would be worthwhile at this point.
M.A.B.
Comment by M.A.B. — February 10, 2007 @ 11:39 pm
Here is an example of what I am talking about. There is all the time in the world for nonsense and investigations of this and that on television and radio All my days observing abortion in the news I have never seen a serious investigation of anything. I have a film here that shows what’s taking place in America right now as we are here.
I am expected to take this country seriously. I do not. Abortion available in ALL countries where the corruption of Freemasonry infests the government like vermin. They steal and while they steal usually in the form of City, County, State and Federal contracts. The big Federal contracts are for the top layer the super rich. The Freemasons really are pawns in there game. It includes things like road building, schools on the county level etc. See Freemasonry isn’t some kind of creepy religion its about money. The religious mystical aspect of it is what they like to keep going i.e. illuminate and Masonic rites. They have there own bid process in going for local contracts. Every once in a while someone takes a hit for the team and is richer for it.
This government is nothing but a stronghold of lies. And well I give you this film sad as it is. This is one of the reasons I will never trust a word coming out of any of there mouths. The woman they put up for the high court recently was nothing but a joke on us. We took the day. If the link doesn’t highlight cut and put in your address bar. You might need a faster connection than dial up.
http://www.govideonow.com/LL/Hard_Truth.wmv
Comment by George Roy — February 14, 2007 @ 7:52 pm