;)
Aldous Huxley“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.
;)
George OrwellAs Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.”
— Neil Postman, Foreword to Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985)
The pop-cultural Woodstock, hip-hop, be-bop, Hollywood hook-up projects of the past generation have so poisoned the cultural well against the Biblical standard of traditional marriage, intact families and the role of husbands, fathers, and men, that I'm not sure recovery will be possible without direct divine intervention akin to the 18th century Great Awakening.
Absent that, we will continue, I'm afraid, to sleepwalk and sink into the dysfunctional societal tarpit of moral confusion, narcissistic trivialities, sensate idolatries, throw away children (pre-born and otherwise), and other self-centered, toxic amusements….the perfect nihilistic breeding ground where “Big Brother” and Brave New World concoctions may metastasize and grow.
Nature abhors a vacuum. Likewise, when God the Father is voted out, swept under the rug, or otherwise ignored, as He is so often today, Big Brother (ie., iron-fisted Statism) will step in to take his place. And he will demand allegiance
Bottom line?..... The naïve and misguided "I Did It My Way" / "All You Need Is Love" psycho-babylonian experiment of the past 50 or 60 years has essentially (and predictably) crashed and burned, and the lukewarm, apostate church that bought into the impotent and trendy spiritual faddism of those rebellious decades must shoulder much of the blame for the drift, the unravelling, and moral chaos that today characterizes contemporary western civilization.
After all, adultery (spiritual and physical) does have consequences, and those consequences are always, ALWAYS destructive.
The prophet Hosea saw it coming in his day, but for the most part, we have missed it completely in ours.
;)
"...reap the whirlwind"“With their silver and gold
they make idols for themselves
to their own destruction….
They sow the wind
and reap the whirlwind….
For they have gone up to Assyria
like a wild donkey wandering alone.
Ephraim has sold herself to lovers….
They will begin to waste away
under the oppression of the mighty king….
I wrote for them the many things of my law,
but they regarded them as something foreign.”
(Hosea 8:9)
Lord, forgive us.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, thy will be done.
;)
We’ve Got Wand’ring Donkey Syndrome…
Look, my friend,…we did it OUR way,
We’ve got all the love you need!
We do things to fit the fashion,
And our fashion’s guaranteed!
We’ve got plans and we’ve got programs
That reveal our love for you…
Who needs dads and intact fam’lies,
When this village, sir, will do??
We’ve got legislation pending,
Court decisions making law…,
We’ve got social engineering
To replace your Scripture flaws.
We’ve got academic chutzpah,
Higher education clout,
Liberal theories out the wazoo
We know you can’t do without.
We’ve got therapies for healing,
Self-help tonics for the soul,
Oprah’s book list is our Bible,
Deepak spirit gifts our goal.
We’ve got Woodstock music magic,
High-held candles in the night…
We’ve got endless touchy-feelies,
Swing ‘n’ swaying sheer delight.
We’ve got Wand’ring Donkey Syndrome…
Endless trivialities.
Tantalizing flesh attractions…
Oh my, yes, we aim to please!
We’ve discovered now what ails us,
And…guess what?...it ISN’T “sin”!
It’s just lack of education….
So, we brought Big Brother in!
Yes, Big Bro is more than awesome!
Big Bro’s hip and really cool!
He’s teamed up with Mother Gaia,
While the Father’s overruled!
Big Bro’s really VERY stately…
Bureaucratic brains to spare!
He’ll re-educate your children,
Yes, he’ll teach ‘em all what’s “fair”.
Big Bro’s taking down your number,
All your moves he’s watching, too…
Watch him flex his Big Bro muscle,
While he does what’s best for you.
He’s got extra-special knowledge…
Orwell, well, he’s most sincere!
This Newspeaker of the House, sir,
Will now make things crystal clear.
Big Bro’s got the best intentions,
True Nirvana’s on the way….
Big Bro Paradise is calling!
Big Bro’s here to pave the way.
Father, give us eyes to see You…
Hearts and minds to understand.
Help us know our true condition1,
Then your Holy, Gracious Plan.
Make us meek, and make us mournful,
Poor in spirit, bring us low2…
Help us see these rags we’re wearing3,
Give us Grace the Truth to know.
Father, bless us with the bad news4,
So the Good News5 may sink in,
Take us to the Cross of Calv’ry…
Put us on our knees again.
;)
“The church has always had to encounter the voices and whisperings of the times, the lures and threats of the age, but her prime obligation and call have remained unaltered to this day, that is to withstand the temptations and fence off the dangers of compromising her integrity through various forms of servility to contemporary projects.”
— Folke Olaffson
1 Romans 3: 10-12
2 Matthew 5: 3-5
3 Isaiah 64: 6
4 John 3: 18-19
5 John 3: 16