In American culture’s dizzying changes of the past few years, there has been a debate…
Category: Society
God confers a heavenly citizenship when we become Christian. Our new citizenship may demand difficult…
The Bible reveals a view of race that diverges from the view held by Western Civilization for the last five centuries. Consequently, interracial marriage is not an issue for those with a Biblical view. In fact, the primary concern for marriage from a Biblical view has nothing to do with race. Christians should concern themselves with marrying fellow Christians.
A Christian’s loyalty ultimately rests in God. A Christian recognizes God’s sovereignty in their lives over human governments, administrations, organizations, or any other form of authority. Throughout history this has placed God’s followers at odds with many of man’s institution. Worldly men are always striving for influence over other men. Whether it is through social status, governmental institutions, or religious authority men are always placing themselves in a position where they are able to exert influence and control over others.
Infanticide has been a custom of human societies for thousands of years. Infanticide simply put is the killing of an infant. There are records of infanticide dating far back in the historical record. We have records of the practice in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, North America, and South America. The practice is known to have continued into the middle ages, and even into the modern day but is no longer a commonly accepted practice throughout the majority of the world.
There is a belief which maintains God has given sanction to govern mankind in His name. Not to to be confused with governing in acknowledgement of His name, but His personal representation empowered for the sake of peace, prosperity, etc. Such a party of God may identify with Jesus Christ, or, the God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, or Mohammed. Types like this do exist, don’t they? Or perhaps the party might be a Gaia type, blending eco-awareness with hope for the earth.
Sigmund Freud theorized that human beings are internally comprised of three parts: the Id, Ego, and Superego. He depicted the Id as humanity’s primitive impulses or drives that seek expression. The Superego is humanity’s conscience and is socialized by external influences such as parents, religions, teachers, etc. In between the two stands the conscious self, the Ego, who serves as an arbiter between the Id and Superego. Internal conflict arises when the Id seeks expression in the conscious self, but is suppressed by the Superego. The Superego is seen as the source of conflict since it hinders the counselee from following their Id’s desires. Therefore the counselor sides with the counselee’s Id and attacks the various influences which bolster the Superego’s stand against the Id’s desires.
In Jesus’ trial before Pilate, the apostle John quotes the Roman governor, “What is truth?” Though uttered nearly two thousand years ago Pilate’s question resonates in contemporary Western culture. Previous generations considered truth absolute: “true for all people in all places for all times.”[1] Absolute truth is objective which means it stands apart from individual opinion or experience. However, contemporary culture believes truth is relative or subjective. The individual is empowered to define right and wrong as they see fit without any external influences such as the Bible. A culture that embraces relative truth leaves its participants asking, “What is truth?”
Jeffrey Dahmer drugged and killed 17 men and boys. Before his imprisonment, he came to a point where he was murdering once a week. Driven by a desire to control individuals for his own gratification, Dahmer committed horrifying crimes. Their details need not be related here, as Paul’s words may have bearing on such a discussion: “For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret” (Ephesians 5:14). But what helped drive Dahmer’s desires bears retelling. When asked what motivated him to commit such heinous acts, Dahmer confessed to the FBI in 1992 that (among other things: “heavy drinking,” etc.) pornography had played a part.