We are orphaned.
We have been turned out from our faith traditions and organized political parties. We are awakened to dangers threatening culture, the earth and future generations. We condemn aspects of the institutions we are estranged from. We aspire to the inclusive vision and the principles of “General Welfare and Liberty for All” – Because the meek will inherit the earth from the powerful.
Theses:
0.) Blind Selectivism. No single litmus test. God loves us. Full stop.
Selective reasoning. Denialism and Cults of Personality.
1.) Anti-intellectualism. Intellectual sloth.
Cults of ignorance enable wide-ranging madness: Anti-vaccination hysteria, climate science denial, covid ignorance, and so on. Even Flat-earth lies are resurgent in church circles.
Creation pseudoscience is cynically taught in defiance of physical truth. Creation as we can observe it, is in fact, God’s favorite witness.
- Promotion of magical thinking, a preference for miraculous delivery over pragmatic stewardship. False promises – Prosperity, health and wellness.
2.) Temporal Narcissism. Persecution complex.
Occurrences that fail to meet expectations are interpreted as attacks by enemies. Anti-Institutionalism. The practice of fitting rights and entitlements for self while actively depriving others.
The Church is not under attack in the U.S., except in response to politically conservative confrontationalism and profligate fundamentalist intolerance of people differences, even overt racism.
3.) Pandering Gossip. Proffering untruth profanes the name of God.
- Rumor mongering, conspiracy theory echo-chamber. Non-evidential definition of temporal beliefs: baseless argumentative stubbornness. Truth by consensus, truth by abdication. Regurgitative thoughtlessness.
4.) Pharisaical Hypocrisy. Impenetrable self-service. Flinty preconceptions. Absurd dogmatic adoptions. Insensitive literalism. Insatiable financial appetite. Disdain for others, of different mind.
Jesus was an itinerant homeless person teaching the greatest commandment living in community with the poor, defenseless and disenfranchised.
- Appearance of Holiness only. Inclusion averse. Hegemony: Isolating in cloistered affiliations – self-similar, self-referential cliques, hostile to weakness and “others” struggling with sin. Nepotism. Lacking community outreach / involvement. Failure to befriend the lost.
- Measure: “It’s better to be healthy, wealthy and wise than sick, poor and stupid.”
- Often estranged from communities they exist in
5.) Political Orthodoxy. It is God who rules the Kingdom God. Governments of men, by men are a passing anathema.
- Politics from the Pulpit, the fellowship hall and parking lot – what hat, what bumper sticker? Issue driven vs stewardship of collective welfare.
6.) Social Darwinism. As we are our brother’s keeper.
- Beneficiaries of social injustice – suborning fascist entitlement, covert racism and human oppression. The exercise and protection of power.
- As these are the sacrifices the Lord requires – “…to do justice, act mercifully, and walk humbly…”
7.) Affiliation with Lawlessness. Machiavellian Stratagem. “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness”
- Predatory self-dealing, inveterate deceit, perversion of Gods word. Defiance, distortion and subversion of the tenants of social inclusion.
8.) Religious Moralism. False equivalency. Directing one action as preferable over another where free will is concerned.
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
James 1:27
- The legislative activism driving self-referential issues of morality. Christian Confrontationalism. Willful violation of other’s God-given free will. Or the collective willful violation and overriding of the voice of one culture over another. The active suppression of views that contradict doctrine.
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