"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Luke 14:35b

Thursday, May 9, 2013

The Devaluing of Life and Death

Human value?
The news is rarely good, but this week’s escape of three women from a madman in Cleveland, Ohio, was certainly that. Shock and horror over their living conditions for the past ten years has permeated the psyche of the country. As it should. I mean, what kind of animal would do this? 

When you look at the sex trafficking business in this country and abroad, you see it’s not an isolated incident. Thousands of women are trapped in similar situations. Yet not much is mentioned in mainstream media about it until something like a daring escape by three women occurs.

While our country awaits a verdict in abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s murder trial and whistleblowers testify before Congress about the terror attack on 9/11/12 at the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya, I’ve pondered the moral and spiritual state of our society.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reflected our country’s apathy on certain topics when she posed the following question during Congressional hearings regarding events surrounding the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012:

What difference does it make?

When the moral and spiritual compass of a country no longer values truth, nor reflects absolute right or wrong, it increasingly makes less difference to society. So when a terrorist asks a friend to dispose of incriminating evidence, is it such a far stretch to think the friend wouldn’t, when you look at their examples?

Yet, people seemed genuinely shocked by the aiding and abetting of Boston bombing terrorist Dzhokhar Tsarnaev by his friends after he committed an act of terrorism against the U.S. last month. I’m genuinely shocked by their surprise.

A mere forty years ago, our country was stunned by one political party bugging another party’s headquarters. The crime itself was petty, especially by our current standards, but the highest leader in our land, the one sworn to uphold the law, had broken the law by lying and covering up his administration’s involvement in the crime.

Our current administration finds itself in a similar situation, yet few journalists like Woodward and Bernstein exist. Those that do are on the reviled Fox News network. You know—the network that consistently gets awards for balance, yet outrage people for doing so. That network. They’ve been the lone wolf crying in the wilderness for truth and justice for Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Tyrone Woods, Sean Smith, and Glen Doherty killed in a terror attack at the American embassy in Libya on September 11, 2012.

Last week, White House press secretary Jim Carney stated the Benghazi story was “old news.” Sorry, Mr. Carney, the story won’t go down in the annals of history until justice is brought to those who killed the Americans and those who covered it up.

And to Mrs. Clinton?

I’m pretty sure the four men’s families could answer your question.

Yet who cares? The mainstream media doesn’t. And it sure looks like mainstream America doesn’t. As disturbing is the trend that many people only recognize reality as what mainstream or social media deem important. If it’s not on Twitter or CNN, it either doesn’t exist or isn’t important.

Many folk’s appetites are satiated by glamour and entertainment news. Mainstream media devoted more time to the Jodi Arias verdict than the Benghazi hearings in Congress on Wednesday.

Another example is the coming out of NBA player Jason Collins.

According to CNSnews.com:

In the eight days since NBA player Jason Collins announced he was gay, the news media have covered the story in 2,381 places. But in the first eight days of the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell and his “House of Horrors” abortion business, the media covered the story in 115 places, meaning that Collins’ “gay” news received more than 1,970.4% more news coverage.
How did we get here?

The systematic watering down of values in this country is how we got here! We’ve reached the point where we create reality as we go. We redefine historic and biblical principles to suit our ever-changing spiritual and moral compasses. What constitutes marriage and life is a good place to look.

Since the beginning of time, marriage has been defined as the God-ordained union between a man and woman as a life covenant. In a relatively short period of time (one presidential administration), this has changed, and likely (unless the Supreme Court comes to its senses), will be redefined legally.

No more marriage absolutes. Once the historic definition of marriage is eradicated, anything and everything in the way of “unions” will be legally allowed.

And abortion? Another word for infanticide, in my opinion. The grisly trial of abortionist Gosnell in Philadelphia has hosted an empty media gallery. People are riveted to their TVs during sensationalized sexually detailed trials, yet they can’t stomach hearing about murders of infants. Dead babies with their spines cut and parts suctioned out makes people squeamish. We certainly can’t show that on the nightly news while people eat their dinner.

Right?

We’ll see when the verdict in the Gosnell trial is returned, if it gets the frenzied media coverage that the Jodi Arias verdict did.

Don’t be fooled into believing the Gosnell case is an isolated incident. It is more the norm than the exception as shown by the Live Action investigation. Three thousand babies a day die in this country from abortion, their blood soaks the ground, and their cries shut off in another room if they have the misfortune of being born alive—another thing we can thank people like our current POTUS for when he stood against protection for fetuses born alive while in the Illinois Senate:

Obama, Senate floor, 2002: [A]dding a – an additional doctor who then has to be called in an emergency situation to come in and make these assessments is really designed simply to burden the original decision of the woman and the physician to induce labor and perform an abortion. … I think it’s important to understand that this issue ultimately is about abortion and not live births.
Obama, Senate floor, 2001: Number one, whenever we define a previable fetus as a person that is protected by the equal protection clause or the other elements in the Constitution, what we’re really saying is, in fact, that they are persons that are entitled to the kinds of protections that would be provided to a – a child, a nine-month-old – child that was delivered to term. That determination then, essentially, if it was accepted by a court, would forbid abortions to take place. I mean, it – it would essentially bar abortions, because the equal protection clause does not allow somebody to kill a child, and if this is a child, then this would be an antiabortion statute. (FactCheck.Org)
The President delivered a speech to Planned Parenthood last week in which he ended with the words, “God Bless you.”

Really?

Really?

Even if Planned Parenthood hands out free contraceptive and performs mammograms and only aborts one innocent child a day—

It’s one death too many!

It’s still absolutely wrong.

All this points to the value system of our morally eroding society. But what about Christians? What is our role in this erosion?

Can a Christian support abortion in any instance? Or the dissolution of the sanctity of the God-given marriage covenant?

No. And for evil to succeed in this country, it has had the support of so-called Christian citizens. Sadly, many Christians don’t apply biblical absolutes to their lives. Scripture says you are known by your fruit. This could easily be translated into: 

       ·        What bothers you?
       ·         What keeps you awake at night?
       ·         What are you willing to speak out about or against?
       ·         What are you willing to be derided or persecuted for?

If you are able to rest your head on your pillow and sleep soundly each night while truth is redefined, biblical principles are trampled on, and thousands of babies are murdered legally each day…

Maybe the question shouldn’t be…

What’s wrong with our country?

Maybe the question ought to be: What is right?
 
© Laura Hodges Poole 

LiveAction.Org

12 comments:

  1. wonderful post laura!! i could not agree more. so appreciate the stat on the mainstream media and their coverage of yet another man giving into the sin of homosexuality and making him out a hero yet almost no coverage of the horrible murder of innocent babies by a "doctor" who cared nothing about life. yet what i am just as shocked and sicken over is the fact that so many christians are not outraged or they claim to be but do nothing about these horrors taking place in our country. i am sick of having conversations with fellow christians who tell me they can't change anything or that one person can't make a difference. this country is in the shape it is in because of all of us - christians and secular alike. how many christians are still giving starbucks their money even after the learning that this company is pro-homosexual and the ceo states if you are pro-traditional marriage to take your money elsewhere. how many christians still watch mainstream news that has a sinful liberal agenda, television series that make sin commonplace, watch movies that uses our God's name as profanity? we have to ask what our part is in the mess. i know i am guilty of not doing enough and i can honestly say that the Lord has been dealing with me about it.i praise Him for this as i try to do better standing against sin and for His values and will. again laura just a much needed and wonderful post!

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    1. Thanks, Betty. I agree. Heaven help this country when the day comes that God removes his hand from it. Even though we are in the minority, Christians must continue to speak out and take stands for what we know to be right. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. God bless you.

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  2. One of the best articles I've read in awhile. Very well-articulated, thoroughly researched, and soundly argued with a calm tone. Facts speak for themselves, don't they.. I'll be sharing this post. Love you, Laura.

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    1. Thanks, Dawn. Yes, it took some research, but Christians must continue to engage society on these issues. Others may be content to let mainstream media create reality for them, but we can't afford to do that. Too much is at stake. I appreciate you stopping by and sharing your thoughts and the post with others. Love you, too. God bless.

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  3. All I want to do is stand up and applaud you. Your post says all that I am feeling every single day - and probably in a much more calm and concise way than I ever could. Thank you for being willing to stand up and speak up.

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    1. Thanks, April. I'm glad the post inspired you. I appreciate you taking the time to read and leave a thoughtful comment. God bless you.

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  4. Thanks, April. I'm glad the post inspired you. I appreciate you taking the time to read and leave a thoughtful comment. God bless you.

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  5. It is frustrating and hard to grasp the events that take place and the media coverage (or lack there of). You have described the issues that my husband and I talk about.

    Touchstone Magazine offers articles about our culture from a Christian perspective. The current magazine has an interview with Jonathan Last who wrote What to Expect When No One's Expecting. Mr. Last suggests that our society has moved to a pursuit of "individual happiness" away from community or family concern.

    What are we to do as Christians? Teach our children and grandchildren. Provide support for single mothers. Participate in the work of the church. Persist in voicing our faith and point of view, even when criticized. Encourage one another--I love the book of Thessalonians.

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    1. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Carol. I haven't read Touchstone Magazine. I'll have to check into that. I love Paul's letters. They are full of encouragement for how to live as Christians!

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  6. Well researched and articulated.

    If one doesn't spend time in prayer and Bible reading they can easily become overwhelmed, scared, numb or a plethora of other emotions when they see what's transpiring in the world.

    When I'm tempted to worry, doubt and/or fear, I remember John 10:10. The thief will do anything to keep me from the Abundant Life found in Christ. I also remember Jesus said we must "watch and pray", if we don't do both it's easy to fall for the tricks of satan because our flesh is weak.

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    1. Thanks, TC. I agree. We have to stay grounded in The Word to thwart satan's attacks.

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