Why the Lies? looked at some differences in tone, vision, and content between the two recent political conventions. The first event was primarily lecturing and painted a picture of things seen as wrong. All of which government would correct for you. The second presented a vision. One where you experienced greater independence and freedom in building and living your own life. The first tore down; the second built up. There is nothing wrong with having differences. What matters is how we address them.
I used information related to the pandemic, economic growth and job creation, inclusiveness, and acting lawfully from the last four years. These facts were compared to a picture drawn at the other convention. A fabrication largely created using lies. While harsh, it is true.
Character played an important role in both convention’s presentation. The ideas we choose shape our character. That character influences how we make decisions and act. There is no such thing as a little corruption—that thought too is a lie. You either conform to the world and material, or commit yourself to a path of transformation and the spiritual. There are no other choices. The first is empty. The second offers eternal life and peace. It is the fulfillment of our purpose. This time we’ll cover how these choices influence society.
How the Choice Influences Society
The first convention presented a top down management approach. This was the Democratic convention. They have a plan. There’s always a plan. The plan described all the things they would fix for you—whether you want it or not. It is right because they say it is. They even tell you how much it will cost you. No government creates. It can only take from someone who already has. That also may seem harsh, but it too is true.
Some groups are more favored than others under this governing approach. Some win, some lose. Everyone can say, ‘My lot would be better if only … .’ And they would be correct. Every single person would be better off if some specific change were made to the plan. This creates division and self-interest. A focus on the material over the spiritual. The ends matter much more than the means used to achieve them. Man uses his own values to determine what those ends should be. Lies, deceit, and immorality follow. It can be no other way.
This first approach is a religion. It’s just one created by man for man. One serious flaw in the first approach is that God alone is the source of all morality—not man. This is one reason why this approach has never, and can never, work.
The Alternative
There is one alternative. Only one. We must each, as both individuals and a society, choose this same approach. It requires faith and submission to God over man. It is a life of transformation. Learning to discern good from evil, and then choosing good. It is no more complicated than that, but as we all know it’s not always easy to do.
You may not agree with the Republican convention’s vision, but it used this approach. It made extensive use of testimonies. They provided many heart-filled stories of both the good and bad. They showed the results of choosing good and evil. Our human nature is corrupted. So we won’t always make the right decisions. However, we are more likely to do better if we are pointed to the right target—that is, God. That connection requires us to look outside ourselves to something greater.
The Alternative’s Principles
Underlying principles of this second approach include;
- Recognizing our equality of nature.
- Focus on lawfulness in relation to God’s laws, rather than lawlessness and man’s laws.
- Emphasizing the spiritual over the material. Ask yourself which approach seeks to keep casinos open while closing down churches? Which attempts to remove us from God?
- This approach requires building morality, speaking truth, discerning good from evil and choosing good. It requires education in both reason and faith, not reason alone.
- Acknowledging God’s presence in all areas of society; including church, education, government, the public square, the press, justice system, etc.
This alternative gives you greater freedom to make your own choices, but requires morality to effectively exercise that freedom. As long as everyone has the same opportunity, then it is your effort and abilities that make the difference. You are in charge of your success. This creates unity and leads to self-sacrifice as we recognize our true nature as brothers and sisters.
The Results
No choice could be more stark or absolute. It is the choice presented to us this November. Do we select people who support the first approach or the alternative? Do we choose our own oppressors or those willing to serve by allowing us to achieve our own potential?
The results speak for themselves. When you travel a long distance today, you likely travel in an airplane. An American invention. Many tried to create the first airplane, but it was first done in America. If you live or work in a high-rise building, it is made possible by two American inventions, the skyscraper and elevator. Listen to recorded music? The phonograph is an American invention. You likely use a telephone to talk to others, another American invention. You use lights to see at night and watch television. Both American inventions. Get the picture?
But we’ve seen this before. We need only look to history. The Roman Empire embodies the first approach. After its fall, there were numerous inventions for centuries throughout the Middle Ages leading to the Industrial Revolution. The result of societies formed around the alternative approach relying on Christian principles. Do we really want to return to the first approach? Are we tired of success?
The first approach seldom creates, it usually only improves on something that already exists. Things changed little in the Empire as it relied primarily on slave labor. This approach doesn’t produce the dreams allowing us to make things better. There is no incentive to create. That only comes through the second approach.
What Can We Do?
So what can we do? Plenty. We need to learn the issues and facts, and cannot rely on the media, campaign literature, or politicians. It is our duty to become informed. Second, we need to discern what is right and good. Pray, study, and reflect to determine what is true. Talk with others. Then act by choosing good.
Third, register to vote if you haven’t, and then vote in the upcoming election. You have a moral and civic duty to do so. You have a say and a responsibility not to stay silent. Fourth, offer to serve. Volunteer to help register voters or work at the polls. Create a voter registration event at your church. A 2019 study suggested fifteen million Christian’s haven’t even registered to vote, and another forty million don’t vote. Finally, consider running for office yourself. If those willing to serve do not hold office, it will be left to those who wish to rule.
We must both know and do. First discern who supports the alternative approach described above. These are part of the biblical principles forming this country’s foundations. Then act upon your choice. The old adage is true. Freedom is never free. It comes at a cost that requires your time and commitment. The choice, as always, is ours—at least for now.
