Are You Serious!

Well, first of all I would like to apologize for quoting Nancy Pelosi in my title, but I think you will share my sentiments when you read this. There was a story on www.politico.com yesterday and I had to talk about it. Apparently, Tucker Carlson who used to be on the government network (For those of you not aware that is MSNBC!) and is now on Fox News from time to time has opened up that hole in his head today about Michael Vick. Here is what spewed out of his mouth:

“I’m Christian. I’ve made mistakes. I believe fervently in second chances. Michael Vick killed dogs in a heartless and cruel way. I think, firstly, he should have been executed for that. The idea the president of the United States would be getting behind someone who murdered dogs is beyond the pale.”

I could waste your time here with a lot of name calling, but that is not what this blog is about. I bet you think I can’t make a connection to spiritual or earthly wisdom do you? Yes I Can! I’m sorry about that, now I am quoting Barack Obama, it’s been a rough day! Anyway, let’s get back to reality here. Before I talk about the issue I have to discuss the relevance of the Bible to this discussion. In the Book of Genesis the Lord gave Adam dominion over the animals and even the task naming all of them. We are also taught that the Lord made mankind as a little lower than the angels. I say that to remind everyone of the God ordained pecking order in this world. This seems simple for some of us, but the simplicity of that order of things is predicated on the submission to the authority of scripture in every area of our lives. For those that have read my previous entry, the source of wisdom and understanding about these things is directly from an infinite God. What I mean is that the origination of spiritual wisdom is not what you read (although that is important), but what you trust in regards to who God is. You are probably wondering what any of this has to do with Tucker Carlson saying that Michael Vick ‘should have been executed’. I’m glad you asked! If the above mentioned truths are not things that are just a part of everyone’s logic and reasoning then you can arrive at conclusions about executing people who kill animals and think that is a perfectly legitimate point of view to have. That is not to say that Tucker Carlson has a lack of intellectual depth or that he has no understanding of spiritual things, because I don’t know the man. On the other side of the coin I am not saying that since wisdom is dispensed on high from our Lord that the pursuit of intellectual knowledge is not worth your time. What I am saying is that when a society erases from their social mores basic truths about heaven and hell, man and woman, and mankind and animals just to name a few you open the door to ideas that do not make logical sense. Moreover, you close the door spiritually in your mind for the Lord to dispense wisdom through the humble reading of His Word. The result of that is that we have a hard time stomaching capital punishment for killing soul bearing human beings in this country and Mr. Carlson wants to advocate it for the death of animals that have no souls. My comment about the lack of a soul in your beloved dog might infuriate some people, but this is something that I am not going to argue about. It is just the truth and that is all I am going to say about that. There are certain opinions that people have that you can just disregard because they are totally indefensible and ridiculous. (As a side note, an indication that our society has lost their way intellectually is the loss of the ability to disregard foolish points of view as nonsense and ignore them!)
The individual issue of Tucker Carlson’s comment is not as important as what this statement indicates about where we are intellectually and morally. The deeper issue is how can someone, who probably is a very intelligent person have such an irrational point of view. Secondly, I saw something else that coupled with previous experiences with people troubles me. The first issue has been alluded to in the previous paragraph, but bears a closer look. The equality of man with just about everything is always the tool of the enemy. Our adversary (Satan literally means adversary) either tells us that we are no better then animals or as great as our Lord, essentially like our politicians he tells whatever lies are necessary to deceive you. These truths are at work in evolutionary theory, the environmental movement and the animal rights movement. All three of these movements deny the sovereignty of the Lord for their lives and the caretaking provisions in the Bible in regards to man’s relationship to the earth and its inhabitants that are not human. The animal rights movement is not predicated on animal cruelty, because almost no one likes animals to be mistreated. It is based on the belief of equality of man and animal. The environmental movement is spiritually driven as well. Marveling about what the Lord has created while not worshipping the God that created it is blasphemy and a religion unto itself, not a desire to save the planet, because of a noble duty. (This one is also about power and money as well.) You can make an argument that the animal rights line of thought is similar to the evolutionary theory of creation because of the same reasoning as to the equality of man and beast. The point of all of this is that Mr. Carlson’s comment may seem insane to some and it is, but there are a lot of you who might be reading this that have some similar viewpoints because the bedrock of scripture is not the center of your world. My overall point is that someone’s lack of understanding of timeless biblical truths can cause your mind to not dismiss things that you should dismiss as illogical and irrelevant. That can manifest itself in other issues besides the animal rights movement. I know I sound a little pompous and judgmental, and I will not apologize for it. Freedom of speech gives anyone the right to say whatever you want, however that does not mean people have to or should listen to it! My second point, is more my opinion than anything else, in which you are free to disagree if you like. I have had discussions about politics and the Bible with a lot of people. It’s something I love to do wherever I am. I remember a recent conversation with someone I was working with temporarily at a seasonal job. We seemed to agree about a lot of what was wrong with America and then the topic of labor unions came up. I am against them in just about every form because I think they are bad for the economy. My co-worker disagreed, not based upon any convictions that he had on the issue, but because he wanted the comfort of money for the rest of his life. He thought a company that fired someone after years of service and did not provide their retirement for life was almost immoral. His real point is that freedom was great in theory, but when it came down to dollars and cents he would much rather have the security of money no matter what the consequences to the economy where. I responded by saying that freedom means more to me than security. He did not agree and our conversation stalled. Back to the story about what Mr. Carlson said about Mike Vick. Tucker is apparently pretty conservative. However in regards to the issue that prompted this writing he seems to have liberal leanings. Just like the scenario that played out with my co-worker some people only believe in freedom until true freedom effects their comfort and then they desire security and their government to act so that their security is taken care. Normally those so called freedom lovers are willing to have my freedom taken away to insure their comfort. Freedom isn’t free and you must choose between freedom and security, truth and principles must be more important than passions and emotions. What is right is more important than how you feel. I’m not sure why Mr. Carlson’s comments prompted this little outburst. Maybe I just wanted to say it. I’m not really sure Tucker Carlson’s comments have any ties to my last point. I think I was looking for an excuse to throw that little opinion out there. Anyway, maybe I’m just tired of people believing in things until it’s time for sacrifice on their part. I think most people are socialists and don’t even know it. Everyone I meet one on one will admit that they don’t want the government to control their lives or punish people unjustly based on passions and prejudices, but when freedom comes to YOUR door and YOU have to choose between that freedom and your opinions, which do you choose? Is your desire to live free from tyranny really in your DNA? Or does it fade when you realize that keeping that freedom means you must give up your comfort. And even your opinions that are based on your experiences and not truth.