the basic message # E320
12/20/04
As we face another New Year this week, can we agree that the world is in a mess? Many people question: "Why does God allow so many problems in our world?" I think if God could be afforded the opportunity to answer the question, he might counter: "Why does mankind allow so many problems in their world?" Would you commit to a review of your life and actions prior to the launch of 2005? If you really, truly hunger for a better world, would you at least consider that you alone control your contribution to that better world? If you're like most people that are always expecting "they" to make the needed improvements, you may as well close this window now, since I've long lost hope that "they" will do anything.
What are some of the fundamental problems in our country today? Divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, pornography, gambling, abortion, crime. If we could have a private conversation with God about these issues, what might he say? Let's take them in order:
Divorce- Does God cause divorce? If your answer is yes, then please email me with your theory- I'd be very interested in hearing it. I tend to believe the other items on my list are major contributors to divorce, but let's not forget about other factors such as a mother divorcing a husband that refuses to get a job to provide for his family. Can we blame her? How about the father that seeks divorce from a wife that refuses to be a mother? She prefers to conduct her life as if she's still a single girl trolling for action. If you study every divorce around you today, what is God's fault, and what is ours?
Drug and alcohol abuse- Some folks think substance abuse is an disease like cancer- I disagree. With the exception of crack cocaine, substance abuse doesn't happen overnight. A pot-head gets to be a pot-head by frequent and persistent usage of marijuana, and an alcoholic achieves his dubious title by continuing to drink increasing amounts of booze on a regular basis. In other words, it takes a certain amount of work to become a substance abuser. Is that God's fault?
Pornography- Contrary to popular belief, our problems with pornography didn't simply happen overnight. As kids, my friends and I dreamed of having free access to Playboy magazine. Playboy has been around for over 50 years, but Hugh Hefner certainly isn't the inventor of pictures of nude women, so how are we suddenly faced with this "epidemic"? Like alcoholism, pornography evolves quickly and strongly when opposition is weak or nonexistent. The only difference between pornography in 2005 and pornography in 1995 is the advent of the internet. For example: "kiddie porn" was available 20 years ago, but the internet now allows perverts to bring it into their home quite conveniently and discretely. Prior to the internet, a man (or rarely, a woman) had to go into an "adult" bookstore to buy porn. That act in itself prevented "good people" from buying the stuff since they wouldn't want to be seen going into such a place. The good old internet took care of that. Is it God's fault that a person's curiosity leads them towards looking at dirty pictures or videos?
Gambling- I happen to live in a state (Louisiana) that stupidly thought gambling was the answer to our financial problems. We were ignorant enough (and some still are) to believe that our "cut" on gambling revenues would go to improve our education system. By the time this whole thing runs its course, we will incur additional costs in our schools to educate kids about the dangers of gambling. Once again, does a person become a problem gambler in a few hours? I used to work with a group of people that would make a trip to Las Vegas once a year to gamble. They would save their money all year for that trip, and quite frankly, I didn't see much wrong with it. When they returned home, they simply went back to work and began saving for next year's trip. I personally think gambling is foolish, but some folks think driving 20 hours to see cars going round and round in a circle for 500 miles is pretty dumb too, so it's really a matter of personal taste. So I pose the question: Is problem gambling God's fault? Nope, it's just one more issue that is incremental in nature. It starts off with a lotto ticket or a quarter in a slot machine, and then takes off from there. The most frightening statistic involves the increasing number of senior citizens that gamble. We will soon be faced senior citizens having to leave retirement to become homeless. Gambling doesn't hurt anyone? Better think again.
Abortion- With the exception of Jesus Christ, a baby must be conceived with human involvement. Before abortion can become a problem, there must be conception causing that "problem". Isn't it tragic that there are tens of thousands of couples that desperately long to have a child, yet less than a mile away, someone else is planning on how they will "get rid" of their child. A certain interaction must take place for an unwanted child to begin life- is that God's fault?
Crime- I'll probably get some angry emails by saying this, but I really don't care. I think crime will become more prevalent in our increasingly "Republican" America. Our capitalistic view of the world will continue to widen the gap between those who have and those who don't. The standard Republican sentiment is "get a job and work hard and you too can be a millionaire". Let's face the fact that middle class white men have held the advantage in getting good jobs and will continue to. Please don't misunderstand- I'm certainly not condoning crime because of a person's ethnicity or upbringing, but I am indeed suggesting that some folks are born with an inherent disadvantage in getting good jobs, and that disadvantage might ultimately push some in the direction of becoming a criminal. Don't agree? If you're a white male and you've ever hired anyone, who are you most likely to hire for a "traditional male" job? Another white male. "A black guy just wouldn't fit in here." You get the idea.
I could go on, but you probably wouldn't care to hear any more anyway. The point is simple- in 2005 we can indeed change our world quite easily by simply changing ourselves. But heck, it's always easier to change the other person, right?