Tuesday, March 30, 2021

The Hypocrisy of the Fundamentalist Twitter Cult --by Keith Mathison


While talking to my son about the state of the current culture, he said something that I found interesting. He said that the thing with the Twitter generation is that it has a desperate need to feel like it always has the moral high ground. I think this explains some of what we witness when the Twitter mob gets riled up about something. It looks exactly like what you might expect to see in some fundamentalist cult --- self-righteous, holier-than-thou posing, collective public shunning of those who violate the rules of the cult, and most importantly, complete hypocrisy.

One of the religious dogmas of the Twitter cult is that there is no such thing as absolute truth. There is only "your truth" and "my truth." This applies especially to ethics. Ethical relativism is one of the non-negotiable axioms of the Twittereligion. What members of the Twitter cult seem incapable of grasping is that if ethical relativism is true, if there is only "your truth" and "my truth," a moral high ground does not and cannot exist. If you affirm ethical relativism (my truth/your truth) and you claim the moral high ground on any issue, you are a hypocrite, and hypocrites cannot claim any moral high ground - real or imaginary.

It may be the case that a large number of those who are members of the Twitter cult and who participate in the never-ending Twitter mobs are unaware of the self-contradictory and hypocritical nature of their Twittereligion. That might be explained by something else my son observed in an earlier conversation on the same subject. He said that the most vocal members of the Twitter mob appear to be composed primarily of pre-teens and teenagers. If this is the case, we're not only dealing with a religious cult, we're dealing with the children of the corn. Also if this is the case, an entire generation of adults is letting online teenage temper tantrums dictate what they say and do.

The world has always believed lies and called good "evil" and evil "good" and they continue to do today. The docetic world of social media has made it even easier for people to do this because now we can get an immediate "like" from others all over the world who share the same ethically depraved views. When enough of them assure you that your evil views are actually good, it can reinforce you in those views.

The Twitter cult needs to understand that there is no such thing as "my truth" and "your truth." There is such a thing as my opinion and your opinion, but opinion is not equal to truth. Truth is what it is regardless of your feelings or opinions. You can rant all you want online, but no matter how much you rage you cannot cancel God. You cannot cancel truth. You also cannot cancel the fact that before you know it, you are going to stand before God and be judged according to an absolute standard of truth. At that point, you are going to find out that what you deceived yourself into believing was the moral high ground was actually a pit. You will have no online anonymity to hide behind. You will have no mob to help you. You will stand alone before a holy God as your judge, and you will be judged according to the objective standard of His law - not "your truth."

There is hope, however. There is good news. "It is the promise of the gospel that whoever believes in Christ crucified shall not perish but have eternal life." Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).

Jesus Christ is risen! Jesus Christ is Lord!


Saturday, April 25, 2020

UV light into the lungs


C19 stuff

https://amgreatness.com/2020/04/18/a-deadly-if-dutiful-deference/
We have often been presented with a false dichotomy between saving the economy and saving lives. This is a false dichotomy because, as Dr Jonathan Geach points out, “the state of our economy is not just a monetary risk, it is a health risk.”
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.14.20062463v1
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/17/business/nearly-third-200-blood-samples-taken-chelsea-show-exposure-coronavirus/
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/04/numbers-150-americans-date-no-pre-existing-conditions-died-coronavirus-0-9/
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/494034-the-data-are-in-stop-the-panic-and-end-the-total-isolation
https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/04/22/there-is-no-empirical-evidence-for-these-lockdowns/
https://coronavirustruths.godaddysites.com/
https://medium.com/@jbgeach/changing-the-goalposts-four-more-reasons-it-is-safe-to-open-america-560cfc0ab4c3
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/face-masks-should-there-be-a-cover-up-
https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/aytu-bioscience-signs-exclusive-global-license-with-cedars-sinai-for-potential
The Healight technology employs proprietary methods of administering intermittent ultraviolet (UV) A light via a novel endotracheal medical device.
"Our team has shown that administering a specific spectrum of UV-A light can eradicate viruses in infected human cells (including coronavirus) and bacteria in the area while preserving healthy cells." stated Dr. Pimentel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfLVxx_lBLU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb6j7o1pLBw
https://townhall.com/columnists/kevinmccullough/2020/04/23/antibody-testing-proves-weve-been-had-n2567516
https://thefederalist.com/2020/04/23/instead-of-flattening-the-curve-we-flattened-hospitals-doctors-and-the-u-s-health-care-system/
https://thefederalist.com/2020/04/23/how-cowardice-and-class-privilege-divide-support-for-coronavirus-lockdowns/
https://www.sermo.com/press-releases/largest-statistically-significant-study-by-6200-multi-country-physicians-on-covid-19-uncovers-treatment-patterns-and-puts-pandemic-in-context/
https://www.trustnodes.com/2020/03/28/debate-ends-over-chloroquine-as-france-officially-sanctions-usage
https://unherd.com/thepost/coming-up-epidemiologist-prof-johan-giesecke-shares-lessons-from-sweden/
https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/16/early-peek-at-data-on-gilead-coronavirus-drug-suggests-patients-are-responding-to-treatment/
https://www.redstate.com/elizabeth-vaughn/2020/04/26/stanford-medical-center-neuroradiology-chief-gives-us-the-stats-tells-americans-to-go-back-to-work/

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Good Tolkien quote

"For heart that is pitiless counteth not the power that pity hath, of which stern anger may be forged and a lightning kindled before which mountains fall." -- J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Fall of Gondolin"

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

43 Profound Quotes About Prayer


43 Profound Quotes About Prayer
1.”Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.” – Max Lucado
2. “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” – Martin Luther
3. “True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that – it is a spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.” – Charles Spurgeon
4. “If you believe in prayer at all, expect God to hear you. If you do not expect, you will not have. God will not hear you unless you believe He will hear you; but if you believe He will, He will be as good as your faith.” – Charles Spurgeon
5. “Prayer makes a godly man, and puts within him the mind of Christ, the mind of humility, of self-surrender, of service, of pity, and of prayer. If we really pray, we will become more like God, or else we will quit praying.” – E.M. Bounds
6. “Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.” – E.M. Bounds
7. “God can handle your doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, and questions. You can bring everything to him in prayer.” – Rick Warren
8. “Prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world.” – E.M Bounds
9. “Prayer delights God’s ear; it melts His heart.” – Thomas Watson
10. “It is possible to move men, through God, by prayer alone.” – Hudson Taylor
11. “To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees.” – Billy Graham
12. “Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue; God’s voice is its most essential part. Listening to God’s voice is the secret of the assurance that He will listen to mine.” – Andrew Murray
13. “To desire revival… and at the same time to neglect (personal) prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.” – A.W. Tozer
14. “I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.” – George Mueller
15. “Our praying, however, needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage which never fails.” – E. M. Bounds
16. “God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it.” – John Wesley
17. “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” – Oswald Chambers
18. “Search for a person who claims to have found Christ apart from someone else’s prayer, and your search may go on forever.” – E. Bauman
19. “Have you any days of fasting and prayer? Storm the throne of grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come down.” – John Wesley
20. “God will do great things for you if you will wait for Him. Yield to Him. Cooperate with Him.” – John Smith
21. “A day without prayer is a day without blessing, and a life without prayer is a life without power.” – Edwin Harvey
22. “Quit playing, start praying. Quit feasting, start fasting. Talk less with men, talk more with God. Listen less to men, listen to the words of God. Skip travel, start travail.” – Leonard Ravenhill
23. “None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but those who have learned it by experience. It is a great matter when in extreme need to take hold on prayer.” – Martin Luther
24. “You know the value of prayer: it is precious beyond all price. Never, never neglect it.” – Sir Thomas Buxton
25. “Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then my dear brother; pray, pray, pray.” – Edward Payson
26. “It is not enough to begin to pray, nor to pray aright; nor is it enough to continue for a time to pray; but we must patiently, believingly, continue in prayer until we obtain an answer; and further we have not only to continue in prayer unto the end, but we have also to believe that God does hear us, and will answer our prayers. Most frequently we fail in not continuing in prayer until the blessing is obtained, and in not expecting the blessing.” – George Müller
27. “Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!” – Andrew Murray
28. “The reason why we obtain no more in prayer is because we expect no more. God usually answers us according to our own hearts.” – Richard Alleine
29. “Satan cannot deny but that great wonders have been wrought by prayer. As the spirit of prayer goes up, so his kingdom goes down.” – William Gurnall
30. “The devil is aware that one hour of close fellowship, hearty converse with God in prayer, is able to pull down what he hath been contriving and building many a year.” – Flavel
31. “Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things ‘above all that we ask or think.’” – Andrew Murray
32. “If we would pray aright, the first thing we should do is to see to it that we really get an audience with God, that we really get into His very presence. Before a word of petition is offered, we should have the definite consciousness that we are talking to God, and should believe that He is listening and is going to grant the thing that we ask of Him.” – Dr. R. A. Torrey
33. “What is love if it be not fiery? What are prayers if the heart be not ablaze? They are the battles of the soul.” – Samuel Chadwick
34. “Mind how you pray. Make real business of it. Let it never be a dead formality…plead the promise in a truthful, business-like way…Ask for what you want, because the Lord has promised it.” – Charles Spurgeon
35. “Where there is much prayer, there will be much of the Spirit; where there is much of the Spirit, there will be ever-increasing prayer.” – Andrew Murray
36. “A godly man is a praying man. As soon as grace is poured in, prayer is poured out. Prayer is the soul’s traffic with Heaven; God comes down to us by His Spirit, and we go up to Him by prayer.” – Thomas Watson
37. “Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.” – D. L. Moody
38. “There is no way that Christians, in a private capacity, can do so much to promote the work of God and advance the kingdom of Christ as by prayer.” – Jonathan Edwards
39. “As it is the business of tailors to make clothes, and the business of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray!” – Martin Luther
40. “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.” – Martin Luther
41. “Intercessory prayer is exceedingly prevalent. What wonders it has wrought! The Word of God teems with its marvelous deeds. Believer, thou hast a mighty engine in thy hand, use it well, use it constantly, use it with faith, and thou shalt surely be a benefactor to thy brethren.” – C. H. Spurgeon
42. “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” – Samuel Chadwick
43. “What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men who the Holy Spirit can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not come on machinery but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.” – E. M. Bounds