Opus 2026-164: Middle Class Morality: Pillars of Culture

A post on Powerline titled “6 Pillars of Civilization” gave some basic information that we all need to embrace.  This is extra true in the current climate of depricating the contributions of Western Civilization.  I don’t know if they are original to the writer but they are something to consider.

The six,

–Monogamy
–Free enterprise
–Representative government
–Universal education (reading/writing)
–Scientific method
–Monotheism

Most Americans of previous generations would read this list and say, “Of course.”  They would accept those as normal.  All of them are assumed in cultures based on Christianity.  In fact they are demanded.  Not so much the rest of the world.

Take the Muslim world.  The only one of these that they would embrace is monotheism.  What are the results of one out of six?  Poverty.  Ignorance.  Violence.  Tyranny.  Millions fleeing.  Not a very good return on investment.  Much of the same can be said for the third world countries that reject Christian foundations.  There are some exceptions like Japan but even they operate on principles developed in Christendom.

Notice I said “previous generations”.  I am not so sure that the current generations would endorse the list.  What that should tell us is that the benfits of the list will soon fade away.  In a business the trust that is developed by years of honesty and responsible practices lead to profits and a repeat customer base.  When the proprietor begins to cut corners and reduce value the business ends up closing down.  A good example is Panera Bread.  It used to be a go-to stop and now it is almost empty.

What does the future hold?  That depends on the values and priorities we adopt.  Choose wisely.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-375: Middle Class Morality: Fathers

The Bible gives us the right to call God, “Abba”.  That is a term for father, which is an endearment.  The closest I can think of an English would be “daddy”.  It speaks of familiarity and all of the wonderful attributes of the relationship between a loving father and a trusting child.  As I was thinking about it today I wondered how much of our concept of being a father is unique to a culture that is rooted in Judeo Christian values.

Most of my ideas of what it is to be a father in another country are based on movies and books and such as that.  I don’t know how accurate they are.  I know in some cultures that the boys are raised with the women up to a certain point, and then are moved over into the men’s hut.  There are probably many other variations.  How many of them reflect the kind of God that could be called father?

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Opus 2024-339: Middle Class Morality: Find Me Nine More

My thinking this morning was stimulated by some of the things that Thomas Sowell said, in the last book I read.  He was talking about what made some cultures more prosperous than others, and in addition to the ability to know that your property belonged to you so that you knew how to plan, he said there was a general trust in the population in countries that were prosperous.  Their prosperity was possible, because they could be trusted.  That led to a discussion of honesty, and such things, as not lying and not stealing.

That took me to the 10 Commandments, and one of those 10 Commandments is “Thou shall not steal.”

This led me to thinking about how honesty and respect for others property, which is a part of middle-class morality.

And that made me realize that most of the people in our lower classes would be infected with middle-class morality, as far as things like truth and theft would be involved.

And that led me to thinking of white privilege.  So much of what is labeled as white privilege is Middle-class Morality.  They are the basics of western culture and found in the Bible.

It took centuries for these values to be inculcated in western society.  It has come from the bottom up, from the everyday believers, from the monks and priest, and people who took communion on a daily basis.  When the people who believed in the truth of the Bibl, and lived by the truth they molded society over the centuries.

The satanic communist forces have been working tirelessly to break down that consensus.  They have infiltrated our educational system.  They have begun to run the government.  They control the media and they are coming after the family and the church.  The pace has sped up.  The battle is real.

We think of political moves we can make to fight this.  We should do that.  We think of building strong families.  We should do that.  Ultimately, though, this is a spiritual battle.  The only reason we are still afloat is because the Holy Spirit is working, not only in the hearts of believers, but also in the lives of people who deny God.  That gives us our hope in the future.  That is the force of Providence.

Don’t give up.  Remember Abraham pleading for Sodom.  If they could have found ten righteous then God would have spared the city.  Be one of the ten.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-097: Middle Class Morality: Free Enterprise

There are a lot of people who constantly misrepresent what the Bible has to say about so many things.  As our country is more consumed with a philosophy of feelings rather than facts we get consumed with editing the Bible to say what we want.  One of the attacks that people make is that basic free enterprise is selfish, profit is evil.  

Nonsense.

The Bible is full of examples of people working for a profit and being blessed by God.  All you have to do is read the passage in Proverbs 31 about the woman that is referred to so often on Mother’s Day.  Actually it is not a description of a mother as much as a wife.  If you read through it you find her investing in real estate, manufacturing garments and generally busy making a profit.

That isn’t what I want to focus on today.  Today I want to point out what is easy to mistake as charity and it isn’t.

In a passage dealing with giving and generosity you come across this verse,

(Pro 11:26 KJV) He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

What I want you to notice is that the man is not blessed for giving away the corn but for selling it to those in need.  I think it is assumed that he asked a fair price and you can say gouging is bad but it is not charity.  

Profit and free enterprise is a Biblical standard.  It is a moral choice that is part of middle class values.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-027: Middle Class Morality: Specific moral standards

I maintain that Middle Class Morality (MCM) is the bedrock of the American way of life.  One of its points of belief is that there are specific moral standards that do not change.  Right and wrong exist and they do not depend on your attitude or acceptance.  They are.  One word used for this is “righteousness”.  The opposite of righteous behavior would be sinful behavior.  If you are paying attention this is currently being rejected by our intellectual class and most of the molders of public opinion.

The understanding of righteousness is defined in the Bible.  You can start with the Ten Commandments, which most people have heard of even if they cannot name them, and move to a less well known list you could call the “works of the flesh”.  Just reading it points out how out of the mainstream Christians are today.

(Gal 5:19-21 KJV) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

In the mid 1900's this would have been accepted without the batting of an eye. 

Our standards are changing and not for the better.  If America rots away to nothing more than another society conquered by the socialist poison, part of the journey will involve rejecting this wall of righteousness. 

(Proverbs 14:34 KJV)  Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

There are still many people who believe this and live this way.  I do not know if they are a majority in the country any more.  I do know that they are very rare in the media, education and the government.  If we are to continue to survive we will need to return to a standard of objective morality and not just what feels good.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-182: Last Flight from Sodom

Where do we go from here?  I continue to read headlines about pedophilia and the assault on children going on in the cultural elites.  Some of the headlines are exposes that act like criminal charges are going to be brought.  Others are statements that there are movements in government, education, entertainment and media to make sexual contact with children legal and mainstream.  It seems to be coming like a Mac truck.  I remember just a few years ago when we warned that accepting homosexuality would lead to child and animal sex being accepted and being told I was just an old Prude with sexual hang ups. 

It is knocking at the door.  Where do those of us who still have a shred of moral fiber go from here?

The question has already been asked politically.  I remember during the 2016 presidential campaign how Ted Cruz shared what his father had said.  To paraphrase, he had fled tyranny in Cuba and come to the United States.  If the United States falls and become another socialist workers paradise, where do we go from here?  There is no place left.

I have already left California.  So many leftists have fled that they are infecting the rest of the country.  I came to Texas.  Now I hear that Austin is talking about changing the name of the city because the man it is named after had slaves.  Really?  The crazies are alive and well in the Lone Star state. 

Where do I go from here?  I may not need to worry about it.  I am old enough that I may be dead by the time the fools completely take over.  I am worried more about my children and grandchildren.  I am worried about your decedents. 

I have hope though.  This is not the first time that perversion has been ascendent.  I think of the discussion between God and Abraham about the future of Sodom.  God was going to destroy it because of it evil.  Eventually Abraham brought his plea for mercy down to this.

(Genesis 18:32 KJV)  And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.

God agreed to spare Sodom if there were ten righteous in the city.  Sodom was destroyed. 

How many will it take for God to spare America?

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-046: Middle Class Morality: Forgiveness

(Proverbs 17:9 KJV)  He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

Forgiveness.  As Americans with a residue of Christian culture, we take it for granted.  We are the country that made the Mother Country our closest ally after the American Revolution.  Remember after the Civil war the words of Abraham Lincoln,

“With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds.”

We are the nation that rebuilt its enemies after World War II.  Forgiveness has been a part of the national psyche.

There is a qualification of forgiveness that most of us miss.  We are to forgive.  It does not say that the other guy must, or will.  Christian morality is one way.  It is extended because God demands it, not because they deserve it.  Thus we have the turning of cheeks, the going of miles and sharing of coats.  This is why we feed our enemies.

The world thinks that the standard is quid pro quo.  Not so. 

We are forgetting what forgiveness is all about and why it is necessary.  When we hear the mantra about reparations we are forgetting that such demands only divide us as a people.  If we follow that path we will fall apart.  Think about all the atrocities that the Irish could bring up to justify hating their English neighbor.  How about the Americans with a Korean ancestry.  Should they forever hate the Japanese that have been here longer than they have?  Forget the complaints that some American Indians have against the European invaders, what about all the reasons that other tribes had to hate the Iroquois.  We could start quite a few mini-civil wars between the Indian tribes alone.

Our national motto is E Pluribus Unum.  That was, is and will be impossible without forgiveness.

Since we seem to be following that path the Balkanization of America could be inevitable.

Pray that you would learn to forgive.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-037: Middle Class Morality: Servants Are Human Too

How do you treat the waitress at your table?  When you are at a banquet, do you thank the person who takes your plate?  Do you consider people who serve you in one capacity or another to be human beings?  Do you notice them at all?

These may seem like silly questions, but they are not.  In a recent discussion someone was trying to make a case for why the wealthy elites think they know so much and are qualified to direct our lives.  It is rooted in a belief in class.  It is still prevalent in Europe and much of the third world.  Some people believe that they are inherently better than others.  It is the root of genuine racist attitudes.  It can hide behind what we call sexism today.  Some nationalism is class oriented.  The rich and the famous do not believe that you are human in the same way they are human.

In many cases they do not even notice you. 

Middle Class Morality (MCM) is based on the Biblical principle that every human being is created in the image of God.  It means they are capable of moral behavior and deserve at least the consideration that they are children of God.  It is the reason that slavery died out in Christian countries and not in the rest of the world until the Christian countries insisted.  In the New Testament book of Philemon we find the Apostle Paul sending a runaway slave back to his master.  Paul does not condemn slavery but he puts an interesting twist.  He send him back

(Philemon 1:16-17 NAS77)  no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.  If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me.

Legally he is still a slave.  Theologically he is now a brother in Christ.  That does not dissolve the legal bond but demands that he be treated as a fellow child of God. 

This is just an example of the concept of what it means that all men are created equal.  As it played out we developed a culture in which common people could become president of the United States.  Think of Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and yes, the ultimate outsider, Donald Trump.  None of them were considered of the ruling class.  All were elected to lead the country.

Only in America.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-346: Middle Class Morality: Moderation

One key concept that could be established is that the idea of being middle class is a Biblical standard.  Some people think the desire to be rich is an American thing.  It isn’t.  What is American is a political and economic structure which allows anyone to be successful.  Some would define that as being rich.  What is also American is the teaching of moderation.  That is why America has such a large middle class.  That is why, as we drift toward a pagan culture, the middle class is being squeezed. 

The Bible teaches moderation.  I came across this in Proverbs.

(Proverbs 30:7-9 KJV)  Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:  Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:  Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

Notice the balance.  We live in a culture that has made it possible for common people to work hard at low level jobs and still earn enough to support their families in comfort and security.  They may not have as much as they want but where else could someone putting bolts on a car live in their own home and hope to send their kids to college.  We were recently talking to a waitress in a family restaurant who owned her own home.  Only in America.  Only in a country with Bible based Middle Class Morality.

Do we have extreme wealth?  Do we have extreme poverty?  Yes.  I lost my rose colored glasses long ago.  I also read this weak about a famous, successful personality who committed suicide.  He had it all and killed himself.  Obviously he had not accepted Middle Class Morality.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-214: Middle Class Morality: Two Parent Families

Another title for this might be “The Father in the Home”.

One of the disturbing trends we see in modern culture is the growing number of single parent families.  This usually involves a single woman raising multiple children, although there are a few men who are taking on this role.  The reason this is a problem is not because single parents are evil people but because our social spokesmen are glorifying this condition to the point of making it normal.  Remember the hoopla over Murphy Brown.  It is not normal and it is not healthy.

American Middle Class Morality (MCM) says that children are best raised in a home that has a father and a mother.  Obviously there are single parents who are doing a good job.  There are also people running in marathons who have artificial legs.  More power to them, but it is not the best way to do the job.  The problem is not being a single parent but how you become a single parent.  MCM is based on Christian morality that calls certain types of behavior sin and praises other behavior.

There are two major causes of children being raised by single parents.  Both are against the standards God has given us.  The first is the modern mantra pushing sex outside or marriage.  Whether it is sex education beginning in kindergarten, advertising that stimulates lust, movies and TV that glorify momentary physical gratification or just pure selfishness, if you believe that sex is to be reserved for marriage you are labeled as a fool and a bigot.  The Biblical standard is clear.

(Hebrews 13:4 NAS77)  Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

When a society embraces this standard they have the foundation they need.  When it is ignored, things start to fall apart.

The second major cause is divorce.  Easy divorce is rampant.  The percentages are scary no matter how you interpret them.  The ones who suffer the most are the children.  Again, God condemns divorce. 

(Malachi 2:16 NAS77)  "For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously."

When we encourage easy divorce and mock God’s standard we are digging our cultural graves in addition to destroying our own lives.  When we allow our feelings or convenience to establish how we live we lose the long range considerations that give a chance at success.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-179: Middle Class Morality: Chastity

Recently I was talking to a student and out of the blue he shared with me that he had had fellatio when he was 14 and wanted to know when I had experienced it.  TMI.  If you don’t know what the term means then look it up or read about Bill Clinton’s use of the oval office.  This is where our pagan culture is taking us.

Conversely, Middle Class Morality is based on chastity.  Let me remind you that chastity means purity in sexual relations, not celibacy which is the abstinence of sexual contact.  Celibacy is expected before marriage.  Chastity is expected after marriage.  America in the past embraced the concept that sex was for marriage.  They may not have lived up to it but they knew what was right and what was wrong.

Chastity is rooted in the Bible. 

(Exodus 20:14 KJV)  Thou shalt not commit adultery.

For people wanting to live God’s way that is enough but we have the modern sophists who will say, “But that applies to married people, not me.”  Okay. 

Let’s play legalistic lawyer.  Technically adultery does involved a married person sexually involved with someone outside their covenant.  Got it.  Fornication, on the other hand, is any sexual contact outside marriage.  So do a search on fornication.  You find many references to it.  Among them is,

(Acts 15:20 KJV)  But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

Still not convinced?  You think they are synonyms?  Then how about this verse that uses both words?

(1 Corinthians 6:9 KJV)  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

In spite of what you may have heard by your seeker friendly pastor, in your latest Christian self-esteem book or from the guy who is trying to get you into bed, God’s standards have not changed.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-165: Middle Class Morality: Saving, Not Spending

We live in an affluent age.  Americans live in a culture that takes a massive amount of wealth just to provide the basics.  That is in relation to the rest of the world and even more so to history.  I don’t get too concerned when I hear about the poor people of the world living on $300 dollars a year.  The part most people don’t hear is that they are living on it.  And in their circumstances they might be doing quite well.

How can this be?  If you have no utility bills, grow your own food and don’t pay taxes, how much do you need to live in a third world country?  Obviously it would not get you through the week in Washington D.C.  Many today can spend that much at dinner.  The point is to live within your means.

The Bible gives us the concept of moderation and thrift. 

(Proverbs 21:17 KJV)  He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

The reference to oil may go over your head.  They did more than mix it with balsamic vinegar to put on their salads.  They used it as a lotion and anointed their heads with it.  It was medicinal.  The rich would use large quantities for extravagant purposes.  Lots to drink and lots of massages can make Jack a poor boy.  Today with credit cards we face the same temptation.  Middle class Americans use to drive used cars and pass clothes down to their children.  It was a Biblical concept.

Another aspect of delayed gratification is leaving something for your children.

(Proverbs 13:22 KJV)  A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

The name of the game in Middle Class America is not to die when your last cent is spent.  It is not to drive a giant RV with a bumper sticker saying, “We’re spending our children’s inheritance”.  Middle Class Morality says you are building for the future.  That is why old people plant fruit trees and invest in long term stocks and bonds.

I can’t give you the source but John Wesley was reported to have said, “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”  Of course he was also reported to live on £20 a year.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-144: Middle Class Morality: Concern for the Poor

One of the political mantras that is used to manipulate the masses is “concern for the poor”.  Most of what we hear is nothing but contempt and deceit.  If the left cared about the poor they would teach them self respect, independence and force them to work their way out of poverty.  Instead they talk about self-esteem, rights, entitlements and perpetual dependence.

The real concern for the poor comes from the Bible and has always been a part of Christian culture.  Think about the institutions we think are normal but have been carved out of the centuries by applying Christian ideas.

Hospitals are a Christian concept.  Consider all the hospitals in town that are affiliated with a Christian group.  I am not sure of my history on this but I think the idea of a hospital was generated by medieval monks as they tried to care for lepers and other poor sick people.  The poor had a doctor come to their home and servants to care for them.  The poor had the monks.  Today we think it is normal.

We have all heard of Sunday Schools.  The original concept came from the Christians of England concerned about all the children working six days a week.  The only day they had free was Sunday so they started teaching them to read on that day.  The idea of universal education was the result of the Protestant emphasis that the Bible was the authority and that each individual needed to be able to read it. 

Rejection of Slavery has its roots in Christianity.  While it is true that the Bible does not forbid slavery it tells masters to treat their slaves like brothers.  It is hard to maintain the institution when it is family.  William Wilberforce was motivated by his Christian faith.  Leaders of the underground railroad tended to be people of faith.  These are not concepts that were generated by the pagan or Muslim world.

Nobles Oblige is a concept that needs to be revived.  It is a Christian concept that says those who are blessed are expected to use their blessings for those less fortunate.  The world has always had elites and always will have elites.  They are the blessed who have power, wealth and influence.  They run things.  The problems we are having today is a surfeit of narcissistic elites and a lack of servant elites. 

(Proverbs 31:5 KJV)  Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

The idea of being created equal is Biblical, not philosophical.  We need to get back to our roots.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-351: Middle Class Morality: The Protestant Work Ethic

It is sometimes called “The Protestant Work Ethic”.  When you want to be insulting you call it “The Puritan Work Ethic” because we know what narrow minded haters the Puritans were.  In reality we should call it the Biblical Work Ethic.  The Bible presents work as noble and worthwhile.  It presents sloth as a sin.

Americans tend to work more and vacation less than people in other developed countries.  It is expected, or it used to be.  We are now seeing two extreme.  At one end we have the idle rich.  They live extravagant lives on money made by their parents.  At the other end we see the idle un-rich.  They live in a reliance on welfare and government handouts that have undermined the expectation to work.  That is un-American.  Americans are expected to work and pay their own way, not to be owned by their social worker or local party boss.

The strongest statement on this is

(2 Thessalonians 3:10 KJV)  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

There is provision for orphans, sick and widows.  There is none for sluggards. 

So get a job.  Be American and also be Biblical

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-260: Middle Class Morality: Personal Responsibility

Personal responsibility is an idea whose time has departed, at least if you pay attention to what is going on in our society.  We have become a culture of victims and helpless pawns that need an overpowering central government to protect us from ourselves and the forces around us.

This is not Middle Class Morality (MCM) and it is not Biblical.

The Bible concedes that there are forces we cannot defeat. 

(Ephesians 6:12 KJV)  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

But notice that these forces are spiritual and if you read the context it is only the power of God that can deliver us, not the power of government.

We are responsible for our own behavior and will be held accountable for our behavior.  The obvious, an often quoted, verse is,

(Galatians 6:7 KJV)  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

But there are a lot of other references that talk about personal responsibility.  One I came across in Proverbs,

(Proverbs 26:27 KJV)  Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

So get over the class warfare, the victimhood, the calling for government programs to bail you out of your own stupid choices.  Most of the homeless are not on the street because society has conspired against them.  They are there because of choices.  Most people living in poverty in this country have no one to blame except themselves.  They do blame others, but all it does is make them more dependent.

I think of a guy who was “homeless” years ago.  He wanted me to let him sleep in my back yard and of course he wanted me to loan him a sleeping bag.  In the course of our discussion I asked him about family and his comments made it clear that he had lied and cheated so much with everyone who was related to him or called him friend that none of them would trust him any more.  And I was supposed to.  No thanks, my mama didn’t raise any children that foolish.

Personal responsibility is a Biblical, Christian value that used to be MCM.  It was part of what made this country great.  It’s absence will bring us down.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-231: Middle Class Morality: Prohibition

Middle Class Morality (MCM) frowns on the abuse of alcohol.  Immature males tend to look at drunkenness as a joke.  That is not MCM.  It also often condemns its use as a beverage.  Part of the heritage historically is Prohibition.  Another attempt to regulate booze were the blue laws which made it illegal to purchase alcohol on Sunday.

Most people have heard of Prohibition.  This was a time when the Constitution was amended to make it illegal to sell alcoholic beverages.  The time gets a lot of bad press.  A lot is made of the rise of organized crime that came as a result.  What you don’t hear about is the way in which the non-front page news got better.  Physical abuse of wives and children decreased in that time.  I would imagine if there were statistics they would show that traffic deaths declined.  The many ways in which alcohol undermines civil society were curtailed.  But people want their booze so all you heard was what the press wanted you to hear.  Some things never change.

The basis for all this was Biblical teaching.  For example,

(Proverbs 23:20 KJV)  Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

That is just one example in Proverbs.  Much more is found at the end of the chapter and other places in scripture.  While having a glass of wine at dinner did not seem to be a problem, getting drunk was a clear sin.

(Proverbs 23:21 KJV)  For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Another interesting part of this that I find in Proverbs is the insight that alcohol is a drug to dull the pain of the lower classes.

(Proverbs 31:6-7 KJV)  Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.  Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

So if you are hopeless and have given up, drink up.  If you believe in the future and the power of God to change and redeem then abstain.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-144: Middle Class Morality: The Place of Children

Our modern culture makes a lot of noise about the children.  When the liberals want to take away a bit of liberty and make us more secure they will often say, “It is for the children.”  It is just a smoke-screen.  Modern culture only likes children because they are powerless and can be manipulated. 

Modern culture looks at children as blank slates that can be molded for the use of society.  The humanistic view is that the heart of man is good and is only polluted and warped by the environment.  Thus we have the victim culture that can only be fixed by government.

Traditionally, Middle Class Morality (MCM) has taken a different view.  Children are precious, yes, but they are tragically flawed from birth.  The Bible teaches that the heart of man is evil.  That does not mean Hitler evil it means pull-the-legs-off-an-insect-to-see-what-will-happen evil.  It is a self centeredness that causes the average human to be more concerned about themselves than others. 

If you don’t believe that, picture a newborn that suddenly becomes 6 feet tall, coordinated and has the ability to talk.  Would you want that child turned loose in a china shop?  Would you want it to drive on the freeway?  Would you like to tell it “No”? 

In MCM the role of parents is to treasure children but to train them to be civilized.

(Proverbs 22:15 KJV)  Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him

Children need guidance and discipline.  They need to be taught right and wrong.  That is a concept that comes from the Bible and used to be a part of our culture.

That is changing and the results are not pretty.  All you need to do is watch the self-centered, narcissistic youth that are following Bernie Sanders and think that everything should come to them free.

They expect you to pay.  Society is already paying.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-116: Middle Class Morality: Truth

Remember the old opening for the original Superman series?  It included the words, “Truth, Justice and the American Way”.  You could feel that the words were in capitals.  The concept of truth is part of America’s Middle Class Morality (MCM).

(Proverbs 12:17 KJV)  He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.

Actually, the word still exists in the lexicon of our post modern era but the meaning has been changed.  In modern thinking truth is what you want it to be.  We can all have our own truths.  We can redefine words to fit our goals.  Truth is relative.

That is not Middle Class Morality.

MCM is based on absolute truth.  Thus when you say that the earth is getting warmer you actually need real numbers, objectively collected over a long period of time to show that.  You don’t just need the desire for a federal grant or to have Al Gore get off your back.  The facts need to match up one-to-one with reality.

The reason for this is that MCM is based on the God of the Bible.  Truth is important to one who defines Himself as truth.

(John 14:6 KJV)  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

It is important to cling to truth.  Without it you cannot rely on anything.  Life would be total chaos.  If you don’t believe that look at the post modern era we live in.  How is relative truth working for you?

Viva la Middle Class Morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-27: Middle Class Morality: Children

Modern Americans are beginning to look at children as a burden.  They cost money.  They demand time.  They require energy.  In short they are inconvenient and keep us from the gym.  They are for when we can afford them, unlike that new phone that we can put on our credit card.

That is not a middle class value.

Middle class morality is based on the Biblical teaching that children are a blessing from God.  Try this on for size:

(Psalms 127:3-5 KJV)  Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.  As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.  Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

If you are worried about the world being overpopulated, get a grip and face reality.  It has been a few years since I did the math but you can do it yourself.  Get a World Almanac and find out the world’s population.  Find out the area of Texas.  Do the division.  I found that the population of the entire world could live in Texas.  It was based on a family size averaging 4.1 and a home on 1/6 of an acre.  If you want malls and streets, throw in Oklahoma.  Notice I said the population of the world, not just the United States.

Middle class morality also puts children in their proper place.  They are not a source of wisdom.  Wisdom, when it is present, is given with age.  Children may have some qualities like trust and innocence but they are not to be consulted when a major decision is necessary.  Keep in mind that “McDonald’s or Burger King?” does not qualify as a major decision.  Children are to be trained, guided and disciplined.  They are not to be consulted.

They are children.  They are a blessing when raised with middle class morality, not a burden.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-9: Middle Class Morality: Objective Truth

Post modern and New Age philosophies are antithetical to Christianity and thus to middle class morality.  They are based on the rejection of absolute truth or absolutes of any kind, except of course the absolute power such people seek.  This is demonstrated by a principle of the New Age called “deconstruction”.  It seems to have started as an academic way of interpreting fiction.  You remember all the literature classes you took where they put all kinds of hidden meanings on the author’s words?  That is the academic spirit we are talking about.  It is relatively harmless when limited to a few English classes.  The problem is that the thinking spread like a virus through the roots of the other disciplines.

Check out this quote from a site linked to Stanford Presidential Lecutures.

“Deconstruction: A school of philosophy that originated in France in the late 1960s, has had an enormous impact on Anglo-American criticism. Largely the creation of its chief proponent Jacques Derrida, deconstruction upends the Western metaphysical tradition.”

The key concept here is the goal of upending Western tradition.  It teaches that everything is relative.  That includes the words you use.  Do you wonder how the Supreme Court comes up with decisions that defy logic and common sense?  It is because they embrace this idea that the Constitution means what they want it to mean, not what it says.

Middle class morality does not accept this.  To the middle class, Objective Truth exists.  Morality is defined by those objective truths and they are found in the Bible.  Look at the Ten Commandments.  They are not suggestions or guidelines.  Middle class morality understands that there are many areas of grey and some areas are confusing but the basics provide a solid foundation for interpreting the rest.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri