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 2018-121: Thanks Thoughts: Yokes

I was reading in Proverbs and came across this verse.

(Proverbs 14:4 KJV)  Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.

It stood out to me because I had quoted it to some people working in a cluttered environment.  I was pointing out that clutter is often the sign of work going on.  As I read it I noticed one thing that was not mentioned:  the yoke.

Certain inventions have changed the way our society functions.  They have made it possible for common people to gain security and success.  One of them was the yoke.  Before the yoke draft animals were only for the rich.  An ox or horse could not earn its daily grain because it could only pull so hard with a rope around its neck without choking.  The yoke put the pressure on the bones of the shoulders and produced much more work for the same effort.  Suddenly the peasant could afford an ox because the ox generated wealth.  No longer did he need to hook his wife and children to the plow. 

How many little things will I use today that were once revolutionary?  Do I marvel every time I flick a switch and the light comes on?  Am I overcome with awe when I zip my pants up in less than a second?  Do I rejoice when I hop in my car and drive seven miles to pick up a quart of milk?  How about when I hear the thump in the night and realize that I not only have a baseball bat but six rounds of lead if the wood isn’t enough.

So much that we take for granted.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-162: Monday Pulpit: Sources of Poverty, part 3 of ?, Oppression

According to the media and the educational elites, poverty is caused by the greed and oppression of the rich.  How can you deny that?  I guess the key reason is because it isn’t a genuinely true statement.  The falsehood is not in the listing of oppression as a cause of poverty but in making it the action exclusively of the rich.  The lie is in blaming the rich and ignoring the government angle.  Yes, oppression happens.  Proverbs is not blind to that and has something to say about it.

(Proverbs 14:31 KJV)  He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

It happens, but oppression by the rich in modern America is a blip on the road of life.  It is something that is done to you, but most causes of poverty are things we do, or don’t do, to ourselves.  It is the result of repeated bad choices and a refusal to learn by experience.

If we are looking for outside forces, oppression by the government is much more prevalent and difficult to overcome.  Proverbs also points out that you don’t need to be rich or powerful to be an oppressor.

(Proverbs 28:3 KJV)  A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

I want to get beyond those popular targets.  I know of many people who came to America with nothing and fit all the minority stereotypes except attitude and went on to build wealth and find success.  I want to look at some of the overlooked causes of poverty that are at the root of our problem in American today.  A large part of what I suggest will be based on what the Bible teaches about the issue in the book of Proverbs.

To be continued...