Save the Environment - Trash the Soul
By Michael Bresciani (02/10/07)
From the Barna Report comes another tidbit of information that strains the
credulity and furthers the notion that Americans are all too comfortable
living with absurdities.
In Pennsylvania a seventy five year old grandmother is arrested for
witnessing of her faith in God to someone on the street. A supposedly well
trained and disciplined astronaut is arrested for attempted kidnapping and
murder. In Ontario Canada a man is forced to read a Muslim book as
punishment for a perceived hate crime, speaking out against Muslim
extremism. In February national news agencies have announced that teen
suicides have risen sharply and there are internet websites that discuss
the business of taking your own life available for teens who know how to
find them.
Not that long ago the items listed above would not have been part of our
daily news. They would most likely have appeared in the Sunday section of
the newspaper under Ripley’s Believe it or Not. I once considered starting
a website called “American Absurdities” but have since found there are a
few sites that have gotten ahead of me already. All that is changing now
and we have only to turn on the local or national news to get the most
outlandish absurdities from near and far.
One of the latest offerings from The Barna Report Update February 5, 2007
leaves the mind reeling in disbelief. Barna is probably the most down to
earth site in existence for getting the picture of the ebb and flow of
Christianity and the American way of life in general.
In a revealing piece the report shows how Americans mix their deeds of
compassion with strictly self oriented behavior. In that report is a
simple paragraph that falls well into the Ripley’s Believe it or Not
category.
The report says…”Compared with political conservatives, liberals are more
likely to recycle. But they are also more likely to use sexually explicit
material, to have a non-marital sexual encounter, to steal music, to use
profanity, to gamble or buy a lottery ticket, to use an illegal drug, to
say mean things about others, and to get payback.”
Keep in mind that these reports are not based on anyone’s assumptions but
are gathered from very accurate and closely monitored polls and
information gathering. This one little factoid may be somewhat lost in the
report and totally invisible stacked into a billion internet websites but
if noticed by anyone in particular it may illicit responses from shock to
laughter. But a laughing matter it is not.
If we were forced to listen to the confession of a liberal at the end of
the day what would it be like? Lord, I did vote for the candidate who
wants to keep abortion intact and I don’t think kids should be allowed to
pray in school. And yes, I did check out a few porn sites on the internet
and I downloaded some of my favorite rock sounds without paying. I went to
bed with that girl next door and my wife doesn’t know about it. Oh yes I
also bought just a little bit of crack cocaine for the party on Saturday
night but just a little. And before I forget Lord, I did say a lot of
nasty things about Joe to the boss at the plant. But God I can say in my
own defense that I did take out those cans, the glass and the paper and
carefully separated them into their respective bins for the recycling
pickup!
The confession is contrived but the Barna Report is not, so what does that
say about America today. I won’t even try to answer that but let the facts
speak for themselves. But being faithful to my calling I am compelled to
add at least this one small admonition from the scriptures. I think it
says it better than anything I might come up with.
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into
the kingdom of heaven. Mt 5:20
Rev Bresciani
http://www.americanprophet.org/
(Printer friendly version) Email: Michael Bresciani
