SABBATH

God's Gift to Us

Commentary: Humanism's Flooding Influence (Part Four)

Liberalism and Arrogance Prevail
#974c

Given 23-Jan-10; 12 minutes

listen:

download:

description: Secular humanists are non-theists, having their roots in naturalistic materialism, governed by a carnal, reprobate mind. If people turn away from God and His laws, the only way they can move is to liberalize toward non-restraint and license. The current occupants of the White House and the Congress have ignored the law, including God's Law and the United States Constitution. The secular humanists, with their bloated egos, display an elitist's a scorn and disdain for the people they serve, carrying forth their plans for anti-God, anti-freedom totalitarianism.


transcript:

I'm going to continue commenting on humanism today, picking up where I left off a couple of weeks ago. Remember that humanism is really nothing more than a title. It was a name given by some religionists that they have attached to a form of religion that they perceive as springing from men's minds rather than from God's Word. Well, they are correct. I defined it, though, by its biblical terminology, because it is nothing more than what the Bible would call "carnality." It rejects God, believing that He does not exist, or if He does exist, he is not actively involved in the affairs of mankind. Therefore, they do not fear Him.

But what do they believe? I'm going to quote from their own website:

Secular humanists except a worldview or philosophy called "naturalism," in which the physical laws of the universe are not superseded by non-material or supernatural entities such as demons, gods, or other spiritual beings outside the realm of the natural universe. [Continuing:] Secular humanists are generally non-theists. They typically describe themselves as non-religious. They hail from a widely divergent philosophical and religious background. Thus, secular humanists do not rely upon gods or other supernatural forces to solve their problems or provide guidance for their conduct.

Because they have rejected God, they are left with only the minds of men—their own and other men they hold in high regard—to provide direction for their life. So we must ask the question: What does history and our own personal experience, show how well men are doing on planet Earth? Romans 1 says,

Romans 1:19-22 because what may be known of God is manifest in them [or, "to" them], for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools

This depressing, hopeless, war-torn world is the result of people turning their back on God. If men depart from God, there is only one direction that they can move in relation to law and conduct. This is because God, in His revealed Word and most especially His laws, places restraints on human behavior. The only direction men can move in relation to law and conduct after they reject God is to liberalize.

Adam and Eve did that. With Satan's urging, they removed the restraints of God's presence and His Word that said that they were forbidden to eat the fruit of a certain tree. They carnally reasoned, and then proceeded to give themselves permission to liberalize God's command and eat the fruit anyway.

This is the inevitable direction that the carnal mind in us invariably takes whenever God is ignored. Paul continued on in Romans 1, showing the drift that this takes people:

Romans 1:28-32 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Sounds pretty much like modern America, doesn't it?

Twice in the past several sentences I used the term "liberalized." Those presently in power are aptly named "liberals"—talking about the United States now. They have given themselves permission to virtually ignore the Constitution, thus empowering themselves to take powers and control that lawfully belongs either to the people or the states.

There is another factor, and a very serious one besides the liberalization of responsibility to obey laws that also must be considered: Rejecting God's existence and authority also impacts greatly— very greatly—on one's opinion of himself. It enhances—indeed, it magnifies—one's opinion of himself, because now there is no one he must ultimately answer to except another mere man. This can have disastrous social consequences, depending upon one's station in life. If they are a parent, a professor in a university, a teacher in a school system, or a politician, the consequences of this can be very great.

Did you notice that I did not say "minister"? This is because, though a minister may be misguided theologically, he almost never rejects God as humanists do.

Again quoting from their website:

The nineteenth century Free Thought movement of America and Western Europe finally made it possible for the common citizen to reject blind faith and superstition without the risk of persecution. The influence of science and technology, together with the challenges to religious orthodoxy by such freethinkers as Mark Twain and Robert G. Ingersoll, brought elements of humanist philosophy even to mainline Christian churches, which became much more concerned with this world and less with the next.

Sort of bragging there, aren't they? Well, here is what they did. At the beginning of the twentieth century—that's the 1900s—first, they began to take over the universities, enabled by the persuasions of arguments that appealed to the carnal, defenseless, intellectual vanity of both teacher and student. The invasion gradually seeped into high schools and then elementary schools, and then out into the world of commerce and politics. So now, we have a legal system that barely knows right from wrong; a culture that is alive with AIDS, homosexuality, lesbianism, same-sex "marriage"; abortion and euthanasia are right on the doorstep, the legal right presently in the proposed health care law that is before Congress.

We are being taught and governed by people with huge egos and a liberal mind toward law. What is so very evil about this present administration is the underlying view of what they think of us. They have an elitist view of us. They are governing as though we are less than them. They think of us as mere unthinking babes. They see us as mere material to be shaped and perfected by experts—them. They believe that they have a proper worldview, intelligence and the character to do so. We, the people, are not perceived as those who empower them, but are mere servants to enable them to achieve their agenda.

It's not only happening here; it's happening in Europe as well. Did you notice how Europe—the citizenry—was forced, ramrodded together, by denying the European citizenry the right to vote as to whether they approved of the European Union? The politicians simply rammed it down people's throats by declaring the Constitution a treaty. A really slick political move. Now the same tactic is being employed by President Obama and his cohorts in Congress. They are hurriedly striving to intimidate us through lies, fear tactics, created crises and threats, not truth. Arrogance is running amok.

JWR/aws/dcg