A Flawed Philosophy, But a Powerful Command

Tonight is the only vice-presidential debate before the election. Vice President Pence and Senator Kamala Harris are poles apart when it comes to a political philosophy for our times. Senator Harris is a strong advocate for big, intrusive government. She has no fears of a socialist take-over of our democratic system. Free healthcare for all. Free college tuition for all. Guaranteed jobs with a guaranteed living wage. Under her philosophic ideals, really no area of life would be immune from some type of governmental intrusion. Vice President Pence, on the other hand, is a strong advocate for a free-market, capitalistic ideology - an ideology that has laid the foundation for America's greatness. He also strongly advocates for our republican form of government. Although such a system is not perfect, it has provided the means by which millions of people have come to our shores and have found the fulfilment of their dreams. The debate tonight should offer quite a contrast to philosophic ideals. A few weeks ago a read a column, written by Dennis Prager. As you know, I highly respect Mr. Prager and watch the videos from PragerU regularly. I highly recommend them. Just five minutes or so in length, they relate truths needed for the day in which we live. Mr. Prager's column was titled, "The Left's Moral Compass Isn't Broken..." and can be found at: www.theepochtimes.com/the-lefts-moral-compass-isnt-broken_3500912. "All my life, I have said that the left's moral compass is broken. And all of my life, I was wrong....I was wrong because in order to have a broken moral compass, you need to have a moral compass to begin with. But the left doesn't have one." Mr. Prager then goes on to relate the history of the left's adoption of the philosophy of Karl Marx: "To Marx and to Marxism, there is no such thing as a good or an evil that transcends class. Good is defined as what is good for the working class; evil is what is bad for the working class. Therefore, to Marxists, there is no such thing as a universal good or a universal evil. Those of us still in thrall to Judeo-Christian morality believe that good and evil are universal. In other words, whether an act is good or evil has nothing to do with who committed the act - rich or poor, male or female, religious or secular, member of one's nations or of another nation. Stealing and murder are morally wrong, no matter who stole or who murdered." He then goes on to state: "Morality is not determined only by class, but by race, power, and sex as well." He then proceeds to give some examples. Let me share just one: "Another nonmoral left-wing compass concerns power. Just as right and wrong are determined by class (worker and owner/rich and poor) and race (white and people of color), good and evil are also determined by power (the strong and the weak). That explains much of the left's hatred for two countries in particular - America and Israel." Again, I highly recommend this article. It helps to unravel the reasons why the left does what it does. I recommend a second article to you as well. This was written by John Horvat and can be found at: www.cnsnews.com/commentary/john-horvat-ll/riots-why-do-none-dare-call-them-evil. "The problem with living in a relativist society is that it takes from us our ability to describe and analyze issues objectively...According to this relativistic perspective, acts are morally neutral. We are expected to watch the riots but never ponder or assess their moral value. Ironically, we are faced with evil that cannot be called evil." The author concludes his article with words that almost come straight from the prophet Isaiah: "In a relativistic society...evil cannot be called evil, even when evildoers are the first to admit they are doing what has always been considered evil. This moral paralysis is a recipe for disaster. When a society cannot call something good or evil, it loses its ability to defend itself. No one can make a judgment or take adequate measures. Evil is unleashed upon the land." We are living in an upside-down world. Yet, Christ has commanded us to be salt and light in this upside-down world. You and I are to be different. Our lives can be defined differently. Our families are to model a different priority and purpose than does that of the world. Yes, you and I are to be people of influence. It is time for the light to shine even brighter than before. Our times demand it and Jesus commands it.