As Alexandr Solzhenitsyn said, our goal is not to move society to the left or the right, but to move upwards. The state should reward good and punish evil, allowing us to live quiet and peaceful lives. Many people expect more than that from the state, perhaps because they expect less from God. God wants to supply all our needs, not man, individual or corporate. What is the difference between praying to an idol for food and praying to the government for food, except that the idol ignores your worship and the state might be eager to receive it? Neither one is your God. God’s people may not care for you, but God does.
Seek for the only joy.
“Seek for the only joy.”
– Soetgen van den Houte, Martyrs Mirror, p. 646-651
Having faced death makes life more fun.
Some of the most refreshing people to spend time with are converted murderers and recovered terminal patients. Someone who used to kill people has no illusions about what a nice guy he is, or what he would be like without God. Someone who was given six months to live has no illusions that he will live forever, or where his life comes from. Neither kind of person wastes as much time on themselves as the rest of us who haven’t yet come to the end of ourselves.
O Lord, thou art forever in my thoughts.
“O Lord, thou art forever in my thoughts.”
– Joost Joosten, Martyrs Mirror, p. 651
Always trust the men in the white (rain)coats.
In 1948, the world was fascinated (or repelled) by Alfred Kinsey’s claim to have uncovered the truth about what really happened in America’s bedrooms. The problem is that his claims were inherently fraudulent. In 1948, it was not possible to gather a valid sample of American sexual practices (“Hello, I’d like to ask you a few questions about your love life”). It would be difficult today. And in 1948, just as now, it was impossible to gather ethical data about the sexual responses of baby boys. Weapon of Mass Distraction provides more information about exactly what Alfred Kinsey did instead. Continue reading “Always trust the men in the white (rain)coats.”
If God doesn’t exist, he should have told us before now.
Agnostics and others tell me that I need to be more open-minded about religion. Okay. Will this prayer help?
“O God, I praise you. Show me if you’re not there. Make your nonexistence real to me. Thank you, God. I love you.”
I will willingly surrender them.
“These limbs God from heaven gave; therefore, I will willingly surrender them for his law’s sake.”
– Lauwerens van de Walle, Martyrs Mirror, p. 652-654
Intimacy and intimidation
“A man who is intimate with God will never be intimidated by men.”
– Leonard Ravenhill
I did not know what to do for joy.
“The Lord takes away all fear; I did not know what to do for joy, when I was sentenced.”
– Maeyken Wens, Martyrs Mirror , p. 979-983
Practical Universalism
Universalism is the heretical teaching that everybody will go to heaven, even if they don’t want to. Practical universalism (a heresy I invented one night when I was bored) is stricter. It means that if you want to go to heaven, you have to be sincere or you have to be religious. But that’s okay because everybody is sincere or religious, aren’t we? Continue reading “Practical Universalism”