Destructive Ideas
Who are you? Really? What are you? Why are you here on the earth? For what purpose were you born? Do you even have a purpose?
The answers to the above questions all rest on one simple word: ideas. The word idea is defined as "a thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action; an opinion or belief: something that you imagine or picture in your mind" (Webster).
Ideas run this world, not money. "The love of money" which is the root of all evil according to 2 Timothy chapter 6 is an ideology based on the idea of special priviledge. Money is seen as power, as security, as a status indicator indicating that one is special, more important, more significant, and supposedly smarter than others. In essence, people are chasing after status, power and special priviledge; they want to feel special and important, and they fear vulnerability. Money is merely a symbol representing an idea or set of ideas.
Words shape our ideas. Words are so powerful, they're what brought this physical world into existence. God spoke and said "Let there be . . ." All that we see today (the earth, the planets, the stars, etc.) was framed by the very "word" of God as explained in Hebrews chapter 11. The Bible says words can place a man on the course of hell in the book of James.
Words can produce tumors, cancers, heart-disease, ulcers, heart-attacks, strokes, etc. How? Words and thoughts produce the stress that produces these physical ailments and anomalies. What has our world in the state that it is in? Words. Ideas. Beliefs. The Bible calls the mind the ultimate battlefield in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. The mind is what Satan ultimately seeks to gain control of.
How destructive - and might I add, crazy - are many of our current beliefs, ideas and ideals? Rather than tell you, I'll just show you. Here are a couple of examples of the ideas that keep our world on the path to hell:
White Supremacy ideology. Just recently, a 21 year old Caucasian boy named Dylann Roof walked into a historical African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina and murdered 9 African-American worships during worship service. Roof's excuse for the massacre was purely racial. He believed that Blacks were taking over this country, taking jobs away from Whites, and were stealing white women away from the white race. This paranoia and fear drove him to murder. This fear is deeply imbedded in the hearts and minds of many in America. It was the punch line of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1950s and 1960s at the height of the Klan's power in America. Their recruiting line was: The Black Man is a white-woman raping savage who is trying to steal America away from "the White Man". The official motto of the Klan during this time was: "Protectors of White Womanhood". I point this out for a reason. It was David Curtiss Stephenson, the grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan during this time, who brutally beat, raped and cannibalized a white woman on a train shortly after becoming the leader of the Klan. Oh, the irony. This incident led to a federal investigation of the Klan by the FBI, and subsequently, the organization's ultimate downfall. Rapists and murderers come in all shapes, sizes and colors. All of Ted Bundy's victim - which numbered between 30 to 100 women he raped and then murdered - thought he was trustworthy due to his clean-cut appearance, his mannerable attitude, and due to the fact that he was also a law school student who presented himself as having wonderful aspirations. You can't judge a book by its color.
Aryan Surpemacy ideology. Just a few decades ago, a young man by the name of Adolph Hitler was able to startle the world and transform the nation of Germany with his words. In the end, Hitler's words left over 6 million Jews dead and nearly 60 million more people dead worldwide. But what was Hitler's rhetoric? He blamed the world's economic morass on the Jews, making it appear as if they were conspiring to conquer the world through the banking system, and hence, were behind the stock market crash of 1929. Hitler also taught the Aryan Germans that they were "the master race": descendants of the mythological Atlanteans (of the lost continent of Atlantis). Hitler's ideas were passed down to him from Helena P. Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical Society who saw the Jews as being void of a soul and being the scourge of the earth. Hitler's marriage of Theosophy, Nationalism, and Darwinian Evolution gave birth to Nazism. Never mind the fact that Hitler - a black-haired, brown-eyed Jew (yes, Hitler was of Jewish descent) - taught that you had to have blond hair, blue eyes, and not have a drop of Jewish blood flowing through your veins in order to be a member of this master race; yes, ignore the fact that the gullible Germans who swallowed that lie did so without even looking at the contradictions. Also, forget the fact that Hitler's Aryan supremacy theory was completely shattered by his Lesbenborn Project, where he mated blond-haired, blue-eyed German men and women together in an attempt to produce the master seed, only to end-up producing a group of blond-haired, blue-eyed children whose IQs were lower than average - many of them being brain-damaged. Lie exposed.
Black Supremacy ideology. Ignore the obvious contradiction that the Nation of Islam was founded by a Caucasian man who called himself Wallace Fard Muhammad. Let's focus on the doctrine: the belief that the Black Man came into being 66 trillion years ago when a great explosion ripped the moon from the earth; these people were black and called the tribe of Shabazz, and their creator (of the Black man) was Allah, who was depicted as the orginal Black Man - this is the doctrine of the Ten Percenters. The theory continues: The White Man was the result of a freak accident; they were mistakenly created by an evil scientist named Yakub. The belief is that the whiter the creatures were, the more devilish they were; and hence, the term "white devils" which was a popular expression used by Nation of Islam adherents. In reality, Malcolm X discovered that you don't have to be white to be a devil . . . as his very assasination was carried out at the hands of those he once called "brother," those whose skin color was the same as his.
I doubt that Malcolm will be present on the big Mother Ship (space ship) hovering several kilometers above earth, which is slated to return and beam-up the Black man before the destruction of the earth in the end of time, which Nation of Islam eschatology teaches.
Marxism. The idea that an all-powerful, dictatorial government should control the affairs of everyday life for everyone and ensure that everyone receives the same rations of daily provisions is one of the beliefs held by Karl Marx. The idea that mankind possesses the wisdom and ability within himself to create a perfect world outside of Christ, without religion, and that this perfect world can be created through social means (government, legislation, humanism, social activism, etc.), as well as the idea that in order to solve the world's ills the government must redistribute the wealth belonging to the "haves" and give it to the "have-nots" - and eliminate all property ownership - was Marx's belief. But then again, Karl Marx was hoping the government would just cut him a check anyway rather than him having to get up and get a job in order to sustain. Why? Because Karl Marx was a lazy alcoholic who let three of his biological children starve to death under his own roof simply because he wouldn't get a job. He had a Ph.D but never worked a day in his life. What a bum. He engineered the welfare mentality that many are now taking a hold of. But the BIble says (of able-body people, of course), "If a man doesn't work, he doesn't eat" (2 Thess 3:10). Some need welfare, but many don't. Many people are simply playing the system.
Humanism/Evolution. You may act like an animal, but God's Word declares that you're not one. In fact, the Bible says man was created just a little lower than the angels. But that's not what Mr. Darwin would have you to believe. He had to have been scratching his arm pits and patting the top of his head when coming up with the idea - one that has no scientific evidence to back it, by the way - that man evolved from primates. This is the ideology of most within scientism and academia who shutter at the thought of their being a Intelligent Designer (God). Despite every "transitional fossil" being debunked as a hoax, people still claim that evolution is credible. But the theory of evolution has caused a devolution in our society...as so many people today believe there's no purpose for living besides materialism, no God, no afterlife, and they simply live for the moment with no awareness of eternal consequences and rewards. What a sense of despair and hopelessness this creates. But on the flipside you have...humanism, which is a belief in the godhood of man. In essence, humanists believe we are our own gods, responsible for charting out our own destinies. Well, you'd have to be a poor god to need...health and life insurance. In the words of the Incredible Hulk: "Puny god." Every hurricane, tornado, oil spill, earthquake, etc. should remind you that you're not a god. We need God (Jehovah)! We can't change this world through human innovations and efforts. In fact, according to the Bible, we're not even supposed to put our hope in the goal of "changing the world"; we're supposed to put our hope in the coming earthly kingdom of Jesus the Christ as detailed in the book of Revelation. The Bible says the world will actually get worse. No. We won't make the world "a better place" and all sit down together, hold hands, and sing Kumbaya after vanquishing all evil - despite having an evil and sinful nature. Humanism is simply believing and betting against biblical prophecy. If you're a humanist, then you're betting on the wrong horse.
Communism/Socialism/Atheism. Come on. Just tally-up the numbers for yourself. The Chinese Communist Revolution claimed the lives of over 60 million Chinese people who opposed Mao Zedong's communist belief system. In Cambodia, Pol Pot massacred over 10 million who opposed his communist beliefs. In Russia, Stalin massacred over 20 million people through Communism. Tens of thousands of people were executed or "disappeared" under Fidel Castro in Cuba for opposing his communist beliefs. In North Korea, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed by the communist regime there - many people rounded up and placed in concentration camps. For goodness sakes, Kim Jong Un just had his own uncle stripped naked, beaten, and eaten alive by a pack of starving dogs for the "crime" of treason. These are just a few examples. There are plenty more I could discuss. But the point I'm driving home is this: Communism, also founded by Karl Marx, is a purely atheistic system of government. What this means is this: In a purely communistic, socialistic society, life means nothing. It is nothing for you to be lined-up against a wall and shot. In atheism, there is no God, no soul, and hence, no heaven and hell awaiting the righteous and evil-doers after death. If there is no hell, then there are no consequences for evil actions on the earth. So, let's all raise hell! What a dangerous belief.
Feminism. There is a huge movement today to castrate manhood, emasculate all little boys, and exalt womanhood above manhood. It's a battle of the sexes. Sadly, Feminism also has its roots in Marxism. The goal of feminists, according to proponents of this belief, is to reverse the roles of men and women in every area - particularly, in the household. The path towards this goal must go through the territory of gender-neutrality (where no gender is recognized). This is the ultimate goal of the LGBT Movement is to eradicate the laws, norms, and absolutes that define genders and establishes rules for how they must interact, thereby creating a gender-neutral society. Yes, this will also trickle down to age restrictions . . . as NAMBLA (the North American Man-Boy Love Association), which is a pedophile advocacy group, is also tied to the LGBT Movement and is already fighting for the same rights, using the same rhetoric the LGBT uses (of involuntary human sexual orientation - "I can't help who I love, nor determine my sexual orientation and interests. It's just my nature. Accept me for who I am."). Unfortunately, feminists are filled with hatred and animosity for various reasons, and are in many ways the victims of chauvanistic practices created out of misinterpretations of the Bible and the beliefs of other religious faiths. But like every man, it is up to the individual to seek out the truth rather than burn with hatred and ignorance. And no. God isn't a "she". Technically, God has no gender. God is referred to as "he" because of the role He plays: "Father" (Mtth 6:9). You can't bring God down to your level to fulfill your ideological goals.
Tribalism. Not all ideologies are as widely known. Many ideologies are relegated to certain tribes and small groups. For example, the Rhawandan Genocide carried out by the Hutu tribe against the Tutsi tribe in Africa was over bad blood that had been boiling between the two for many years. The Tutsis, though the minority in Rhawnda, held the power - were an established monarchy in that land for many years. The Hutus drove most of the Tutsis out. But after a plane carrying then President Juvenal Habyarimana, and his counterpart Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi (both Hutus) was mysteriously shot down, killing both men, the Hutus blamed the killing on the Tutsis and then carried out an organized massacre of the Tutsis. The Hutus preferred to torture their victims by killing them painfully using machetes rather than gun, and would often round up groups of Tutsis and then place them in churches where they would toss grenades through the windows and blow them up just for fun. Over 800,000 Tutsis were massacred during this genocide simply because...one tribe thought they were better than another tribe. The Hutus even referred to the Tutsis as "cockroaches" while killing them. The Mayans were driven by the tribal belief that their bloodthirsty god Kukulkan demanded blood in order to be appeased, and hence, they raided and kidnapped Native Americans from other tribes and used them in ritual sacrifices. The Irish hated the English, who thought they were better than them; the Celtics, led by Queen Boudica, who watched in horror as the Roman legionaires viciously gang-raped her two daughters just before killing her husband and who had been flogged within an inch of her life by the Romans, led a campaign of revenge against the Romans, killing every Italian (Roman) in sight; the French, under Joan of Arc, carried out a campaign of revenge against the English who ravaged and controlled their lands and raped and murdered their people routinely; the Greeks believed they were more intelligent than all of their neighbors - the very word Barbarian is a Greek creation mocking the languages of other non-Greek speaking tribes and civilizations; many African tribes fought, killed, and enslaved other African tribes; many Native American tribes fought, killed, and enslaved other Native American tribes (you even had Cherokee slave owners in America during the 17th and 18th centuries who primarily enslaved other Native Americans, believing they had a divine right to do so because they were...better than them); many European tribes fought, killed, and enslaved other European tribes in Europe; etc. The point that I'm making is this: Every tribe thinks they're better than the other. They either think so on the account of divine providence (their god is better than the others'), or on the account of some old beef that their ancestors carried against another. And on a lighter note, people today who support certain football and basketball teams even like to exalt their teams above the teams of others - and sadly, none of them are getting a paycheck from the teams or the players they are representing. It's the tribalistic mentality. Everyone wants to be superior to someone else.
It's for this reason that Muslims slaughter other Muslims. The Sunnis and the Shiites murder each other in mass droves today. The Wahabites look at both factions and consider them to be weak. ISIS looks at all three and consider them to be weak. The Islamic ideology states that one must kill (commit jihad) for Allah if they want to make it into heaven; and for those that fight bravely in jihad, Allah will reward them with 72 virgin wives in heaven. They believe the Jews are the scourge of the earth, and all non-Muslims are to be treated as "property" to be sold and owned as slaves, persecuted, over-taxed and treated with contempt - as second-class citizens in their countries.
Need I go on further? No. You get the point. Ideology is a dangerous thing. It leads to mass casualties. It encourages murder, rape, genocide, elitism, etc. Even the Klan fights with the neo-Nazi Skinheads. The Crips fight with the Bloods. Here's a funny fact: The Grape Street Crips in Memphis just recently joined forces with the local Ku Klux Klan to fight and protest against another Ku Klux Klan group who that Klan group considers illegitimate. The Klan fighting the Klan with the help of the Crips. I'm not kidding.
One word: ideology. It drives the world.
In the body of Christ (the Church), God has to deal with the same exact nonsense. The Methodist don't like the Baptist, and the Baptist don't like the Pentecostals. What is going on here? Many factions have emerged in the church due to members gravitating towards personalitites and their personal doctrines and straying away from the teachings of Jesus the Christ found in the Scriptures. This is why the Bible says God has given the church the 5-fold offices of ministry (pastors, prophets, teachers, apostles and evangelists) for the purpose of prepareing the saints of "works of ministry" and building them up in the faith so that they would no longer be "tossed to and fro" by "every wind of doctrine" being introduced by cunning and divisive men in Ephesians chapter 4. In other words, there is the false church (religion), and there is the true church (those who have a real relationship with Christ and live according to His word). Paul said most church-goers have "a form (outter appearance) of righteousness" but don't have God's power operating in their lives. Some only follow denomenations and personalities (their favorite preachers, pastors, etc.), and some genuinely follow Christ. There is a difference between the two.
The ideology of Jesus. This is what Jesus taught: Love your neighbor. Bless those who treat your unkind and unjustly. Do not render evil for evil. Yes, you have the right to defend yourself; and yes, God created governments for the purpose of executing law and order; but everyman is to govern his affairs according to the Commandments of God which foster respect and civility. What else does the Bible say? For one, you can't be guilty until proven innocent; but instead, an accused man is innocent until proven guilty (it is for this reason that the Salem Witch trials were cancelled and the town's mayor repented when confronted with the biblical evidence that he was violating God's law by burning innocent women without even given them a fair trial). Also, in the BIble is is a violation of God's law to own another person as property (a slave). The Levitical laws allow for indentured servitude, by outlaw rape, murder, breaking up families, selling servants, using cruelty, and even keeping most servants beyond 6 years. In fact, in Leviticus chapter 10, you couldn't even refer to a servant as a slave, but only as a "hired hand" (employee) - the difference being: slaves have no rights; employees do. In fact, servants could sue their masters in the Bible and win their freedom should their masters violated God's guidelines (His anti-cruelty policy, prohibition against rape and sexual abuse, etc.). What else does the Bible say? In Romans chapter 14 Paul even tells Believers not to belittle another person on the basis of their individual beliefs. Respect other people's opinions and beliefs, even if they aren't your own. This is in stark contrast to Islam where you'll be killed if your beliefs don't align themselves with the Koran. Spousal abuse if a sin according to Malachi chapter 2, which contradicts the sura in the Koran telling men to beat their wives and deprive them of sex should they disobey them. Pray for your persecutors Jesus says. Focus on your own soul salvation Paul says. Judge yourself and you won't be judged by God Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. In other words, don't spend all of your time pointing your finger at other people; instead, spend your time pointing the finger at yourself and making sure your soul is right with God. Speak the truth...in love. Practice humility rather than exalting yourself above other people according to 1 Peter chapter 5. Respect other people's belongings. Jesus even reminds us that your worth is not tied to the abundance of material possessions you have, but to your rich relationship with God; so guard your heart against covetousness. Etc. etc.
Here's the bottom line: According to the Bible, all men are the descendents of one set of parents: Adam and Eve, and furthermore, Noah and his wife. God never placed a curse on Ham. Not even in the Bible. That was a classic case of how a person will use the Bible to support their personal ideology (White Supremacy, Black Supremacy, etc.). Since most people don't read their Bibles, it is easy to get away with this type of deception. In essence, the monikers "Black Man, White Man, etc." aren't biblical; they're cultural. In Scripture, you're either Jew or Gentile. Women aren't inferior to men. Woman (I'sha: "womb-man" in the Hebrew) was created equal. For the purpose of order in the household, "wives" (not women in general) are to submit to their "own husbands" according to Ephesians 5. But then again, Paul also wrote that husband and wife must "submit to one another", meaning communicate and establish respect for one another if they want God to honor their household as a whole. God said one man and one woman in Matthew chapter 19 constitutes marriage, not polygamy, homosexuality, bestiality, incest, and even pedophilia (according to Ezekiel chapter 16). There are no superior human beings. The Black Man is not superior to the White Man, and vice-verse. No, you're not a god. Isaiah 43 declares God is the only God - there was none before Him nor after Him. He is eternal. He has no end. You, on the other-hand, will die some day. When you die, you will face a Holy Judge (God) who will determine whether or not you spend your eternity in heaven or hell. Bottom line. And what makes this determination is one thing: You're either in Christ and following His Commandments, or you're not. And for the Marxist: no, this world will not get better. Revelation prophecies it will get worse - even beoming hell on earth. Why? Because as Revelation chapter 9 declares, men refuse to repent of their sins, sorceries, fornication, murders, etc. So don't hold your breath. Our only - and true hope - according to biblical doctrine (not a social gospel) is this: Jesus is the hope of mankind. We are to live according to Christ's commandments and anticipate His return. We are to look for the rapture. We are to live in such a way as to make Him say "Well done my good and faithful servant".
And the scary part is this: Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7 that the majority of people who think they have a relationship with Christ (many White/Black supremacists, the Nazis, Nationalists, murderers, etc. all think - or thought - they were serving God's will and knew Christ) - and this includes many within the church itself who are "friends" with the world, thereby making them enemies of Christ according to James chapter 4 - won't make it into heaven.
Christ is on His way back. Better get an identity in Christ. Life on earth is too short and eternity in hell is too long to be driven by any other ideology than the truth of God's Word.