Pseudomodernism: A Fake New World

By the mid-nineties we tossed the last few shovelfuls upon Truth's grave and looked about the grim reality that Americans possessed everything and yet at the same time had nothing. Science and technology had bequeathed history's bloodiest century. The Soviet Union dissolved. Our aspirations for space travel petered out with the Challenger explosion. Utopias had become as unreachable as the stars. Global-warming alarmists prophesied doom. Reckless presidents dabbled in the Mideast and philandered with interns. Seattle grunge and the Midwest melancholy existential musings of the Smashing Pumpkins echoed postmodernism's postmortem of the enlightenment. From Kurt Vonnegut to Kurt Cobain the message was clear - the truth is that Truth was dead. Truth had been deconstructed, dismembered, and disemboweled - never to be disinterred. Only ignoramuses in the hinterland held on to a bygone absolutism.

Then, some jetliners pierced our existential fog eliminating New York's lofty pillars. We ran about like disoriented farm animals in a hail storm. We needed Truth but we had buried her. Our golden eggs were threatened and the mangled carcass of the goose lay on our dinner table. Then, a strange and unexpected deus ex machina descended upon us; the internet sprinkled its benevolent digital pixy dust upon the corpses of Truth and her children. The grim reality of our world was replaced by a new world, an undiscovered country. Our whirling compasses finally settled on a direction. All the needles pointed back to their operators.

The postmodern world eliminated truth and then gave us the digital tools we needed to create our own truths. We became the standard bearers. We became masters of a new universe that lay quite literally at our fingertips. Search engines and social media fed our preferences. We no longer had to be meaningless pawns in a chaotic universe; rather, we were given Brahman-like power to create one of many universes where our avatars can run amok. Welcome to the pseudomodern world.

The first dozen years of the new millennium had a pleasant veneer. We clicked and voted through our mobile devices controlling reality stars and elevating nobodies to prominent positions. We recognized the great interconnections of all things and if our codes and timing were correct we could tap into power, a power similar to the power wielded by ancient Shamans who sought to control their world through mantras and spells. Like Zeus we could cloud ourselves in the elements of our new universe and sow our wild oats in disguise. We could assume even more power through endless social pantheons by advertising ourselves through various "upvotes" "likes" and "followers." The thrill of power caused a lust for more. Something else happened, all the unpleasant failings and character flaws of the former world no longer needed to haunt us. We filtered, edited, selected and morphed. Like chameleons we could adjust to the demands of our surroundings. Gender, religion, sexuality, education, history and marriage were uprooted from their absolute moorings and placed upon a digital smorgasbord. We could feast without restraints.

Vestiges of objective Truth remained, threatening the autonomy and authority of a billion new gods and goddesses. Once the dust of the twin towers settled we looked skeptically at religion. Christianity closely resembled the Truth that the West had deconstructed. Secularists placed pressure on her from the outside like a horde of elitist Romans while the Judases of subjective spiritualism continued the onslaught from within. Like parasites they feasted upon the Christian worldview, using the sustenance to attack the host. If the parasites were to emerge they would need a new religion, a meta-narrative that would provide meaning, hope, goals, morality and value. The secular vultures left their religious prey, combed their feathers, and embraced a new, secular religion that advocated social justice, diversity, inclusion and permitted a divinity that could be found only within. Universities became temples where a secular priestly caste of professors preached dogma ensconced in a flowery perch of terminology known only to the enlightened. The media functioned as their prophets and the culturally elite regurgitate their platitudes. They walk on two legs like Orwell's pigs, scorning their roots, and we follow blindly choosing the path of least resistance.

But a tension lingered unexamined. We embrace new truths after deconstructing Truth. We embrace new moralities after deconstructing morality. We elevate ourselves to godhood after deconstructing life to blind mechanistic forces of zero value. We vocally give our approval and distaste but our pronouncements have no force because their foundation is nothing but preference.  We hurdle about in a moral vacuum driving ourselves mad because we have no firm ground to push off of and nothing to orbit. We have climbed into God's throne and we have found that we do not fit. Our wings melt off as we strive to achieve his brilliance.

And so when there is nothing left to consume we must consume ourselves.The parasite has tried on the costume of its host but a parasite without a host will cannibalize itself.  In our goal to become like God we become less that human. Our utopias become hell. Our desire to become like the ancient stars results in black-holes, the gravitational pull of which there is no escape. We can bide our time by pulling and tugging on our fellow man, climbing and clamoring over his shoulders but soon we'll be consumed. The pseudo-secular dam is about to burst and the coming deluge is prophetically reflected in the vacant eyes of the opioid addict who wanders around a land flowing with milk and honey.

Postmodernism removed fences and we embraced the freedom without considering why the fences were there in the first place. We have forgotten that the greatest thing we need protection from is ourselves. Nations rise and fall. Their eventual demise comes not from the outside but from a decay within. We mask the decay with progressive semantics but one day a passerby will walk by the wall and put his hand through it realizing that it is brittle paper mache. He will then urge his friends to walk through the wall and gorge upon the ruins of the gods.

The "Set Apart" God

When I was in Sunday School the thought of ancients worshiping items of wood and stone baffled me. The practice seemed common and the Old Testament Jews couldn't help but be drawn to it. God delivered his chosen tribe from Egypt and the next thing they do is worship a golden bull-calf. How stupid.

Pagan idol worship no longer strikes me as a historical oddity. Today, a college-educated young woman might mix some herbs next to a statue of a Babylonian goddess that she prays to. Later that night she'll meet some acquaintances in the forest around a fire where they will lift their hands toward the moon in prayer and praise.

At the heart of idol worship, nature worship, astrology and a host of other pagan practices is pantheism. Most non-Christian religions share a pantheistic worldview. Pagans, Wiccans, Hindus, New Agers, mystics, and many others view God as immanent. God is one and the same with the universe. God, humans, and creation are all interconnected and therefore it's reasonable to worship the deity through rocks and trees. For the pagan, deity is not transcendent, only immanent. A transcendent deity is distinct from creation, can act upon creation and can hold creatures accountable. Many pagans believe in gods and spirits that might be offended by humans or hold humans accountable, but even these deities are extensions or emanations of a greater, impersonal deity reminiscent of the Force in Star Wars. The great draw to this mindset is that deity lies within. Idols, spirits, gods, spells, worship, prayer and praise are not relational expressions between the creator and the created but are rather tools that are used by the worshiper to manipulate their environment.

The Christian God is both immanent and transcendent. He is immanent in that he is in all things. Paul says in Acts 17 that in God "we live and  move and have our being." The Bible also teaches that God is transcendent. He is exalted, he is above all things, and he is holy. The word "holy" relates to the transcendence of God. The word in the Hebrew is qodesh and means "to be set apart." The "set apartness" of God leaps off the page throughout the Bible. Sin, or a lack of holiness, caused Adam and Eve to be banished from God's presence. On Mount Sinai the Israelite were not allowed to go near the mountain because God was there. The focal point for much of the Old Testament is the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem. Multiple boundaries and barriers set God apart from his people in the tabernacle and temple. Priests were set apart. The firstborn were set apart. The seventh day was set apart. Certain foods were set apart. Circumcision demonstrated that the Jews were set apart. The prophets envisioned a time when the Messiah would bring man and God back together. Immanuel means "God with us." A blessing that Christians have through faith because Jesus was abandoned by God the Father. The apostle John begins his gospel by describing Jesus as the Word who was with God, became flesh and made his dwelling (tabernacled) with us. Redemption and atonement through Jesus thus make a loving relationship between the Creator and the created possible. If God is not transcendent then love can only be self-directed since loving the deity is tantamount to loving yourself.

Atheists will often group the Christian God with other pagan deities. The phrase, "I simply believe in one less god than you," is common among atheists. This fallacious thinking is a categorical error. The pagan concept of deity is far different than the Christian concept. The "set apartness" or transcendence of God also has an effect on the way we look at universe. For the pagan all things have a supernatural explanation since God is immanent. For the atheist there are only naturalistic explanations since the supernatural does not exist. For the Christian there are both natural and supernatural explanations. Christianity is often criticized for being anti-science. I would contend that a scientific view of the world is difficult to have without the transcendent notion of God. When God acts upon creation we expect law and order. Scientific progress flows naturally from the assumption that the universe is a system governed by laws and by extension governed by a Lawgiver (aka God) who is "apart." The atheist and pagan must borrow this assumption. Left on their own devices pagan and atheist worldviews must conceive of a universe that is inexplicable, random, chaotic, eternal and lawless.

Worldviews matter.

Toxic Masculinity

The University of Wisconsin Madison is sponsoring a new program called the Men's Project which "aims to explore masculinity and the problems accompanied by simplified definitions of it."

According to the University's website:

The UW Men’s Project is a six­-week program open only to men-identified students that kicks off with an overnight retreat where the group or groups will talk about what “masculinity” means to them.

“A key element of the program is intersectionality. There isn’t just one masculinity, there are many,” says Sam Johnson, a violence prevention specialist at University Health Services (UHS), one of the campus offices organizing the program. She explained that other components of one’s identity—including religion, sexual orientation, and race—all contribute to individual perceptions and experiences of masculinity.

The "introspection" through "questioning" and the project's goal of exposing participants to "different types of masculinity" is designed to deconstruct the "toxic masculinity" that Social Justice Warriors believe is part and parcel to the Patriarchy. This is not education but rather indoctrination into the social justice narrative. Young men ought to be warned.

“We know that men are underrepresented on campus when it comes to campus leadership roles and getting needed medical and mental health services,” Johnson says. “They’re also overrepresented in acts of violence and use of drugs and alcohol. With this program, we want to find out why this is and how we can change that culture campus-wide to encourage healthier expressions of masculinities.”

Sam Johnson is one of the organizers of this program and was a former coordinator of the "Sex Out Loud" tuition-funded club which probably holds the world record for most pictures of condoms on a Facebook page. Sam observes how men are underrepresented on campus and campus leadership roles. Well Sam, if an institution labeled femininity as toxic they would probably avoid it too. The fact of the matter is that from little on boys will get good grades if they behave like girls.

The program operates on a transformative model of social justice allyship. First, facilitators ask students to consider how the students’ opinions about masculinity affect their own perceptions every day. Second, they consider how those opinions affect the people around them. Finally, the program examines how those perceptions affect the whole campus community, and that’s where facilitators and the Men’s Project program coordinators from the UW Division of Student Life, UHS End Violence On Campus, and UW Housing hope to learn the most from the experience.

The program is somewhat similar to an existing course available to men in the Greek community at UW-Madison called "Greek Men for Violence Prevention.“ A two-credit course in the School of Social Work, that class has been available to qualifying students for over ten years.

The goal is pretty clear: deconstruct masculinity and get young men to accept and promote social justice causes. Notice also the correlation in the article between masculinity and violence. Blaming violence on masculinity is like blaming abortion on femininity.

In a previous post I created a glossary of words that Social Justice Warriors use. Social Justice words and catch phrases found in this article include intersectionality, individual perception, vulnerablity, gender-based, diverse, gender-based, and social justice allyship, Knowing the terminology will create valuable red-flags when SJW narrative pops up in a school, church, occupation, institution or program near you.

Repentance and Love

Humans want a God who has limitless love but when God's love expresses itself in "I forgive you," we shriek and run for the shadows. God's love is redemptive not permissive. God's love is that of a disciplinarian, not an enabler.

Social Justice Warrior Terminology

Social Justice Warriors have a unique vocabulary. Perusing through the list will give you a better idea of what a Social Justice Warrior is and if you qualify as one.

Androgyny: Gender expression that contains both male and female elements

Androsexual/Androphile: Being attracted to males.

Advocate: Someone who supports a social justice cause. Social Justice Warriors avoid the term "Warrior." They prefer "advocate for social change."

Abelism: Discrimination against someone who is disabled.

Ageism: Discriminating against someone who is young or old.

Agender: Not identifying with a gender.

AFAB: Assigned female at birth.

Ally: Someone from a privileged group (men, white, etc) who fights against oppression and works to understand or check their privilege.

AMAB: Assigned male at birth.

Aromanticism: Someone who does not have any romantic attractions.

Basic: A word used to describe people who do not appreciate diversity.

Binary: The oppressive idea that genders should be divided into two: male and female.

Biphobia: Discriminating against bisexuals.

Bisexual: Attraction to people of your own gender and to people of different genders.

Bitch: A derogatory term now used by younger females who embrace their sexuality.

Boi: A young gay male or a young female who is expressing herself as a male.

"Check Your Privilege": Phrase used to remind people that they are biased because of their privilege. "Check your white privilege," "Check your cis privilege," "Check your male privilege." Words that are used to support white, male or Western identities are inherently racist, sexist and xenophobic because they come from a place of dominance and privilege. "Check your privilege" is often used as an ad hominem.

Jerusalem and Lachish: A tale of two cities

Jerusalem and Lachish were the largest and most important cities of Judah in the 8th century B.C. Jerusalem still exists, Lachish does not. The earthen ramp the Assyrians used to breech the walls of Lachish is still visible. The Assyrians recorded the destruction of Lachish with word and picture. Sennacherib sits on his throne, surrounded by doting eunuchs while captives and loot are paraded before him. Sennacherib's destruction of Jerusalem was especially cruel. Officials were flayed and impaled. Mass graves filled with women and children have been found. Sennacherib's warning to the remnants of Judah in Jerusalem was clear. "Submit or else."



Shortly before the destruction of Lachish, Hezekiah sought to reform the land of Judah and he was somewhat successful in his efforts. Lachish was likely reluctant to accept Hezekiah's reforms. The prophet Micah traces the sins of Jerusalem from the northern tribes to Lachish (Micah 1:13). A fascinating archaeological discovery confirms what the Bible says about Hezekiah's reforms. It seems that Hezekiah destroyed one of Lachish's shrines and desecrated it by turning it into a toilet. The practice is alluded to during the reign of Jehu (2 Kings 10:27).



A study of the times of Hezekiah and the Assyrian crisis reveals a dramatic, complicated history filled with political intrigue. The kings of Israel and Judah shift alliances in response to Assyrian aggression. Hezekiah's father sought to placate the Assyrians which turned into a disaster. Hezekiah rebelled. This results in one of the most tense and dramatic moments in all of Scripture. Jerusalem is the last great city of the region of Palestine. The Assyrians, 180,000 of them, are waiting outside. The Assyrians are known to fillet officials, impale, enslave, castrate, and add the wives of kings to their harems. Hezekiah had two choices: submit and put your hope in Assyria or rebel and put your hope in God.

Isaiah prophesied hope. Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, had rejected Isaiah's message. Isaiah responded to Ahaz with the words, "The virgin will be with child..." Hezekiah sprawls himself out before the temple of God with the letter of the king of Assyria spread out before him. Isaiah approaches. "They will not shoot an arrow in Jerusalem," he says. That night an angel wiped out the Assyrian army. King Sennarcherib retreats.

Sennacherib would soon commission artists to carve scenes of victory into the walls of his throneroom. The gore and brutality of Lachsih's destruction is hard to miss. Strangely absent is Sennacherib's dealings with Jerusalem. In the Assyrian annals Sennacherib brags about how he destroyed the towns of Judah and left Hezekiah sitting in his city like a bird in a cage.

Jerusalem or Lachish? Which city do you belong to? I can't help but think of what they'd look like today. Lachish was cosmopolitan, wealthy and accepting of various religious ideas. Lachish fit in well with the surrounding Philistine communities which embraced various religious beliefs. Jerusalem had undergone a recent reform. Hezekiah must have been viewed as odd, out of touch, and old school. His desecration of the shrine in Lachish was probably seen as intolerant, insensitive and xenophobic. Jerusalem or Lachish, which city do you belong to?

 

Favorite Christmas Music

My top Christmas songs. Sorry, no Mariah Carey.

20. Wizards in Winter - Trans-Siberian Orchestra