The End Is Near (Or It Sure Seems That Way)
If you wanted to come up with a great way of destroying civilisation, simply seek to radically tamper with human sexuality, undermine marriage, and destroy family. That would pretty much do the trick. And we are seeing this happen all over the Western world.
How much longer our culture can go on in the face of the relentless war which has been declared against it is a moot point. But the activists are hell-bent on turning our society upside down, and they seem quite happy to destroy the whole thing in the process.
The militant homosexual activists are of course spearheading this charge, and each new day we see more appalling examples of this. The culture-wreckers are working overtime, like termites on steroids, gutting our culture from within. While the outside veneer still seems intact, the foundations are just about all chewed out.
Consider another bunch of recent examples of how successful the demolition experts have been in tearing down the very basis of Western civilisation. The first comes out of Brazil and is a wonderful example of “we told you so”. We have been warning for years now that when you mess with marriage, then soon everything and anything goes.
When marriage is no longer about one man and one woman, then any sort of combination and permutation is possible. Any gender, any number, anything – it is all fair game. So now we have not just couples but triples doing their thing. The story runs this way:
“Controversy has been sparked as the first civil union between three separate partners was registered in Tupã, in the Northwestern region of Sao Paulo state, Brazil last week. The three-person union has shocked religious groups in the country, and sparked further concerns that the traditional family unit is being further eroded by the current day society. The actual declaration of the union between the man and two women was in fact made three months ago, but it finally became public this week.
“Notary officer, Claudia do Nascimento Domingues, has explained that the three partners lived together and wanted to publicly declare their status in order to guarantee their rights. Checks were conducted to see if there was any legal impediment to the unions and the notary office has confirmed that none were found.
“Attorney Nathaniel Batista dos Santos Junior oversaw the legal process of creating the three-way declaration. ‘Notary in SP registers stable union of three people. How can this be? Mankind is lost indeed,’ wrote Twitter user Maíra Rabassa. ‘Notary registers stable union of 3 people. Man accompanied by two women. I don’t know what to say,’ expressed the bewildered Yuri Guimaraes. ‘Excuse my ignorance: Isn’t this polygamy and, therefore, crime?’ questioned another user.
“One widely respected psychologist and evangelical Christian, Marisa Lobo, who is known for encouraging reparative therapy laws for homosexuals in Brazil, has been one of the most outspoken in expressing her outrage at the news: ‘Jesus, come back soon! My faith and my indignation also grew. My question is: what are these law holders driving at? What is the media driving at? What are these groups driving at by confronting the society with totally distorted values?’ she questioned, according to the Verdade Gospel publication.
“According to Lobo, even an employee at the notary office, who confirmed to her that such a union had taken place, also expressed her shock and concern at the development.”
Yeah, well, who are we to judge? I mean, one man and two women; three men and two women; four men and a Chihuahua; six women and a toddler; a football team and a case of beer – why ever not? But it is not just a matter of all this madness going down all around us. The truth is, all of this activism will impact every single one of us.
Of course the activists will lie through their teeth and claim that no one will be impacted by special rights for homosexuals and marriage and adoption rights. Yeah sure, try telling that to the O’Reilly family. They are now $30,000 in the hole, all because they had the audacity to resist the militant homosexual agenda. (Note to self: start selling off the library – I’m going to need some fast cash real soon.)
Here is how this incredible story goes: “The price of following your conscience in Vermont is $30,000. That’s the amount a Roman Catholic family has agreed to pay over a disagreement about hosting a same-sex ‘wedding’ reception at its family inn.
“An employee for Jim and Mary O’Reilly, a devout Catholic couple, turned down the request of a lesbian couple from New York City to host their ‘wedding’ reception, following a same-sex ‘marriage’ at a Buddhist retreat in Vermont. Attorneys for the inn said that the employee had misrepresented the position of the O’Reillys, and that it was their policy simply to inform couples about their beliefs on marriage, while agreeing to serve anyone who wished it. Although the family emphasized they ‘treat all people with respect and dignity,’ and they serve and employ homosexuals, they said celebrating sexual immorality ‘goes against everything that we as Catholics believe.’
“The ACLU sued the inn last July, and were joined by Vermont Human Rights Commission. The commission joined the suit despite ruling in 2005, in a separate discrimination case brought forward by a lesbian, that there were ‘no reasonable grounds to believe that Wildflower…illegally discriminated’ against homosexuals in their policy. ‘It is unfortunate when a state agency teams up with the ACLU to harass and punish a private family business over its owners’ constitutionally protected thoughts and beliefs,’ said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Byron Babione. ‘Legal attacks like this one are not pursuits for justice, but attempts to coerce and police private expression.’
“The O’Reillys opted to settle the case, giving $10,000 to the commission and $20,000 to a trust run by the couple. ‘Our beliefs haven’t changed, but we do have lives to live, a family to love, a business to grow, and a community to serve,’ said Wildflower Inn owner Jim O’Reilly. ‘Small businesses like ours cannot match the limitless resources of the government and the ACLU’.”
Wow, $30,000 bucks just to be able to remain true to your conscience. Why don’t these militants stop pussy-footing around and get serious? Why don’t they bring in what they really would like to see? How about hangings in the public square – after we tar and feather the recalcitrants first of course?
How about branding people who dare to oppose their agenda with a hot iron? If the word “homophobe” can’t fit on the forehead, they could probably get “bigot” to work. But there are plenty of other worthy options which I am sure the militants would be happy with: burning in oil, death by lethal injection, or any number of items from the old witch hunt days.
Finally, and closer to home, as I have documented so often, the legalisation of homosexual marriage will mean everyone must submit – or else. There may be talk about exemptions but it just won’t happen. I have already quoted from the activists who insist that no church groups or believer can be exempt. See here for just some of their quotes to this effect: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2012/05/25/lets-get-those-lousy-christians/
And other nations facing homosexual marriage are also dealing with the same thing. Earlier this year David Cameron’s promise to protect English churches from homosexual marriage laws hit a big legal snag when his own Justice Minister said it would be hard to guarantee that clergy would not face court challenges if they refused to preside over homosexual unions.
And in New Zealand, another nation debating this issue, a recently obtained legal opinion found that such a law change would mean all marriage celebrants, church elders, leaders, photographers, caterers and any other person or entity supplying services to the public will be forced to be involved in such weddings,
So there you go – submit or be punished. All because a tiny handful of activists from a tiny minority group have decided to push their agenda on all of society, and force anyone who dares to differ to face the heavy hand of the law. Freedom is being taken away from us, right before our very eyes. If that is not the end – at least of Western democratic nations – then I don’t know what is.
http://global.christianpost.com/news/first-civil-union-between-three-partners-in-brazil-sparks-outrage-80592/
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/vermont-catholic-couple-pays-30000-for-not-hosting-lesbian-wedding-receptio
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2158442/Cameron-CANNOT-protect-Church-gay-marriage-laws-says-Justice-minister.html#ixzz22BPTxCx0
http://bobmccoskrie.com/?p=5103
[1393 words]
“Finally, and closer to home, as I have documented so often, the legalisation of homosexual marriage will mean everyone must submit – or else. There may be talk about exemptions but it just won’t happen. I have already quoted from the activists who insist that no church groups or believer can be exempt.
Thanks Bill for further perceptive comment, and I looked again at your earlier link. Clearly the activists are intent on their obsessive agenda in order to destroy all adverse criticism – in effect freedom of religion, of association, and freedom of conscience, as you have pointed out so often before. Further, it is clear that these homosexual activists have captured weak and secularist governments all over the western world who see the issue as one of equality for a minority group, as they see it, suffering discrimination.
We know too that homosexuals require SSM primarily to secure acceptance and recognition formally by society and the churches of their alleged “rights” – that would they believe justify their practices. Can the churches then “win” against the growing consensus and secularist policies which will lead to the criminalisation of genuine dissenters on any grounds, including those of conscience? I think not. The issue forces to the forefront the question – ‘What is the Lord saying to the collective church at this time through this situation? No easy or simplistic answers are there. It seems to me that there are two options open to churches faced with the challenge of SSM being imposed upon them.
The first is to implacably resist on Biblical/conscience grounds and face the possibility of going through the courts – and losing. I believe this is a God honouring option on the grounds that the State has no business to interfere in a church’s internal doctrinal decisions – the position has strong and equally honourable precedents – at least in the UK and USA. IMO the principle found in Acts 4:13-20 though not directly applying to marriage, is sufficient justification to therefore resist the secular authority on this matter. (In the UK the great charter of liberty Magna Carta, has a direct bearing on the matter – but I let that pass). The second option is I think being considered in the C of E which is for the church to withdraw entirely from ‘offering’ a marriage service to all as a matter of policy – which would cut the Gordian knot and would shoot the “gay fox”. I believe this second option is equally honourable, but at the same time raises further and far more important questions about the church’s priorities, putting at the forefront the centrality of the Gospel itself and relasted issues about the nature and function of the church, as opposed to offering marriage services to all and sundry.
Perhaps the Lord is bringing a new challenge to the churches through these circumstances to re-discover her true and spiritual mission once again?
Graham Wood
The decline of the West – yes we can all see the slide; the growth of the Church in Asia and Africa though-going from strength to strength. Always real hope to be found.
We in the West are not the world; only a small part of the whole.
In future years the African and Asian Christians will build the West up again. They have already begun that process in our parishes and through immigration.
Look at the Poles in Scotland and England; or the Filipinos or Indians here in Australian parishes. Hope is a reality with these committed fellow Christians.
Michael Webb
This issue is like a runaway train; it seems unstoppable. Logically I can’t understand how 1.5% of the population can have so much power. How can time honoured cultural norms be set on their head in just a few years? It beats me. Is this demonic deception on a grand scale? Sovereign Lord God Almighty powerfully intervene and save our society for the sake of your Name.
Des Morris
I agree Bill there is a feeling that the world as we know it is creaking to a halt. In the future, if there is much future, history will have a field day with these times! Suddenly with great urgency Western leaders are marching us down the road to secularism which will replace our Judeo Christian foundation. Do they have some world government agenda we don’t know about?
The “intellectual elite” have poured scorn and ridicule on belief in God as being something for simple souls which gives weight to replacing God with the Evolution theory of self-preservation and survival of the fittest. This is evidently how raw nature works, although wild animals look after their own. However the secular ideal does mitigate barbaric self-preservation with its Humanist element i.e. the need to look out for the world’s poorest people and the disadvantaged and hence the Equalities ideology was born, no doubt out of good intentions. So it is not all selfishness but more of a “one hat fits all” policy. Unfortunately if you fall out of step with this ideology you will be shouted down, intimidated and branded a hate-filled bigot, even though you don’t hate anyone.
It is not just the Christian faith that is diminishing in Western culture. Global economies are in a perilous state and we are already seeing the shift of wealth from West to East. Times are changing.
It defies belief that governments are prepared to make decisions to enforce policies that will destroy families and the freedom that our forebears fought and died for. The independence of families and the sovereignty of nations is being eroded, ushering in increased dependence on the State and we have already witnessed the totalitarian tendencies of that.
Whereas the theory of evolution teaches us about preservation of self, Jesus taught us something rather more unnatural – that is to love our neighbour as ourselves. That implies unselfishness. However the dichotomy of that is that we do need focus on the self and to evolve out of our more primal behaviour and aspire to follow “the way, the truth and the life” that Jesus, the Messiah spoke of. The holy Spirit is vital to life.
Thanks Bill for your tireless efforts to bring to our attention the gravity of the culture war that is upon us and for giving us an opportunity to ponder more deeply on the problems we face. I am reminded of the words of Dylan Thomas’ poem about death “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
Rachel Smith, UK
Re: Des Morris;
“Just a few years?” Not really, It’s more like a few centuries;
Termites work slow and steady on the minds of the general public…One can easily trace this stuff back to the “enlightenment”, then even more obviously through the teachings and influence of…
1700’s Kant: truth is subjective
1859 Darwin: Bible history is wrong
1891 Gibbon: Christianity is the villain
1856-1939 Freud: Christianity is psychotic
1950+ : Television/media works to redefine society
So, once the authority of the Bible was demolished (in the eyes of the general public), it laid the foundation for alternatives. As this increasingly raging fire destroys western Judeo-Christian society, we are currently up to the final stages as seen in the fall of Rome, Sodom, Canaan etc.
But God…
(Repentance has saved us in the past…)
Tim Lovett
It’s the appalling apathy that is the major problem: people just don’t seem to want to “get involved”. It’s the old story of head in the sand.” Look away and the problem will go away!” A small number of committed “activists” can get their way over a large majority if the latter is apathetic.
The terrible scandal being given to the young today cries out to heaven for justice!
Come on! Let’s get up off of our proverbials and get active in defence of our Christian Values!
M.J. Gonzalez
Could it be that the main problem is that the church does not believe the bible is the word of God? All it seems to do is interpret it in its own image.
As a result there is no such thing as “His Church” it is “our church” and we will run it as we see fit and we don’t want God interfering in what we do.
Roger Marks
Mr. Muehlenberg,
How are they able to “force” a service in a place of one’s faith/place of worship?
Is that not the equivalent of a person stepping into an Islamic mosque with a bowl of cooked pork, and when they politely ask the person to leave, he or she refuses?
What happened to the rights that protect our faith and the practice of our faith? Can’t we just say “In Christ, we love you. However, we cannot allow your union in our place of worship”?
Ronald Willis
I think priests required by law to officiate at “Marriages” should mumble as fast as possible the legal words, dress in plain clothes, have the organ untuned, leave the building uncleaned and anything else they can think of to make the ceremony uninviting. The word would soon get round that this is no place to have a ‘celebration’.and they would not be asked again.
Patricia Rogers
Jesus walked into their synagogues, we hide.
Daniel Kempton