I live in the (People’s Republic) of Dunedin. We have our problems, but the place is fairly safe. When things are tough, this kind of thing is not newsworthy. But it is in the Bubble. And in it’s own way, it is quite nice. We are worrying about managing molehills.
Discovering a tourist had lit a campfire in the dunes at Sandfly Bay right next to a threatened yellow-eyed penguin colony was the last straw for volunteer Pat Dean.With what had killed at least 56 yellow-eyed penguin adults along Otago Peninsula beaches still a mystery, the possibility a fire could get out of control and whip through the colony angered the Department of Conservation and its volunteers. ”What an idiot, he could have burnt the whole place down … especially given the rough trot we’ve had,” Ms Dean said. Doc ranger Mel Young said the fire risk was high along the coast especially with a westerly on-shore wind. A fire in a penguin colony further south in 1995 wiped it out.
This is not the state all around the world. There are people going through great suffering. There is an increase in the amount of difficulties people have. This can cause us to have all kinds of emotions, including anger.
Because in the end, we will all suffer.
Yes, this is what growing up feels like. This is why, when I hear about people escaping their marriages through divorce, or children through abortion or abandonment, or the crippled through IVF or euthanasia, or, or, or… it makes me sad… and then it makes me indignant. We should not seek suffering outside of penance, but when it comes our way through no fault of our own, or because we are doing what we think is right, then we should accept it as a chance for grace and not seek to end the suffering through our own sin.
On the car radio, they were just talking about St. Valentine being stoned to death. And they said, “The secular symbol of love is a heart, but the Christian symbol of love is a cross.” This is so simple, and yet so profound.
I suppose this is why I have more sympathy for fathers fighting for paternity rights. They seem to be motivated primarily out of love and concern for the fates of their children or children in general, which seems especially noble to me.
Divorce is never noble. It is a small death, but an unmourned one.
Now, outside of the daily life we all live, bigger things are happening. The economy numbers are now faked with Soviet style efficiency, and the legal grounds to for the US state to go at war with its own citizens is being found. (No news here: I “Got outa Dodge” when I left Auckland seven years ago — but the FBI twisted the police into doing a US style raid on Kim Dotcom two years ago — which did not stand up to legal scrutiny. Most Kiwis no longer think of the US as cowboys, as we did when the Bushies ran the place, but as Thugs). The anger in the states is not to be underestimated.
Now I sit in a Bubble. Not safe, but safe-ish. My worries are like those of others in the bubble, small beer. However, by brothers and sisters in the faith are sitting in these imploding sitations. So what shall we do?
17If you say to yourself, “These nations are more numerous than I; how can I dispossess them?” 18do not be afraid of them. Just remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, 19the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20Moreover, the LORD your God will send the pestilence against them, until even the survivors and the fugitives are destroyed. 21Have no dread of them, for the LORD your God, who is present with you, is a great and awesome God. 22The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to make a quick end of them, otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you. 23But the LORD your God will give them over to you, and throw them into great panic, until they are destroyed. 24He will hand their kings over to you and you shall blot out their name from under heaven; no one will be able to stand against you, until you have destroyed them. 25The images of their gods you shall burn with fire. Do not covet the silver or the gold that is on them and take it for yourself, because you could be ensnared by it; for it is abhorrent to the LORD your God. 26Do not bring an abhorrent thing into your house, or you will be set apart for destruction like it. You must utterly detest and abhor it, for it is set apart for destruction.
1Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. 3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8The saying is sure.
I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone. 9But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions, 11since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self-condemned.
12When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13Make every effort to send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way, and see that they lack nothing. 14And let people learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive.
15All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith.
Grace be with all of you.
Now there is a contrast in responses for the people of God. The tribes of Israel are told to take good courage, and purge Canaan. They are to destroy the idols and places and instututions of pagan worship — for the inquity of the people had now moved to ritual child sacrifice, ritual orgies, and temple prostitution (there is a reason why homosexuality and child prostitution were deliberately banned in the Law. The Isrealites needed teaching because pedarasty — men fucking adolescent boys — was common and accepted).
In addition, the Canaanites were playing out the end game of the secular and pagan mindset. Their habits of live meant that they did not breed. If we consider Colonial America or England after the Restoration — after the 100 years war but before the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars — a woman could expect to lose every second or third child during infancy. To have two children reach adulthood, she would have to give birth to four or five. Interstingly, that was the birth rate in most cities. (You have to consider starvation, ladies. If your fat percentage drops below a certain percent, you do not ovulate). The Pagans were limiting breeding by sleeping with men and exposing infants. The population was beginning to implode, and then famine and disease did the rest.
Great nations can disappear if they do not produce the new generation.
So those of us with faith can be assured that our children will make the future, because the liberals are in a demographic death spiral. We may not have as many men chasing boys as the Greeks (or Afghans, who learnt this from that great sodomite, Alexander) do, but we use contraception to ensure we do not have our first until we finish a quite prolonged adolescence around 30.
But what to do now? Well Titus was told that we should obey the rulers. The Cretans were ruled by the Romans, and the Romans by an emperor — and around this time, or just after, a period of active slaughter of all people of faith was driven by that imperial elite because the church was growing.
Rome was no democracy.
But we have freedom, we have a choice. We can be decent. We can try to keep in good relations with everyone, We can do good. We can be gracious. We do not need state support, nor money, to do this. Instead we have to husband and be accountable for what we have. We can cut our dependency on income down and become more resilient..
We can take control back of our lives. We can refuse to sell our future, or our children’s to the state and its benefits.
This will not be easy. There are demands on our time, money and resources.
But it is achievable. Because the final freedom is within us. They can take all our poseesions, but they cannot remove our knowledge or ability to think, unless they kill us.
And if they kill us, we will not bow. You can have honor and respect, but… we are not yours. We are Gods.
We can preserve the beautiful.
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