Culture as Satan's work
Nov 1, 2017 9:26:10 GMT -6
Post by Todd on Nov 1, 2017 9:26:10 GMT -6
Satan's task is to usurp and subvert human trust in God and redirect it toward an alliance with himself. It is to prevent, if possible, or otherwise to dissolve, remove, or infect, any particle of human trust in God and to redirect it toward any means of assisting him in his work.
Currently, he manages this task by bombarding human beings with a never-ending barrage of lies and disinformation that plays to and encourages every aspect of fallen human nature. The locales for the purveyance of such disinformation are the various cultural interfaces, such as news outlets, public forums, institutions of education, and advertising and marketing. In short, wherever and by whatever means human beings receive, share, and pass on information.
For example reports of certain kinds of stories may excite in us a sense of outrage and a desire for vengeance. Other stories, such as natural disasters (hurricanes and earthquakes) and man-made calamities (war, terrorism, and senseless crime) can be reported in such a way as might cause us to put our trust in government action. Other stories may be reported in such a way as to unconsciously produce in us an overweening confidence in either false notions, or advances in "knowledge" we are only too happy to grasp. Yet some other stories might be calculated to produce in us a false sense of righteousness by comparison to those who commit heinous acts of barbarism.
Even organized sports, particularly at the professional level, encourage idolizing people, as does Hollywood. Both assume the almost incalculable importance of "entertainment." Popular culture places leisurely pastimes such as hobbies and physical activities at the top of the heap of human pursuits. Politics makes "causes" the focus of human attention and our association with one worldly group or another of paramount importance.
Advertising and Marketing say "buy this product," but they picture the product in such a way, or in the company of such people as to imply that the product will make us more powerful, desirable, or attractive than we feel. They provide one message for the mind, and often, a greater and more compelling message to the flesh.
Just as Jesus claimed that "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God," so anything that makes us forget that we stand alone and naked before the creator, sustainer, and redeemer of all things, Satan either creates or works to his own advantage. This even includes church, which itself can be, and has been, made an idol and a source of social "group-think."
If we can see the unintended consequences of the TV show "Extreme Makeovers," why can we not see that sins beside "pride," such as vengeance, gossip, misplaced faith, greed, envy and so forth, also become "unintended consequences" of literally every other show on television, every magazine article, every movie and every book that appears in the secular media?
Perhaps it lies in the notion that these are "unintended." They are only unintended so far as the people involved are concerned. But they are, in fact, very deliberately intended! Perhaps not by the producers of television shows themselves, but by the one who is the god of this world. Ask any actor, any producer, any professor, any reporter, any athlete, any politician any person at all, if he is in league with the devil. The answer will be a loud "no," (except in the case of the few poor souls who think themselves Satanists who have the very least effect of any of the devil's henchmen). We are the lackeys who do the work of the devil unawares, whereby right is made to appear wrong, good is made to appear bad, fallen culture is made to appear as a very great blessing, and so on and so on. Satan owns and reigns from the high places of power and prestige, his sermons fall from the lips of the influential. He is visible in the shadows behind the rich and famous, in the classroom, and on all secular Television except the weather report.
Why does this happen? Why is there a "secular" realm at all? It is because man is fallen, and even at this late date still seeks to escape God's authority. Why do children, as soon as they are able, and with very few exceptions, gravitate toward secular TV, movies, and even Halloween costumes rather than Biblical or explicitly Christian expressions? Why do adults prefer sports, drama, sitcoms or libidinous magazines to outlets of Christian expressions? Can it be because the Worldly stuff appeals to the Flesh? Would these not be Satan's most satisfactory means of reaching the masses unobserved? Would this not allow him to appeal to virtually every aspect of fallen flesh, with the utmost subtlety?
Almost every news story becomes news by the exercise of an act of depravity or fallenness. Every murder, every act of Congress, every leaked secret, military or personal, every cheating spouse becomes news because of sin. Every novel or short story is built upon the frustration of obtaining a goal (itself more often than not sinful in nature) by the interposition of a conflict, almost universally sinful in nature. It is of the very nature of literature that this is the case. Why do we, as a culture, prefer Of Mice and Men to Pilgrim's Progress? It is because we do not wish to believe that conflicts are the result of an imposition of Satanic will on human events, and we are quite comfortable with sinful results such as vengeance, greed, and sexual deviance.
This comparison provides another item of interest. When was Pilgrim's Progress so successful that it became a classic? Not in recent times, but centuries ago, when Christianity had finally made its way out of its previous secular prison known as Roman Catholicism. So cultural tendencies can become an index of the sinfulness of society. Should we not be crying "the end is upon us?"
So what can the Christian do? The first thing he must do is to train his conscience thoroughly in the morality and relationships of the Bible. If he truly does so, he will be unable to read culturally accepted literature or watch secular TV without being extremely judgmental. Virtually everything he sees will insult his sense of the righteousness of God. He will be incensed at how sinfully Man and men have mishandled the responsibilities to love God, care for the earth, be his brother's keeper, and all the rest. He will be incensed that the solution of whatever needs exist are always assigned to the government for redress. The godly mind is appalled and sickened at what he sees in secular culture. He can watch the movies and read the books, almost never with human enjoyment, but almost always with godly displeasure. When the Christian arrives at this point, when he no longer is characterized by cultural ambivalence or politically correct silence and "toleration," when he can no longer remain passive or silent, he will withdraw from as much of it as possible, perhaps going so far as to enter into the "new monasticism" of separation from the world by withdrawal from its sinful messages and communications. We can engage with Satan's messages judgmentally, or we can refuse to waste our time with them at all.
-- Todd
Currently, he manages this task by bombarding human beings with a never-ending barrage of lies and disinformation that plays to and encourages every aspect of fallen human nature. The locales for the purveyance of such disinformation are the various cultural interfaces, such as news outlets, public forums, institutions of education, and advertising and marketing. In short, wherever and by whatever means human beings receive, share, and pass on information.
For example reports of certain kinds of stories may excite in us a sense of outrage and a desire for vengeance. Other stories, such as natural disasters (hurricanes and earthquakes) and man-made calamities (war, terrorism, and senseless crime) can be reported in such a way as might cause us to put our trust in government action. Other stories may be reported in such a way as to unconsciously produce in us an overweening confidence in either false notions, or advances in "knowledge" we are only too happy to grasp. Yet some other stories might be calculated to produce in us a false sense of righteousness by comparison to those who commit heinous acts of barbarism.
Even organized sports, particularly at the professional level, encourage idolizing people, as does Hollywood. Both assume the almost incalculable importance of "entertainment." Popular culture places leisurely pastimes such as hobbies and physical activities at the top of the heap of human pursuits. Politics makes "causes" the focus of human attention and our association with one worldly group or another of paramount importance.
Advertising and Marketing say "buy this product," but they picture the product in such a way, or in the company of such people as to imply that the product will make us more powerful, desirable, or attractive than we feel. They provide one message for the mind, and often, a greater and more compelling message to the flesh.
Just as Jesus claimed that "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God," so anything that makes us forget that we stand alone and naked before the creator, sustainer, and redeemer of all things, Satan either creates or works to his own advantage. This even includes church, which itself can be, and has been, made an idol and a source of social "group-think."
If we can see the unintended consequences of the TV show "Extreme Makeovers," why can we not see that sins beside "pride," such as vengeance, gossip, misplaced faith, greed, envy and so forth, also become "unintended consequences" of literally every other show on television, every magazine article, every movie and every book that appears in the secular media?
Perhaps it lies in the notion that these are "unintended." They are only unintended so far as the people involved are concerned. But they are, in fact, very deliberately intended! Perhaps not by the producers of television shows themselves, but by the one who is the god of this world. Ask any actor, any producer, any professor, any reporter, any athlete, any politician any person at all, if he is in league with the devil. The answer will be a loud "no," (except in the case of the few poor souls who think themselves Satanists who have the very least effect of any of the devil's henchmen). We are the lackeys who do the work of the devil unawares, whereby right is made to appear wrong, good is made to appear bad, fallen culture is made to appear as a very great blessing, and so on and so on. Satan owns and reigns from the high places of power and prestige, his sermons fall from the lips of the influential. He is visible in the shadows behind the rich and famous, in the classroom, and on all secular Television except the weather report.
Why does this happen? Why is there a "secular" realm at all? It is because man is fallen, and even at this late date still seeks to escape God's authority. Why do children, as soon as they are able, and with very few exceptions, gravitate toward secular TV, movies, and even Halloween costumes rather than Biblical or explicitly Christian expressions? Why do adults prefer sports, drama, sitcoms or libidinous magazines to outlets of Christian expressions? Can it be because the Worldly stuff appeals to the Flesh? Would these not be Satan's most satisfactory means of reaching the masses unobserved? Would this not allow him to appeal to virtually every aspect of fallen flesh, with the utmost subtlety?
Almost every news story becomes news by the exercise of an act of depravity or fallenness. Every murder, every act of Congress, every leaked secret, military or personal, every cheating spouse becomes news because of sin. Every novel or short story is built upon the frustration of obtaining a goal (itself more often than not sinful in nature) by the interposition of a conflict, almost universally sinful in nature. It is of the very nature of literature that this is the case. Why do we, as a culture, prefer Of Mice and Men to Pilgrim's Progress? It is because we do not wish to believe that conflicts are the result of an imposition of Satanic will on human events, and we are quite comfortable with sinful results such as vengeance, greed, and sexual deviance.
This comparison provides another item of interest. When was Pilgrim's Progress so successful that it became a classic? Not in recent times, but centuries ago, when Christianity had finally made its way out of its previous secular prison known as Roman Catholicism. So cultural tendencies can become an index of the sinfulness of society. Should we not be crying "the end is upon us?"
So what can the Christian do? The first thing he must do is to train his conscience thoroughly in the morality and relationships of the Bible. If he truly does so, he will be unable to read culturally accepted literature or watch secular TV without being extremely judgmental. Virtually everything he sees will insult his sense of the righteousness of God. He will be incensed at how sinfully Man and men have mishandled the responsibilities to love God, care for the earth, be his brother's keeper, and all the rest. He will be incensed that the solution of whatever needs exist are always assigned to the government for redress. The godly mind is appalled and sickened at what he sees in secular culture. He can watch the movies and read the books, almost never with human enjoyment, but almost always with godly displeasure. When the Christian arrives at this point, when he no longer is characterized by cultural ambivalence or politically correct silence and "toleration," when he can no longer remain passive or silent, he will withdraw from as much of it as possible, perhaps going so far as to enter into the "new monasticism" of separation from the world by withdrawal from its sinful messages and communications. We can engage with Satan's messages judgmentally, or we can refuse to waste our time with them at all.
-- Todd