Liberalism

Richard Ritenbaugh, acknowledging the chasm between the Creationist Christian community and the science-evolution establishment, proclaims that the liberal media consistently portrays conservatives and Christians as "science deniers," castigating any faith-based group for not acceding to "settled science." Actually, the real "science-deniers" are those on the far left, where God-denying scientists established a so-called consensus of "settled science" by manipulating data, as any objective analysis of peer-reviewed scientific papers will indicate. The climate change hoax is not the first time the far-left has tried to promote false science. According to John Tierney in his article "The Real War on Science," the fallacious 'food pyramid,' which militated against fat in favor of carbohydrates, has been a major contributory cause in the alarming rise in obesity and diabetes. The God-deniers also deny the biological reality that every cell of the human body contains the code of one's biological gender. John Stossel explains that the far left 'scientists,' pundits, and politicians are transferring their nefarious motives onto their opponents. As God's called-out ones, we have to exercise care that no one deceives us.

John Ritenbaugh continues his appraisal of the startling state of affairs in which states such as California, Illinois, and Minnesota, all levying confiscatory taxes for wasteful liberal fiscal programs, are hemorrhaging productive taxpayers to more fiscally responsible states such as Texas, North Carolina, Utah, and South Dakota. Because of the hopelessly irresponsible fiscal policies of Illinois, the exodus from this hapless state has drained enough productive taxpayers to populate its four largest cities (exclusive of Chicago). Leftist enclave states such as California, Illinois, Washington and Oregon have figuratively shot themselves in the foot by (1.) making employment increasingly difficult to find, (2.) fostering an oppressive attitudinal personality, (3.) causing a prohibitive high cost of living, (4.) obfuscating and falsifying government statistics, and (5.) harboring hardened criminals through the vehicle of "sanctuary" states and cities. The failure of liberal 'progressive' policy can be seen most dramatically on the "left coast" extending from California to Washington. Sadly, the modern-day descendants of Manasseh will evidently continue to vote for irresponsibility while simultaneously rejecting common sense.

Mark Schindler, reminding us that the purpose of the weekly commentary is not to promote any political agenda, but only to help us watch for minefields , helping us to steer clear of toxic world views, reminds us that God is not liberal or conservative, socialist or capitalist, globalist or nationalist. Recently, Focus Group analyst Frank Luntz reported to George Stephanopoulos, that Americans have become hopelessly and irreconcilably divided along fractured and hate- erupting political fissures, threatening to permanently destroy the last remaining shreds of civility and decency in our culture. A poignant example of this bitter vitriol is the chasm that has widened between two formerly close friends, George Will and William Bennett. Will, characterizing himself as an amiable Atheist has vilified Vice President Pence as being an insincere sycophant for supporting President Trump. A charter member of the never- Trump- movement, George Will, by launching salvos of poly-syllabic name-calling has made him the darling of the left-wing cable news outlets CNN and MSNBC. Bennett, a former colleague and friend of the cantankerous George Will counteracts his venomous attacks on Vice President Pence, suggesting that Will's only purpose is to denigrate men who are making the nation better. Meanwhile, the fissures of conflict deepen, and deadly molten hatred erupts to the surface. We are living in a world where truth is in short supply. God's people should avoid being drawn into these secular political conflicts because resolution and reconciliation is only available through yielding to Jesus Christ, something worldly leaders will never do.

Mike Ford, citing James Taranto's article on The Politicization of Motherhood, showcasing a book written by Psychoanalyst Erica Komisar, a work which ironically has received praise from conservatives and scorn from her fellow liberals, offers empirical evidence that mothers are crucial in developing the baby's nervous system during the first three years, something that husbands, fathers or day care centers cannot do. Because the new-born baby has no developed central nervous system, the mother, through conveying the hormone oxytocin through gentle talk, eye contact, and breast feeding, constructs and regulates the baby's nervous system, making the infant less prone to attention deficit disorders, aggression and depression. Millennial leftists, who feel that gender is a construct created by a patriarchal society, have totally rejected this book, even though rigorous scientific research solidly supports it. Rearing a child is teamwork with the mother and the father bringing different aspects to the emergent personality. The Proverbs 31 woman displays a composite of strength and nurturing totally ignored by leftist justice warriors, who scornfully deride the God-created special differences between the genders.

Charles Whitaker, focusing on Ezekiel 7:14, a chilling description of a summons to battle followed by a cowardly refusal to defend the home country, points out that this prophecy pertains to the nations of modern Israel. The descendants of Jacob have spent billions of dollars creating state-of-the-art weapons. Ironically, as early as the 1950s, the Rand Corporation advanced wrong-headed proposal for America's "orderly capitulation" in the event of nuclear attack, suggesting that surrender would forestall widescale (and perhaps irreparable) environmental degradation through radiation and nuclear winter. Environmental extremists have now burrowed their way into the seats of national policy-making, as evidenced by a top-ranking general who recently boasted—under oath—that he would defy any orders to use nuclear weapons if he felt they were issued contrary to his interpretation of international law. Looked at this way, extreme environmentalism, untampered by a thoroughgoing respect for American values and lives, is a clear-and-present danger to national security. Knowing of her self-advertised reticence to protect herself, Israel's enemies need not await a period of military weakness to mount a successful attack. Attack could come today; Jacob's Trouble could commence tomorrow.

Richard Ritenbaugh, reflecting on the horrendous prospect of surrendering our control to a driverless vehicle, maintains that Americans treasure their freedom of movement despite the "Nanny State's" insincere protestations about safety as it attempts to camouflage seizing power. The number of actual "on-the-road" situations which can occur is so high that no amount of programming can enable the driverless vehicle to be safe, even when it utilizes artificial intelligence, the fastest computers and the highest level of sensor sophistication and redundancy. The highly resilient and flexible human brain—under the control of a responsible person—remains the best facilitator of safe driving. While politicians desire to control everything, Christianity wants to instill self-control. Paradoxically, when we yield to God's sovereignty, He wants to cede control over to us, teaching us to develop self-control as a habit, enabling us to have dominion over the earth , handling it responsibly. On the night of Passover, Jesus taught the disciples to avoid imitating the narcissistic Gentile leaders who love to lord it over other people, demanding their obedience and service. Our Savior's leadership style emulated the servant, esteeming all others over self. Agape love dispenses with the way of control and selfish ambition. God's way consists of self-discipline and rigorous self-mastery, as exemplified by Jesus Christ, who never relaxed His self-control—even in the prospect of His impending crucifixion. Those who aspire to follow Jesus Christ must emulate His example of rigorous restraint.

John Ritenbaugh, describing an ongoing "bloodless coup" in which a major political party and a complicit propagandistic media are feverishly trying to high-jack the controls of governmental power, taking choices away from the individual and giving them to the government, maintains that we are reaping the consequences of the episode recorded in I Samuel 8:4-7, in which Israel demanded a king instead of trusting in God as their ruler. As unsettling as current world events may be, we know that the invisible God actively inserts Himself into the affairs of men, working out all events for His purpose. As we look through the history of the offspring of Jacob, we can see God's hand in preparing godly seed, a holy line from Seth to Noah to Shem to Abraham, to Moses, to David, to Mary. Jesus Christ was the Seed promised to Adam and Eve who would crush Satan. God admonished us in Deuteronomy 32:7-9 to remember the thread of events from the Garden of Eden to our current state, recognizing the artful way in which God distributes people over the face of the earth. God's separating physical Israel from the gentile nations was phase one of His master plan. His creation, at the time of Christ, of spiritual Israel, which recognizes faithful gentiles as full citizens, is phase two. The founding of the United States and the other nations of modern Israel was not random or accidental, but purposely orchestrated by our Creator. Indeed, God is moving the entirety of world affairs toward the day Christ will establish His Kingdom on the earth and crush the head of Satan, in doing so destroying no only his destructive ideas but his life.

John Ritenbaugh reiterates that, although every nation has its own unique kind of conservatism, American conservativism is judged more harshly because its tenets took root in biblical principles advanced by the Puritans, who sought to find religious freedom on the North American Continent, and because the Founding Fathers, established the Declaration and the Constitution on biblical principles. Consequently, American conservatism rests on a decidedly biblical foundation. French philosopher and historian Alexis de Tocqueville proclaimed that America's greatness was not the result of its natural resources or its political leaders, but rather, was the consequence of the ardent zeal and faith emanating from its ubiquitous churches and meeting houses. He concludes that when America ceases to be good, she will cease to exist. Sadly, at the beginning of the 20th century, anti-God, pernicious, humanist, 'progressive' lies started to flood the classrooms of the universities, eventually reaching the public schools. The stream of liberal lies seems to parallel the flood coming from the dragon's mouth in Revelation 12:15, attempting to destroy the woman, symbolizing God's Church.

John Ritenbaugh, reflecting on the recent controversial Presidential election, suggests that a large number of individuals are hopelessly confused about the derivative terms—liberal and conservative. When one looks at the murky track records of those having conservative roots, a wide variety of inconsistent positions emerge. The term conservative generally refers to allegiance to original laws and statues established by God, ultimate first principles which should not be altered. Our Founding Fathers, while not exactly practicing Christians, nevertheless drafted the Declaration of Independence and Constitution on fundamental biblical principles. When the 'progressives' attempted over the last decades to cram down the throats of the American people murder (abortion) as a woman's right, homosexual 'marriage' and sodomy as a 'sacred' right, evangelicals, fundamentalists, and devout Roman Catholics decided that the morally debased direction taken by Hillary Clinton and the 'progressive' Democrat party was disastrous to the country.

Richard Ritenbaugh, reflecting on some final exams given to 8th graders during the early 20th Century in Salina, Kansas, appearing frequently on the Internet, marvels at the dearth of practical thinking and reasoning skills demonstrated by the clients of today's 'progressive' educational system. Pupils a hundred years ago often demonstrated more skill at cause-effect relationships, geographical knowledge, historical details, phonetics, and meteorological concepts. 'Progressive' liberals, citing the 'reliable' Snopes.com, complain that these questions were too fact- and date-oriented, as well as too U.S.-centric. Liberals ignore the fact that 'progressive' education has failed to teach basic skills and knowledge and principles of sound reasoning. 'Progressive education' does away with cursive handwriting, home economics, memorizing times tables, phonics, spelling, drills and time tests. History and social studies have been yanked leftward, smearing the accomplishments of the Founding fathers, branding them as racist. 'Progressives' have dumbed down civics, government, and economics, again aligning them hopelessly leftward, away from the concepts of checks and balances, the rationale for the Electoral College, the basic economic principles. Instead, students are taught "techniques" they can use to score high on standardized tests. What is missing in 'progressive' education are practical life skills which would safeguard individuals from being led around by the nose.

Richard Ritenbaugh, describing the state-controlled media as thunderstruck after all their bogus polls blew up in their faces, maintains that America is just beginning to reap what it has sown, evidenced by the on-going meltdown and temper-tantrums displayed by the 'spontaneous' demonstrations from Oakland to Minneapolis to New York (bankrolled by George Soros). Some demonstrators called for Donald Trump's assassination, as they 'peacefully' smashed windows, beat white people, and taunted the police. The 'progressive,' leftist educational system has been teaching these clueless youths how to whine and complain, demanding that life should be fair and that there should be no winners or losers. Now the poor "snowflakes" are demanding safe-spaces, coloring books, playdough, pets, cry-ins, and time-outs to cope with the 'overwhelming' stress for which they are ill-equipped.

John Ritenbaugh, in his keynote "Handwriting on the Wall" message, based on Daniel 5:1-5, issues a stark warning of dire events to befall the Israelitish nations, predicting a truly menacing time when the leftist, 'progressive' powers that currently control the judiciary and the executive branches of government will inflict horrendous, grievous persecution on both nominal and true Christians alike. On October 1, 2016, the State of Massachusetts (which, ironically , occupies the same location where the first settlers seeking religious freedom landed) militated against religious freedom by criminalizing acts of conscience on the part of churches and businesses that do not cow-tow to LBGT demands. This action does not represent a shot across the bow, but a devastating hit to true religious liberty, demanding that sodomy come out of the closet and Christianity move into the closet. Diann Rice, Civil Rights Commissioner of Colorado, claiming that Christianity had justified slavery and other civil rights abuses, asked for stiff fines to be imposed upon bakers who refused to bake wedding cakes for homosexuals because of conscience. The evil 'progressive' leftist judicial powers, under Satan's influence, having pulled a bait and switch by emphasizing "freedom of worship" rather than "freedom of religion," have succeeded in taking away the civil rights of true Christians, who can no longer practice their beliefs in the public square. 'Progressive' 'liberal' 'humanism' is a greater threat to true Christianity than the dreaded Inquisition and the Stalinist purges. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has openly declared at the Women's World Summit, that "deep-seated cultural modes and deep-seated religious beliefs have to be changed, and that Federal laws have to be backed up with Federal will." Truly the Beast power is beginning to flex its muscles and is actively wearing down the saints.

John Ritenbaugh, reiterating that 'progressive' liberal, leftist change agents are engaged in one unified agenda, namely the destruction of culture and the destruction of Christianity, maintains they are being guided by the prince of the power of the air and have successfully created confusion in culture, pitting neighbor against neighbor, weakening the structure of our civilization. A large percentage of our citizenry have accepted the noxious propositions of these change agents. Four examples of such propositions include 1) The preposterous assumptions behind the Black Lives Matter movement, 2) The equally unreasonable notion that white policemen should not be permitted to protect themselves from juvenile thugs, 3) The tacit license granted by society to Planned Parenthood to slay over 300,000 Black infants annually and 4) The endorsement of the scientifically bogus claim of gender-dysphoria, with its resultant public policy of allowing individuals who feel they have been born in the wrong gender to surgically 'switch' body styles. (Serious scientific studies have indicated that the DNA code has been pre-set at birth, and that superficial cutting and pasting does not meaningfully alter gender-specific biological hardware or its supporting chemical processes.) The nadir of liberal childishness is its denial of the reality of human nature, leading to the idea that the confiscation of firearms will result in an end to violence. Liberalism is clearly a dangerous, progressively debilitating mental disorder.

John Ritenbaugh, asking whether conservatism is dead, especially in the context of the current political climate, defines conservatism as an inclination to maintain existing order and institutions, opposing radical change. Further , he defines liberalism as an inclination to espouse 'progress' or 'reform,' 'broad-mindedness,' and 'tolerance,' except for religious orthodoxy, while ushering in a secular, 'progressive' humanist agenda. The Republican Party, supposedly safeguarding conservative principles, is controlled by establishment R.I.N.O.s (Republican in name only) who have shamelessly capitulated on every advance of the leftist, collectivist agenda of this current Administration, plunging this country into a far-left socialist tyranny. The average man on the street does not understand that the promise of government "freebies" constitutes deceptive bait, luring the gullible into abject slavery and bondage. Anti-God liberal philosophies trickled down from the educators in the universities into the public schools. The decline of orthodox teaching in the churches has led to an inclusive, big-tent, tolerant approach to moral degeneracy, with standards in a constant state of flux. God's laws are not liberal despite some claims of Protestant Dispensationalists. God, as the most Conservative of all Beings, is alive and does not change. Our culture is witnessing an ascendancy of immorality and law-breaking with everyone doing what is right in his own eyes.

John Ritenbaugh reflects on a ministerial refresher program years ago, in which Herbert W. Armstrong warned about increasing government involvement in practically every area of life, adding that Ambassador College would never receive government handouts as long as he were alive because government handouts automatically lead to dependence and loss of freedom. Radio commentator Rush Limbaugh has stated that Liberalism (or progressive, leftist political ideology) is the greatest and deadliest enemy this country has ever had to face. The gullible citizenry does not recognize that government freebies or entitlements are invitations to slavery. Political 'progressivism' and spiritual 'progressivism' are cut out of the same cloth, both attempting to subvert standards based on law and the covenant relationship by insurrection from malcontents believing they have a better way than God prescribed. Satan was the first spiritual progressive liberal, allowing his pride to make himself think he was superior to God's governmental structure, becoming a rabble-rousing community organizer to topple God's rule. Political liberal progressive activists, spreading the tentacles of leftist progressivism in the schools and universities from the 1920's to the present, slowed down by an occasional Reagan-type 'reactionary', have elevated sodomy and murder to the law of the land, ushering in a socialist totalitarian state cancelling liberties deemed to be inconsistent with the party line of political correctness. Neither political conservatism nor spiritual conservatism is popular because they demand adherence to the work ethic instead of the entitlement ethic, and humility rather than self-centered pride. Spiritual conservatism demands dogged adherence to Godly standards of righteousness and morality, belief, humility, and the smashing of pride.

Richard Ritenbaugh, reflecting on the recent observation of Independence Day, suggests that this event should furnish us with an opportunity to reflect on the philosophies and ideas of the Founding Fathers, including their beliefs about human nature. The Founding Fathers shared the belief, for the most part, that human nature was depraved, shaped by the Calvinistic Protestant doctrine of total depravity and Augustine's notion of original sin, positing that all humans are affected by depravity, and that even the good things in our nature are tainted by evil. Because the Founders knew that government consisted of power, they placed checks and balances in order to protect the electorate against tyranny, with varying lengths of tenure for members of the three branches. The Founding Fathers realized that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Unfortunately, the checks and balances that the Founding Fathers had instituted have severely eroded; carnal human nature has taken control. The secular progressives mistakenly believe that human nature is perfectible, guided by the parameters of evolution. Conservatives tend to believe that human nature is evil and that the best anyone can do is control it. The Bible takes a rather dim view of carnal human nature; we struggle against it until our death. Satan, in the Garden of Eden, turned the minds of our parents against God and onto serving ourselves. We absorb sinful attitudes from our parents, siblings, and the world. The spirit in man is receptive to Satan's negative spirit. Our flesh is essentially selfish, making us vulnerable to carnality. We are commanded to fight against self, society, and Satan through the power of God's Holy Spirit, submitting ourselves as a sacrifice to God, transformed to God's way of life and image, designed to function this way since creation. God cannot create godly character by fiat. Hence, He has given us free moral agency so we can make choices. This factor—the ability to improve or corrupt nature—is controlle

Richard T. Ritenbaugh:  Back on March 8, 1983, at an Orlando, Florida, meeting of the National Association of Evangelicals, the President of the United States at the time, Ronald Reagan, gave a speech amid an ongoing Congressional debate over a proposed “nuclear freeze,” a policy advocated by the Soviet Union. ...

To be a prophet of God is no easy task, and it is one that tends to be mentally and emotionally burdensome to the prophet. As Charles Whitaker explains, God desires His people to have an emotional yet entirely rational response—to sigh and cry—to the lawlessness and idolatry increasing around them in the world.

Once, reason and common sense were valued in America. ...

On Tuesday, April 14, 2009, crowds gathered in Bingham Hall, a University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill educational building, filling the seats with college students, professors, and members of the community, waiting to hear Congressman Tom Tancredo speak about illegal immigration....

Richard T. Ritenbaugh:  As our various governments become increasingly liberal, a horrifying—a word chosen with care—paradox becomes more apparent: A more liberal America is becoming less free. ...

Richard T. Ritenbaugh:  The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, has been in mourning for the last week since two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers, Sean Clark and Jeff Shelton, were murdered late last Saturday night, March 31, after responding to a domestic disturbance. ...

Philosophers and ethicists, steeped in humanism, shoot wide of the truth in answering, 'Who is my neighbor?' Charles Whitaker explains that the Bible reveals the answer to this big moral question, as well as providing sensible guidelines on the finer details of Christian charity.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh:  Fifteen years ago, the subject of "values" was on everyone's lips, reaching its crescendo during the political campaigns of the time. ...

John Ritenbaugh, commenting upon someone questioning the concept of a woman's subjection to a man, traces the anti-marriage, anti-family sentiment and political impetus to liberal left organizations like the National Organization of Women and Planned Parenthood. The radical feminist hatred of men and the institution of marriage rampant in our country today were graphically and accurately described in Isaiah 3:4. Radical feminists angrily equate marriage with concentration camps, rape, slavery, and prostitution, and seek to end marriage as an institution, the institution directly created by Almighty God. The feminist homosexual leftist liberal agenda wants to replace marriage with same sex or homosexual unions and every other perversion under the sun, denying the existence of any moral absolutes. As God's called-out ones we must, against the treacherous popular currents of modern media, be loyal to God through righteousness and devotion to duty, making sure that our thinking is not polluted by the Liberal Feminist-homosexual agenda. In marriage, loyalty, trust and subjection are demanded of both partners. If we are not loyal to God and life, we are automatically subject to Satan and death. We need to follow our Elder Brother's example in John 8:29 of placing ourselves under the Father, realizing that Jesus has been placed over us. We (both men and women) have been instructed by Christ and the apostles to be loyal and subject to human authority including family and civil government. To be subject to God the Father and Jesus Christ (paradoxical it may seem) produces in us the attributes of leadership.

The Europe of the past few decades has honestly earned the label of "that vast plain of irreligion." What caused its secularization? David Grabbe shows that religion is to blame.

David C. Grabbe:  Is the globalist dream fading? Forces have long been at work to unite the world—economically, militarily, religiously, educationally, technologically, and governmentally. ...

Charles Whitaker:  Liberals, says James Hitchcock in "The Enemies of Religious Liberty" (First Things, February 2004, pp. ...

The Immigration Reform Act of 1965 opened the floodgates to immigrants from Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Charles Whitaker asserts that, contrary to the liberal secularists intention to marginalize Christianity through it, the Act instead facilitated the rise of a new strain of conservative Christianity in America.

Martin G. Collins:  Little has been overtly said this week by the liberal news media about the making of a movie, produced and directed by Mel Gibson, about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

John Ritenbaugh focuses on a deadly enemy within our borders, every bit as dangerous as the radical Islamic fundamentalists from without- an enemy composed of amoral radical agnostic multi-cultural, anti-Christ, anti-God secular humanistic educators in our universities and schools. Political correctness, sponsored largely by the Democrat party and the far left has ushered in deviancy, perversion and shameless self-indulgence in the name of diversity and multi-culturalism. Secularism, founded on the philosophical underpinnings of Rousseau, is, in effect, the official state religion for the majority of our nation. In the multi-cultural agenda, extermination of the white race and culture has top priority. Anyone who objects to this agenda becomes branded a racist, a member of the religious right. The love for truth gives us the only protection from this insidious threat.

Human civilization has experienced two major sociological ages since the beginning of its appearance on the earth. Currently we are in transition to the third age or Third Wave, which has frightening prophetic consequences. However, it's the Fourth Wave, God's soon-coming Kingdom, we need to catch!