Yesterday I passed along my thoughts on the two different cultures manifesting themselves in America today. I said that I didn’t have a question, only an observation, but that was not entirely accurate.
I do have a question. The point of the observations, naturally, was to cause you to consider which culture you fit into and whether it is the right choice or not. In other words Which Side Are You On?
The second phrase of the opening sentence of Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities (see yesterday’s post) reads:
it was the age of wisdom,
A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter I. The Period
it was the age of foolishness,
And if that doesn’t describe today’s America, I don’t know what does. One side of the culture screams about the foolish tweets from President Donald Trump and then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi makes the totally nonsensical statement:
“a wall, in my view, is an immorality” and “the least effective way to protect the border and the most costly.”
Fox News Story
A view not exactly shared by the rest of her party.
But it is crazy, right? One view is shared and the opposing culture hears it as total foolishness but yet the agreeing culture hears it as great wisdom.
One can certainly understand the pain, anguish, and shear lunacy Charles Dickens was attempting to describe in his book A Tale of Two Cities.
But what if I were to tell you I believe this division has happened much earlier in history? Consider the words of John:
37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. 39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
John 18:37-39
Pilate was completely frustrated with the foolishness of the day. On the one hand he could find no fault with Jesus but on the other there were cries from the people for his crucifixion. In his frustration he asks “What is truth?“
It is this very same struggle for truth that is plaguing all of us today. It is the confusion on one side of the culture when #BlackLivesMatter calls out for the destruction of (so called) racially offensive language, monuments, and the erasure of American history itself. And the other side of the culture is confused because these exact same people align themselves with Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and the mayor of New York City Bill de Balsio. If these people were actually intellectually honest with themselves and us they would be calling for the abolishment of the Democrat party itself rather than aligning themselves with it.
It was the Democrat party that championed slavery and racism. It was the Republican party that freed them. It was the Democrat party that voted for Jim Crow laws and segregation. It was the Republican party that fought for inclusion and the idea that ALL people are created equal. It is Democrat party members that held positions within the KKK while the Republican party did not. It is the Democrat party that continues to this day to enact laws and policies that disadvantage more people of color while the Republican party has established a record of providing more jobs and opportunity to all of Americans. If #BlackLivesMatter is really so incensed with being reminded of the history of slavery in America, then they should be for the complete abolishment of the Democrat part as well.
There are so many that have fought to bring the light of truth to this history. Alfonzo Rachel for one. Dinesh D’souza for another. People of color who would certainly have no agenda for furthering “white supremacy“. And there are so many others that continue to educate, inform, and offer alternate points of view. But our culture is divided. And people ask what it is divided over. The answer is quite simple and is very plain. We are divided over the TRUTH.
This is why I am passionate about the state of our country today. Not only for the very survival of America, but for the souls of so many people who are lost without TRUTH.
For you see, there is another interesting phrase in Charles Dickens opening to a Tale of Two Cities. As he sums up his setting he notes:
“… we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way …”
A Tale of Two Cities – Chapter I. The Period
And as another champion of American History, Rush Limbaugh, would say – “for those of you in Rio LInda” Charles Dickens reference to those “going direct the other way” means Hell. And that is the real crux of the problem with Which Side Are You On? Because one side leads to Eternal Life and the other side leads to Eternal Damnation.
As for me, I chose the side of TRUTH. Because there is only one person in all of history that could (and can) credibly claim:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6
And that is the person of Jesus Christ. And I believe the TRUTH because only He, the creator of all the universe, can establish TRUTH. The only thing that remains (for both the survival of American history and people’s souls) is to determine which “truth“ you will believe. Which side are YOU on?
At a particular point in my career, I was advised by those around me that certain descriptive words were taboo and should never be used. . . .
I imagine if you’ve made it past today’s title you are probably here because my question has evoked some type of emotional response or curiosity. . . .