Why Can’t We Get Along? Communitarian Justice. Update.

Why Can’t We Get Along?

“Our world seems more divided than ever before. We’re seeing family division, violence and hatred. Why can’t we all just get along?

Why is everyone seemingly at each other’s throats right now? With so many outlets of expression (texting, Facebook, Twitter and so on), many are constantly letting everybody else know what they think and what others should think. When somebody disagrees with somebody, or everybody disagrees with somebody, or everybody disagrees with everybody (which seems to be what we have now)—watch out!

This can cause serious rifts in families and friendships, erupt into violence and public attacks, and destroy reputations and careers. Basically it results in all-around misery for everyone.

Why is this happening?

Let’s look at three reasons: pride, partiality and hypocrisy.

Pride

Pride, an unrealistic and elevated view of ourselves and our opinions, can affect how we think on such a deep level that we often don’t even know it’s there.

Consider the following examples of pride, and how it is causing so many arguments and misery between people.

• Pride of intelligence and knowledge: feeling like one knows more than someone else about an issue (which may or may not be true) and adopting a condescending attitude toward the other.
• Pride of appearance: having a sense of greater worth based on how one looks.
• Pride of race: thinking that skin color makes one inherently superior to someone of a different color.
• Pride of station: believing that one’s career, education, financial status, social status and so forth make one better than someone else. 
• Pride of spirituality: considering that one’s self-perceived righteousness is superior to that of others. 
• Pride of experience: believing that one’s experiences are more valid for making one’s perspectives closer to objective truth than someone else’s.

There are many more examples, leading to many more catastrophic interactions between human beings. The Bible tells us that pride disconnects us from God, but humility draws us closer to Him (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). Likewise, pride also divides us from each other, but humility will bring us closer together.

Partiality

We all have preferences, making us all partial to different flavors, music, interests, entertainment and even personality traits. However, when we become partial in our dealings with other human beings, that’s when sharp division sets in.

Take, for instance, some of these examples of partiality:

• Partiality in justice: “I have more money to defend myself in court and more connections to get myself out of jams.”
• When we become partial in our dealings with other human beings, that’s when sharp division sets in.Partiality in outrage: “This horrible thing is okay because it’s being done by people I agree with, but I can’t stand it when this other horrible thing is done by people I disagree with.”
• Partiality in values: “This really important thing is not so important to me, but this other really important thing is.”
• Partiality in history: “We don’t need to know the messy parts of our history, just what enables us to feel good about ourselves.”
• Partiality in opportunities: “Wealthy people deserve more opportunities than poor people.”
• Partiality in facts: “I like these facts, but these other ones that clearly contradict them should be ignored.”

One of the truly great things about God is that He shows no partiality (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11). He judges perfectly and without partiality (Deuteronomy 1:17) and views people without partiality (James 2:1-13). When partiality is present, there will always be conflict and fighting over fairness and the truth.

Hypocrisy

Jesus Christ, in Matthew 23, gives several scathing rebukes of hypocrisy to the religious leaders of His time, and for all time. Using some of these specific examples, we can see how hypocrisy is alive and well—and making us argue with each other all the time.

Consider just a few of the many ways we see hypocrisy in our world today:

Business dealings:

• Defending greed and selfish ambition inherent in driving the economy, but decrying those abusing welfare.
• Defending illegal behavior and lack of personal responsibility as people having no choice, but denouncing mistreatment of the poor by the wealthy.

Moral issues:

• Defending the biblical principles against sinful behavior, but secretly practicing the same sins.
• Defending poor moral behavior in someone we agree with, but condemning the poor moral behavior in someone we disagree with.

Hypocrisy makes us angry and distrustful of each other because it never feels as if we are getting straight talk or being respected.

Knowing is half the battle

What pride, partiality and hypocrisy share in common is that they are all spiritual and character issues. Just as we can all be susceptible to these sins subtly creeping into our lives, we can all strive to avoid them. Pride, partiality and hypocrisy are definitely not the only ingredients in the stew of hatred and division that is brewing to a boil right now, but they are huge factors.

It’s as if we’re dealing with a disease that has taken over our minds, so let’s start dousing pride with humility, partiality with fairness, and hypocrisy with genuineness.” From: From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/why-cant-we-get-along/?

For more insight on pride, read “Three Ways Pride May Be Infecting Us All” and “Overcoming Pride.”

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Communitarian Justice

Deuteronomy 16:18 – Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

“Anarchy and vigilantism are expressly prohibited by God’s Law. There must be judges and officers in the gates of every community. No criminal case can proceed legitimately without the involvement of the duly elected or appointed judiciary. How exactly these men or women are to be appointed is not specified, however the command is addressed to the community as a whole. Presumably a king or governor could appoint whomever he wills. If he does not, however, the community must still ensure the post is occupied.

There is at least one situation in which a course of action that appears on the surface to be vigilante is appropriate. This option should only be exercised in the most rare and extreme cases.

If the community refuses to appoint officers or cannot agree on which men to appoint, then individuals who already legitimately possess some other claim to authority must sometimes appoint themselves.

This is essentially the right of the kinsman redeemer extended to the entire community. There is biblical precedence: Pinchas, who was already a priest, appointed himself an officer of the court when he killed Zimri and Cozbi. Judgment had already been passed and executed on the guilty, but their blood had barely cooled when Zimri blatantly committed the very same crimes. A trial was hardly necessary as all the judges were witnesses to the deed. To stop a plague that was sweeping the camp, Pinchas immediately carried out the sentence already given.

Centuries later, Saul was neglecting his responsibilities in enforcing justice in his own lands and defending the border against the Philistines, so David, who had been anointed by Samuel as Saul’s successor, appointed himself judge.

These exceptions are not blanket authorization to engage in vigilantism or mob justice. In each case, the one who acted was acting to save lives and preserve the nation. Our God is a god of order and authority. He commanded that we create a justice system with a hierarchy of courts and that we obey the rulings of our courts. Every crime must be proved by multiple witnesses and a thorough investigation. All of this means that lynching and rioting are anathema to God’s standards of justice.” From: http://www.americantorah.com/2012/08/19/communitarian-justice/

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Update.

By Monday, I wanted to hurry up and get the blood tests done on Evie, my cat,  to find out what is wrong with her.  I called for an appointment at a vet here in Navasota, so I wouldn’t have to make the long drive to Brenham for our appointment two days later.  It was more expensive but I didn’t want to put Evie, or me, through that long drive in the heat of the afternoon.  I always worry, “What if I have a flat”, what would I do on the side of the road with no shade and a cat?  I am just not used to driving miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles!

At the vet, she was very good while getting blood drawn from her arm, and it took 20 minutes for the results.  It isn’t diabetes, it is hyperthyroidism.  The vet said that it was great that I realized that there is something wrong with her so soon after getting her, and he said “Just feed her plenty of good quality wet food, no dry, and keep her happy”.  He didn’t prescribe anything.  So I loaded up on more cans of Wellness at Tractor Supply. 

This is why she was waking her previous people up in the night, she needed food. It doesn’t bother me, I get up at least once a night anyway, so I feed her then.  I have a recipe for making feline raw food, but I don’t have all the supplements that have to be mixed in it yet.  Feeding people food to a cat doesn’t have all they need, nor a dog.

I trapped one more scroungy-looking stray cat and got him to the shelter. He had to be taken away from these senior apartments because he was scratching people.  Thank goodness this one didn’t give us any trouble getting him out of the trap and into their cage, not like the last one.  That one, a female, got loose in the shelter office and it took several people to catch her, poor thing, she was terrified.

My church neighbor and I went over the study for the Sabbath School on Friday, and we both enjoyed studying it again, with a few more from the congregation, at the church the next day.

Can Satan Deceive You? What's Behind Today's Gender Issues? Free Bible Study Course. Update.

Can Satan Deceive You?

“Just when I thought the streets of America might be settling down, another city burst into flames this week. Kenosha, Wisconsin has been experiencing riots and looting after the shooting of another black man by police. This summer of discontent seems to go on and on.  

Here is the thought that went through my mind:

“Just a few days before the shooting, did people plan to pour into the streets at first opportunity? Were they waiting for an excuse to riot? People who were going about life, were they preparing for this?”

I don’t think it went down that way—although I understand human nature, at times, is just a step away from anarchy.

The Bible says there is a prince of the power of the air, a spirit that works in the children of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). This describes the work of Satan the devil, the powerful spirit that works to thwart the purpose of God. It is this spirit presence—that most do not understand— that is behind all the evil in this world. Satan and his demonic forces must be understood as part of the story of violence that we see in the streets. How else can we explain the sudden eruption of such anger and its sustained spread night after night?

The blind hatred that you see among rioters is more than ideology. It is more than reaction against injustice. It is a spirit that works among the nations to incite violence. It must be understood. 
My colleague Gary Petty did a Beyond Today program, Satan’s Four Great Deceptions. I encourage you to watch this entire program right till the end. And order the free study guide “Is There A Devil?” It is time to understand this missing spiritual dimension in world affairs. As Gary says, “You may believe that Satan exists. But if you believe that he can’t influence you, you’re already deceived.” 

We are heading toward a new normal. Understanding how the world really works is essential intelligence.

Until next time,  Beyond Today - Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow”

From: Weekly Update -- Can Satan Deceive You?

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What's Behind Today's Gender Issues?

“A shocking story of a mother transitioning her boy into a girl brings us into God’s Word on this subject.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/MJQOO3w3B4Q

[Darris McNeely] “I’ve been doing research for an upcoming “Beyond Today” television program on our spiritual identity in contrast to the gender identity issues that are roiling through society today. And I ran across an article that kind of illustrates what’s going on in the broader culture today. The headline out of “The Christian Post” says, “Mother intent on gender transitioning eight-year-old son into a girl wins a sole medical decision-making power.” This is out of “The Christian Post.”

It goes on to show that a mother who’s attempting to gender transition her eight-year-old son into a girl has been awarded decision-making power regarding her son’s health care and schooling. “In the ongoing case of eight-year-old, James Younger, Dallas judge Mary brown canceled a hearing scheduled for Tuesday and removed his father, Jeffrey Younger, from having any say in his son’s medical, psychological, and psychiatric care. Instead, the Judge gave all decision making power to Dr. Anne Georgulas, a pediatrician and non-biological mother of James and his twin brother, Jude,” according to the report. Younger, the father, has been ordered by the court to pay for trans-affirming counseling sessions.

Now, this has raised a great deal of attention, focus, and even outcry across the nation from groups that are focused on and watching this particular situation. But it speaks to what is happening in our broader culture today in the gender wars and especially the intent of a parent to take an under-aged child and make the decision to trans them, to change their gender based on the sole desire of the parents.

Georgulas says… And the article goes on, “Georgulas has forced James, the boy, to live as Luna, a new name, in a school surrounded by teachers and therapists who do not acknowledge that he has said multiple times to multiple people that he wants to be a boy, and hates being forced to be a girl. Georgulas, the mother is not the biological mother, as he and his twin brother were conceived through the use of a donor egg and IVF reproductive technology.

And so here we have a young eight-year-old boy, being transed, being changed into a girl at the whim of the mother. The courts are involved, and in this case, turning sole control over to a mother, another chapter, if you will. And the ongoing gender wars of the LGBTQ community and issues whether it’s politics, sexual identity, and otherwise, in our society today, having the net effect of actually hiding from us our true identity, as the Bible affirms it in God.

Now for those of us with a biblical worldview, an article and a situation like this is very important to understand and to watch as to what is taking place. And as we view what the Scripture tells us, regarding God’s view of male and female, human beings being created in the image of God, male and female, according to what Genesis tells us, what Christ Himself reaffirmed in Matthew 19, it is very clear from the Scripture as to what are the genders, what are the intended roles and purposes. And God is very clear in that teaching.

Thinking about this and looking at it, it reminded me of the Scripture in Romans 1:24, where Paul describes his first-century world, but it has an application for our 21st-century world with this issue. As Paul describes, “A time where God gave also them up to uncleanness in the lust of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves.” Paul describes here activities going on then that speak to today, unclean, unnatural activities that human beings wanted to have, God allowed it to dishonor their bodies among themselves.

The Bible shows us there is a creative order to humanity, to humankind, according to God’s will and purpose. Male and female created He them for a divine spiritual purpose. And when that is changed, when that is denied, as Paul is showing, it was taking place in the first century, we are dealing with a time and a culture that is turning its back ever-increasingly upon God. He goes on in verse 25 to say, “They exchange the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped, and served the creature, rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, Amen.”

What it means is they serve the creation. They worship the creation. And really at the heart of what we’re seeing, even in the gender identity, the gender wars that are roiling across the culture of America in the Western world is a denial of the created natural order that God placed there and a worship of the creation over what God has intended. For those of us with a biblical worldview, it’s important to have this understanding from what God says, as we face these issues, seek to understand them, and certainly uphold biblical truth.” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/whats-behind-todays-gender-issues

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Update.

Another week has scampered by, I just don’t know where it went.  The older you are, the faster they go !!

Apart from a doctor visit in the next town not much went on here.  The bus came, took me there and picked me up. The doctor now wants to do a barium x-ray on me. 

After a lot of research, I am pretty sure that my suspicions are right, my little old cat Evie has diabetes. This is why the previous owner told me not to feed her “no-grain’ food, or she will throw it up.  That is because it has more calories in it than grain food, and she can’t tolerate a lot of calories.  They also said they hoped she wouldn’t disturb me in the night.  Well, she gently touches my face about 2.00 am and now I know it is because she feels bad because of her blood sugar and needs to eat. Also her pee was so sticky that it wouldn’t clump the litter, but on her new lo-cal diet fed four times a day, that I have put her on, that seems to be a bit better.

If they had researched more they would have found out what was wrong with her and how to take care of her. And all this was caused by her being fed just dry food most of her life.  She had been handed down through several homes because of this behavior but now she is where she is going to stay.  I won’t throw her away like they did.  You are what you eat, and our pets are completely dependent on us for their correct nutrition. 

Evie sees the vet for tests next week, so I hope that I don’t have to give her insulin shots, but I am hoping that with her new diet of Wellness Core canned food, and real meat, that she will gradually get better.  It is expensive, but you have to pay for quality just like for people. Pay for the right good food now, or pay the doctors and hospitals later.

Speaking of hospitals, my daughter is now home from the rehab after her accident, and will have therapists coming in to help her exercise and get better.

Sherry and I studied this week’s lesson in the church’s Bible study book on Friday morning as usual, but I went to the church on my own because her granddaughter came to pick her up on Saturday.

Grudges Hurt You. He Who Regards a Rebuke. Choose Friends Carefully. Update.

Grudges Hurt You

Life is unfair and full of trouble, as we all know.    

Jez Timms/Unsplash

We cannot always resolve the cause of anger or a grudge, but we can “put it on the shelf” by leaving it with God.

Sooner or later someone will do or say something that upsets you to the point that you cannot forget the incident. That is how a grudge develops. Nursing a grudge does not make it better, and the longer we carry it, the more of a problem it becomes. Grudges simply do not belong in one who strives to have a good attitude toward life and eternity. Paul wrote that a bishop is not to be an angry person, but a person of self-control (Titus 1:7-8). Paul also wrote that anger will come, but when it does, we are to be careful not to allow it to bring sin (Ephesians 4:26).

Paul went on to say to “put off” things like anger and therefore a grudge (Colossians 3:8). We cannot always resolve the cause of anger or a grudge, but we can “put it on the shelf” by leaving it with God. We can meditate on the grudge and learn how much we hurt ourselves by feeding it. We can take steps to resolve that which we perceive as a hurt done to us and we can simply avoid the person that brings these strong feelings up in us. Most important is the need to face and handle the grudge—don’t let it grow. Take action.” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/this-is-the-way/grudges-hurt-you

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He Who Regards a Rebuke.

“Proverbs 13:18

Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, but he who regards a rebuke will be honored.

No one likes to be corrected. It hurts to find we’ve been wrong, and it stings worse if we feel we’ve been judged unfairly, harshly or hypocritically. None of the people who correct us are perfect, of course; but God tells us it is dangerous to ignore or even disdain all correction that comes to us. If we never accept correction, we will not recognize the steps we could take to avoid troubles, such as poverty and shame.

Wise King Solomon contrasts this attitude with the person who is humble enough to listen to rebuke and to note where it is valid. It takes humility to accept correction and change. But the end result of this humble choice is receiving honor. The positive changes will pay off, even if the correction was not given in the nicest way. Learn more in our article “Handling Criticism.”

The most important correction we can receive is from God. Learn more about how to discover and use God’s correction in the article “How to Study the Bible.””    From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/he-who-regards-a-rebuke/?

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Choose Friends Carefully

“Proverbs 12:26

The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.

People who accept God’s standards of right and wrong are in the minority in today’s world. Satan and the prevailing trends of his society try to pull Christians away from God’s standards. And one of the strongest influences in our lives is our close friends.

Good friends who support God’s way of life can be a tremendous positive influence in our lives. But friends whose actions and attitudes openly or subtly oppose God’s truth can tear us down and lead us astray.

The apostle Paul also wrote about our choice of friends in 1 Corinthians 15:33: “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’”

See more about friendship in our section “Friendship: Keys for Finding and Keeping Good Friend.”

See more on communication and dealing with peer pressure in our article “Saying No.”” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/proverb-of-the-week-choose-friends-carefully/?

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Update.

The spayed, declawed, senior cat Evie, that has been staying with me turned out to be a little gem. So I am adopting her.  I know she went through a lot of pain getting the first joint of her front paws removed, yes, that is how they declaw a cat.  But it is so great to know that neither my thin skin, nor the furniture, will be scratched.  She strokes my face and arms as if she knows she can’t hurt me, and she is telling me that she loves me.  Still no news on where she had her vaccinations, so I might have to get them all over again.  I just ordered a pretty faux pearl necklace/collar for her new tag. The collar she is wearing is stiff and uncomfortable but is does have a tag with the last person’s phone number, so it stays on her until her appointment on the 2nd. Sept, when I will also get her micro-chipped.

It was supposed to be a surprise for my 85th birthday last Monday.  My SPCA friends were going to bring back my boy cat, Casper who has been with them for months.  They finally found out what was wrong with him, a rare intestinal parasite Tritrichomonas so he was treated for that.

Of course, I had to make a big decision because I am allowed only one cat here.  I really love and missed Casper, but I always wanted a senior, declawed, female cat, and here, now I have one.  My SPCA friends will find young Casper a young family and ‘furrever’ home easily, because he is so gentle and sweet.  He had so many meds poked down him while he was there and never lost his sweet disposition, everyone there loved him.

The Animal Shelter here said that they had room for two more of the apartment’s stray cats, so I took the really skinny white one.  I couldn’t set the trap because I was going to the doctor the next day, but he was tame so I just put him in a carrier. I had tried my best with him, put Revolution on him for fleas and mites, de-wormed him and tried to fatten him up, but it was obvious that he had one of the deadly cat diseases.   The next day I took another cat but they refused to take anymore cats from here for now.  The white one had tested positive for FIV.  All their cats were ready for an adoption event so they couldn’t have any of our contaminated cats there until after that.  But with 7 stray cats outta here, already it seems so much more peaceful.  I also found out that we cannot have a permanent “mouser”, the city does not allow “an animal at large”.

The doctor’s visit was a dry run, they had not told me about going ‘fasting’, so I have to go again this week.  The Brazos Transit little bus took me and brought me home, I am so glad that I don’t have to make that long drive.  Seems like nearly everything you have to do, you can’t do it in Navasota, you have to go at least 20 miles to another town.

My youngest son turned 51 this week, and it doesn’t seem that long ago that I had him in that hospital in Dallas.  My daughter is recovering slowly from her accident in rehab, but because of the covid thing I can’t go see her.

Covid or not, Sherry and I still have our Bible study together every Friday morning ready for the Sabbath School the next day, just as we have done for the year since I moved here.  This Sabbath we went to the church and enjoyed the study in person.  It was on Zoom for those at home, and there were only 7 of us at the church yesterday.