Culture of Hope VS Culture of Despair

note: This is a rant post, something that I wanted to avoid doing. I didn't spend a lot of time cleaning up the logic. Some time in the future I am going to post something based on this which will be more uplifting. -ethinking

While I was hoping to keep my blog primarily focused on my scriptural readings, I have been bothered by the state of our culture today in light of the Terri Schiavo case. While thinking of this situation, doing my morning scriptural studies, discussing with my wife, and thinking more, a description of a debase people came to mind. Consider the following passage (more on the passage later):

…they did curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.

These people in history were beyond the pale. They had lost their humanity, general kindness, etc. I always wondered about the path they were on before they got to that inhumane point. I am afraid that in my own thoughts on this subject, I find signs in our own society which show that we are on a similar path, just not down that far. On the other hand, I am glad that there are citizens of this country at least that seem like they will not go down that path without a fight. I have heard people call this the “Culture of Life” VS the “Culture of Death”. I think there is an underlining reason for this that may be more descriptive, so I propose to re-term this fight “Culture of Hope” VS the “Culture of Despair”. Before I continue, I need a small distinction. When I say hope I imply two things, first is the Hope of Christ (e.g. Psalm 42:11, 1 Timothy. 1: 1), where Christ is the Hope. However, I also mean hope in general. I have known many people who are not Christian that do have hope, the good kind of hope, hope in a better world through kindness and responsibility. I think this hope is innate and the loss of it is from extinguishing it through bad choices over a life time, or shown, as a child, by those supposedly trying to teach the child that there is no real hope of a better world.

Why do I say these things? Consider that I heard on the radio the other day (then looked up on the web). Here is a woman in Sweden (discussed here –in a blog, the actual site published by the woman is horrific and vulgar so consider yourself warned if you look for it) who is selling “Abortion Jewelry”. Now I could rant on this for a while but as bad as I think it is, it is not my point. This woman says something amazing about some babies, “They have it much better in heaven than if they hade been born”. What a dichotomy? I have known some Swedes through my work and so I know that all Swedes are not like this. This woman has not any hope in this life, and she doesn’t make sense!!!! To say that someone is better off in Heaven so I had better kill them is completely duplicitous (how is that for word usage?). This makes me wonder about the ‘progressives’ that want to be like Europe. I am glad that the US is a little slow on European fashions and such—to the lament of some here—they can stay ahead of us. I would rather be ‘backward’ than be 'progressive'.

Want some more? Consider the Groningen Protocol (here). Or a late-term abortion of a baby because it had cleft lip (here). I am sure there are countless examples.

How has this been infusing in our own culture? What about the resent Supreme Court ruling on juvenile capital punishment? It may seem reasonable to discuss having such a ruling but consider the case it was ruled on (the one guy at 17 told his friends that they wouldn’t be executed because they were minors, before they committed the murder just to see what it was like) and how the majority justices came to that ruling (here, here and here). Also interesting is the minority opinion. In addition, the recent case in Georgia with the rapist/murder that just shot the judge in the head, the prosecuting attorney isn’t necessarily considering the death penalty. Now if these supposed pro-life type people were consistent, they would not be on the same side as the Pro-Choicer's when it came to abortion.

Well, the easy argument is the abortion issue. I don’t know if I know many that are Pro-Life that wouldn’t concede that there may be some situation somewhere that abortion might be something to consider discussing with their spiritual leaders, parents, family, etc. However, this rare case should be the exception, not the rule! I always wonder about the occasional story of the young women leaving her new born in a trash can, etc. In her young mind, was it much of a step going from the abortion clinic to doing it herself? What about erring on the side of caution?

The ultimate hypocritical part in all of this is that the same side that rejoiced in the Supreme Court ruling above rejoices in all term, late term, full use, un-notified parents, abortion-- so called Pro-choice (anti-life). Oh yes and the same side as the ones trying to spare fish from VP Cheney (see ‘Fishy Ad-Vice?’ here and lobsters from feeling pain during a quick death in a hot pot (here).

Back to Terri… Talk show host Hugh Hewitt said something yesterday that really fit this case. Terri is going to be executed. Regardless of the reasons, why do we execute criminals in this country quickly with an injection yet we are going to let her slowly starve over many days? Even the euthanasia proponents don’t propose to end ailing Aunt Margo that way, even if she is in great pain from cancer. They want her put down quickly and be ‘merciful’. So if the judge in this case and Terri’s husband really think it is good for her to be put down, put her down quickly. Not doing so is neglect, not mercy (consider this: here and here is an interesting arguement -'cruel or not'). Nevertheless, she should not be (if you have any question, read this first: here)

However, my point in writing this post is that even though there are issues like this that we people of hope may lose in the short term, it is not the issue of Terri’s demise that is the larger war, the cause of these issue battles lies in the absence of hope or despair of many in this world. This is where we must win the war even if we loose these smaller (though not small in issue) battles. We must present these people hope. This is not hope that the Left would quantify in terms of money, healthcare, food, security, etc. Countless examples show that those things do not bestow hope on people. In addition, there are many who have grown without those things in what many would consider discouraging, hopeless circumstances, yet they have a great hope.

We that have hope, whether it is the Hope that comes from faith in Christ, or just the good hope that comes from living a productive and kind life, must show this hope to others. People without it need to see our hope for a better world and desire for the hope themselves. Only then will issues like the Terri case not be an issue.

Let me end a bit about where I started, the debase people in the passage above. Consider a more full description (here).

12…[When I] saw their lamentation and their mourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would again• become a righteous people.
13 But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing• was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing• of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin.
14 And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.
15 And it came to pass that my sorrow did return unto me again,…

These people were without hope yet struggled for there lives. To me this sounds like the end state of people who seem to have no good hope (Job 27:8) , and I think that the inconsistencies, hypocritical defenses and issues of the far Left, the ''fever swamp", are the path to this state.

Let us not go there willingly. I hope that I'll be better in showing the hope I have in Christ and in a better world to all! May we all do this so that whatever happens to Terri, a similar situation will not happen again on our watch! She is going to a better world, one where she is going to be welcomed with open, loving arms. However, if there was more for her to do on this earth, a great sin is about to be committed, and I don’t want any of that on my hands.

Let’s build a “Culture of Hope” where life is a welcome challenge.