Dr. Couch, what you have written about the sins of cultures is fascinating! I agree with you and believe what you are saying goes to the root of the problems we are facing in America. Do you have any more thoughts?
ANSWER: Just to remind those reading this, that all individuals stand before God equally, and all need the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. But when it comes to establishing or maintaining a nation, there are dangers that must be looked at carefully when considering a flood of those coming to our shores from cultures that are other than Christian, European, or Reformed in orientation. America has been able to a degree to absorb people from different cultures but there is a limit, and certainly a danger in just opening the door to thousands or even millions from a society opposite from this country. All cultures are not equal. Cultures more influenced by evil will corrupt those that have been in a positive way influenced by Christian virtues and mores.
In some ways my argument is almost mute because those in this nation who have a heritage that would be Christian, Calvinistic, and European, have virtually repudiated or forgotten their own heritage. Sin is covering over the values that were once precious to the Anglo community and hiding them as a casket in the ground!
We have recently had a flood of people coming to these shores with ulterior motives. They see America as a nation that only gives. They do not understand its European and Calvinistic base. I was just reading about the founding of Pennsylvania. It had a religious purpose similar to the founding of Massachusetts. While today we would not agree with William Penn's determination to make that State a theocracy, yet there are great virtues that we must consider. Penn said, "We cannot be false to our principles." Penn added, "Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad. But if men be bad, let the government be ever so good; it should endeavor to warp and spoil the bad to make it good."
Duty, honor, reliability, virtue, drove the early founding of the nation. Would these qualities be part of the heritage of those now sneaking into our country like thieves in the night? No! So we will be mixing people of different spiritual persuasions and attitudes. No nation can survive with such a division!
America now has become a most barbarous nation with the philosophy among many that "anything goes." So one culture is as good morally as another, people wrongly will think. The Bible would tell us this is not so. John Calvin made an interesting statement in his Institutes. He wrote, "It is indeed a bad thing to live under a [nation] with whom nothing is lawful, but a much worse situation is to live under one with whom all things are lawful!"
I have many school teaching friends who share with me things happening in their schools that are not made public. For example, in one school, there are special classes for pregnant teens, about forty-five girls in one district. And almost all are illegal foreigners! The State will pay for the delivery and the care of the mother and child. The culture, and the families—the mothers and fathers--now dominating that school district teach that it is a shame for the girl to reach seventeen or eighteen without having a baby. This is part of "their culture." The State pays fully to support what their culture demands. This is what I call Liberal Sympathetic Humanism. But that is not Christian Charity. Christian Charity operates within the bounds of moral responsibility and even demands something moral in return from the recipient.
The apostle Paul laid out the principles for Christian Charity in 2 Thessalonians 3. He wrote: (1) he worked hard so he would not be a burden to anyone; (2) if anyone will not work, neither let him eat; (3) he warned against an undisciplined life, doing no work at all; (4) eat your own bread.
"But Dr. Couch", you may argue, "I thought illegal foreigners were hard workers?" While this may be true they "take" from the State in terms of free health care, free education. Most often they do not pay taxes. And too often they bring in from their society the immoral values in which they were raised! If they give birth in America they receive virtually free citizenship, along with their child who is automatically declared a citizen.
What is happening in America does not impact simply on social or cultural issues. It also has to do with morality. And if that is not considered "the chaos of cultures, and the division among peoples, will someday surface, and it will not be pleasant!"
Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch (4/08)
ANSWER: Just to remind those reading this, that all individuals stand before God equally, and all need the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. But when it comes to establishing or maintaining a nation, there are dangers that must be looked at carefully when considering a flood of those coming to our shores from cultures that are other than Christian, European, or Reformed in orientation. America has been able to a degree to absorb people from different cultures but there is a limit, and certainly a danger in just opening the door to thousands or even millions from a society opposite from this country. All cultures are not equal. Cultures more influenced by evil will corrupt those that have been in a positive way influenced by Christian virtues and mores.
In some ways my argument is almost mute because those in this nation who have a heritage that would be Christian, Calvinistic, and European, have virtually repudiated or forgotten their own heritage. Sin is covering over the values that were once precious to the Anglo community and hiding them as a casket in the ground!
We have recently had a flood of people coming to these shores with ulterior motives. They see America as a nation that only gives. They do not understand its European and Calvinistic base. I was just reading about the founding of Pennsylvania. It had a religious purpose similar to the founding of Massachusetts. While today we would not agree with William Penn's determination to make that State a theocracy, yet there are great virtues that we must consider. Penn said, "We cannot be false to our principles." Penn added, "Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad. But if men be bad, let the government be ever so good; it should endeavor to warp and spoil the bad to make it good."
Duty, honor, reliability, virtue, drove the early founding of the nation. Would these qualities be part of the heritage of those now sneaking into our country like thieves in the night? No! So we will be mixing people of different spiritual persuasions and attitudes. No nation can survive with such a division!
America now has become a most barbarous nation with the philosophy among many that "anything goes." So one culture is as good morally as another, people wrongly will think. The Bible would tell us this is not so. John Calvin made an interesting statement in his Institutes. He wrote, "It is indeed a bad thing to live under a [nation] with whom nothing is lawful, but a much worse situation is to live under one with whom all things are lawful!"
I have many school teaching friends who share with me things happening in their schools that are not made public. For example, in one school, there are special classes for pregnant teens, about forty-five girls in one district. And almost all are illegal foreigners! The State will pay for the delivery and the care of the mother and child. The culture, and the families—the mothers and fathers--now dominating that school district teach that it is a shame for the girl to reach seventeen or eighteen without having a baby. This is part of "their culture." The State pays fully to support what their culture demands. This is what I call Liberal Sympathetic Humanism. But that is not Christian Charity. Christian Charity operates within the bounds of moral responsibility and even demands something moral in return from the recipient.
The apostle Paul laid out the principles for Christian Charity in 2 Thessalonians 3. He wrote: (1) he worked hard so he would not be a burden to anyone; (2) if anyone will not work, neither let him eat; (3) he warned against an undisciplined life, doing no work at all; (4) eat your own bread.
"But Dr. Couch", you may argue, "I thought illegal foreigners were hard workers?" While this may be true they "take" from the State in terms of free health care, free education. Most often they do not pay taxes. And too often they bring in from their society the immoral values in which they were raised! If they give birth in America they receive virtually free citizenship, along with their child who is automatically declared a citizen.
What is happening in America does not impact simply on social or cultural issues. It also has to do with morality. And if that is not considered "the chaos of cultures, and the division among peoples, will someday surface, and it will not be pleasant!"
Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch (4/08)
