Friday, May 29, 2009

Religious Freedom: Possibly a Thing of the Past

"What the heck!!!!!" is all I can say in response to this bizarre story.  Is it a sign of the times?  Can we expect more in the near future?  Is religious freedom really a thing of the past?

My wife sent me this article.  Her question was "Is this for real?"  So I did a little research and it seems to be legit.  The short of it is a pastor and his wife are being told by San Diego officials that they can no longer do a bible study in their home.  They claim that it is "unlawful use of land."  The only way they can continue their "religious assembly" of 15 or so people is to apply for "a major use permit" that the article says "could cost tens of thousands of dollars."

You can read the entire article for yourself.  My question is...are we on the verge of 1984!!!  If you haven't read this book by George Orwell it might be to your benefit to do so.  If you can't find the time to read it then at least rent the movie (if you have Netflix you can watch it free online right now).

Our forefathers would roll in their graves if they could to hear that government was suppressing the right of citizens to meet freely in their homes!!  One of the rights that had been taken away from our ancestors who settled this continent.  One of the rights that was essential to the formation of our democracy. 

I could go on but the real point of this article is to ask the question "Is religious freedom endanger of extinction."  I do not claim to be a prophet in the sense of foretelling the future, but I have to wonder if our country is on the verge of becoming something that our forefathers, quite frankly, spilled blood to get away from.

We may be coming to a new chapter in the history of America where true religious persecution will be taking place, if not for this current generation all the more probable for the next.  The truth of the matter is, we have got to look at this seriously. 

Our country is experiencing an unprecedented shift from democracy towards socialism.  Socialism is the father of communism.  It has been proven over and over that socialism does not work and more importantly, it always suppresses religious freedom.  If we as a country continue to go in such a direction we can expect to suffer persecution of a kind that has never been experienced before by the American people.

I don't want to come across as a doomsayer, but I do want to be realist.  People of God, we have got to prepare ourselves and our children for harder times.  What does that mean exactly?  To be honest, I don't know.  I haven't given it enough thought, but I do know that I need to make sure I am well grounded in my belief in Christ.  I also need to make sure I am well grounded in the Scripture.  Not only myself, but especially my children.  I don't ever want them to question their faith in the face of adversity.

In the very least, let me challenge you to really take a look at what is going on in this country and give it some real hard thought.  Our forefathers never expected us to not use our God given faculties of reason.  Don't allow society to dictate what you ought to think.  Think for yourself.  Think about the future.  Are you prepared for what may be the inevitable?  

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey Pastor B,

Good job on the blog. I do believe we are on the verge of 1984. I read the book in high school many moons ago (before 1984), and I remember thinking at the time that the book was so "out there" that this could never actually happen. Now I am starting to see it slowly materializing around me. Pretty interesting and a bit scary. Keep up the good work.