This might hurt your brain...it hurt mine

These are just thoughts mind you.
It would probably be wise of me to ponder these things in my heart for a time and write them in my memoirs, later to be found by my children and studied for decades after I'm gone; however, I doubt I'll have the opportunity to write these thoughts out, seeing as they come rarely and leave swiftly. Thoughts seem to haunt me just before sleep, more questions than conclusive "self talk". For instance.
Why didn't Gandhi bring peace and prosperity to all of India's citizens? Why has white America, after many years of apologizing for the sins of our slave owning fathers and admonishing those who endorse racism, still feeling the tension of guilt? Why are those who have felt oppression within this nation expecting this nation to change its tone and offer them riches in exchange? Why is Social Justice and political correctness more popular than the study of ancient philosophical truth and debate?
Remember when Cicero and Plato were popular in Rome? Remember when it was cool to study Cicero in depth and try to find discernment where he may have missed something, and perhaps you could add something further and change the course of thought for centuries? It was pretty cool to eloquently debate ideals which made spectators sit and watch (and perhaps learn something) and have respected philosophers and politicians take note.
Remember when it was cool to rationally accept others opinions then later research those opinions with the idea you may be wrong, but are rigorously studying so you could prove them wrong, then perhaps have an epiphany you both could ascribe to?
Remember when religious thought was apart of the debate and seen as a reasonable accepted approach to philosophy (as long as you were well educated with the popular pagan philosophers of the time)?
How come the average American male (between the ages of 17-35) is spending 2 1/2 hours a day playing video games while the ancient Roman student was expected to write books on rhetoric by age 20? Where did the value of reason go? Where did rational discourse disappear to?
Our modern American politicians are playboys and celebrities. Men and women who, from an early age, have learned the art of self promotion. Even their rhetoric is ignorant and makes no sense.
I don't know, this stuff just hit me this evening/early morning. I've been reading a biography of St. Augustine and it took me back 11 years to my philosophy classes when I was uninterested in mostly everything but girls. We didn't study Augustine, but I read a bit of Cicero and he's mentioned a lot in this book.
There was a general acceptance among thinkers to consider religious absolutes as long as they were absolutes that held water. And Christian thinkers accepted pagan discourse and debate, because they knew there was something intelligent there.
What happened to all that?
I met someone yesterday, a Christian man who confessed some pretty amazing things, things that encouraged, convicted and brought me deeper in my understanding of this whole "gay rights" thing. Remember when our culture started to demand we take wickedness (which is who we are, if given to ourselves) as a right? Remember when Christians began to believe that social justice and equality would promote holiness?
Well, in talking with this gentleman, I now know that a culture of "living gay is living holy" makes about as much sense as "living with your girlfriend is living holy". I can't believe how much our culture as a church has hurt this man's belief in a redeemed life. How amazing that God brought him to a place of understanding and ultimately a place to minister to me.
Remember when speaking boldly in truth was supposed to happen, and it was because we all thirst for knowledge, truth, understanding and ultimately a love none of us can offer or satisfy? Not a nation, not a sexual preference, not freedom of bondage, not even intelligence; none of these things satisfy our cravings for redemption, not to mention our fleshly lusts.
Don't think I'm discounting the place Gandhi played in history, or his political and spiritual leadership that pushed the British out of their country. However, who is going to free the Indian citizens from the social stratafication and restriction of the caste system that was ushered in as a result, now leaving the majority of India in poverty, starvation and death?
The social demographic in America is an interesting subject in itself, and in some ways reflects man's struggle with God. Adam (my father, of which all men are sons) sinned against himself and against God, thus, we are eternally looking to be righted for this wrong, we expect it even. The thing is this, we are looking for satisfaction everywhere and anywhere. Most importantly, we are looking at ourselves as a vessel that can offer this needed retribution and redemption through our careers, relationships, knowledge and social status, yet we remain tense with guilt, hate, cynicism and entitlement. Why is that? Why can't we just forgive Adam ourselves and move on? Why can't I ask another son of Adam to apologize for his father's sin and feel redeemed and justified? Well, for one, we don't have the power to forgive sins; two, we can't be redeemed by something that internally betrayed us.
I'm not surprised the social/racial temperature in America hasn't changed since Obama's inauguration, in some cases it's become worse. How can a country who has historically sinned against it's own citizens redeem itself? It can't. It certainly won't through the promotion of social justice, because that's based on what is expectation and entitlement, and in no way can America offer enough forgiveness.
If we were only a country that made it cool again to search out philosophical ideas that promoted deep thought into truth and debated these truths. If we could only see that the social justice movement is simply promoting an idea that if we can push one thing out we'll be on the road to healing; what that movement fails to see, is the same movement that pushed the British out of India ushered in a destructive and evil system of religious government which is killing it's citizens.
Our culture will never allow a rational debate of Christ as Savior who forgives all sins; until then, we will continue to worship our political correctness, our right to kill unborn babies and elevate our celebrities to the greatness of Cicero.