157 Epiphany 2: In Front of Our Eyes
157 Epiphany 2: In Front of Our Eyes
"Blessed is the man who makes Jesus his trust." ~ Psalm 40
In Front of Our Eyes
(Part 13 in the multipart series "Where We Stand")
Do you believe in a “little season” of Satan? You know, that short clip of history before the End when the devil and his horde get to go a little extra crazy, rampage, and make things super-nasty right up to that moment when the Second Coming saves us from all of it?
Because, you see, I don’t. I think that the “short time” Lucifer will be unleashed upon the earth, according to St. John’s Apocalypse, is actually just apocalyptic talk for the time period between the resurrection of Jesus and the Eschaton. I also think it is thematically paired by St. John against the Thousand Year Reign of Christ, which began at Jesus’ death and shall never pass away. The little season is something of the weak, second-fiddle underbelly of the devil’s attempt to topple Jesus’ Reign. It is on these grounds that I therefore also find all attempts to play ”pin the tail on the antichrist” to be boorish.
But.
If I did believe in a so-called “little season” of Satan, a time period during which a visible, cult-like, one-world religion, by deep guile and great might, corrupts and empties the visible Christian churches on earth by means of talking images who work false wonders so that a mass formation psychosis descends upon the masses of the world who then worship the image, then I think I’d have to believe that that is precisely what is happening right now.
I mean, just when did treating an image as an oracle stop being idolatry?
It’s not just that the world of “it’s entertainment!” is overtly and flagrantly addictive, nor merely that it saps your willpower, empties your capacities, and diminishes your spirit. It’s not just that the airwaves are filled with disinformation and misinformation, nor only that the usage of this technology has run nigh hand-in-hand with the collapse of our once-great civilization. It’s really that, for the non-Christian, there is no other option: watching TV is idolatry.
This is in part because everything the non-Christian does is idolatry. It’s not that pictures are morally evil, as if there was no greater wickedness in the known universe than Fujifilm. For the non-Christian, life is all-false-worship all-the-time. The natural man cannot look on images without abusing them, turning to them with the fear, love, and trust that he ought to place in higher things.
Worship is a matter of the stories you tell, their places, and their endings. Why are so many Christians spending more time willingly lulled by pagan oracles than immersed in the wisdom of Jesus written in the Scriptures? Why are we letting the wicked control our dreams and craft our narratives for us?
Is it because we have confused leisure with gluttony?
Yes.
Is it because drunkenness is about much more than just alcohol?
I think so.
It doesn’t matter if there is a little season.
What are you going to do now?
Till angel cry and trumpet sound,
The Mad Christian
Clickbait Paradise
Digital decluttering
A new study from Bath University warns that social media use may be preventing people from finding "new passions". The study authors say that staving off "superficial boredom" by scrolling on devices can prevent "profound boredom" from setting in. Profound boredom, they say, "stems from an abundance of uninterrupted time spent in relative solitude, which can lead to indifference, apathy, and people questioning their sense of self and their existence".
Although that sounds a bit somber, the study's researchers believe it can also pave the way for creativity. Being super-bored was a characteristic of pandemic lockdowns and scientists said the era had given them a unique window into the way "devices that promise an abundance of information and entertainment may be fixing our superficial boredom but are actually preventing us from finding more meaningful things. Those who engage in ‘digital detoxes’ may well be on the right path".
Computing professor and author, Cal Newport wrote that people's impulsive phone-use conceals a lack of "high-quality" leisure time. What's more, the noise of the internet feed "banish[es] every moment of solitude from your life". Being alone with our own thoughts(rather than all the thoughts of others) is a better way of firing a passion than scrolling through Pinterest.
Rev Fisk has spoken about the need to carve out time to contemplate, yes, even be bored. So give yourself some digital respite and you might discover hobbies you never knew you had! We've heard Bible-reading can become quite addictive...
Alive to be born
The Republican party has settled in to its newly established majority in US Congress. All GOP lawmakers and a solitary Democrat voted to pass a "born alive" act, which stipulates that any baby who survives an abortion must be given medical care. While federal law already requires that a survivor of abortion receive medical care, The Blaze reports that this bill seeks to clarify the standard of care. Similar bills have been brought to the House before, but none have been signed into law.
It says a lot about Congressional representatives, that only half could bring themselves to support the bill, with pro-abortion ghouls trotting out the usual talking points – the bill seeks to control "women's bodies" and is "extreme" and "unnecessary". Rep Jerry Nadler (D-NY) said that the requirement for the baby to be treated in hospital might not in the best interest of an "infant's well-being". Sure, transporting a baby who has just had an attempt on his life may not be the best course of action, but the petulance of the pro-aborts and their unwillingness to cooperate with these measures shows they love death.
There are not many babies who survive abortion – especially when compared to the amount that do not – but the fact that just one Dem broke party ranks to ramp up protection for the unborn shows where their priorities lie. All this happened at the same time that the FDA authorized drugstores to dispense chemical abortion drugs, which are harmful to women and deadly to babies. So, despite the claim that abortion advocates are interested in health, it's clear they are deceived and deceiving.
In other pro-life news, a pregnancy center in New York has had enough of waiting for the FBI to investigate attacks on its facility. CompassCare said it hired an investigator to find out who's behind the crime. "We're pursuing the kind of investigation that lawyers pursue when they're looking to achieve justice on behalf of their clients, civil and criminal. So we're not sitting on our hands just writing letters to the editor about it", a spokesman told Fox News. (Godspeed to you, sir!)
Also, God be praised! A couple has given life to twin embryos, frozen for thirty years. Philip and Rachel Ridgeway decided to adopt the twins from the National Embryo Donation Center with Rachel carrying them to birth. Over 1 million children are "abandoned in freezers" in the USA alone, produced as leftovers from IVF procedures.
Safety virtue signalling
After much obfuscation and censorship on the part of experts and our information gatekeepers, it is finally becoming more acceptable to discuss the danger presented by COVID vaccines. But just a little. The CDC has decided to investigate "safety signals" of Pfizer's COVID booster after the number of ischemic strokes in those over 65 met the "statistical criteria" to trigger an investigation. Also, a number of journalists have managed to wring adverse reaction data out of the CDC through Freedom of Information requests and it does not look good. If you'd like an exhaustive breakdown, a post at ZeroHedgelays it all out.
An economic research group, FRED, compiled Bureau of Labor disability statistics and it sure looks like something happened in early 2021 that caused a noticeable rise in disabilities.. We'll leave readers to speculate what that might be. It is good that information is coming out, but watching celebrity scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson in a recent exchangeis quite illustrative of how even brilliant minds can be captured by groupthink. As James Lindsay might snark, "You sound vaccinated."
The DOD has finally ended its COVID vax mandate for military personnel.
Anti-people
The "Twitter files" continued to drop as we here at Mad Mondays were resting up over Christmas. For those who missed it, these documents are mostly internal correspondence between Twitter execs and employees before the company was bought by Elon Musk. Musk has been releasing the documents to independent journalists who have been publishing summaries of the content.
The FBI and defenders of its surveilling say that the whole affair is a nothing-burger, and anyway, the Bureau is an equal-opportunity meddler, claiming it has always engaged with lots of corporations. But Kevin Downey Jr., a writer for PJ Media, believes that whether that is normal operating procedure or not, normies should pay attention. Downey highlights some of the wildest revelations including that the FBI paid Twitter to censor specific posts and accounts, pressured the platform to hand over information which would usually require a warrant, and that several agencies were surveilling Americans using special backdoor portals. Mark Hemingway offered similar thoughts at The Federalist, pointing out that intelligence agencies often place their people in regular workplaces to work as double agents, if you will.
In many ways, these files simply confirm what most wide-awake folks already suspected – that the social media platform censored speech, often at the behest of political agents. Pharma execs requested that debate over vaccines and natural immunity was quashed. Politicians asked for troublesome journalists to be silenced. Twitter bosses tweaked the rules to de-platform the sitting president.
Journalist Matt Taibbi offered his reflections on the surreal nature of the situation. He speaks of his relief knowing the gaslighting was real, that he is not a crazy person for thinking he was being sold a bill of goods. He sees this release of documents as "a road map back to something like reality...This is the reality they stole from us! It’s repulsive, horrifying, and dystopian, a gruesome history of a world run by anti-people, but I’ll take it any day over the vile and insulting facsimile of truth they’ve been selling."
Perhaps the whole thing is a tempest in a teacup and maybe nothing will come of it. We aren't putting our trust in billionaires or journalists. We aren't surprised at the schemes of powerful men. But when lies are exposed, that is something we can rejoice about.
Capitol Hill happenings
News media last week reported with many ALL CAPS headlines, that classified government documents had been found by President Biden's staff, in several unauthorized locations, including the President's garage in Delaware. (But they were locked up with his Corvette, so not to worry!) The discovery has prompted comparisons to the stash found after former President Trump's home Mar-A-Lago was raided late last year, but mainstream media insist the two cases are "like night and day". Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a special investigation into the President's mishandling of the papers.
While the discovery was made early in November, GOP lawmakers want to know why the news was not made public 'til after the midterms. Of course, there is much chatter that this will sink the Biden presidency's credibility for sure, but when everything feels like a mind game, who knows if discrediting him is just part of the plan?
In other Capitol news... House Republicans launched an investigation into the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021. A number of Democrats were bootedfrom intelligence committees and articles of impeachment were filed against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, over high crimes and misdemeanors at the border. Panels have been established to investigate "rampant abuse of power" by the federal government. Bipartisan support was given for a review of US/China policy and for a new 1970s-style "Church Committee" to investigate the "weaponization" of government intelligence agencies.
With the new Congress seated, the Select Committee – set up to do the DOJ's heavy-lifting by investigating the January 6th riot – has come to an end. Speaker McCarthy has promised to release all footage taken on that day, which observers say should vindicate those wrongly convicted of crime and confirm suspicions that many intelligence operativeswere in the crowd and agitated for entering the Capitol building.
Speaking of chaos..
President Biden's transport secretary Pete Buttigieg is taking criticism after a computer system malfunction at the Federal Aviation Authority resulted in the nationwide groundingof all flights for just over an hour last week. This is the first time such a shutdown has occurred since 9/11. Notably, Canada experienced a similar system failure on the same day, but "mitigating supports" in place meant that flights weren't disrupted.
Bans and bullets
There's quite a bit going on with firearm laws in the US. Here's a round up:
New York's Supreme Court has ruled that the state's "red flag" laws are unconstitutional. The laws "allowed people to request that firearms be temporarily seized from their owners if they’re deemed likely to seriously harm themselves or others".
A federal court has struck down a Trump-era bump stock ban. Trump ordered the ban after a shooter claimed the lives of 58 people in Las Vegas in 2017.
With recent changes to Alabama law, carrying a handgun without a permit is legal in half of US states.
Florida bill will prohibit tracking of purchases of ammo and guns
A new ATF rule on stabilizing braces will leave many Americans facing the "threat of federal felony charges" according to The Reload.
Meanwhile in Illinois... Governor Pritzker aims to make the state a model to the nation by banning "the sale, manufacture, and possession of semiautomatic weapons". A number of local sheriffs have said they will not enforce the gun ban. Sheriffs from 74 counties have registered their issues with the ruling, with some saying it is not their job to check compliance and others that they will not take away the constitutional right of law-abiding citizens.
So take a leaf out of Rev Fisk's book and make yourself known to your local sheriff. He will likely be grateful for your support!
Cooking up a culture war
Heated exchange broke out on the internet this week as a simmering debate over gas stoves reignited... (we couldn't resist!) Folks who had never discussed gas stoves or methods of cooking suddenly felt the need to warn everybody about the dangers of toxins from our appliances. While one blogger helpfully noted that studies showing links between gas stoves and asthma are a bit flimsy, climate change is one of those helpfully-nebulous threats that can be leveraged to induce panic.
Sides in the debate seem to fall along political lines, with various [mostly blue] localities introducing bans on the sale of gas appliances and others prohibiting the installation of gas hookups in new buildings. In the end, it is unlikely that elites will give up their gas cookers, but the zeal of the climate ideologues shows no signs of being reasoned with any time soon.
Noah Rothman writes at Commentary that apart from taking all the fun out of cooking, such laws are a "war on things that work". Like shopping bags, straws and incandescent lighting, gas stoves are superior in many ways to their "greener" counterparts. But bureaucratic busybodies will try to convince you that switching in the name of social justice, equity, climate change or something else is the moral choice. Maybe solar cookers have a bright future?
Well, we want to know, does Klaus Schwab have any tips on how to cook "ze bugs" on an electric stove?
In other climate headlines:
The UK is set to ban disposable plastic cutlery and cups. However, all our sacrifice has not been in vain, as scientists say the ozone layer has almost healed itself. So, feel better?
Would I throw a lighted match in here if this was a gas oven, officer?
Headlines
World leaders have condemned protestors who stormed buildings in the Brazilian capital. 1500 supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro have been arrested (BBC)
Russia is sending a spaceship to rescue astronauts from the International Space Station after space debris ruined their ride home (Axios)
The suspected assassin of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has been charged (DW)
Sweden says it has discovered a large deposit of rare earth metals that should ease Europe's dependence on Chinese imports (CNN)
Mexican President thanks President Biden for not building any new border wall (The Blaze)
The World Economic Forum has kicked off its summit in Davos, Switzerland (CNBC)
Ukraine update:
UK is sending tanks to Ukraine (BBC)
Ukrainian soldiers are being trained to use the Patriot missile defense system at Fort Sill, OK (CNN)
Canada set to purchase defense system for Ukraine while own air defense is out-of-date (Not the Bee)
Russia's Wagner Group has reportedly captured Ukrainian salt-mining town of Soledar with its miles of underground tunnels (ZeroHedge)
John Michael Jones Gets a Life is produced for Mad ⳩ Mondays by E. Darwin Hartshorn. Episodes can also be found on Tuesday, along with previous episodes, on Bunny Trail Junction at bunny-trail.com.
Quick Hits for the Eyebuds
🌬️ Bendy inflatable man has a little fan
🧶 Totes adorbs crocheted food
🚌 A dog bus takes its passengers on excursions
🏍️ Flying motorcycles could be available in two years
🛏️ A pillow that detects snoring and adjusts your head automatically
🙃 Engaging in silly walks might make you fitter
🧊 The incredibly photogenic underside of icebergs
⏲️ Walking for five minutes every half hour has major health benefits
🗝️ Cracking an 18th-century safe
A Good Word: Links from the Show Notes
Jonathan, Meridith, and Aurelius went live Saturday morning to answer your questions with wisdom and the Bible. If you've got a question for the show, send 'em through the MadPxM contact page. Here's what came up this week.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament by Harris, Archer, and Waltke
Gashmu Saith It: How to Build Christian Communities that Save the World by Douglas Wilson
Daughters of Sarah by Genevieve White
Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb
Earth- a Substack novel in-progess by Jonathan Fisk
Sweetness You May Have Missed
Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, who governs all things in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the prayers of Your people and grant us Your peace through all our days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.