Water is essential to life. Everyone knows that … or hopefully should, given the state of education in the country. About 71% of the Earth’s surface is water. The oceans hold just over 96% of all water on the planet. That means that approximately 7 billion people have to survive on only 4% of the water that is drinkable.
Interestingly enough, as vital as water is, it can also kill. Anyone who has ever seen a flood, or unfortunately been involved in one, understands that. It doesn’t take an ocean, a lake, or a raging river to cause harm. A human can drown in a bathtub.
Scripture, the Word of God, is referred to as “living water”. This phrase is found in John, chapter 4, v. 10, the story of the Woman At the Well. The phrase is also found in Jeremiah 2:13, where God refers to Himself as “the spring of living water”.
The unfortunate reality is that just like water in the natural world, the misuse of the “living water” can also cause harm. Scripture taken out of context has caused about as much harm as all the physical persecutions put together. Let me elaborate just briefly.
Without getting too detailed concerning early church history, the apostle Paul had to contend with false doctrine right at the start. Doctrinal issues arose with the formation of the Catholic Church, and the belief that only the clergy could understand the Word. William Tyndale, who translated the Bible into English from the original Greek and Hebrew, was burned at the stake in 1536 for his efforts.
Even the smallest doctrinal issue can be taken out of context. That’s why so many Christian denominations (over 45,000 worldwide, and 200 in the U.S.) exist. It’s not hyperbole to say that every single denomination has either over-emphasized, under-emphasized, or just ignored certain parts of Christian teaching in order to function as they do.
Perhaps the best example of this is any church regarded as Pentacostal that over-emphasizes the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. They tend to focus on that and disregard the rest of the gifts as listed in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. (There are 9…repeat…NINE…spiritual gifts, by the way.)
Of course, this isn’t the only example of lost focus, but it is one even non-Christians understand and have probably encountered.
This trend of over-emphasis is exactly what the Left has done. They have taken what were once initially good ideas and have run them into the ground to the point of ignoring any other pertinent issue; have taken things to their illogical conclusions, and have basically ruined constructive, helpful concepts. Some of the best examples are:
FDR’s New Deal (1933-1939)
Designed to bring the country out of The Great Depression, the New Deal was made up of social programs, public works projects, economic reforms and new regulations. It also brought with it higher taxes. The “safety net” of Social Security payments is the best-known legacy of this era. While it is beneficial to retired workers, it has been called the ultimate Ponzi Scheme. Congress could not resist dipping into the fund, and now, if you can walk across the border, you are eligible whether you’ve worked here or not.
Foreign Aide (1961)
The Foreign Assistance Act, signed into law by President Kennedy, was initially designed as a policy tool to further our country’s interests abroad. As with all government hand-out programs, it’s gotten out of control. We are now giving U.S. tax-payer money to countries that hate us and want to destroy us. China, which is dominating the news, is only one example.
The Great Society (1964-65)
This was the name given to President Lyndon Johnson’s agenda of domestic programs. His War On Poverty is best known; also included are Medicare, urban renewal projects, conservation projects, and crime control. Compare the basic premise behind these projects with where they are today. While Medicare is an excellent program, it too has been overused by those who have never paid into it.
Affirmative Action (1965) was also part of The Great Society. Basically, these are policies in education and employment favoring individuals belonging to groups who have been historically disadvantaged and/or discriminated against. This could be regarded as the beginning of “identity politics”, and perhaps even “wokism”.
Look at what the Left as done with this concept. Segregation is back in place in several colleges and universities. Dorms and even graduation ceremonies are divided by race. Do you think BLM started in a vacuum all by itself?
Hope And Change (from Obama’s 2008 campaign)
On October 30, 2008, Obama said: “America is the greatest country in the world. We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States Of America.” While it’s easy to lay a lot of the current division and racial tension at the feet of Obama, the current Progressive movement actually has its roots dating back to our 28th president, Woodrow Wilson (president from 1913-1921). Obama and his fellow anti-American travelers know this. It was only during the Obama years that they stopped trying to hide it. Remember the Soviet-era style “Hope And Change” posters?
ObamaCare is his legacy of a good idea gone bad. While the concept of helping everyone with their healthcare needs is noble, the method of forcing the public to purchase insurance from government-approved third parties is pure Socialism.
NAACP travel bans
The NAACP was started in New York City in 1909 as an organization whose focus was achieving equal justice for blacks. Even though it was decades after our Civil War, not much had changed for black Americans in certain parts of the country. The organization did a lot of good in the last century, but like everything else the Left touches, the idea/focus is gone.
Everything is now “racist”, including going to Florida. Obviously, the Sunshine State still practices Jim Crow.
But, think about it. The idea of issuing a travel ban to Florida for all Dems/Socialists/libs/leftists/etc. to stay out of free “red” states should be a good thing. It’s like stopping contamination.
In Conclusion…
It’s obvious it doesn’t take a lot to ruin something good and positive. The Christian Church has been doing this since its inception, and the Left are masters at it.
We’ve been shown how to avoid continually causing our own problems, both spiritually and otherwise. Check out the following.
From 2nd Timothy.
“Study to show thyself approved.” (2:15)
“Evil men and seducers shall become worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (3:13)
“All scripture is…profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction…” (3:16)
Amos 5:15 “Hate the evil and love the good, and establish justice in the gate.”
