Conspiracy theorists are correct in that there is an evil global cabal - but incorrect concerning the motivation of this cabal.
We live in a state of spiritual warfare - and to my mind it is intensifying palpably. I find it increasingly strange to see so many people going-about-their-business and apparently unaware of the momentous changes that are afoot, and indeed obvious.
(e.g. There has never in my lifespan been a time in which the elites behind the Western Powers seem so eager to trigger and escalate a major physical war; and with the flimsiest and least convincing of excuses.)
Of course, modern Western populations are only semi-human in their mass perceptions and responses - since they lack the stable centre of religion, and are metaphysically incoherent; they live inside an artificial and distorted world; and their minds are continually filled-with and distracted-by lying nonsense - all of this in an unprecedented fashion and degree.
So, the true agenda of evil is not just beyond their belief, but beyond their comprehension - lacking God, they cannot recognise nor understand the nature of evil (and are, indeed, inclined to deny its truth and rationality).
So, the conspiracy theorists are correct to recognise a malign will behind the main events of the world - and this enables them to function in a more realistic way despite the official illusions, as compared with the mainstream of duped and deluded people (including especially, it must be said, the liberal intellectuals - whose disconnect from reality is probably the most extreme ever by any group in the whole of human history); but they are wrong abut what the conspiracy are aiming-at.
Secular people regard evil in terms of human suffering on one side, motivated by pleasure (and its proxies of sex, power, wealth etc) on the other hand - and they assume that that is what the conspiracy are aiming-at - i.e. misery for us, pleasure for them...
Christians should know better that purposive evil ultimately aims at the damnation of souls for eternity, not the torment of people on earth (although of course demons like that too).
So Christians need to accept the basic stance, the basic assumptions concerning evil elites and their motivations, from the conspiracy theorists; but go beyond this to full recognition of the aims of spiritual warfare.
But if you do this, if you adopt this correct Christian interpretative stance - you will very likely find yourself pretty much on your own - you won't find much in the way of media such as books, web sites or even social groups to help explain and support you in this stance.
You will need to work things out for yourself... So be it.
A very good point that the true agenda of evil is not making people nasty and selfish or necessarily increasing suffering, but corrupting souls to the point where they are spiritually disconnected, and that could involve behaviour that we might define as good by worldly standards.
ReplyDeleteSo, the true agenda of evil is not just beyond their belief, but beyond their comprehension - lacking God, they cannot recognise nor understand the nature of evil (and are, indeed, inclined to deny its truth and rationality).
ReplyDeleteThat's it in one. That is the nub of the matter.
It is no coincidence that during a time where the U.S. supreme court has taken over the job of the congress in making laws that there will be anywhere from one (Scalia) to four (Ginsburg, Kennedy, Breyer) replacements appointed by the new president. And the new president will be hostile towards Christianity. There is talk of a historic "supermajority" in the court that will allow it to pass whatever policies it pleases. If this occurs, and the odds are very good that it will, evil will be allowed to thrive.
ReplyDelete@Derek _ "evil will be allowed to thrive."
ReplyDeleteYes, that at least - perhaps even *encouraged* to thrive, if there are genuinely evil-motivated individuals within that group (which would hardly be surprising; indeed it would be expected).
Exactly right. If nothing else, the stunning success of the Prince of the Earth and Air in sowing chaos--distance from God--reaffirms the reality of God for those who believe.
ReplyDeleteThe comments about evil being allowed or even encouraged to thrive bring to mind something I've pondered many times.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the man who harbors a deep desire to do harm to the evil system itself? If I ask this question in polite Christian circles, I am immediately tut-tutted or even shouted down with pietistic talk of how we should submit to the legitimate authorities (do they even exist?) or how our Lord never repaid evil for evil, etc.
But I think this is misguided thinking. It seems to me that to equate a positive taste for subverting, harming, and crippling The System with evil is wrongheaded. It's as if Christianity has decided that resistance is not just futile, but evil in itself.
I know such talk, especially from an aging codger like myself, makes men uncomfortable. "He's fomenting something bad, something that'll get us in trouble" goes the mindset. But these are the things upon which I meditate. If resisting evil is good, why should be be bad at being good? IS it de facto "wrong" or "sinful" to ponder placing explosive charges (metaphorically speaking) on strategic locations of the wicked structure?
It's a shame that merely asking this question earns one odd looks and a sense that one has, well, sinned.
@Kirk - The main (not only) thing from a Christian perspective is motivation (and I mean the *real* and often hidden motivation of the heart) - Actions, as such, do not have a particular meaning - motivation must always be primary. Thus, nothing is good if motivated by (eg) pride, hatred, resentment, despair etc. And vice versa.
ReplyDelete(1) Christianity is true. We live on a spiritual battlefield with demons conspiring to turn us away from the Truth. The current demonic conspiracy is to destroy particular nations, cultures, races, religions, etc. so to uproot peoples from the local traditions and customs through which the Truth is revealed. The demonic motives are concealed and the acts rationalized through clever propaganda, such as the invention of concepts like "equality" and "social justice". The conspiracy now runs so deep that all major western Christian institutions have been corrupted.
ReplyDeleteOR
(2) The species evolved a tendency to universalize conceptually (reason), a tendency which promotes promiscuous altruism, which, in turn, underwrites expansive egalitarian impulses. These impulses substantially underwrite the moral foundations of axial age religions, and, now, political leftism, created to enforce egalitarian morales. Particular nations, cultures, races, religions, etc. and the local traditions and customs which they perpetuate are seen -- as explicitly stated by prominent leftists -- as standing in the way of equality and social justice and so in need of destruction.
Is (2), or a more refined version of it, even a live hypothesis for you?
@John - No, I don't think 2 is true.
ReplyDeleteI don't think 2 is true either but it's valuable to frame the debate like that because 2 seems very plausible, assuming a non-spiritual universe, and that's why so many people have been convinced by it. To me it shows the cleverness of the demonic powers, that they can present matters in such a fashion that only (apparently) a bigot could disagree with them. If it weren't a lie one would have to admire the near genius of its construction!
ReplyDeleteBut ultimately it leaves too much unexplained. It makes too many assumptions (that we are evolved animals, that our sense of beauty and mystery is based on nothing objectively real, that something can come from nothing, that all religion is a lie or fantasy, that practically all human beings up to the 18th century were (basically) deluded idiots and so on),and ignores the whole of reality to focus on a small aspect of it. That is why I would say the only people that really believe it (in an active sense rather than just going along with the status quo) are those who want to believe it.
As for egalitarianism, this is just used to break down the old order. Once that is fully done a new form of inequality, presumably based on money and power, would be built up. This in fact is already happening. Egalitarianism for the left is just a Trojan horse.
@Bruce - While posed as 'either or,' the two options, as worded, are not incompatible. With respect to (1), I had in mind C.S. Lewis' discussion of "social justice" and "equality":
ReplyDelete"On the other hand we do want, and want very much, to make men treat Christianity as a means; preferably, of course, as a means to their own advancement, but, failing that, as a means to anything—even to social justice...
"You then make a stealthy transition in their minds from this political ideal to a factual belief that all men are equal..."
I would guess that Lewis imagined that natural inclinations -- for something like social justice (in the original catholic sense) -- were being corrupted or co-opted. Anyways, two questions:
(a) Regarding the crooked establishment's motive, I presume that we are dealing with a twisting, corruption, or aberration of some aspect of human nature? If not an egalitarian impulse, which other has been perverted? Perhaps, as with Sauron, one towards order, and the talk of "equality" "social justice" "human rights" "inclusiveness" is misleading with regards to animus?
(b) Granting that metaphysically real demons are necessary to explain the persistence and goal-orientedness of, and thus deep commitment to, the establishment's doings, does the same apply to previous establishments that nominally adopted not dissimilar ideologies (e.g., Moaist China)?
Maybe you discussed this; I don't recall.
@John
ReplyDeleteI would say that the motive was evil intent, that is to invert good (invert truth, beauty and virtue in unity). The others are, as Willuam puts it, merely stalking horses, expedient means.
All these historical examples of evil global cabals were sup e rfic i al manifestations of the same - albeit growing and developing - immortal demonic grouping. Of course, there were different emphases and different scope and severity of evil - it may be that the current West is the worst so far.