A Time For Wisdom and Critical Thinking

By Shannon

“He’s repented, so you should just leave him alone.”  That’s a line I heard frequently from churches when I was prosecuting child sexual abuse cases.  I’ll never forget calling one pastor to warn him that he had just appointed a child rapist as a deacon in his church.  He refused to believe me despite the evidence I offered him.  “Even if he was,” the pastor said, “He doesn’t do that anymore.  I’ve seen no evidence of it in the 18 months I’ve known him.”  I wanted to ring his pastoral neck.

Pic from www.wellington.pm.org

I am a Bible-believing Christian, so that gives me an insider’s perspective on the following observation.  Evil hides in churches and churches too often protect it because we are taught to love everyone.  That doctrine of love has been perverted to the point that we are no longer able or willing to discern or decide what is right.  (see Luke 12:57, Jn. 7:24, Prov. 31:9.)  We’re told to be wise.  The word “wisdom” is found more than 200 times throughout the Bible.  Moral relativism and political correctness has shattered not only our nation’s ability to think critically and make objective observations, but the Christian churches’ ability as well.

Why am I harping on this?  Well, I recently tried to have a discussion about Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood.  The person with whom I spoke directed me to a pastor’s blog which encapsulated his opinion and basically stated without citing any facts:  “Don’t be suspicious.  Love everyone.”  I couldn’t believe anyone would mirror an opinion set forth in a blog that cited NO FACTS.  For the record, facts look like this:

Pic from www.classroomprofessor.com

I believe that the average Egyptian is honest in their quest for freedom, but I’ve been told by many soldiers who’ve served throughout the Middle East that Middle Easterners don't want “freedom” as we think of it.  We're ethnocentric.  Are they right?  I don’t know.  I hope not.  However, let’s look at a few facts:

The Pew Research Center is a non-profit non-partisan center that polls public opinion.  In 2010, their polls uncovered the following regarding Egyptians:

82% favor stoning adulterers

77% favor whipping and cutting the hands off of thieves

84% favor death for leaving Islam

                        (only 64% of Americans favor death for murderers)

95% believe it is good for Islam to play a large role in politics

                        (we’ll discuss Shariah law in the future)

            49% view Hamas favorably

Only 27% say they want to modernize their country

54% favor gender segregation in the workplace

Pic from www.funnyhub.com

Funny picture of an ghastly idea. 

I’m going to use my next few posts to explore the Egyptian situation.  Dear Readers, you have proven through your comments and emails to be highly intelligent.  I’ll present my research and let you know my opinion, but PLEASE search out the fact for yourselves.  I’m tired of hearing one news station say Muslim Brotherhood is great and another say it’s not.  Even the White House seemed to think the Muslim Brotherhood was not a threat, but now they are worried.  I’m sharing my research with you, but do your own.  Think critically!

For Americans whether Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Atheist, or anything else, logic demands that we realize that there is a time to say, “This far – no farther!”  Look at nature itself and you will see that:  “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under Heaven:  a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up; a time to kill, and a time to heal…a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing…a time to keep silent, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”  (Ecclesiastes 3.)  If you don't believe me, ask the Byrds!