Sarah Palin's Controversial Call for Divine Intervention

An interesting post from www.ucg.org/commentary about Sarah Palin's speech at the Nashville Tea Party Convention, for more about this movement click here and for more posts like this click here.

Sarah Palin's Controversial Call for Divine Intervention
A commentary by John Foster
Posted February 18, 2010
Former U.S. vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin recently gave the keynote address at the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. After her speech she was asked a number of questions, including what she thought the top three priorities of Congress should be. One was to stop spending, another was to develop an independent energy policy and the third was to seek divine intervention.
"I think, kind of tougher to put our arms around, but allowing America's spirit to rise again by not being afraid to kind of go back to some of our roots as a God-fearing nation where we're not afraid to say, especially in times of potential trouble in the future here, where we're not afraid to say, you know, we don't have all the answers as fallible men and women, so it would be wise of us to start seeking some divine intervention again in this country, so that we can be safe and secure and prosperous again. To have people involved in government who aren't afraid to go that route, not so afraid of the political correctness that, you know, they have to be afraid of what the media said about them if they were to proclaim their alliance to our Creator."
Her words are generating a lot of controversy. The liberal blogs have castigated her for her comments, and not all conservatives are happy with them either. But is it really wrong to admit "we don't have all the answers as fallible men and women, so it would be wise of us to start seeking some divine intervention again in this country"?
Isn't that what God wants us to do? Most Americans believe in God. If we want to please God, why not admit that we need His help?
Notice what God inspired the prophet Isaiah to write: "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts'" (Isaiah 55:6-9).
Throughout the Bible, God calls upon His people to repent, which means to turn away from sin, and return to Him. Jesus Christ Himself called upon the people of His day to "repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).
Imagine what this nation would be like if we determined to follow just one or two of God's Ten Commandments. Take the command "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15). There would no longer be a need for locks on our doors, security programs for our computers or worries about abductions. There would no longer be embezzling or theft.
What about the command "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14)? We would not have to see couples go down in flames over infidelities. There would no longer be child porn or striptease clubs. The family would be protected and, therefore, our nation would be stronger.
Why can't we "go back to some of our roots as a God-fearing nation"? Why can't we admit that we have problems and quit deviating from God's law of love? Remember what Jesus Christ told the young man in Matthew 19:17-19? Here, Jesus said, "But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." When the young man asked Him which commandments, Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
We don't have to wait for what Congress should do. We can start now in our personal lives to get back to God. God's commandments are for our good and for our benefit. The apostle John wrote in 1 John 5:3: "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."
The United Church of God has prepared a booklet that details the need for all of us to keep God's commandments. The Ten Commandments reveals why God's law is still relevant for us today and why God wants us to turn back to Him. Let's forsake our wicked ways and seek the Lord while He may be found!



Related Resources
Who Determines Right From Wrong?It's ironic that while some Christians vehemently defend the posting of the Ten Commandments, many other Christians believe that these laws have no application to modern Christianity.
Is God's Law Bondage?Some theologians associate God's law with slavery. But the Bible presents it as the missing key to true freedom.
What Is a True Christian?What does it take to be a Christian? According to the Bible, there is much more to being a true follower of Jesus Christ than most people realize. How does God's Word define a true Christian?

Cultural Challenge of the Week: Narcissism‏

This is a review from Rebecca Hagelin about the recent trend in Naricism in webpages such as Facebook. This follows this post about extreme anti-Ameriancism in movies.For more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.



Cultural Challenge of the Week: Narcissism‏

"Love your neighbor as you love yourself" is a Biblical command with at least two very clear meanings.We are to love others, and we are to love ourselves.It's pretty basic, but incredibly powerful. Sadly, in our pop culture it seems that many of our young people are focused only on the "self love" part, and have even perverted that love into an obsession with themselves. And, when that happens, it's impossible to fulfill the first part of the command: to truly love others. Why? Because to love someone means you are willing to sacrifice for them. To consider their needs and desires before your own. But, if everything is "all about me," it's pretty difficult to see the hurt in someone else's eyes. It's up to us, as adults and parents, to stop and reflect on how we can save our own children from a life of selfishness and obsession with themselves. And, it starts with looking at what our own priorities are: How do we live? Do our children feel as if we as moms and dads are always focused on our own careers and desires at the expense of spending time with them? Do we hand the responsibility over to others to teach, entertain and take care of children while we work endless hours to have the life we want? If so, we're teaching them to do the very same thing. This is such a common problem in our materialistic, goal-driven world that it is the topic of the Culture Challenge of the Week.
Culture Challenge of the Week: Narcissism

Deeply embedded in today's culture, narcissism has crept into our children's mentality like a thief in the night, actually robbing them (and everyone around them) of much dignity and happiness.Young people spend hours every day updating their Facebook pages, post and e-mail countless pictures of themselves, and plug their ears with music to create a self-indulgent existence, shut-off from everyone around them. I recently went online and viewed the page of a friend-of a-friend-of a-friend-of my daughter's on Facebook and discovered literally hundreds of pictures of the girl posing like a super model.Where are our children learning to be so obsessed with self? From adults, of course.In 2006, Time Magazine voted "You" as the "Person of the Year." And, why not? Peruse the popular magazine covers and they are all about indulging in your own desires and fantasies. Just watch television for a couple of hours and you'll walk away feeling as if you owe it to yourself to have an affair, spend lavishly on yourself, and be your "own man" at the expense of everyone else. And then there's the American obsession with pornography -- the ultimate objectification and degradation of other human beings. Men, women girls and boys are all there for your personal pleasure in millions of websites, advertisements, shows and publications. The heaviest users of online porn are teenagers and young adults, and it is teaching them that people are objects to be used and discarded at will, and that the only thing that matters is indulging in fantasies. When our kids are consuming such raunchy material, how on Earth will they ever understand what it truly means to love someone, to be committed to another unconditionally, to even value human life?And, look at the economic mess we are in. Too many spent way beyond their means on trinkets and toys and demanded the best when their budgets could afford what was "only" good enough. They bought homes and cars and gadgets a plenty, with the swipe of an interest-only loan or a "special low introductory rate" credit card. America is largely an entitlement society where we demand that the government provide us with health-care, retirement, and a comfortable life, with no concern of who will pay for utopia.
Then there is the phenomenon of abortion on demand, without apology, through the ninth month of pregnancy. Have all the sex you want, with whomever you want; and, if you get pregnant, just "terminate" it regardless of how the father may feel. And the baby? What baby? It's just tissue, remember? How convenient.Our kids see our selfish, irresponsible ways and learn the lesson, 'It's all about me.'How to Save Your Family from, "Me, me, me!" When our culture is all about "My body, my career, my choice, my, my, my..." what is a parent to do?Thankfully, we've known the answer all along: Practice the Golden Rule."Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."The wisdom in this Biblical admonishment is so self-evident that it is universally admired, but tragically, rarely followed. It is the basic tenant for successful human relationships, the economy, personal finances, you name it. Imagine the good that could accomplished, the human suffering that would be replaced with human achievement, if we treated others with the dignity and thoughtfulness we ourselves crave. The two greatest gifts we can give our children are to teach them to love God with all that is within them, and to love their neighbors as they love themselves.Here are five easy ways to start:
Invest time in your kids rather than being obsessed with your own career and hobbies. If your kids see that you are not concerned about them enough to sacrifice your own desires and pour into their lives, how will they ever learn to pour into others? NOTE: This is not to be confused with indulging your children in their every whim. Quite the contrary: When you spend time with your children teaching them how to live well and thoughtfully, you are molding them into decent, loving human beings. It takes both time, attention and patience to raise children who are stable, mature, polite and considerate. These qualities do not develop by accident, or from part-time parenting.
Be a role model. Considerate, well-mannered, thoughtful children come from parents who exude those behaviors themselves. Evaluate the media you consume. Does it promote selfishness? If so, stop the magazine subscriptions, change the channel, and get an Internet filter! (By the way, check out http://www.mympowerbox.com/ for a soon-to-be released all-in-one tool to filter both the internet and television shows.)
Share stories of kindness. Start seeking movies, books and shows that teach what is highest and best; that glorify human decency instead of depravity.
Be generous. You may not be rich, but everyone can be generous with their time and talents. There's nothing more selfless than giving to someone who can't possibly ever repay you. Your kids are watching you all the time, and when you are generous, they learn to be generous too.
Practice "Random Acts of Kindness." Think of something nice to do for someone else every day, and then do it. Consistently.Narcissism eventually leads from self-love to self-loathing. But, living the Golden Rule is a powerful way to spread joy, improve the human condition, and develop true self-respect. Your children are waiting for you to show them the way.
My prayer for your family this week is that each member will practice kindness toward each other member in at least one tangible way. Why not issue the challenge over dinner tonight? You can get the ball rolling by explaining the need to practice thoughtfulness, and then saying one kind comment about each person around the table.As you consistently take deliberate steps to connect with your children, you each will experience the joy that families were created to know.

Have a great week! Warmly,Rebecca