Politics

Deception on Display: WaPo suggests Satan good, evil Christianity to blame for Charlottesville

On Wednesday, John Nolte over at The DailyWire brought attention to a Washington Post piece that seems to declare that, “Satan is good…Christianity is evil”—to use Nolte’s words.

As Nolte put it: “Behold the words published by WaPo this very day informing us that Satan is good…”

The Satan of Modern Satanism is a metaphorical icon for Enlightenment values. Satanism adopts a mythological backdrop that we feel is more befitting to modern culture than the monarchical, feudalistic, theocratic superstitions of old. The Satanic Temple, far from endorsing crass nationalistic tribalism, actively fights for individual sovereignty and secular values.

“Now,” he added, “check this out. Not only is Satan good, Satan is awesome!”

Finally, it must be said that nothing could be more antithetical to modern nontheistic Satanism than racist ideologies. We embrace a large diversity of individuals from a wide spectrum of political and cultural backgrounds, but we’re all unified by our respect for individual rights and pluralism. It is axiomatic within Satanism that individuals must be judged for their own actions and for their own merits.

“And finally,” he continued, “behold the words published by WaPo this very day informing us that Christianity is evil and even responsible for Charlottesville…”

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

The vision for a “Christian Nation,” persistently fought for by evangelical theocrats, with its refusal to accept cultural diversity, holds that there is but one right way to live our lives, one lifestyle for all households, only one acceptable religious outlook that should be dictated to the nation at large, one god for one people. Is it really so mysterious that some among them might decide there’s a “right” race as well?

If we’re going to confront the violence in Charlottesville in any constructive manner, we’re going to have to do better than “the Devil made them do it.”

So, riddle me this: how do you make the leap from being a nation founded on Christian principles and beliefs to a nation that is more apt to embrace Satan than Jesus Christ?

Actually, it’s not a leap at all but more of a slippery slope.

Rewind back to the early days of our nation. Suppose you walked out into the town square and announced loudly and proudly that Jesus Christ is evil and Satan is good. How do you figure that would have turned out? Yeah, remember the Salem Witch Trials? You wouldn’t have lived to see sunset. No, making such a leap would have only succeeded in getting you hanged in colonial America. Instead, we’ve been slowly taking one step per day away from God for so long that now we’re so far down the slope that it would take something along the lines of the Great Awakening to bring us back. You can cover a great distance by taking only one slow step at a time.

How tragic it is that so many of our countrymen and women have been deceived. The Bible talks about deception at length:

“…wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9)

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:12-13)

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3)

If so many people have been deceived into believing lies then who did the deceiving?

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil [Satan] prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Peter says that Satan himself is the lion looking for someone to devour. It is Satan who has convinced people that he is to be loved and revered and Jesus is to be hated. Satan doesn’t want you to do whatever feels good just so you can be happy. On the contrary, he knows that there are consequences to every action—therefore, the more actions, the more consequences. Wake up call: Satan wants to destroy lives.

Consider, for example, the teen suicide rate.  In May, USA Today reported that “a new study found that children’s hospital admissions of patients 5 to 17 years old for (suicidal) thoughts or actions more than doubled from 2008 to 2015.”  The report blamed stress from school and the Internet, but could there be another possible reason?

Earlier this month, the Washington Post said that alcohol abuse is on the rise, with one in eight adults being alcoholic.

We can go on, but you get the point.

Do you think I’m wrong that Satan wants to destroy?  Reference Newton’s third law: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Oh, but that refers only to physics. Really? Go tell your manager that he’s an idiot and see if there is a reaction coming back your way. Words mean things and actions have consequences. Always.

Let me put down my guard for just a few moments and get very authentic. I’m a Christian. I believe in God’s word. I do not hate my fellow man. I have no hate for people of other religions, other races, or other beliefs. I may disagree with them but I do not hate them. I do not want to trample upon nor force my beliefs on my fellow man. But because I believe everything I have just written, I do not want my fellow man to be destroyed. On the contrary, I want my fellow countrymen and women to be successful and live extraordinary lives. That’s why I speak out about such things. No hate. Lots of concern.

And don’t be deceived into thinking that the tragedy at Charlottesville is a product of Christianity as I’ve heard from some news outlets and on social media. I can tell you with certainty that those responsible absolutely do not speak for me nor for any other Christians that I know or have ever met. These were imposters painted to look like something they are not. For those of you in the media, I take great offense to being lumped into the same bucket with those. You’re spreading the deception.

I’m also a white male who lives in the south. I hate our history of slavery, I believe that the color of a person’s skin is chosen by God, and I sin against God if I judge you based upon your appearance. The same is true if you judge me because I’m white or based upon the fact that I was born in the south. These groups who showed their true colors in Charlottesville do not speak for me as a male, as a white man, as a Christian, or on any other level. They stand alone. Listen closely and you will hear the resounding agreement from most all of us Christians down south.

If you disagree with me, my religion, and my theology, then be my guest. That’s what makes America great. We can disagree. I feel sad that you disagree but it’s your right — just as believing as I do is my right. God doesn’t circumvent free will and neither will I. Again, I do not hate you. We simply disagree on a matter of great importance.

Let me bring my thoughts to a close by quoting a warning directly from the Bible. I pray you take it to heart.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7)

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B.T. Horn

B.T. Horn is a Christian author from Arkansas Check him out at http://www.amazon.com/author/bthorn or on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/authorbthorn

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