Archive for society

Group Think… Featuring Guy Micholic

Posted in Culture with tags , , , , , , on January 17, 2019 by paulthepoke

Who’s willing to take that step, to speak up according to their convictions regardless of outcome? So many times, I see that folks are willing to speak boldly when their opinions echo the general consensus. But what happens when the consensus is wrong?

Being naturally curious about the mechanics of the “group think” mentality, I’ve searched deeply for to discover the tell-tale effects of “group think” or “mob rules” within society, both at large, as well as interconnecting microcosms of the phenomena pervading the environment in which we live. It seems that someone or something has been continuously manipulating the minds of individuals to think along certain lines, within ever narrowing parameters.

What I’ve discovered is akin to a model used in animal training techniques. In the beginning the trainer presents a set of parameters that are wide and flexible, thereby making it easy for the animal to comply. A reward system is established, teaching the animal that obedience to these loosely based guidelines produces results that are both pleasant and desirable. As the training process continues the parameters are gradually narrowed, becoming more complicated and difficult to traverse. The ultimate goal of the trainer is to manipulate the animal’s behavior to such a degree that it becomes robotic. Once this goal is accomplished the animal no longer focuses or relies upon its own senses, but rather remains solely focused upon the parameters themselves in decision making processes.

Unfortunately for the animal, the God given instincts it was born with are no longer prevalent in its daily routine of behavior. The power of decision making has now been given over to the trainer, and for what purpose? The trainer has effectively harnessed the animal in such a way that he becomes the beneficiary of its actions, rather than the animal itself. Too often the trainer is self-motivated, seeking nothing more than to enrich himself in some way, having no actual regard for the creature in which he manipulates.

In my opinion this same process has been applied to mankind. We have been given certain unnatural parameters in which we are expected to abide. Paradigms have been created with the intent of forming us into incompatible groups, thus making it easier for the trainers to maintain and control. This form of control has been honed and improved upon over several millennium, taking many different shapes, disguising itself in many forms.

But there is one factor the trainers have not included within their equations, and that is the mind and Spirit of the Creator. He is the original programmer, the designer of all we survey. He sets the parameters for which we were created to comply with. No human, no angel, no alien is able to supersede or assume authority over the mechanics of our true purpose. We were created to glorify God in all we do. This inclination, when adhered to, benefits the individual as well as all of mankind. All of the suffering and ugliness that we witness here is a direct result of rebellion against His laws, laws that were written upon our very hearts.

God’s laws should take precedent over our emotions. Our hearts, having been manipulated by various factors, such as self-will, self-gratification, have been conditioned to seek out all things that steer us away from the will of God, making us soft targets to manipulate. We should not fully trust our heart but should first make it subject to the will of God.

The Age Stigma

Posted in Christine "Clarity" McDonald, Culture, Uncategorized with tags , , , , , on October 26, 2018 by paulthepoke

Psalm 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.

Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and truth.

Featuring Christine Clarity McDonald

Christine McDonald

Finally, let’s touch on the way age factors into people’s categorizations of “worthy versus unworthy victims.” They say the average prostituted person’s life span in the life of prostitution is seven years. If they make it the full seven years, they often end up dead from drug overdose, suicide, or murder. Only a small percent of these individuals will find a way out.

It is also said that the average age of entry into prostitution is around 13. Think about it. If a 13–year–old becomes a prostituted individual and survives seven years, they would only be 20 years old. We, as a society, see a youth in this awful life as a victim, but once they make it to 18, we expect them to somehow break the mental, emotional, and traumatic chains of prostitution and walk away. Once an individual crosses the invisible line of “adulthood,” we no longer view them as victims but as criminals. All compassion or awareness of the horrors they endure seems to disappear at that magical age of 18. Yet it is so much more complicated than that.

child abuse

As I see it, the longer they are in it, the more trauma they have endured and the deeper the hurt. Yet because they didn’t recover at age 15, we say “screw them” when they are 19, or 22, or 36, or older and trying to find a way out. That is not okay. Think about it: Does God place an age limit on His grace in our lives? No, He does not. However, this is not how the majority of our society sees it.

Why is that? Who are we, as a society, as people of faith, and as service providers to determine what age someone is recoverable to begin their healing process? If God sustained them three days, three years, or 33 years in a horrific life of commercial sexual exploitation, then perhaps we should embrace God’s love for them and reflect that love as His children to His children.

“Love your neighbor, all of ’em.” -Christine Clarity McDonald

Read more at…

The Worthy Versus the Unworthy

Posted in Christine "Clarity" McDonald, Culture with tags , , , , , , on October 19, 2018 by paulthepoke

Ezekiel 7:23 Forge a chain! For the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence.

Christine McDonald

Featuring Christine Clarity McDonald

See a Wall Street Journal article featuring Christine McDonald.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-states-allow-ex-drug-offenders-to-get-benefits-1443570818

Sadly, our society has fostered a culture that assigns people varying levels of worth. It’s a worthy versus the unworthy environment. To the mainstream public, the rape of a prostituted person isn’t recognized as rape in the same way that the rape of a working, middle−class woman in the parking garage after work inarguably is.

worthy

Prostitutes are expendable even to murderers. Who looks for missing prostitutes? A prostituted person is 59 percent more likely to be murdered while working than one in any other profession. The murder of a prostitute doesn’t reap the same passionate response as the murder of a college student, a business professional, or virtually any other human being.

The truth is, regardless of whether you are a man, woman, boy, or girl, violence is violence, trauma is trauma, and hurt is hurt, and the taking of any life is murder. Yet the world in general puts blinders on where prostituted people are concerned.

They are viewed as nameless, faceless background characters. No one cares for them on the most basic of levels, so why would they be so much as a blink of a thought when the conversation turns to the abused, violated, and hurt?

Ignorance abounds. No one says a word when someone says, “If they weren’t living that lifestyle, that wouldn’t have happened.” Or, “If she hadn’t been an addict trading her body for drugs, she wouldn’t have been beaten by that guy.”

But the “she” in those statements is a real and precious individual. She was once someone’s baby. She was conceived in the mind of God before she ever walked this earth. She’s no more lost than the rest of humanity before they come to know Christ, and yet even Christians don’t give her a second thought—or even a first. It’s almost as if she’s not really human. In jails, in prisons, in treatment, with law enforcement, with churches, and any and all other circles, the prostituted person is viewed with judgment, treated with harsh words, and condemned. People in general don’t even try to hide their disgust. The lowest of the lowest, even to criminals. How does one recover from such an existence?

“Love your neighbor, all of ’em.” -Christine Clarity McDonald

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Isaiah 3:1-3 Societal Collapse

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , on February 19, 2012 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 3:1 For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support, the whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water…

Isaiah 3 is a judgment against Jerusalem and Judah (the southern kingdom of Israel). As an overview of the chapter, God initially takes away food and water from the city and nation. Next, God removes older and experienced leadership and replaces them with young, inexperienced leadership. Judgment against the women of Israel is pronounced due to their attitude of materialism. Lastly, the men of the society are killed by the sword of war.

The idea expressed in the Hebrew grammar of verse 1 is the entirety of supplies and provisions, a complete removal of bread and a complete removal of water. Wycliffe’s Bible Commentary has inferred this is possibly caused by drought. Utter famine and dehydration have fallen on Jerusalem and the southern kingdom.

Isaiah 3:2-3 The mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the honorable man, the counselor and the expert artisan, and the skillful enchanter.

Leadership is being removed from Israel. A lack of leadership is a judgment from God. That is a frightening thought when we look at the state of our country today in 2012. Do we really have leadership or are we run by polling, focus groups, or what’s trending on the internet?

The removal is regarding all aspects of society. The mighty man speaks to bravery. The warrior is military strength. The legal system is impacted with the removal of judges. Judicial fairness was not being executed and favoritism and bribes were the flavor of the day. Does this sound familiar? Essentially there was a complete breakdown of government. This is the ultimate outcome of society with a lack of leadership.

There is a removal of the moral and religious fabric of society. Granted some of these folks are false prophets, sorcerers, and diviners but they too are removed along with legitimate leaders. There was not Godly leadership in society. How does our culture view Judeo-Christian values in leadership in general?

Legitimate secular and corporate leadership were removed from the culture. Those who possessed wise counsel and advice were deleted. Technical expertise and a skilled labor force were no more. There were no people to build things. Manufacturing had dried up. Removal of work is judgment from God. What is our 21st Century society crying out at this time? Jobs, jobs, jobs. Does any of this sound familiar?

Arts and education were removed as well. In our case, this may not be such a bad thing. We have hundreds of channels to watch on TV: movies, music, shows, news, sports. Entertain me! The thing I hear more often than not, “There is nothing worth watching.” Our education system is crumbling and we continue to fall further behind the rest of the world in reading and math skills. Business leaders complain today’s graduates are not prepared intellectually.

Collectively, Jewish society of the past collapsed. Will we learn from history? Current trends are not favorable.

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