True or Fake I (Lake)

...for we have had more than enough of contempt, 

Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, and of the derision of the proud.

 - From Psalm 123

Contempt: the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn.

Scorn: open dislike and disrespect or derision often mixed with indignation.

Indolent: wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy.

Derision: contemptuous ridicule or mockery.

So let's bring this excerpt down to as simple a statement as we can:

We're tired of lazy rich people, big shot celebrities, Ivy-league elites, and all the popular people, making fun of us, as though we're less than human!

This is in full display in American life today. All these marginalized groups that having nothing to do with each other; in fact in most cases their values are diametrically opposed to each other; yet because of an impression that something represented by Conservative Christians has been mean to them in the past, they have banded together to bring the Christians down.

They don't stop to think: the Christians can empathize with them. Christians have never had the upper hand in American society . . . but it serves some purpose to promulgate that myth. Every marginalized group needs a scapegoat, and for eons, the People of God have been a great target.

First - - - humans are rebellious to authority in the first place We choose instantaneous gratification over the long view, every time. We give up eternal life for something that feels good, this moment. And so it seems God is always trying to get in the way of that.

The Christians, who seem okay with God's strict rules, are present targets to help us act out our frustrations against God. 

Christians are called the worst things today: "Racist." "Misogynist." "Hater." "Deplorable." 

I don't know what you're supposed to do. It all comes from a moral standard that goes back to the dawn of time:

• Honesty
• Honor
• Purity
• Loyalty
• Fidelity
• Integrity
• Compassion
• Mercy
• Ethics

What's wrong with that? We know we fall short. We know we're not perfect. If we articulate these values, it does not mean we are consistent in upholding them. They're just standards, that's all.

But Christians are mocked and derided. They're scorned and held in contempt. 

And if they reach their breaking point and help elect a President you find the most deplorable of all . . . well . . . what did you expect? The Church's adversaries gave up all pretense of having the enumerated high values, a long, long time ago. 

Our culture war has gone beyond just hurt feelings. Everybody wants science on their side now. 

They want the intellectual high road. My news is real. Yours is fake. 

It seems like it's getting so cluttered and confused. But not to me. 

The clear view is that there's bias in everything. Fox News is biased. MSNBC is biased. And CNN and NPR is biased. Even the BBC is biased. Let's just own that and move on.

And if everyone is biased, that means that we should give even "fake news" the benefit of the doubt. That other person's world view is informed by their perspective and experiences. Who are you to second-guess them?

Respect and dignity for all. For ALL. Stop mocking others. Because mockery is the thing that hurts most of all. People are so sick of it that they elected Donald Trump. And  beyond that, there's a God that gets sick of it too.