THE FOUNDERS' WORLDVIEW
OUR FOUNDING PRINCIPLES APPLIED
PLURALISM, ITS DECEPTION
Today, it is commonly believed that we live in a PLURALISTIC society. Have you noticed? The word PLURALISTIC generally comes up in a conversation about our nation and the society in which we live. This particularly seems true when someone is "bold" enough to suggest that the United States of America is a Christian nation or, at least, has a Christian heritage.
What does "pluralistic" mean anyway? Well, "plural" simply means many. Many WHAT? Many cars?...people?...buildings? In the context of a discussion of our nation's heritage, "pluralistic" usually supports the idea that because our nation includes many people who have different religious beliefs, Christians have no right to suggest that the United States of America is a Christian nation. After all, as Christians, we really should not say anything or imply something that might offend our neighbor. Of course, with that kind of thinking, our Lord Jesus is certainly not welcome in our society today.
The truth is, PLURALISTIC is the adjective form of the noun PLURALISM which is a philosophy or belief that there are many ultimate realities. That is, there is no fixed, unchangeable or permanent reality. Consequently, no single sovereign God exists, but there are many gods, ideas and philosophies that should have an equal standing in our thinking and in the way we do things as a society.
In the context of our national heritage, the term "PLURALISTIC society" means that, although our nation at one time may have had a predominant Christian philosophy guiding and supporting us as a society, that has all changed. We now have a new, up-dated, more relevant philosophy called PLURALISM that provides us with the way, the truth and the life. Christianity is old, out-dated and irrelevant when considering a controlling philosophy or foundational basis for our society. We Christians should quietly fold up our tents, go home, pray for our Lord's soon return, wait and don't make any waves.
While that seems to be the prevailing attitude in our society and in the Body of Christ today, a growing number of us have one word for such a point of view. PHOOEY! Some of us actually believe (1) our nation is a Christian nation, (2) our founding documents including our state and federal constitutions reflect that fact, and (3) to preserve our liberty and expose the counterfeit ideas that have captivated our society, we must be the salt and light we are commanded to be.
Our nation's motto is E Pluribus Unum (one out of many). The image of a melting pot flows from our motto. To say we have a "pluralistic" society is to deny the essence of the meaning of our nation's motto. A salad bowl replaces the melting pot imagery thereby moving from the concept "all for one and one for all" to "every man for himself."
In short, the Christian foundation of fixed, uniform and universal governing principles still remains, stemming the tide of PLURALISM in our nation. However, much effort is being expended to rewrite our state and federal constitutions. Until that happens, however, our house is still on Christian bedrock and not on "pluralistic" sand as we are led to believe.
The proverb "a curse without a cause does not alight" has special relevance. Few of us will disagree that our nation is suffering under the curses of Romans 1:21-32. Those same verses reveal the causes of those curses, namely, (1) we no longer honor God as Sovereign with His Law being the supreme legal authority (verse 21), and (2) we have removed God from our philosophy of education (verse 28). This is the direct result of our agreeing that we live in a pluralistic society.
The lie that the United States of America is a pluralistic society can be stopped. Much has already been done by a handful of faithful Christians who have added "works" to their "faith" by providing rich materials for the rest of us to use in battling the lie and preparing for the coming revival to our land.
We can be a part of reversing the "mudslide" oozing from the lie of pluralism working in our local community. It simply requires a commitment to restore the understanding of the Declaration's self-evident truths to our society in place of the lie that man is capable of operating in a society apart from his Creator God.
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Neil F. Markva 24