Communication

Influence

by Edy T Johnson 
08/18/15
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Influence

"We need people to understand," the old-timer whispered to the street urchins around his chair. "We aren't so wicked as they say. We're just treasure hunters, after all."

The young heads nodded silently. It truly wasn't fair that they had to operate under cover of darkness. Couldn't people realize the danger they faced with such an occupation? The bigots* criticizing their activities didn't know what they were talking about. They weren't born this way, after all.

"We need a strategy," the old mentor continued. "Others have set an example we can follow. We will change people's minds so they not only accept and support us. We will force them to feel guilty for even suggesting that we are wrong, that we have a choice, another option to live any other way…

"Oh yes, and we will make use of euphemisms to change the meanings of words, to foster such confusion that we can shut the mouth of any opposition. Our 'burglars-pride' agenda would be too obvious. No, let's call it…."

His voice trailed away. The wayward boys waited in silence for the rest of the man's ideas.

My not-so-far-fetched analogy has played out in front of our eyes more than once in my lifetime. If you've never watched the 1968 movie "Oliver" (based on Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist), I cannot recommend it enough. The touching story about Fagin and his "solution" to the problem of orphans on the streets of London (a masquerade for his own greed as well), a wonderful morality play, illustrates the depths of one's imagination to justify evil as good.

In similar fashion, today, the public's attention is diverted from the underlying wrong and taken off on a tangent away from genuine solutions to address the ills of society. Beyond that, these illegitimate efforts at subterfuge actually compound and magnify such problems.

Look at the tragic outcome for some 57 million children destroyed through abortion. The purveyors of such an atrocity follow the same pattern. They convince themselves they are doing good, which should outweigh, in their minds, the bad that they do.

A similar smoke-and-mirrors, bait-and-switch strategy has brought us to the so-called (because it certainly is not merry and bright) "gay pride" phenomenon. The vulnerable and immature are deluded and deceived by the enemy into the claim that they are only acknowledging "the way God made me."

No. He didn't. God's creation was "very good," only good. Only mankind can claim the prize for corrupting God's creation, polluting today's strange world in which wrong is declared right.

The original "thought police" achieve their goal. They convince the general public to take over as thought police to such success they eliminate all the "undesirables." That includes especially the voice of the church, if not the still small Voice in one's heart.

But, be of good cheer! The Bible tells us the man of lawlessness must be revealed. When we view this unholy mess through the lens of God's Word, we can rejoice and look up, for our redemption draws nigh.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)

...16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:16-17)

...For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.... (1 Corinthians 14:33)

*Old English bī God - by God

Copyright 2015 by--Edy T Johnson--