Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday October 16, 2008

I often write about Western Civilization and many of my readers assume I am a civilization aficionado, yet nothing could be farther from the truth. I like the idea of civilization, but in reality we humans have never seen or read about a true civilization, except the one to come with Jesus.

Just take a moment, read the paper, or catch a news program and it will not take long to grasp the glaring fact that all talk of civilized politics, and civilized education, along with civilized human relationships is more talk than substance.

Auguste Rodin, the French sculptor stated it well when he wrote:

"Civilization is, after all, but a coat of paint that washes away when the rain falls."

As our "civilized" presidential campaign comes to a close, it is apparent that any semblance of civilized debate was thrown out the window by all parties, and yes, I did notice that there are more than two parties in the hunt. To be honest, most humans are civilized enough to act the part when things go well and even the little woman is in agreement. But then…

Religion would have us believe that the answer to developing a true civilization on planet earth is to produce a currently perfect man, as for some reason religion has trouble conceiving the perfect woman. A few sects even teach that a man or woman can become so disassociated from the principle of sin, that the adherent to said sect will no longer sin. I met a man in younger days who claimed that, through much self denial, totally subjugating his wife, and his children living in the torment of fear, that he, the quintessential practitioner of his chosen group, had not sinned in nigh on to twenty years and was so holy that he could never again sin. What a wonder to never again have to make a choice about temptation etc.

Being young and skeptical of things religious, I pressed a few buttons, and before my tender eyes, the dear man, fell into a cussing fit, that would do even a logger who had been staying practiced up proud. It was like taking a bicycle ride after a few years, it just comes back.

The point of this being not to ridicule a sectarian dreamer, but to show that civilization, even with a super religious tone, is as defined by Rodin, a coat of paint, and a thin one at that, which will wash right off when a little rain falls.

I believe that government is established by God for His glory and the benefit of the governed, the governor is to govern for God, and not for himself or the people, but on behalf of God. Tragically many governors begin to believe that are in fact God. You know the rest. Civilization as laid out by God in scriptures makes no bones about the imperfections of the race, and thus treats said imperfection harshly. The teaching that the race can be governed by reward and punishment has and will continue to fail. Christ taught the truth of an inner change that civilizes from the inside out. We all know you can polish an apple, but polish does nothing for the worm as worms are inside the apple and will out in spite all the polish in the world. So it is with humans, we really do need Christ, freely working on the inside, and we must understand this is a lifelong process that will be completed when, and only when we see Christ face to face. In the meantime to protect your reputation it is good to stay out of the rain.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2008 Use with credit.

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