America Under A Strong Delusion

The Word on Politics ^ | 2/19/16 | Andy Woods

[Aquamarine]

America Under A Strong Delusion

I had originally intended to write a series of posts explaining why Republican voters should select Ted Cruz in the upcoming primaries and reject Donald Trump. My working title for the series was going to be "Why We Must Choose Cruz and Dump Trump." However, after a conversation with my wife the other evening, I have decided not to write the series primarily for the reason that ist has finally occurred to me that America's mmreal problem is not a lack of information. Thus, such a series of articles would largely be a waste of time. Recently, I have reluctantly come to the realization that Americans, with very few exceptions, are really not interested in facts or logic. We are living among a generation where facts no longer seem to matter.

The truth of the matter is that America is finally under the judgment of God. Our nation has been given over to what it wants. America is under a deluding influence. Such a deleterious condition cannot be remedied with better and more aggressive public policy arguments. The Scripture teaches that people can go so far in their sin that God finally removes His hand of restraint upon them and finally gives them over to what they want to do. This is the very thing that happened to Pharaoh in the Old Testament. After hardening his own heart several times against God (Exod. 7:13, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7), God finally hardened Pharaoh's heart and gave Pharaoh over to what he wanted to do (Exod. 4:21; 9:12). This removal of divine restraint as a sign of judgment upon a culture is also the key theme of Romans 1:18:32. In this troubling section of the Bible, after people no longer see fit to retain the knowledge of God (Rom. 1:18-23), God is said to repeatedly give them over (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28) to the sins that they are so eager to commit. The prophet Jeremiah anticipated that same type of turning over by God in his own day when he recorded the following chilling words from the Lord, "As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you" (Jer. 7:16). We see the same type of judgment predicted for the end times as people will be given over to a spirit of delusion that will cause them to embrace the antichrist. Second Thessalonians 2:11-12 says, "For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness."

Why do I believe that America is now at this delicate tipping point? Largely, it is because of the meteoric rise of a person like Donald Trump in American politics. The man is a moral and verbal sewer. He has no political resume. Rather, his campaign has been buoyed by empty promises devoid of any real substance or meaningful content. He merely repeats mantras that the voters want to hear similar to the types of statements that Barack Obama gave us back in 2008. You know the rhetoric: "I'm going to build a wall around America and make Mexico pay for it." "We are going to make this country great again." "Believe me, Americans are going to win again." "We are actually going to win so many times we are going to get tired of winning." "Trust me, it is going to be great." This type of rhetoric seems more akin to that of a used car salesman rather than that of a serious presidential contender. These sentiments are nothing more than empty slogans since they never reveal exactly how Trump plans to accomplish these great exploits. These are the sorts of trite statements that third world dictators endlessly propagate upon their beleaguered people. In fact, according to Imelda Marcos, the public expression "we are going to make this nation great again" is the very slogan that Ferdinand Marcos articulated just prior to coming to power in the 1950s in the Philippines and prior to Marcos' imposition of martial law.

1 The fact that all the evidence indicates that Truump throughout the course of his entire life really never believed all of the conservative positions that he now supposedly holds 2 is really of no consequence to people. When anybody dares to shed light on Trump's longtime liberal worldview by pointing out that "the king is naked," they are simply shouted down as a "liar" or victimized by various other ad hominem attacks. Such was the sum and substance of last Saturday's Republican Primary debate in South Carolina. The masses really are not interested in information related to Trump's liberal worldview since they have already made a decision to blindly follow Trump on the basis that he tells them what they want to hear. In fact, the bigger a fool Trump makes of himself on the national stage, the larger his poll numbers seem to climb. This, in and of itself, is perhaps the greatest evidence of the deluding influence that is now descending upon America. Ask yourself a simple question. How is it possible for Trump to repeat the Michael Moore and Code Pink left wing lunacy that former President George Bush intentionally misled the American people about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in a recent Republican primary debate and in a conservative state like South Carolina, and have his poll numbers rise and not fall as a result? Such public folly would have been sufficient to derail any Presidential aspirations in prior generations. The only explanation is that the voters are no longer being driven by their mental and rational faculties. Rather, they are being primarily fueled by irrational emotion due to a deluding influence.

I realize that a recent poll showed Cruz leading his primary challengers nationally.3 However, this poll is an aberration with the majority of them showing Trump clobbering his opponents in upcoming primaries.4 What Republican primary voters are apparently on the precipice of doing, if the present poll numbers are an accurate indication, is to reject a Senator Ted Cruz Presidential nomination in exchange for that of a show man and a game show host. Think about how monumental this is. Ted Cruz is an articulate conservative who has a track record of opposing progressivism not only within the Democratic Party but also in his own Republican party. Cruz has had a stellar legal career successfully arguing numerous cases favoring conservatism before the United States Supreme Court. Even the ultra-liberal Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz reluctantly conceded that Ted Cruz was one of the most brilliant law students ever under his tutelage.5 Cruz is also a man not only of deep Christian conviction but also, as demonstrated by his actions, someone who is committed to the principles of limited government set forth by America's founders. There is nobody as qualified to replace potentially four Supreme Court vacancies that the next President will likely have the opportunity to fill, than Ted Cruz. Yet, this kind of man with this kind of record is no longer attractive to the majority of Americans voters. They would much rather embrace the progenitor of a reality TV show. What further evidence do we need to confidently say that America is now under a deluding influence given by God himself as a judgment upon this nation?

Further evidence of God withdrawing his hand from America might also be found in the recent deaths of former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Theologian Dr. Charles Ryrie. Both of these men were similar in their ambition to honor authorial intent. They were both giants and sources of great spiritual light in their respective fields. What Scalia was to the field of Constitutional interpretation, Ryrie was to the field of biblical theology. Yet, within the span of a few days, as both men passed, these lights to the culture were removed by the hand of God. In fact, it very well may be that God has raised up Ted Cruz only for the single purpose of being rejected by voters in order to demonstrate once and for all that Americans are under a spiritual delusion. Like the Ninevites of old, the current generation of Americans apparently are no longer capable of discerning their right hand from their left (Jonah 4:11). Of course, in my heart of hearts, I want to be wrong about all of this. I want to believe that there is still hope for this once great nation. I want to once again trust the good sense of the American electorate. However, as explained above, I have my doubts. If Trump overwhelmingly wins the Republican primaries in South Carolina on Saturday and then on Super Tuesday on March 1st, then these unfortunate suspicions will be confirmed.

[wideawake]

Candidates have a fine line to walk.

They need to explain that their religious convictions drive their sense of right and wrong and enter into their political decisions.

At the same time they need to demonstrate that they are apllying for jobs that require impartiality toward all law-abiding citizens.

The fact is that Donald Trump's "base" in the real world is unchurched, non-college educated white men over 50, and his "base" on Twitter is largely anti-Semites.

Both groups have a strong animosity toward "holy rollers."

[TXnMA]

" However, one point that was not discussed, and has greatly perplexed me, is how it is that a number of nationally known conservative and evangelical leaders have now publicly embraced Trump."

~~~~~

Well, then, you missed the entire point of the article: God has given the US over to its own delusions. (Not quite, "Go to hell!", but, more closely, "Go wherever your perverted, deluded, sinful desires take you.")

The result is the same...

The recent degradation in FR discourse -- indeed, the anti-religion, sarcastic tone and delusional "anti-Trump" misinterpretation of this very thread -- is proof.

[Obadiah]

Been around awhile, but even I have found the recent discourse here shocking — in a very, very disappointing way.

[xzins]

It's hard to deny that this IS an anti-Trump article. It tries to use religion to undergird it's anti-trump opinion. The bottom line is that it's opinion, and that religious opinions can be countered point by point by someone who sees it differently. The bottom line is Daniel 2. God raises and deposes kings. Lots of evidence exists that Trump will win. In that is the hand of God. God raised idolatrous nebuchadnezzar to be both a judgment and a blessing to israel. He raised idolatrous Cyrus and nonetheless used him as a blessing.

[betty boop]

Here's a little tidbit from Ralph Waldo Emerson that bears on the current controversy re: Donald Trump:

People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character. We can only see what we are; if we misbehave, we suspect others.

Read in "Donald Trump" for "the world" here to get my gist....

My prediction, FWIW: Ted Cruz is toast. At this point he'd be lucky to win the Texas primary.

From my point of view, a genuine Christian does not tell lies. [Which Cruz definitely does, systematically]. For a lie is always a falsification of Reality, of the Creation that God has made and ever sustains.

Why is it that some of the most uncharitable, merciless, and vain people I know are self-described Christians?

[xzins]

See #84

[Jeff Head]

As a nation, we are where we are. Everyone who sincerely believes in, accepts as their personal Savior, and seeks to follow Jesus Christ (realizing that we are all weak vessels which is precisely why we need His atonement) should be praying for our nation on a daily basis...and along the lines (IMHO) of II Chron. 7:14.

Our nation has much to atone for collectively...and most specifically with abortion which is the wanton killing of God's innocent children in the womb.

At the same time, there are tens of millions of good Christian Americans who do not agree with it and have worked tirelessly to fight it. I believe that if God would have speared Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of 50 (and less) then he will spare America for the sake of 50 million (and more).

This does not mean that He will not call us up in remembrance of what He has done for our nation, or to continue to call us repent and call upon Him. He has told us that he is willing to Chastise those He loves...and American will definitely be chastised, just as the children of Israel (IMHO).

Relating to Trump, I recently had a close friend ask me about Trump and the concerns he has with him. Here's how I replied:

My biggest issue with Trump is his disposition. My biggest fear is that if presented with a Congress that balks or does not rubber stamp what he wants...he would be inclined himself to use “Executive Action,” to bypass Congress.

This would be just as unconstitutional...even if he is doing things we happen to like (like on immigration).

Having said that, I believe Trump wants America to be strong in terms of economics, in terms of immigration, taxes (see economics), foreign policy, military (see foreign policy).

I believe he has changed his own tune/view with respect to abortion, at least I believe he is sincere. He has kids and grandkids now...and the life events associated with having and loving grandkids tends to be a strong influence away from abortion for people who are honest and who love their families.

Finally, I think he is absolutely serious about actually doing the following:

- The Wall and Immigration sanity
- Overturning Obama Care and replacing it
- Rescinding/not honoring Obama’s Iran deal
- Tax Reform
- Stronger foreign policy geared to American interests
- A strong US Military (procurement, funding, technology)
- Defunding Planned Parenthood
- Support of local Police

(On that last one, I have a feeling he would come down on hard on activities like we are seeing with the Black Lives Matter crowd’s inciting riot and sedition.)

I am not sure we will see reversals on some of the social issues...which need to be addressed as well.

But on these issues...I am not sure we will see what Obama (and others) have done turned around. Maybe he will...but I am simply not sure:

- Gay Marriage
- Sexual orientations in the military
- Pushing women into combat (SpecOps, Subs, etc.)
- Use of Imminent domain
- Etc.

But, given where we are as a nation right now, if Trump will actually go forward and do the majority of that first list...I believe he would have the support of a Republican Congress and it would make a huge difference in turning things around for the better from where they are right now.

Cruz is still my first choice for reasons I have already explained many times here on FR...but because I honestly believe what I just wrote about Trump...I would absolutely vote for Trump if he is the nominee.

Any of the remaining GOP candidates would be many orders of magnitude better for this nation (despite whatever flaws they have...and they all have them, just as we do) than Sanders, or Hillary, or Bloomberg, etc.

[betty boop]

My biggest issue with Trump is his disposition. My biggest fear is that if presented with a Congress that balks or does not rubber stamp what he wants...he would be inclined himself to use "Executive Action" to bypass Congress.

Dear Jeff, I do not see on what objective, rational basis this fear rests.

I totally agree with your list of things that Trump is "absolutely serious about actually doing." As far as the social issues are concerned, the PROBLEM is that the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT has taken them up in the first place. ALL the issues you mention are, to me, properly Tenth Amendment matters (with the exceptions of gays in the military and women in combat roles -- the government was foolish to tred there in the first place). These issues should have been left to the several States and the People thereof to decide. IMHO, the federal government should not be in the prescriptive morality business in the first place.

At least, that is my belief FWIW.

Also, FWIW, I have strong doubts that Bloomberg will run as a third-party candidate -- unless he actually wants to prove the maxim, "The fool and his money are quickly parted." I think he's too smart for that....

As far as Hillary is concerned, she is a strident, charmless, graceless person, with a well-documented history of systematic, pathological lying over the past three decades, with probable serious health issues, who is in deep legal do-do over her private, illegal server and "pay-to-play" charitable foundation... . How on earth is she electable?

And Bernie Sanders -- are there enough callow children around to elect a septuagenarian socialist/communist??? Jeepers, maybe he'd be lucky to survive his first term in office....

Good grief!!! What a political year this is! I've never seen anything like it before, in my lifetime!

Meanwhile, I'm all-in for The Donald.

Thanks so much for writing, Jeff.

[xzins]

I agree with most of your post, Sister Betty, and I commend you on it. I do agree that things like a homosexualist military and a non-qualified military are things the federal government ‘can’ decide. Whether it is socially or militarily wise should be decided by the next commander in chief. A commander should have the flexibility to fight his wars according to sound military principles and not according to a past commander’s vision. A Trump SHOULD be able to say that for the sake of combat effectiveness he can change any social arrangement that has been made.

You say that things such as homosexual marriage should be left to the states. My objection to that is the 10th amendment does say “or to the people” or something like that. No government, state or any other, has the authority to impose homosexualism, abortion, or any other unwanted behavior on any people. Those issues should be a matter of referendum. And in most states the PEOPLE voted them down.

The arrogance of the judiciary in thinking it has the authority to strike down a fairly voted upon, rational decision of the people about what they want their community to look like is anti-constitutional, for WE THE PEOPLE have established this government and we are the premier branch of government.

[Lazamataz]

My biggest issue with Trump is his disposition.

America needs a Pinochet. We need to systemically remove liberals from the population.

Trump will create motorcycle death squads. That's all I ask for, is that so wrong?

[Lazamataz]

Motorcycle Death Squads are sanctioned in the New Testament.

“Lo, verily, be not of socialist mind, lest the soldier astride the iron beast snuff it. Selah.”

[betty boop]

No government, state or any other, has the authority to impose homosexualism, abortion, or any other unwanted behavior on any people. Those issues should be a matter of referendum. And in most states the PEOPLE voted them down.

Exactly right, dear brother in Christ!

But this situation has occurred precisely because the pro-abortion, pro-gay rights activists KNOW that no state nor federal legislature will pass their agenda; and popular referenda that do not go their way are to be ignored. That is why their chosen strategy is to apply to the courts -- even though, as the only non-political branch of the three separate but equal branches of government, the courts have no competence under the Constitution (federal or state) to take up such issues in the first place.

But politically activist courts DO take up these issues. I consider this state of affairs to be at complete variance with the Framers' understanding of the role of the courts. I.e., they are designed from the get-go to be non-political in their scope and functions; to be fair adjudicators of controversies in which they have no part themselves.

Thus the critical importance of judicial philosophy of judges appointed to the Article III courts. There is no constitutional room for politicians on such courts.

Thank you so much for your insightful essay/post, dear brother In Christ!

[betty boop]

...In that is the hand of God. God raised idolatrous nebuchadnezzar to be both a judgment and a blessing to israel. He raised idolatrous Cyrus and nonetheless used him as a blessing.

The Lord makes all things new. Sometimes what we perceive to be a curse turns out to be a blessing. First and last, all proceeds according to the will, the wisdom, and the grace of God.

All thanks and praise be unto Him!!!

Thank you so much, dear Brother xzins, for your beautiful essay/post!

[right way right]

bttt