America – curtandtheotherguy.com

What’s Wrong America?

Curt — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 09:50:52 +0000

We live in the most accepting generation in American history, yet we have more suicide, mental illness, murder, and issues of self-acceptance than ever before. We must ask ourselves “why?”

Firearms are the Leading Cause of Death for Children in the United States But Rank No Higher Than Fifth in Other Industrialized Nations

I do not believe guns are the problem. Could it be we have coddled our children too much? Are we creating selfish adults who do not know how to deal with the problems of life? What are your thoughts?

Here’s an interesting about political correctness and raising coddled children. Do you think this has any bearing on our epidemic of mass shootings?

Louisville Bank Shooting

Curt — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 10:35:23 +0000

First, what a tragedy. No one argues with that. Loss of life and loss of peace,—both are terrible. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families.

Second, what’s the cause? I will say very honestly that I just don’t know. My first thought in situations like this is mental illness. I don’t know that, and I’m not a doctor or therapist—I just know that normal people do not do these types of things.

Third, I don’t believe guns are the main problem. Should some people not be allowed to own guns? Yes! If one cannot pass a background check on mental fitness and criminal background, he or she should not be allowed to own a gun. Other than those reasons, people have an inherent right to self-defense, and guns are the great equalizer. Do I believe we need to protect schools better? Absolutely! Do I believe there might be some other things down to prevent some of these tragedies? I hope so, but I don’t know any that are worth the trade off. Please let me know if you know of measures that would prevent senseless killings while preserving the right to self-defense.

Finally, I’ve seen suggestions that we take away guns from people because people are the problem. The problem with that logic is that the only people who will have guns will be government agents and criminals—neither of whom are as concerned about my life and my rights as I am.

I’ll end with this quote from an article I read about the shooter. I don’t know if it contains the answer or just maybe a hint, but I thought is was powerful: “Neighbors were in disbelief Monday afternoon. Most said they didn’t know Sturgeon and hadn’t spoken to him, never seeing warnings signs of Monday’s tragedy.” Of course they saw no warning signs because they did not know the man. Maybe that’s our real problem—we don’t take the time to really know one another.

What Say Ye?

Separation of Church and State

Curt — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 09:40:47 +0000

I believe in the separation of Church and State not because the Constitution supports it but because my faith supports it. When the Church and the State are married, the State gains even more power (which it does not need), and the Church becomes more tainted and corrupted by the power structure of the World. Name a religious persecution, and I’ll wager that almost all of them were conducted by the State in conjunction with the Church, or in a nation where the State has replaced the Church or subjugated it. According to the way I read the Bible, God established three distinct societal institutions–the Home, the State, and the Church. They each have a jurisdiction–an area of responsibility. We run into very serious trouble when we try to combine these institutions, or when one of them tries to control the others.

Back to the subject at hand. The Church is weakened when it seeks the approval of the State, or when it seeks the support of the State. The Church is deceived when it accepts the aid and support of the State and thinks that there are no strings attached. (This is also true with local and state governments and individuals. The State will always offer something “helpful'” but will later use that aid as a cudgel to obtain compliance from its people.) The only partner to gain in a Church-State marriage is the State. The Church loses sight of its mission when it marries the State. The Church is a spiritual entity that should exemplify non-violence and peace. The State is a physical entity characterized by brute force and violence. The two do not share a common purpose or common character traits. The State is characterized by “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”–desire for power over others, greed, and narcissistic hubris. The Church of Jesus Christ should demonstrate the polar opposite attitude.

Finally (if there really ever is such a thing ), I am not opposed to Christians running for office or speaking in the public square. (Neither am I opposed to any person of faith doing these things.) I will give this warning though: I believe it is extremely difficult to maintain a Christ-like attitude while being immersed in the machinations of the State. It is akin to entering the proverbial lion’s den. I believe the Church is much more effective when it focuses on its God-given mission to make disciples. That is a process that is done on an individual basis, not in conjunction with the power of the State.

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Is America Founded on the Gospel?

Curt — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 10:15:31 +0000

The other day I was perusing some of my friends’ posts and came upon one that claimed that America was founded on the Gospel. (Actually, it was a meme purporting that Patrick Henry made the claim.) I immediately experienced a visceral reaction, for if America was founded on the Gospel of Christ; that would potentially justify genocide, racism, sexism, slavery, greed, and a whole host of other evils. Now, stay with me.

One has to ask oneself: What exactly is the Gospel. Well, according to I Corinthians 15 it is this: “Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day…” Later in that chapter, Paul says the Gospel is what saves us. (We can discuss what it means to be saved later if you’d like.) Suffice it to say that believing in the Gospel is supposed to change us from hateful, bigoted, greedy, selfish, murderous, adulterous, thieving… individuals. If it doesn’t, then it is not the Gospel but a false Gospel (see Galatians 1).

I find much to admire and honor in our nation’s founding, but I fail to see “Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, according to the scriptures” in our founding documents. I think it’s obvious that many of our Founders were believers, but many others were Deists or nominal Christians. Our founding documents express familiarity with the Bible, Classical society, Natural Law, British Common Law, and Enlightenment thinking. To say our nation was founded on the Gospel distorts the Gospel.

As far as human nations go, I think America got a lot right, but precisely because our nation was founded by sinful men; we also got a lot of things wrong. Let’s stop equating patriotism with Christianity. Christ came to create a new nation founded on love for God and love for others. If the Gospel we believe does not give us that type of love, it is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Do Americans Trust Authority?

Curt — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 11:58:55 +0000

The Covid-19 virus has exposed very clearly one of our great national problems: Americans do not trust their institutions any longer. We don’t trust Congress; we don’t trust the bureaucracies; we don’t trust the educational system; we don’t trust the MSM; we don’t trust the Church; we don’t trust the economic system; we don’t trust the electoral system; we don’t trust the opposition political party—you get the point.
The question is why. Why don’t we trust these institutions? It’s really quite simple: These institutions have violated our trust too many times.
We’ve seen politicians lie time and again; we’ve watched bureaucrats change their stories, color their stories, and refuse to admit when they are wrong or just plain don’t know; we’ve seen teachers and administrators move from educating to indoctrinating; we’ve watched as the MSM has become unapologetically partisan and refuse to investigate and question “their team members”; we’ve seen Church and Religious leaders cover up for abuse and teach doctrines that are openly contradictory to their Sacred Books; we watch as the government issues tax breaks, bailouts, “loans,” and actual handouts to corporations and millionaires; we’ve watched as BOTH parties claim that the duly-elected President is “not my President”; and I don’t really need to describe slimy politicians.
Now all of this explains “vaccine hesitancy,” and trying to FORCE people to do something that they don’t trust just doesn’t make sense.
What is the answer? US—we are the answer. We have to do the right thing; we have to follow the golden rule; we have to hold our leaders accountable.
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