094 Trinity 20: It's Become a Cartoon
"Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident." ~ Psalm 27
It's Become a Cartoon
“The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.”
- New Left Notes (Students for a Democratic Society, Chicago, 1960’s)
There is no place for quarter with the devil. Every moment is either your chance to stand firm, or to be sold out. If you will not walk in self-control, then you will walk under the control of others.
We do not have a “news cycle” any more than we wrestle against flesh and blood. We do not know what is really going on. We do not know how these winds are turning for the apparent good or ill. We are not prophets nor seers. We shall not outwit the demons by being clever.
Theory is always more overwhelming than fact. Stories written by your enemies are the framework of your enslavement. Paper dragons and FOMO only have the power that you cede to them.
Issue framing is not a tactic of your enemy but his principle. It’s not “what” they're talking about but “how” they're talking about it and "why" they're letting you hear about it now. The only goal is moving their agenda forward.
So...what's yours?
Till angel cry and trumpet sound,
The Mad Christian
Clickbait Paradise
Spirits in a material world
Worshippers of the Singularity gathered in Spain recently to discuss the religion of transhumanism. Attendees at the TransVision 21 conference listened to presentations about the promise of immortality as a cyborg, in a Matrix-style future. While that all sounds outlandish and far away, the basic tenets of transhumanism are quietly being accepted at a granular level. Eleanor Cummins has written a piece at Wired which reveals a lot about the strange times we are in. Though she may not have intended to, Cummins draws together a number of threads which show how pervasive the transhuman worldview is becoming.
She notes how conducting our lives online for a year or more has reduced us to a "brain in a jar" mentality. But far from seeing this as detrimental, Cummins suggests this as a potential cure for society's ills. She writes that lockdowns and isolation gave "non-binary" people a chance to acknowledge the "dysphoria they feel out in the world." In other words, mediating our shared existence through digital apparatus has deluded some people into thinking of themselves apart from their physical bodies. She reports this as a helpful revelation.
Cummins then applies this logic to the hot topic of social media's toxicity to teen girls. Going beyond body positivity (where everyone feels good about how they look), or even body neutrality (which appreciates bodies for what they can do), Cummins suggests we should stop thinking about our bodies altogether. A psychologist quoted throughout the piece hopes the future will mean a complete absence of images of people. Problem solved.
Cummins raises some interesting points about how "self-objectification" and "self-surveillance" are features and bugs of the digital white noise. But the proposed solution is way too simplistic. Reducing inputs is a good thing. Thinking about yourself less is a good thing. But if you are ignorant of the corruption in fallen human nature, digital technology will just curve you further in on yourself. From youths who gazed at themselves in pools, to the trillions of selfies taken today, unhealthy comparison, discontent and alienation from others are often magnified by digital technology.
St James reminded his readers that what causes conflict and discontent is the idolatry in human hearts. "You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures." This problem is not one that will be fixed by discarding or ignoring our bodies but by being killed and made alive. Our Savior is the firstfruit, a picture of what we will be. His work begun in the waters of our baptism will be completed, not in a super machine, but in the Kingdom of our risen King.
Holding the line
An order from the US Navy will require all personnel on active duty to be vaccinated by the end of November. Unvaccinated sailors could also face court-martial and financial penalties. With the overwhelming majority of the force already vaccinated, it seems a vindictive move on the part of leadership.
To the Army... Archbishop for the Military Services says Catholic troops should be able to refuse COVID vaccines if taking it violates their conscience.
Meanwhile... A very bizarre video from North Korea has surfaced on the internet. Soldiers display their strength by smashing bricks and belting each other with poles. We're really not sure whether to be impressed or dismayed.
Chicago police are standing up to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, with potentially half the force set to defy mandates by walking out.
A Polish-Canadian pastor who went viral after chasing COVID police out of his church, has been ordered not to speak against health orders to his congregation. Pray for this man and that his courage will inspire us all to stand up for what is right.
Watch the numbers drop
For a bout of smug laughter, someone compiled the headlines around vaccine efficacy. While reduced usefulness in vaccines may seem to have an easy fix (booster shots all round!), Blaze Media has pointed out the problems with "leaky" vaccines. A vaccine which does not kill the virus nor reduce transmissibility leads to more resistant strains.
Merck wants emergency authorization for its treatment pill. Dr. Fauci described the med as "impressive" before he remembered his mantra and reminded people that they shouldn't rely on treatments but should get vaccinated.
The New York Times is catching up, reporting that an unvaccinated child has less risk of serious illness from COVID than a vaccinated 70 year old. An Israeli study found that aspirin reduced the risk of severe illness from COVID. We don't like to be conspiratorial, but experts have just changed advice on low-dose aspirin for heart attack prevention. Perhaps aspirin will be the next drug to be politicized. Crazy times, indeed.
Got 99 problems and they're all high class
Inflation continues to rise, hitting a 13-year high last week. One of the main blows to folks' budgets is the cost of fuel. After shutting down US production of fossil fuels to boost climate credentials, the government is now hoping foreign oil producers will help them out. But that might be harder said than done, as China has been happy to buy and stash fuelat any price.
So you might not even get a lump of coal at Christmas, with media sources warning that supply chain bottlenecks could cause headaches for holiday shopping. Major retailers have said they will work 24/7 to to clear the backlog and west coast ports will stay open to unload cargo ships. Footage of the queue of ships off California is quite a spectacle.
Yet, according to one Harvard prof, inflation and supply chain issues are the "high class" problems you get from modern monetary policy and ultimately, things could have been much worse... Just give it time, buddy. In the end, people are still shopping though and making the season merry and bright doesn't have to cost the earth.
In other holiday news, USPS has enforced a slow-mode on the postal service, in a bid to overhaul the service.
Speaker Pelosi may have said a quiet thing out loud at a press conference this week. When asked why the public doesn't seem to like the Democrats proposed spending bills, the Speaker chided journalists for not doing a better job of selling them. She is convinced that people "overwhelmingly support" the bills, even if they don't know it. It is strange how Speaker Pelosi assumes the media will carry water for her party. Perhaps they have not considered that people don't like "free" money as much as the Democrats assume.
Service denied
Microsoft is shutting down the Chinese branch of LinkedIn, citing harsh internet censorship and regulation from the CCP. The company will set up a jobs search site in China, with no social media element. The Chinese government also requested that Appleremove the Bible and Quaran apps from its online store.
The recent outage of Facebook and all its services had people asking, "Why does the internet keep breaking?" Experts have concluded it might be too centralized. "The internet isn't the large-scale distributed network that DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), the original architects of the internet, tried to create, which could withstand a nuclear-strike on any part of it... A single glitch in its core infrastructure can bring the whole thing crashing to the floor." A single glitch, you say?
Golden opportunity
Press Secretary Jenn Psaki said last week that President Biden is keen to make "fundamental changes"in the economy and that coming out of the pandemic is "exactly the time to do that." The comment sounded very "Great Reset-ish" to many, and it's hard to doubt that our elites are doing all in their power to see their new world order come to pass.
The blocks are still scattered, but those who are paying attention can see how a new tower of Babel could come together. Mollie Hemingway appeared on The Federalist Radio Hour podcast last week to discuss her new book. Hemingway lays out what she has discovered in her research, including all the ways Democrats have changed the rules to make it easier to stay in power. Facebook donations, to the tune of $420M were used to support Democratic agendas in key counties.
In related news, outspoken RC archbishop, Carlos Vigano says the Pope is all in on the Great Reset. Archbishop Vigano said that Pope Francis wishes to turn the church into a "philanthropic society." May the Lord frustrate the plans of the heathen and make their devices of no effect! (Psalm 33)
Remember what you read
The Mad Christian and Dr. Koontz have spoken a number of times about the differences between books and screens and exercising discernment in all things. Farnam Street blog has published a couple of pieces recently that touch on some points that will interest Mad Monday readers. The first is a piece about how to remember what you read and fans of Sönke Ahrens' "smart notes" will recognize some of the techniques. The author also suggests not wasting time with books you find uninteresting but recommends returning to worthwhile books again and again. This will be familiar advice to those who've been following along with Rev Fisk. Returning repeatedly to study favorite passages of Scripture will change your life, fo' sho!
The second piece that caught our attention argues that reading news makes you less informed, rather than more. Mad Christians will appreciate that the ephemeral nature of The News makes it next to useless when determining what it means to live a good life. The writer points out that the speed of the news cycle and the blending of opinion and fact are all designed to keep you coming back. Too much information results in a "poverty of attention" and often drowns out your own thoughts. News can be useful for some things and it is true some Christians could stand to be more informed about what the zeitgeist is up to. But reading important books and letting your thoughts percolate without inputs will help to pick out the meat and spit out the bones.
Headlines from far away
Inquiry into the Roman Catholic church in France finds 200,000 cases of sex abuse since 1950.
A Muslim convert killed five people with a bow and arrow in Denmark
Iraq elections see a low turnout
A British MP was murdered during a meeting with his constituents
Mosque bombings in Afghanistan kill more than 45 people
Quick Hits for the Eyebuds
🕶️ As strange as you imagine: Full-face sunglasses
🍏 What we can learn from the cusp of an apple
🛥️ When your dream house is on the wrong side of the bay
💣 Miniature models show the intricacies of WWI trench warfare
💰 Crypto thieves are phishing one-time passwords
🥶 Scientists made the coldest temperature ever
🇵🇪 A Peruvian artist paints staircases to look like rugs
⚰️ Cremation has overtaken burial in USA
🔩 Scientists are finding a use for metal-eating bacteria
🚢 The Lego Titanic is the largest set yet
🌱 Nanobionic plants glow in the dark
🌧️ Can you jump rope fast enough to stop rain?
🦌 A bull elk has been freed after wandering two years with a tire around its neck
🛫 Boeing chief test pilot indicted for lying about 737 safety
🕷️ Disney has made a Spiderman robot and it's the end of the world as we know it
A Good Word: Rec's from the Fisks
Stop the White Noise, Start the Reading?
Amos: a Concordia Commentary by R. Reed Lessing
Without Flesh by Jonathan Fisk
Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World by Sissy Goff
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas
Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff by Chip Gaines
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Most Magisterial Tulips: a WETV classic
Good by Jocko 👇
Sweetness You May Have Missed
How to Read the Bible: Ephesians
Let us pray: O God, Your divine wisdom sets in order all things in heaven and on earth. Put away from us all things hurtful and give us those things that are beneficial for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.