159 Epiphany 4: Just Pretending
"O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?" ~ Psalm 15
Just Pretending
The study of the modern soul is a delve into the dark mechanics of dissection as purpose, the observation of nihilism as a spirit of fragmentation, an exposure of how the industrialization of the person is the industrialization of the self is the industrialization of a man’s inner talk. This is not something that could happen to you. This is what hashappened to all of us.
We are programmed. The gnosticizing machine of the talking picture has seen to that, leaving those of us reared on its spectral imagining ill-equipped for the gritty real of God’s good but corrupted earth. When you never see where your life comes from, when you instead buy it at the mall or at the online agora, you may be fat and happy today, but you never face the hard things.
You never practice facing the hard things that are much of what life is about.
Soft of mind and heart is what they have made us. A nation of rugged individuals? More like a casino filled with video slots. The more time your soul spends in the “suspension of belief” necessary for imbibing talking pictures, the more dispossessed of your own psychology you will become. That is, the more possessed your heart will become of the worldly (but spectral) things you spend so much time seeing. That is, the more mindless (as opposed to mindful) you will become of the ways you are being constantly in-formed by someone who is not your God.
Or is it?
A flood of stories is bombarding you. Wooing you. Cajoling you. Overwhelming you into feeling that whatever it says must be somewhat true, is probably necessary to check on, simply cannot be lived without.
An actor who never leaves the stage, though he stay perfectly in character for the rest of his life, is quite mad.
Till angel cry and trumpet sound,
The Mad Christian
Clickbait Paradise
In this edition of Mad Mondays:
Indoctrination in schools
Make beauty great again
Japan's aging problem
We don't need no indoctrination
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida continues to prove he is a speed bump in the road when it comes to the plans of liberal progressive types. Last week, the Governor's office rejected a proposed curriculum for a course on African American history. DeSantis said the course was indoctrination, not education, as it contained modules about queer theory, intersectionality, and abolishing prisons.
Critical Race Theory and gender indoctrination in schools are worthy targets of scrutiny, and hopefully other red state governors will follow the DeSantis' playbook. However, there is a lot of sneakiness on the part of those who wish to peddle progressive ideas to kids. Although teaching of Critical Race Theory is banned in Alabama schools, Project Veritas discovered that companies writing curriculum know they can smuggle the tenets of identity politics into classrooms if they just avoid labeling it as such.
Author James Lindsay says flagrantly Marxist principles are also being smuggled into classrooms through the capture of what is know as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Although he has a much longer lecture on the topic, his 15-minute "bullet" summary is a handy overview.
SEL was formulated decades ago but really hit the mainstream of educational theory in the 80s and 90s. The aim was to teach children to take responsibility for their actions, regulate emotions, as well as skills to manage conflict. Lindsay says that programs were developed for troubled kids and held outside the classroom with a licensed therapist of some sort. Now many states mandate measuring of SEL goals, so it's fair to say that even the most wide awake teachers are likely marinating in these ideas even while studiously avoiding woke ideology.
Advocates for school choice say that a lot of this indoctrination could be starved off if parents were allowed to vote with their feet. All eyes will be on Iowa where Governor Kim Reynolds just passed a bill that will enable funding to follow students wherever they go. A number of states are poised to follow Iowa's lead. It's a good start.
But here again, James Lindsay has some useful cautions. He argues that school choice is necessary but insufficient for combating what he calls the Marxification of education. He warns that unless all the "pipelines" into schools – teacher licensing, higher education courses, unions – are also cleaned up, then school choice bills might amount to pushing water uphill. Worse than that, unless criteria for school choice funding are carefully crafted, it may end up fueling the dream of a globalist "4.0 education" – a Marxist education taught through unaccountable private schools, but funded with taxpayer money.
We'll mention again that we at Mad Mondays are fans of homeschooling. But anyone for whom that is not an option, make sure you know your enemy. If you caught Stop the White Noise this weekend, Rev Fisk gave some great advice to consider if you send your kids to school. Ask Jesus for wisdom and pray for them.
Lost arts
For a while now, certain corners of the internet have been filled with chatter about how conservatives are all talk. They're very good at reacting to the outrageous ideas of progressives but fail hard when it comes to getting things done. It is criticism worth considering, but we are well aware of what is at stake.
Over at The Federalist, Elle Purnell asks the question when it comes to art. Pointing out all the brutalist buildings, tasteless sanctuaries and ugly public art has its place, but why don't we get in the scrap and start creating beautiful things that reflect what we believe?
The city of Boston recently unveiled a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr and it was met with mixed reactions. It is pretty weird. Disembodied arms embrace each other in a bronze sculpture that one critic described as "awkward".
There are outlandish and ugly things, bland utilitarian things, but there are also twisted things. The pagan and profane worldlings are not apologising for their religion and this is evident in a new statue placed on a New York City courthouse. A golden woman with horns and tentacles is presented as a defender of abortion, presiding over a place of justice.
In the Word, we find something on which to stand in this decaying age. Forgiveness found in Jesus Chris, hope and a future. As Purnell writes, we are those who know that beauty exists.
If you are captured by the beauty of creation, the glory of God's plan of salvation, the wonder of his Word, the mystery of his presence in word and sacrament – then write, draw, sing a new song, commission a public work.. Purnell writes, "our self-loathing Western civilization is overdue for a renaissance of art designed to point its viewer toward beauty or truth, not just chaos and 'resistance'". You love to see it!
We are legend
China announced recently that its population shrunk for the first time since the 1960s. Now, Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida said his country is on the "verge of whether we can continue to function as a society" due to the declining birth rate and lack of children. Like a number of countries, Japan had a post-war baby boom, but for a while now, demographers have been pointing to it as an example of what can happen when a society doesn't produce enough children.
Apart from the aging population, loneliness in Japan is considered a dire enough problem for the government to appoint a minister to tackle it. Lack of families has given rise to the phenomenon of "solitary deaths". Finding enough people to care for the elderly has prompted the use of automated care, but as you may have guessed, robots are no substitute for human relationships and actually create new problems.
The government also started offering monetary incentives to families willing to move awayfrom Tokyo to small and aging villages. The tiny village of Nagoro has been replacing citizens with effigies after they die. If people heed Kishida's warning, perhaps it can put away the scarecrows.
Liberty, happiness...oh, and life
The federal trial of pro-life protestor Mark Houch began last week. Houch was arrested in front of his family last year at gunpoint after an altercation with an abortion activist. In other pro-life news, two Antifa activists have been charged with vandalizing a pregnancy center in Florida.
US Vice President Kamala Harris has come under fire for leaving out the right to lifewhen quoting the Declaration of Independence. VP Harris was speaking on the 50th anniversary of Roe vs Wade, and defended abortion, saying Americans had a right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And definitely no reference to our Creator, since then she might have to acknowledge that it is he who gives us life and every good thing!
Good cop, bad cop
Protests have been held in a number of US cities after the death of Tyre Nichols. Nichols, 29, was pulled over for allegedly driving recklessly. A number of black police officers brutally beat him and he died of his injuries three days later.
Protestors, including members of Antifa, have been standing off against police in Atlanta, with Governor Kemp declaring a state of emergency as buildings have been burned and cars trashed. The violence broke out after a man who was protesting outside a police training facility fired on officers and was shot.
It is clear that policing in America is in something of a crisis. Clearly there are troubled people within the force who shed innocent blood. In the case of the men charged with Tyre Nichols' death, Daily Wire claims that standards had been lowered to attract recruits.
At the same time, calls for defunding the police since the riots of 2020 have demoralized police departments, making recruiting difficult and pushing many officers out of the profession. A number of Democrat-run localities have downgraded serious crimes, meaning police must stand by until events escalate. It's a tough gig.
In related news, the NYPD found an Apple air tag under the hood of a patrol vehicle, leading the department to warn its staff to be vigilant. The small device enables tracking using an Apple phone.
Pray for peace on our streets, for violence to be brought to an end and for justice to be established in our cities.
For whose eyes only?
Let he who is without classified documents cast the first stone? A CNN reporter has proposed an amnesty over mishandled papers. More documents were found in the possession of President Biden and former VP Mike Pence admitted he also found some in his home. Jamie Gangel said, "I think we will see in the coming days the [National] archives reach out to all the former presidents and ask them to go back and check." It does raise questions about the system of archiving and how any classified documents are removed from the executive branch.
Meanwhile, a former FBI agent (who was part of the investigation into President Trump campaign's illegal ties to Russian oligarchs) has been arrested for illegal ties to Russian oligarchs. The Post Millennial is also reporting that a newly declassified letter shows that Hillary Clinton came up with the Russia collusion hoax which dogged much of Donald Trump's presidency.
On the subject of leaked documents... The origin of a leaked Supreme Court opinion about the Dobb's decision has still not been found.
Odds and ends
Nancy Pelosi ordered an exorcism of her home after the hammer attack on her husband last year. Footage of the attack was released last week.
The Department of Justice and 8 states have sued Google over its online advertising monopoly.
Insanity coming to theatre near you! The Sundance Film festival required patrons to sign a loyalty pledge, that they would fight racism yada yada and be vigilant against covid. Even virtual attendees were required to check the box
M&Ms has announced it is parting ways with its controversial "spokescandies". The weirdness of trying to make chocolate into transgender and feminist characters must have finally dawned on them. Or, maybe the kerfuffel will serve them well in their Superbowl ad campaigning..
Headlines from far away
The Indian government has invoked an emergency law to ban a BBC documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's involvement in 2002's Gujurat riots (Guardian).
Pakistan has restored power after major outage left millions without electricity. The reason for the failure of the national grid is being investigated (Al Jazeera).
Ukrainian President seems to be responding to accusations of corruption in his government, ousting a number of governors last week. Although President Biden once warned that providing tanks would escalate to "World War III", USA, Germany and other countries are now doing so (AP, Daily Caller).
John Michael Jones Gets a Life is produced for Mad ⳩ Mondays by E. Darwin Hartshorn. Episodes can also be found on Tuesday, along with previous episodes, on Bunny Trail Junction at bunny-trail.com.
Quick Hits for the Eyebuds
🪖 Visualizing the world's largest tank fleets
🧟 Military grade: A street-legal vehicle you could hunt zombies in
🇬🇧 How Winchester Cathedral was saved from sinking
🤷♂️ The husband aisle: single ladies are ditching dating sites and heading for Home Depot
💡 This school can't turn the lights off
☢️ Small, modular nuclear reactor design has been certified
💧 Skynet wants its robot back
🙉 Why everyone needs subtitles now
👑 King David's name found on 2900 year old stone slab
🐎 Horse throws his jockey but comes in first all on his own
A Good Word: Links from the Show Notes
What makes the "must-read" list for the Hebron boys? What's on Fisk's bookshelf? If you're looking for reading or reference, this Stop the White Noise episode is for you. Or have the MM team do the hard work for you and browse these show notes. Here's what was mentioned:
Has American Christianity Failed by Bryan Wolfmueller
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Compleat Gentleman: The Modern Man's Guide to Chivalry by Brad Miner
Herodotus for Ancient Greek history
On the Nature of God and on the Trinity by Johann Gerhard
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S.Lewis
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Slavery Was Not the Cause of the War Between the States: The irrefutable argument by Gene Kizer, Jr
Lincoln As He Really Was by Charles T. Pace
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Privileged Planet: How our place in the cosmos is designed for discovery by Guillermo Gonzalez
Christian Dogmatics by Francis Pieper: there's Volume I, Volume II, and Volume III
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament series, also available abridged
Kingstone Bible: Voices of the Martyrs
Dune by Frank Herbert
Lord of the Rings trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien
Complex PTSD: from surviving to thriving by Pete Walker
Game of Thrones compilation by George R. R. Martin
Promo of Friends
Men, this event is for you. Meat, guns, golf, fishing, and of course the Bible. What more do you need? The Men's Gathering is happening April 13-16 at Lakeview Villages in Seymour, IN. Find more information and register here.
Sweetness You May Have Missed
Let us pray: Almighty God, You know we live in the midst of so many dangers that in our frailty we cannot stand upright. Grant strength and protection to support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.