The Age of Aquarius?Doug Focht, Jr. World peace has eluded man’s grasp for as long as he has hoped for it. Nevertheless, according to the evolutionary hypothesis, man, having evolved from lower life-forms, is not only in control of his own destiny but since evolution has always been occurring on an "upward" course, it is inevitable that we will all one day learn to live in peace and harmony. Even those who do not believe in the One God believe in some "spirit-force" which will guide us to peace. Perhaps some will remember the song from the rock-musical, "Hair," entitled "Aquarius." According to the words of that song, we today are entering the age of Aquarius; an age which, according to astrological beliefs, will bring about "harmony and understanding, sympathy and peace." Remember…?
So the song goes. Who doesn’t want to believe it? Even the Star Trek series often mention about how mankind has long since solved its problems of poverty, bigotry and injustice. But how will this come about? Will the stars and planets "guide" us? Will evolution? The Bible is very specific that (1) only God’s way as revealed in His Scriptures can bring about peace; and (2) mankind will not accept God’s direction but because of his thirst for lust, will abandon God’s morality and establish their own. Hence, the biblical model of mankind’s future is quite different::
Those who can remember the way things were before the 60’s, consider which way our civilization has been heading as we continue with the biblical passage:
We as a civilization are making a god of science and seem bent upon throwing common sense out the window. If we can’t prove something "scientifically," then we can’t seem to accept it. A few years ago, I remember talking to a young female sociologist regarding the emotional differences between men and women. She insisted studies "do not support" my observation. Her conclusion: If there is a difference in the way men and women think and act, it has nothing to do with biology, evolution or "so-called creation." Instead, she insisted, the differences between the sexes is due completely to our upbringing and environment. We are "programmed" from birth by our parents and society to act the way we do, implying that if we change the "program" we can eliminate our "differences," too. I pointed out that it would take generations of studies to establish her conclusion, and until recently no one even thought about such a study because most people seemed to understand that men and women were—well, different! But that was then, and this is now, and what do I know, anyway? I’m not a sociologist. Yet "gender-neutral laws" are being passed based upon these assumptions without regard to the consequences should these assumptions prove to be false. In fact, the seeds of this philosophy are already beginning to produce a dubious crop. In many places girls are not being taught how to be ladies and boys are not taught how to be gentlemen. The prediction of evolution-based science is that this kind of "non-gender" teaching is exactly what we need! My prediction, based upon my understanding of biblical truth is that society will reap terrible consequences if the "feminist" agenda prevails. Things will proceed from "bad to worse:"
There is one and only one protection against the evil that is sure to come:
The reason that the Scriptures can be relied upon is that, despite the conclusions of "higher biblical scholarship," they did not evolve, but were "God-breathed." That’s what the next verse says:
There can be no question that biblical morality and teaching is far apart from the world’s "science" and philosophy, and the gap is ever widening. The interesting thing, though, is that biblical predictions are always accurate. Always. And the remarkable way in which they come about, in my opinion, is strong evidence of its origin. God usually has a way a bringing things to pass in quite unexpected ways. We must be careful in making predictions ourselves—even predictions "based upon" Scripture—because our understanding of God is minuscule, despite His revelation. Nevertheless, here are some points to ponder: WORLD: We must free ourselves and our children from the constraints of religion, especially "dogmatic, fundamental" religion. Religion is a major cause of tension between us. It causes guilt, and hinders our progress and enjoyment of life. BIBLE: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." Prov. 14:34 PREDICTION: When an absolute standard is abandoned, there are no longer any absolutes. In response to Proverbs 13:34, the world would simply reply: "What is sin?" But the further we as a people or nation stray from the Bible’s teaching, the more corrupt our society will become. The "little children" in whose name we enact all kinds of dubious laws, will turn on their own parents because they are not being taught respect, self-control, honor, integrity, hard work and, yes, faith. The paradox is that as things become worse, society will not recognize the cause of the distress and will continue with laws and actions to oppose those who preach biblical morality. WORLD: In our public schools, we must not teach our children about God and prayer. However, since children are going to have sex with each other anyway regardless of what we tell them, and since parents are not "doing the job," our schools must teach children "safe-sex," "responsible-sex." We must also protect them from the "religious right." Jocelyn Elders, former Surgeon General in the Clinton administration insisted that sex education should begin at kindergarten. And regarding the "religious right" she said, "We’ve got to be strong to take on those people who are selling our children out in the name of religion…We’ve got to be as aggressive as they’ve been." Notice: People who would insist on teaching our children the morality of the Bible, are "selling our children out." BIBLE: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected me, I also will reject you…Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children…" (Hosea 4:6) PREDICTION: According to Scripture, we "sell our children short" by not teaching them about God & His righteousness. As a society, we have accepted sexual immorality as a way of life. No longer does "consenting sex" among unmarried adults carry the stigma it once did just a generation ago. What we fail to realize is that by teaching "safe-sex" to our children and distributing condoms in our schools, we are sending a message that sex between consenting "minors" is also permissible. Children are not disciplined by society for having sex with each other. Adults are not disciplined by society for having sex with each other outside marriage. Where then is the logic that forbids consenting adults from having sex with consenting children? How long will it be before someone challenges our laws on "statutory rape" and argues from this de facto precedent that we’ve set? Not long, I fear. Then we will be forced to rethink our values. Will we turn back to God’s way, or simply postpone the inevitable by "lowering" the age definition of "minor?" Those who may be appalled at such a thought should remember that sin is progressive. If anyone reading this is himself acting immorally according to biblical teaching, consider by what standard you judge someone else! If we teach our children how to have sex, without teaching them not to have sex, then by what logic is pedophilia worse than consenting sex among adults? The Bible predicts that if we do not teach God’s morality, things will continue to go "from bad to worse." Addendum: Is God’s Judgment Near?Thomas Jefferson once remarked, "I tremble for our nation when I reflect upon the justice of God; for His justice will not rest forever." He was speaking then of the injustice of slavery, but we wonder what he would think of God’s justice and today’s society. To be sure, God will not tolerate immorality forever, although he is patient. While predictions of judgment can never be pin-pointed, several things have always preceded it, the most prominent being lust. In Genesis 6:5, it is observed that "every intent and thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually. Yet God did not immediately bring the flood. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their exceeding wickedness, especially in respect to the fulfillment of lustful desires. In 2 Peter 1:4 Christians are said to have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust, and in that same book, in the third chapter, the final judgment will again be in response to man’s intent upon carrying out his inordinate desires. In our next article we will examine some common teachings regarding Christ’s second coming. Will He come to set up a kingdom, or end the world? Will Christ return by the end of the century? During our lifetime? What is the "rapture" that so many people are talking about? These and other events will be examined, as always, in the light of Scripture. —From "Growing in Grace" Vol. 1, #14 - October 6, 1996 To contact the author, please send e-mail to: dnfj@yahoo.com William A. Courson, "An ‘Objectionable and Offensive’ Doctrinal view". The Record, 8/22/96, Pg R-2
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