Remember those stupid value judgement test from back in government school?  You know, you are on a desert island and there are twenty people and only room for five on the life raft, who do you kill?  And this is supposed to accomplish something?  This is stupid humanism at its best. You are supposed to pick the sailor, the carpenter and the fisherman and of course yourself and leave the friar and the prostitute, or some such.  This is so absurd, because this never happens and contemplating the social value of each person is sick. It’s what Hitler did, and since some people didn’t have enough value they got gassed.  It’s what all post-Christian Darwinian pragmatists do, It’s what Obama care death panels do.  Oh sorry, you are too old and don’t have enough value points to justify the surgical operation, here are some pain killers and Dr. Kevorkian’s phone number. 

This never happens because God never puts you in a situation where you have to sin.  It seems like it and the Devil would like to make you think you have no choice but to disobey God but it is never the case.  Real life situations are generally the opposite.  You are going into battle with 32,000 troops and God tells you that you have too many.  So he makes a value judgement that only people who drink with their hands are good in battle, now you are left with 300 men who wipe out the entire enemy, Judges 7.  Or you have 5000 people in the desert who are hungry, don’t worry God says five loaves and two fish will feed everyone.  Back to the desert island, God puts two people, the prostitute and the tax collector, on the 5 person raft and they get married and live happily ever after and the rest of the people are saved by captain Nemo, except for the Atheist who stays on the Island and tries to build a raft out of videotape and volleyballs.  God’s version always shows overwhelming bounty and it makes a good story.

Which shows us the danger of empiricism.  Empiricism is the belief that the only valid form of knowledge comes by what we observe with our senses.  This is very common today in our modern world.  Science can make cool technology so we think we can apply science to every area of life, to people that is psychology, to groups of people that is sociology, religion etc..  Science is a wonderful thing, or it can be if we use it responsibly.   But there is a lot more to the world than what we can observe.  Truth can be imparted to us by our creator, truth can be derived by logical reasoning.  Observing what happens on this earth can be a powerful emotional argument in areas of theology and philosophy but they are often wrong.  We observe pain and suffering and conclude that God, if he exists, must be evil.  Instead of concluding that perhaps we don’t have a clue what we are talking about.   There is a lot more going on than we can see.  Or we observe nature perpetuating itself and decide that the reason for nature is to perpetuate itself.  So we worship it instead of God.

Interesting, the number of situations that have already happened in history.  History is another form of truth apart from empiricism. We don’t have to play ‘what if’ like a bunch of children, we can read what past humans have done and learn from their mistakes and successes.  Despite what modern academics say the United States is the biggest success story around.  The rest of the world gets it and so they want to get here.  You have probably heard of the Mayflower which planted the first successful colony in New England.  But did you know that there were two ships?  As they started out their journey the second ship began to leak and they had to leave it behind.  This meant leaving precious supplies and people behind for the dangerous journey.  Yet they chose and always had the work of God and his word in their minds.

“Those that went back were mostly such as were willing to do so, either from discontent or fear of the ill success of the voyage, seeing they had met with so many crosses and the year so far spent.  Others, owing to their weakness and having many young children, were though least useful and most unfit to bear the brunt of this arduous adventure; to which work of God and other judgment of their brethren they were contented to submit.  And thus, like Gideon’s army, this small number was divided, as if the Lord thought these few too many for the great work He had to do.”  William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation,

We have iPods and fancy cars but do we have a clue how to see the world this way?  Do we write beautiful accounts of his faithfulness, or do we just talk about how we are going to praise him and going to worship him in simple worship choruses?  What are we praising him for?  These people knew, they wrote new songs praising him for rewarding their faithfulness and hard work with a country that was better for their children to the 4th generation. Pragmatic value judgements and all of modern education puts the focus on us here and now instead of teaching us that we are but a drop in a great river.   It’s not all about us and what we feel about what we observe.  It’s about a greater work and we can be part of it or wash away like sand.  The more we try to manipulate things to work our way, the more they fall apart in our hands.  These great men built on their forefathers wisdom and planned for their children’s future.  Shame on us.

Embarkation of the Pilgrims, Robert W. Weir. c.1837

Further Reading:  Of Plymouth Plantation