Grandma used to say, “What if everybody acted that way? What kind of world would we have? Do the right thing.”
Mom used to say, “Don’t do things because everybody else is doing it. Think for yourself. Do the right thing.”
There is a right thing. What a person believes it to be is often defined by their point of view. That does not change what the right thing is. It is what it is.
So, how do we determine what is right and what is wrong? During a Republican primary debate Nikki Haley said something to the effect that we need a president who knows the difference between right and wrong. Amen.
For Nikki Haley, the right thing is defined by traditional American moral values. That is not true of the Secular-humanist, Progressive left wing of the Democratic party. Indeed, they are in the process of remaking right and wrong according to new paradigm.
An Existentialist would say that when we make a choice, we are choosing for all humankind. We have the freedom to choose, but with that choice comes responsibility. Therefore, we are obligated to choose responsibly. (Grandma wasn’t an Existentialist.)
The Christian looks to the Holy Bible as their ultimate guide for faith and practice and prays that the Holy Spirit will help them to discern right from wrong. Jesus said, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12 ESV) His disciple John wrote, “Whoever says 'I know Him' but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.” (1John 2:4-6 ESV) [1] (Capitalization added.)
Those who follow other religious or philosophical traditions determine right and wrong according to different and diverse values. What they think is the right thing to do may, or may not, agree with traditional, Judeo-Christian American values.
War is a terrible thing. Its leaders may appear heroic, but it is accompanied by poverty, famine, disease, and death. (Revelation 6:1-7) Since war is by definition a crime against humanity, there is no humane way to wage it. Nations may sign off on conventions to govern how war is to be conducted, but they only provide ways to be inhumane in a less inhumane way.
Israel and Ukraine have been attacked. Their attackers have committed war crimes. Our friends did not choose war, it was forced upon them. They are fighting not only for their freedom, but for their survival – for their national and cultural existence.
United States has a choice to make. Do we turn their struggle into a domestic political football and stop helping Israel and Ukraine defend themselves? Do we stand by and watch as their attackers slaughter, rape, dismember and destroy them? Or … do we continue to help? War is a wrong thing, but isn’t the right thing to help our friends defend themselves against devastating attacks?
Selfishness is wrong, but doesn’t the United States have the right to control how we share? The right thing is to share what we have with others, and we do so. Through our government and private charities Americans give very generously to others. We have exported wealth through trade, and we have raised the standard of living of other peoples around the world by doing so. We have immigration laws that allow people the opportunity to come to America legally and eventually become citizens. These are the right things.
Illegal migrants and others have sought to take advantage of our kindness by violating our laws - entering the United States illegally. Criminal gangs, cartels, foreign agents, and terrorists have imbedded themselves in the migration. Millions of our people have died because they have smuggled fentanyl and other illegal drugs into our country. Human beings are being trafficked in sex slavery. Migrants have been raped and murdered by the criminal element. Many have been abandoned to die of thirst and exposure in the desert. You hear about it every day on the news, but the Biden Administration does nothing to stop it. All they do is lie and try to shift the blame onto Donald Trump and the Republicans. Citizens, these are the wrong things.
Allowing a quota of thousands of migrants per day to illegally enter the United States is the wrong thing. For true conservatives one is too many, and for the Democrats a thousand is not enough. The right thing is to put a stop to it.
Controlling federal spending and limiting the size of government is the right thing. Withholding aid for the defense of Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and others to force the Democrats to act to restore order to our border with Mexico is the wrong thing.
In November please vote for candidates who know right from wrong, and who have the courage to do the right thing. God bless you. Pray for the United States of America.
You
can always count on Americans to do the right thing –
after they've tried everything else.
Winston Churchill [2]
No comments:
Post a Comment