Here is a quote by C.S. Lewis from the book, C.S. Lewis's Case For Christ by Art Lindsley:
"It is not a theory they put into his [a student's] mind but an assumption, which ten years hence, its origin forgotten and its presence unconscious, will condition him to take one side in a controversy which he has never recognized as a controversy at all."
I found this quote to be extremely interesting and believe it to be very true, especially in regards to modern day in the classroom, media, and a society that just wants to "get along". If you look at how ideas in society are taught to us, Lewis is absolutely correct in that they don't just come out and teach it to us in order for us to learn it. It is taught through assumption, wherether in a media report, a television show, movie, or song. The other popular tactic today is used by many of the liberal persuasion...the name-calling tactic. You know, where you scare people into thinking a certain way because you have called them a name like homophobe or racist or hate speech or the worst one of all (hold on to your hat) ... fundamentalist (bum, bum, bum) As we continue to hear certain ideas and positions over and over, we suddenly start believing them and affirming it without really knowing how we came to that point.
I don't watch that many movies these days. No, I'm not a holyroller who believes that movies are evil and we should shun any and all forms of entertainment. I enjoy a good movie just like the next guy (or gal or should I say "person"? This little example is exactly my point!) Anyway, the reason I don't go to movies very much is that we have too many people trying to shove their ideas and worldviews down our throat. I almost get physically nauseated by the political correctness in our society. (Please no mental images!) Movies are a great vehicle by which we can share creativeness and stories. However, I want to be entertained...not taught. I want to watch a movie so I can forget about the world around me and enjoy myself. I don't want to watch a movie and then have it tied nicely in a bow with some cheesy message about how evil I am and that I just need to get along with everyone. The same thing with a TV show.
Does anyone else feel like they are constantly walking on eggshells because you might do the unpardonable sin of hurting someones feelings. I like people who shoot it straight and don't beat around the bush. I'm white...not caucasion or Anglo. At this moment, I'm not musically challenged, I just suck at playing the guitar or any instrument. That's why I love the British. Have you ever been to the United Kingdom and just talked to normal people? I mean, they are almost worse at this political correctness stuff than we Yanks, but that's just because they are afraid of the Muslims. Yet, on the day-to-day stuff, they are pretty straight forward. Or how about those in Latin America? When I travel down to Ecuador, my friends are quick to point out down there how much I have changed. They don't say, "You know, you might have a thyroid issue or a horizontal problem". No, they just tell me I'm fat. Of course, you never take their word for it because I usually weigh the same as I did the last time I was there. I think most people today just want people to tell it to them straight. However, we have been so programmed through culture, society, and various forms of media that we need to be careful what we say and how we say it. Language is robbed of its beauty and effectiveness. By the way, does anyone else out there hate the word, bling? It's not bling, it's jewelry! Or the phrase, All up in my grill? No, that's my face! Sorry, I got sidetracked. Back to my point. All of this goes back to our humanistic culture where "Me" is at the center of everything.
The really sad part is that this political correctness has infiltrated our churches. Instead of preaching the Word of God, proclaiming right from wrong, and the essence of salvation, we have thrown out the Bible and claim that what was written in there is outdated and directed towards a first-century audience. Since we don't want to hurt anyone, we throw out all that stuff about judgment and hell because certainly a loving God wouldn't do that to people. Of course, if you read Rob Bell then you would know that hell is really when you don't live in the way of God. I guess that's what all those biblical images of hell must have been describing. When I don't recycle or transform this planet into God's home. Don't you love when people just pick one attribute about God and make it seem that that is the only one that He is? The popular one now is LOVE. We tend to forget that God is JUST and that His justice must be satisfied or else He wouldn't be just. Yet, it all goes back to our culture defining Christianity instead of God defining how we should live.
DISCLAIMER: Now, let me just say a few final things here. As Ross King likes to say, please understand what I AM saying and what I am NOT saying. I'm not saying that we should walk around being completely honest to the point where we offend them or be mean to them or treat them in any way that is not Christ-like. God is love and we do need to show His love to those around us. However, there are times when we need to just be honest and shoot it straight with people like John the Baptist did. I'm sure it hurt Herod's feelings when he told him he was living in sin, but it didn't change the truth. I'm not advocating that we walk around with a bullhorn and condemn the world to hell. That isn't very effective and we need to speak the truth in love. Let's just be honest!
Also, concerning anyone I quote on here or post on here, it doesn't mean that I agree with 100% of what they say, believe or do. I don't agree with everything that C.S. Lewis taught or wrote, but I do agree with a lot of it. I think he was a brilliant man who had some great insight and defenses of the Christian faith. Please do not label me something I'm not. Despite our societies belief that, "What's true for you is not true for me", you don't have your own interpretation into this matter. If you want to know what I believe or think, then just ask. So put your pocket-sized Derrida away and stop trying to deconstruct it. I mean what I say and you don't have the right for your own interpretation of it. I think that goes for the Bible too!
