THE TROUBLE WITH APATHYOSTICS

This has all got to do with a recent conversation with a good friend of mine. My friend is a devout Christ Follower, as am I, and believes strongly in studying the truth of scripture and following its messages for right living as best he can. We are all sinners existing in a fallen world, and as believers in the doctrine of Jesus Christ we are outsiders, or “aliens to this world”, as Paul so often preached to new followers of the early church. It is therefore a difficult challenge for Believers who trust in the truth of the Word as delivered to us in the bible, to live our lives as we understand that Jesus did.
My friend often laments that he is baffled by the refusal of his brother to take this challenge more seriously in his life. I have asked if his brother goes to church, and been told that yes, he does and even sings in the choir. However, when asked about becoming baptized as an adult, or joining one of my friends bible study groups, his brother remains non-committed. “In fact, I know my brother never touches a bible or reads any of the devotional material that I leave for him to look at. It’s so strange to me because we were both raised with the same background, and beliefs”. My friend fears that his brother has any association with the church at all simply out of a desire to be singing in the choir.
“Well,” I query, “does your brother even believe in God? Just because he grew up going to church with the family and sitting in Sunday school classes, is no guarantee that he holds any firm beliefs in his heart, is it?”
“Oh yes, I’ve really no doubt of that”, returns my friend.
“Well if not Atheist, is he maybe Agnostic?”
“No, no. Nothing of that sort, I’m sure. What I do think”, replied my friend with a mischievous smile, “is that if anything, he may be what you might call an Apathyist”.
“A what”? I wasn’t at all sure what could possibly be meant by this unfamiliar class of believer!
“Yeah. I think he’s just lazy and refuses to put forth any effort for his beliefs. He’s apathetic about it all. He’s an Apathyist!”
LOL, as they say.
Of course Jesus was fully Man AND fully God and was without Sin, but with persistent effort we strive to do our best in living our lives as He did. And that is certainly the key – that we must accept the challenge and make the effort – it is most definitely not an easy thing to follow these teachings of our Lord Jesus in our day-to-day living. Keeping our focus on Christ, and by stubbornly honoring in our hearts the second great command to “Love your fellow man as yourself”, thereby giving real value to people, we can avoid being unwitting devotees to Apathyism of the soul.
KEEP YER' EYES ON THE HORIZON!

Are YOU One of the Complacent of America?

I often reflect on that phrase, “ We The People…”, pondering the apparent lack of real meaning it seems to have for most of my friends and neighbors whenever it comes up in conversation. Haven’t we become way too at ease and unconcerned about the true nature of the liberty of our lives here in America as we go about our daily business? It seems as if, well sure everyone knows that’s there, somewhere in one of those documents – duh! And yet I often get the sense that few of us really believe that the voices of the people in America truly can and do determine the actual freedoms and liberties that we do now, and will in the future, in fact enjoy.
Here’s a relevant quote, if I may:
“ We all declare for liberty, but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men’s labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name – liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names – liberty and tyranny. “
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 1864
For most all of American history, I believe that the balance between government authority (tyranny) and individual liberty was well understood and accepted. AllFederal power was limited to that defined specifically in the Constitution and no more. In addition, that power was further limited through its dispersal among our three federal branches – the executive, legislative and judicial. And for good reason! Beyond that, the power remained with the states and ultimately with the people.
Has the American citizenry, the “little people”, the “Silent Majority”, actually allowed this power to be usurped by a greedy and manipulative system, run by so-called “elected” officials who all too often have gotten to positions of power and importance by means other than a simple and unmanipulated direct vote of “We the People”?
Yeah, we have. As the song says, teach your children. Teach them the importance of getting involved and most significantly, of learning the issues and voting! My son recently offered the observation that his one little vote just couldn’t really make any difference, anyway, could it? My response was that if just 5,000 people felt the same way, it could most certainly mean the election of the man or woman running for office that he didn’t really want representing his beliefs and desires. I think it was a point well taken – my young and sometimes thoughtful son actually nodded in apparent agreement.
Do we face the possibility of enactment of a "soft tyranny" here in America that will diminish the quality of this beloved free and civil society of ours? Indeed I sincerely do hope that we do not.
Keep 'Yer Eyes on the Horizon. Mriter.