“…for, between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference--so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. To be the friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other. I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels.” - Frederick Douglass
One of the darkest blemishes in American history is the stain left by slavery. Slavery survived in America for over 200 years. How could it have lasted so long in a country that claimed to be Christian. In fact, there were some Christian leaders, such as R.L. Dabney (Stonewall Jackson's chief of staff and chaplain), during the time of slavery in America that failed to acknowledge the evils of slavery because it was so engrained in Southern culture.
Discuss the following questions with a parent and give both of your answers...
What practices or ways of life are present in our culture today that we generally accept and never really think twice about that are actually an abomination to God?
Why is nothing done to stop them?
Should something be done?
I believe that we curse and say the Lord's name in vain. Today we don't think clearly about it. We lie all the time and we constantly sin. No one has stopped them because everyone is a sinner and that no one is great enough to stop it. I think that something was done when Jesus gave his life for us. In this way we have all been saved. Everyone should still not sin and cheat but who am I to say that. Only Jesus should be able to judge.
ReplyDeleteParent comment:
Americans are sometimes too focused upon political correctness and not interfering with someone else's rights. Because of this, they are willing to look the other way when citizens live in an unChrist-like way. Many people do not want to get involved or think that it is not their business when they witness cruel or inappropriate actions by fellow Americans. Some examples of bad behaviors that still continue today include racial prejudice and gender inequality.
I think that being racist is still a big problem in the united states. Not only whites against blacks but I see it were blacks are being towards whites more than whites toward blacks. I see it even more with people judging Mexicans and Asians. I do wish all the feuding between races would stop. Although I don’t think anything will be done about it.
ReplyDeleteConnor Caffrey
ELLIE: People use the Lords name in vain very often. We don't even realize it because the world around uses it like air. Also we sin, sin is something we do constantly we don't even realize it. People have a choice weather or not to say God's name in vain but we really don't have a choice weather or not we sin. People don't do anything to stop using God's name in vain because everyone uses it so it seems right. Yes, something should be done to stop them because it is extremely wrong. Yes something should be done to stop it we need to revert back to the teaching of our founding fathers and the Bible.
ReplyDeletePARENT: Working on Sunday and Holidays.In the bible God told us to rest on Sunday because he rested creation on Sunday. In this fast paced, sales driven world we neglect this teaching of the bible. The world appears to be run by lawyers and the fear of lawyers not by the Bible.
Bethany: I think today we use the Lord's name in vain without a moments hesitation. For instance in ancient times, when people / scribes started to write using Gods name, they used to wash their hands and have a new writing utensil and then wash their hands again, and throw the writing utensil away. Today, we use His name in text messages. We use it when there's an awkward moment, and just everywhere. We may not realize it, but we are calling on our heavenly Father when we say God's name in vain. Some people know it is wrong but keep doing it anyway! I think we all need to think about what we are going to say, and choose the right path, which is to honor God in all we do and all we say. We shouldn't say His name in vain, He is our God Almighty. He certainly doesn't deserve to have His name used in vain in a text message!
ReplyDeleteParent: Abortion is a terrible blight on our culture. People defend their right to do what they want with their bodies – to abort or not. Yet, the same people are quick to criticize God for being unjust and immoral for allowing 10 people to die in a plane crash and five to live. They accuse Him of being arbitrary and unfair. They apply a different standard of rights to their own life than they apply to God. Yet, God considers all life as sacred. It has been said that the most dangerous place for a child today is in the mother’s womb. How tragic that we have become so numb to the miracle and beauty of life. We have become confused about the question of rights. Life is not ours to give and take freely. This is God’s domain. We need to continue to speak and preach about the marvel of God’s creation and the unique right of every child whether in the womb or in the crib. Life is life and a nation that kills its children will eventually suffer terrible consequences. This scriptural principle was evident in the nations of the Old Testament.
John: I think that people using the Lord's name in vain is something even Christions do. In the Ten Commandments, God clearly states that we are not to use His name in vain, yet we still do it. People don't normally do anything to stop it because it is used universally in vain, so people think that they will look stupid or uncool by telling others that they are not to use phrases like o my God, because that is violating the Ten Commandments that God gave us to follow. I think that something should be done, because disrespecting God's name is no small sin.
ReplyDeleteParent: I believe dishonesty is rampant in this world, particularly in the political world. I'm not particularly politically inclined, but it's fresh on my mind now because of the thousands of commercials we're seeing about the upcoming election. Watch tv news for only 10 minutes or so and you'll get an earfull of who lied about this or didn't tell the whole truth about that. Believe what one candidate says? I don't know because I can't tell what is truth and what is "false witness". Another of God's Ten Commandments is do not bear false witness against your neighbor. I'm not sure anything can be done about this short of God convicting each one of us individually re: bearing false witness. Many will say they do not lie, but only telling half the truth is not the whole truth.
There are so many times when Christians curse or use the Lord's name in vain and other Christians just excuse it when something like that happens. And so that's the Christian's fault that he said it and it's also the other Christian's fault because he didn't expose it publicly or privately.When there is trouble or tension between Christians, God tells us to take on the situation peacefully but usually like most people we resolve our tension by yelling or fighting,etc.And that's a problem that Christians need to solve.
ReplyDeleteJay: I personally think that our everyday language and attitude towards others is something that needs to be changed. We are hateful to the people around us, even our friends, and we don't take offense with each other because we all treat each other like that. God says to treat others as we'd like to be treated. Also, society accepts inappropriate TV shows and movies as okay even though the Bible speaks directly about not filling our minds with trash. When you watch too much "trash" it ends up in your daily life.
ReplyDeleteParent: Society has decided to "pick and choose" which biblical principles we will still apply to our daily lives. In the name of political correctness, we often watch injustice and sin without doing anything about it. At times, we even allow tragic circumstances to continue simply because we "don't want to get involved". Child abuse and domestic violence should be everyone's problem, but we sit on the sidelines because we are afraid to make it personal.
Slavery was such a cruel and selfish matter back then, but no one stepped up to the plate and took anichiative to change anything. Now, I think that we use the Lords name in vain very often. This matter is so unexceptable , but I still sin against it and i'm sure many of my peers do as well. I personaly loved our chapel a couple weeks back. It really took focus on this subject and Mr. Horner was so impressive and had such an enormous impact that now the phrase has been almost inniliated by "oh my Horner." So, this relates to slavery in that for so long no one would be the bigger person and decide to end slavery...but it finnaly has died down in that still in some countries they still have slavery. Anyone can try to wipe out the Lords name in vain but nobody can change they way we act otherwise and that we don't care that it is wrong because we do it every day.
ReplyDeleteIthink taking the lords name in vain is one thing that we do that goes against God. We use that term so often like it means nothing at all. God is our creator and he could destroy us all just by thinking it. he should be feared and loved not used as a swear word. And slavery was also something against God. He created us all equal no matter what religion, or race, or skin color.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Charles
Cursing and using the Lord’s name as a curse are ways of life that are present in our culture today that are actually abominations to God. God clearly commands us not to use his name in vain and to “keep a tight rein on our tongues” in the Bible. But people refuse to listen to the Lord, and they curse everywhere: on TV, on the radio, in books, etc. We become so used to this that we never think twice about it. Nothing is done to stop them because people are so accustomed to cursing that they accept it has a way of life. Something should be done to stop them because cursing and using the Lord’s name in vain are serious sins.
ReplyDelete-Logan Pearce
Parent's Response:
War and the "guise of fighting for their religion" are practices in our culture today that are actually an abomination to God. They are violations of the principles "love your neighbor as yourself" and "do unto others has you would have them do unto you". The greed of war is displayed by the mortgage industry. Other abominations are the genocides in Europe and Africa. Nothing is done to stop the abominations because of publicity (war), awareness (mortgage industry, genocides), and how it affects the individual. Something should be done by the internal government or external governments to stop these abominations.
felton said...
ReplyDeleteI think using the Lords name in vain and racism are the two main things that the Lord is ashamed of in the U.S. right now. I think that nothing has been done to stop people from saying the Lords name in vain is because we use it so much now a days in texting and just talking to other people about the way we feel or just talking about him. Even though in the commandments it says not to. And our sinful nature doesn't help keep us from saying his name in vain. And we just get so caught up in the moment and do it without even thinking twice. When we as Christians should do our best to keep from doing it at all. And racism should be stopped because it causes nothing but pain for the person whose receiving the racist comments. And even if you don't to their face you're still causing pain, and thats to the Lord because he made all of us equal and he put a piece of him in side of every one of us so making fun of a person because of his race, faith, or skin color your hurting the Lord because he made that person like that for a reason and he wants them that way you shouldn't make fun of one of the Lords creations. And its kind of hard to not judge people because we all are sinners and it would be impossible to get rid of racism forever because we're not perfect.
Parent: There are many ways of life and practices today that must grieve God. Several examples of these widespread not Christ like behaviors are dishonesty, jealousy, greed, gluttony, and absence of person-to-person charity. Two very prevalent activities that many rationalize or justify under the philosophy that "God would not want me to stay in a situation where I am unhappy" are adultery and divorce. Although there are biblical grounds for divorce, our society seems to have adopted as a practice that marriages are not made nor expected to last. I believe God wants our marriages to reflect the relationship like Christ with his church, a life long commitment of genuine love.
I think that whenever we curse or use God's name in vain we show just how terrible we really are. Also, humans are very racist, and not just to blacks like it was when there was slavery. We are against pretty much anyone who is foreign born. Some example would be Mexican or Asian people. I do believe that something needs to be done about these issues. However, we choose not to do anything because of our extremely sinful nature. And until everybody realizes what they are doing wrong, nothing can be done about it.
ReplyDeleteOne way we do this is using the lords name in vain. we do this all the time but rarley get called out on it. one othe thing is racism. some people think it is gon r but the are very wrong. in our culture to day whites are discriminated against more than blacks. we all no God says not to do this but we do it anyway
ReplyDeleteby: ryan wesley
Kelsey: A lot of times we do things in life that are sins. Yet we repeat them constantly and dont even think that it is a sin. Often in life you will see that people get tatoos or smoke or hurt their bodies. In the Bible, it says that our body is a temple given to us by God. We need to respect them and treat them as temples. Another one is when people over exagerate. Even sarcasim or saying you "hate" someone or something. It's not like you really hate that person or thing its just something you say towards someone. Our society don't have reactions towards these things. We begin to become custom to them and start not thinking twice when we see or hear them. Even just emotions in our hearts are sins. When someone feels jealous, greed, lust, anger, or resentment towards someone its a sin. We don't even think about it when we do it. But when ever someone reminds us we feel guilty. But most Americans dont have strng reactions towards these emotions. We think of it as life and we get used to them slowly. Humans often sin and don't even think about it. Our culture has become sinful and we often are not phased by it.
ReplyDeleteby. Kelsey Butler <3
October 28 2010
PERIOD 6
I think the things that are most disappointing to God are using his name in vain and cursing. When people curse they don't think about what they're saying and just say it to be cool. I have heard some of my best friends curse just to look cool in front of their friends. Also the same thing happens when it comes to using the Lord's name in vain. Every day I hear people using his name in vain in front of their friends and then see them with no one around in the hallway and they drop their books. Earlier that day they had used the Lord's name in vain when a book fell out of their locker and now they just say,"Man!". God is probably most displeased with the fact that none of us would say that stuff if it didn't make us seem "cool" in front of our friends. We are a sinful nation, but that doesn't mean we have to curse or use the Lord's name in vain.
ReplyDelete-Abortion is a very major problem in our society today. Abortion is definitely an abomination to God because God has created every single one of us and abortion is killing little babies which are God’s creation. Another thing that happens all of the time in our society today is that people are critical to Christians. Recently on the news someone got fired for saying that they felt uncomfortable around Muslims, but that person most likely would not have gotten fired if he had made a rude comment on a Christian because criticizing Christians seems to be the "popular" thing to do now.
ReplyDeleteMom- Taking the Lord’s name in vain is a big issue in our culture today. People use the Lord’s name in vain normally every day. In the Ten Commandments the Lord commands us not to use his name in vain. However, many people use the Lord’s name in vain anyway and don't think of it as a sin. People that I know use His name all of the time in the wrong ways like it’s nothing.
Ty Mclemore says, It's not good for anyone to be treated unfairly because God gave us all rights and we should stand up for them. The Bible even says "Everyone is Created Equally. It is not the right thing to do under any surcome stances. We are all equal and nobody is more important that anyone ealeas. People should be treated the way you want to be treated.
ReplyDeleteMom, Her apinoin is about the things like sex and violence that they say and show in t.v., movies, and songs. It's weird because everyone seems to be ok with it. She just doesn't think it is right.
Alex Herden
ReplyDeletethere are many different things that people in America just don't think are bad. Some examples of this are cussing, smoking, using the Lords name in vain and tattoos. In the bible it specifically says to take care of yourself so you shouldn't smoke because it can give you cancer and hurt people around you. Also one of the ten commandments is don't use the Lords name in vain which means you should never do it and in t.v. shows cussing and using the Lords name in vain all the time. Nothing is done about this though because people are more concerned with fitting in and being cool than obeying God but nothing should be done so it is not like we are all robots and have to obey God we should decide for ourselves but Christians should work harder to be a good example to non christians so less of this will happen.
Dad's Comment:
I think the immoral attitudes that we display in movies, tv shows and magazines would be an abomination to God. We spend hundreds of millions of dollars on “entertainment” that lacks basic Christian values. Immoral behavior is portrayed as great and cool and inappropriate lifestyles are glamorous, fashionable & trendy. I would bet that you could count on one hand the number of movies released in a year from Hollywood that reflect Christian values. Disney could not even release Shreck with putting in a cuss word. If God is our teacher and he came back to earth and turned on a tv at 9pm, what kind of a grade would he give us in morality?
There are things in our culture that we do in everyday life that we never think of being an abomination to God. One example is drinking alcohol. People do it all the time at sporting events or just for fun but so often people fail to recognize the negative consequences that happens to our society. Another example is saying the Lord's name in vain. Everywhere you go people say it without thinking twice about it being the Lord's name. It's become so common for people to say it that sometimes people think of it as not being bad to say. I think something should be done about it all , but that doesn't mean it will happen.
ReplyDelete-Rayna Mock
-Rayna
there are things in our culture that effect how we live, and we know we shouldnt do some of those things. One example is cussing. First you start saying little words to b cool, but then it gets out of hand and you don't know where you are. Its crazy...so you shouldn't cuss. just because everyone's doing it, you shouldn't follow the crowd.
ReplyDelete-ansley p =)
We all sin and fall short of the glory of God, but sometimes we can stop ourselves from sinning. Some things that we don't realize are sins are using God's name in vain and disobeying athuority even if we don't mean to. When a teacher or parent asks us to do something I'm the first one to admit I usually don't obey the first time. When we use the term "O my Gosh!" that is saying the Lord's name in vain because it is just a form of the phrase O my God. We usually don't think about it to often, but hating other people is a sin to God, love your neighbor as yourself. you don't see that to often these days. We could probably list one hundred things that we've never noticed were a sin.
ReplyDeleteKristen Fikse per. 5
David Ballew
ReplyDeleteI think that cursing and racism are both huge problems in the US. People just throw curse words around and people do not think anything about it. This is just wrong. Also people see a Mexican and then assume that they are illegal and that they do not pay taxes.
Parent
Abortion in most cases is murder. This is an abomination to the Lord and yet it is explained in society as a woman's right to choose. The only way to change this is by overturning Roe v. Wade.
Christians use the Lords name in vain too often. God is holy and we use his name as a curse. Using God’s name in vain is calling upon him for no reason. We would not like it if everyone used our name in vain. Everyone uses the Lord’s name in vain without thinking about it. Nobody notices or thinks about it when someone else uses the Lord’s name in vain. Another problem that Christians face is revenge. The bible tells us to turn the other cheek. Revenge is holding a grudge on someone and staying angry with them for a period of time. Christians need to forgive others, and getting back at someone is not forgiving them. Nothing is done because we want to stay out of other people’s business. We need to try our hardest every day not to hurt God or others in these ways.
ReplyDeleteJake’s parent response: God expects us as Christians to not only obey Him, but also obey and follow the laws of our government. Every day, we break the lay by speeding in our cars and SUVs. Every day, we turn our backs and never think twice.
I think that there is a lot of things God hates in our culture today a example of this is video games where you kill and the better you kill the more points you get. This is an abomination in God's eyes. One of the commandments is thou shall not murder. This is in complete disregard of this commandment. What is more is people not only do this, but they do this for fun too. This is complete evil in God's eyes.
ReplyDeleteIn America we say that this is a country based on christianity. That is true but more and more the country becomes more evil and blinded by the ways of the world. LIke drugs cursing stealing,.etc. So if you were to say that America is a christian country you just be lying to yourself because the country has changed a lot in 200 years
ReplyDeleteMany times in our everyday life we follow "human nature" and do small things that we don't think really matters. For example, there probably hasn't been a long period of time this year were I have not heard the Lord's name in vain or a cuss word. It is our culture and nature to say statements like that, but we don't even think about what God thinks, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise," (Proverbs 10:19). Cussing and using the Lord's name in vain goes against the Bible and nobody ever really tries to stop it. People don't think there is really a need to stop it because people curse almost everyday and it is so normal. Something should definitely be done because if it's going against the Bible and God says cursing is not a good choice. Because of human nature people say and do horrible things as part of their normal life because most other people make the same exact choices.
ReplyDelete~Megan Schwarzkopf~
Period 6
Throughout everyday life everyone will experience things such as profanity, violence, and discrimination between races. These are things that everyone inevitably experience, so after we experience them day in and day out we become numb to the negativity they each present. When you are young and first experience these things, you feel the evil in them and are horrified that someone would commit these sins. Then, once you get about our age you become numb to the evil of each and you don't get offended by them. Now, some people even adopt profanity and start to cuss because they realize how common it is. Some people still feel uncomfortable when they hear or see these things, but most don't even care because of how common they are. In order for our society to change, someone will need to make people uncomfortable so they will change.
ReplyDeleteparent response
ReplyDeleteI think today when some christians say they are pro life some are hypocrites. Not only should we as christians protect the rights of the unborn, but we should also cherish the millions of life lost during unecessary wars and executions. God gives life to all and all life should be treated as the gift from God it is.
Madison Barnett said;
I think the way people behave during political the process grieves God. All of the hateful character assasinations that take place just for the purpose of power is sad. Attacking peoples families, lying and telling half truths to win an election in a county that was founded on christian principles "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is very sad. I think if people thought about what Jesus meant when he said how can you love me whom you've never seen, but hate thy neighbor who you see everyday, maybe, we wouldn't have so much discourse.
Cole: I think that slavery kept on because it beacame such a huge part of the Southerner's life that it just became normal and Christian children were brought up in families where slavery was not a sin. I think that same thing has happened with using God's name in vain. It is obviously a sin to use because it is in the 10 commandments. Even though once people started usng it even Christians it spread and became normal. Children hear their parents say it and assume it is alright and use it. Since it has become normal people even at Whitefield don't think about it at all they just say it because its normal its part of their vocabulary. Another example is sex outside of marriage. This is atrocious in God's eyes but to our culture it's normal. It is everywhere TV,Magizines,Movies etc. characters have baies before marriage or when engaged like on the Office with Jim and Pam God finds this horrible but its perfectly alright wih our culture.
ReplyDeleteCole's Parent: We as a culture have let Hollywood erode our convictions
about God's plan for family. Over the years, I have noticed that more and more shows are written with casual sex outside of marriage, same sex couples, and women having babies without being married. In addition to the shows portraying this as the way things should be, many of the stars of these shows and movies are living their lives in this way. This has influenced Christians as well as non-christians to see this as normal and to not look at this lifestyle from God's perspective. I think our casual disregard for this change is very sad for God to watch.
Kristina Harrington said...
ReplyDeleteThere are many things that we as Christians do that we never really think are bad but it is displeasing to God. For example people often use profanity as part of their normal conversations. It is done so often that people fail to realize that it is a sinful act. Another example is the inappropriate way people dress. The way we dress should represent Christ. However people often wear inappropriate clothing that is unpleasing to God. Instead, people are concentrating on style rather than modesty. Nothing is being done about it because the world has accepted it as being okay. However, something should be done to remind people that these acts are not pleasing to God.
Parent said...
Generally, in today's culture, people have lost what the true meaning of Christmas is about. Christmas has become so commercialized that people forget to stop and think that it's the day that Christ was born. This is very displeasing to God, because He sent his Son into the world, and he is not even being acknowledged on his birthday.
my mom and i both agreeded upon one thing that was a total abomination to god, and that is that people our so quick to judges others without thinking twice. nothing is being done to stop people from judging others becuase our society is centered around ourselves and we judge others to make us think we are better than them. of course something should be done to stop this but where do we start.what should we do.people judge by looks and actions before getting to know the person and their situation. they may be going through a tough situation and they are depressed so they may have a bad attitude. that doesnt mean they aren't a nice person. we shouldn't judge other peple but its so hard becuase you do it without thinking twice. Try walking mile in his shoes first.
ReplyDeleteI think we lie every day and don't even care about the fact that it huts ourselves and others. For example when your parents ask if you have done all your homework and you tell them yes even when you have not done it or you are postphoning it till later because you just dont feel like doing it right now it hurts yourself because you have to stay up till midnight to finish the homework and it hurts your parents because they realize they have been lied to and they might never trust you again. i also think that we rarely care about our neighbors or friends we always just say halfheartedly "oh i hope youll be ok" we are never truly sorry about what happens to someone we just go about our business and forget about it later. i know i do this all the time though, and i know that this is probably not going to change for a long time
ReplyDeletecharlie money
When an American hears God’s name in vain, sees a group of teens smoking, or notices two men holding hands they simply walk by unscathed. There are five abominations to God that stand out to me. Taking God’s name in vain, teen smoking and drug dealing, homosexuality, abortion, and having an idol are a few of the practices that Americans don’t think about twice. People used God’s name in vain so much that it became a universal language. Have you ever caught yourself saying oh my gosh? Gosh is just a substitute for God, and people use gosh to not feel guilty. It’s almost like adults expect teens to smoke and do drugs, and people expect teenagers to be a disgrace to society. The teens become a disgrace, because nothing extraordinary is expected out of them. Homosexuality is taken as normal. If a man happens to be attracted to another man, people think that that is okay and common. Murder is a huge sin in America, but abortion is not. How can someone even think about killing a baby before he or she even gets a breath of air? The awful part of today’s culture is that people kill babies left and right like there’s nothing to it! Do you have an idol? Most people worship people who are famous just because they are famous. God wants all of our attention, but instead of devoting ourselves to God, we waste our time gushing about how awesome American Idol was last night or dreaming about how one day we will meet our favorite athlete. All of these ways of life are malevolent and should be abolished immediately. People don’t act to stop such behaviors, because they are afraid of what their friends will think about them or they don’t have their morals straight. If someone is a strong Christian and confident in him or herself, then standing up for what they believe in shouldn’t be so hard or embarrassing. In today’s culture, people take the Ten Commandments as ten suggestions. They ignore what God desires for them to do, because it isn’t cool in society. God is not a cool topic, and the people who stand up for Him are very few. Something should be done to quit the abominations. Teens should rise against low expectations, and quit smoking and drugs. People should shake off what others say about them and get some confidence. Christians should remind people about the Ten Commandments with love and care. If God were accepted into today’s culture, none of the evil practices would happen.
ReplyDeleteParent: In today’s culture people do not take care of their bodies. People commonly eat junk food, do not exercise, smoke, abort babies, and do drugs. All of these are thought of as normal or average ways of life. God tells us in the Bible to take care of our bodies: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own”(1 Corinthians 6:19). Our bodies are simply vessels that God chose to plant his Holy Spirit in. We do not belong to ourselves! Since God is living in us, we need to keep our bodies in the greatest condition possible for Him.
When an American hears God’s name in vain, sees a group of teens smoking, or notices two men holding hands they simply walk by unscathed. There are five abominations to God that stand out to me. Taking God’s name in vain, teen smoking and drug dealing, homosexuality, abortion, and having an idol are a few of the practices that Americans don’t think about twice. People used God’s name in vain so much that it became a universal language. Have you ever caught yourself saying oh my gosh? Gosh is just a substitute for God, and people use gosh to not feel guilty. It’s almost like adults expect teens to smoke and do drugs, and people expect teenagers to be a disgrace to society. The teens become a disgrace, because nothing extraordinary is expected out of them. Homosexuality is taken as normal. If a man happens to be attracted to another man, people think that that is okay and common. Murder is a huge sin in America, but abortion is not. How can someone even think about killing a baby before he or she even gets a breath of air? The awful part of today’s culture is that people kill babies left and right like there’s nothing to it! Do you have an idol? Most people worship people who are famous just because they are famous. God wants all of our attention, but instead of devoting ourselves to God, we waste our time gushing about how awesome American Idol was last night or dreaming about how one day we will meet our favorite athlete. All of these ways of life are malevolent and should be abolished immediately. People don’t act to stop such behaviors, because they are afraid of what their friends will think about them or they don’t have their morals straight. If someone is a strong Christian and confident in him or herself, then standing up for what they believe in shouldn’t be so hard or embarrassing. In today’s culture, people take the Ten Commandments as ten suggestions. They ignore what God desires for them to do, because it isn’t cool in society. God is not a cool topic, and the people who stand up for Him are very few. Something should be done to quit the abominations. Teens should rise against low expectations, and quit smoking and drugs. People should shake off what others say about them and get some confidence. Christians should remind people about the Ten Commandments with love and care. If God were accepted into today’s culture, none of the evil practices would happen.
ReplyDeleteParent: In today’s culture people do not take care of their bodies. People commonly eat junk food, do not exercise, smoke, abort babies, and do drugs. All of these are thought of as normal or average ways of life. God tells us in the Bible to take care of our bodies: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own”(1 Corinthians 6:19). Our bodies are simply vessels that God chose to plant his Holy Spirit in. We do not belong to ourselves! Since God is living in us, we need to keep our bodies in the greatest condition possible for Him.
Rachel Hicks
The seven deadly sins are:
ReplyDelete1.Pride
2.Envy
3.Gluttony
4.Lust
5.Anger
6.Greed
7.Slothfullness(or laziness)
Me and my mom think that all 7 are prevelant in our society.
-Pride because people in our society seem to think they don't need God, and that they can work their way to heaven or nirvana or whatever on their own.
-Envy because (everyone is guilty) people look at a car or a house or some other item of their neighbors objects and feel the "need" to have it or to keep up with their neighbors. Envy is overlooked because everyone does it. It's a bandwagon thing. People should be content with what they have.
-Gluttony is huge. People can just go to Mcdonalds and order 8 angus burgers w/ large fries and drinks. Then they stuff it down their throats. How many fat people do you see every day? A ton, right? Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high colesterol, and more result from unhealthy eating. All those diseases, just. For. Being. Fat. Nothing is done because people like full bellies. Also because it is so easy to fill your body with the fast, bad stuff than the more meticulously prepared, lower fat good stuff. People should try to limit fast food as much as possible.
-Lust is another big one. We always hear about scandals, pornagraphy is readily available on the internet(sadly),adultery, and polygamy are all results of lust. Lust can be defeated by group prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit when seeked. Self-Control is a Fruit of The Spirit, but unfortunatley people are to prideful to admit they need help.
-Anger is also prevelant. Kids in gangs express anger by shooting each other, graffiti, vandalism, petty theft, and the list goes on. Kids in school spread rumors, bully, antagonize, harrass, and threaten, to express anger. Unfortunatly, our nations politicians do pretty much the same thing as 10-17 year old kids; with the lies, rumors, and exaggerated lash outs they make against each other. Anger can be curbed by thinking about all the blessings we have in our lives, and realizing that sometimes it is better to take it out on a pillow as compared to someone's life or hard earned property. If anger is adressed the graffiti and death toll would plummet.
-Greed walks hand in hand with envy,lust, and gluttony. Many people find themselves wanting more and more of the filth they see on tv or the internet, the cars and houses they buy, or food they eat. Greed can be curbed by learning to be content with what God blesses you with and allows you to enjoy in your life the right way. It is important because if there is less greed in our society, fewer people will be a million dollars in debt because they wanted a big house.
-Slothfulness is encouraged in our society w/ our medicaid and welfare system. All you have to do is sit on the street, drink beer, and BOOM! you get welfare and medical assistance whenever you need it for the most part. This started out as a program to assist people in getting back on their feet from a hard financial crash to the point where they can pay again, but has been abused by the people of our society. Also with labor saving machines, people start up a load of laundry, go plop down on the couch for 8 hours of tv, and grow fat from their slothfullness and lack of exercise. Sothfullness should be addressed by taking people off of welfare and medicaid after one year from when they start, because it shouldn't take more than a year to get a steady job, and is an important topic because more people working=more money going in and out of the economy=more money to spread around and to use to pay for things.
Mal0n: America is becoming more and more corrupt as a Christian nation. Hollywood supports many things that the bible clearly speaks out against. For example, cursing and homosexuality. We hear cussing everyday whether it is at school or in the movies we watch. It is pretty much everywhere. Hollywood also supports gay marriage and says that its okay. the bible states many times that this is very wrong and should never be practiced. Because it is a part of our culture in today's society many Christians are afraid to speak against it because they will be attacked by the media. As Christians we are called to stand against the world so we should do something to change help change these problems.
ReplyDeleteParent: We live in a culture that promotes individual freedoms above all else. The only sin has become intolerance. The result is a feel good culture that allows and even encourages almost any behavior. Homosexual marriage, abortion, prostitution, gambling, pornography - anything goes except for personal responsibility and a biblical world view. It has been said that what one generation accepts, the next generation embraces. Nothing is done to stop these behaviors because they have been embraced by the culture and there is not the will to stand up for what is right. Of course these behaviors should be stopped. But how? It has also been said that all that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. For far too long, good men have done nothing. It will take many good men and women, willing to sacrifice their time, their treasure, their reputation, their popularity, perhaps their very lives to stop these evils. Not unlike the sacrifices of our founding fathers when they signed the Declaration of Independence from England.
Megan Fikse's Parents said: We are quick to judge others without thinking. Our world and our country is very self centered. Nothing is done because it is such a broad issue. The question is where do we begin and how do we begin, but the answer is I need to begin with me.
ReplyDeleteMegan Fikse said: We care more about our appearance than immersing ourselves in God's word and spending time with God. We care more about how we look and dress over how we should show God's love and kindness through our hearts, which is our inward beauty. Nothing is done to stop this because our world prefers whats on the outside better than whats on the inside. Like one of the values of America we care more about the ability of the athlete than the attitude. Something should be done of course, but where do we begin? Well first we start with ourselves. We look at our hearts and adjust our hearts to focus on God more than how much we care about how we look.
Megan Fikse
World Cultures
Period 6
Gluttony because people love to eat at mcdonalds. It's easy to fill their stomachs with bad, but fast food instead of good but slow food. People should limit mcdonalds, and their would be a lot less people dying of heart disease
ReplyDeleteLust-people look at porn on the internet, in magazines, on tv, and just about everywhere. Adultery, scandals, and polygamy are also common. Nothing is being done because people have a hole in their hearts that needs to be filled, and they reject Jesus or maybe just because they think that they can't do without it. People can curb lust with group prayer and by the power of the Holy Spirit, because self control is one of the fruits.
John Kendrick
While there are many things in our culture that we have made the norm there are two that really stand out to me. First is abortion, I do not understand how anyone could possibly think that a child is not a child until it enters the world. I believe that God has a plan for us even before we are conceived. Therefore, even when a baby is not born yet God has a specific plan for that child. When you prevent a baby from being born you are murdering and God tells us murder is wrong. However, even Christians have begun to believe that if a woman doesn’t have the financial means or the proper home for a child they are better off not being there. The second thing that people have begun to make common is homosexuality. Some churches across the country have accepted gay people into leadership positions. This completely defies the Word and God clearly tells us that man and woman were made for each other.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the biggest problems that we dont think twice about is our language. We use our mouths so much that words can slip out easily. We can use the lords name in vain without thinking. Even OMG is taking the lords name in vain and no one seems to notice it. Theres a lot of cussing on online games and such and no body does anyhing about it. Also, the most popular songs have bad words and messages that God doesn't want us to here. We're just not obeying him by doing all that stuff because it is everyday things we do that we assume are okay because everyone else does it. And it will always happen because people cannot control their mouths.
ReplyDeleteWill Schultz
Parent- One of the practices present in our culture today that I believe is an abomination to God is the legality of abortion. Each human life is precious to God and we have made a mockery of his creation when we destroy the lives he has uniquely designed. Our culture has become immune to the brutality of this practice.
People believe that if they say curse words and say "God please forgive me," that everything will be okay. Some people think that God can't hear them if they just say one tiny word under their breath. What they don't know is that every time that they disobey Him, it hurts His heart and could affect our relationship with God.
ReplyDeleteMom's response: Proverbs 6:16-19 list the abomination unto the Lord. Lying tongue is one of the abominations. One small lie usually makes way for another and another and before we know it, lying becomes a huge part of our lives. We lie in front of our children, at work, to our spouses and our friends then it becomes the norm. Very sinful! This is displeasing to God. We have to be mindful how important it is to live a life for Christ.
When there are multiple horrible problems in this country...Including drugs, alcohol, abortion, cussing, gayness, and using the Lords name in vane, I think, what has happened to our country. As Christians we should stop this trash and not do it ourselves. Though some people, even Christians, are doing these things today. The problem is that people think it is big or cool to cuss or cool and awesome to do drugs, but they are as wrong as wrong can get! God clearly states in the bible to not do any of those things. If kids are commiting suicide from being bullied, well we need to put a stop to it...I can not stand reading articles of kids commiting suicide over bullying for who they are. Even if they are not like us. So keep that in mind as we continue our lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteby John Brody Cantrell
Parent and Sarah Zschunke: Throughout most states in our country, including Georgia, gambling is legal. In fact, gambling is actually promoted by state governments and politicians because a small fraction of gambling losses is used to fund scholarships for students and education. However, no matter how a politician or state government attempts to "sugar coat" legalized gambling, it does far more harm to families and individuals than good. Many families are torn apart because one or more parents are losing money that should be spent for necessities such as food, clothing, and medical needs. Also, gambling can easily become an addiction which will take over an individual and not leave room or time for a person to worship God or attend to his or her family's needs. All voters should consider the destructive aspects of gambling to our society before he or she is persuaded to believe a politician's "pitch" that lower property taxes or contributions to education is an equal trade off.
ReplyDeleteSarah Zschunke
October 28
World Cultures
per. 5
I think that cussing is something that humans don't generally think about before they do and I know for a fact that God does not honor fowl language. Nothing is done because it depends on the circumstance for instance teenagers may think it is "cool" to cuss around friends another example is when anyone cusses because they may be upset and uses this for an excuse. Something should definitely be done about this, but at the same time there is nothing that we can really do to completely stop this accept for encouraging people not to....................Anna Reeves
ReplyDeleteMcCutcheon
Parent: Prostitution, pornography, sexually charged advertisments...all these things are enormous abominations to God. As the years go on, society has become more and more numb to being exposed to sex and nudity. It was not that long ago that Ricky and Lucy slept in twin beds! Now we can see a teenaged boy with two teenaged girls under the sheets, in one bed, half clothed, and that is at the local mall as an advertisement. It's just so sad that this is seen as acceptable. The internet is full of websites that one can visit and become deeply intrenched in the evils of pornography and looking for "discreet" relationships. God does not want these things interfering with His plan. He wants our minds and hearts to stay clean and unblemished. All these things will continue and only worsen as time goes on because there are just too many people that think this way of life is okay. What a sad thought....
Some of the practices today we feel our culture has become more and more tolerate of are gay relatonships, sexual immorality, and profanity. All three have seemed to bombarded the media.
ReplyDeleteShould it be stopped? Yes. How? We can send a message by either turning it off, turning the channel or unsubscribing.
Ryann and Parent
Evan
ReplyDeletePeople today don't really recognize the meaning of holidays such as Easter and Christmas. Christmas is about Jesus' birth but most people just think it is a time for getting presents from other people. Easter is about Jesus being crucified and resurrecting on the third day but most people use that as a time for having easter egg hunts and things like that but rarely realize the Biblical purpose of these holidays. This isn't stopped because not all people are christians and this does need to change by us telling people about the Bible.
Parent
Non christians don't know and or celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. As christians we should set an example and live our lives in such a way that those who are not christians will want to strive to be more like us. Nothing is done to stop this because Amendment 1 in the Bill of Rights says that we have freedom of RELIGION, speech, press, and we have the right to petition the government.
A lot of people have greed which is a sin. People think that money is the most importent thing and put it ahead of better things like family. People never think of ways to stop them. They think its just normal and a way of life. Really all of us dont understand the importence in life and how we shouldent put greed and other things ahead. Of course something should be done. You should never put greed ahead of family and more importent things.
ReplyDeletePeople dont recognize the meaning holidays such as christmas and easter. Easter is when Jesus was resurected and Christmas is when Jesus was born. We need to celebrate these things because its a little thing we can do for huim because he did a big thing by dieing on the cross for our sins.
ReplyDeleteEven though we claim our world is christian we are still sinners. For example we had slavery for 200 years and our sin that we are commiting now is racisim. We are not treating people how we want to be treated. Since our world is claiming we are christians then why dont we treat each other like that. Abortion is another major sin we do. Even though some people dont agree with it we still do it. Even though we should not kill Gods children!-Margaret R
ReplyDeleteIn America today, we look over alot of things. One of the things that our culture says is okay is having sex before marriage. It's on tv, in books, in movies, and music. Nothing is being done to stop this because the majority of Americans do not think it is wrong. God's word says it is, and so Christians should avoid it. Another one is homosexuality. Many people accept it and think that they should be able to get married. Many people make fun of it and think it is funny. It is wrong, but it is also wrong to make fun of it.
ReplyDeleteSage Blackwood
I think so often people are thought of being judgemental for not agreeing with gayness. Gayness is thought almost as a good thing now. Also cussing. So often we tell ourselves that "Well the bible only dont use the lords name in vien, so i can cuss. god doesnt care." but this assumtion is wrong. People overlook the small things and forget that the lord expects the highest from us. We should try to live up to his standards.
ReplyDeleteAbominations that affect our nation today are things such as social networks that consume all of our life. These things we never even think twice about but it changes us so much. Kids will spend hours upon hours on Facebook and that is just not right. Another thing is obsession with celebrities. People will get so obsessed that they will become stalkers and try to hurt the famous person. Lwas should be passed or someone should intervene because this has gotten out of hand. God says that we should spend our time loving Him and not wasting it on useless abominations.
ReplyDeleteMany people don't realize the things in their life that they rely on at night are actually sins. All of us give little white lies and when we want things it really is a sin. God wants us to focus on him always and when we become focused up on things like video games, t.v. but also, grades. many people see focusing on grades in a good thing but it can also be an obsession. If we focus on God, we probably can stop the sins that we don't even realize.
ReplyDeletethe practices the people of America consume today are texting and social networks. everyday i see people on their iphones texting, facebook,and twittter. people need to enjoy life than be on their iphones and stuff
ReplyDeleteLiam virrill
We are all sinners and when we sin it is like we are hurting God. We are in someways an abomination to God with all are sin. We are supposed to treat everyone with respect and we failed to do that with slavery. We are an abomination because he made us perfect but we were the ones who chose bad decisions so we have failed him. But he can give up redemption through repentance and God is good for that.
ReplyDeleteSocial networks are an example of an abomination in our society today. This type of thing rots our brain and makes us lose brain cells. Another abomination is media. We know so much about celebrities its crazy. People don't realize that this is a sin.
ReplyDeletegayness. We accept homosexuals into our culture and recieve it passivly even though it is sick and disgusting. The tv shows make gays out to be funny and not a problem, nice and kind, and a source for entertainment. I even found myself laughing at the store clerk at target yesterday who was extremely gay. I along with the rest of america has stoped thinking about the fact that they are gay, and how evil that is.
ReplyDeleteaudrey garrett
Some examples of present day abomination of God would be things like uthenasia, abortion and the death penalty. All of this is legal in America, but this is murder in hwat ever sense.
ReplyDeleteMy dad says that Christian lifestyle is fmaily. Anything that goes agaist a natural family like promiscualtiy, divorce, blended families, gay/lesbian and homo. All of these are legal things in America, but this goes against the natural part of family. It is deliberatley destroying God's natural plan of life.
~Naomy and Dad
Period 6
8th grade
In todays culture saying omg is not bad and just excepted. People dont cair about saying that because it is so commonley used. The bible tells us that using the lords name in vain like that is blastfamy. Games we play and the music we listen to curses all the time and as a culture we get use to it and dont think twice.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Bell
alot of people do things that arent God like. For example some people are gay. That is very bad and people dont realize the damage that is caused from it. God made woman for man and man for woman. If people could just realix what tjhey were doing maybe things would change.
ReplyDelete`Gabrielle
One thing that is often overlooked by all people, including Christians, is the use of bad language. Everyone has heard the use of bad language almost everywhere we go. It is often overlooked because it is just becoming more and more common in our society and more people are beginning to use this language because how often they hear it. A reason for it becoming more common is because more people are beginning to listen to rap music and the artists are constantly cussing in their songs. Many people are just falling into the use of this language therefore they are not making any attempts to stop it.
ReplyDeleteMatt Olson
Per 5
My answer:
ReplyDeleteWell, People everyday use God's name in vain. Day after day we use it and fail to realize it. After long periods of time we develop habits. Something should be done. Christians need to stand up to their friends and tell them what is right and what is wrong.
-Harlan
Everybody has used Gods name in vain at least once in their time. After you kepp saying it and saying it becomes a hibit. Why would people want to say the man who saves yur life in vain. As Christians we should reconize these statements and rebuke them and when others say these comments we should try to stand up for our faifth ! Carmyn Cosey
ReplyDeleteUsing the Lord's name in vain is a horrible sin. Saying it over and over is worse because it becomes a habbit and you do it with out even noticing. So when we do it we should repent and ask for foregiveness
ReplyDeletePeple having sex out of wedlock. In our society people thikk it is fine to have sex before they are married.
ReplyDeleteMom-
Parent: Immoral and Immodest behavior such as: materialism, immodest attire, profanity,lying, cheating, disrespect for authority,
Nothing is done to stop this because it has become common and accepted among Christians. Self is most important, above everything.
Should something be done
yes, something has to be done,but no one in our generation.Something should be done though .someone should tell people to stop or make a law,but no one is brave enough to.
Two abominations seem to fly under the radar too often- Pride and Idolatry.
ReplyDeletePride can take many forms. Being overly judgmental/critical of others can be a form of pride. This can come from thinking too highly or too lowly of ourselves. For example boastfulness is the result of pride in the face of success. Whereas self-pity is the result of pride in the face of suffering or failure. Other forms of pride include: willful ignorance, stubbornness, meaningless debate or argumentativeness, lying, envy, and greed. The Bible comes right out and tells us that God resists the proud. He simply can not bless us if we are habitually prideful. Worse still, we give Satan a foothold into our lives! Christians should diligently pursue and desire and attitude of humility at all times.
Idolatry could also fall under a form of pride (because all sin is ultimately a kind of pride). Anything that we put above God is considered an idol. I think it's so prevalent because our fallen nature is so easily seduced by the things of this world. If the Holy Spirit does not fill us up, we will try to fill that void with anything. Thus, there are an infinite number of ways we can wander off the right path. That's why the Bible tells us that the road to Destruction is wide and the gate to Life is narrow and few find it. Even good things can become idols. Good works, hobbies, family and work obligations can all pull us away from a intimate relationship with God (Believe me, I know!). It seems often once we extract ourselves from one distraction we fall into yet another. God ought to be our rudder, boat and sail-not just the figurehead at the bow!!
Many times in our society, people put intertainment before God. This is a disgrace to God as he should always come first in our lives. People worship sports, celebrities, and social lives more than God now these days. No one realizes that this is wrong, which is why nothing is done to stop them. If people realizes what they were doing they would stop. Something should be done. I think everyone should compare the time that they spend doing other things to their God time. If this is done it will open peoples’ eyes.
ReplyDeleteSydney Burke
In today's world you hear gossip all the time, "People" is an example of how much our society follows celebrities' lives and personal affairs. Ask yourself this question, does it matter what celebrities do? Would you like if all of a sudden a rumor was spread about you that wasn't true? Here's another example of how much America's media is built around gossip, that instead of learning and reading, people are all texting and talking on facebook and reading magazines such as "People", that talk about information that does not matter. Here's my suggestion, read Hamlet and tell me that it is not one thousand times more interesting than a People magazine. We need to be studying and learning usuable information, besides, don't forget that gossip is a sin.
ReplyDelete"28 A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip seperates close friends."
Proverbs 16:28