It Was Forced on Him!!

     The verdict is out.  After a short recess in his chambers, Judge Smith
came out with his decision.  
     "It's nuts," the defendant said as he conversed with reporters shortly
after the verdict.  "I just don't see how this could happen!"
     One reporter queried him:  "Did you really think the verdict could've
gone the other way?  I mean.. let's be honest.. it's just your opinion,
isn't it?"  He answered, quite distraught by the comment.
     "Well, I guess not.  After all that's been happening, you knew it had
to come to this sooner or later."  With that he walked off.
     "There you have it," the reporter continued, "the U.S. simply won't put
up with this shenanigans in its schools any longer.  The days are still not
yet over for opinion's place in the schools.. but facts are facts.. and they
are winning.
     "I'm Jay Charles, Action News."  
     Back in the courtroom, people were congratulating the plantiff on his
landmark win.
     "I gotta hand it to ya, Jack.. taking on the whole school system would
be a bit much for anyone to handle.. but you shined, and your voice was
surely heard today."
     The plaintiff's lawyer replied, "Yes, I know.  I had help from beyond.
No if's and's or but's about it.  The truth had to come out, and finally did.
I just got to be the one to help it this step.  Hopefully the eradication of
such bigotry will be quick and without too much effort.  But one can never
tell.  Progress can sometimes be slow in these matters.  Yet I know we made
a thundering blow in the right direction today."
     "Jack!  Jack!"  A reporter held a mic to his face.  "What do you plan
to do with the money?"  He was of course referring to the $5,000,000 in
damages awarded by the court for the teacher's negligence.
     "Oh.. I think I'm gonna buy a few hotwheels, and maybe some more
videogames."  
     "Jack, this is $5,000,000 we're speakin about here.  You could afford
to buy a hotwheels *factory* for that!"  
     "Oh!  Well.. hmm.. I'll have to think about it then."  The kid grinned
from ear to ear.. still not comprehending the size of the bundle of cash he
had just been awarded.
     Another reporter piped up.  "Mr. Jacobi, what do you think won the case
for you?"  
     The lawyer responded.  "I guess righteousness finally prevailed." With
that, he closed his briefcase and took his son out.  "Come on boy, let's get
something to eat!"
     "There you have it.  The landmark settlement has taken place.  A
closed-minded individual is put to the test.. and fails miserably.  I'm
John Sherman.. back to you." 
     
     Back in the defendant's school, others remarked on the decision.  
     "How could they do this!??  Don't they know the trouble they're gonna
cause?  Don't they realize just how much chaos is going to erupt because of
this?"  one teacher exclaimed.  "I just don't get it!"
     "I'm with you, Mort.  You just can't say what's fact is simply
opinion.. but that's the way of the world today.  Nobody wants facts..
everyone wants it easy.  Without facts, everyone's free to live their lives
as they want to.  And that's just the way the world is going.  Sooner or
later, they'll suffer for it."
     "But Joe, this is just beyond words!  How could anyone go this far!  I
mean.. to say that this is just opinion???  They're being ludicrous.  It's
been accepted for millenia.. it's the truth I tell you!  And nobody is gonna
prove to me otherwise!"
     Jean, the principal, spoke up.  "You gotta realise what we're under
guys.  We gotta listen to Washington.  They're in charge of this school
system.. not us.  And what they say goes.  I know the policy stinks, but
it's all we've got."
     Joe nodded and sighed.  "I know, I know.  But since when has the
government known what they were talking about?  They just do things
according to what's popular.. and not so much what's right and wrong."
     Jean agreed.  "Yeah.. don't I know it.  But changing the government is
like moving the world with a wet noodle.  It takes an awful lot of work and
still you get nowhere.
     "Mort, what do you think we should do?"  
     Mort replied, "What else can we do?  With this new law on the books, it
makes teaching obsolete for me.  I might as well pack up and move back to
Cleveland to live with my mother.  Sheesh.. what is this world coming to."
     "You said it, Mort.. " Joe agreed.  "Well.. I'm packin it in for the
night.. comin, Mort?"
     "Yeah.  Shall we take a drop by the seminar room for one last look?"  
     "Good idea," said Joe quietly.. and they bid Jean goodbye who stared at
the TV Screen in the lounge.
     "Yes, you heard it here first, everyone.  A teacher tried to force
someone to believe that 1+1 was actually 2.. and he paid the price."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Now you may be thinking that this is a bit far-fetched.  After all..
who in their right mind would ever disbelieve that 1+1=2.. right?  It's not
an opinion.. it's a fact -- and a fact that we need to believe to get
anywhere in math.  
     Unfortunately, this *is* happening.  And if you know Jesus' desires for
those around us.. you have seen it.  Teachers can be summarily disposed of
from schools simply for advocating belief in God.. a requirement if one is
to ever come to an understanding of who Jesus is and what He's done for us.
     To think.. that if one begins to talk about God.. a definite fact..
perhaps improvable by science.. but nonetheless fact.. if one begins to talk
about Him and state that He truly is there.. or what He truly wants.. it is
seen as mixing government and religion.. and just can't be done.
     Ok.. I must admit.. I see their point.  The writers of the constitution
knew that it would be dangerous of a government with a false doctrine got a
hold of the country.. and forced its citizens to believe and follow it.
However.. the question becomes, "Can God be expressed as even existing by
government, or must the truth be so sanctioned from government that only
measurable morality can be expressed?"
     If you read what I wrote in my essay on the country's position on
homosexuality, that due to the fact that the government has chosen its
position on God, morality folds down into what is humanly measurable as
"wrong" and "right".  If something causes detriment by human standard, then
it is labelled as "wrong".. if it brings more good than detriment.. it is
often labelled "right".  However.. the problem with this is the fact that
true morality cannot be measured by an imperfect creature such as man.  We
can try.. but in order to find true morality, one needs to be able to see
the entire picture of what is good and what causes detriment.. in order to
decide what is truly wrong and what is truly right.  Only God has enough
vision to see the entire world at a glance.. the entire facets of our
mindsets.. and the entire canvas on which we write out lives.. so only He
has the ability to decide what is truly going to cause us detriment.. and
what is going to bring us good.
     So where does this leave us?  It leaves us with a rather astounding
problem that most likely not all of our founding fathers saw.  I remember
hearing earlier that one of our founding fathers said that if our country
ever lost the foundation of the Bible to judge morality.. that we'd tumble
into extreme decay as a nation.  Well take a look at what's happened with
our country today.  Abortion, murder, and young pregnancy rates are
soaring.. as are divorce, dropouts, and what have you.  We are accepting
lifestyles which God commanded stoning for in the times of the Old
Testament.  We refuse to even acknowledge the wrongfulness that God demands
us to.  We live our lives surrounded by idolatry.. and we merely glance at
it.. hoping it will go away.
     But it won't.  This is a little problem we have in this nation.
Because of how the founding fathers worded the constitution.. unless
Christians and Christian morality are in charge of the nation.. it shall
continue to fall further and further into wretchedness.. and run with all
its speed into the hell that awaits it.  So what are we to do?
     Well.. since the chances of changing the first amendment to the
constitution are extremely slim, there is only one thing we truly can do --
and that's deal with things as long as we can on the individual level.  We
need to realize that not everyone is going to see the truth that God
desires.. and that many in this world are both power and pleasure junkees..
and want to live life merely to serve their own interests.  Oh granted we
all seem to have some portion of unselfish behavior inside us... but in
truth, we all do things which come naturally which lead down the road to
self-indulgence and self-importance.  Jesus is our only answer.
     I'm not saying that the first amendment is all bad.  Far from it..
but.. I'm saying that.. when it comes right down to it.. if the people elect
those who will be selfish and not do what is for the greater good of
humanity.. but do what is for the "assumed" greater good as designated by
selfish thought.. then our contry will continue to dissolve down to nothing
less than a bunch of anarchistic weasels who want nothing more than to fill
their own bellies.
     So where can we turn?  Jesus is our only haven.  We may be able to make
statements to slow down the spread of world-ism.. but in truth.. it's only a
matter of time before satan's minions control this whole world.. and we are
merely tokens scheduled for persecution.  Of course.. this persecution shall
merit great reward in the life to come.. yet it still shall be a time of
great difficulty for the church.  Only with Jesus' great power and love can
we begin to make the difference we need to in this world.
     It's all up to you.  Do you want the world to end up in satan's hands?
It's getting more and moreso each day... our only combat tactics are written
in Jesus' Blood -- His love.. and His power.  We must know Him as well as
possible.. or forfeit our hold on this world until Jesus comes back.  I,
myself struggle daily with letting Him have His Lordship over my life.. but
I know now that I must listen.. or forfeit the rewards He has planned for me
in the life to come.
     What will it be?  1 + 1 truly *is* 2... isn't it?