Tootin' the Horn While Ignoring the Gashes in the Side of the Ship!

Tootin' the Horn While Ignoring
the Gashes in the Side of the Ship!

Factor Victory 8 PM Slot -- Margin of Victory Aug 6 -- CNN - 380 %; MSNBC - 247 %; Headline News - 299 %. "Last Thursday Beck, Smith, Greta and The Factor beat all four of their competitors combined."
-- from some of the notes sounded on Bill O'Reilly's horn!

Bill O'Reilly of Fox News was obviously enjoying very much the giving forth of numbers indicating how his program and others had really stomped the competition. While claiming he was not gloating, it was virtually impossible to conceal the fact that he was indeed doing that very thing. Almost in pious fashion he then proceeded to try to explain why this happened -- a kind of "us vs. the liberal media" type of thing.

It has been a fact for some time which has aroused the ire of the present administration in Washington DC -- the big "guns" such as Beck, Cavuto, Hannity, O'Reilly, Smith and others are dominant in the realm of TV. O'Reilly further tooted on his horn recently when he observed 100 months as being #1 in his time slot, no small accomplishment.

Fox News and its personnel have a reputation of being "conservative." They have their regular "cadre" of special guests appearing time after time such as Dick Morris, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Newt Gingrich, Bernie Goldberg, and a number of others.

Subjects always dwell on issues related to what the Obama administration is doing or failing to do. The real hot topic now is over the plan to nationalize and overhaul the healthcare system. Fox News personalities are in the thick of the fray on this.

BUT, and this is a very big BUT -- these people are totally ignoring what is really taking this nation down in spite of being professed "conservatives."

It is quite possible that the people in those luxury cabins on board the Titanic ignored the gash in the side of the ship caused by an iceberg, many feet below them and a number of feet below the water line. The time came when they had to face it, but it was too late as the ship eventually ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic.

The United States "ship of state" has huge gashes in its side, but even those such as the Fox News high profile and influential personalities are ignoring them.

Here they are:

  • Preoccupation with self, the driving desire for money, and the pursuit of pleasure with no serious regard for the Creator of this mighty universe or what His intended purpose for us might be. Perhaps even some of those Fox News "conservatives" have a problem with this one!

  • A church community that has for the most part lost its way and shunned its responsibility. Less than half our population can find its way to a place of worship on the day set apart for the worship and honoring of Almighty God. Even worse has been the ease with which compromising on basic issues within the Christian faith has taken place. Even the gigantic "mega" churches have not been able to impact this nation to the point of bringing about significant and positive changes. Little, if any, concern about this tragedy has taken place.

  • A government that is riddled with corruption and elected officials thinking of themselves first, followed by showing favoritism to the special interests groups that contributed generously to getting those people their elected positions. The average citizen to all practical intents is left literally out in the cold! For those who doubt this, take a good look at the practice of lobbying in the nation's capitol as well as the state capitols -- see, I told you so!

  • The nation has gone beserk over its establishing of idols. No, they are not images of precious metal, stone or even wood placed on every street corner and at every countryside intersection. These are the things that captivate the mind and soul of a person and cause that person to ignore the claim and call of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, upon his or her life! In our republic, money would rank as perhaps the top dog in the idol department. But there are a variety of others as well. An idol is literally anything or anyone who keeps us from becoming what God has planned for us even before our being conceived in our mother's wombs!

  • The most offensive -- the most heinous -- the most abominable practices taking place in a nation that stresses in its historical records that each person should have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, is the daily destruction of unborn children without a bit of hesitation or doubt! In round numbers the toll amounts to about 25,000 each week of the year. The present administration in Washington DC is aggressive and has enlarged the scope of this so that now we tax paying citizens are supporting organizations in foreign countries that destroy the unborn, just as we do here. The proposed national healthcare plan at this point will support the ongoing practice of destroying unborn children. But who cares?

  • The practices of sexual immorality in all possible forms is in a pandemic state throughout the nation. Over decades past this cancerous thing has spread at an unprecedented rate. With the development of film and movies immorality was greatly expedited -- high profile people lived like alley cats and only God Himself knows the extent of such influence on others -- monkey see, monkey do, you know! With our modern technology, the blatant display of sexual immorality is everywhere for young and old to see. And it is rather commonly accepted as simply a fact of life and there isn't anything we can do about it, that is, if we even have a feeble objection in the first place!

  • The profaning of the day of worship has been in progress for many decades now. There was a time when businesses were shut down over Sunday. Basic necessary activity was the only thing going such as hospital personnel, law enforcement people, fire department persons on duty, and manufacturing operations which required the use of furnaces, etc. The Lord's Day was respected and a high percentage of people were in a place of worship on that very special day. But erosion gradually set in and the day now has become a day of full blown business operations, pleasure activities, and spectator sports events. God is more of a nuisance than One Who is worshipped, appreciated, loved, and served with one's entire being!

  • One of the greatest of controversies to erupt has been that of the teaching our young in regard to origins. The vast majority of our young, with a few rare exceptions, are being taught that we humans have our roots in a much lower form of life. We have evolved from lower life forms over a long, long period of time and the process continues. This is in very sharp contast to the teaching that God created all things and everything has its beginning with Him -- that by spoken command He brought this mighty universe into existence! The teaching of this "theory" has one main negative result -- you don't need God -- in fact, God is eliminated and consequently we set up our own "value system" in life and make our own rules with no accountability!

We have yet to see the disasterous results of the above issues which for the most part have been ignored, even by those who claim to be "conservative" such as those in the Fox News network and those in other segments of our republic. This would include also those who claim to be "conservative" or "evangelical" in the profession of Christianity. By these there is no consistent call for repentance. Popular "religion" as practiced these days is to engage in some kind of experience that makes you feel good, and whatever you do, by all means avoid those "gloom and doom" scenarios and the prospect of such for our republic -- you won't feel good if you are exposed to that kind of stuff!

It is quite possible that this nation has already crossed over the line and it's simply a matter of time until God's wrath is poured out without measure! The above subjects provide solid evidence as to why this is a distinct possibility! Look over the side of the ship -- do you see any gashes, or are you just going to grab your horn and start tootin' and shout between the toots -- "Look what we (or I) did!"

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness....

It is time for You to act, O LORD, for they have regarded Your law as void. Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold! Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way.

Romans 1:18; Psalm 119:126-128 NKJV

August 11, 2009
Clayton D. Harriger
Elder in Full Connection
Western PA Annual Conference
The United Methodist Church
and presently pastor of
Gipsy Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Gipsy, PA
AND Non-Affiliated registered voter, Cambria Co. PA


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