“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.” Psalm 53:1-3.
Having discussed, “Learning about evolution when I went away to college.” As the first reason for abandoning their faith in “Reasons Not to Believe, Part 1” posted on 9-8-20, let us go on to reason number two.
“Religion is the opiate of the people.”
This quote was actually taken from a book by Karl Marx in 1843. The quote is as follows.
“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” Karl Marx, 1818-1883.
Religion (specifically Judaism and Christianity) is the imagined escape of the oppressed; it is the illusion of a heart in a heartless world, a soul which denies soulless conditions. It is a fantasy, an escape fantasy from reality.
The term opium is quite visceral and is intended to convey a powerful vision of one under the influence of opium.
The addict is in a painless world floating along in a place of tranquility completely devoid of the travails of the world outside. Oppression has drifted away, heartlessness is forgotten, soullessness ceases, and there is only peace.
However, when they awaken they are in the same place. Precious time has passed and nothing in their life has changed.
Marx has imagined Christian existence, but he has not experienced it, so he can only speculate about something he disdains.
The Christian does deal with oppression, heartlessness, and soullessness. Any one of you has felt this and some it has knocked down, perhaps permanently, while others have learned to seek and accept the consolation of Christ.
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed – always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-11.
“For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.” 2 Corinthians 7:5-6.
It is the Apostle Paul who is giving these two accounts, but do not discount them, every Christian may come under such affliction in their lifetime whether health or danger.
“These things I [Jesus] have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.
“But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:26-27.
The above Scripture states, “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”
The opium addict gains a temporary peace, yet when it wears off they are in the same place and in desperate need to escape again, wasting a lifetime, and without Christ, going to hell where there is no peace for eternity.
The Christian who gives their life over to Christ completely gains a lifetime of peace no matter what, and a lifetime of usefulness to God and man.
This is not a Jesus happy pill wherein all is happiness and bliss there are ups and downs and hard times, sometimes brutal ones but Jesus is always there to turn to for comfort and help in time of need.
For those who have been Christians for a while, try to imagine life without Him.
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16.
Jesus not only helps and comforts us but we also have the privilege of serving Him.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.
Marx was essentially a lay-about who immersed himself in his theories and writings while his family suffered privation. Nor did he live under the circumstances which future generations suffered through because of his teachings.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” Matthew 7:15-16.
“Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:20-21.
What are the fruits of Marx’s works?
Communist Josef Stalin murdered 43 million of his own people, Chairman Mao of China killed 60 to 78 million of his own people, North Korea extinguished the lives of 1.6 million helpless individuals between 1948 and 1994, and Pol Pot of Cambodia took the lives of 1.7 Million innocent citizens.
While estimates vary, the high total is 124.3 million human beings. This toll becomes greater by tens of millions when you consider the lives lost due to communism’s wars and aftermaths in Africa, Cuba, Korea, China, Viet Nam, Eastern Europe, and Russia, and I may have left some out!
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons…” 1 Timothy 4:1.
Have you ever thought of what doctrines of demons means? Perhaps, like me, you have thought of them as occult practices and passed the phrase over.
Certainly witchcraft is a doctrine of demons, idolatry, spiritism, liberal theology, cults that deny the trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
What do you think about this, is abortion a spirit of witchcraft?
Serious witchcraft, involves the sacrifice of babies. Satanists do the same with babies, children, and adults along with raping and torturing them as do certain other occult religions such as Voodoo.
This is all dark stuff with folks often dealing with demons purposefully, but what about those who deny the supernatural altogether?
Atheists, socialists, communists, Darwinists, all deny the supernatural world, no God, no Jesus, no angels and certainly no demons.
“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” Invictus.
Says the fool, one of Satan’s “Useful idiots.” Look again at atheism, socialism, communism, and evolution, even globalism.
What are their fruits? Only misery when power is concentrated in the hands of a few who are corrupt through and through.
“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority.” Lord Acton.
Frank Herbert, author of “Dune” made a similar observation which except for the last sentence mirrors Lord Acton’s above.
“All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.” Frank Herbert.
The thing that Lord Acton understood and what Frank Herbert observed was the sin nature at work.
The Utopian ideals of socialism and communism and the perfect world of the New Agers are impossible due to the natural tendency of men to sin. Sin corrupts and destroys, it doesn’t build up.
The deaths of hundreds of millions under communism, and the death, disease, and poverty of those suffering under socialism show the fruits of these sick social philosophies.
Doctrines of demons are destructive, blinding men until they find themselves in hell; they are over the top when it causes misery.
Communists in Africa have tortured and murdered perhaps millions of innocent people. Warfare alone has caused famines and killed millions more through starvation.
There are stories of women in Africa being herded into barns where they were raped and hacked to death with machetes. Warfare is evil, but this is vile filth beyond imagining.
I will write no more of this because I do not want to further depress my readers, but these things have the stamp of the demonic which we must recognize.
Are the rabid atheists who want to eliminate Christianity in this country demonically energized?
Are the socialists and communists who lie and defame others when they do the same things not demonically driven?
Why are they causing divisions in this nation to change it when they could go to a communist country to help them make that country better? Venezuela is neither that far nor difficult to get to. Socialists could be of immense help there to prop up that country.
No, they want to turn this country into a socialist and eventually communist state because Christ is still freely preached here and missionaries are still sent from churches here throughout the world to uphold the witness of Christ.
Doctrines of demons are designed to corrupt the church. Demons energize men, making them proud liars, who are quick to murder others for no reason, while always dwelling on wicked fantasies.
Demons cause men to run swiftly to mischief when they riot, loot, and drive men and women, black or white out of restaurants and movies threatening and harassing them.
They are false witnesses who lie to destroy someone’s reputation. They are all of these things while they cause continual divisions.
Demons instigate it, but men have a choice and a predisposition for evil. This nation is filled with people like these both as citizens and as those in government.
“These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.” Proverbs 6:16-19.
America’s liberal politicians at both state and federal level are guilty of most or all seven of these abominations as can be seen by recent events.
Citizens of the United States can leave these socialists/communists in power and bring this country under a curse, or they can be voted out and a fresh breeze from the Holy Spirit will blow across this country as we throw the chains off.
There are 52 million evangelical Christians in America with some figures showing as many as 94 million.
Christians have a great deal of control over the vote, a privilege God has given us in this country.
If we do not use that privilege and vote evil people out, the blame for the destruction of our rights will rest solely upon the shoulders of the Christian population.
Why, you might ask? The reason is that Christians are tasked with opposing evil either in prayer or by confronting it.
“You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 97:10.
“The fear [reverent trust] of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate [I, wisdom speaking].” Proverbs 8:13.
“Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph [and America].” Amos 5:15.
You cannot expect evil people to do what is good because it is contrary to their sin nature which they have given themselves over to completely.
“[Jesus speaking, Sermon on the Mount] Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Matthew7:17-19.
“You will know them by their fruits”, what are the fruits of Marxism? If all of his theories on economics and politics have borne bad fruit in death, misery, and poverty, is the statement, “Religion is the opiate of the people.” likely to be any more reliable than the rest of his godless failed theories?
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39.
Reasons Not to Believe, Part 2 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 9-30-18, updated on 9-11-20.
NEVER FORGET!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.