Betty Freauf -- Can Pride Destroy America?

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CAN PRIDE DESTROY AMERICA?

By Betty Freauf

July 17, 2003

NewsWithViews.com

We've all heard the old saying "Pride comes before a fall," haven't we? But could that apply to a nation? Have you heard of Obadiah? Take a guess. Who do you think he might have been?

Well, let me help you. Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament with only 21 verses. He's near the end of the O.T. with the other minor prophets with similar potent messages. Obadiah cuts quickly to the heart of the problem of the nation of Edom and it is pride. In order to get the full appreciation of this little book, you should review portions of Genesis in order to get a full picture of the whole chaos in the Middle East.

By reviewing Genesis 15 you'll see the Lord's promise to Abraham of a son. In chapter 16 you'll find old Abe foolishly taking the suggestion of his elderly wife to impregnate her handmaiden because his wife, Sarah, was afraid she was too old to conceive. Rushing ahead of God in this manner, like many of us have also done, resulted in the birth of Hagar (now the Palestinian nation). Then when we jump to chapter 21 we'll see God delivered on his promise by the birth of Isaac (the nation of Israel).

In Chapter 24, Isaac is grown and at age 40, Rebekeh is chosen to be his wife. They have twin boys, Esau and Jacob and, of course, the bible thumpers will remember that Esau was the first born but he later sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup. Later Esau represents the nation of Edom which brings us to Obadiah.

As you read the verses in Obadiah, do you see parallels to the United States? Pride in the heart of man or a nation is an attitude declaring the ability to live without a Creator. Pride had lifted up this nation of Edom just as I've observed pride in the hearts of America's leaders and since 9-11, that same type of pride in the majority of Americans.

A recent program on T.V. was about the popularity of SUVs. One owner said they liked sitting up high and looking down on others. "Americans want cars that tell others whose boss". Do the SUVs represent power for those with low self-esteem and the need to be noticed? Will they, like our nation, go deeper into debt to have that worldly status symbol, the SUV, or the Hummer?

Pride has an effect on people's ability to receive information. Obadiah 3 says: "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee". If someone has a prideful heart, they are open to deception.

Proverbs 6:16 speaks of things that the Lord hates. The first one being a proud look followed by a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood (abortions)

Ironically, as I opened up my bible to Obadiah, I noticed what I'd written on September 19, 2001 next to verse 15, "Terrorism. The modern-day house of Esau descendants are the Palestinians led by Arafat in Edom." For those who don't have a bible handy, verse 15 reads: "For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy reward shall return upon thine own head". Was the attack of 9-11 caused by pride and our feeling of superiority? Have we as individuals and as a nation become arrogant?

Verse 4 talks about "exalting thyself as the eagle..." and, of course, our national symbol for America is the Eagle. Then it mentions setting thy nest among the stars. Could that be referring to our space program? With all these success stories of America, have we gotten to the point where we no longer need God? We have been able to soar up high into the stars.

Christianity has been kicked out of all government entities but when such a spiritual vacuum is created, it automatically will be filled with something else. Enter from stage left, the religion of humanism which declares man can accomplish anything his little heart desires without God. Man is sufficient onto himself. Man needs to be free to express himself with no discipline or fetters to hinder his progress. Is pride the name of the virus?

While some scientists claim we descended from animals, the creation scientists disagree but receive little to no coverage by the mainstream media which tends to agree with the evolutionists.

One biologist said the probability of life originating by accident - the Big Bang Theory- is comparable to the unabridged dictionary resulting from an explosion at the printing shop.

This also reminds me of a funny little poem:

Once I was a tadpole beginning to begin. Then I was a frog with my tail tucked in. Then I was a monkey in a banana tree. Now I am a professor with a Ph.D. I do not have the foggiest idea who Dr. Criswell is but he apparently is the author so we shall give him due credit.

Would you believe in 1903 there were only 337. In 2002 the Washington Post reported the Ph.D was becoming ubiquitous and about 42,000 students would obtain one in the U.S. that year. With all these so-called intellectuals running around with their Ph.Ds which brings them bigger salaries, wouldn't you think we would be getting smarter rather than dumber bringing us to an age where common sense is becoming increasingly hard to come by.

The Honorable Ron Paul, Congressman from Texas, one of six nays against the Resolution for war with Iraq, is pro-life and an obstetrician by private sector profession. He recently gave a speech entitled "Neo-CONNED" which every American should read. www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2003/ cr071003.htm

You'll be shocked to read that the national debt is increasing at a rate greater than a half-trillion dollars per year and the debt limit was recently increased by an astounding $984 billion dollars. He says the total U.S. government obligations are $43 trillion, while the total net worth of U.S. households (collateral for that debt) is just over $44 trillion and the country is broke.

He goes on to tell how privacy, free speech and the fourth amendment have come under attack since the 9-11. Then we get to the heart of his daring speech where he tells how most of the neo-conservative (neo-cons) Bush handlers tend to lean toward a Machiavellian-type government. He names names, publications and media networks promoting this agenda. He says the modern day neo-cons were introduced to us in the 1960s and have co-opted the conservative movement by advertising themselves as a new or modern form of conservatism.

Machiavellian principles might be described like this: I will control. I will get you to love me. But I will control. If I cannot get you to love me, then I will get you to hate me or fear me but I will control. If I cannot get you to love me or hate and fear me, I will destroy you.

Now, let us see what Congressman Paul describes as their prideful agenda:

1. They agree with Trotsky on permanent revolution, violent as well as intellectual.

2. They are for redrawing the map of the Middle East and are willing to use force to do so.

3. They believe in preemptive war to achieve desired ends.

4. They accept the notion that the ends justify the means that hardball politics is a moral necessity.

5. They express no opposition to the welfare state.

6. They are not bashful about an American empire; instead they strongly endorse it. (PRIDE PRIDE PRIDE)

7. They believe lying is necessary for the state to survive.

8. They believe a powerful federal government is a benefit.

9. They believe pertinent facts about how society should be run should be held by the elite and withheld from those who do not have the courage to deal with it.

10. They believe neutrality in foreign affairs is ill advised (Note: Exactly oppose of President George Washington)

11. They hold Leo Strauss in high esteem. (Strauss was a professor at the University of Chicago. One of his books was "Thoughts of Machiavelli" and the book did not condemn Machiavelli's philosophy.)

12. They believe imperialism, if progressive in nature, is appropriate.

13. Using American might to force American ideals on others is acceptable. (Our accepted ideals: Abortions, homosexuality, infanticide, euthanasia, high divorce rate, drugs, pornography, adultery, sex with children, premarital sex- Muslin Kids Don't even date, etc.) Force should not be limited to the defense of our country.

14. 9-11 resulted from the lack of foreign entanglements, not from too many.

15. They dislike and despite libertarians (therefore, the same applies to all strict constitutionalists).

16. They endorse attacks on civil liberties, such as those found in the Patriot Act, as being necessary.

17. They unconditionally support Israel...

Does pride come before a fall? Only time will tell if the United States will fall like Edom did due to pride. Will our own president say, "Bring it on?"

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Betty is a former Oregon Republican Party activist having served as state party secretary, county chairman, 5th congressional vice chairman and then elected chairman, a precinct worker for many years and twice ran unsuccessfully for the Oregon State Legislature. The Republican tradition is to stay neutral in Primary races but in Betty's case. They supported her opponent. E-Mail: bettyfreauf@webtv.com

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