Think about it: The ignorance of others threatens your well-being. The growing mass of ill-informed voters has become
an invisible majority that elects officials that keep them (and you) dependent
upon the government for your happiness.
Perhaps they don’t know any better; but by default, they are useful idiots
who pose an imminent danger for us all.
How do you fight ignorance? How do you win over a person who has no
knowledge of a particular issue, but is willing to endanger you over it? This is a very common occurrence when talking of
politics or religion. Emotion rules; and
logic is banned from the discussion!
In America today, ignorance abounds. It’s so pervasive it overwhelms those who
actually know what is going on. Many
times, armed with facts and reasoning, I’ve engaged someone over an issue, only
to result in being rebuffed and attacked with hostile emotion … backed by total
ignorance. And these people are now the
majority of voters. Beyond this being
sad, it is incredibly dangerous to America’s future. What would our Founding Fathers think?
Now there is a difference between
stupid and ignorance. Those who are
stupid lack intelligence; they are impervious to and unable to absorb ideas. You can’t fix stupid. But it is possible to fix ignorance … though
difficult! Therefore, it’s not a good
use of time or effort trying to capture the stupid vote. Rather, we have to use our resources to
convert the ignorant.
The conversion of the ignorant is an
uphill battle … given the current state of public education, media propaganda,
and false and misleading politicians. How
do we overcome such massive obstacles?
Benjamin Franklin said, “The only
thing more expensive than education is ignorance.” He’s right and we are currently paying a big
price for what now is the norm among too many voters. They don’t know the issues. They are uninformed, but ready to vote for their
man or woman for all the wrong reasons. I
honestly don’t care whether President Obama is black or not, but millions do
and they voted for him for no other reason.
Here are a few examples of ignorance
in America:
Recently Jimmy Kimmel did a street
interview segment on his television show called – “The confusing question of
the day.” His objective was to see what
the average American knew about the sequester issue. The result of the interviews was that no one
knew what sequester was, but had definite opinions on it. The question was phrased: “What do you think about
Obama pardoning the sequester and sending it to Portugal?”
A National
Geographic survey of high school students conducted in 2005 revealed even
greater ignorance, when they were asked to find ten U.S. states on the map;
only 89% could find Texas and California, and only 51% could locate New York. When asked to locate sixteen countries on a
world map, they could only find seven of the sixteen. 29% couldn’t find the Pacific Ocean; and 11%
couldn’t even find their own country – the U.S. on the world map! These kids presumably voted in the last two
presidential elections.
The study by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found
that 22% of Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with
just 1 in 1,000 people who could name all five freedoms of the 1st Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution. (How many can you name? … and be honest!)
On August 26, 2010, the Examiner.com reported that the greatest
threat to U.S. national security is the willful unapologetic ignorance of the
average American citizen. The average
American tends to not care about those things that don’t directly affect them. It is a worldwide recognizable trait that other
people of the world seem to or seek to be knowledgeable … except Americans.
There is another segment of our
population that displays another form of ignorance that adds to the problem. The Church has its share of believers from
many denominations who are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. These sanctimonious Christians give elections
to the bad guys, and contribute to the demise of our country.
Finally, when you discover what
Americans don’t know about the U.S.
Constitution, to include members of Congress, it’s depressing. Constitutional studies are rarely taught in
schools anymore; and in some cases, teachers spend more time teaching about Sharia
Law!
So, what’s the answer to America’s
ignorance? Again, it is education. If people understood the issues it would take
to task the public school’s progressive agenda, the mass media’s bias in
reporting, and the liberal politician’s threat to our national security.
The truth contained in Holy Scripture is
abundantly clear:
“My people perish for
a lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)
“But through knowledge the righteous will be
delivered.” (Proverbs 9:11)
I believe that God is in control; and because
He is a just and righteous God, we will reap what we sow. Only the Savior can save us; the state won’t
and can’t. If you are not ignorant and
understand where I’m going, perhaps this popular phrase will take on a new
meaning of prayerful appeal for God’s mercy and grace – “God bless America!”
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor,
Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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