“I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.” (Acts 26:9-11)

and that of Luke:

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.” (Acts 9:1)

And given his penchant for defending the doctrines of Sovereign Grace, it doesn’t seem possible that he could reconcile “We are de facto God seekers, each and every one of us” with:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.” (Romans 3;10-12)

Turning from Paul, how would the bishops at Orange reconcile “giv(e) God a try by setting aside 10 minutes a day for 60 days to pray to God, even if you don’t believe He exists. It’s a good and fool-proof idea” in light of their:

“If anyone says that the grace of God can be conferred as a result of human prayer, but that it is not grace itself which makes us pray to God, he contradicts the prophet Isaiah, or the Apostle who says the same thing, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me” (Rom 10:20, quoting Isa. 65:1).” (Canon 3, Canons of the 2nd Council of Orange).

The assumption which permeates the OP, that post-Adamic mankind naturally seeks the true and living God revealed in nature, the Scriptures, and finally and most fully in his incarnate Son, Jesus Christ, although pervasive in our culture, runs contrary to the counsel of the Word of God concerning the effects of Original Sin. One could wonder to what degree that wholesale abandonment of truth, by many who once possessed it, has contributed to our current state of affairs?

If one loses his appetite for God, then as you well pointed out, it should be no surprise that he also loses his love of children (God and creation of new human beings in the family of man are intimately and inextricably intertwined). Europe’s waning population is a great (and terrible, because of its implications) example of yet another tragedy connected with losing one’s appetite for God.

Thanks for reading and commenting!

Take Care, mailloux

Take Care, mailloux

As Mark Steyn said: “the future belongs to those who show up for it.”.

Me, I didn’t grow up watching my elders struggle against a future defined by 1984 only to see my children engulfed by a future defined by Brazil.

I’d probably have recommended it earlier but was away for a long weekend and didn’t see this diary until now.

Take Care and Thank You for Reading, mailloux

You’re quite correct as well . . . the comments restated more succinctly what I was trying to communicate in the diary itself!

Take Care, mailloux

Thanks for reading, commenting, and the reco too!

Take Care, mailloux

And you are right, the cable TV analogy fits quite well!

Thanks for reading, taking the time to comment, and the reco too.

Take Care, mailloux

Take Care, mailloux

Thanks for reading, commenting, and the reco too!

Take Care, mailloux

To mailloux, thanks again for a diary that brings a unique perspective to the political issues of the day. Like Penguin I thought sloth simply meant laziness. Nicely done.

[But that's what I do with my Church Pastor - to bring him down to earth after his over-serious sermons during Sundays (especially when I got so many bulleyes, you know. )]

Cheers bro!

Have to tell you, I thought “what in the world” when I saw you comment title, I know Rod_Patrick doesn’t really think that! LOL.

Seriously, this one is so heart-warming and very inspiring. I’m also an extremist conservative, but you already know that, I suppose. he he he!

Fun stuff: I’ll wait for the reaction our atheist conservative brother. I forgot his name. [A fist fight or an engaging exchange of wisdom (sic)?]

As you noted, though people “lose their appetite” for God, the desire for a replacement does not go away. The vacuum/hole is still there and people expend extraordinary energy to fill it. Yet they stumble along, empty. The phrase “pray without ceasing came into my mind when I was reading your diary. Had to Google the biblical references. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and Ephesians 6:18 both seem to speak to the idea of prayer and opening up to allow God to fill that void vs the State. Your words give an excellent approach to this.

This is another of your essays I print out and put in my Mailloux folder. And yes, I was one of those that thought sloth was laziness.

To believe in God and to try your hardest to do His will is not at all an easy task, but it is the most satisfying task a person could ever undertake. When you manage to “get it right”, there’s just nothing else on earth that gives that kind of joy.

For me, the analogy of today’s culture is embodied in cable TV. Two hundred plus channels to avail oneself of and almost none of it is worth watching. Thank you, mailloux, for explaining this so well.

CHAPTER ONE: MAN’S CAPACITY FOR GOD

I. The Desire for God

27. The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for:

The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his Creator.

He hammers on it whenever he speaks. So I try to do it. Well worth the time.

Thanks for the great diary.

ColdWarrior