The American Soul
The American Soul
The Choice Between Christ and Chaos: Finding Purpose in a Distracted World
What would your life look like if all screens and distractions suddenly disappeared? How much more of yourself would you give to God, your spouse, your children, and your true purpose?
In this thought-provoking episode, I tackle the epidemic of distraction plaguing American Christians. Our phones, televisions, and endless entertainment options aren't just stealing our attention—they're robbing us of our most precious resource: time. This isn't about technology being inherently evil; it's about how we've allowed these tools to displace what truly matters.
Drawing from Matthew 24, I explore Jesus's warnings about the end times and the importance of vigilance: "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming." Too many of us behave like the unfaithful servant who says "my master is delayed" while pursuing selfish desires. Yet whether through Christ's return or our own mortality, none of us can guarantee tomorrow.
This distraction crisis extends beyond personal spirituality into our national consciousness. I share the story of Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sergeant Travis W. Atkins, who sacrificed his life by throwing himself on a suicide bomber to save his fellow soldiers in Iraq. Why do our children know celebrities' names but not those who've given everything for our freedom? This disconnect reveals a profound sickness in America's soul.
As Frederick Douglass wisely observed, "Righteousness exalteth a nation, and sin is a reproach to any people." This principle, quoted by numerous American leaders throughout history, remains our only path forward. We face a stark choice between Christ and chaos, biblical truth and progressive confusion, liberty and chains already forged by those advancing godless ideologies.
Join me in examining what we truly value, as revealed not by our words but by how we spend our irreplaceable time. Are you ready to break free from distraction and reclaim your spiritual purpose?
The American Soul Podcast
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe
Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well, wherever y'all are, whatever part of the day you're in. I sure do appreciate you joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. Hopefully it'll give us all some extra tools for our toolbox, as we used to say in the Marine Corps, and hopefully it'll draw all of us a little closer to God and Jesus Christ, both as individuals and as a nation. For those of y'all who have been around for a while, thank you so much for saying. For those of y'all who are new to the podcast, I sure do appreciate it. Hope you enjoy it, get something out of it. Hope you come back. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast and tell others about it, thank you. And for those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you so much. Definitely need those prayers, appreciate them. So thank you, father. Thank you for today. Thank you for you, father, and your Son, jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace and your forgiveness of sins, even though we don't deserve it. Thank you for sending your son. Thank you for your son being willing to come. Thank you for all the many blessings you have bestowed upon us, both as individuals and as nations. Thank you for the people that listen to the podcast. Wherever they are around the world, please be with them. Be with their families, guide them, bless them, surround them with your angels. Protect us all from evil of any kind, father, and help us to do your will. Above all else, help us to love your Son truly and to follow his commands and therefore to love you with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Be with our educators across the nation teachers, administrators, coaches, counselors, mothers, mothers, public school or private school or homeschool. Give them wisdom and knowledge, insight, guide them as they teach and raise, in some cases, many cases, our nation's children. Help us, father, to put you and your word and your son back in the center of our classrooms, whether they're at home or a public school or a private school or other place. Help us to turn back to you as a nation. Forgive us for walking away from you, for rejecting you, for pushing you away. Forgive us for supporting so much evil, abortion, feminism, separation of God and state. Forgive us and have mercy on us, father, please, and guide our steps as a nation and as individuals and nations around the world, wherever Anybody's listening. Father and God, my word's here. In your son's name, we pray, amen.
Speaker 1:Have you made time for God today? Have you made time to read his word? Have you made time to pray? Is he really important to you or not? Is it the first thing you do in the morning, spending time with him, or is it the last thing at the end of the day, or is it something you just try and shove in when and if you have time during the middle of the day?
Speaker 1:Your spouse Do you actually love them? And if so, right, it has to be with actions. That's how you know. You can answer your own question Do I really love my spouse? Do I really love God? Well, how do I act on a day-to-day basis? That's going to tell you.
Speaker 1:Do you follow scripture in your marriage? 1 Corinthians 7, ephesians 5, titus 2,. 1 Peter 3, hebrews 13, 4, proverbs 5, 19,. Song of Solomon right, or are you just worried about yourself? I harp on time. You know the saying beating a dead horse Well, this is not the horse, as I have said often on the podcast is super alive and very fat and well-fed and muscular. Because there's so many things. There was an article in Epoch Times I wish I had it in front of me, I don't From a week or two ago, and one of the articles was talking about distractions how many things there are today that cause us to get distracted from what's really important, from paying attention to the world around us, and it was talking in this particular instance.
Speaker 1:It was talking about going for a walk. Right, and do we really look at things the way a child does? Are we fascinated by everything that we see when we're out and about? Are we really curious? Are we really paying attention? And it was talking about how distracting screens are of all kinds, and I would add sports to that easily, folks, but you know, 100 years ago, 150 years ago, they didn't have these distractions. This is kind of a crude comment, folks, but I'm going to throw it in here, so forgive me if you're listening with some kids or if you're a young child yourself listening.
Speaker 1:We were in Afghanistan in the Marine Corps. We were up in the mountains somewhere, I can't remember where, and we walked into a house and it was a man and his wife living in this little house and we were looking for information. I was outside with the vehicles but our CO went in with a couple guys to talk to this man and he came back out and he was shaking his head. He said that guy's got like 10 kids and one of the Marines or the sailors had said that. The CO said well, look at where they live. They don't have any TV, there's no phones. What else do they have to do besides have sex and have kids? And of course that got a good laugh and of course that got a good laugh. But I wonder if that's not kind of condemning of us as a nation here in America and really Western civilization. You're laughing at this guy who you know and I'm not saying that their marriage was perfect by any means. I don't know the guy or his wife, and in Afghanistan there's a real good chance that there were some problems. But just, we're laughing at somebody for making a family and we're laughing at them for not being glued to a TV screen or a phone screen. Maybe we ought to be laughing at ourselves.
Speaker 1:How much more time would you give to God and to your spouse each day if you couldn't just turn on a TV or pick up your phone. How much Really think about that? If you didn't have a TV to turn on and maybe you don't have a TV in your house, maybe you're one of those rare people that doesn't and you're really not on your phone that much but you love to read for fun how much more time would we give? Or you love to work out right, or you love to watch sports in person? How much better would we do serving God and loving our spouse if we couldn't just pick something up and distract ourselves right and really, because the other things they take a little bit of effort. You can't just pick up a workout or pick up going to a sports stadium or whatever, although we give way too much time to that, I'm getting kind of caught in the weeds. The point is are you spending your time, folks? That's the point. You need to think about that. We need to as a nation.
Speaker 1:Matthew 24. Signs of Christ's Return. Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when his disciples came up to point out the temple building stone and he said to them Do you not see all these things. Truly, I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another which will not be torn down. As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying Tell us when will these things happen and what will be the sign of your coming in the end of the age? And Jesus answered and said to them See to it that no one misleads you, for many will come in my name saying I am the Christ, and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place.
Speaker 1:But that is not yet the end, for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation and they will kill you and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many, because lawlessness is increased. Most people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, in the whole world, as a testimony to all the nations. And then the end will come, perilous times.
Speaker 1:Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel, the prophet, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days. But pray that your flight will not be in the winter or on a Sabbath, for then there will be a great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.
Speaker 1:Then, if anyone says to you Behold, here is the Christ or there he is, do not believe him, for false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect, behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, behold, he is in the wilderness, do not go out. Or Behold, he is in inner rooms, do not believe in him. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man Wherever the corpse is there, the v, so will be the coming of the Son of man Wherever the corpse is there. The vultures will gather the glorious return. But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in the sky and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in the sky. And then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory, and he will send forth his angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together his light from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Speaker 1:Parable of the Fig Tree. Now learn the parable from the fig tree when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So you too, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near, right at the door. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
Speaker 1:For the coming of the Son of man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark. And they did not understand, until the flood came and took them all away, so will the coming of the Son of man be. Then there will be two men in the field, one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left.
Speaker 1:Be ready for his coming. Therefore. Be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, it would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready, for the Son of man is coming in an hour when you do not think he will.
Speaker 1:Who, then, is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing. When he comes, truly, I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that evil slave says in his heart, my master is not coming for a long time, and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the herds. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, folks. That last one bothers me a little bit. I think it ought to bother all of us. There's no possible way you want to be assigned with the hypocrites in the place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. We don't want anything to do with that. We don't want anything to do with that and this whole last section be ready for his coming. We have no idea whether it's us dying or Jesus Christ returning while we're still alive, when the end of our, when our time is up.
Speaker 1:Whatever you're doing today, that needs to be in the forefront of our minds. Whatever we're doing, you don't have one more day, folks. You can't think like that. You might, you might not. Are you spending time with God? Are you trying to do his will today? Are we? We need to ask ourselves that question constantly. Talk to god, pray, help me to do your will, give me the wisdom to see it and the courage to act on it. For those around you that you love your, your parents, your siblings, your children, your spouse, your friend. You know I'm not telling you to skip work today, folks. I'm not telling you to abandon the things that you need to do for the day to function.
Speaker 1:What I'm trying to get across, though, is, while you're doing those things, are the people in your life? Are they your driving factor? Are they your goal? What if you didn't get to see any of them tomorrow, you know, and for those of us who have faith in Christ and our loved ones do too that's going to be a pretty awesome day, because then we get to spend time with them forever and there's no more tears and no more sorrow, and no more sadness, pain, illness, injury, right, but. But we have a responsibility here on earth to follow those commands of christ, to store up for ourselves treasure in heaven and and to seek the lost. We can't just worry about ourselves, we have to worry about those who don't know jesus christ.
Speaker 1:And and if we really are smart, you know you talk about listen to financial advisors uh, the really good ones. They start really young, with kids, teenagers, you know start trying to teach them how to be responsible with money, because it affects your life so much. I've learned that the hard way myself multiple times. I wish I had been so much a better steward of the financial blessings that God gave me over the years, and I wasn't. And it's a lesson that I've learned and hopefully I've learned it well enough to not make the same mistakes. But with our eternal bank account, the same is true, folks, each day we need to be concerned with that eternal bank account for ourselves, outside of the fact that we need to be trying to save those who don't know Jesus Christ at all, so that they don't get thrown out with the hypocrites, where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth and again it just comes back to time.
Speaker 1:So often, folks, we just don't know how much time, you know, you go back and you look at that teaching and the parable of the master and the slave. And the good slave is doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing and his master comes back and his master puts him in charge of all his possessions and the evil slave is sitting there going. I don't have to worry about this guy, he's not coming back. I'm going to these other Jacobis, I'm going to beat on them some and go out and drink and sleep around and have a good time, and I'll have, I'll know when he's coming and then I can get get everything squared away. It's it's kind of like if you've ever been in this situation as a kid or a parent, you know, mom or dad goes away and and the one of them that's left whichever one they have a great time. I think normally we throw fathers under the bus here. We, you know, order pizza and eat ice cream and we don't do the dishes and we don't brush our teeth and we don't make the bed, but mom's coming back at some point, and so that last day, if she's gone on a trip, is a mad scramble to get everything all back squared away. So it looks like we've been doing what we're supposed to be doing, right. And you could say that the other way too. Mothers do it just the same. Dad's gone all day and then comes home and you're scrambling to try and get everything done that should have been done in the first place. Right, we don't want to be that slave, because we don't really know when God, when Jesus Christ, is coming back. At any rate, medal of Honor. Say where we left off.
Speaker 1:Travis W Kemp, iraq Staff Sergeant. War on Terrorism, iraq. 2nd Platoon Delta Company. 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment. 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, us Army. 1 June 2007,. Action Place Abu Samak, iraq. Citation as follows While manning a static observation post in the town of Abu Samak, iraq, staff Sergeant Atkins was notified that four suspicious individuals, walking in two pairs, were crossing an intersection not far from his position.
Speaker 1:Staff Sergeant Atkins immediately moved his squad to interdict the individuals. One of the individuals began behaving erratically, prompting Staff Sergeant Atkins to disembark from his patrol vehicle and approach to conduct a search. Both individuals responded belligerently towards Staff Sergeant Atkins, who then engaged the individuals he had intended to search in hand-to-hand combat. Staff Sergeant Atkins tried to wrestle the insurgent's arms behind his back. When he noticed the insurgent was reaching for something under his clothes, staff Sergeant Atkins immediately wrapped him in a bear hug and threw him to the ground, away from his fellow soldiers. Staff Sergeant Atkins maintained his hold on the insurgent, placing his body on top of him, further sheltering the patrol. With Staff Sergeant Atkins on top of him, the insurgent detonated a bomb strapped to his body, killing Staff Sergeant Atkins. Staff Sergeant Atkins acted with complete disregard for his own safety. In this critical and selfless act of valor, staff Sergeant Atkins saved the lives of the three other soldiers who were with him and gallantly gave his life for his country. Staff Sergeant Atkins' undaunted courage, warrior spirit and steadfast devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect a great credit upon himself. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the United States Army, gallatin County, montana, awarded posthumously, presented March 27, 2019 at the White House to his son, trevor Oliver, by President Donald J Trump, born December 9, 1975, great Falls, cascade County, montana, united States, died 1 June 2007. Abu Samak, iraq, buried Sunset Hills Cemetery, bozeman, montana.
Speaker 1:There's some different articles and videos down at the bottom of this page. If you're interested in going to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website, they have more information there. But how many of us know this name? I would imagine at least some people know Atkins because it was within the last 20 years. But how many of our kids going through school know the name of Travis W Atkins as much as they know Taylor Swift?
Speaker 1:And I know some of y'all are rolling your eyes out there at me right now going oh come on, cope, that's not realistic, why not? Why not? You know the argument and my father and I get into this from time to time and I have an immense amount of respect for my father and value his wisdom over my own, so much so that it's almost not worth even mentioning my own wisdom, the lack thereof. But we've talked often about the Revolutionary War and the fact that our founders couldn't really get rid of slavery because the South would have abandoned the cause, and I have always kind of pushed back against that when we've discussed it One. Well, I guess this is all kind of part of one, but we don't really know what would have happened because we didn't do it.
Speaker 1:What if we would have required the abolition of slavery at the Revolutionary War? There's a lot of ways that could have turned out. Maybe the South would have left. Maybe we would have then been forced to reconcile with Britain for a while. Maybe we would have gained our independence in the North and maybe the South wouldn't have, and then maybe the Union could have taken over the South later. Maybe the South would have decided you know what, this is still our best bet and we would have gotten rid of slavery.
Speaker 1:You have no idea what would have happened because we didn't do it. We didn't do the right thing. That's the problem with not doing the right thing. It's not even so much as doing the wrong thing. It's not doing the right thing because you don't know what would have happened. And so I go back to Travis W Atkins and I say again why do so many of our students, our children around the nation know the name Kelsey, or Taylor Swift or LeBron James or pick whoever you want to pick, whatever actor, actress or singer or songwriter or even politician or athlete, or athlete. Why do so many of our children know those names and they don't know the name of a man who willingly jumped on a bomb to protect his fellow soldiers and gave his life for our nation? There's something deeply wrong there. And this isn't somebody from the 1800s and you can say, well, that's just too far ago. This is somebody from the last 20 years Thomas E Atkinson, us Civil War Yeoman that was his rank. Us Civil War Yeoman that was his rank. Us Civil War.
Speaker 1:Uss Richmond, us Navy, 5 August 1864, mobile Bay, alabama, usa. Citation as follows Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864, commended for coolness and energy in supplying the rifle ammunition which was under his sole charge in the action in Mobile. Whole of the Buenos Arian fleet by that vessel off Montevideo. Joined the Richmond in September 1860, was in the action with Fort McRee, the head of the passes of the Mississippi, fort Jackson and St Philip, the Chalamets, the Rebel ironclads and gunboats below New Orleans, vicksburg, port Hudson and the surrender of New Orleans.
Speaker 1:Accredited to Massachusetts, not awarded. Posthumously. Born 1824, salem, essex County, massachusetts, united States. Died March 9, 1868 at sea on board the USS Dacath, buried St Lorenzo Island, peru, buried. St Lorenzo Island, peru. St Lorenzo Island, peru. Thomas E Atkinson Another name that we would do well to remember folks. Alright, we will move on for today, before we get into our little quotes from history.
Speaker 1:Today I wanted to read I stumbled across this, I guess I didn't stumble, it was part of my daily reading a few days ago Psalm 28. It's real short. I don't know why, but for some reason I wanted to read it with y'all. Maybe it'll encourage some of y'all like it encouraged me. This is the NLT translation Psalm of David, psalm 28.
Speaker 1:I pray to you, o Lord, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me, for if you were silent I might as well give up and die. Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary. Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, those who speak friendly words to their neighbors while planning evil in their hearts. Give them the punishment they so richly deserve. Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness. Pay them back for all their evil deeds. Give them a taste of what they have done to others. They care nothing for what the Lord has done or what his hands have made. They care nothing for what the Lord has done or what his hands have made, so he will tear them down and they will never be rebuilt. Praise the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. The Lord gives his people strength. He is a safe fortress for his anointed king. Save your people, bless Israel, your special possession, lead them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms forever. Carry them in your arms forever.
Speaker 1:Even in pain, folks, heartache, you can trust God. I'm not saying it's easy, folks. I don't do a great job of it. I have had moments of heartaches off and on most of my life at different times and I'm still working on it, and I'm sure there are a number of y'all listening who have had pain, whether it's physical illness, right, it all kind of comes back to the heart. Why am I sick? Why am I hurting? Why is my spouse the way they are? Why did my child act? Abandon me? We don't see the big picture, folks. I'm really talking to myself here, at least as much, if not more, than y'all. But I need to remember that, that God sees more than I see and that even with all that heartache and pain, we can still trust that he's doing what's best for us, that he has Plans, good plans for us, like Jeremiah told us. All right, a couple quotes. Make sure I'm reading yeah, emma Willard, 1843.
Speaker 1:The government of the United States is acknowledged by the wise and good of other nations to be the most free, impartial and righteous government of the world. But all agree that for such a government to be sustained for many years, the principles of truth and righteousness taught in the Holy Scriptures must be practiced. The principles of truth and righteousness taught in the Holy Scriptures must be practiced. The rulers must govern in the fear of God and the people obey the laws. Pretty smart woman. If we don't practice what we preach and as a we were founded on the principles of Christ, so in effect that's what we preach If we don't practice that, if we don't turn to God as a nation in our institutions, our courts, our constitutions, military law enforcement, education, then our government, our republic, our way of life will fail. Liberty here in the United States will fail If we don't have leaders that rule in fear of God and people that obey those laws. As Ms Willard said almost 200 years ago now, 180 years ago, give or take. We will lose our nation, and we are.
Speaker 1:And you see that there was something else. Let me see if I can find it real quick, because it kind of fits here. I think this was another reading from the, the Bible reading, but I think it was from more recent. I'm getting there. I may have lied to y'all. There we go.
Speaker 1:This is out of Exodus 23, verses 32 and 33. Make no treaties with them or their gods. They must not live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry. And he's talking about the peoples that live in this land that he's going to give the Israelites.
Speaker 1:And when I read that this morning, you think about the choice that was given to the loyalists at the end of the Revolutionary War, the choice that was given to the Confederates at the end of the South Civil War. The choice was hey, either get on board with what's right or find somewhere else to live, but you can't stay here and keep acting the way you were acting, get on board, do what you're supposed to be doing, what we should have been doing, or find somewhere else to go. Because if you stay right, if if, for example, on the road at the end of the revolutionary war, if the loyalists would have continued to be able to stay in the united states and continue to be loyal to great Britain, how long would it have been before they caused more and more people to turn back to the evil that had caused the war in the first place? Same thing with slavery. If slavery, if the South was allowed to just continue on with slavery, how long before that evil spread throughout the nation and there was war again?
Speaker 1:I've said for a long time on the podcast I think there's a pretty good chance that we have another fight coming. Maintain that. Either that or slavery under socialism, communism, leftism, all that bucket of isms and Islam. But if a fight comes and if God is gracious enough, with a fight or without one, to get our country back on the right track, folks, the idea of peaceful coexistence has to go away, the idea that we can continue to sit along with people who follow the ideology of that bucket of isms or Islam and that there's not going to be any problems, that their sins, that that evil isn't going to spread. It's just not true. It is spreading. It has been spreading right.
Speaker 1:When we went along, for example, with separation of the separation of church and state ruling back in 1947, which wasn't really separation of church and state, it was separation of God and state that ruling just led to one more thing and one more thing and one more thing. That's the problem Peaceful coexistence that maintains liberty with people who insist on following the evils of leftism or the evils of Islam. It's just not going to happen, because all they're doing with their cries for tolerance and peace and compassion, all they're really doing is biding their time. They're just trying to buy themselves some more time to gain more power, to get in total control and for whatever reason. These verses struck me when I read them earlier today Don't make any treaties with these people, don't let them live in your land or they're going to cause you to sin against me. They're going to trap you in their idolatry and their sins and their confusion. All right, one more, if I can find it Frederick Douglass. We read a little bit about him recently.
Speaker 1:I have one great political idea. That idea is an old one. It is widely and generally assented to. Nevertheless, it is very generally trampled upon and disregarded. The best expression of it I have found in the Bible. It is in substance righteousness exalteth a nation and is a reproach to any people. This constitutes my politics, the negative and positive of my politics, and the whole of my politics, the negative and positive of my politics and the whole of my politics. I feel it my duty to do all in my power to infuse this idea into the public mind that it may speedily be recognized and practiced upon by our people.
Speaker 1:Where else have we heard that Bible verse quoted by one of our great leaders, grant right, president, grant, patrick Henry Righteousness alone exalteth a nation's sin as a reproach to any people. That's the basic, folks. I mean, that's about as basic as you get. We can either choose, as the man who was the senatorial chaplain whose name I can't remember, peter Marshall, maybe, I'm not sure, but we have a choice and it really just boils down to we can either choose Christ or we can choose chaos. We can choose the Bible or we can choose the bayonet. That's it, folks. That's the choice. Extra chaos, righteousness or sin, and we've been choosing chaos and sin for quite a while in the United States now. And it shows. It shows in our marriages, the dysfunctionality there, the brokenness there. It shows in our families. The same it shows in our communities. It shows in our schools. It shows in our churches when we proclaim Christ. Right, that was interesting, his comment.
Speaker 1:Frederick Douglass' comment here reminded me of, I think, benjamin Franklin's when he talked about the fact that there's so many people that celebrate the birth of Christ but there's so few that actually follow the precepts of Christ. Right, and Frederick Douglass here saying this idea of righteousness exalting a nation. Everybody generally agrees with it, but it's also very generally trampled upon and disregarded. We say one thing and we do another. That's one of the reasons, folks, we talk about faith and marriage on every single podcast Because we claim so many of us claim we want a strong faith, but we don't spend any time with God. So many of us claim we want this strong marriage, but we don't put any effort in to follow God. And Douglas is saying here everybody agrees that this is right, but pretty much everybody ignores it too. I think I'm going to switch the order up today because we didn't get to read in the last podcast History of the Rise, progress and Termination of the American Revolution by Mercy Otis Warren, so we're going to read in that first and then, if we have time, we'll get back into Fox's Book of the Martyrs at the end.
Speaker 1:They represented the mercantile body in America as a set of smugglers, forever breaking over the laws of trade and of society. The people in general as fastidious, turbulent and aiming at independence. The legislatures in the several provinces as marked with the same spirit, and government everywhere in so lacks a state that the civil authority was insufficient to prevent the fatal effects of popular discontent. It is indeed true that resentment had in several instances arisen to outrage and that the most unwarrantable excesses had been committed on some occasions, which gave grounds for unfavorable representations. Yet it must be acknowledged that the voice of the people seldom breathes universal murmur, but when the insolence or the oppression of their rulers exhorts the bitter complaint. On the contrary, there is a certain supineness which generally overspreads the multitude and disposes mankind to submit quietly to any form of government rather than to be the expense and hazard of resistance. They become attached to ancient modes by habits of obedience, though the reins of authority are sometimes held by the most rigorous hand. Thus we have seen in all ages, the many become the slaves of the few, referring the wretched tranquillity of inglorious ease they patiently yield to despotic masters until awakened, by multiplied wrongs, to the feelings of human nature which, when once aroused to a consciousness of the native freedom and equal rights of man, every revolts, ever revolts at the idea of servitude. This is basically in our Declaration of Independence In a different form, talking about the fact that people will often choose to stay in a really bad situation.
Speaker 1:You can see it in marriages too, right? You see people that they're in this relationship and it's a horrible relationship, but they stay because they'd rather stay with what they know than risk, than risk the expenses and the hazards of resistance, of leaving. You see that in the Israelites when they left Egypt, right, and they get out in this desert and then they start whining to Moses about why did you bring us out here? We should have just stayed in Egypt. At least we had food there. Even if we were beaten and treated horribly, we got food at the end of the day. There are worse things. As Chesty Puller, one of our greatest generals in the Marine Corps, said there are worse things than death. In the Marine Corps said there are worse things than death Unlimited servitude to evil. That's one of them, folks.
Speaker 1:Perhaps the story of political revolution never exhibited a more general enthusiasm in the cause of liberty than that which, for several years, pervaded all ranks in America and brought forward events little expected by the most sanguine spirits in the beginning of the controversy. Protests now pushed with so much bigotry that the intelligent yeomanry of the country, as well as those educated in the higher walks, became convinced that nothing less than a system, a systematical plan of slavery was designed against them. They viewed the chains as already forged to manacle the unborn millions. And though everyone seemed to dread any new interruption of public tranquility, the impetuosity of some led them into excesses which could not be restrained by those of more cool and discreet deportment. To the most moderate and judicious, it soon became apparent that unless a timely and bold resistance prevented, the colonists must, in a few years, sink into the same wretched thralldom that marks the miserable Asiatic.
Speaker 1:We're here, folks, in my opinion, or just right on the door of here. The chains are already made. They're just stored in a room somewhere, and the people that own those chains are the leaders, but really the citizens who insist on supporting leftism, that whole bucket of isms, Leftism, socialism, communism, nazism, fascism and Islam which goes hand in glove with that. The question is whether we're going to choose to go into that wretched thralldom, that serfdom, or whether we're going to, as our founders did, realize that the plan is slavery and that it's when you look at the history of all of those isms combined and you look at the history of Islam, when they get total control, there is no freedom. You can say the same thing about the church in England and Europe prior to the foundation of the United States. When those churches, those particular denominations, got absolute power, there was no freedom. You didn't get to choose how to serve God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. You were told what you were going to do, and if you didn't do that there were going to be horrific consequences.
Speaker 1:Few of the executive officers employed by the kind of Great Britain and fewer of their adherents were qualified either by education, principle or inclination to allay the ferment of the times or to eradicate the suspicious suspicions of men who, from a hereditary love of freedom, were tenderly touched by the smallest attempt to undermine the invaluable possession. Yet perhaps a few of the colonies at this period suffered equal embarrassments with Massachusetts. The inhabitants of that province were considered as the prime leaders of faction, the disturbers of public tranquility, and Boston, the seat of sedition Vengeance, was continually denounced against that capital and indeed the whole province, through the letters, messages and speeches of their first magistrate. Unhappily for both parties, governor Bernard was very illy calculated to promote the interest of the people or support the honor of his master. He was a man of little genius but some learning. He was a man of little genius but some learning. He was, by education, strongly impressed with high ideas of canon and feudal law and fond of a system of government that had been long obsolete in England and had never had an existence in America. His disposition was choleric and sanguine, obstinate and designing, yet too open and frank to disguise his intrigues and too precipitant to bring them to maturity. A revision of colonial charters, a resumption of former privileges and an American revenue were the constant topics of his letters to administration, see his pamphlet on law and polity and his letters to the British ministry while he resided in Massachusetts. To prove the necessity of these measures, the most trivial disturbance was magnified to a riot and to give a pretext to these wicked insinuations. It was thought by many that Tumult were frequently excited by the indiscretion or malignancy of his own partisans sounds pretty familiar to what we dealt with in the United States a few years ago during COVID and the George Floyd riots, almost as if there was a point to make those who loved liberty and freedom out to be the bad guys. The declaratory bill still hung suspended over the heads of the Americans, nor was it suffered to remain long without trying its operative effects. The clause holding up a right to tax America at pleasure and to bind them in all cases whatsoever was comprehensive and alarming. Yet it was not generally expected that the ministry would soon endeavor to avail themselves of the dangerous experiment. But in this the public were mistaken. I think we're mistaken often, folks, when we think that we have all the time in the world. We've read recently in the Bible, in our Bible readings, that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Like a thief in the night. And if we live like the evil slave and we do whatever we want, thinking we'll have time to get our house in order before Jesus comes back, we're really only tricking ourselves. We act like we have all this time to deal with the left, that bucket of isms, and with Islam, and that we'll have some kind of warning before things really get out of hand. Right, there's no guarantee that we will. There's no guarantee that we have all the time in the world. In fact, I would argue that we don't, that the clock is ticking and has been, and there's other talking about this clause here that was going to give Britain the right to tax Americans at pleasure and bind them in all cases whatsoever. When you have right again. So they were going to have taxation without representation. We have today, representation without taxation. But it's basically the same. When you start to give people the vote, especially when you have a concerted effort, like you do from the left, to give people who are going to vote the way you want them to, the ability to vote even though they don't pay taxes, even though they aren't citizens, you're really doing the same thing. You're taking control of American citizens, complete control, without their assent, right, because you're just chipping in extra votes for yourself, giving yourself more power over those who are actually carrying the load. That makes sense. We're going to read just a little bit of Martyrs, even if it's just a page or so, and we're still in the 10th persecution. And we'll just read a little bit of that. Maximus, governor of Sicilia no, sicilia being at tarsus, three christians were brought before him. Their names were tarchus, an aged man, probus and andronicus. After repeated tortures and exhortations to recant, they at length were ordered for execution, being brought to the amph amphitheater. Several beasts were let loose upon them, but none of the animals, though hungry, would touch them. The keeper then brought out a large bear that had, that very day, destroyed three men, but this voracious creature and a fierce lioness both refused to touch the prisoners, finding the design of destroying them by the means of wild beasts, and effectual Maximus ordered them to be slain by the sword on 11 October AD 303. Romanus, a native of Palestine, was a deacon of the church of Caesarea at the time of the commencement of Diocletian's persecution. Being condemned for his faith at Antioch, he was scourged, put to the rack, his body torn with hooks, his flesh cut with knives, his face scarified, his teeth beaten from their sockets and his hair plucked up by the roots, soon after he was ordered to be strangled, november 17, ad 303. Susanna, the niece of Caius, bishop of Rome, was pressed by the emperor, diocletian, to marry a noble pagan who was nearly related to him. Refusing the honor intended her, she was beheaded by the emperor's order. Dorotheus, the high chamberlain of the household of Diocletian, was a Christian and took great pains to make converts In his religious labors. He was joined by Gerganus, another Christian and one belonging to the palace. They were first tortured and then strangled. They were first tortured and then strangled. Peter, a eunuch belonging to the emperor, was a Christian of singular modesty and humility. He was laid on a gridiron and broiled over a slow fire till he expired Again. Folks, what are we willing to risk to serve Jesus Christ? Are we really so timid that we are afraid to lose friends or jobs as opposed to acknowledge Jesus Christ? God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages. God bless your nation. Wherever you are around the world listening. God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon, folks, looking forward to it.