rational logic (2)

I hate doing this to you – my readers. But I hope that the rational logic of the eight sentences which we looked at in last week’s Info for Islanders was, at the very least, worth thinking about. 

Even more worthy of your thoughts – and even your decisions – are the words in bold above which directly follow on from last week. This is no joke. This is not madness put together by a crooked man. It’s the AD 60 writing of a follower of Jesus Christ, Paul, writing to Christians in Rome.

This articulation of rational logic describes this whole world and its entire people. 

Summarizing last week’s (1.) to (8.): there is a way of salvation from all that is in and of this world; that way of salvation is the good news that the power of God is able to give – freely give – God’s very own righteousness to anybody who believes; on the other hand, God’s wrath can be clearly seen towards anybody who suppresses the truth – suppresses the “vertical” (“there is no God”) and then suppresses the horizontal (“I am only my brother’s keeper if I choose to be”); in short, it is plain to all that there is a God and therefore all have no excuse when they deny the “vertical” because, when they do that, they have actually chosen to go against the truth which they actually know in themselves, in their own hearts. 

Now for the awful rational logic which follows on and on and on…. See above.

(9.) When human beings refuse to acknowledge what is plainly before them, God’s response is to give them over to do what they want to do. Are you surprised by this? I’m not. God created man in His image – with power to decide. When humans decide to deny God, God lets them do so. In his justice he allows them to reap the consequences. When they deny the “vertical” they claim they are free to do their own will with their (so called) “own” bodies.

(10.) Passions take over when the “vertical” is denied. Natural relations need supplementing – unnatural ones become “natural”, unnaturally attractive.

(11.) Human beings are then given over by God to follow their own illogical thinking – and to bring about, for themselves and others, the very things which ought not to be. In pursuit of horizontal-only success, God allows them to harm themselves and others.

(12.) The absence of any vertical (in human thinking not in rational logic) leaves a moral vacuum. Horizontal behavioural boundaries are moved to allow harm to be done with impunity if it’s done for the good of the perpetrator. Then they’re moved again. And again. Almost anything becomes do-able No vertical.

(13.) God has now given over human beings – given them over to the consequences of their denial of rational logic with regard to the “vertical”. That rational logic is residually present in every human being with regard to the “horizontal” – but is, continuously, being suppressed.

We are all left, by God, living in a world where we now see clearly the outcomes of our denial of the truth about God and His creation (we humans). 

Despite that, we proceed with our own agendas (instead of turning to Jesus). We also change laws so as to approve, in others, hurtful, corrupt practices – and thereby cut ourselves some slack. (13.) Do you agree?