Beatific Vision of the Species

First held in 1877, the annual Westminster Dog Show is held in Madison Square Garden, NYC. This international show brings breeders of the canine species together to compete for highest honors in the dog world. The judges look for exacting features of the species, purebred, no off-color bloodlines mixed with good breeding; a total of 179 breeds are recognized by this kennel club.

It has always amazed me just how careful some human beings are about breeding and bloodlines with their pets...the money spent on making sure that your certified animals (“papers included”) have been bred only with certified “best of the species” (dogs, cows, horses, etc.). So particular in their animal's sexual activities, veterinarian care, food, and exercise, when the choices of God's creation, genus homo sapiens (human beings), ancestry, progeny, sexual activities, healthcare, discipline, are so neglected.

One of the most disturbed young men I have ever known in my life, working in a business I owned for a short time, was reared by two lesbians (one of them his biological mother). He had a brilliant mind, artistic ability beyond compare, and yet because of the sociological-psychological trauma of his rearing, he was unable to function in society. These two women had led him to despise all women because of his resentments.

In Manhattan, while eating in a restaurant, the male server became acutely interested in my life. He came by my house several times because he needed someone with whom he could talk. He was a medical student at a New York university, one of the most brilliant minds I have ever encountered. Puerto Rican, great family values, he took his deceased mother back to Puerto Rico for burial with his deceased father. He revealed to me that he was gay, and lived with a male lover who also a medical student. Both went to school and worked every job they could find; both were ambitious, completely at ease in their own skin. Upon graduation, both residencies at a west coast hospital, wanting children, but not wanting female companionship, they adopted a child, a young girl. He called me several times about such: how much they loved this child, spending so much to provide for her. The last time he called, he told me that as she aged, she had built “such a resentment and so despises both of us” because she wanted a normal home-life.

So many think that the religious baptism of a child will ensure Christian conformity. Have we not learned that even the baptism of adults, church membership, does not result—magically—in Christian obedience or even somewhat acceptable hypocrisy. Just participating in a game, just pretending to be a player, even to the extent of talking the language, wearing the uniform, does not establish commitment (you can teach a parrot to talk). Ask the habit wearing, roman-collar wearing, pedophile Catholic priest. Ask the 75% of college students, reared in Christian homes, why they deserted the church after college graduation.

The insult to the Christian world, the insanity of denominations/churches, professing Christians, who sanction same-sex marriage, homosexual pastors and bishops, abortion. The inability to keep oneself separated from the world, the deceitfulness and sinfulness of the world. The Christian is holy because Christ is holy; royal, divine, because as joint-heirs with Christ, we are children of a King. (1 Peter 2:9) Oh yes, Oh yes, I'm a child of the King. His royal blood now flows in my veins. (“I'm a Child of the King” - Hymn).

Government has a very definite responsibility for Biblical and legal marriage and family, the uniting of a male and female (holy matrimony), the production of children. Physically, spiritually, emotionally, socially, the children of normal parents do better in every aspect of life. Only 5% of children raised in “mother and father” homes, live in poverty; very few of these children wind up in prison. Now, there are always exceptions but generally speaking, children from a stable home-life, loving parents, have fewer problems.

You cannot expect children to worship a heavenly father who have had a horrible relationship with an earthly father. I have never heard a gay young man refer to his father, likewise I have never heard a gay young woman refer to her mother. Every young person without a normal mother and father home life or coming from an orphanage or foster home, feel that they have been cheated. All children want parents, brothers and sisters, family ancestry, all animals desire purity of species. There are many things that religious people disagree about: purgatory, rapture, women preachers, method of baptism, divorce, but one thing they agree on, from the first family with all of its problems(one brother killing another) to now, the importance of family.

How many people do you know that can explain their faith? Who, on a piece of paper, can write down the essentials of their faith. Think of it, the only species given by the Creator of the universe, the hope and opportunity of eternal life. The satisfaction of knowing that the spirit of the Creator of the universe is capable of operating within you, giving you advice and instructions about everything, hearing you, healing you, consoling you, and at last, redeeming you. Is it possible to conceive of this species being so nonchalant, so casual, so unconcerned about the greatest gift possible for any brain to conceive? Perhaps, the brain of the homo sapiens species is not capable of this conception. Perhaps this is why God, in His infinite mercy, has predestined those whom He has chosen.

My Mean Parents

Before he died, Dr. Benjamin Spock apologized to the world for his book Baby and Child Care, the book translated into 39 languages, that sold 59 million copies was the epistle of the child-rearing culture for over thirty years. Spock encouraged parents to see children as individuals, very permissive, bringing on a spoiled generation seeking immediate gratification, and having few rules in their lives. This is the present day baby boomers.

I do not know of a book in memory that has caused as much excitement as Amy Chau's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, in this book she discusses the rearing of two daughters, using the model of Chinese/Asian mothers. It is no secret that Asian students excel, almost all university valedictorians are Asian. She speaks of how each Asian students, her daughters, must excel, no grades less than an A, no extracurricular activities, no sleepovers, no complaints, must play one of two instruments, piano or violin. She describes how the student must have perfection in the instrument, practice until accomplishment. The mother, herself, is a professor at Yale Law School, this is the way she was reared, and indeed, the way most Asian students are schooled.

On a personal note, my own two grandsons were reared in Asia where their parents Dr. and Mrs. John Morris were on the foreign mission field of the Southern Baptist Convention. Both parents have graduate degrees, my son, medical school, and now a Ph.D professor at Southwestern Seminary. They did not accept anything less than an A from these two grandsons, I believe the two grandsons, like their father, my son, received all As in their scholastic careers, except for one B. The grandsons, lawyer and engineer, both played musical instruments, played on athletic teams.

When my grandsons returned to America to enter college, they were so far ahead of students here, both received outstanding full-scholarships. This aging grandfather did not have the opportunity of the preparation afforded my son and grandsons. I went to a small, poor eastern North Carolina country school. Today's youth would not identify the schools of poverty-ridden eastern North Carolina with today's modern matriculation. There was no air conditioning, carpeting, special equipment of any kind, just rented books, chalkboards, and the old uncomfortable wood desks, in rows. There was thirteen students in my high school graduating class, of course, I was class president and valedictorian...but ill-prepared for college.

My mean parents, however, made sure that their four children were in school everyday unless hospitalized, and I do not believe any one of us ever went to the hospital. My father was determined that his children would get a college education. I do not believe there is any man who ever lived who worked harder than he did toward that goal (all his children did graduate from college). In the early 20^th century, there were few college graduates, he too had come from an exceptional family, most went to college, but during the depth of the early 20^th century depressions, he could not go.

My mother, who only had a 6^th grade education (today, probably equivalent to a college education), one of the brightest women I have ever known. Pushed us every step of the way, like the Chinese mother, tiger mom, we did not have much choice in many things. We ate breakfast before we went to school (you will eat breakfast so you can learn). Think of the children bussed from neighborhoods who need education most, who are fed at the schoolhouse, parents too disinterested to even feed their children, mornings or summer vacations.

As poor as we were, we all had piano lessons. I remember the day that beautiful Verdi, mahogany upright was delivered to our house. As poor as we were, a newspaper was delivered to the house everyday including Sunday, several magazines each month (Look, Progressive Farmer, The Baptist). We had schedules, table rules, behavior rules at home, and especially away from home. We had duties, keeping the wood boxes filled, yard cleaning, livestock feeding etc. The most important education pushed on us, the one from which you will never recover, the value of a dollar, the saving of money.

My mean parents made sure we were at the church house just as at the schoolhouse, we had no choice about that either. There was never any talk about options, we were at the church, participating at all church activities, as was our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, ancestors before us. I do not believe that my mean parents ever expected to find one of us in jail.

On radio talk shows, many modernistic psychologically warped parents do not agree with the tiger mom, nor Asian parents in general. Many believe that children are born trained and educated. The Bible, the One who wrote it, the One who designed the cell as well the stars in the Milky Way, the One who designed every snowflake that has ever fallen, the One who designed every feature of their body, including the clotting of blood, think God is just ignorant. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6) You do not have to teach your child to lie, cheat, or steal. It is up to the parent to train them not to do such. The older I get the more I realize the absolute innocence and ignorance of children. There have been many quotes about the molding of children, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, perhaps Billy Graham said it best, “Only God Himself fully appreciates the influence of a Christian mother in the molding of character in her children.” Jails, mental hospitals, counseling offices, are filled with people whose parents wanted their children to like them, to be their friend, rather than enforce the discipline to train them.

In one of my hospital trips to one of the world's greatest hospitals, Massachusetts General, I ate one evening with a PhD professor friend. It is rare for me to have ever eaten at an elitist restaurant. I could tell there was a child running around in the place, jerking things off of diner's tables. My friend recognized the parents of the child, both professors in the psychology department of Harvard University. They were trying to pretend that they did not know the child. My friend said, “they have written peer-reviewed papers on child-rearing, child behavior.” My mean parents loved us too much not to keep us close, not to be identified with us. They realized that our training was the most important thing for our life, now and for eternity.

Dog with Mange

We often hear of a dog with mange, but mange can also affect human beings. It is generally a loss of hair and a skin rash or scabs. This normally occurs because the animal or human being is not cared for properly. A trainer of dogs recently told me that she can determine very accurately how much difficulty she will have when she observes the children of the owner of the animal. If the children have no manners, seen generally unkempt, undisciplined, the dog will be much more difficult to train because there has been no discipline or routine in the dog's life either.

The entire mission of parenting is the training of a child. Although they appear very cuddly and cute, children, because of their ancestors, Adam and Eve, are born little sinners. You do not have to teach them to lie, cheat or steal. You do not have to teach them to misbehave. It is up to you to show the tough love of training, good behavior and discipline in their lives. A child's character is determined very early. Character determines destination. Just as a child's hand and eye coordination are not developed until around the age of 5, so behavior characteristics which will determine further development, must be instilled early. Satan wants your child, the world, the flesh, the devil, will fight you every step of the way.

Dr. Benjamin Spock, who wrote his book on child development which was translated into 59 languages and sold 50 million copies, promoted a philosophy of permissiveness. Before he died, he apologized for his erroneous philosophy, the catalyst which catapulted many adults into rehabilitation centers and prisons.

In the Obama health plan, little is said about prevention. There is no reason why any human being should be sick. The three big killers, heart attack, cancer, and stroke can be prevented with a disciplined lifestyle and diet. Fifty percent of the population is diabetic, like alcoholism and smoking, health is a matter of lifestyle. The only preventive public health care dictum, is that of vaccinations, which can be very harmful and from which the body never recovers. Be very leery of this government's obsession with giving everyone the untested flu vaccination. It is believed that this flu epidemic is weapon-contrived, produced in a laboratory, from the deceased victims of the 1918 epidemic, combined with the microbiology of the swine and bird flu epidemics. If so, the untested vaccination could be as disastrous as the disease. It is projected that entire areas will be quarantined, that there will be check points in traveling from state to state.

In this time when foods are so lacking in nutrition, it is totally necessary to take supplements. It takes 20 carrots today to get the nutrition of one carrot 50 years ago. The soil is depleted of all nutrition. Obesity can be directly traced to the body being hungry for nutrition, the hunger causing a person to eat more and more food which only adds weight but does not satisfy the needs of the body's metabolism and physiology. One of greatest poisons that one can put in the body is aspartame and any synthetic sweetener. The best thing you can do for your family is throw out all salt and sugar in your house. It will take brave men to stand up for nutrition and prevention. At the time of Napoleon, sugar was considered addictive, nothing has changed, now bread, chips, all processed food contained sugar.

I heard Dr. Buzz Aldrin (astronaut) talk about walking on the moon 40 years ago. He talked about the bleakness and dullness of that planet. One would think that after hundreds of years of the study of the human body and nutrition, the average citizen would not need to spend as much money as one does on health care. The taking of prescription medicines, exotic chemicals, is just slow suicide. Sanity would dictate that emptying treated sewage (sewage treated with chemicals) into rivers, from which municipalities take water for treatment in water plants, treatment with fluoride and chlorides, both of which are poisons, would have progressively ended long ago. When using a toothpaste with fluoride, if you swallow some of the toothpaste, you are advised to call the poison control center. Why are we slowly killing ourselves, particularly our children, with chemicals?

One black lady who worked for me, had a sister in bed, about to die with an undiagnosed illness. Her doctor had made a drug addict of her, she was taking pill after pill, slowly dying. The victim's daughter, who had come south to care for her, had an emergency at her home up north and asked her aunt, my employee, to stay with her mother until she could return. She said, “she will not be living long, just call me when she dies. The funeral arrangements are already made. You just have to call the funeral home.” When my employee, her sister, went to the house she determined, on her own, that she would not give her another pill. Rather, she prepared some healthy food and went to feeding her food which she had prepared in a blender. She decided if she was going to die anyway, she might as well try the Christian science way of healing. (The doctor who gave her all these prescription drugs has since lost his license). In two days, her sister was much better and when her daughter returned, she found the two sisters sitting at the kitchen table eating and talking. She was amazed that her mother, if continuing with the chemical barrage would have been dead, was alive, up, and in full control of her life. I know this is true because I was talking with her a few weeks after her supposed terminal illness. Cemeteries are full of graves of people who should have changed doctors.

Real men, live vertical as well as horizontal lives. We live daily, working in activities around us; but our main source of responsibility and prosperity is vertical, dealing with the giver of life and in relationship with the healer as well as the forgiver.

A pastor friend of mine and I attended the funeral of a well known preacher of the gospel for 75 years. There was a large delegation of preachers and pastors in the audience as honorary pallbearers sitting together. When singing the deceased pastor's favorite hymn, my pastor friend said, “I expected to hear the deep baritone voices of men.” Most men have become so sensitized and sanitized to their maleness that they make better ballet dancers then ball throwers. William Wilberforce, wealthy member of Parliament in England, who ended slavery in England almost singlehandedly, was such a short man that he had to stand on a table when addressing Parliament. But he was a real man and was not afraid to face the world in a challenge for holiness.

Abraham Lincoln, raised in poverty with limited education, was a tall, rugged man, who having seen the despicable slave market in New Orleans was willing to stand alone in his determination to end slavery in this country. To this day, he is probably America's most impressive president because in every respect, he was a real man. Even in the White House, he chopped wood for the White House fireplace, polished his own shoes, and reportedly milked a cow for the White House milk. Remember, not until the White House was renovated in 1902 were there any water pipes in the White House (no inside toilets). There was not a telephone in the White House until Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878.

Progress is strange. We are too busy counting numbers to make numbers count. Many pray, but few believe. There was a prayer meeting going on for the Apostle Peter when he was in prison and an angel escorted him out of prison. When he arrived at the door of the disciple John Mark's mother's home where the prayer meeting was being held and knocked at the gate, a girl by the name of Rhoda came down to answer the knock. She did not have presence of mind enough to even open the gate. They were all too busy praying for Peter's deliverance and yet left him standing at the unopened gate. We really don't expect any answer to prayer. We seem contented to just survive in ignorance. (Acts 12)

Thousands of times, on radio talk shows and writing, I have made this statement, “people just do not care.” Until we begin to care about the condition of our country, our families, our churches, nothing will change.