Wantonism

I have a new definition for our new America, we are no longer capitalistic, not yet socialistic, communistic, hedonistic, nihilistic. My new description is wantonistic, I define wantonism as follows: A country without regard for what is right, just, humane, without motive, easily provocative, sexually lawless and unrestrained, obsessively extravagant. To me, this described America in the 21^st century, wantonism.

From 1792 until 1892, the Supreme Courts described America as a Christian nation. This was thrown out long ago as we soaked up, like a sponge, every decadent practice Satan brought our way. I stood, looking at the great rose window in Notre Dame cathedral, Christ at the center, extending in every direction, the beatitudes. Man decided long ago, that he knew more about the teachings of Christ than did God. God told us everything we needed to know in His book, there is nothing to be added. God described our life adventure as a runner in the race, most of us will finish the race beaten up, limping, there will be many stars at the goalpost, even though we have been told what to do and how to do it. The traps of the world, the flesh, the devil having tempted and entangled most of us. We simply do not have the courage of faith.

The average person spends 34 hours a week watching slop on television, knows nothing of God's eternal Word. I do not want a surgeon to cut on me who has not taken the time to study and memorize Words written by the very hand of God. I do not want to ride over a bridge built by an engineer who has not taken the time to study the Work of the Creator/builder of the universe.

We pledge allegiance to our flag saying, “and liberty and justice for all.” Tell me how much justice the 3400 babies have, who are killed each day in the abortion holocaust of our nation. Tell me about the justice of the old people who in many places spend $13,000 a month on nursing home care. Tell me about security, home of the free, when there are face-scanning cameras at every event. Tell me about government safety when regulators allow Taco Bell to sell tacos with 35% meat, the rest just fillers and binders, adding that much more toxicity to the human digestive system. Detoxification from Big Pharma's drugs is our greatest national health problem. In Norway, most diseases were cured after antibiotics were declared unsafe.

It not necessity, but laziness that is the mother of invention. We have become a spoiled, lazy people. Two scientists discovered, long ago, that trauma of any type, particularly a national catastrophe will cause us to accept anything without question. There are sensible answers to many of our problems. Why should the American traveler pay a $360 gasoline surcharge for an airline ticket to fly across the ocean, a $185 landing fee?

In my trips to the USSR and to Yugoslavia, both before and after communism, I was told of the danger in speaking out against the government. Many of us have already learned the cost of conservatism in America. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. (2 Timothy 4:3) From the White House, to the church house, to the school house, to the court house, we want political correctness. Don't talk to us about truth, we want loving, caressing, smooth words. We do not want to be bogged down with the “cares of the world” (Mark 4). Most still believe that there are pockets in caskets.

I was a very young man, a very young speaker when I told Southern Baptists that if Satan had wanted to invent something to make people just as mean as possible, to destroy the imaginative genius of the mind, he would have invented a television set. I have advised so many parents to throw theirs out the door. One woman told me she was able to carry hers to the garage where she took an axe to it. In some homes, they are never shut off, just imagine spending an average of 34 hours a week, watching government/Satan mind control...and that is all it is, mind control.

The greatest adventure in the world, the greatest gift from God to our senses, the gift of reading. From the printed page, the magic of electronic impulses gathered by the eyes, transferred through the brain and stored as knowledge, as enjoyment, as memories. I pity anyone who does not know the joy of books. It has been many years since I read anything, since I have been totally blind for 50 years. 50 years ago, the Veteran's administration promised me a machine that reads books...I am still waiting.

There is a human need for the understanding gained through the reading of books. You say, “well, you can just watch these things on television.” No, you are seeing what someone else interprets. From the written page, you interpret and have your own imagination of everything. There is a price that you pay for your understanding, because the intelligent human being will speak out concerning his interpretation, he will not swallow the subliminal mind control. Even now, I remember so fondly the many books I read as a child, the teachers who encouraged my reading. Even now, I remember the college professors who encouraged my reading and writing, who made, alive, the famous authors of the world, bright and brazen enough to put their thoughts on paper. I remember the brilliant author who taught me creative writing...there she stood, dark glasses, always puffing on a cigarette, Jessie Rehder, “you are the mind that can captivate another's mind...to hell with those who call you names.” Even now I remember the joy of Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind, the fact that one person can use her intelligence, her imagination, her knowledge, to quicken the brain fibrils of another fellow human being. It is only with books that we become enraptured by the mind of a Hemingway, Buck, Dickens, just think, the very words written by the Hand of the One Who threw the stars into space. Inerrant, eternal words, to even imagine that these words mean so little to most people. God's Word cannot only change one's life, but one's eternal destiny.

Literature can change one's life, on this earth, in this nation. Every word in our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution was carefully crafted. Presented to this democratic republic as a map for capitalism, with its prosperity, ability to shape not only this nation, but the life of every person in the world. We have become an indifferent, obstinate, rebellious, wanton society...wantonism.

Reading Between the Lines

There is no form of entertainment that has been more enjoyed that that of the radio. I remember the first radios, battery powered, operating just during daylight, mostly a lot of static. I well remember the first car radio, there was a time when there was no radios in cars. Today's young “rubber-burners” would not believe “running boards”, crank handles for windows, no power steering, no anti-freeze, no springs in the seats. My first car, 1941 Plymouth, did not have a radio or a heater, air conditioning is very recent. One of my relatives bought his first Cadillac, air conditioning was very new, and he did not have air conditioning in this car, but they drove around with the windows closed because they wanted everyone to think that they did.

I am completely addicted to radio...living alone, it gives me company. Blind, radios on, gives me direction. Problem is I get nauseated with radio advertising. An estimated $20 billion a year is spent in America on radio advertisements, such as “your baby can learn to read”. The advertisement states that a baby can learn to read as he learns to talk. A child's eyes are not developed until around the age of 5. It is more important to develop the hand-eye coordination of a child through toys and play. No child should be sabotaged with such a neural task as reading until the eyes are developed. Vision is a learned skill, amblyopia exonesopia (partial blindness) results if this neurology involving the nervous system is not carefully developed. The six pairs of muscles attached to the eyeballs must work together, ablyopia, (squint) can result if this carefully balanced neurological learned skill is not carefully controlled.

Nothing in the human experience is more important than reading, and I am convinced, every child of normal intelligence can learn to read. It is hard enough to get along in this world when you can read, what chance has the illiterate...instructions, telephone books, prescriptions, and the thing most important to every illiterate I have ever known, reading the Bible.

I paid for many years of advanced education selling Bibles door-to-door, until then I had no idea how many illiterate people live in this world, how many would say to me, “son, I would give anything to be able to read that book.” Every time I thought of these words, I thought of the many intelligent people who could read anything, who never read the most important book in the world, the very book dictated by God.

My church decided to have a series of services at night, folks in the country would call this a revival meeting, but fancy city baptists call such a “series of meetings”. They decided to have cottage prayer services in each community, wherein members in that community would gather in one person's home to pray for the church in the meeting. I was asked to speak at one of the cottage services in my area, among the people there, living in my area, the richest man in the church, who happened to be the richest man in town and also the husband of my father's first cousin, he was chairman of the board of the state's largest utility. There was the county sheriff, known for his crooked regime, at the service was a doctor of obstetrics, a known abortionist. I was sincere in my remarks, sincere in my beliefs, honest in wanting a revival for that “dead” church, its “dead” pastor, dead choir. Like the church at Sarduz, it was a morgue with a steeple. I spoke of our lives being a living testimony, our lives being an example to the world, I could tell that they were very unconcerned, that they mostly, if they read the bible at all, just read between the lines. Snickering at committed believers. The doctor said to me later, “Tom, you really take religion too seriously.”

Polls have shown that very few people ever buy a book, or go into a book store. Libraries, although taking many tax dollars, are seldom used by the public. I have had young people tell me that they have never read a book. Not even one of the classics, not even a comic book. Books, over a hundred years ago, were very rare and expensive. The history of art mirrors the history of philosophy. The history of philosophy mirrors the history of books, all have gone downward. From beautiful leather bound books, to inexpensive paperbacks.

I started as an antiquarian book collector 50 years ago, have had the privilege of owning and holding some of the world's finest. Old books are owned as much for their drawings (frontispiece), and gold edges (a.e.g. - all edges gilt), marbled edges (a.e.m – all edges marbled), holograph (anything handwritten by the author), autographs (any book is worth more autographed by the author, an autographed Hemingway is worth many thousands of dollars, and it does not have to be an old book, recent famous author's autographed book are worth much), as anything else. Recent history dictates that the cover jacket gives the pricing, the jacket is worth more than the book and is often reconstructed if damaged. For the collector, it is just the joy of owning the first edition. This is a wonderful hobby and business for someone who'd rather be inside than outside. The antiquarian book collector, like the art expert, knows his business. Unless a misspelled word is on a certain page, it is not a first edition, the most expensive first-editions have the gold gilding on the edge of the spine page, put there before the cover. Many antiquarian books, bound in England, contain advertisements inside the covers, collectors are looking for certain things, are not easily fooled, are willing to pay. But I will tell you now that online selling has destroyed the antiquarian book market. Many “old” libraries and “old” bookstores have dumped their “old” books on the market. Most are willing to accept just a few dollars for what would have, many years ago, sold for thousands. But, no one knew they had the book, nor did they know that the book was valuable. Thieves are everywhere, some smart antiquarian book thieves managed to get books out of the vaults of libraries, and they are on the market. Buying and selling antiquarian books is like buying and selling old art, old cars, old prints, old magazines, antiques, you must know what you are doing.

The Bible was not completed until 90AD, previously, they were mostly scrolls, kept in the temple or church. The Hebrews would stand for hours listening to the scrolls read or recited by the prophets. Many of the early temples and churches did not have pews, the people would stand throughout the services.

I remember the first bookmobile in our community, my mother so prized the books we were allowed to read. Many homes did not have reading material, as poor as we were, my parents always subscribed to the newspaper, to two magazines: Look, and The Progressive Farmer. I had in my extensive book collection over 250 catalogs mostly from Sears and Roebuck, there is no better history book, in this ancient catalogs you find horse harnesses, wood stoves, samples of cloth material and wallpaper. At one time, these books were in every rural home, I sold these books for a good price. Often one would be bought to honor the birth date of a mother or friend. What better memorabilia could you have on your coffee table?

Of all the biblical cities, not one is as beautiful and well preserved as Ephesus. I stood there, thinking of Paul in 50 AD as he later wrote the book to the Ephesians. You can abound in all wisdom and prudence (Ephesians 1:8), you can know the geography of the world, the history of the world. Especially today, with the internet, able to read, you can read anything, any disease, any documents. Well informed, you do not have to read between the lines, but can stand up to anyone with knowledge. Learn to bow low to God and stand tall before men through the gift of reading.

Through Their Eyes

Eight years of university training before I was commissioned as a medical officer in the United States Army I was specializing in the eyes. The human eye is the window of the soul. It is also one of the best diagnostic methods for the health of the body.

A doctor with an ophthalmoscope (a lighted magnifier enabling the examiner to look inside the eye through the pupil). One can determine the clarity of the anterior chambers as well as the health of the retina, optic nerve, arteries and veins that supply the eye with nourishment. Such diseases as diabetes, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, etc. will show up on examination or at least lead to further exploration by other specialists. Immediately, one can see a cataract (an opacity of the lens of the eye, the lens is the structure in the eye which determines light rays entering the eye). The cornea is easily studied with the ophthalmoscope as well as another instrument called a slit-lamp. The cornea is the same histological tissue as the finger nail. The difference, the cornea is transparent, the
fingernail is translucent.

While on duty at Army hospitals where retirees, FBI and CIA agents and others seeking military care underwent the examination process, it was required that I examine the exterior and interior of these eyes. These physical examinations of military and federal agency employees are critical because it often determines their cases for disability. Guesswork is not a product of good health care. The dilemma with Medicare and Medicaid in recent years has resulted in much assembly line care in the civilian clinics. One can only imagine the laxity and resulting conflicts with socialized health care.

Patients like the general public have an expectation and admiration for professional people who know what they are doing. There was a time in this country when the pastor and physician were the most admired citizens in the community. Polls have revealed that 97% of our population no longer hold the clergy as positive role models. All it takes is a few stories about Catholic priest pedophiles, Jim Baker’s problems, Benny Henn’s $100 million dollars a year (his private jet, his lavish lifestyle), Jimmy Swaggart’s fooling around with prostitutes or the many other backsliding church members.

If you belong to a church, you can be sure that if you are popular in the church, community and among Satan’s crowd at the country club and golf course, you are a backslider. A pastor said to me some years ago a group of men at my church will be engaged in conversation, when I walk up all conversation stops. I said, “Don’t feel alone. This same thing has happened to me my entire life.” The scripture tells us that you will not be popular with the world if you are totally committed to Christian principles.

This is another reason that 40% of our young people even those whose parents made sure they were in church and church activities do not feel that there is anything wrong with lying, cheating and stealing in order to get ahead. Once, I was speaking of my son’s missionary zeal. A cynical church member asked me if he, like one of her friends a missionary to the Outback Aborigines in Australia, was going to teach them to lie, cheat and steal like people in the USA. I said no. Missionaries like all church members, us included, have the great commission of Jesus Christ. .Matthew 28:19-20 (King James Version) 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

In this nation where we have become slaves of an atheist media and effortless technology, the eyes of children have no thought for Bible reading and prayers at the family table as was the case in my family and my ancestors. Home has become a “filling station” and very few families ever eat a meal together.

I saw my first television set when I was a freshman in college. The University of North Carolina (these were the Charlie Justice days) was playing Notre Dame the first time at the Polo Grounds in New York. Some of the boys in the dorm said, “There is a television set at a furniture store in downtown Chapel Hill. We should go down and watch the game.” This country boy had never seen a television set before then. Years later, in speaking to a large youth group at a Southern Baptist meeting I said, “If Satan had wanted to design something to make children just as mean as possible, he would have designed a television set.” From then until now, nothing has changed my opinion. In David Kupelian’s book, “The Marketing of Evil To America” he states that the eyes of children, look to the true American idol, the television set, or more recently the internet has taught every evil practice that can be imagined to the young people of America.

In my youth, the dirty book stores were in a discredited section of town. Today, every dirty practice one can imagine found in a dirty book store, you will find now in the homes via internet with on-line excursions to Hell itself. In Dante’s Inferno, the sign above the exit to Hell reads “Last Chance”. The eyes are too precious (only those without eyes know how precious) to use them for anything but the seeing of good things. When the evolutionist questions the infallibility of God’s word and God’s greatest miracle the human body. Ask this question, “explain why the chemical composition of the tears of joy are different then the chemical composition of the tears of sorrow?

Still a precious sight in this Nation is a family, in the family car, on the way to church. Once in my sister’s beautiful home, I noticed charts on the walls with gold stars for many activities such as Sunday School attendance, good grades, etc. Perhaps this is the reason her two sons (now both outstanding lawyers in this state) were Eagle Scouts and her daughter (a graduate of Salem College and a masters at a state university) went to the top in the Girl Scouts and all three were great readers and superior students. Perhaps this is the reason that my two grandsons (a lawyer and engineer) though raised on a foreign mission field were superior students, far advanced from their American counterparts and achieved scholarships for their entire education.

Every outstanding man I have ever known was a reader. The eyes are too important to use them for anything except good things. Francis Thompson, the great English poet said, “love is a many-splendored thing. The eyes, window of the soul, a many splendorerd-thing.”