When Protection Becomes Enforcement

"A chemistry teacher once told me that incremental change is the most dangerous weapon ever devised. While I did not understand his warning then, I do now. Little by little, so slowly that many of us have not noticed it, abortion and sodomy have been transformed from illegal, inappropriate, and wrong into ok and acceptable into worthy of protection and now into worthy of enforcement. My teacher described the difference between placing a frog in warm water and slowly heating that water versus dropping the frog in already boiling water. As my teacher noted, the first frog will boil to death without realizing it and the second frog will jump from the hot water when dropped in. For fear of mixing metaphors, the same with the salmon swimming against the moral grain."

    The sodomite and abortion forces love to paint their cause as protection of the "rights" of homosexuals and women seeking abortions, conveniently ignoring any rights of others to speak against these sins or of innocent unborn children to life. The plain truth is that these ghouls define these arguments in terms of protection to clean up their claim and depict their positions as conducive to enhancing humanity and personal integrity. They even crawl far enough to argue that sodomy and abortion are moral activities therefore demanding protection as defense of morality itself. Regardless of the nature of their claims, what these people are selling is not so much protection as much as enforcement of their immoral positions. Instead of seeking a shield against supposed wrongs, what these people are already cultivating are swords promoting their position which they seek to ram down our throats against, get this, our choice!

Five Levels of Application

    It can be argued that there are five legal postures which a society can take with regard to any activity. First, the activity can be outlawed without reservation and its practice be held as punishable. The sale of illegal drugs and premeditated murder would surely fall in this category. Secondly, the activity can be limited and restricted in certain ways such that practicing that activity beyond those limits would be illegal. Practicing medicine or driving a car, for example, are legal as long as they are carried out by those licensed to do so and are subject to various limitations, restrictions, and conditions which if violated could result in criminal prosecution. Thirdly, the activity could be protected in various ways from persecution or bias. Practicing one's religion, for example, should be protected from persecution or bias which, unfortunately, is not always true today. Fourth, that activity could be promoted wherein efforts are made to expand and propagate the activity for the betterment of society. As I wrote in my column on Affirmative Action it was designed to promote greater opportunities for all groups would fall under this category. Fifth and last, that activity could be enforced wherein the law does not merely limit, accept, defend, or promote the activity but actually pushes it unto society members, even against their will. Traffic laws, for example, are enforced upon all of us without our input and regardless of any displeasure on our part. One can say that these five levels form a spectrum from rejection to regulation to protection to promotion to enforcement. Normally, most members of society agree about what should fall under each of these points on the spectrum. Perhaps one of the often overlooked purposes of government is to allow for shifting of activities from one point to another based on societal values, public views, and the nature of the times.

Abortion and Sodomy: The Amoral Salmon

    The image of salmon is often used to illustrate courage and determination in causes since they are visualized as swimming against the current to reach their goal. As noted above, society usually decides where on the 5 point spectrum a particular activity should be, and allows for shifts based on overall social, political, economic, moral and other factors. I have always argued that moral factors should be primary, but others disagree. No matter I still stand by my convictions.

    A superficial review of abortion and homosexual rights legislation, however, reveals an interesting situation. Despite the fact that studies reveal that the majority of Americans disfavor the extension of these rights and benefits and many actually wish such activities do be placed on the outlawed or limited categories, political, social and media forces have ignored such desires and presented abortion and sodomy rights as initially belonging in the protected group. It is common knowledge that from this starting point these forces have moved abortion and sodomite activities into the promotion and even the enforcement levels. Given the contrary current of popular opinion against these two types of activities and the continual swim of these practices against that current, one can easily see why both are illustrated as amoral, nay immoral salmon fighting to lay their eggs for future propagation of their arguments. It has become plainly obvious that social, political, and media forces are increasingly dragging these two fish against the current through promotion and into enforcement levels. What started out as rejection became limited acceptance and became protection. From there legislation was introduced promoting these activities and, now, more radical legislation has entered the arena which actually enforces these activities.

A Bleak Future

    Despite widespread, majority rejection or limitation on abortion and sodomite activities, the political, social, and media forces have used their muscle to portray these activities as very accepted and demanding of protection, promotion, and even enforcement. Do we not see how laws have been enacted forcing medical students to learn how to do abortions against their will? Do we not see how abortion and sodomite teachings are introduced into schools over the objections of parents? Do we not see how speaking out against these activities is quickly becoming less and less accepted and more and more outlawed? Do we not see how things such as the church's tax status have been threatened by its own positions contrary to legal holdings inconsistent with that church's moral teachings? In Europe and Canada, speaking out against these activities is increasingly subject to legal punishment. The same can be expected in this country in the near future. Indeed, it is ironic that the cries of "tolerance", "inclusion", and "respect" are the battle cries of people who refuse to apply these in relation to religious or moral claims and arguments.

Conclusion

    A chemistry teacher once told me that incremental change is the most dangerous weapon ever devised. While I did not understand his warning then, I do now. Little by little, so slowly that many of us have not noticed it, abortion and sodomy have been transformed from illegal, inappropriate, and wrong into ok and acceptable into worthy of protection and now into worthy of enforcement. My teacher described the difference between placing a frog in warm water and slowly heating that water versus dropping the frog in already boiling water. As my teacher noted, the first frog will boil to death without realizing it and the second frog will jump from the hot water when dropped in. For fear of mixing metaphors, the same with the salmon swimming against the moral grain.

    Such is the work of Satan, who patiently slips sin into our midst while we are busy acting without God's counsel. Through rationalization and other phenomena, we have slipped into moral hot water and are boiling in our own sin. Our rate of descent from morality and into immorality and rationalization leaves no doubt that we will someday be persecuted for speaking the truth as Christ did. May God Almighty grant us the strength, courage, determination, and discipline to do our tasks despite this impending persecution. If the media, political, and social forces can push abortion and sodomy against the current of popular opinion, then surely Our Creator can help us swim against the raging waters of the New Order!

Gabriel's Clarion
January 19, 2005
Volume 16, no. 19