Will Rogers

 

Well, I'm going to revert to my "Will Rogers" format for editorial writing today. I can hear many of our younger readers saying, "Who?" Will Rogers was a very astute commentator who used comedy to get his point across. He was often referred to as the "Cowboy Philosopher" due to his dress, mannerisms and his rope twirling while giving his comedic lectures. If you were to listen to his comments on the events of today, they would be very appropriate to the time and occasion. Especially when he talked about the government and politics.

But, the reason I'm using Will as a catalyst for today's editorial is because he was fond of saying that, in order to get material for his act, all he had to do was read the newspaper. I echo that thought - all I have to do many times, to gain inspiration for an editorial, is read the newspapers or listen to broadcast news. And, I might add, there is a never-ending supply of material therein. So, my thoughts here today all stem from news items I've run across that made me think and I'm going to share my thoughts in this forum for you to consider.

First item: There is a phrase written or spoken in the news every now and then that I detest and it literally "chaps my hide." It just fires me up and almost makes my teeth itch. That phrase is; "The world again is in mourning." This phrase is then followed by the announcement of the death of someone and more often than not, it's some entertainment figure or personality.

Fairly recently I heard this phrase used regarding the death of a Hollywood producer and also in regards to a member of a rock band (who died of an overdose of drugs, I might add). I had heard of the producer, but I have no clue as to who the rock star was. And, names are not important to our thoughts here.

I've got news for Hollywood; that phrase is way over used. I think that is so because Hollywood seems to think that "the world" hangs on everything they do, and because of their massive egos, they believe that "the world" goes into mourning when a member of their community passes from the earth. I've got more news for Hollywood - I'm part of "the world" and I'm not in mourning over some licentious, drug-abusing rock band performer who chose a manner of life that brought about his death.

What has any Hollywood personality ever done to warrant the mourning of "the world?" How about we mourn the loss of our soldiers in combat or our police and firemen in the performance of their duties. Their duties involved making "the world" a safer place for mankind. Hollywood performers' duties involve entertaining people and making a lot of money by doing it.

Summation thought on this item: "The world" should be in mourning over the condition it has gotten itself into. It has done everything in its power to remove God from society. If they would only read what God says about man's final end, and would believe His Word, they would truly mourn over its condition.

Item number two: one of the things we hear a lot about in the news is that people are not to be "judgmental." It's not politically correct. The word "judgment" is pretty much out of favor these days. They tell us that we're "not to judge." I do not agree with this premise and here is why.

We make judgments every day. We have to. We make a judgment about the things that we do, whether they are "right or wrong." And I know, that's one of the reasons that we're not supposed to be judgmental - that by being so we're, in essence, telling someone they're wrong. We also make judgments about who we associate with, at least we should be doing so, and even to who to vote for.

There is nothing wrong with being judgmental, it's a responsibility each one of us has. What we have to watch for, is that we judge "righteously." (John 7:24) As used there, it simply means that we are to discern correctly and then judge correctly. Here's the kicker to this thought. We are to judge, but we are to judge according to the proper "standards." Our judgment is based upon our "standards."

It's what our "standards" are based on that determines whether we judge "righteously" or properly. God has always set standards for man to live by and thus judge by. Christians' "standards" are set by Christ's teachings in the Gospel. "Standards" determine our morals, our ethics and our judging ability. Let me ask you this in closing this item - has society's standards gone up or down? What do you think?

Item three: We've read and heard a lot recently about "parole" and "parolees." Most everyone is familiar with this concept, law enforcement people more than anyone. The concept of "parole" is basically, releasing someone from custody for an offense/s back into the community. Perhaps sort of like a "second chance." In California any more, it's more likely their 3^rd, 4^th or 5^th chance. But, we understand the concept of this system - you get another chance.

Here's a another concept for you to absorb - God does not have a "parole system" in the way that man thinks of it. See, there are religions out there that promote that very concept. Like "purgatory," for example. As in, one can live however they want to, die in their sins and then be "prayed out of purgatory." IE: released on parole to be given a second chance. Of course, some amount of money usually changes hands for this "prayer based parole." The "Rapture" and the "1000 year reign" are also examples of man trying to place a "parole system" in the Word of God.

Here's the thought bringing this item to its close: If one dies in his sins, is unrepentant during his life, there IS NO PAROLE from torment. I am not the one who says this. I would suggest that you read the words of Jesus Christ found in Luke 16:19-31 where He explains that there is "no coming back" after sentencing. Thus, no "parole."

Ron Covey