Today the idea that you are offended is the most important thing you can say. When a person claims to be offended they take the moral high ground and others have to shut up. People being offended goes hand-in-hand with virtue signaling. Claiming a great offense will cause people to look with great admiration. Only the truly virtuous can claim offense. Of course what offends you must be politically correct. For example, public prayer can be greatly offensive but people burning down UC Berkeley campus is awesome and no where near offensive. So the virtue signaling, offensive taking is a tight rope or a razor’s edge that has much risk. If a person guesses wrong then they are mocked.
I have tried to live my life not being offended. From a very early age, I was told that offenses must be taken or taken up. No one can force me or make me be offended at something, being offended is always a choice. So if I do not choose to take up any offense, then I will not be offended. Those who do not take up offenses, are known as “easy going” or people who “go along to get along.” These types of people used to be the type that has many friends and we’re popular. Today, it seems that easy going people simply do not understand what the world is about and easy going people are actually offensive.
The Bible, especially the teachings of Jesus, are stated, or predicted to be offensive. So Jesus himself said that if they crucified him they will hate his followers. Christ is called a stumbling block that is offensive to the entire world. The modern world has fulfilled this prophecy by being offended by everything and anything to do with Christ. This can be understood because the teachings of Christ clearly state that the philosophies of the world are evil to their core. Very few people desire to be known as evil, yet that is what God calls them.
So the offense taken against fiscal responsibility or free market health care is just silly. People are taking up an offense to signal their virtue against a political party and political idea and this is opinion and silly. And the idea that the first person to claim offense, loudly, is the most right person and is the ultimate hubris. Taking an offense shows weakness and ignorance, not moral virtue. A society where everyone takes an offense is pointless because if everything is offensive, nothing is offensive and when everything is offensive, conversation and discussion and democracy stops.
My hope is that conversation, discussion, education, growth and discovery will return to our society and culture. Without that, America is dead and will become tribal and eventually another civil war will happen. My belief is that America is to large for an all encompassing civil war but smaller tribal battles are certainly possible. Of course, only Jesus Christ, the great offense, is the only answer for all the questions.
I have tried to live my life not being offended. From a very early age, I was told that offenses must be taken or taken up. No one can force me or make me be offended at something, being offended is always a choice. So if I do not choose to take up any offense, then I will not be offended. Those who do not take up offenses, are known as “easy going” or people who “go along to get along.” These types of people used to be the type that has many friends and we’re popular. Today, it seems that easy going people simply do not understand what the world is about and easy going people are actually offensive. The Bible, especially the teachings of Jesus, are stated, or predicted to be offensive. So Jesus himself said that if they crucified him they will hate his followers. Christ is called a stumbling block that is offensive to the entire world. The modern world has fulfilled this prophecy by being offended by everything and anything to do with Christ. This can be understood because the teachings of Christ clearly state that the philosophies of the world are evil to their core. Very few people desire to be known as evil, yet that is what God calls them.
So the offense taken against fiscal responsibility or free market health care is just silly. People are taking up an offense to signal their virtue against a political party and political idea and this is opinion and silly. And the idea that the first person to claim offense, loudly, is the most right person and is the ultimate hubris. Taking an offense shows weakness and ignorance, not moral virtue. A society where everyone takes an offense is pointless because if everything is offensive, nothing is offensive and when everything is offensive, conversation and discussion and democracy stops.
My hope is that conversation, discussion, education, growth and discovery will return to our society and culture. Without that, America is dead and will become tribal and eventually another civil war will happen. My belief is that America is to large for an all encompassing civil war but smaller tribal battles are certainly possible. Of course, only Jesus Christ, the great offense, is the only answer for all the questions.
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