Itching Ears

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;

~ 2Ti 4:3

I find it interesting that people seem to be afraid to listen to dissenting opinion.  Whatever happened to the “marketplace of ideas”?  Whatever happened to the freedom to give your opinion, no matter whether or not anyone else agreed?  Whatever happened to your right to worship as you see fit no matter who observes it, hears it or is around?  Whatever happened to free speech, period?

On 7 May 2009, the Santa Barbara Independent posted “Reading, Writing, and Original Sin: An Evangelical Group Sets its Sights on Santa Barbara’s Public Elementary School Kids”.  It is a story about an Evangelical group called the Good News Club being allowed to rent school facilities after hours to hold voluntary meetings for school age children with parental consent.  Parental consent is often overlooked in the mud slinging.

Critics will charge that this is a matter of separation of church and state.  However, the school is not officially supporting any group simply because it rents out to them.  As long as the activities are after hours, voluntary and with parental consent, this argument becomes so much nonsense.

Other critics seem to live on some alien planet where parents never give their children any advisement on spiritual matters until they are “old enough to decide on their own”.  Yet, I’m sure they would be the first to charge a parent with neglect if they allow their toddlers to learn on their own that you don’t play with light sockets!  And, just what is more important than spiritual training, anyhow?  For that matter, why teach them anything at all if all they have to do is mature enough to just suddenly “decide on their own”?  Obviously, school is a complete waste of time in this view, as all they need to do is mature and they will be able to suddenly grasp complex life matters.

It just boils down to the fact that this country has completely lost any idea of rational debate.  There is no “side” to who is debating rationally because no one is.  Instead, we have become a nation of victims.  We cannot tolerate being uncomfortable.  We become offended at the drop of a hat.  We want to prosecute someone for hate crimes when they look at us the wrong way.  We sue when voters vote any way but our way.  We want to create special classes of people instead of living by the rule of the majority.  We believe it is our Constitutional right to not be offended by anyone with a different opinion.  It should be the law of the land that people only tell us the things our itchy ears want to hear.

Contrast that attitude with the one of Berean attitude of “Prove all things”.

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