In the past five years I have become increasingly aware of how the beliefs of people are shaped.
There are plenty of wars being fought physically around the world today. Many more wars have been fought over the past 200 years. Less recognized are the information wars fought for the control of people’s minds. For what people believe to be true.
Americans declared a war against terrorist after the destruction of the twin towers, a part of the pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. News sources persuaded Americans groups of people from afar plotted and executed a plan to cause significant damage to key places in America. And these groups were likely to use planes on a regular basis to cause destruction in America and around the world.
Thus, there needed to be restrictions in place at airports and other places to ensure the terrorists would not be successful again. Terrorist groups around the world were presented as the enemy seeking the destruction of America. Young men in America were recruited to be trained and go fight these terrorists around the world.
In other parts of the world young men were recruited and trained to become “terrorists” to fight American imperialism and to earn an eternal crown.
Seldom are we encouraged to consider if either of these reactions are logical realities.
Much like the teaching about evolution. Convincing the majority of people life began developing from random particles bumping into each other, forming increasingly complex forms until life appeared. Who paused to even consider, is it easier to believe in evolution or there is a creator Who made the world we live in with an abundance of life? Or why (and how) did the teaching about evolution become so mainstream.
So how is our worldview shaped? What determines what we believe to be true?
For decades I have been aware of subliminal messaging in advertisements, and how over time (decades) beliefs of the general public can be slowly nudged to change what they willingly accept, then believe, then embrace, as to what is right & wrong and the values guiding daily life decisions.
I have become aware of the patience of evil. About groups planning and executing their evil plans, secretly, over centuries. Individuals, families, groups of people banding together, and at times societies thinking about time in centuries instead of days, weeks, months, and years.
Understanding how lies are the basis of evil. Subtle lies to begin with, then increasing the deviance from truth as sufficient masses of people accept their lies as truth.
Consider the progression of sexual immorality in our society over the past eighty years. Moving from marriage as ordained by God, one man and one woman joining their lives together, with a focus on procreation, to multiply and fill the earth. To a focus on being independent beings, with a focus on self, women taking over men’s roles in society, men being trained to act like women, the acceptance of homosexual life choices, to the transsexualizing of young children in recent years.
Using TV, movies, news media, education, government regulations, and even religion to desensitize society, then lead us to believe, increasingly deviant behavior is not only acceptable but should be celebrated as appropriate lifestyles for society to flourish.
For those familiar with Christian history, are we repeating the centuries of cycling in the Old Testament, of people being blessed by God, gradually turning away from God to the ways of the devil, then repenting and returning to live by God’s standard?
And if so, what is each of our part, to speed the return to depending on God, instead of government, business, and the ways of the world?
