None Dare Call It Sin

J.M.J. + O.B.T. + M.G.R.*



The Old Cadet Chapel, on the grounds of the West Point Cemetery,
might soon have to be repainted with Feng Shuia sensibilities.

NONE DARE
CALL IT SIN



Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
                                                                                Proverbs 14:34

People have been so injured by sexual immorality in all its various forms that they can no longer discern objective sinfulness.  It is as if there has been a severing of self, a splitting of the I from the me.  We might still be able to observe sin in the actions of others, but can we look straight into the mirror long enough to complete a thorough examination of conscience to seek the truth about our own sinfulness, our fitness for eternal life?  What is our measuring stick now that the Ten Commandments have been redefined and relocated, a curious side show to our virtual world’s much hyped three ring circus?  At least the Circus Maximus and Coliseum were real, for the blood of Christian martyrs flowed red and not the virtual colors of a rainbow flagged “reality” TV set.

And what about collective sin?  Does it have a place at the all inclusive table of dialogue in this age of political correctness?  How does one begin to try to reconcile the peace and tranquility of a feng shuia’d China with the objective horror of forced abortion of all but one child per family?  Can you say 400,000,000 innocent children murdered in a little over 30 years?  America is no better, and probably far worse, for we should know better.  We were once blessed with a Judeo-Christian moral/ethical code.

Are we secretly hoping that Almighty God will judge US based on a bell-shaped curve?

When confronted by what used to be called sin, most people take up the mantra, “judge not lest you be judged.”  They do this without discerning the true meaning of the word judge and its relationship to true justice, mercy and charity.  In Scripture, to judge is to exact a sentence based upon a reasoned determination that an individual did indeed commit a crime. 

Witnesses gave testimony, judges judged.  Witnesses (prophets) bearing true testimony are highly exalted (usually posthumously) throughout all of salvation history.  Those who turn away from the test of truthful speech are derided as cowards, ungodly men; people to be shunned.

To fail to give true witness is a sin, for it is an error of omission.  It is the flip side of the Eighth Commandment: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.  We are all held accountable by God to bear true witness for/to our neighbor, and for/to our nation.  We must remember that ultimately, only God judges, for it is not up to us to determine our worthiness for either heavenly bliss or hellish damnation.  Our duty is to run the race to the end.  Only God crowns those that He deems victorious.

Famed radio/TV broadcaster Edward R. Morrow once quipped,

“If we were to do the Second Coming of Christ in color for a full hour, there would be a considerable number of stations which would decline to carry it on the grounds that a Western or a quiz show would be more profitable.”

How true!  The profit motive is the all-powerful force in a consumer-based economy like our own.  It is the ultimate lens for if something sells it is sacred.  The mass media is the second head of this beast.  To bear true witness against a society steeped in consumer-based sin is to invite persecution, and the way our freedoms are falling, it soon might be considered an act of treason.

Lust is sinful—yet highly profitable.  Pornography is sinful—yet highly profitable. Masturbation is sinful—yet highly profitable.  Homosexual acts are sinful—yet highly profitable.  Heterosexual acts outside of marriage are sinful—yet highly profitable.  This is not judging, it is merely a restatement of bona fide fact.  You may disagree with the facts, but you cannot call this judgment.  

Contraception, abortion, suicide, euthanasia, sterilization, in vitro fertilization, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning are all intrinsically and gravely sinful—yet highly profitable. Ponder this…if we were to turn back the clock to 1930, 99% of Western society would take what I have just written as a given, for all of this was considered objectively sinful.  And the same goes for divorce, corporate greed, gambling, drug use, wanton violence, etc...

Which brings us to so-called “same sex marriage.”  It too is sinful for the simple reason that it is against the natural law that is written in our hearts by God and confirmed in the blood that Christ shed on Calvary.  It is all about covenant, about right ordered, sacred kinship bonds. You might disagree with the natural law, you may discount the inspired Word of God, but you cannot call this judgment.

Some time ago, our Western society opted for a hedonist way of life and tossed out the cold hard facts as it was abandoning organized religion.  They need to be reclaimed, but quick.  Sin is sin…and the reason why is because God is God, never changing and eternal.  Satan is having a field day for we are too distracted by Aldous Huxley’s soma (GOOGLE it!).



The Old Cadet Chapel (circa 1836)



Our future depends upon the success of this reclamation project.  Bring on the Army Corps of Engineers!

PS.…

The West Point Cadet Honor Code

A cadet will not lie, cheat or steal,
nor tolerate those who do.

Does anyone for a moment believe that this code of right conduct can stand tall in the age of the “dictatorship of relativism.”  It cannot in a society that has enthroned toleration as the ultimate virtue.  It was tough enough to keep The Code above water in the early 80’s. Now it is a foregone conclusion. It is sunk, like the non-enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Not long after our nation’s colors are trampled “into the dust bin of history,” future generations will seek an answer to the question: What went wrong with the American Experiment?  They will try to pin it down to a key event, a key place and time.  Well last Saturday’s so-called “marriage” in the Cadet Chapel might prove to be as good a climax as any.

And when our work is done,
Our course on earth is run,
May it be said, "Well done;
Be thou at peace."
E'er may that line of gray
Increase from day to day
Live, serve, and die, we pray...

Double click on the above mural and ponder
the symbolism of this traditional work of art.

LEFT: Righteousness (in God's eyes)
RIGHT: Sin and loss of the national flag

Sincerely yours in Jesus and Mary,

Mike Rizzio

Imitate Mary

Become like Jesus

Live for the Triune God

Seek the Light of Our Lord Jesus Christ

See you on the High Ground!

* - J.M.J. + O.B.T. + M.G.R. stands for:

Jesus, Mary and Joseph;

O Beata Trinitas;

St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael