CRITICAL THINKING VS. LIVING IN FEAR
Posted by RJ Dawson
Critical thinking and the questioning of authority allows for accountability and exposes corruption. The only force that blocks these two vital components of freedom is fear.
.
FAITH VS. FEAR
This is why the event that began 27 months ago was so successful: They began by scaring the hell out of everybody. Or tried to. It worked against most, apparently. At least in the beginning. Anyone who was already predisposed to being affected by anxiety and influenced by fear tactics bought into the false narrative and sans exiting are now controlled by it. They remain incapacitated due to their fear.
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. [Hebrews 2:14-15]
One may notice, then, a direct correlation between fearful people and their blind obedience to authority. Because they bought into a false paradigm which they believe is true, they continue to obey the dictates of the paradigm. They continue to honor their investment. They remain controlled by their leaders.
[One simple way to test this is by introducing the concept of choice. Shouldn’t people be allowed to choose? If a person is sane, thinking correctly, not controlled, supportive of personal rights, and believes in freedom, he will answer in the affirmative. Otherwise he will not. When someone is brainwashed (or indoctrinated) one perceives the freedom to choose as limited or eliminated altogether according to the parameters taught by their chosen authority figures. Such people merely parrot the narratives and allowed allowances of their higher-ups.]
They believe whoever is in authority is legitimate. They see them as forever honorable. They apparently believe (against all odds, of course), that whoever is in authority is upstanding, trustworthy, and above reproach. Because they believe this absurdly false idea they never question authority. They have no need to; in their view authority is always right. It is also why such people likely have no critical thinking ability. What little they may have is applied incorrectly.
Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness.[1]
PERCEIVING THE BEAST
Thank goodness the greatest American generation of the mid-to-late 1700s didn’t have a living-by-fear attitude. If they did there never would have been an original USA. There never would have existed a nation with constitutionally protected freedom and legal liberty, set forth in an ethical context to create a habitation for morality, for free thinking, as a powerful bulwark against tyranny, and where Christians can exercise their beliefs without constraint, a place that had never before existed. Of course, it is the Lord who grants freedom and liberty to each, not governments. The Constitution simply supports God-given rights legally.
It should go without saying, however, that the forces of evil will not be stopped by the mere invocation of rights. They will always test. They will always bring a fight against God-given rights. Such tests must be answered. Such battles must be joined. The enemy must be made to know that people will stand and fight, will never give in, and will expose his chicanery. Otherwise he will do all he can to chip away at freedom. This is why people must be aware of the enemy. They must know there is an enemy. They must know this enemy is also the enemy of the Lord. They must know this enemy stealthily rises to positions of authority and uses such positions to gain advantage. They must know the enemy cloaks himself in false righteousness through both his outward deceptive costuming and faux manner in the effort to affect a benign exterior. And they must know that behind this seemingly friendly false façade lies a snarling sneering vicious beast wanting to tear a person to bloody shreds.
The greatest American generation knew this. They had seen the enemy. They recognized the beast. They saw him clearly. They realized who he was and what he was after, and that he must be defeated at all costs. This is why they never held back in questioning their governmental authority (the English Crown, Parliament, and financial backers thereof) when they knew their authority was corrupt because they had personal experience of said corruption used against them: They were cheated. They were defrauded. They were used. They were lied to. They were treated like chattel.
And they said this wouldn’t do. They knew if they didn’t fight against the enemy of their liberty to live as free people while they had the chance, the opportunity would pass and all that could have been would be lost. Because they had never given in to fear they saw the enemy and knew they were the only responsible party remaining to defeat him. And defeat him they must.
In early 2020 very few people in America had this exceptional attitude. Most were quickly scared so significantly and became so fearful they quickly laid down, surrendered, and did whatever they were told regardless of what it cost them. There were millions of others who did fight, or tried to. But because the apparent majority had agreed with the enemy, it turned against them and never came to help. Many of these Americans lost everything. It was and remains a sad state of affairs in a supposedly free country and is a great wrong that has yet to be made right. The home of the brave had become the haunt of cowards.
Maybe most of the squeamish majority had no critical thinking skills to begin with. Maybe most never questioned authority figures in their entire life. But there were likely quite a few that did who were scared into compliance anyway. It is hard to take a stand when everyone around you is putting their hands up and surrendering to the enemy. The social peer pressure of that time was off the scale. There was intense pressure to conform. It remains amazing that a likely majority never did the slightest bit of research into that which was turning the entire country sideways and setting a course to not only transform it significantly but destroy it.
CHRISTIAN CORRUPTION
All that said, it was only one more episode of the usual in that area. It was not at all different except to a much greater degree. The bigger issue is how what began twenty seven months ago exposed the corruption in organized official Christianity. The full story on this has yet to be revealed but we know enough to know much of American Christianity was in bed with non-Christian authority and that it chose to go along with the program and did. Those at the top would benefit from the crisis just as it was in the secular world. Some of these Christian leaders received great amounts of special funding (bribes). This large subsection of Christianity was also scared into compliance. The Christian leaders thereof who obeyed their hierarchical masters quickly told their congregations what to do regarding the same and they all followed suit. As usual. It was a wicked combination of mammon sellouts and the blind leading the blind. It should be obvious that these American Christian leaders, a probable majority, and their millions of followers, were not serving the Lord Jesus.
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” [Luke 16:13]
“Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” [Matthew 15:14]
THE GREAT AWAKENING
Though Americans must constantly be reminded but shouldn’t have to be, our country was founded on a Great Righteous Revolution against corrupt authority, and those who won the Revolutionary War never gave in to the fear which would have disarmed them and removed their fight. And though the fear did work on two-thirds of the Colonists who never fought for freedom, it never worked on the third that did.
There is presently a rising “third” of Americans who have Awakened to the Truth.
I must also remind all American Christians that the Lord Jesus, our great Founder, also never gave in to fear of corrupt authority and He always knew exactly how greatly He would have to suffer at its hands.
During the last twenty seven months a massive amount of previously hidden information has come out and more is coming out every day which proves the deception. But those who gave in to fear still cannot see it, will never consider it, and will fight hard against those revealing it. Why didn’t they fight so strongly on the right side in the beginning?
It is because, by their own choice, they have no critical thinking skills. It is because they always believe, support, and never question authority. It is because they are greatly affected by social peer pressure. They cannot afford to take a stand and alienate others. They must defend and honor their social reputations. They know they could never make it on their own apart from their family, social, and business connections. It is because they do not believe or understand that they are individuals who are actually supposed to be in authority in a free country but have surrendered their authority to others unworthy of it.
It is the same with Christians who surrender all their God-granted authority as Christians to a false Christian authority that is not even supposed to exist. This was and is also done through fear. Powerful religious authority figures scare Christians into giving up their individual authority. Such fearful ones can then be very easily controlled, manipulated, and used to feather the nests of their betters and build their mini-kingdoms.
Real Christians, on the other hand, know they have been granted freedom and authority by the Lord Jesus and are to use both for His purposes. One cannot be an actual Christian and obey the Lord’s teachings otherwise. We are each responsible for our own soul and where we will spend eternity. One will not be able to blame those who were in authority that led them astray. Those who chose wrongly to serve mammon and follow blind guides will have no defense. Those who squandered and surrendered their spiritual freedom and authority to others will not fare well at the Judgment.
At the Judgment we will each have to answer directly to the Lord Jesus. There will likely be no one else in the room save maybe angels. The Lord will have to tell each person who doesn’t make it exactly why. He will explain their error. He will reveal their sin. It will be a perfect judgment for each person.
And He may remind those who lost their souls of the following passage:
But for the cowardly (fearful KJV) and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” [Revelation 21:8][2]
© 2022 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
[1] criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766
[2] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Posted on June 16, 2022, in Current Events and tagged America, American Christianity, American Revolution, Bill of Rights, Critical Thinking, Death of Jesus, False Religious Authority, Fear, Final Judgment of Souls, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Hell, July 4 1776, Lord Jesus, Mammon, Overcome Evil with Good, Political Corruption, Political Freedom, Real Christianity The Nature of the Church, Resurrection of Jesus, Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Freedom, Spiritual Warfare, The Great Awakening, The Sacrifice Lamb, United States Constitution, Unreal Christianity. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
An excellent article. Yet, in the perspective of COVID and the vaccines, let me say that after much prayer and searching of all critical circumstances, I was vaccinated. My critical thinking and gathered wisdom allowed me to make a good judgment for myself and for my husband who was in the highly guarded group One thing that wisdom pointed out to me was that God would never allow millions of His people to take a vaccine that would kill them. So, in faith and assurance, I was vaccinated. If there is another virus that requires vaccination, I will seek God again and trust the wisdom He gives me. My response to this article deals with only one element….COVID and the vaccines. I do not want any Christian to feel that because they were vaccinated and stayed away from people during the high cases of COVID, to think they did something foolish. We do many things in faith, even that others may question. The rest of this article is spot-on. You have it right, and we are up against tremendous evil in high places.
LikeLike
Thanks Mary. The Word of God is extremely clear on the subject of free will. In the very beginning of the Book God says human beings were made in His image. There are simply not enough words or the right words to do justice to this statement. We were made like God. How profound is this? Though He did this on a lower level, so to speak, regarding us on this planet, it does not lessen the fact. Being made in His image means we have the same basic nature and this includes the ability to think at a relatively high level. He blessed us with minds of great processing ability and superior bodies capable of manifold abilities which include an opposable thumb. Along with all this He blessed us with the ability to make our own studied and well thought out decisions and choices, having discerned what we think is best for us and gives us the best positive results. Things were perfect in the beginning to allow for optimum results. There was no sin or negativity or drag.
After the fall when sin entered the world it became an entirely new dynamic but never changed what human beings are at their core. Being made in His image also means we can have fellowship with Him and seek His counsel, so even though we now live in a world of darkness and sin with the presence of evil we still have the ability to make wise choices. We can still do as much research as possible to make the wisest decisions. We can still seek His counsel regarding our decisions. We still have a free will. The Lord never uses force against us. He will never make us do anything. Whoever does use force against humanity is doing something He never sanctions. Wherever we may live and whatever the conditions and circumstances, the Lord’s support of our own free will never changes. His support of critical thinking, of making studied decisions, never changes. He will always support us in this. He has given us the right to choose based on our ability to make what we think are correct choices.
However, it is a fact that the closer we get to Him the better our decisions will be because we will factor in His thoughts on the matter. We will factor in His counsel. If we seek Him and pray with all our heart He will tell us whatever the best decision may be for each of us. Therefore we also use critical thinking ability to seek what He says is best. It is the same process. Prayer is not necessarily easy. We don’t often get answers right away. We must seek Him. There is often much He must tell us in portions and it takes time.
But again, the point is that we were made to be free in God with a free will to choose and make righteous decisions. God gives no one the right to change this or eliminate it, especially on a large scale. He is always against forced mandates. Those who advocate for such and force such are opposing God and will end up on God’s bad side and He will deal with them appropriately. He will protect and support His children! However, because He works through people, He will need to work through HIS people to oppose those who oppose Him. And of course, it is a spiritual war. As Paul said, we do not battle against flesh and blood. We must battle, however. We must take the fight to the enemy. The New Covenant Scriptures tell us exactly how to do this.
It is presently a sad state of affairs in American Christianity in general because the majority of Christians do not obey the Lord in this vital area. They refuse to be properly equipped or fight as the Lord says to do. It is why so many Christians have surrendered to the enemy and have become overcome by the culture. We must return to our Book of Acts roots to fix this problem. Nevertheless, it will still likely only be a relative few Christians who do this but no matter. The Lord has never needed great numbers. He just needs us to be in close fellowship with Him and to do His will willingly. It is how we defeat the enemy. It is how we both gain the victory.
Blessings to you Mary. Thanks again.
LikeLike
Another very important subject to speak of, it always reminds me of Samuel 8, “it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. But warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” This is such a powerful verse to me and reminds me of who I serve. It is a choice we all have to make and mankind has gone against our Father from the beginning of time. Going back to your last article, we have to be aware, we have to trust the Father and we have to choose. The fear that was put in place was overwhelming for so many people. Including some of my own family members. But, they were glued to the TV, and held all of their faith in the word of the news networks. It is a tuff subject to talk about with folks on whether to take the vaccine or not to.
LikeLike
Thanks Sandra. The most important subject to apply critical thinking to is our eternal destination, but according to the Lord, only few will choose the correct path. If this is the precedent, it is no wonder a probably majority don’t think about major decisions to the degree they should or do their research. The main alternative to this is simply trusting the word of others, presumably in authority, since their “expert” opinions are more trustworthy than one’s own, and sadly, even more so than the Lord’s.
The passage of Scripture you mention in 1Samuel 8 applies perfectly. The nation of Israel already had access to God Himself and could have received any advice and leadership they could have ever wanted and needed and it would have always been perfect, but they rejected Him in favor of a mere human king. The results were disastrous. They were so hardheaded and rebellious that even after they were told what a human king would do to them they still demanded one. We see this in King Saul but to a much greater degree under King Solomon. Everything they were warned about came true and it was the beginning of the end.
Thanks again
LikeLike