The Message above All

Our government lies — reflexively, instinctively. When did it not lie? The problem is that the MSM operates as an arm of the government, and so the MSM lies psychotically, as well. I can’t give you links to the statistical details because no one is allowed to publish the facts. You have to glean them from the alternative sources.

Here’s what you might learn: The lockdowns, quarantines and masking rules of the COVID pandemic were in themselves more deadly in the long run than if we had simply done nothing and let the disease run rampant. No lives were saved by the restrictions; many were lost because of them. When you look at the long term results of just the economic losses alone, more people have already died, and continue to die, from economic effects of restrictions than would have died from the disease. A few governments in the world refused to play along with the hysteria, and their results are a lot better than every country that enforced the so-called health mandates.

The government will do all it can to prevent you from learning that, and particularly to prevent you sharing that. And Big Technology has agreed to silence it, a censorship that has been rather effective. Any message differing from that of the government has been suppressed. The author of the linked article notes: “Without censorship, we might have won that debate, and if so, the world could have moved along a different and better path in the last three and a half years, with less death and less suffering.”

Now, brace yourself: This has nothing to do with our spiritual goals or the gospel message. That kind of censorship and careless human slaughter is not what nailed Jesus to the Cross. Rather, it’s merely a symptom of what He died for. If you get all entangled with fighting that battle, you will have abandoned the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here’s the paradox: If you obey the Word, your life here in this fallen world will be as good as it possibly can be. The problem is how we define “good”. God keeps His promises, but His promises are on the far side of the Cross. The Cross was Christ’s greatest victory; most humans don’t get that. You have to die to live. If all you understand is the literal meanings of the words, you don’t understand anything that matters.

In pursuit of our Father’s glory, there is a utility to fighting censorship. The Bible recognizes no kind of “rights” at all. It’s the wrong approach to what God considers important. What really matters is our feudal submission to (AKA, faith in) Christ, and the personal relationship that comes with it. But if I take some actions to support or defend the US 1st Amendment, it does help keep the door open for the gospel, as well.

However, at the root of things, it’s not a question of having the “right” to share the gospel. Rather, we have a mandate to do so, rights and censorship be damned. We should gladly face the sword as the price of shouting our message from the housetops. Of course, that’s an image, a symbol of our commitment. We don’t so much resist as persist.

My loyalty is not to the 1st Amendment, but to the gospel. They are not the same thing. So the question is purely tactical whether I might help to defend the 1st Amendment. It is the gospel itself which demands I refuse to vaxx (AKA, “clot shot”), never mind the US Constitution or principles of liberty. There is no such thing as “God-given rights”; those are simply man-made reasonings. You could say that this popular phrase references a different god. None of that stuff reflects the Bible, despite the rabid assertion that it does.

I will ignore government laws, and the US Constitution, and principles of liberty, whenever they conflict with my calling and mission in Christ. But as long as those things aren’t in the way, I don’t mind playing along. So, I’ll use whatever means present themselves as amenable to the message.

As long as Big Tech and the cloud services ignore me, and don’t hinder my message, I’ll use them. I’m not an activist about that stuff. But if I find them a hindrance, I’ll go around them or avoid them, and only to the degree they are a problem. At some point, there’s no doubt they’ll be too much trouble, but for now, it’s working just fine.

Example: Google has already done things to hinder people spreading the gospel (closing accounts of people who are assertively anti-woke), so I don’t trust them with my work very much. I’m careful, very selective of what I do with their software and storage. I recommend as much to everyone. By contrast, Microsoft online services haven’t done that, so I’ll use their storage and transmission of my work more freely. I recommend it for others.

Of course, Windows is somewhat vulnerable to snooping and censorship at the OS level, but it’s a toss up whether I use Windows or not. On my current hardware, not. I make no recommendations on that. Without the OS, the online version of MS Office is a hindrance on Linux, even with their own browser and a paid subscription. Office Online does not work the same as Office installed on a Windows computer. It keeps changing the format automatically, and won’t let me change it back to what I believe I need. Instead, I use an older version of Office that runs on Linux/WINE.

Google’s Chromebooks are too much hassle, but Android devices are inescapable. I’m not aware of Apple/Mac interfering with the gospel, but I simply cannot afford their stuff, so it’s not an issue right now. I’m open to trying it out when it comes within reach, simply because their privacy policies are rather strong.

But you see how I’m rather mercenary about computer technology. There’s a balance between privacy and freedom versus the necessity of using the existing means. It’s not worth it for me digging much farther into the technology itself. The same goes with concerns about liberty and rights. Those are not central concerns; they aren’t major elements of my calling and mission.

Theories and speculation about how this will all end in a harsh globalist government don’t move me. The gospel indicates any such victory will be short-lived. Frankly, I find that threat unlikely in the first place. Some Americans will face that, but not all of us. And there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop it. Most of those who say they will unite to fight it won’t. They talk big, but I’ve seen them cut and run too often. There’s no utility in expecting any meaningful resistance at the street level. Your best bet is the state government where you live, and that may not be worth much, either. But a globalist regime is built on lies, so it won’t last long even if it does come to full power.

Still, I’d come closer to fighting any human government over the freedom to present my message than I would any other form of resistance. Yeah, that means there may be a limited utility in the 2nd Amendment, too. We’ll see; it’s not a core principle of the gospel message, but I am not averse to shedding blood in the process, mine or anyone else’s.