It's time for us to quit tolerating 'vice'
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace."
- Alexander Pope
He was a very prominent poet, and is the third most quoted poet in the Oxford dictionary. He lived in England and has had his works printed all around the world. He was a person who cut through the "fluff" and perceived truth. It would seem germane for the U.S. and the world to pay attention to what he has said about vice.
You ask what is vice? My Thesaurus gives this definition: sin, evil, wickedness, depravity, wrong, indecency, debauchery, immorality, degeneracy, corruption, prostitution, bad habit, weakness, compulsion, failing, fault, flaw, short coming, wrong, crime, "Servility" - Karl Marx "Instruments to plague" Shakespeare
Does this not describe the very vocal fringe groups and their plans for our society from Mr. Obama to the least important, by some people's opinion in our country? You may say to yourself that we do not fit this diagnosis of vice. May I tell you very honestly that you suffer from delusions! Especially at this time in history when we see the radical Islamists burning people alive, beheading adults and small children and engaging in sex traffic and promoting slavery, it is so easy to point the finger at them and react to its violence! That is absolutely proper to do. At the same time we should call vice what it is in the U.S. We "tolerate" a lot of these same things at home. Should we not condemn our own wrongs and seek to rectify them and demand that the President set the precedent for us? Isn't it time for him to be totally honest with us and stand for morality?
I know that I will get a lot of flak for saying this, but in Galatians, Chapter 5, the Apostle Paul describes the fruit (evidence of how we live our life) of a good man and an evil man. You and I are "fruit inspectors" and the fruit shows what kind of man, woman, young adult or child one is and describes the consequences for our fruit.
The characteristics (fruit) of the evil are "immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envyings, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. Those who practice such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God."
To the contrary "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another."
Everyone should examine himself to check his own "fruit." If we are in the first group, would it not be wise to change our ways? And we all should be fruit inspectors of all of our leaders daily!
Lastly, may I share with you that in 1942, when I left for the Navy, my family gave me a beautiful New Testament. My Mother penned this in the Testament as I left my childhood home:
"Four things a man must learn to do,
If he would keep his record true.
To think without confusion, clearly,
To love his fellow men, sincerely,
To act from honest motives, purely,
To trust in God and Heaven securely"
Our world would be a far better place if we all strove to follow these principles.
George W. Rodkey, M.D., is a Post Falls resident.