Has America any equivalent to Solzhenitsyn? No wonder we're censoring everything Russian! Thanks for resurrecting these powerful words of warning, Emerald!
"It was Dostoevsky, once again, who drew from the French Revolution and its seething hatred for the Church the lesson that 'revolution must necessarily begin with atheism.' That is absolutely true." Solzhenitsyn.
Jefferson tore out of the Bible the parts he disagreed with.
Do you disagree with Dostoevsky when you recognize hubris? I believe Dostoevsky considered atheism a necessary condition for revolution but not necessarily an exclusive one.
Well said. My personal observation is that minions of evil have no idea they are evil. It's not like the iconic cartoon character antagonist as a dark monster who rubs his boney hands together and cackles whilst declaring, 'Ah ha ha! I am so beautifully evil!' Nope - true evil whispers and coerces its followers to truly believe they are RIGHT! And that is why it is so difficult to stop the slow decline of all things good into the deep muck of destruction. Those who inherently know the difference between true right and wrong that are the natural laws designed by the Creator, that keep civilizations civil, historically are always the smallest of minorities.
The good news is that God always does the most with the least. We surely do need to decide, and the sooner the better, whom we serve. I do think time is running out.
Based on his examination of the life and decline of past cultures and civilizations, Oswald Spengler predicted the "Decline of the West" in 1926. So far, it looks like his prediction is coming true.
The West did indeed forget God, and it replaced that missing divine spirit with the malign spirit of: money.
Yes, BUT - we who claim to be Christians cannot live our faith alone; Jesus himself said we are his body, he is our head; Paul said all the parts of the body are necessary to function in a healthy, fruitful manner. Some churches are corrupt, yes. Many pastors are preaching irrelevant, self-help drivel, yes, I agree 100% (I'm a pastor, so I know...).
Find a church that is at least beginning to speak against our corrupt culture (the wokeness, the oppressive state, the medical tyranny), and get grafted into that Vine. They will strengthen you, and you will strengthen them.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to be a faithful Christian without being connected to/grafted into Jesus' family somewhere; he doesn't give us that option. The disciples were NEVER Lone Rangers. Even Paul never went on a missionary journey/endeavor alone - what makes us think that we can?
Pathological Altruism is a poison that allows evil to fester and grow, out of the fear of being "mean" or "judgmental". The evil ones know this and use it to their advantage.
How right he was. If his base for observation of the world before 1983 led him to his most prescient writings and conclusions, one can only, in the realm of spiritual proclivity, call him a prophet, sent from God Himself. He had so much in common with the great men of the Bible. You see the parallels between his life and those of all the great men rolled into one man of the 20th century...imprisonment, self-reflection, warnings to people of the earth, like Paul, Jeremiah et.al. Thank you Emerald for this..it is a sober reminder of the severity of our situation. It is actually a most hopeful feeling....knowing that the answer is inside us. It has always been inside us.
For what it's worth I have a SIGNED copy of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, First edition, by Solzhenitsyn. If it has any value to someone let me know.
I was thinking lately that I should read the gulag archipelago. He survived 8 years of internment. He did say that being there let’s you work on your soul.
we lose Our divine connection to one another. The lack of empathy for one another has never been more apparent. Yet many CHOOSE to not take responsibility. Humanity will find Peace ONLY when they find GOD!
Good will prevail in the struggle with evil. The power of prayer is not to be underestimated. The evildoers will have their Judgment Day. My glass remains half full.
Thanks Emerald for posting this. Solzhenitzen did as much as anyone to bring down the Bolshevik tyranny and mechanistic, historical determinism that denies the divine individuality of every person.
" No-one expects the Churches to merge or to revise all their doctrines, but only to present a common front against atheism.."
Has America any equivalent to Solzhenitsyn? No wonder we're censoring everything Russian! Thanks for resurrecting these powerful words of warning, Emerald!
“Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.”
Or, men are trying to play G-d...
Live by this:
"Rebellion against tyranny is obedience to God"- Thomas Jefferson
"It was Dostoevsky, once again, who drew from the French Revolution and its seething hatred for the Church the lesson that 'revolution must necessarily begin with atheism.' That is absolutely true." Solzhenitsyn.
Jefferson tore out of the Bible the parts he disagreed with.
I disagree with Dostoevsky. Revolutions are spawned from any number of compelling cultural forces.
I would agree that atheism does generate revolution through hubris, another human failing destined for failure.
Do you disagree with Dostoevsky when you recognize hubris? I believe Dostoevsky considered atheism a necessary condition for revolution but not necessarily an exclusive one.
Great quote! Beautiful name you have...
Well said. My personal observation is that minions of evil have no idea they are evil. It's not like the iconic cartoon character antagonist as a dark monster who rubs his boney hands together and cackles whilst declaring, 'Ah ha ha! I am so beautifully evil!' Nope - true evil whispers and coerces its followers to truly believe they are RIGHT! And that is why it is so difficult to stop the slow decline of all things good into the deep muck of destruction. Those who inherently know the difference between true right and wrong that are the natural laws designed by the Creator, that keep civilizations civil, historically are always the smallest of minorities.
The good news is that God always does the most with the least. We surely do need to decide, and the sooner the better, whom we serve. I do think time is running out.
Based on his examination of the life and decline of past cultures and civilizations, Oswald Spengler predicted the "Decline of the West" in 1926. So far, it looks like his prediction is coming true.
The West did indeed forget God, and it replaced that missing divine spirit with the malign spirit of: money.
If you want revival go to your room draw a circle, kneel within it and pray.
Those that bless me I shall bless, those that curse me I shall curse.
God cannot be mocked. Most of the churches are terribly corrupt and praise and encourage evil. Read the Bible and pray. We are in for a rough ride.
Yes, BUT - we who claim to be Christians cannot live our faith alone; Jesus himself said we are his body, he is our head; Paul said all the parts of the body are necessary to function in a healthy, fruitful manner. Some churches are corrupt, yes. Many pastors are preaching irrelevant, self-help drivel, yes, I agree 100% (I'm a pastor, so I know...).
Find a church that is at least beginning to speak against our corrupt culture (the wokeness, the oppressive state, the medical tyranny), and get grafted into that Vine. They will strengthen you, and you will strengthen them.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to be a faithful Christian without being connected to/grafted into Jesus' family somewhere; he doesn't give us that option. The disciples were NEVER Lone Rangers. Even Paul never went on a missionary journey/endeavor alone - what makes us think that we can?
There have been other prophets, each powerful in his own way.
A few that come to mind include Malcolm Muggeridge, G.K. Chesterton, Pope Benedict XVI, and C.S. Lewis to name just four.
Society is now spinning out of control in ways that even those thoughtful, far-seeing individuals are unlikely to imagined.
The unimaginable has suddenly become real.
Indeed, I am reminded about our condition every time I re-read William Butler Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming”.
This line is particularly disturbing and, I fear, keenly relevant:
“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold”.
Pathological Altruism is a poison that allows evil to fester and grow, out of the fear of being "mean" or "judgmental". The evil ones know this and use it to their advantage.
Is the govt censorship industrial complex careening towards becoming today’s Gulag Archipegalo? History repeats
How right he was. If his base for observation of the world before 1983 led him to his most prescient writings and conclusions, one can only, in the realm of spiritual proclivity, call him a prophet, sent from God Himself. He had so much in common with the great men of the Bible. You see the parallels between his life and those of all the great men rolled into one man of the 20th century...imprisonment, self-reflection, warnings to people of the earth, like Paul, Jeremiah et.al. Thank you Emerald for this..it is a sober reminder of the severity of our situation. It is actually a most hopeful feeling....knowing that the answer is inside us. It has always been inside us.
For what it's worth I have a SIGNED copy of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, First edition, by Solzhenitsyn. If it has any value to someone let me know.
Thanks David K.
Are you kidding?? That has lots of value!! Love that book!!
An important piece of knowledge, perhaps even more relevant today, than in 1983, with
wokeness and public degeneracy ruling the current mainstream.
Whenever mankind tries to elevate the monkey ego over our infinite, Divine blessings,
we are headed for disaster. There is a reason why evil dictatorships always try to eliminate religion and cultural traditions.
As the article states, the wicked will only win,
if we allow it. As my kind grandmother told me when I was a kid: “When you’re grateful,
you can’t be hateful.”
Oath Keeper Stewart Rhodes quotes Solzhenitsyn when he speaks at our vigils for the J6rs. Thank you so much for sharing this!
I was thinking lately that I should read the gulag archipelago. He survived 8 years of internment. He did say that being there let’s you work on your soul.
Wonderful, beautiful and TRUE! Without GOD the essential bond
we lose Our divine connection to one another. The lack of empathy for one another has never been more apparent. Yet many CHOOSE to not take responsibility. Humanity will find Peace ONLY when they find GOD!
Good will prevail in the struggle with evil. The power of prayer is not to be underestimated. The evildoers will have their Judgment Day. My glass remains half full.
Thanks Emerald for posting this. Solzhenitzen did as much as anyone to bring down the Bolshevik tyranny and mechanistic, historical determinism that denies the divine individuality of every person.
" No-one expects the Churches to merge or to revise all their doctrines, but only to present a common front against atheism.."