Season 4 Podcast 40 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 5: The Sermon on the Mount Pt II, The Kingdom of Heaven.”

In Podcast 35 we examined the Beatitudes. In this Podcast we shall continue with the Sermon on the Mount, with the focus on The Kingdom of Heaven. 

MATTHEW 5: 19-20

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

In the above Christ teaches us two things: (1) There are different degrees of glory in the kingdom of heaven, else how can one be greatest and another least (2) Not everyone is allowed in the kingdom of heaven. That means we must consider two things. (1) What are the degrees of glory and how do we inherit the highest and (2) what keeps us from entering into heaven and where do we go if we don’t go to heaven. In this podcast we shall focus on the kingdoms of heaven. 

In the previous podcast, entitled The Beatitudes, Christ gave us at least nine virtues we must have to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The rest of the Sermon on the Mount is an extension of that discussion. Christ not only refines what he means in the Beatitudes, but he also expands the conditions to get into heaven. 

Let’s deal first with the degrees of Glory. We can turn to the words of Paul and the words of John. Speaking of the resurrection Paul tells us.

1 CORINTHIANS 15: 40-42

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

Paul describes three kingdoms of glory

1.     One glory of the sun, which he calls celestial bodies.

2.     One glory of the moon, which he calls bodies terrestrial

3.     One glory of the stars. 

The greatest would be the glory of the sun, which he calls celestial bodies; the least would be the glory of the stars. Paul also indicates that the kingdoms compared to the glory of the stars are infinite in number

“for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.”

In another place Paul refers to the greater glory, the celestial bodies, as the third heaven.

2 CORINTHIANS 12: 2-4

2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

It is clear that the kingdom of heaven referred to in the Beatitudes is the Celestial bodies or Celestial Kingdom.  

Season 4 Podcast 39 “What is Equality Pt III”

Obama does not like the free enterprise system because some do really well, and others barely get by. He, like the other liberals, thinks like a Marxist. That is why he likes redistribution of wealth. Obama, and I am speaking of the liberal left, does not like the free market system. In his First Inaugural Address Obama said:

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control—the nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart—not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

Mr. Obama is very good at manipulating words. While pretending to praise the free market system, he immediately condemns it. Examine the major propositions of the above:

1.         Without a watchful, the market can spin out of control

2.         The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous

3.         The success of our economy depends upon the reach of our prosperity

4.         The success of our economy depends upon the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart

Hiring 80,000 new IRS agents, Obamacare, and the 31 trillion-dollar debt are proof of Obama’s intent.

Now just take those assertions alone and read between the lines. “Without a watchful eye,” of course, means the watchful eye of Big Brother, the government. Goodbye free enterprise, goodbye to allowing the market to right itself. It means greater government control. Favoring only the prosperous means to take their wealth and redistribute it to the poor which is confirmed by the assertion “the success of our economy depends upon the reach of our prosperity.” In other words, the prosperous must share their wealth with the unprosperous. That leads to his fifth assertion which, to be more accurate, should have been written this way

5.     Redistribution of wealth is the surest route to our common good

I always cringe at the phrase “common good.” It does derive from commune and communism. It always means socialism. Who decides the common good?  Those in power, of course. He claims it is not charity, but what else can it be when he is taking from the rich and giving to the poor? The left is in denial when it comes to language, but in actions they are fully committed socialists. The left thinks it knows what is best for us. As Mr. Obama said, free enterprise is not my idea of America. In Obama’s Commencement Speech at Ohio State he said

“Too many on Wall Street forgot that their obligations don’t end with what’s happening with their shares.”

What is their obligation if not to look at their own shares? Do you see how subtle the language of socialism is? “fair share,” “lucky few,” “redistribution of wealth,” “pool resources,” "fair shot,” “giving everybody a chance to do well,” “common good,” “fair shake.” In short, those who fail will be supported by the government. How else can you read the following? 

To care for the sick and the vulnerable and provide a basic level of protection from falling into abject poverty in the wealthiest nation on Earth.  

How do you keep people from falling into abject poverty if they don’t want to work? The government solution is to give the poor entitlements, increased welfare, and free money, but that is but a steppingstone to communism who wants to do away with money and property and rights of inheritance, private bank, and free enterprise. 

Season 4 Podcast 38 “What is Equality Pt II”

If you have not downloaded What is Equality Pt I, may we suggest that you do so before continuing with Pt II. It provides helpful background.

In this tetrad on “What is Equality,” I am using the speeches of President Barrack Obama to represent the ideology of the modern democratic party which has turned its back on capitalism, free enterprise, and self-reliance and has turned to socialism and big government in an attempt to remake America. Though some ragged remembrances of pretension are left, they have essentially dropped the rhetoric of our former democratic republic and are openly preaching Marxism. 

In yesterday’s podcast I gave the following two quotes: (1) In Mr. Obama’s speech at Ohio State, he said, “To repair the middle class, to give more families a fair shake, to reject a country in which only a lucky few prosper because that’s antithetical to our ideals and our democracy.” (2) And at the University of North Carolina, he said “I don’t want this to be a country where a shrinking number of Americans are doing really, really well, but a growing number of people are just struggling to get by.” 

Karl Marx would have applauded along with the university students: In the Communist Manifesto, Article II, Proletarians and Communists, Karl Marx wrote, 

The immediate aim of the Communist is the same as that of all the other proletarian parties: formation of the proletariat into a class, overthrow of the bourgeois supremacy, conquest of political power by the proletariat.

Karl Marx added,

We have seen above, that the first step in the revolution by the working class, is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling as to win the battle of democracy. 

The bourgeoisie are the white middle class. The proletariat are the minorities protected by the left. The left is systematically forming all minorities into a one-party system that will have permanent control in the Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court. That is the aim of the left, permanent control. That is why they are building discontent among the classes in America, and it is working.

Let us not forget another major spokesperson of the left, Hillary Clinton when she said,

“Deep seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed.”  

She is speaking of Christian virtues, particularly their objection to abortion. Let me remind you of another speaker from the left who totally agrees with her.

“There are, besides, eternal truths, such as Freedom, Justice, etc. that are common to all states of society. But Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis; it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experience.”

That too is from the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx.

The left is systematically dismantling the Bill of Rights, ignoring the Constitution, corrupting the balance of power by using the Justice Department and FBI as enforcers of the agenda of the left, endangering our sovereignty with open borders, destroying law and order with sanctuary cities, defunding police, disregarding bail, opening prisons, encouraging vandalism and theft, and bankrupting our nation with a 31 trillion-dollar debt. They are demonizing whites, promoting racial tension, hatred, and discontent, disregarding truth, corrupting our voting process, and promoting propaganda through social media and major news outlets. They hold one standard for conservatives and another for liberals who support their agenda. It is an open attempt to destroy our democratic republic and remake America into a socialist state. The goal is power, unlimited power, and perpetuity in office, using taxpayer dollars as bribes to win the votes of minorities and of the poor. 

Season 4 Podcast 37 “What is Equality Pt I”

First, let me pose a question:  Have you considered how obvious inequality can be reconciled with the self-evident truth that all men are created equal by God?  Everything we see around us suggests inequality.  How can man be free and equal at the same time?  Fundamentally that is why socialists and communists oppose a belief in God or freedom.  Belief in God undermines socialism, and God-given equality undermines communism.  

It is one thing to be created equal by God. It is another thing to be created equal by man or government. God-created-quality is absolute and cannot be taken from us; however, how we use that equality is up to us.  All inequality is man-made. The only reason communism exists is because men are unequal in wealth, and government promises to make everyone equal, thus removing the burden of self-reliance.  That is the goal of the liberal socialists of the democratic party.

Man-made equality, because it is quantitative, based on wealth, will always lead to totalitarianism and loss of freewill, freedom, and agency. It is in concomitant variation. The greater power government has, the less freedom you have or to put it another way, as government increases in power, you decrease in freedom.

We must distinguish between freedom and liberty. They are not the same thing. To be definitive I would have to write a book so I can only give the short version. Government is in charge of your liberty; you are in charge of your freedom. However, freedom must work within the parameters of government-controlled liberty. Liberty is based on manmade laws. Freedom is based on individual potential driven by desire. It may seem paradoxical, but government can increase your liberty while taking away your freedom. 

Let me provide a few peculiar examples, consequences of the democratic platform, all of which I never thought I would see in America. 

1.     Providing safe injection sites for drug addicts.

2.     Open borders

3.     Defunding police

4.     Making a law saying stealing $1000 is a misdemeanor.

5.     Sanctuary cities. 

6.     Releasing criminals without bail

7.     Freeing criminals without prosecution

8.     Releasing criminals from prison in violation of the court appointed sentences

Do I even need to point out the obvious of how that decreases freedom. Do you feel safer? Would you carry a thousand dollars on big city streets? How many big stores have had to close their doors because of unprosecuted theft?  How many small businesses cannot afford to remain open. Store owners cannot even call the police for there are not enough policemen to go around. Police don’t bother with rapes or robbery.  Understaffed their response time is slow and unreliable. They don’t even bother with crimes under a thousand dollars per individual, meaning a mob can bankrupt you in one evening and go unprosecuted as long as they individually stay under a thousand dollars.  This all occurred because of the policies of the democratic party in trying to create equality. 

God who created all men and women equally protects our freewill and agency. What then, do we mean, when we say that all men are created equal by God? Talents differ but equality is not measured by talents. There are many ways God created us equal, but let me give you eight things to consider:

1.     We lived with God before coming to this earth. We are all children of God equal in his sight.

Season 4 Podcast 36 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk XI, Pt XXXVI, “The Intercession, Pt I” 

 In the prologue to Book XI, Milton writes.

The Son of God presents to his Father the prayers of our first parents now repenting, and intercedes for them: God accepts them, but declares that they must no longer abide in Paradise; sends Michael with a band of Cherubim to dispossess them; but first to reveal to Adam future things: Michael's coming down. Adam shows to Eve certain ominous signs; he discerns Michael's approach; goes out to meet him: the Angel denounces their departure. Eve's Lamentation. Adam pleads, but submits: the Angel leads him up to a high hill; sets before him a vision what shall happen till the Flood.

Because of the fall, the physical bodies of Adam and Eve change; however, their hearts are softened, and both feel repentant. Their prayers are heard in heaven. Milton apparently draws inspiration from John The Revelator who wrote “and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.”

Thus they in lowliest plight repentant stood
Praying, for from the Mercy-seat above
Prevenient Grace descending had remov’d
The stonie from their hearts, and made new flesh
Regenerat grow instead, that sighs now breath’d
Unutterable, which the Spirit of prayer
Inspir’d, and wing’d for Heav’n with speedier flight
Then loudest Oratorie: yet their port
Not of mean suiters, nor important less
Seem’d their Petition, then when th’ ancient Pair
In Fables old, less ancient yet then these,
Deucalion and chaste Pyrrha to restore
The Race of Mankind drownd, before the Shrine
Of Themis stood devout. To Heav’n their prayers
Flew up, nor missed the way, by envious winds
Blow’n vagabond or frustrate: in they passed
Dimentionless through Heav’nly dores; then clad
With incense, where the Golden Altar fum’d,
By their great Intercessor, came in sight
Before the Fathers Throne: 

Christ intercedes to the Father for Adam and Eve symbolizing Christ’s intercession for all of us who also became subject to the fall.  Christ becomes our advocate. Christ redeems us from the fall and makes us one with him as he is one with the Father.

Them the glad Son
Presenting, thus to intercede began.

See Father, what first fruits on Earth are sprung
From thy implanted Grace in Man, these Sighs
And Prayers, which in this Golden Censer, mixt
With Incense, I thy Priest before thee bring,
Fruits of more pleasing savour from thy seed
Sow’n with contrition in his heart, then those
Which his own hand manuring all the Trees
Of Paradise could have produc’t, ere fall’n
From innocence. Now therefore bend thine eare
To supplication, heare his sighs though mute;
Unskilful with what words to pray, let mee
Interpret for him, mee his Advocate
And propitiation, all his works on mee
Good or not good ingraft, my Merit those
Shall perfect, and for these my Death shall pay.
Accept me, and in me from these receive
The smell of peace toward Mankinde, let him live
Before thee reconcil’d, at least his days
Numbered, though sad, till Death, his doom (which I
To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse)
To better life shall yield him, where with me
All my redeemed may dwell in joy and bliss,
Made one with me as I with thee am one.

The Father accepts his Son’s request, but Adam and Eve must leave Paradise and become subject to the laws of nature. He tells his Son that death must be man’s final remedy, meaning that without death we could not be redeemed. Without death mankind would live in eternal misery. Earth becomes a probationary state refined by sharp tribulation and refined by faith and judged by works. Only through faith and obedience can we have a second life with God.

Season 4 Podcast 35 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 5: The Sermon on the Mount Pt I The Beatitudes”

In the last two Podcasts of The Stories of the New Testament, we examined the three temptations of Christ in the Wilderness. In this Podcast we shall discuss the greatest sermon ever given, The Sermon on the Mount, with the focus on the Nine Beatitudes. 

We first think of Matthew when we think of the Sermon on the Mount.  Matthew begins with the Nine Beatitudes which some interpret as “supreme blessedness” Or “state of great joy.” 

1.     Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2.     Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

3.     Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

4.     Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

5.     Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

6.     Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

7.     Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

8.     Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

9.     Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

The first thing we notice about the nine Beatitudes is that they are all commandments with a promise. Each can be turned into a hypothetical statement:

1.     If you are poor in spirit, you shall inherit the kingdom of heaven

2.     If you mourn, you shall be comforted.

3.     If you are meek, you shall inherit the earth

4.     If you hunger and thirst after righteousness, you shall be filled.

5.     If you are merciful, you shall obtain mercy

6.     If you are pure in heart you shall see God

7.     If you are a peacemaker, you shall be called the children of God

8.     If you are persecuted for righteousness’s sake, you shall inherit the kingdom of heaven

9.     If men revile you and persecute and say all manner of evil against you falsely, you shall have great reward I heaven.

The scriptures do not leave us without an explanation. For example, If you mourn, you shall be comforted. Who is the comforter? We are told in John

JOHN 14: 26-27

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Acts 5:32

32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

The fourth Beatitude also refers to the Comforter. “If you hunger and thirst after righteousness, you shall be filled.” Paul tells us

Acts 9:17

17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Season 4 Podcast 34 Adversity

Agency cannot exist in a world without both God and Satan.  When Satan was cast out of heaven, he was thrust to earth. Luke records the words of Jesus: 

Luke 10:18

18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Having lost the war in heaven, Satan continued his war on earth. Satan is allowed on earth that we may have agency. Agency only occurs when we are enticed both by Christ and by Satan. Both God and Satan, like law, are invisible that faith may increase, but their enticing influence is everywhere. In heaven, after this life, Satan will be eternally absent, and we will be forever happy only because we came to earth and experienced misery brought about by his inveigling lies.  

We must learn opposites on earth because there will be no opposites in heaven.  If we keep the commandments of God, if we endure the miseries of this world, we are guaranteed unlimited happiness in the next life. 

Revelation 21

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

However, regardless of how good we are in this life, goodness untried by adversity contains no wisdom and develops no patience and no faith. 

James 1:3

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Romans 5:3

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience.

The Apostle Peter speaks of opposition as the trial of our faith.

1 Peter 1:7

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Everybody suffers, but the cries of those who suffer in patience are heard by heaven and call forth the power of God.  The patient inherits the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 6:12

12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Romans 2:7

7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Revelation 14:12–13

12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Patience in suffering is the cauldron out of which pours forth humility, understanding, wisdom, faith, hope, miracles, and the still small voice.  

2 Peter 1:6

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

Patient suffering is life’s greatest teacher because it blends the spiritual with the temporal and gives meaning to life. Suffering without patience often turns to revenge and leads to greater suffering.  

Revelation 13:10

10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

It is a greater blessing to be tried in our obedience than to be punished for our disobedience. We gain greater wisdom in our patience in suffering than in our serenity.  As some fruit is sweetened by frost, some frosty countenances are sweetened by adversity.  Christ suffered that he may have empathy for our suffering.  We suffer that we may have empathy for other’s suffering.  Those who suffer in patience are often spared that they may show forth the power of God and become a witness to others that God is merciful.

Season 4 Podcast 33 “Title IX, The Disentitlement of Women, Pt II”

This podcast is a continuation of Part I. If you have not downloaded Podcast 32 Part I, may we recommend that you do so before continuing this one. It gives the necessary background. These two podcasts are an analysis of a letter written in 2016 under the Obama Administration, enforcing Title IX to impose transgender rights above the rights of women who are uncomfortable sharing their private spaces with biological men identifying as women. This podcast is a continuation of that analysis.

“Schools receiving federal money.”  

In other words, all schools who receive federal money are being implicitly bullied into compliance or they will lose their funding.  That gives one person, the President of the United States, the power to use taxpayer money to enforce his personal agenda. He is not held accountable to the people, the Congress, or the Supreme Court. 

“The school must treat the student consistent with the student’s gender identity”  

That empowers students over administration, making the administration helpless.  Any student can arbitrarily declare his or her gender and thus get a teacher in trouble for disrespecting their rights.  Any student who has a personal grudge against a teacher has enormous power over that teacher. Our teachers are now tyrannized by their students. We discipline teachers not students. If you doubt it let me invite you to spend a day in the classroom. The agenda of the left is to empower all those who support their policies regardless of right and wrong, justice, fairness, or even decency or public safety.  

Where gender is not absolute, as nature demands, gender identity can potentially change from one day to the next on a whim, simply because of government empowerment. Teachers cannot assume a boy is a boy or a girl is a girl.  They cannot even use personal pronouns without permission. Potentially they must wait to be informed by the student on a daily basis what his or her present gender status is. But Title IX also opens the door for males to freely enter a woman’s private space.

“Access sex-segregated facilities consistent with their gender identity” 

It is not consistent with their gender. It is consistent with their gender identity which can change from moment to moment. Male students, simply by declaring female gender identity, have free access to girl’s bathrooms, showers, and other private facilities. Men can compete on equal terms in women’s sports, thus denying women potential success.  It is a biological fact that in some sports—track, football, basketball, hockey, etc.—that biological men are superior to biological women regardless of declared gender.  Keep in mind who is being empowered here: Teenagers, for one thing, who by their nature are immature and filled with mischief. In this instance, it provides an open door to very harmful mischief. Every parent should revolt against such gross injustice to the delicacy of young people who deserve our protection. In addition, there is no age set. Imagine the worst because it will happen. They ignore the feelings of young, impressionable adolescents who are already plagued with personal insecurities.

And of course, language is now under attack, even personal pronouns. Those who control language control thought. To control one’s thoughts and one’s conscience is the road to absolute power. Theoretically, even in education, in the future it will be impossible to communicate through language.

Season 4 Podcast 32 “Title IX, The Disentitlement of Women, Pt I”

A government that can punish its citizens who claim that gender is absolute can punish its citizens for any whim the liberal left delights in.  The following, published in 2016, is an excerpt from a letter by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice sent to school principals across our nation:

Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, schools receiving federal money may not discriminate based on a student’s sex, including a student’s transgender status. 

That is the 2016 version, the one that evolved to fit the Woke agenda. The original 1972 version reads as follows.

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

In 1972 that referred to sex identification as determined by God and by nature as indicated on birth certificates and described in biology texts and as common sense dictated. The sex of a person in 1972 was considered absolute and could not be a whim of a teenager.  The original Title IX benefited women who were discriminated against, particularly in sports. It was not originally intended that men could declare themselves as women willy nilly and compete against women in women’s sports. The modern interpretation of Title IX is a perversion of the original intent of Title IX promoted to advance the agenda of the left as defined in their platform.

The evolution of Title IX is strong evidence that power, not civil rights are the primary goal of the left. Notice how today’s Title IX takes away women’s rights. Not only do women have to compete against men in sports, but women, even very young girls are forced to allow men in  their most private and once protected environments: restrooms, showers, and personal space. They are exposed to any practical joke and any perversion men want to impose on them under the name of rights. Their privacy and even their lives are endangered by the modern interpretation of Title IX. What began as an entitlement of women ended as a disentitlement of women and an entitlement of men who arbitrarily decided to adopt women’s roles. It has been fifty years since Title IX was enacted, and now women are worse off not better off for Title IX. 

Title IX now allows discrimination based on a student’s sex. Women, for example, now cannot prevent men from entering in their bathrooms, their showers, their sport’s events, and their personal space. Title IX gives any man, regardless of intent the right to infringe on the rights of women. And how did they do it?  Simply by adding the following phrase.

“Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, schools receiving federal money may not discriminate based on a student’s transgender status.”

How many of you who were around in 1972 could have imagined that Title IX meant the following:

·      Public schools can encourage your young daughters to have a sex change without your consent or your knowledge. That doctors have the right mutilate their bodies and change their sex irreversibly.

·      If you protest before the school board you may be considered a White Domestic Terrorist and arrested by the FBI.

But that is already happening in the United States of America..

Season 4 Podcast 31 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk X, Pt XXXV, “The Fall Pt VII” 

 In the prologue to Book X, Milton writes.

[Eve] persists, and at length appeases him; then, to evade the curse likely to fall on their offspring, proposes to Adam violent ways, which he approves not; but, conceiving better hope, puts her in mind of the late promise made them, that her seed should be revenged on the Serpent; and exhorts her with him to seek peace of the offended Deity, by repentance and supplication.

 One of the reasons that Eve agreed to eat the forbidden fruit is that she wanted children. That was her greatest desire. She knew that without eating the fruit of knowledge of good and evil they could not have children. Now, however, in her grief, she offers a strange solution. Since sin and death await to devour their children, she suggests they remain childless. 

Milton addresses in a straightforward manner the age-old question, ‘Should we bring children into such a wicked world?’ It is interesting to follow Milton’s solution. Keep in mind that during the writing of Paradise Lost the black plague is claiming the lives of half the people in Europe. Milton himself is in exile in the country to avoid the plague ravaging London. Milton is not speaking in the abstract.

If care of our descent perplex us most,
Which must be born to certain woe, devoured
By Death at last, and miserable it is
To be to others cause of misery,
Our own begotten, and of our Loins to bring
Into this cursed World a woeful Race,
That after wretched Life must be at last
Food for so foul a Monster, in thy power
It lies, yet ere Conception to prevent
The Race unblest, to being yet unbegot.

Childless thou art, Childless remain:
So Death shall be deceived his glut, and with us two
Be forced to satisfy his Ravenous Maw.

But Eve is not finished. She suggests that they go to an even greater extreme. She suggests that they both commit suicide and prevent any children from ever coming into the world. At this point Eve has not grasped that the entire purpose of the fall is to bring children into the world and to let them exercise their agency. 

Milton, a true Biblical scholar, is actually writing Paradise Lost to “justify the ways of God to man.” Milton is defending the plan of salvation. He is defending the fall of man. He is defending the fact that Satan, Sin, and Death are necessary attributes of this fallen world to give all the spirit children of God the opportunity to come to earth, to gain a physical body, and to be exposed to the enticements of both Christ and Satan in order to have agency. Milton understands the far-reaching atonement of Christ and the necessity of the resurrection. It is enlightening to see how Milton answers the dilemma. This is the theme of Book X. Eve’s solution suggests that she is still under the influence of Satan. Adam, who was taught daily by Gabriel, steps forward and presents God’s solution. First Adam listens patiently as Eve urges Adam to enter into a suicide pact with her.

But if thou judge it hard and difficult,
Conversing, looking, loving, to abstain
From Loves due Rites, Nuptial embraces sweet,
And with desire to languish without hope,
Before the present object languishing
With like desire, which would be misery
And torment less than none of what we dread,
Then both ourselves and Seed at once to free
From what we fear for both, let us make short,
Let us seek Death, or he not found, supply
With our own hands his Office on ourselves;
Why stand we longer shivering under fears,
That shew no end but Death, and have the power,
Of many ways to die the shortest choosing,
Destruction with destruction to destroy.