CSN Sunday - LightWing Messages for 1/30/2022
The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
“‘Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.
“‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
“‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. Whoever eats it will be held responsible because they have desecrated what is holy to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.
“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.
“‘Do not steal.
“‘Do not lie.
“‘Do not deceive one another.
“‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
“‘Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.
“Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.
“‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.
“‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
“‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.
“‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.
“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
“‘Keep my decrees.’” Leviticus 19:1-19 (NIV)
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“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even Gentiles do the same?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:33-48 (BSB)
FOUNDER’S MESSAGE:
People are awakening all across the world to the “woke” capitalists and globalists. The people of the world just said goodbye to 2021, but it seems as if they seek to say goodbye to corruption and manipulation by elitists who care little about the people. The recent spontaneous trucker protest is being ignored by the globalist moguls and their minions in the mainstream media. It is to be expected, but “We the People” must not give up.
This LightWing edition is jam-packed with all kinds of pertinent and verifiable information without annoying or distracting ads. In addition to all of the other features, I offer an article that may be a bit unique. I continue the strain of logic introduced last week regarding a serious intent to seek and definitely make positive change in our lives and in our nation, as well as in the world. Such an effort is needed by those who have been called to follow Christ. However, as I point out, this quest is not new; yet, despite the existence of these ideals awaits the consistent and sustained application or practice of such ideals.
We began this month with Rich Maggi’s initial installation of a part three article on the holy bond between people in the relationship of a marriage, and we moved the following week to examine Benjamin Franklin’s attempt to pursue 13 virtues in his day. My message last week carried such a quest forward and I continue to help formulate a more comprehensive understanding of how it is all connected. Thus, there is a deeper connection to all of our LightWing editions this month. The ideals of sexual identity, fidelity in marriage, and the strength of the family are under attack in such a time as this. It is at such a time that good people need to reach down inside to find what they really value, and then to begin moving to put such ideals into practice each day.
We hope our readers will enjoy all of our features today. Absorb and share. May God bless each of us in 2022 as we attempt to live up to God’s! Have a great beginning to the new year!
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Ben Franklin, Confucius, and Chinese New Year
1/30/22
On January 17th this year, there was a conjunction of birthday celebrations for two of the most important Americans who ever served this country. That Monday, most Americans celebrated the day designated as Martin Luther King Day to honor the well-known Christian minister and civil rights leader. But, that same day was the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, who possibly may have served as the unofficial president of the United States. Sadly, Americans have not really honored this great American as they have done for others less remarkable.
Benjamin Franklin was born into a humble and large family on January 17, 1706. Franklin got his initial start as an indentured servant, working as a printer in his brother’s print shop and newspaper in Boston. This foundation served as a basis for Franklin’s industriousness and provided a livelihood that served him well throughout his life. He eventually outgrew his early beginnings as he stuck his nose into many pursuits and literally became a colonial Renaissance Man. He became an entrepreneur and a businessman, a meteorologist, a scientist and inventor, a musician, a librarian, a humorist, an economist, a philanthropist, a philosopher, and a diplomat and statesman.
To Walter Isaacson, whose exhaustive biography of Benjamin Franklin was published in 2003, Franklin stood out as “the most accomplished American of his age and the most influential in inventing the type of society America would become.” Amazingly, during the time of such an incredible career, he never lost pride in his working-class roots, nor his desire for freedom. He served his people and his country as a determined patriot for most of his adult life. Even at 81 years of age, one of his last official duties, and one most important, was to provide concluding remarks at the Constitutional Convention to urge the delegates to sign the document giving birth to the new nation. Franklin had grown increasingly wise with age, but, even while still young, he initiated an endeavor to perfect his character in pursuit of moral virtue.
Such a concept shares a universal premise as the pursuit of virtue was a focus of many famous people over time, some were the Founders. In Franklin’s day, and to many of the founders, the phrase, “pursuit of happiness,'' in Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence, meant the pursuit of virtue – not the pursuit of pleasure as it is interpreted in the contemporary understanding in America. Many of the Founding Fathers were aware of the concept in Greek Classics that the pursuit of happiness consisted of the pursuit of virtue. Young Ben Franklin made it a public pursuit of 13 personal virtues.
Many of the Founding Fathers, being well read in the Greek Classics, understood that the ancient Greek philosophers taught about personal development through the pursuit of virtue as one of the noblest of human pursuits. Plato, in The Republic, boldly stated that only those who were moral were the ones who could truly be happy. Additionally, Aristotle wrote that the goal of human thought and action was “eudaimonia,” which is translated as a type of human flourishing in activity that exhibited virtue. In today’s culture, this is practically non-existent. The eradication of such practice may be an underlying reason for the current state of the nation. If Americans have trouble remembering Franklin, how could they be expected to retain a concept like the pursuit of virtue, let alone practice it?
Ironically, there is a parallel understanding found within the culture of the nation that is most at odds with the United States today. That translates into the government of China being at odds with the American people, NOT at odds with woke corporate moguls or Biden’s Administration. Actually, this parallel understanding is found in the philosophy of another ancient teacher from the golden days of China: Confucius. Unfortunately, if Americans cannot remember Franklin, and they cannot remember ancient Greek philosophers, it may be more of a stretch to connect to Confucius. Nevertheless, what Confucius taught centuries ago aligns with the pursuit of virtue, especially the pursuit of public virtue.
Why would anyone bother to make such a connection? Few people would have such audacity to make a connection between Benjamin Franklin and Confucius. Nevertheless, at the heart of each of these respective philosophies is a key to make the world a better place. In the realm of ideas and ideals there should not be that much distance or division between blueprints to make the world a better place. In honor of Chinese New Year, or the Lunar New Year, which is upon us, it is good to understand the parallels of these two pathways.
Chinese New Year today is celebrated by roughly one-sixth of the world’s population. At the heart of the joyful celebrations, is the Asian family – especially in China. The Lunar New Year begins and progresses with linkage between religious beliefs of the people performed through traditional ceremonies or ritual activities. However, the family is at the very center of the various days of involvement in the festivities.
This family focus has been passed down through the ages from the heart of Confucian beliefs.
But, just as the concept of the pursuit of virtue has faded in America, Confucian principles have been distorted by Communist Chinese tyrants in China. Confucian values are still taught in the Communist Chinese school system, but not as religious values. Confucian teachings are used more to maintain social order and political stability as opposed to permitting free exercise of faith among the people. Communist Chinese tyrants can ensure a degree of cultural stability in their dominion by using Confucius’ teaching that a healthy and harmonious family at the core of society produces a healthy and stable culture.
In essence, Confucius perceived the key to a stable society and promoted practice of pursuing a harmonious family. Confucius was trying to convey through his teachings that the cultivation of one’s personal life was linked to the foundation of world peace. Yet, at the base of each family unit was the individual: “When the personal life is cultivated, the family will be regulated; when the family is regulated, the state will be in order; and when the state is in order, there will be peace throughout the world. From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all must regard cultivation of the personal life as the root or foundation.”
For Confucius, each person should be guided to pursue what he referred to as “ren” (jen) in Chinese. “Ren” according to Confucius was “love of man,” or the love of humanity. This concept, according to Confucian philosophy, is a more natural love of one’s fellow human beings, which can be cultivated through proper education, and which is practiced differently with regard to different human relationships. For example Confucius referred to the cultivated feeling of filial piety towards one’s parents as “Xiao” (hsiao), and referred to the cultivated feeling of loyalty or the respect toward one’s superiors (lords, emperors, employers) as “Zhong” (chung).
The cultivation of ren, according to Confucius, was obtained through disciplined practice, and the ideal of morality, as well as the highest goal of education. The ancient Chinese master was clear in his teachings that the realization of ren came through the transformational process of the continual practice of “li,” or ritual or proper ceremony. In Confucian philosophy, “li” is able to be cultivated through the use of deliberate devices of the sages in their educational guidance. In very simple understanding, li is the practice of right behavior within society, or within the various relationships people have with one another.
Such concepts share a common premise with the pursuit of virtue that was a focus of Benjamin Franklin and many of the founders. Yet, perhaps more than any of the founders, it was Franklin who would attempt an overt effort at what Confucius could call li. Amazingly, when Ben Franklin was only 20 years old, he determined to cultivate his own moral character by practicing 13 core virtues, with a focus upon one each week. He sincerely believed that through daily practice of the specific virtues, he would become a better man and obtain a measure of moral perfection.
While It is doubtful that Ben Franklin ever read any Confucian thought, a common thread of truth flows through each of these great men. Confucius did not have the benefit of knowing Jesus, yet taught the way of genuine peace could be obtained through proper education and the continual practice of right behavior towards one’s fellow human beings. On the other hand, Franklin had the benefit of Jesus’ words. And, although Confucius did not teach about loving one’s enemies, he did believe in the concept of forgiveness. Franklin held this very Confucian-like perspective: “The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity.”
Both Confucius and Franklin shaped their nations in ways that their descendants should value. Franklin wrote: “I hope… that some of my descendants may follow the example and reap the benefit.” Yet, the world has “evolved” to such a state of disrepair today. Nevertheless, the ideas and the ideals still exist. To pursue moral virtue is still possible. To practice such a daily pursuit resonates with the Judeo-Christian traditions that Americans have inherited. Despite differences in time and location and culture, Confucius and Franklin understood the value of pursuing moral perfection and both urged the practice of such a pursuit. Franklin wrote of one of the 13 virtues regarding “Resolution” - Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.
To become a person who will change the world into a better place, one needs to begin somewhere, and fortune shines upon those who will. It is not too late to begin one’s personal pursuit of virtue, and the practice of ren. The Chinese New Year is upon us, providing yet one more opportunity to those who seek to become the change they seek in the world. Make a new New Year’s resolution! It could prove more valuable than trusting a Chinese fortune cookie!
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin lists his pursuit of virtue; a copy can be found here: http://www.archive.org/stream/theautobiography00148gut/bfaut11.txt
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Onward and Upward!
From Angel City Chorale: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Theel - 10/18/2015
From Jordan Peterson Motivational Compilation: The Most Eye Opening 60 Minutes Of Your Life by Jordan Peterson Motivation - 12/13/21
From YouTube Rascal Flatts: My wish for you ~ by Rascal Flatts with lyrics - 12/27/09
From The Epoch Times TV: 'Live Not By Lies'—Rod Dreher: How Much Are We Willing to Sacrifice for the Truth? - 1/27/22
From Zach Williams: - Fear Is a Liar (Official Music Video) - 1/19/2018
From Pastor Earl Wallace of Liberty Christian Fellowship: The Christian Call to Apply the Bible to Every Aspect of Life, Including Civics – Jan 23, 2022 Sermon
From Bethel Music (LIVE): No Longer Slaves - Jonathan and Melissa Helser | We Will Not Be Shaken - 2/17/2015 No Longer Slaves (LIVE) - Jonathan and Melissa Helser | We Will Not Be Shaken
From Dr. Preston Moon: Raising Peacebuilders #shorts - 1/27/22
From Martin Tubridy: This is my song: Martin Tubridy Vocalist - 11/30/2012
From The Victory Channel - FlashPoint: Bed Bath & Be-Gone! Bank Tries To Cancel Mike Lindell? - 1/19/22
From “Home Free” - God Bless the U.S.A. (featuring Lee Greenwood and The United States Air Force Band) - 7/1/20
From The Academy of Ideas: Why are Most People Cowards? | Obedience and the Rise of Authoritarianism - 1/26/22
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American Minute by William J. Federer - American Minute for January 30 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, was born on this day in 1882.
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Podcast - From The Victor Davis Hanson Show: Upside Down and Inside Out - Listen in as Victor
Davis Hanson discusses how Biden's press conference confuses, election reform and Build
Back Better struggle, Biden's family is more indictable than Trump's, what if Republicans did what Democrats have done… - 1/27/22
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Recommended Reading…
From American Thinker: Tribal Morality: The Difference Between Election Fraud And Voter Suppression - 1/29/22
From FOX News: Ben Carson slams Biden for 'abominable' identity politics on SCOTUS pick - 1/27/22
From American Greatness: Polls Show Popular Support for Trucker Convoy in Canada Despite Trudeau's Claim it Represents 'Fringe Minority' › American Greatness - 1/27/22
Freedom Convoy 2022 Turning The Tables on Trudeau And The Great Reset | Canada Free Press - 1/30/22
From Red State: Bill Maher Explains How the Left Has 'Gone Mental’ - 1/29/22
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What affects one, can affect all!
From Red State: WATCH: California Shop Owner Defends Property During 'Smash and Grab' Attempt – RedState - 1/30/22
News From Illinois -
From Crime Online: 8-Year-Old Girl's Accused Killers Got Sandwiches, Drinks After Gunning Her Down: Report - 1/29/22
News From Kansas -
From The Blaze: Former Kansas teacher led all-female ISIS battalion, trained children how to use suicide belts, wanted to blow up shopping mall and college - 1/29/22
News From Louisiana -
From Crime Online: Mother Throws Young Children Off Bridge Into Lake, Killing One and Injuring Another: Police - 1/29/22
News From Pennsylvania -
From Red State: Tom Wolf Bashes Republicans Bridge Collapse - TheBlaze - 1/30/22
From The Epoch Times: Pennsylvania Court Strikes Down ‘No-Excuse’ Mail-In Voting Law - 1/28/22
News From West Virginia -
From Red State: How Manchin Is Greeted Back in West Virginia Shows What Americans Truly Think - 1/29/22
News From Wisconsin -
From The Blaze: Penzey's Spices company loses customers after Republicans are racist email - 1/29/22
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Recommended Resources - follow the links…
Excellent Election Education Resource: US 2020 Election Fraud at a Glance
Excellent Non-Partisan Election Resource: Election Integrity Project California
Excellent Citizen-Patriot News Resource: Steve Bannon's War Room
Excellent Citizen-Patriot News Resource: From Frank Speech - the Home of Free Speech
Excellent Citizen Comprehensive Resource: David Horowitz Freedom Center
Excellent Citizen Activist Resource: Precinct Strategy: Home
Excellent Christian Homeschool Resource:
https://ed-exit.com/
Excellent Guide to Protecting Families: A Guide to Protecting Your Family From the Coming Insurrection and Violence 1 ARE YOU SAFE?
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