Thought Police

One of the greatest threats from any totalitarian administration of the rules of order are from those would control thought. Physical abuses and the threat thereof are painful and can inflict long term damage upon individuals. However, abuse of the freedom of thought, though less obvious, is far more damaging to the entire society it affects. That last bastion of the right to privacy, the human mind, is under fierce assault from the political correctness advocates and the accompanying cadre of “thought police.”

Historically, we can view the perpetrators of thought control in the extreme without having to search very far. Joseph Goebbels (Nazi Germany), Pol Pot (Cambodia), Chairman Mao (China), and Joseph Stalin (USSR) are among some of the most celebrated names to rise in any discussion of the issue. While they physically abused their peoples, their most insidious assault was on their minds. They, in common, realized that a mind under control was equivalent to a body under control. Even the most historically illiterate readily recognize these stated examples. But, we say, this is America and it can’t happen here.

The purveyors of political correctness and diversity palaver are alive and well in our society and in our church. We are besieged from every side by those who would obscure the truth by accusing critics of insensitivity and disrespect. Granted, name calling and personal attack is not in any remote sense part of reasoned argument. However, stating matters in plain speech with actual facts should be allowable and part of normal discourse. Lacking the perfection of God, men will sometimes err on the side of overstatement and offer candid opinion which proves offensive. Often, the offense is a justifiable statement of belief which has a clear meaning stated in our scriptures. Many times, people’s actual words are repeated to verify their position and those words are criticized as an attack. I would suggest that editing what one says would help to avoid these embarrassing quotes later.

Recently, a brother challenged an accusation made against another and asked for specific citations and evidence of the supposed offense. The charges made were serious and entailed the eventuality of legal relief. Suspecting the charges were false and knowing they had been vigorously denied, he aired his opinion on a prominent discussion board. His action, standing up for the accused, resulted in being banned from the board. His original post named all the parties concerned. A revised post deleted the specifics but was still barred. It is well known that the accused party is an active critic of the current hierarchy. This suppression is a reprehensible example of censorship accomplished in the name of political correctness. Given the relationship of those who maintain the board and those who would lead the church, one easily concludes that it reflects the attitude of the leadership. God help us!

I freely admit to being terrified of this stifling of the free exchange of ideas. It’s one thing to have been asleep at the switch as the church slid into apostasy (decades ago) but quite another to be awake and alert and then thwarted by those who would suppress our right to free _expression. May God forgive me; I didn’t see it then. Today, with a clearer mind and a radically different level of interest, it seems blatant. It is not necessary for me to understand completely the wiles of Satan’s influence to appreciate his presence and influence. Some of those who perpetuate this vile dogma of hiding everything from the sunshine of truth may actually believe that they have the greater good in the forefront. They are, in my opinion, only “drinking the Kool-Aid.” For those who have forgotten, the preceding reference is to those who followed the false prophet, Jim Jones and committed mass suicide to avoid the ultimate “come uppance” upon their exposure. While I don’t see an exact parallel to this incident, I do see the danger in following leaders with personal agenda. We have need of only one master, Jesus Christ. To support His leadership requires the sublimation of self. If your agenda is not His agenda, it’s time to rethink your relationship. His pronouncements on the subject are clear.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

(If you wish to pursue the example cited, I have verifiable copies of all the pertinent emails, articles and responses. This is available to serious inquiry by sending your email address with a request to the comments section. Your email will NOT be posted. Your email address is not included on the messages we receive in the comments.)