REPLICATING VALIDITY

REPLICATING VALIDITY

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Ecclesiastes [MKJV] 1:2, 14; 2:11, 17  Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

… I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. … Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit; and there is no profit under the sun. … Therefore I hated life; because the work that is done under the sun is sad to me; for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Isaiah [GW] 44:10-17 Nothing comes from making gods or casting metal idols. Everyone associated with the gods will be put to shame. The craftsmen themselves are only human. Let them all get together and take their stand. They will be frightened and ashamed together. Blacksmiths shape iron into tools. They work them over the coals and shape them with hammers, working them with their strong arms. They get hungry, and their strength fails. If they don't drink water, they will faint. Carpenters measure blocks of wood with chalk lines. They mark them with pens. They carve them with chisels and mark them with compasses. They carve them into forms of people, beautiful people, so the idols can live in shrines. They cut down cedars for themselves. Then they choose fir trees or oaks. They let them grow strong among the trees in the forest. Then they plant cedars, and the rain makes them grow. These trees become fuel for people to burn. So they take some of them and warm themselves with them. They start fires and bake bread. They also make gods from these trees and worship them. They make them into carved statues and bow in front of them. Half of the wood they burn in the fire. Over this half they roast meat that they can eat until they are full. They also warm themselves and say, "Ah! We are warm. We can see the fire!" But the rest of the wood they make into gods, carved statues. They bow to them and worship them. They pray to them, saying, "Rescue us, because you are our gods."

“What people want today is authenticity. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” Author unknown

  Reality shows are popular, with large professional support staffs and equipment to validate reality. The scenarios are not however only something watched . . . it is something done by many people. This is not a new practice. The only difference for everyman is size of budget, available time to invest, and magnitude of appearance, convenience and greater rapidity in hopping from one performance to another, to another to …..

  (Hey bare-legged guys and gals. Did you know that in pre-mall days the Hosiery Departments of multi-story downtown emporiums once were the most popular section of the stores? And that lacking elastic tops, both women and men wore garters to hold them up?)

  As ever, the goals are the same:

·         Deliverance from stressors.

·         To escape normalcy.

·         To have.

·         Attempting to rise above the reality of life and dying.

  Christian or not can participate in attempts to replicate validity.

  The difference for the Christian is smothering God’s Holy Spirit within. (1Thes.5:16-21)

EBB4