The Great Delusion Of The Twentieth Century
By Bishop C. William Page
What is to blame? Who is to blame? Was it the extended side effect of post-depression trauma? Was it delayed reaction to atomic bomb phobia? Was it post guerrilla war terror? Was it post-Nixon depression? Was it daddy-at-work, mommie-at-work, I'm-home-alone-fear? Was it it's-your-own-thing-do-what-you-want-to-do rationalization? Was it the attempt to replace the word of God with the word of man idiocy? Or, was it just plain ignorance? Or was it just the Devil?
Whatever it was, the latter half of the Twentieth Century (Earth Time, BC-AD Module) turned out to be one of great delusion. One, if not the greatest delusion of that century, was the misapprehension of the proper relationship between males and females. Hence, we shall consider some prevalent symptoms and explore some possible, and I believe probable, answers.
Few things are more beautiful than a properly-developed genuine love relationship between a male and a female. Society acknowledges such beauty by being present at the wedding, offering gifts and lavishing the new family with well-wishes. Even God Himself is present at the wedding as they are united in Holy Matrimony. This represents society at its best.
As beautiful and nurturing as it is, Holy Matrimony became a pawn in the ideological struggle of the Twentieth Century. From the 1960s forward a strange and demented rift began to appear in the male-female relationship fabric of society. More than possibly ever before, females were promoted as sex objects. The interest of many males seemingly began to focus on the mountains and valleys of the female torso rather than the hidden and often radiant beauty of her heart, spirit and soul. By the mid 1990s this trend had become so pronounced that evil minds felt safe to venture out on the unsavory anti-marriage limb. Using what appeared to many to be the current state of affairs, some suggested that traditional marriage was neither wholesome nor desirable. What had happened the the beautiful male-female love story?
Making matters worse, even horrendous, was the assertion by some that same-sex "marriages" were both natural and desirable. To them and their adherents, the next logical step was to engage in such "marriages" and fight to secure and protect the right of others to do likewise. Thus the dilemma had taken on a new and deleterious dimension. What would be the response of society in general?
The mind and will of man are most intriguing. Society responded according to its character. Those who held staunch religious beliefs stood firmly against such same-sex "marriages". Others, wishing to be less offensive, were cautiously silent. Some others began to "warm up" to the idea. Some others supported their friends and relatives who held the irreverent view--even going so far as to march in the streets to help secure their rights to practice their inconvenient persuasion. These and other reactions notwithstanding, the closing years of the Twentieth Century found themselves marred by a philosophical motif that deviated drastically from the wholesome community norms of past centuries and threatened to alter natural order to more extreme a degree than it had ever before been altered. Men and women were indeed at a crossroads.
The focus of men on the torso rather than on the human personality elicited various responses from the females. Many wanted to be what the males wanted them to be. Others rebelled by becoming promiscuous while still others turned inward. One group turned to other women. Again, the spectacle of same-sex "marriages" raised its ugly head. The sexual misuse and abuse of women by men had led to a resurgence of a movement for women's liberation. Due largely to the fracture in the foundation of relationships between men and women during the latter part of the Twentieth Century, the women's liberation movement gained momentum and captured the attention of many hurting women. Some leaders of the movement were then able to play on the emotional needs of hurting and confused women and convince them that it was safe to have relationships with women and dangerous to have relationships with men. The evidence of misuse and abuse of women by some men seemed to bear this out. However, intelligent women holding good judgment never fell for the woman-is-better line. They knew a great campaign of delusion was afoot.
What was the delusion of the latter part of the Twentieth Century? In spite of all the symptoms and trial-and-error remedies, the real issue was probably a misunderstanding of what constitutes a good relationship. (The religious will probably say, "The Devil was behind it". I agree. But, for the benefit of those who are not believers, let's look at it from an empirical point of view). What does constitute a good relationship? Would you say that friendship is an important factor? How about companionship? For a long-term relationship, wouldn't partnership be an essential element? Yes, friendship, companionship and partnership are critical elements in any proper human relationship. Remember, we are human beings, not brute beasts, not mere animals in the basic sense of the term. So, where is sex in this "relationship formula"? A relationship can exist without sex, but a marriage cannot. And while sex is an essential ingredient in a marriage, is it more essential than friendship, companionship and partnership? Sex may very well be a relationship component but it is not the entire relationship, neither is it the entire marriage. So sex out of sync becomes a dangerous culprit.
It is this culprit, sex out of sync, that marred the latter half of the Twentieth Century. The extreme and continued focus on sex, without proper regard for the essential components of friendship, companionship, partnership and the publically-sanctioned male-female marriage pact sifted many unwise people during the Twentieth Century. When sex and the enjoyment it gives becomes the target and not a tool in a relationship, the proper development of that relationship is in peril. Therefore, he or she who focuses on sex as the goal has allowed himself or herself to be deceived and has denied his or her humanity in order to return to animal functions. That's what dogs do. Almost any dog can do it.
We are not dogs. We don't have to act like them. We are more, much more. We are human. We are at the highest rung of God's Earth Order. The human was constructed so as to fit together as a unit. Two are to become one. We do fit. Men and women fit. We fit spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically and sexually. A million men may go to war, but regardless of their "bonding" and camaraderie, they remain incomplete until they have the benefit of the smile of a woman. Many will never marry but most still seek out female companionship. The soldiers may indeed have friendship, companionship and even partnership on the battlefield, but without a woman they can never have a proper marriage. Male human beings were never intended to "marry" each other. Female human beings were never intended to "marry" each other. It's against the natural order. It is against nature. It is against God. That's why the delusion of the Twentieth Century is called The Great Delusion. It's so unnatural and horrendous. They needed a wholesome relationship safely nestled in the beautiful capsule of a a properly structured marriage. They set their sights on sex and ended up fully confused and woefully disappointed.
May the humans of the Twenty First Century be wiser. Seek the will of God for your life and you will garner much of the true joy that many in the latter half of the Twentieth Century just trampled under feet. Remember, you are a human being, not a dog. Don't be deluded.
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