Here is a great piece on Political Correctness running amok by Lou Dobbs and Richard W. O'Ffill:
"...This week we were treated to the spectacle of an easily offended and highly offensive rabbi who walked into an airport, gazed upon Christmas trees all around him and suddenly was overwhelmed with an immense, and apparently irresistible, urge to sue the management of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport because nowhere among all the Christmas trees was a single menorah. Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Seattle even delivered to the airport's management a draft of a lawsuit he would file if they didn't sprinkle menorahs around the Christmas trees.
Political correctness in this country reached an entirely new level of absurdity some years ago. But occasionally, and the situation at Sea-Tac is just such an occasion, we exceed ourselves. The militant fundamentalist rabbi so flummoxed Sea-Tac management with his threat and their perceived obligation to be "politically correct" that, rather than think rationally or simply tell him to stuff it, they started hacking away at all those artificial Christmas trees and quickly descended into a public relations nightmare in which they managed to offend reason, cultural values and the vast majority of Americans.
As CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin told me, "The Supreme Court has held since 1984, the famous 'Reindeer Rule,' that if a symbol of Christmas is mostly secular, like a reindeer or a Christmas tree or Santa Claus, that is not a violation of the separation of church and state."
The irony that escaped the rabid rabbi and the timid Sea-Tac management team is that the Christmas tree's likely origin dates back to pre-Christian pagan cultures. The Christmas tree is not by any means a religious symbol, and when we're honest about it, the tree's become a purely commercial symbol more closely associated with shopping, roasting chestnuts and guzzling eggnog than a nativity scene with baby Jesus.
..This mindless movement of political correctness at all costs is one of the most un-American and crazy twists in our culture as anything we've witnessed. Remember, we're Americans, and we have freedom of speech, that whole life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness thing. Or at least we did."
I believe that the term "politically correct" is an expression that is being used to force the ideas and points of view of an agendized few on the rest of us.
Not only that, but the words "politically correct" also mean that it is not to be talked about anymore. It is a done deal.
If this were not bad enough, the concept of political correctness has somehow gotten into the church. This will have far-reaching implications, because it will allow error to be institutionalized while truth is being intimidated into not being able to respond or to rebut what may be going on.
A country that does not allow a free and open debate is one where freedom does not exist, or if it does, it will soon die.
I am sometimes see that in the church it seems to be politically correct for the some with a more liberal agenda want change, or want to do things in a certain way, or criticize the doctrines and even the way the church does business. But when the those who are more conservatives do it, it is perceived, in some quarters, as being divisive or not politically correct.
In our search for truth, I believe it is necessary that we have free and open debate. I don't believe that a minority, be it an agendized minority of the right or of the left, should try to silence debate.
It often amazes me that the great majority of people, whether in our country or even in the church, so often choose to remain silent and, in effect, cast their lot with whatever happens to be politically correct at the time.
I could only wish that, in the spirit of Christ, more people would stand up and let their voices be heard. When we do not hear the voices of many, what ends up happening is that things soon are taken over by a radicalized minority, and then the debate is stopped in the name of political correctness.
....Society may think it can manipulate truth using the intimidation of political correctness. But whether we esteem something politically correct or not, we will all one day have to stand before the judgement seat of Christ to give account before Him, from whom nothing can be hid.
This is no time to become politically correct. It is the time in which we must test everything by the Word of God, which in these last days will be the only thing that will keep us safely on the road of truth...We must be sensitive, not to offending the society around us but rather to doing the will of God in our lives.
We knew the last days were coming. Now they are here. We knew in the last days there would be persecution, but I don't think we realized that the persecution would begin with an attempt to take over our minds and force us by intimidation to reflect the popular thinking and world view that happens to be in at the moment.
We tended to think that the big test would be the Sabbath, and so it will. But the issue will not be the Sabbath per se, rather it will be whether or not we will stand firm in our convictions based on our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and to His Word.
Yes, the final test will be about political correctness. Those who cave in to the social pressure will accept, be it in their hand, the mark of the beast. Though they may not believe what is being taught, they will feel they must be politically correct.
Jesus Himself declared that those who are faithful in that which is least will be those who are faithful in much. The tests of the last days will not be one big decision after another, rather a series of small decisions.
These decisions may seem to some to be insignificant, but they will add up to the final score when the Judge of all the earth declares, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be" (Revelation 23:11,12).
This is no time to be concerned whether or not we are politically correct. This is the time for us to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2).
"...This week we were treated to the spectacle of an easily offended and highly offensive rabbi who walked into an airport, gazed upon Christmas trees all around him and suddenly was overwhelmed with an immense, and apparently irresistible, urge to sue the management of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport because nowhere among all the Christmas trees was a single menorah. Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Seattle even delivered to the airport's management a draft of a lawsuit he would file if they didn't sprinkle menorahs around the Christmas trees.
Political correctness in this country reached an entirely new level of absurdity some years ago. But occasionally, and the situation at Sea-Tac is just such an occasion, we exceed ourselves. The militant fundamentalist rabbi so flummoxed Sea-Tac management with his threat and their perceived obligation to be "politically correct" that, rather than think rationally or simply tell him to stuff it, they started hacking away at all those artificial Christmas trees and quickly descended into a public relations nightmare in which they managed to offend reason, cultural values and the vast majority of Americans.
As CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin told me, "The Supreme Court has held since 1984, the famous 'Reindeer Rule,' that if a symbol of Christmas is mostly secular, like a reindeer or a Christmas tree or Santa Claus, that is not a violation of the separation of church and state."
The irony that escaped the rabid rabbi and the timid Sea-Tac management team is that the Christmas tree's likely origin dates back to pre-Christian pagan cultures. The Christmas tree is not by any means a religious symbol, and when we're honest about it, the tree's become a purely commercial symbol more closely associated with shopping, roasting chestnuts and guzzling eggnog than a nativity scene with baby Jesus.
..This mindless movement of political correctness at all costs is one of the most un-American and crazy twists in our culture as anything we've witnessed. Remember, we're Americans, and we have freedom of speech, that whole life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness thing. Or at least we did."
I believe that the term "politically correct" is an expression that is being used to force the ideas and points of view of an agendized few on the rest of us.
Not only that, but the words "politically correct" also mean that it is not to be talked about anymore. It is a done deal.
If this were not bad enough, the concept of political correctness has somehow gotten into the church. This will have far-reaching implications, because it will allow error to be institutionalized while truth is being intimidated into not being able to respond or to rebut what may be going on.
A country that does not allow a free and open debate is one where freedom does not exist, or if it does, it will soon die.
I am sometimes see that in the church it seems to be politically correct for the some with a more liberal agenda want change, or want to do things in a certain way, or criticize the doctrines and even the way the church does business. But when the those who are more conservatives do it, it is perceived, in some quarters, as being divisive or not politically correct.
In our search for truth, I believe it is necessary that we have free and open debate. I don't believe that a minority, be it an agendized minority of the right or of the left, should try to silence debate.
It often amazes me that the great majority of people, whether in our country or even in the church, so often choose to remain silent and, in effect, cast their lot with whatever happens to be politically correct at the time.
I could only wish that, in the spirit of Christ, more people would stand up and let their voices be heard. When we do not hear the voices of many, what ends up happening is that things soon are taken over by a radicalized minority, and then the debate is stopped in the name of political correctness.
....Society may think it can manipulate truth using the intimidation of political correctness. But whether we esteem something politically correct or not, we will all one day have to stand before the judgement seat of Christ to give account before Him, from whom nothing can be hid.
This is no time to become politically correct. It is the time in which we must test everything by the Word of God, which in these last days will be the only thing that will keep us safely on the road of truth...We must be sensitive, not to offending the society around us but rather to doing the will of God in our lives.
We knew the last days were coming. Now they are here. We knew in the last days there would be persecution, but I don't think we realized that the persecution would begin with an attempt to take over our minds and force us by intimidation to reflect the popular thinking and world view that happens to be in at the moment.
We tended to think that the big test would be the Sabbath, and so it will. But the issue will not be the Sabbath per se, rather it will be whether or not we will stand firm in our convictions based on our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and to His Word.
Yes, the final test will be about political correctness. Those who cave in to the social pressure will accept, be it in their hand, the mark of the beast. Though they may not believe what is being taught, they will feel they must be politically correct.
Jesus Himself declared that those who are faithful in that which is least will be those who are faithful in much. The tests of the last days will not be one big decision after another, rather a series of small decisions.
These decisions may seem to some to be insignificant, but they will add up to the final score when the Judge of all the earth declares, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be" (Revelation 23:11,12).
This is no time to be concerned whether or not we are politically correct. This is the time for us to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2).
