Hezekiah was credited with bringing worship of Yahweh back into Judah. The instructions that were given to him and every other King were to remove the high places which were places of elevated worship. These weren’t places of worship of God but of idols and false gods, the high places only served as a distraction to true fulfilment and freedom.
Likewise, the high places of today’s world are mostly inside us, and the false gods and idols are often ourselves.
By definition, a high place is explicitly a place of worshipping false gods, but in application, it’s something that distracts from worship of the one true God.
It’s apparent that our world seeks to find any alternative to God that is available, finding belonging in identity and even lack thereof, finding identity in injustice and finding injustice in God… and the list goes on.
Those claiming to have proof of God’s inexistence and of belief’s childish optimism for higher purpose, find themselves in the midst of a belief system based on its passion for unbelief.
Irony in its finest.
At the very core of the human psyche is an inexplicable pull towards whatever imitation of morality and order that one’s mind can attempt to justify. With so many perceived alternatives to divinity for purpose and creation, what is God’s place in a 21st century society and should belief be protected even if it alienates or discriminates?
Does political utopia fill the void of God in society?
Australia’s Religious Discrimination bill is the grandchild of the Australian Marriage law plebiscite of 2016, in the sense that the plebiscite was followed by questions of religious authority over whether a pastor should be allowed to decline the invitation to officiate a homosexual wedding on religious grounds.
The bill would also prohibit a Christian school who; for the sake of their beliefs and religious influence, does not wish to employ a transgender person over a
more suitable candidate.
As Martyn Iles puts it; the bill is undermining the Christianity of the Christian schools.
The altered bill is a concealment of truth, redefinition of religion, suppression of standing up for belief and the forced acceptance of negative influence on Christian schools and institutions.
It has become a clash between conviction of faith and the doctrinaire of perceived injustice. To which people of faith are at risk of being legally obligated to void conviction and accommodate the belonging of those who’s religion is identity confusion.
Such a movement is a belief in a political utopia that doesn’t need God to govern morality when they can change the very definition of morality. It makes God seem like the oppressor, and the movement seem like the liberator, when in actuality they are ignoring truth in return for their own truth.
The lie of political utopia and perceived justice seeks to ignore and replace the moral truth that is instilled in every person, society and government through God.
The god of self
The religious discrimination debate poses a deeper question of whether God has a place in the 21st century, when identity and shared injustice seem to be the false god of our time; a mere distraction.
The god that self-indulgence creates is a god who doesn’t require anything of you. Your imperfections are permanent, bad habits are personality traits, and your sinfulness requires legal reformation for you to feel accepted.
They create of god of self-reason and justification for maintaining low expectations of self-improvement and mental freedom.
However, the God of the Bible doesn’t need reasoning for sin, or justification for remaining where you are.
The true God requires change through renewing of your mind, submission to truth and conviction of repentance. It’s the true God who loves you too much to leave you where you are.
Jesse Moore draws from the Bible and classical literature for insight into life’s tough questions. He is currently studying at university to become a film-maker.
Jesse Moore’s previous articles can be viewed at: https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/jesse-moore.html