Being Righteous Is Better Than Being Popular
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘Do not be misled: <the Greek philosopher Menander is quoted as saying,> “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33); ‘Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.’ (Galatians 1:10)
In June 2022, in a span of four days there were three landmark cases formally decided by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), each by a 6-3 margin, that – for the time being – still hold the US Constitution as the Penultimate Law of the Land (God and His Word being our Ultimate Law & Judge).
SCOTUS ruled under Carson v. Makin that the State of Maine’s tuition assistance program violated the 1st Amendment’s Free Exercise clause for excluding religious schools from eligibility. This case, while not highly publicized or as charged as the next two, provides that religious schools in Maine were discriminated against simply by being ‘religious’ private schools, while ‘secular’ private schools received such assistance from the state. This ruling carries across the entire United States in that it affirms the freedom for parents to choose where their children can go to school to seek an education, and allows them access to funds their taxes pay for.
This ruling actually goes beyond education; if there is a public program that is provided to private organizations, for example grants for ‘beautification projects’ or ‘building repairs’, the funds must also be freely available to churches and other religious organizations, or they cannot be available to anyone. This is a big win for religious freedom and the freedom of choice.
SCOTUS then ruled in favor of the 2nd and 14th Amendments in overturning ‘may issue if we really feel like it’ licenses for law-abiding citizens to carry. While in my opinion it did not go far enough (I do not think there should be licenses at all to exercise any right; does one need a license to vote, for example), the ruling of NYSRPA v. Bruen backs the premise that the right to bear arms outside the home shall not be infringed, which would seem common sense considering those are the words written in the 2nd Amendment.
State governments cannot deny issuance of a concealed carry permit based on ‘feelings’ (‘I don’t think you should have a permit because guns are icky’) but must issue based on the applicant’s request, provided the person is law-abiding and not prohibited in gun ownership. It also affirms the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the 14th Amendment that guarantees all US Citizens in all states be treated equally toward application of their Rights under the US Constitution. (In other words, a US Citizen living in New York should expect the same freedoms to exercise their rights as we US Citizens have here in Florida.)
The last ruling was one we are all familiar with; SCOTUS deemed Roe v. Wade unconstitutional in ruling for Thomas Dobbs of Mississippi’s State Health Department in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson (MS) Women’s Health Organization, which is stating Roe v. Wade was an overreach of a previous Supreme Court ruling that ‘created’ a ‘right to abortion’ by equating it to the ‘right of privacy’.
SCOTUS corrected this overreach by correctly pointing out abortion is not and should not be a federal issue but a state issue under the 10th Amendment, which provides the power of anything not specifically spelled out in the US Constitution to the Federal Government is automatically assigned to the individual states, and thus the 50 states can each make their own laws regarding abortion. It should be noted it does not make abortions unconstitutional, but allows for each state and its citizens the ability to make its own laws and judgements regarding abortions.
One can assume that at least some of the Supreme Court justices are Christians, more than in just ‘name only’. There has been much pressure by the ‘popular, woke mob’ on the six justices to ‘fall into line’ with popularity and do what those who are drawing the most attention want them to do. This vocal and influential mob are among those who are gnashing their teeth and threatening the lives of the justices and their families, in order to get their way.
Three of justices have done so with regards to the Dobbs verdict, supporting the ‘right to abortion’. Regardless of personal conviction or desire for popularity, they have ‘won’ the appreciation of this vocal minority. They likely will not face the wrath of this popular, woke mob.
God provides several Scriptures on being ‘popular’, or being ‘with the current thing’. Just because something is popular does not mean that it is right, or righteous. Paul in 1 Corinthians and Galatians tells us that it is more important to be correct than to be popular; that sometimes going with the ‘in’ crowd can be a bad thing. Be on the side of righteousness may not be popular, but it is still right in the eyes of Christ.
It was not popular to talk to the Samaritan woman at the well, it was not popular to stop the stoning of the adulteress, it was not popular to eat with ‘sinners and tax collectors’; yet Jesus understood these were proper things even though they were not popular. Jesus always looked to His Father for approval, not the people around Him. He knew the crowds and even the disciples would eventually leave Him, but the Father never would.
Is it a risk? Remember the words of Benjamin Franklin: ‘Trading Liberty to have more Security leads to losing both’. Sometimes there are risks in being right. As Christians, we will find ourselves in situations where our Faith will be found unpopular. People are not always receptive to our Faith or our worship. We may get ‘negative waves’ for praying in public before a meal, or having a Bible on our desk at work, or wearing a ‘Tap Me!’ shirt while shopping.
Remember, do you need their approval, or Jesus’? Do the right thing, even if it seems you may be the only one who thinks its right. If you consider those who have done the right thing in the midst popular opinion, you are in good company. Considering some of the those are Galileo, six Supreme Court Justices, and of course, our Lord Jesus!
