Corruption, wickedness, and no religious liberty in very high places

SCOTUS rejects vax mandate challenges, House Dems and Biden admin go full statist, and more

We live in very confusing and chaotic times, but I don’t think it’s very difficult to summarize what we are observing happen in the west.

It is the rise of statism, and the decline of negative rights that naturally concludes such an ascent.

In other words, as secular humanism has taken over much of public thought towards governance, the state has inevitably been replaced as the perceived source of our rights.

This, of course, is diametrically opposed to our nation’s founding philosophy as well as its ideological predecessors which held earthly leaders accountable to a higher moral power.

When you empower man to dole out and take away rights, you inevitably empower man’s sinful, wicked, power-hungry fallen nature to lead; not the objective and righteous truth of the perfect, just Creator of the Universe.

This is what we are witnessing today.

Critical Current Events

SCOTUS allows New York vaccine mandate with no religious exemptions to stand

The Supreme Court opted not to block a New York state vaccine mandate for healthcare workers despite its lack of a religious exemption. Justices Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett sided with the high court’s liberal minority, with Justices Gorsuch, Alito, and Thomas dissenting. Gorsuch penned a 14-page dissent, in which he noted that (The Daily Wire).

U.S. Naval officer relieved of duty after reportedly refusing to get COVID-19 vaccine

The executive officer of the USS Winston Churchill was relieved of his duties on Friday over what was reported by USNI News to be his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Navy has well over 5,000 sailors that have not yet complied with the Pentagon’s mandate and has not yet approved any religious exemptions for the jab. (Read my commentary piece on this story at The Western Journal.)

Additionally, the Air Force has begun discharging airmen over apparent refusal to get vaccinated (AP)

House holds Meadows in contempt as Cheney accidentally proves there was no insurrection

The U.S. House has voted to hold former Trump White House chief-of-staff Mark Meadows in criminal contempt over his refusal to cooperate with the ongoing special committee investigation into January 6. On Monday, Rep. Liz Cheney released text messages from that day between Meadows and Donald Trump Jr., Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and Brian Kilmeade which seem to have accidentally proven there was no insurrection. (Read my commentary on the Cheney’s gaffe, the Jan. 6 panel, and the Capitol Hill breach at The Western Journal.)

What’s more…Adam Schiff doctored and misrepresented texts between Meadows and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) on Jan. 6 to loosely suggest an insurrection plot (The Federalist)

Jimmy Lai sentenced for participating in Tiananmen Square vigil in Hong Kong after Beijing national security crackdown

Hong Kong media tycoon and democracy movement leader Jimmy Lai has been sentenced for his participation in a vigil for the potentially thousands of victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The historically liberal and autonomous former British colony has previously held some of the biggest vigils for this horrific event in the world; but they were banned by the autonomous region’s Beijing-backed government which has cracked down on and effectively almost entirely dissolved the massive pro-democracy movement. Read my story on Lai’s conviction and sentencing at the Standing for Freedom Center.

Social Commentary

J.K. Rowling under fire for 1984-themed quip about Scottish police policy allowing male rape suspects to identify as female

Harry Potter author Rowling has yet again ignited cries of “transphobia,” this time for sardonically objecting to a Scottish police policy that allows male rape suspects to identify as female even if they are not formally recognized as such by the government. I applaud Rowling for consistently refusing to budge on the basic definition of gender. I think that the outrage speaks for itself; people are upset that she thinks its wrong to classify men who rape people as “women” based on their say-so alone.

The reason this is so significant is that one of the primary issues through which the radical far-left factions of western society are manipulating truth in a genuinely Orwellian way is by demanding you agree that men can be women and calling you a bigot and “transphobic” if you do not.

This is why, for all the compassion we may have towards gender-confused individuals, we must all refuse to budge on the basic definition of gender. (Read more on this story at The Daily Wire.)

Billie Ellish calls porn a “disgrace” to women which “destroyed” her brain

Was going to leave this story as an aside, but it’s too noteworthy not to comment on.

Billie Ellish, a wildly progressive, pro-abortion, feminist pop star, stated in an interview that pornography is a “disgrace” to women and says that it “destroyed” her brain after she began consuming it at the age of 11.

Ellish, I am led to understand, is a quintessential example of a young, modern pop star adored by members of a generation that is being raised to embrace gratuitous promiscuity and alternative sexual lifestyles and consume porn at alarming rates.

I doubt it needs to be stated that she is largely a terrible role model for young girls — but I think we should all sincerely pray that her comments can be used by God to wake millions of young people up to the horrific realities of our sex-crazed culture and the damaging effects of porn, to say nothing of how pornography fuels the human trafficking crisis.

Credit where credit is due — I am very grateful to Ellish for opening up about this. (Deseret News)

Notable quote:

“Everybody talks about freedom and not to have a shot, or have a test. Well, guess what, how about patriotism? How about making sure that you’re vaccinated so you do not spread the disease to anybody else? What about that? What’s the big deal?”

President Joe Biden

Story: The Federalist

More stories:

Louisiana becomes second state to add COVID-19 vaccine to school shot schedule (Daily Advertiser)

Husband to Biden commerce nominee is top exec at Chinese Communist Party-backed company (The Washington Free Beacon)

89 killed by mysterious virus in South Sudan (Zero Hedge)

German cardinal warns of elites ushering in “total surveillance state” under COVID (Zero Hedge)

Jihadists kill 16 in Democratic Republic of the Congo (International Christian Concern)

Tibetan children reportedly taken from their homes, sent to Chinese boarding schools (Radio Free Asia)

Third pro footballer in one week experiences chest pain during game (Summit News)

No military officials to be punished over Afghanistan drone attack that killed seven children (The Daily Wire)

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I think one of the most obvious ways that Scripture shows its infallible, eternal wisdom is by providing commentary to us written thousands of years ago that couldn’t possibly ring truer today.

Sometimes it gives me goosebumps.

One such example is Psalm 73, which I recently turned to randomly and found my jaw dropping at how relevant the psalmist’s description of power-hungry scoffers at the Most High is to current events.

It concludes with the verses:

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

There can be no moral earthly leadership that does not bow to and fear our heavenly arbiter of truth and justice. Lean on Him as we watch those who deny His power and seek to destroy His creation seemingly run wild.

They will have their day before His throne.