If you haven’t had the chance, I highly recommend watching the popular Israeli series Shtisel, a dramatic portrayal of the everyday lives of an Orthodox Jewish family from Mea Shearim, Jerusalem.
Watching Jerusalem’s Orthodox Jews live out their day-to-day family dramas from sibling rivalries to frustrated parents who nevertheless spoil their children to the alien world of Haredi dating and matchmaking all makes for great television.
The most engaging part of the show is seeing how the ultra-Orthodox Jews deal with the same issues that touch all our lives, our deepest longings and fears, love, intimacy, betrayal, commitment and infidelity, just to name a few. We laugh and we cry realizing how we are really no different than our ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighbors, except in one crucial point – they have a biblical heritage and traditions dating back thousands of years that like a compass guide them through the twists and turns of daily life.
My wife and I are rewatching the series and wanted to share with you just one scene that can help us all see...
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Part 1
A new book by Sharon James “The Lies we are Told, The Truth we must Hold” ISBN: 9781527107960 explores the modern worldviews that reject godly traditions and morals.
Rejecting God and replacing Him with human view-points began in Eden when mankind ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He has, ever since, been a god unto himself who is easily kept in bondage to the god of this world, 2 Cor 4:4. Under Satan’s direction Nimrod set up a replacement god system based on sun-god worship that became universal. Judaism and Christianity wrecked that system but mankind ever seek to justify themselves without God and have developed new systems that have yet to be destroyed by the truth. None of these “gates of Hell” will prevail, but it’s up to us to work with the Lord to destroy these works of the devil.
“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8
Modernism began with the Enlightenment from the 17th to the 19th century. The Reformation had dethroned religious power and given a degree of personal freedom back to men. Various philosophers and ideologists arose who would put forward theories so that men could again justify themselves without god.
Charles Darwin asked, “Is man’s reason any more valid than animals?” His theory of evolution did away with creation and has been adopted by mainstream scientists and educators. This humanist point of view is intended to disconnect man from his Maker. Frederic Nietzsche 1844-1900 went further saying, “there is no transcendent morality. God is dead and we have killed Him.” When this is built on we get philosophies from people like Philip Rieff 1922 -2016 who argue, “we are not accountable to anyone other than ourselves.”
In the Naturalistic Worldview evolution is accepted and there is No Creator and no judgment.
“True truth” has to do with the physical reality.
A moral relativism is advanced that leads to cultural relativism. Society is demoralized in that not only is morale undermined but also morals. It is quite deliberate and is a long term strategy to rid mankind of all god cultures.
Ludwig Feuerbach 1804 – 1872 says that god is the expressed self of a man. Could he be thinking of a Caesar, emperor type ruler?
Karl Marx advocated a Communism that abolishes all religion and all morality. It abolishes the family, private property and the rule of law. The inhumanities of 20th century Communist systems in places like Russia and China are written into history.
Thanks for being part of the conversation. Sounds like an insightful survey/book, although your thoughts count here more than that book author’s 😉
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