Some interesting point raised here….if I may add to your observations…
Why do people adopt a leftist ideology, what draws them? What is the psychology behind that decision?
I had to look up what “leftist ideology” was because I am not connected to worldly politics at all, and have never had participation in it. This is because Jesus told his disciples to be “NO PART OF THE WORLD” (John 18:36) so I have always made sure that my position on the matter of corrupt worldly politics (in any nation) was neutral….not taking sides in a world ruled by God’s enemy. (1 John 5:19) If his domain is “the whole world” then I have to step back and understand where I am not to tread…..I am forced to live “in the world” but I don’t have to become “part” of its governance, which was handed over to God’s adversary. (Luke 4:5-7)
Jesus was not a political figure at all and never interfered with the political situation of his day despite the fact that his people were oppressed under Roman rule at the time. His mission did not involve politics even though he became a victim of it in the manner of his execution. The Jews, chafing under the oppression, were plotting a revolt, but Jesus never got involved in any of that.
consider the conscience and what it does to man or woman. Does it not make us fear judgement when we have done wrong?
The faculty of conscience is unique to us humans here on this earth, but conscience is like a muscle, if it is not regularly exercised it becomes weak. The more you ignore it or find ways to justify your bad behavior, the easier it becomes to find reasons that suit your chosen lifestyle or habits that are out of line with Christ’s teachings.
So a way was made to appease the conscience, but people didn't always know that was Jesus Christ.
Yes, this is of course about forgiveness, which Jesus provided in his sacrifice, but forgiveness was contingent upon repentance, which naturally required a change in behavior…..so some who did not want to change their practices or lifestyle, then turned Jesus sacrifice into a blanket that covered over sin whist still permitting the practice of it. As if God cannot see through the blanket to a wicked heart.
You seek another path to righteousness. But not to feel right with God, but feel better about yourself without God. Yet your guilty conscience is never cleared.
So they latch onto ideologies that appear to be altruistic. And their egos are bolstered by the group, a sense of self righteousness develops. And their conscience is seared from always feeling guilty.
”Ideologies”…..come in all shapes and sizes….but the Bible is the source of the only ones that matter.
Christianity is altruistic certainly, but it is only a small feature of the big picture. Those who develop “self righteousness” are exactly like the Pharisees whom Jesus condemned.
The seering of the conscience is complete when they can stand at a distance from those they condemn and feel a sense of victory rather than a sense of compassion in trying to rescue a person whom they know is drowning in false beliefs about so many things.
There is a scripture that describes this seering in 1 Tim 4:1-3….
”However, the inspired word clearly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired statements and teachings of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, whose conscience is seared as with a branding iron. 3 They forbid marriage and command people to abstain from foods that God created to be partaken of with thanksgiving by those who have faith and accurately know the truth.”
This illustrative use of the “branding iron” is an indication of how insensitive the conscience can become, as the flesh that is seered is ‘dead’, the nerves are destroyed and devoid of feeling. The conscience thus becomes deactivated.
If instead they believed in Jesus their conscience would be cleared. And in gratitude their lives would be devoted as a living sacrifice to him. And his righteous blood would cover them.
Yes, understanding the full value of Christ’s sacrifice, leads to a clean conscience because we understand what it achieves. The word “propitiatory” is used in the Bible and it means “to cover”…so those who have repented and sought forgiveness through Christ’s sin atoning sacrifice, have ceased themselves of their sinful practices and can thus have their sins “blotted out” or “covered over”, so that they can have a clean conscience, one that remains active throughout a Christian’s life.
