Year-Round Indoctrination

There is a very direct passage of Scripture which opens up the 4th chapter of the book of 1st Timothy, which can be a sobering reminder of the deception in our world. We can read these words:
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,
3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

Not only does this passage identity these ideologies that contradict Scripture, but calls out the source - we have a spiritual enemy who desires to get us off track in our walk with the Lord.  Instead of holiness, people are being tempted by tolerance.  Instead of truth, feelings and emotions rule the day. This is certainly seen in the area of God's plan for sexuality, but in so many other areas, as well. While Jesus said He is the way, others believe that their ways, which they try to justify with Scripture, are best.

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We have to be on our guard - unbiblical ideas that are dressed up and masked as somehow acceptable are being marketed strategically to our culture and the Church. Colossians 2 contains this reminder:
6 As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sent out an e-mail to its employees. This was sent out on "National Coming Out Day."  Yes, that's a thing, apparently.  CBNNews.com reported that it is "an annual event to support anyone declaring they are homosexual. It has been observed by the LGBTQ community since 1988." The e-mail said, according to the article, "All employees should be addressed {by} the names and pronouns they use to describe themselves."

There was a link to a video that is available on YouTube. It featured HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm, who said, "We want you to be your authentic self every day, regardless of your gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion or disability status. We want to make sure that HHS continues to be a welcoming supportive environment where all employees feel safe coming to work. When individuals bring their whole selves to work, all of us at HHS thrive."

Not surprisingly, HHS Deputy Secretary Rachel Levine, who is a biological male, put it in an appearance; CBN stated that Levine, "...who noted using she/her pronouns 'as an out and proud transgender woman' in a senior leadership position at HHS in the video, noted that all supervisors and managers would be responsible for making sure the policy is implemented across the entire department."

Roger Severino, a former official in the Trump Administration who now serves as a vice president at the Heritage Foundation, had posted some screenshots on Twitter of the e-mail wishing employees a "Happy National Coming Out Day!" The article says that he wrote: "HHS today imposed a transgender pronoun mandate on its employees who will now be forced to deny biological realities with their own words or face firing. Those with faith objections should immediately request religious accommodation and prepare to fight for your rights."  He added in another Tweet, "Here's the HHS Pronoun Mandate more clearly. This admin really is requiring pure ideological conformity. Let's see how tolerant this admin will be of those who will seek an opt-out out of faith or compelled speech concerns."

So, here is another example of leaders in our federal government who are intent on implementing this harmful gender agenda, with compulsory implementation.  But, it's not surprising - those who deny a Biblical view of sexuality are intent on forcing everyone to embrace this viewpoint.  

And, they've come up with an alternative universe of special days, a calendar to make sure that LGBT awareness is maintained throughout the year. Capitol Resource Institute, led by Karen England, sent out the calendar of these so-called "special days," titled, Sex on the School Calendar.  The opening paragraph says, "Events with themes related to sexuality are appearing frequently in schools across the nation, often organized by GSAs (Gender and Sexuality Alliances)."

Here are some examples:

* Coming Out Day ~ October 11.

* LGBT History Month ~ October. CRI states that this, "Celebrates LGBTQ individuals as 'heroes' and falsely asserts historical figures like George Washington Carver and others were gay."

* Banned Books Week ~ October 1-7.  This is an attempt to characterize the protection of children by the removal or relocation of objectionable sexual material, including graphic LGBT content, as banning books, censorship, etc. 

Oh, and October wouldn't be complete without...

* International Pronouns Day ~ October 18. This is the denial of biological reality by promoting the use of pronouns corresponding to a person's perceived "gender," rather than biological sex.

Also, there's

* Trans Awareness Month ~ November, and

* Transgender Awareness Week ~ November 13-19.

* Transgender Day of Remembrance ~ November 20. CRI states, "Honors transgender victims of violence. Violence is always wrong, but this day promotes harmful transgender ideology and is emotionally manipulative."  There's no mention of people, especially minors, who struggle with gender identity and take their own lives. 

Well, that's just a sampling from October and November.

In February, there has been the LGBT event called the, "Schools National Day of Reading, in which, according to CRI, "Books that promote transgender ideology are read to children."

Of course, on April 14, there's the Day of Silence, which CRI says, "Honors and promotes LGBTQ ideology. When observed in schools, students feel pressured to participate."

And, there's June, which has been designated as Pride Month, which experienced a backlash in some circles because of the unabashed promotion and normalization of the gay lifestyle.  

Well, I am certainly not promoting these so-called "observances," but we need to be aware of the attempts throughout the school year to promote an ideology that violates our Christian values and can be harmful to children in school. And, to recognize that there are people who are intent on using schools to indoctrinate our children. Capitol Resource Institute encourages people to, "Discover the details. Stand against the inappropriate exposure of children to sexual content within educational settings."  You have those who are so intent on keeping "religion" out of the schools while allowing this ideology, which could be considered a religious practice, to proliferate. 

The desensitization to Biblical ideas of sexuality extends to the Church.  There does seem to be a growing acceptance of this agenda; in the name of compassion and tolerance, errant and harmful ideas are proliferating.  God's ways are best, and we must guard against corrupting those by embracing ideas that do not line up with Scripture.  It's not loving to allow others to depart from truth.