Opinion : Letter to the Editor: Who is our God?

Dear Editor,

The rise of secular humanism over the past 70 years has created a religion-shaped hole in our culture. Many people have taken hold of the belief that humanity is capable of morality and self-fulfillment without belief in or need of God. Secularism dominated our culture, yet failed to offer people a philosophy of meaning, purpose, and most of all, hope. It didn't provide any moral framework for how to act within the world besides "be a good person because the alternative is undesirable for everyone". It has now been replaced by a skewed definition of wokeism. Wokeism by definition is a good thing. It means: a state of being aware, especially of social problems such as racism and inequality, encompassing the need to search for more knowledge, understanding and truth in order to challenge injustice. But the movement today has developed its own view of reality with its own set of truths, values and narratives.

What secular humanism could not accomplish, wokeism has. Almost like it's a new civil religion that has arisen; a new "God". Wokeism seems to offer everything that secularism has failed to provide, and has quickly filled that God-shaped hole in our culture. It has its own version of truth, justice, righteousness, sin, and judgment. It provides its followers their own values and meaning.There is a strong feeling of community that people desire and need. People feel like they are part of something greater than themselves.

Most of all however, today's Wokeism seems to offer what every sinful human longs for, and that is moral justification. The ideas of "sin" (privilege) "righteousness" (victimhood) and "damnation" (cancellation) are well established within Wokeism. While it provides things like "penance"(check your privilege) and "piety"(kneeling during the anthem), what it never offers is forgiveness.

Wokeism also offers a new moral vision. One where morals are not instilled by Creator God but by men according to whatever some deem moral for the given issue or the given time. The morals change as the social issues change. All this is not to say that we shouldn't care about issues of justice or socioeconomic disparity! Black lives matter. Asian lives matter. Just law enforcement policies are important. Poverty should be alleviated. Mothers, who for whatever reason are aborting their unborn children, need to be guided and cared for by people and organizations that value the lives of both woman and unborn child. These issues plus many more deeply matter to the heart of God, therefore they should also matter to people. God has already put forward his definitions of sin and righteousness, mercy and forgiveness, justice and redemption. His interpretations are the ones that matter, and His narrative is the one that we are actually living in. We want our ears tickled instead of wanting truth. But what is truth? Who says? Who has the authority? I believe that God is the answer here.

But who or what is our God right now? Do we even believe in God anymore? The secularization and now wokeism in America is more evident than ever before. Each generation of Americans is caring less and less about God. Some of us believe in God yet try to change what He has forever said to be true in order to meet our own reasoning and feelings. We make God who He should be to us. Quite simply, our nation is abandoning the true God and all that He says. Where do we go to answer the huge questions like that of right and wrong, meaning and values, and life and death? As America shakes God off in the name of social freedom, we've really just found ourselves a new god/s. Everyone, no matter who they are, serves someone or something. Even an Atheist or an Agnostic serves a god or gods. He just doesn't acknowledge it. It is accepted wisdom that you can't serve two masters. So, one "God" must go. Which one? What do we want for America? This is the choice that we have in front of us now. Who is and will be our God? The

God who loves us completely and knows what we need? We aren't the first country to rid ourselves of God. Look back through all of history and you will see that it didn't turn out well for the countries who have kicked God out. God is a just God and will not be mocked. There are always consequences when done so. What will America look like in the future due to our disdain for the Holy God? Inside of all of us there is that God shaped hole. We desperately need it filled. And if God doesn't fill it, something or someone else will and the result of doing so will not be good.

Jill Struve