Sermonettes 7
OPPRESSED BY YOUTHS
AND RULED BY WOMEN
Society's Malignant Twins
"Youths oppress my people, women rule over them"
(Isaiah 3:12, NIV)
Western liberal democracy is not, as some suggest, a unique phenomenon of our time. I would even hesitate to use the words "western", "liberal" or "democracy". I live in one of the most "liberal democracies" in the world, Norway, a country which perfectly fits the description of the times of the prophet Isaiah: "Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path" (Isa.3:12, NIV). I live in a country where youths define culture and where women rule.
I said that the West is not really "liberal". What do I mean by that? The word 'liberal' means "having, expressing, or following views or policies that favour the freedom of individuals to act or express themselves in a manner of their own choosing" (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, p.753). If that is a definition of "liberal" then at least the country of Norway is not liberal, save with respect to a small minority.
There is a predominant philosophy in Norway which may be said to humanist-atheist. Evolution ("scientific" mythology) is taught as 'fact' and Creation is taught as religious myth. 'Science' (whatever that is now) is the official religion, even though the country is nominally Lutheran-Christian, and the scientists are its "priesthood". There is a uniform code of behaviour here. Devitate from it and you are likely to find yourself, or your children, locked in a life-and-death battle with various organs of the socialist state like the "Barnevern" ("Child Protection Agency") which exercise arbitrary authority with no accountability. Military service is compulsory. You can't give your child "un-Norwegian" names even if you belong to an ethnic or religious minority. A kwango decides whether or not a name you have chosen is "acceptable". If you are of Pakistani descent born in the country, you may not call your child Ahmed or Mohammad.
Though feminists would give only a guarded nod of acknowledgement, the twentieth century has really been the Century of the Woman when compared with the previous centuries. Though occasional women of dazzling leadership ability have surfaced from time-to-time in antiquity, like Huldah the Israelite prophetess, Boadicea of Britain, Joan of Arc, never have they had such an influence on society as in our time, despite the undeniable fact that it is still very much a man-dominated world.
This page was created on 8 April 1998
Last updated on 8 April 1998
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