Tim LaHaye is one of the most influential religious leaders in the United States today. In 2001, Evangelical Studies Bulletin named him as the most influential Christian leader for the past quarter century. He is mostly known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins. However, this paper will talk about LaHaye’s book, The Battle for the Mind, which is one of his most important works but was not included in the Left Behind series.
In The Battle for the Mind, which was published in 1980, LaHaye discusses how conservative Christians could “take back America” around a conservative political agenda, and from the standpoint of the field of anthropology, focuses on the struggle with modernity among those who reject it, although LaHaye was unlikely to be thinking in those terms. In this book, LaHaye clearly identifies what he sees as the real enemy of American Christians. He uses the phrase “secular humanism” to describe the enemy, but gives it a new conspiratorial definition. Simply defined, humanism is man’s attempt to solve his problems independently of God. According to LaHaye, humanism seems so credible and logical to the man who does not understand God’s wisdom, that it is adopted readily by the masses. He also believes that today’s wave of crime and violence can be laid right at the door of secular humanism.
Tim LaHaye stated, “unless our nation’s leaders and a sufficient number of American citizens become aware of the truth about humanism, it will ultimately lead to anarchy, and our culture will be destroyed”. He also mentions Dr. Francis Schaeffer and how he has warned people that the ultimate end of humanism is always chaos. Therefore, LaHaye asks people to believe and be aware ...
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...antly, LaHaye invites everyone to pray, especially to pray for those in the government who make the decisions that largely determine we will live. He keeps his suggestions by asking people to continue sharing their faith, showing concern and compassion for humanism’s victims, promote national drive to register Christians, volunteer to help in the campaign of pro-moral candidates, work vigorously to expose amoral candidates and incumbents, become informed and enlighten your friends and neighbors, consider running for public office, join local, state, and national pro-moral organizations, speak out and write vigorously on moral issues, contribute to good, pro-moral causes, and assist other pro-moral organizations. LaHaye strongly believes that if people follow these suggestions, America can still be saved from secular humanism and the world will not be destroyed.
Schlossberg, Herbert. Idols for Destruction: The Conflict of Christian Faith and American Culture. Weaton: Crossway, 1990.
In Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy's essay, "Worldviews in Conflict," the authors evaluate the shifting culture context of today's society and how Christianity fits into this situation. The essay compares the differing views between Christianity and today's worldview, and informs the reader on how to engage today's culture. "Worldviews in Conflict" is a reliable source because its authors, audience, publication, and purpose make it
During the Antebellum period in America, the country’s thoughts were changing drastically. Escape from religious persecution was a key player in many minds when choosing to come to America and so it became a melting pot simmering with multiple thoughts and ideals. The European Protestants, Roman Catholics, and African American religions were forced to intermingle and the unique qualities of each were particularly useful in the establishment of personal validity (Fox 201, 202). After the American Revolution, most Republicans argued that churches, “brandished superstitious dogmas and mysteries that kept people in the dark about the rational capacities of their own minds” (Fox 159). On the flip side of this, “a few Republicans such ...
In Nathan O. Hatch’s “The Democratization of American Christianity” he quickly forms his thesis and expands on the argument “both that the theme of
One of the important subjects during the civil war was Religion even though it received minor attention until recent years. Historians have considered civil war an important story of war; however, religion rose as an important factor with many publications. For example “Religion and the American Civil War” is a collection of essays and poems by various writers (Harry S. Stout, George Reagan Wilson, etc.1)
The humanism view can cause us to only focus on what is important in our lives here and now. There will be a future, and Ammons makes it apparent that we need to stop being so focused on ourselves because in the end it will save not only human beings, but the planet.
Christianity’s role in America has rapidly changed over the last decades. Although it is still the most popular religion in the country its power over the people has decreased significantly. However, there are still many misconceptions towards American Christianity and in order to understand the unique nature of this religiously diverse country; one must understand its history and its citizens own views on the matter.
Gaustad, Edwin S., ed. A Documentary History of Religion in America to the Civil War. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1982.
INDG 1116 Module 2 Reading 1AIM is only one voice addressing these concerns.Vine Deloria, Jr., wrote about the unique character ofNative American religious life in God is Red. In otherworks—Custer Died for Your Sins and We Talk,. YouListen—Debra expressed urgent Indian concerns andcalledfor Euro-Americans to recognize a failed pluralism, especially the nation’s economic system that hasmarginalized the tribes and devastated their remaining lands.Religiousness and Contemporary NativeAmerican PeoplesUnlike Christianity, which concentrates all power inthe hands of God who bestows it on human beings as anact of grace, Native American religious world viewsemphasize the interdependence of all beings. Even theGreat Spirit needs humans, just as they need him,because ifpeople live beyond the pale of religious orderby not honoring the other beings of the cosmos, theywill create disturbances that will cause destruction
...ered a depth of understanding of the progression of the fundamentalist movement, and through that have come to better appreciate its impact on American culture. I have also obtained a better outlook on how the movement’s leaders interpreted and responded to their context which lead to further developments of fundamentalism. Previous assumptions of this movement have been reevaluated and adjusted from a flat narcissistic view of militarism fundamentalism to one that seeings the complex nuances within the overall movement. I appreciated the comprehensive analysis that included both the intellectual and social forces which made the whole movement comprehendible to the reader. One can see clearly where the antebellum period, Baconism, Common Sense realism, Premillennialism, Pietism, and many other influences contributed to the fundamentalist view within American society.
Religion is a part of society that is so closely bound to the rest of one’s life it becomes hard to distinguish what part of religion is actually being portrayed through themselves, or what is being portrayed through their culture and the rest of their society. In Holy Terrors, Bruce Lincoln states that religion is used as a justifiable mean of supporting violence and war throughout time (Lincoln 2). This becomes truly visible in times such as the practice of Jihad, the Reformation, and 9/11. The purpose of this essay is to show that as long as religion is bound to a political and cultural aspect of a community, religious war and destruction will always occur throughout the world. A historical methodology will be deployed in order to gain
Gaustad, Edwin and Leigh Schmidt. The Religious History of America;The Heart of the American Story from Colonial Times to Today. New York: Harper One, 2002.
Wells, Ronald. “The Wars of America Christian Views”. Grand Rapids: Willimas B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1981. Print
Encarta Dictionary says that Humanism is a system of thought that centers on human beings and their values, capacities and worth. Encarta also goes on the say that, in philosophy, humanism is an attitude that emphasizes the dignity and worth of an individual. A basic premise of humanism is that people are rational beings who possess within themselves the capacity for truth and goodness. I see myself as a being a humanist through everyday life. I always try to see the good in a person when he/she makes me angry or sad, and say I to myself that maybe that person has had a bad day and living life is difficult at the moment. Socrates was even an early humanist of sorts. He can be quoted as saying, "to know the good is to do the good." He believed that nobody voluntarily commits an evil act because evil comes from ignorance, ignorance being not stupidity, but having a lack of knowledge. If all people thought as humanists, would peace be spread across the globe?
The third perspective is humanistic, which is primarily focused on making oneself and the world innately better. In a journal by E.M Robertis, says, “Humanism is being accused of having con- tributed to selfishness in American culture”. This statement I disagree with however. I think that could be a valid argument saying that the approach creates us to focus too much on ourselves causing us to be selfish. My argument to this would be that this approach is to, yes, help us become better, but to also help the world around us become better as well. The fact that we can help ourselves become better and help the world do the same makes this not become so internalized and selfish. I connect with this approach because of this. I always have strived