A Scene from The Matrix in Today's World

You're probably wondering why I referenced The Matrix as the title for this post. Let me direct you to an opinion piece which was posted by an online acquaintance. I will post the entire article in its entirety, due to the previously mentioned article deletion which plagues Mainstream Media news sites. I have linked to the original source as well. Thanks Sonnet!

When President Barack Obama signed his executive order to allow human embryos to be mined for their stem cells in order to help older, more powerful humans, there was much excited applause.

The applause came from so many, their eyes bright, lit as if from within. It came from those who believe in scientific progress as the answer to the problems of the modern world, believing as fervently as any monk on the slopes of Mt. Athos believes in the Resurrection of Christ.

In signing the order last week, the president said that the Bush administration, which strictly limited such research, had offered a false choice between science and morality. He said his new order "is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda—and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology."

There it was. Ideology, a pejorative applied to faith, offered up during Lent by our president.

As a Greek Orthodox Christian, I'm troubled by all of this, as are many Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims and others who are taught by the faiths of our fathers that life is sacred. And I know there are many who belong to these faiths and see nothing wrong with stem cell research.

But many of us watch in quiet horror as America rationalizes the conversion of life into a medical product to further other lives, as our culture ignores the cost to our humanity.

Proponents of stem cell research dress themselves in pure reason, as a counterweight to what is often unfortunately referred to as religious superstition (Obama's "ideology"), but there is something about the political selling of it that speaks to a salvation of sorts, too, particularly for our loved ones whose bodies would be helped by such research.

Science for the scientists, yes, but perhaps more than that for those who hope such research will provide much-needed cures. So more human embryos are cracked open, the life inside them used to protect us from diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, now stalking the once-youthful but still politically powerful Baby Boomers.

The applause washed over Obama all week, from biotech investors and especially pro-abortion rights groups, because if embryos are a product fit for dissection, it follows they are property, not life. Naturally, establishment media editorialists and political writers praised it, even supposedly neutral news accounts trumpeting this as a victory of light over darkness.

"It's a difficult and delicate balance," said Obama. "And many thoughtful and decent people are conflicted about or strongly oppose this research. And I understand their concerns and I believe that we must respect their point of view. But after much discussion, debate and reflection, the proper course has become clear. ..."

He is a gracious man trying to be reasonable, fulfilling a campaign promise. Though I disagree with him, I've always felt the decency in him. But as he spoke, I couldn't help but think of someone else.

The drowning man.

When I was a boy about to go swimming with my friends, I was warned about the drowning man. And just then I knew, with the rapture of scientific certainty, that President Obama was also warned as a boy.

It may have come from his mom, or grandparents, or some camp counselor at the edge of the water, an adult responsible for his safety. The kids knotting up in groups on the shore, sand hot on their feet, bright sunshine overhead, eager to jump in.

We all were warned, each of us, you too. As parents, my wife and I told our boys, and Barack and Michelle most likely have told their girls. All kids lucky enough to grow up and become parents will warn their young if they have even the slightest sense of responsibility.

You stay away from the drowning man.

The drowning man isn't an individual, exactly.

The way I remember things, it was the figure of a man drawn in some first-aid pamphlet of long ago, a dangerous hieroglyph thrashing in the water, threatening those who approached.

The drowning man wasn't evil. He wasn't good. There was no history to him.

His dreams and kind acts didn't matter. His betrayals and bitterness weren't counted against him. If he had any sins, their residue wasn't apparent in his expression. There was no face, at least not one with clearly defined features.

Only a head and arms waving in the water, the drowning man going down.

The grown-ups told us that when you're swimming and you see someone struggling and thrashing, you call for help. You might extend a towel or a shirt as a rope. But you don't go near, because you might get grabbed.

Panicked, the drowning man wants what all life wants, to continue. He can't comprehend that he's pushing you down to push himself up. It's not his fault. He's afraid. He's drowning. He's dying.

But we're all dying, aren't we? And what happens to us, as we take other lives, in order to live?

jskass@tribune.com">jskass@tribune.com

I bring up The Matrix because in the film (and I'm sorry if you haven't seen it, go buy it from Wal-Mart on DVD), there's a scene where Morpheus is explaining the war between the machines and humanity. In this scene, it shows a field of pods, each pod containing a human being. Each human was "grown" and used to power the machines. Once they'd outlived their usefulness, they were liquified into fuel which fed the other humans. It sounds disgusting doesn't it? The thought should turn your stomach, unless you happen to be Dexter Morgan or another sociopath.

Well, with President Change removing W's Executive Order which limited the harvest of human embryos for their stem cells, I immediately thought of that scene. I'm vehemently opposed to the harvesting of human embryos for anything. For in-vitro, fertility, disease research anything. I don't care if I had Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and was sterile. Those are human beings that are being used as guinea pigs and test subjects. Can anyone explain why there hasn't been a SINGLE discovery made using embryonic stem cells? If there had been, you'd have been bombarded with it all over the news. I think I may have a reason. Perhaps God (remember Him?) doesn't want His creation used like lab rats. Yes, He created rats. However, He didn't send Jesus to die for rats.

But, this issue of embryonic stem cell research is just the symptom of a larger problem. The REAL issue is that there is a disdain for life which has penetrated the culture. In the almost 40 years since Roe vs Wade millions of babies have been killed. However, what else has happened is the gradual acceptance of this infanticide as normal and a "right". There is no respect for human life. But, the backlash of this will be coming soon.

The "Baby Boomers" are only surpassed in their selfishness and sense of entitlement by the children they have brought into this world. However, Baby Boomers have the sense of entitlement down to an art. While they brought us good things like the Civil Rights Movement, the man on the moon and civil disobedience, we also have the fallout from them. Sexual "liberty", no fault divorce (which has led to the rise in single parent households and separation of children from their fathers, along with a corresponding rise in crime and poverty), general cynicism and outright rebellion, to name a few. There's also the ridiculous amount of debt that we have. Brought to us courtesy of the Baby Boomers, who taught these same financial principles to those in my generation, which has led to the largest economic collapse that the world has ever seen. Why? Sense of entitlement.

This embryonic stem cell thing is an issue because the Baby Boomers are getting older and having health issues. Since they're on a quest to live forever (plastic surgery, cougars, etc), and DESERVE IT (in their own minds), they want to find any way to help aleviate their aging. They think they've found the Fountain of Youth that Ponce de León searched for. Who cares if you have to kill a bunch of embryos to get it? It's what *I* want. It's what *I* DESERVE!

It's this same attitude which will lead to increased taxes over the next 15-20 years as these people start to retire. In their quest for material things, very few of them had the good financial sense to set aside money for retirement. So what will they do? Run to Big Daddy for their handout, just like they're doing now when looking for bailouts. Make no mistake, the same companies receiving Federal Bailout money are most likely headed by Baby Boomers.

This same generation is going to expect their children, my generation, to support them in their old age. They're going to want us to pay for Medicare and Social Security, regardless of how high our taxes go. They don't care about us. They proved that when they dumped us into day care centers, so they could pursue their "toys" (Cars, boats, houses, etc). They proved that when they started viewing us as "inconveniences" and killed more than 50 million of us because it was "their body and choice".

As hard as it seems to believe, my generation is far more selfish than that before us. So, when our taxes go up to pay for Medicare and Social Security, we're not going to take it. We may not lead a revolution. However, you're going to hear the call for forced euthanasia. You will hear people get on the news, and in the same way they talk about "my choice" when related to baby killing (aka "abortion"), they will say things like, "Our parents need to do the PATRIOTIC thing, or the GREEN thing for our planet and die with dignity for the GREATER GOOD".

WHOA! Mind blowing, isn't it? But it doesn't seem that far fetched. Not when you consider that most children of Baby Boomers grew up watching MTV and have seen scenes of wealth, and "do it because it feels good", etc. I think it makes perfect sense that the same generation that has crapped on their children, will be put to death by their children.

Again, this will be a symptom of the problem. The BIGGEST problem? Sin. All of this can be attributed back to a single choice (that word doesn't sound so good, does it? Especially when others are making the "choice" if you live or die) that Adam and Eve made in the Garden of Eden. The world has been suffering ever since.

However, there is an alternative. You don't have to live in a hopeless world, devoid of love and giving of self. Jesus came to earth and was brutally murdered, so that you can be in communion with God for all of eternity. However, He wants you to believe in Him, but also to REPENT (which means turn away from) of your sins. Turn away from them. You're not going to be perfect. But the mark of a true believer and follower of Jesus is not going to be a continuous pattern of sin. There should be a change when you receive Jesus and repent. Then, find a good Bible believing church and get involved.

Scripture should be the final authority in that Bible believing community. Although you have a pastor, you should also read the Bible for yourself, so you can know if what you're being taught aligns with what God has set forth in His Word.

Oh, and to get an idea of how relevant the Bible is for today's world (because some fool will say, "The Bible was good for BACK THEN, but it isn't relevant today"), read Romans 1:21-32.
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When I started writing this post, I didn't intend for it to end with my advising people to call on Jesus for salvation. However, the more and more I wrote, the more it came to me that the problem isn't President Change or embryonic stem cell research. That's just a symptom of the true disease, which is sin in our world. Fortunately, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. I hope that my words aren't a hinderance if God is drawing you to Himself. I am, as the apostle Paul said, "a bond-servant of Christ Jesus".