(ThyBlackMan.com) Over the past two weeks I have received several phone calls and emails asking me why I had not written a column regarding the coronavirus.
The answer is very simple. I just was not moved to write about it. Those who have followed my columns over the years know that I tend to write about things I have strong feelings about and have a unique perspective to offer.
So, over this past weekend I was pondering what is going on with this coronavirus. Below I will share with you my thoughts.
America has gone from, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him in Psalms 8:4;” to, “Man is the measure of all things: of the things that are, that they are, of the things that are not, that they are not, “according to Greek philosopher Protagoras.
In Psalms 8:4, King David was so in awe of God and his creation of the earth and mankind that he found it truly humbling that God would even acknowledge man, let alone visit him by way of his creations.
This is born out in verse three of the same book of Psalms: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.”
David felt so unworthy of Gods presence in his life he couldn’t help but lavish praise upon God, as though God needed his praise.
In essence, David was saying that this world was much bigger and greater than himself and mankind; that God was the creator of the Earth and everything therein.
Just like astronomers have proven that the Earth is simply a small dot in the context of the galaxy of the world of other planets; David was basically saying the same thing.
Mankind, according to David, was such a miniscule part of God’s creation, how could God even be mindful of him?
Now, juxtapose David’s thoughts of pure unadulterated humility when pondering man’s place in the universe to that of mankind today.
Protagoras lived from 490-420 BC and is considered the father of sophistry. Sophistry was basically being a philosopher, a paid public speaker; he would be like our version of a Jesse Jackson; having great oratorical skills and the ability to move people with his words.
The word sophisticated stems from the word sophist, meaning a learned man.
Sophists also didn’t believe in God and didn’t believe in right or wrong; thus, man is the measure of all things. Every man has “their” truth and their truth can’t be denied because they are the measure of all things. So, if everyone has “their” truth, there can be no truth.
America’s downward spiral began in 1963. That’s when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s court case, Murray v. Curlett, which challenged the policy of mandatory prayers and Bible reading in Baltimore public schools, which removed prayers from all public schools.
As America has continued to incrementally remove God from the public square, man has increasingly become the measure of all things.
This shift from believing in a higher power to believing only in man, can be seen in court cases like Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion.
Then mankind became arrogant enough to think that they could correct God’s mistakes; afterall, he is kinda getting up there in age.
Boys born with a penis are now saying that they really are girls; and girls born with a vagina are now saying that they are boys.
Because mankind has the scientific ability to surgically alter the human body, man truly does believe he is the measure of all things.
Nevermind that it is impossible to change one’s gender, that is determined in the womb.
Sometimes a parent has to do something very extreme to get their kid’s attention after repeatedly trying to reason with that child.
Maybe, just maybe God is trying to get our attention with this coronavirus. With all the technology we have, with all the scientific advances we have made, there is no cure for this virus and it has caught everyone off guard.
Many people are feeling afraid because they feel that they have no power or control over what is happening not only in the U.S. but globally as well.
Maybe man is not the measure of all things. Maybe God simply gave us enough rope to make us believe that we are all individual God’s.
Maybe there is a higher power that is beyond man’s comprehension. Maybe God is trying to get our attention. Maybe mankind will put God back in his proper place within our lives and society.
Maybe!!!
Staff Writer; Raynard Jackson
This talented brother is a Pulitzer Award nominated columnist and founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. BAFBF focuses on the Black entrepreneur. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org. You can follow Raynard on Twitter; Raynard1223.