Earthly "gods"
&
Religious Snobs
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
— Ecclesiastes 1:2
Image / Unsplash
The Hypocrisy of Superiority
Why do so many people need to feel superior over others?
The biblical explanation is vanity. Lucifer — described as beautiful and cunning — wanted to be God, so he stirred up a war in heaven, and ended up in hell. (Revelation 12:7-8; Luke 10:18)
Genesis, chapter three, tells of Lucifer (also called Serpent, Satan, Devil), urging Eve to disobey God, and eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree. Eve protests that “to eat” is “to die.” Satan — this prince of vanity — tells her. “you shall not surely die:” He promises that she would be “as gods, knowing good and evil.” And Eve yielded to the temptation of vanity — the desire to be “as god.” She ate the fruit, then shared the fruit with Adam, her husband. They traded their place in paradise for a world of pain, laborious work, and death. Their son Cain also yielded to the temptation of vanity. In a jealous rage, he murdered his brother Abel, whose offering God found more acceptable than Cain’s. This angered Cain, and God said: If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not well, sin lies at the door. (Genesis 4:7)
What might that sin be? we might wonder. Yet, we know. For it is the sin of loving self above others. God, in the years to come, would enshrine in His Commandments: Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.
When God asked of his brother, Cain sanctimoniously answered with the question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
It is a question still asked today by those who desire to see themselves “better” than their brother.
Abel had presented his gift to God with heartfelt reverence and humbleness. Cain did not.
Unfortunately, many of the human race did not learn that God respects “the humble” over “the haughty.” The humble, we are told, will win in the end, and the meek will inherit the earth. So why do so many seek to glorify self? to present themselves as lordly over others? And why do others follow them? glorify them?
The superior religious cloak themselves in self-righteousness, in “holier-than-thou” airs.
The superior secular wear the disguise of privilege, arrogance and conceit.
To feel better about themselves, many people in this world need “someone to kick,” or someone to “lord over.” They puff themselves up with arrogance, false pride, superiority, elitism. Some have attained positions of authority over others and a few wield tyrannical power. They bully their way through life, and through cunning manage to attract willing followers.
Some are narcissistic. They seek to be the center of attention, to be admired. They expect the special treatment of one with a higher social status. They manipulate and exploit. Empathy is foreign to them. A few view themselves as earthly gods, or chosen by God to fulfill their own lofty ambitions. They desire worship from their loyal followers. Historical narcissists include Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Henry the Eighth, Niccolo Machiavelli, Adolph Hitler, Saddam Hussein.
Not all narcissists rise to such levels of murderous infamy. In current time, many celebrities, corporate leaders, politicians are considered narcissists, meaning they have traits associated with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The nation’s president, Donald Trump, is listed among those with NPD. According to research data, between 0.5% and 5% of the U.S. population may have NPD. See more at the Cleveland Clinic website. (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9742-narcissistic-personality-disorder)
Definition of Superiority
An exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims. Characteristics include arrogance, haughtiness, boastfulness, lordliness, vaingloriousness, pompousness, imperiouness ...
Merriam-Webster
The Self-righteous Mind Set
In the language of psychology, the self-righteous are characteristically vainglorious and self-deceiving.
When the self-righteous can’t win an argument with logic or indisputable facts, they often use God as the final word, proclaiming with much ado: “God is on ‘my’ or ‘our’ side,” or “God revealed this truth to me.”
These pretenders have convinced themselves that they are right and “others” are wrong. These hypocrites think they know what is best for others. They fret when others won’t listen to them. They refuse to listen to others. They already “know” all there is to know.
The self-righteous mind-set reveals a person who may think he or she knows the mind of God, even has the power of God. One day this person will answer to God, and will learn that only God is always right, always all powerful.
Life — past and present — is replete with murders by killers who deem themselves or their causes “righteous.”
We have the fictional super-salesman-turned-preacher Elmer Gantry, created by Sinclair Lewis, who seduces churchgoers with his fiery sermons and bogus healings while he indulges in the sexual promiscuity and strong drink he preaches against. Sadly, we have many seductive preachers like Elmer Gantry in real life.
We have James Warren Jones who founded the Peoples Temple cult and led his followers to Jonestown, Guyana, where they ended their lives in suicide, by drinking poisoned Flavor Aid drink. Death toll was 909, 276 of them children. Jones has been quoted as saying: What you need to believe in is what you can see…. If you see me as your friend, I’ll be your friend. As you see me as your father, I’ll be your father, for those of you that don’t have a father…. If you see me as your savior, I’ll be your savior. If you see me as your God, I’ll be your God. (Wikipedia)
There’s David Koresh, founder of the cult Branch Davidian, who gathered followers by claiming to be a prophet of God, and interpreter of the Book of Revelation. His birth name was Vernon Wayne Howell, however he legally had his name changed to David Koresh. He chose the name David after King David of the Bible, whose descendants included Jesus the Christ, and he claimed that God had chosen him to father a child who would be the Chosen One. Koresh had many wives, and reportedly 16 children. His life ended in the Siege of Waco. Along with four federal agents, 79 Branch Davidians died, 21 of them children. (Wikipedia.)
Historically, many wars were fought under the pretext of doing God’s bidding.
When America’s Civil War began in 1861, there were 34 states in the United States. Abraham Lincoln had just been elected president. Cause of the war that ended in 1865 was slavery. Eleven Southern states left the United States to form the Confederate States. The Civil War that followed resulted in the in-line-of duty deaths of more than 620,000 Confederate and Union soldiers. (https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/civil-war-casualties)
Both the North and the South claimed God was on their side. This provoked Lincoln to say:
“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Our Beautiful World
Niagra Falls
KNOW WHEN TO FIGHT
Some things are worth fighting for, standing up for, even dying for. Examples that come to mind:
•Protecting our families from those intending to kill or do great bodily harm;
•Protecting our nation; protecting those who cannot protect themselves from injustices;
•We need to learn how to stand up to those who spew hate; challenging lies with truth. We can calmly and without malice speak truth, present facts, stand our ground.
KNOW WHEN TO LET GO
While most of us wouldn’t commit murder to prove ourselves right, we do risk slow-killing our spirit when we fight for a cause that deep down we know is wrong, or to prove ourselves right over things that matter little or nothing.
We would be well advised to first make sure we test our own beliefs and truly know what is “right” before we condemn or destroy others for being “wrong.”
We know in our souls the difference between right and wrong. We know that to harm, to take advantage of, to belittle, or hate our brother or sister is wrong.
…(T)he law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers.
1 TIMOTHY 1:9
WHY DO SO MANY FOLLOW BAD LEADERS
Those who study the mind and human behavior tell us that people want strong and confident leaders. The haughty, the arrogant, the prideful, the bullies portray themselves as strong and confident. The loud, boastful, flamboyant narcissists who claim center stage appeal to the innermost desires of those who listen to them. They portray the world in terms of winners and losers. They see themselves as winners and those who don’t follow them as losers.
While it is easy to see the insecure, the closed-minded, the the gullible, the weak being drawn to the siren call of the narcissist-bully leader, it’s difficult to determine why those who claim high moral standards rush to join the bully bandwagon.
So, why do people choose to follow the boisterous, divisive, hell-raising leader?
Many who follow the haughty and boastful leader see a protector for themselves. To them a humble leader is subservient; a meek leader is weak. There is a difference, however, between humble, as in thinking of all men and women as equals v. thinking of humble as in cowering to the master. There is a difference in being proud of someone for doing their best and false pride in self.
Jesus: Humble, Not Haughty
Jesus is the perfect example of a meek and humble leader who never wavered in his quest to give people a better way of life. He taught humility and service to his followers by washing their feet (John 13:13-16).
A humble Jesus took a whip and went into the temple and chased out the moneymakers who had set up shop there. Not many if any would dare to do that.
His cleansing of the Temple led to his arrest and death. Jesus suffered torture and crucifixion (Matthew 27:22). Yet, he asked God to forgive his murderers.
And though many on the earth today claim to follow him, I wonder: If Jesus’s name were on the ballot in any of the world’s elections today, how many would vote for him?
“For every man that exalts shall be humbled and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.” “
LUKE 18:14
REWARDS OF HUMILITY
In October 2018 the Wall Street Journal ran the story, The Best Bosses are Humble Bosses. Writer Bill Taylor asked the question: If humility is so important, why are so many leaders today so arrogant?
The WSJ story noted that the “tacit assumption” among executives “is that life is fundamentally and always a competition” — between companies, but also between individuals within companies.
Edgar Schein, professor emeritus at MIT Sloan School of Management, is quoted, “Deep down, many of us believe that if you are not winning, you are losing,”
The writer notes that the most effective business leaders don’t pretend to have all the answers; the world is just too complicated for that. They understand that their job is to get the best ideas from the right people, whomever and wherever those people may be.
Humble leaders focus on the work, not themselves, notes the WSJ. “They seek success — they are ambitious — but they are humbled when it arrives…They feel lucky, not all-powerful.”
Great leaders possess humility, writes Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology. “They seek others’ input because they are aware of their limitations. Moreover, they continually strive to improve and become better leaders.”
Humble leaders, Riggio continues, inspire close teamwork, rapid learning and high performance.
The narcissist leader fails in the end because “Their narcissism convinces them that they are always right; that means that they ignore others’ counsel and advice and don’t learn from their mistakes.”
Riggio says good leaders:
1. Unify and Don’t Divide.
Good leaders never create divisions in their constituents, creating a “we vs. they” effect.
2. Achieve Results, But Limit Collateral Damage.
A good leader is effective, but never at the cost of hurting the well-being of followers, or destroying the environment, or turning friends into foes.
3. Share the Leadership With Followers.
They work with followers, consulting with them, caring for them, and developing their shared leadership capacity.
4. Leave the Team, Organization, or Nation Better Off Than They Found It.
Some resources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201910/why-do-people-follow-bad-leaders
https://hbr.org/2018/10/if-humility-is-so-important-why-are-leaders-so-arrogant
Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.
DEMOSTHENES
WHAT GOD HATES
These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
Proverbs 6:16-19
The time will come, without my seeking it, that my words will almost serve as law. If I ask a certain thing, it will be done. If I don’t want something, it will not be done.
SUN MYUNG MOON, FOUNDER, UNIFICATION CHURCH
I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?
DONALD TRUMP / JANUARY 23, 2016
The Family That Is Built On Love IS A PRECIOUS FAMILY INDEED!
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