Where are the Taboos?

“And whatever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ.”(Col 3:23,24)

Keen Christians

There was a time when it was taken for granted that keen Christians didn’t do certain things; they didn’t smoke, they didn’t drink, they didn’t play cards, they didn’t wear make-up, they didn’t go to the theatre, they didn’t dance, they didn’t swear, they didn’t blaspheme, they dressed properly, and so on. They were just different, separate from others! (Rev.14:12). By a keen Christian, we mean one that is sharp, eager, and strong.

That time would seem to have gone, and today we hear little of the old taboos. We mean by taboos those things which were forbidden or disapproved of; prohibition resulted from social conventions, women’s suffrage, etc.

They had their dangers, no doubt. Well, in the first place they were negative in their emphasis. An era of “don’ts, nays, and naughts.”
You see, a keen or sharp Christian was by them defined in terms of what he or she did not do rather in terms of what he or she did do.

The Taboos Have Gone

In the second place, they tended to lead to an unthinking attitude by the Christians who adopted them. Few stopped to think out why a Christian did not do these certain things; perhaps habit, tradition, parental example, religious training, custom, fear of God, etc.

The danger we face today, therefore, is that of an equal lack of thought on the part of the Christians who, with a sense of relief, have decided to be done with the taboos! They have, for many, become hampering and inconvenient things, and with an appeal to the new “Christian liberty” and “freedom of conscience”, they have been discarded. For many it’s the “New Age.” In essence, “the taboos have gone!”

Freedom!

“Free from the law,” is the cry carrying with it the failure to realize that freedom from the law in the New Testament sense is freedom from the law as the grounds of our acceptance before God, and a freedom from the ceremonial or ritual aspects of the law, which many refer to as the Jewish context; but not freedom from the moral law, or Ten Commandments, as a way of life and as a requirement of God in obedience. (Ex 20:1-17). “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” (Math 5:20). So spoke the Master, and we clearly find inherent in these words a tremendous, exacting standard of holiness and righteousness which we neglect at our peril.

Living Or Drifting?The inadequacy of the old taboos does not necessarily imply their invalidity. But, we would do well as Christians to re-examine them in the light of some basic moral principles that are laid down in the New Testament which would include the old taboos in their scope while widening it!

Some of the basic principles which the thinking Christian will want to apply will be outlined below; their application to life will depend upon whether we as Christians are prepared to think them through within the context of a vital life, or whether we are prepared lazily to drift within the dreamy current of our present times.

Problems Of Conduct

There are three questions which the Christian would do well to ask himself as he or she faces the problems of conduct in this generation; an “evil generation, perverse and crooked, a generation that curses, a generation of vipers.” (Deut 1:23; 32:5, 20; Prov. 30:11; Lk 3:7).

I. What Purpose Does This Effect? Under this question are two limiting considerations:

1. Is the purpose convenient at such a time or place? The first consideration is: (1Cor 6:12). “All things are not expedient.” Ah! Lawful they may be, but not expedient, not suitable, not convenient at this time or this place. This principle is not just Christian but has its Christian colour in the various circumstances in our lives.

There is no harm in reading a good Christian book, but it is not “convenient” if I do that when I should be doing my home-work. There is no harm in riding a bicycle, but it could be not “convenient” if I was riding when I should be in church. There’s something refreshing about sitting at home listening to one of my favourite Christian choirs on a CD or tape, but it may not be “convenient” if that same night is prayer meeting at the church. And so, the illustrations go on and on.

2. Is the purpose constructive? The other limiting consideration is: (1Cor 10:23). “All things edify not.” Ah! They may be lawful, but they are a waste of time, of money, of strength, of effort. They have no real constructive worth. Sound familiar? How often people approach life with the attitude, “I don’t see the harm in it!” The Christian is more positive in his attitude; he asks, “What is the good in it?”

Life is really so short, and in this world there are so many ways of wasting time, wasting money, wasting our strength, wasting our efforts, that the Christian cannot afford to be “unthinking.” We can say, “spinning your wheels.” Time to reflect, meditate, reason, deliberate? No time for that! But, the will of God is concerned with the whole man, his mind, his body and his spirit, and that which will lead to the development of the soul, the health of the body, or the instruction of the mind, which will be cherished, and room will be made for it. The rest will be regarded with a steady eye and clear mind by His leading and protection.

II. What Power Does This Exercise?
Is the second basic question the Christian asks: “Lawful,” says Paul, “but I will not be brought under the power of any.” It is simply a fact of experience that things can become dominating in any person’s life (take priority); and so in applying this question to life, the thinking Christian will examine the questioned thing by asking:

1.”Is there domination in my own experience?” Or, “what is dominating me?” The moment any thing or any person has reached a place of mastery in my life, (“brought under the power of any”), the one mastery that I most cherish, and treasure, then it has taken the place, wrongfully, from the mastery of the Supreme Master. You see, it could be a habit or a hobby, a sin or a sport, the love of making money or the love of pleasing men, a spouse, our children, or it could be a friend-ship or a job.

Wherever there is this kind of mastery there is always bondage, and where there is bondage there is wastage, and where there is wastage there is sin. Wastage of time, of money, of thought, of strength, of effort, and of life itself! I think if we were honest, we would have to admit that this concept of bondage is what led our early fathers, pioneers, EG White, and others to question the disastrous tobacco habit, which can achieve such a mastery over the human will; “the brain is weakened and destroyed.”(MH 328; 9T12) And which today carries the added menace of the threat of lung cancer, which is the number one killer of all cancer deaths in the world, and which kills even many nonsmokers by second-hand smoke; “the body temple is defiled.”(TE 64, 65).

But, under this aspect of moral principles the Christian is not just concerned with himself, but with others, and so he asks a further question; not only, “Is there domination in my experience?” but:

2. “Is there danger through my example?” (1Cor 8:9) “Take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling block to them that are weak.” There are some things which carry with them the very seed of danger, which some might overcome, but which others might not. One of the strongest arguments for total abstinence lies just here. “In America, alone, there are over 15,000,000 alcoholics; confirmed and helpless drunkards; the highest in the West. It’s a major public health problem in North America, costing US $170 billion annually.”(Wikipedia). What a tragedy that must represent! What misery, to at least another 30,000,000 affected by this fearful wreckage of homes. ”The human body is terribly harmed and breaks down.” (Ed 202; EV 534). Were the early fathers and pioneers in the faith so wide of the mark when they advocated total abstinence as the path for the keen Christian? I wonder if the taboos after all were not the better and wiser way. (1Cor 6:19)

III. What Praise Does This Evoke?
This is the third question which the Christian will want to ask as he thinks out the basic principles of Christian conduct. In (1 Tim 4:4), Paul writes, “Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.” This verse can often be misinterpreted. Let’s explain further:

1. Are you thinking or thanking? But, let’s put it this way: the questions of right and wrong for the Christian are not just matters of thinking, but of thanking. Note the condition to fulfill –“if it be received with thanksgiving.” In effect Paul says, if you are not quite sure about something, bring it before the Lord, and see if you can thank Him for it. If you cannot, then be careful. Let your thanking be intelligent and inclusive. Can you thank Him for the thing itself, for what it has involved for others, for what it does to your own life?For example, many, even professed Christians, say there’s many “good films” around; “The Ten Commandments,” “The Passion,” and now “The Da Vinci Code.” The question the Christian believer must ask is this, “Can I thank God for the moral cost at which these things are produced in Hollywood? What if your “converted” daughter is enamoured with Hollywood icons, and told you that her ambition was to be a film star?As the film industry stands, with its tragic stories of divorce, unfaithfulness, drug and substance abuse, addictions, alcoholism, anorexia craze, scandals, suicides, and promiscuity, is it right for the Christian to get his or her entertainment at that price? In a glitzy, ritzy world of immorality? In an age that is subdued and habitually intoxicated with celebrities, rock stars, cult heroes, devil worshipers, and Satanism? In Best Picture fights between gay (homosexual)movies and racial movies? “It’s a hotbed of immorality.”(4T653). T.V., DVD, is theatre, too! “Pleasure lovers crowd to the theatre as probation nearly closes.”(ChS31). Amazing truth! Furthermore, “sensibilities are benumbed.”(T253).

The fact still remains that the writings of The Gnostic Bible and other kinds of esoteric literature lie at the heart of the film, “The Da Vinci Code.” The Gnostic Bible, is a collection of documents which some believe give an alternate interpretation of the early days of Christianity; that Christianity was diverse, with no strict doctrines such as we find in the New Testament. We, the traditionalists are the heretics!!

The Gnostics, (GR gnosis means knowledge), were teachers who combined Christianity with Greek philosophy. The Gnostic writings have fraudulent authorship. Paul warns of such deceivers (2Thess 2:1-3). Finally, the Gnostics have no historical ties to the Old Testament, but rather a historical link to Plato. The Gnostics also believed in two different gods, and many more notions that are contradicted in the Old Testament. Finally, the Gnostics were not eyewitnesses, and the early church was aware of these teachings and refuted them!

This explains why many who read “The Da Vinci Code” or see the film, (or other such films) are prone to believe it; forget historical investigations, forget the need for continuity with the Old Testament. It really comes down to the desire to have a tolerant faith that lets us pick and choose our beliefs, cafeteria style; freedom of choice, but without changing one’s conduct. Now, we can’t always compete with people’s desires, but we can show that all the hard evidence and truth is on our side! We have nothing to fear. Finally, “a Christian would not wish to meet death at the theatre or be at the theatre when Jesus returns.” (MYP 398). Moreover, “The youth habitually attending the theatre are corrupted in principle.” (MYP 380).

But, not only here must the question be asked, (What Praise Does This Evoke?), but in other departments of life, such as the effect of labour or working conditions, which can be damaging to personality, or health, one’s family, one’s spiritual life and salvation.
What conclusion can we then reach? “If” I can thank God for it, it will most likely be good, but “if” I cannot, then it is almost certain to be wrong. So, thanking in addition to thinking will help to clear the way.

TABOO REPLACEMENTS

We began by asking, “Where Are The Taboos?” The question that consequently follows is, “What has taken their place?” Well, many things, prominently, and distressful at that:

Perilous Times And Perilous Men
Perilous Times And Perilous Men The American pop culture, firstly, rather than becoming more patriotic, nostalgic, more introspective, considerate, and reverent, have become unchanged in many ways; violent, irreverent, licentious, and so on. In the Apostle Paul’s letter to young Timothy, he says, “This know, also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it: from such turn away.” (2Tim 3:1-5) This apostasy is not limited to America, but is universal.

Cool

Take, for one, the savage craze of primitive African tribal paintings (tattoos), and piercing of facial and intra-oral parts; tongue, lips, cheeks, etc. (ADA-“resulting in serious infections”).

“Coolness”‘ is the norm for many today; meaning unexcited. lacking friendliness, or calmly insolent or arrogant, in fashion, chic, (‘in the know’). Take also, “the current craze of teenage girls affectionately calling each other sluts (dirty, immoral woman); no longer an insult, but an identity proudly worn, with slutty clothes, and behaviour to match.” (New York Times). Cool!

Bareness

Moreover, baring of midriffs is common for women, and practically baring of breasts, not only seen in celebrities, but young and old alike, in the nominal churches, and among many professed believers! No one seems to mind this sort of sexual context, but, in the very natural context of breast feeding or nursing your child, the majority are uncomfortable with it, and are “offended” or “embarrassed” by women breastfeeding in public and think it’s inappropriate: a “broken taboo” about showing a woman’s breast. Whereas health professionals encourage women to breastfeed, as it is best for the baby, but, there is little support for it by the public.

Boy Code

There’s also the phenomenon of a whole generation of boys messing up in school; which theorists say it’s no longer undesirable to fail. No matter what level in social status, playing the part of an angry, ignorant thug is the height of coolness. Boys are responsible for 80 percent of school discipline problems. Not only falling behind in school, and dropping out, but getting in trouble outside of it. The suicide rate for boys has tripled since 1970, and is now four to six times the rate for girls. Popular culture teaches boys to suppress all emotions except rage.

This “boy code” prizes toughness and rebellion, and denigrates studiousness, and traditional achievement. “The message does not come across that being smart is really being cool,” says a University Administrator. Parents are paying the price for boys’ failure to achieve. Many, called the “‘boomerang kids,” still live with their parents; although, it’s a commonly acceptable practice in some cultures abroad.

What Else?

There’s an overwhelming number of “Taboo Replacements;” too numerous to mention. But, for emphasis, some undeniably obvious ones merit listing; cascading drug addiction, frenzy of protests, immigration showdowns, falsified cloning research, war over evolution, obesity-gluttony(300,000 die each year: more than AIDS!), fickle eating, scandalous priesthoods, pornography-pedophilia, racist violence, domestic-violence, wife battering, child-abuse, abortions, infidelity, break, krumping, hip hop style dancing, on steroids, sporting scandals, notorious roguish behavior, profanity, serial killers, single mothers, homosexuality (male to male sodomy leading cause of AIDS), homosexual parents, family breakdown, bigotry, hatred, global terrorism, spiritualism, grotesque music, pleasure seeking and so on.

The travails of the groaning world, (“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain.” Rom 8:22), furthermore, clearly indicate that the apocalypse is at hand, but it’s not a sign that our ordained work in hastening the Lord’s return is diminished. Moreover, “never say never” for never is a bad word, because we never know!

So, you see, in conclusion, “The taboos have gone!”
The question I would leave with you is, “What has taken the place of the taboos in your life?”
Amen

John Teodorou, USA