A day or two ago I was listening to one of my special challengers, Ravi Zacharias. Ravi mentioned several words that he really did not care to talk about usually but that day he set those feelings aside. One set of words he mentioned was “politically correct”. What are we doing when we use such words? “We are tampering with reality”, he said. The word “issues” is another my wife and I have caught in statements or conversations. What ever happened to “problems”? Our society has a penchant for buzzwords.

Another preacher that shares a spot at our breakfast table, via TV, was talking about reality and he said, “Bring the third graders back in (who had been dismissed from the adult worship service), they can spot a phony right away.” Most kids I have known have traits that most adults can’t handle – reality and truth. “Boy is that person BIG,” blurts out a third grader when they see a heavy person. ”Look at those big ears,” says the child in his unpolished communication. Whatever there is about another person, you can be sure a child will not hold back from reality or truth. Admittedly sometimes it would be a little less embarrassing if we could sew their mouths shut before such truths could be uttered but that wouldn’t be politically correct – oops, there I have used one of those sets of words.

Before I let too much space go by, I need to recognize another group that is not afraid of telling it as it is: “older people”. I vividly remember sitting in a doctor’s waiting room when I glanced up noticing a rather large lady across the room and instinctively I knew what was about to happen, and I was ready. My 90-year-old Dad started to talk, “Boy is that…” and immediately I reached over and put my hand over Dad’s mouth and said something (anything) loud that would hopefully drown out whatever anyone thought they heard Dad say! We got through that situation but knowing Dad, there would be other times, just give him the opportunity.

Can you think of other words or sets of words that are tampering with reality? What about “single parents”? I am not talking about a wife or a husband who has experienced a mate dying; I am talking about a woman who merely “wants” a child and could care less who the father is! It is almost like choosing a puppy in a pet store, “…I want one of those.” Parenting, by definition, is when two people of the opposite sex uniquely join together mentally and physically and produce a child in a way that has been occurring ever since time began. In fact, most “things” are created when a set or pair “get together”. Recently I was rather surprised to find out that praying mantises do not behave the same way in captivity as they behave in the wild. I have often read about the female praying mantis simply “biting off the head” of the male once they have mated. That sure is one way of Planned Parenthood. However, just the other day I was told the female praying mantis does not behave that way in the wild. (Not sure how such observations were made but let’s assume it is true, you know, “Don’t look now but we are being watched.”)

“Voting machine” – Some days I long for the long narrow slip of paper with X’s and boxes and ruled columns where a name was printed and to the left was an empty box. Inserting an “X” in the appropriate box meant, “YES, this is the person I want elected.” Enter progress and technology. I am glad I don’t live in Florida because Floridians were bad-mouthed for not being able to vote because of the technology of their particular voting machine. The word chad was invented – never heard of it before, but now millions know what a chad is. I know time is important but let’s face it, we messed with reality when we tried to get a machine to do a job people could do. In our polling place in the year 2006 we were introduced to a “tested, tried and proven system” of a computerized software program. Guess what? The first time this program was used in Fairfield County, Ohio, at least one issue was not polled correctly because of a human slip up! An expensive recount was ordered and ordered again. So much for new being better.

How about “free” as one of those politically correct words? Anyone older than 18 (or younger if we’re talking “smart kids”) know full well when you see that word “free” there is a catch; “...free when you buy a certain promotion, etc.” “Up to…” is another come-on that are half-truths where the seller or promoter will make a sale, create a YES vote from an incautious prospect. Even the banking institution (as a whole) has played with integrity when they only care about closing a loan contract and they could care less if the naïve buyer is unable to meet his obligation to pay for the mortgaged car or house. The bank will merely get the house or car back to sell again and sadly the buyer’s credit may be affected as well.

Such shenanigans may seem as a mere marketing ploys but let’s be honest; the store is tampering with truth and reality. Just because an item is packaged as a “Giant Size” doesn’t mean it’s the best bargain. A 32 oz product marked as “Giant Size” may indeed cost more than two 16 oz containers. In our area of Supermarkets tantalizing shoppers with “10 for…” or “2 for…” and I would not be afraid to bet there are some who think they have to buy more than one of such products. How about the price “come-ons” like “For under $10.00” – like $9.99? "These are simply marketing gimmicks.” Really?

The term or social service called “Planned Parenthood” has to be included in this study of ploys. Is it really planning or is it using pills to prevent normal birth processes? And is this service also involved in abortions? If “yes” is the answer to either of these questions, then the fact of the matter is population control! Loyal members of the Roman Catholic Church were consistently noted as having large families for years. Of course some problems or exceptions could be cited but there are “natural ways” to prevent conception and there is no rocket science or medication involved – consider the word “abstinence”. “Safe sex” is probably the biggest lie going. The use of condoms is about as safe as the “game” of Russian roulette.

“Nothing is politically right that is morally wrong.”* What more needs to be said, other than, let’s quit tampering with reality!

THE WORDWRIGHT

* I saw this quote in John Clayton’s magazine, “Does God Exist?” September-October 2006 edition.
http://www.doesgodexist.org