Friday, July 25, 2008

Simply Unbelievable!!!!!!!!

It is so painfully obvious that Candice Watters has no interest in interacting with the Biblical arguments against her position. In a recent post on Boundlessline, she says that another reason to not delay marriage is so you do not have to give your bridesmaids cosmetic gifts so they won't ruin your photo shoot. I guy named Craig M was taking her to task, and her response is telling:

Um, so far most everyone is missing the humor in this article, and by extension, my point. But Craig M. takes the cake. Sorry Craig, no such passes for older men to delay marriage only to turn around and pick a bride from the under 30, or better yet, 25, set. And then say that's the way God meant it. Nice try.

Did that just come out of the mouth of the founder of Boundless????? Also, notice how Candice is making the positive assertion that this is wrong. Where is the proof? This is the kind of comment I would expect from Captain Sensible or Debbie Maken!

However, again, I have to keep using this parody until she is willing to deal with the arguments against her position:

But Candice Watters takes the cake. Sorry Candice, no such passes for someone who enjoys a hot fudge sundae when they get home from work, only to turn around and enjoy a steak dinner, or better yet, a dinner at a fine dining restaurant later. And then say that's the way God meant it. Nice try.

Again, I have fully responded to all of her arguments, as many others. Before Candice can talk about "passes for older men to delay marriage," she must show that delay of marriage is a sin. I know she has tried, but there have been more than a number of people who have fully dealt with all of the argumentation she has brought up. Candice seems intent on this kind of indoctrination, rather than actually dealing with the substance of the arguments against her. The kind of sarcasm she writes at the end is simply unacceptable for a professional. What do you say when someone refuses to interact with argumentation from the opposition, and, instead, engages in this kind of behavior?

Now, don't misunderstand me. Boundless has been, by far, the most professional of anyone with whom I have dialogued. I hope this is just a blip on the radar screen from Candice, and not something that will become a habit!

Also, I think it is interesting that she quotes a passage of scripture that, in essence, refutes exactly what she is saying:

Solomon knew what he was talking about after all. "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised" (Proverbs 31:30).

Well, first of all, it wasn't Solomon who wrote that. It was king Lemuel. Second, the whole point of the passage is precisely that it does not matter what age you are or how you look. A woman who fears the Lord exists at any age! Thus, the most important thing for a woman is not that she is physically beautiful, and certainly not whether or not she gets married. It is whether or not she fears the Lord. That, when all is said and done, is what is most important. While physical beauty is a wonderful gift of God, and anyone who reads the Song of Songs can see that, it is not the most important thing in life.

I would also like to add to this whole discussion about physical beauty. Physical beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. There are some men who just like particular physical appearances in women. Hence, the fear of the Lord is, indeed, the most important thing for both man and woman, as they can trust that God will bring them someone who is attracted to them.

There is an added advantage to the fear of the Lord. I am doing a study in the book of Proverbs right now, and the advice of the father to the son is telling. He says that one of the reasons for him taking in his wisdom is:

Proverbs 2:16 To deliver you from the strange woman, from the foreign woman who is smooth in her words.

Now, let me ask why it is that we are so intent upon trying to show that marriage is a cure for sexual immorality when this text very clearly tells us what the cure for sexual immorality is! It is the wisdom of the Lord! Simply taking 1 Corinthians 7:2 out of context and giving people a sexual outlet is not going to cure the folly that gets them to give in to those ungodly desires in the first place! That is why, I have said many times, if you tell people to marry as cure for their sexual sin, they will just take that sexual sin right into marrage, and you will end up with internet pornography or adultery, both of which are deadly to a marriage. The answer to all of this is to gain wisdom, to learn to be wise, and discerning.

I remember Dr. VanGemeren telling us last semester that one of the problems with today's church is that we teach children what is right and wrong, but we never give them the wisdom to go along with it! Wisdom and discernment are key elements in raising children up to be good Christian children. Yet, we don't seem to teach it in our churches today. You see, there are two ladies portrayed in the book of Proverbs. The first is lady wisdom, and the second is the foreign woman. The scriptures very clearly teach us that they way in which we keep our way straight in this arena is by loving lady wisdom so much that we cannot ever think of running off to the strange woman. In fact, Dr. VanGemeren tells us that is exactly what he told a young man he was councilling.

Hence, the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of knowledge guides us into knowing wisdom. We are to take up the teaching as found here in the book of Proverbs, and learn the ways of Lady wisdom. I have found that I have been at my strongest spiritually this semester when I have most understood my studies in this remarkable book. Granted, it fits in with other parts of the Bible nicely, and we should study them as well. However, for a young man who wants to learn discernment, and how to resist temptation sexual or otherwise, this is a wonderful place to start.