America's Social Dilemma

 

After watching the YouTube movie, Social Dilemma, I could see many important and enlightening correlations to several Biblical prophecies of the end times, three in particular, each relating to America.

Daniel 2:32-35; 41-43  --  The statute’s feet of iron mixed with clay, representing fateful disunity and divisiveness.

Daniel 7:8-12; 20-25 – The little horn, which represents America, doomed for destruction.

Rev 13:11-18 – the two-horned false prophet, representing the electronic age and its unique power at the end of the age – power to control and to deceive.

In light of the overwhelming divisiveness and polarization we are experiencing in America at this time it is prudent for Christians to understand the source of this division, and the end to which it will lead. The wise course to take, then, would be to avoid being sucked into either extreme, either by social media input, by news sources, or by heightened personal opinions.

Simply put, we as Christians have an obligation to love one another (Jn 13:34-35), especially our Christian brothers and sisters, thereby holding forth the light of the gospel of truth and love, even in face of polarized opinions. I have to bite my tongue and keep silent, often, even with my Christian friends. Because of my silence, those friends assume that I agree with them, and the result is that I feel bowled over, marginalized, and disconnected. But, friendship is not destroyed.

Here are some additional sources of information that I think shed much light on the polarization of America in light of today’s media and news sources. These are carefully researched reports by Pew Research, a highly respected, non-partisan polling and research group.

U.S. Media Polarization and the 2020 Election: A Nation Divided (Jan 24, 2020)

Deep partisan divisions exist in the news sources Americans trust, distrust and rely on. Republicans and Democrats place their trust in two nearly inverse news media environments. Democrats express more trust of most news sources asked about, trusting 22 of 30 news sources while distrusting 8; Republicans express more distrust than trust, trusting 7 news sources while distrusting 20. Republicans put their trust in Fox News far more than any other news source, while Democrats trust CNN the most, but with four other news sources almost equal.

Political Divides, Conspiracy Theories and Divergent News Sources Heading Into 2020 Election (Sep 16, 2020)

“Americans’ deep partisan divide, dueling information ecosystems, and divergent responses to conspiracy theories and misinformation are all fueling uncertainty and conflict surrounding the presidential election…. Republicans are about four times more likely than Democrats to say that voter fraud is a major problem with mail-in ballots.” Other issues surveyed in this report are the Qanon conspiracy theories, Trump’s authority to postpone elections, Biden’s support for defunding the police, and the liberal leanings of Kamala Harris.

Political Polarization & Media Habits (Oct 24, 2014)

This is an oft-cited report by Pew Research. “While U.S. Democrats turn to a variety of outlets for political news, no source comes close to matching Fox News for U.S. Republicans.”