The answer is in "ALTARING," NOT ALTERING
(I use "altaring" and "altaration" as a neologisms [fictitious or made-up-words]. Altar refers to a structure for sacrifice or dedication. Alter refers to a change. Since they are homonyms, I play one word against the other. Everyone needs to believe on the Sacrifice for sin that Jesus made on the cross, and every Christian needs to make full dedication [personal sacrifice] to God. The Sacrifice of Jesus and our own personal sacrifice to Jesus are transformative, not simply an alteration, which is reformative.)
Our society is messed up spiritually, but folks want to correct or retrieve their sanity and orderliness in any way possible, except God's way, which is Jesus, Who told us that He is "THE WAY."
One of the popular ways of seeking "normalcy" or "acceptable" behavior is through medications (drugs). I know God sometimes uses "means" (medication, therapy, surgery, counseling) to help a person through a malady (mental, emotional, physical) brought about by a physical problem (congenital or inflicted). However, most of the problems (so-called mental or emotional), are spiritually based, and need a spiritual deliverance rather than humanistic cover-up or altering.
It is no wonder that so many people, of all ages, are on medications, and appear to be in need of humanistic intervention. Society wants to treat the symptoms of anti-social, aberrant, deviant behavior rather than face the fact of spiritual, relational, emotional and moral responsibility. People are not required to exercise self-control or yield to legitimate authority or conform to Divine standards. When personal responsibilities are ignored and behavior becomes a societal problem, then people turn to Humanistic answers. Humanistic answers are "band aids" in the place of spiritual "heart" surgery.
People then become dependent on insufficient "meds" and "therapy." Humanistic answers sometimes seem to cover up problems, but they do not solve the problems. With or without Humanistic intervention the problems continue to manifest themselves and often, the dependency on Humanistic intervention leads to greater dependence on greater Humanistic intervention. This helps us understand the actual Zombie society we are seeing today.
This is not a denial that God uses natural means to deal with natural problems. This is a warning that Humanism is often used as a replacement for Divine actions, and this is also a warning that spiritual needs can be ignored by turning to and depending on anti-spiritual "solutions."
The problems are multiple and widespread. Our society wants to blame almost everything on some kind of sickness, without calling it spiritual sickness, moral sickness.
The answer for social problems, moral problems, relational problems, and lawlessness problems is almost always a spiritual answer. Even in the cases where there is a natural problem, there must be a Divine response to the problem. Certainly, this includes knowledge, understanding, wisdom, mercy and judgment. Moral and criminal behavior must not be ignored. It must be dealt with, even if it includes people who are legitimately impaired.
But here is the truth. Most of the problems that plague our society are either morally, culturally, or spiritually grounded. Sometimes the problem is more evil spirit (demonically) oriented than Western society recognizes. Sometimes demons oppress and then possess the rebellious person, to the point that the person cannot turn from their wicked ways.
The Biblical, Judeo/Christian moral standard must be recognized and operable in a just and moral society. Stop coddling the monsters who kill and rape and steal and abuse. Whatever the reason for wickedness, it must be dealt with and stopped by civil and just laws, found in God's revelation, the Holy Bible.
I know this is not going to happen fully until Jesus comes back to reign in the Millennium, but God has given the power and authority of the sword to the State to punish the lawless and protect the law abiding.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in a society that maintained law and order, as it is set forth in God's moral code, which was the foundation of our legal system. There are problems with every political party or system, but the problems are compounded and insane when the system is based on anti-Christian values, such as Communism, Socialism, Liberalism, the modern Democratic Party.
Someone in our church wrote a song that says, "We will not see the kingdom, 'til the King comes back, Himself." However, we as individuals have no king but Jesus and we obey no man who usurps the authority of Christ.
The answer to the reign of the Prince of Darkness is submission to the King of kings, Who is also the Light of the world. We all need an ALTAR-ation, which transforms us from the inside out, as we accept the Sacrifice of Jesus, rather than an ALTERation, which reforms us superficially and temporarily, which is brought about by Humanistic efforts. We need our mind's "altared" not simply altered. We need the Gos Pill (gospel), not the mind-numbing meds of Humanism. We need King Jesus, The Great Physician.
