Wisdom Fish

In this episode, Sam and Will explain what secularism means and why it is not the “neutral” option many people assume it is. The conversation defines secularism as separating society, government, and major institutions from religious belief and anything supernatural. It then walks through historical examples and quotes (including Richard Dawkins) to discuss what gets replaced when Christianity is pushed out of public life. You will also hear a timeline of U.S. history and court decisions that shaped how religion shows up in schools and public spaces. They connect secularism with shifts in education, humanism, and the growth of government programs, especially around the New Deal era. A practical takeaway is to think carefully about what you treat as your highest authority, since something will always fill that role in your life and in a culture. If you found this helpful, check out the channel for more beginner-friendly Christian conversations.

00:00 - Intro: Welcome to In God We Trusted

00:00:13 - What is secularism?: Definition and why people call it “good”

00:01:58 - Richard Dawkins quote: “Cultural Christian” and why outcomes matter

00:05:37 - French Revolution example: Replacing religion with secularism

00:08:44 - Founders and early America: Religion, morality, and good government

00:16:47 - What changed?: Darwinism and Marxism as major influences (theory offered)

00:23:19 - Education shift: John Dewey, humanism, and rejecting moral absolutes

00:29:23 - 1947 turning point: Everson case and the “wall” between church and state

00:32:01 - Domino effects: Prayer, Bible reading, Ten Commandments, and more.

00:41:04 - Solzhenitsyn conclusion: “Men have forgotten God”

For many years, Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, Sr. assisted over a thousand clients with their goal to reduce their same-sex attractions and explore their heterosexual potential.

A licensed clinical psychologist, he believed that our bodies tell us who we are, and that our bodies have made us for heterosexuality.

Homosexuality, he believed, is an adaptation to trauma; it is rooted in a same-sex attachment problem that leaves the boy alienated from his masculine nature.

I was told the rope would hold, but it was not until I had to test it by rappelling down a rock face backwards that I believed it was true. Likewise, it is not until our faith is tried that we truly learn that the “tested genuineness of faith – more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).

There are times that we go through pain so excruciating and confusing that it makes no sense when faith remains, yet it does. There are times we feel as if God has left us disappointed and confused. He could have intervened and he chose not to. He could have stopped any series of events yet he allowed them to proceed. Beyond that, because we walk the paths we do, we know that the suffering endured is actually part of God’s intent and plan. This is a painful reality to embrace.

In the midst of this painful wrestling, however, hope can rise as we begin to see the truth of God’s promises at work in our own lives, despite the sorrow endured. The tested genuineness of faith is seen when we find ourselves holding onto God, believing him at his word, even when it doesn’t make sense. It’s confidence in knowing that even when we can no longer hold on, God is faithful and holds us still. It’s fighting for right belief despite the fact that we feel disappointed in who we wanted God to be. It’s looking for what is true even when we feel disillusioned in faith. It’s hoping for healing, even when the pain of loss and grief remain. When there seems to be no point in keeping the faith and yet faith remains, that is when the true, tested genuineness of faith is found, all to the praise and glory of God.

This is the true paradox of faith: despite there being grief and disappointment, even in times of belief without certainty, God can cause a deeper, more beautiful faith to emerge. As the sorrows grow deeper and the groanings become louder, God holds his children all the closer and pieces of faith that used to seem murky or unclear become more beautiful and less complicated.

In the midst of suffering, God holds you as your faith is tested. He has promised he will not let you go. He has promised that, “when you walk through the fire... the flames will not consume you (Isaiah 43:2). You may walk out smelling like smoke, covered in ash and feeling as if your lungs cannot take in air, but as you are tried by fire, be confident that what will also emerge is a more beautiful faith that has been tested and proven true. Even though you have faced unbelievable pain and loss, if you still believe, then in part, God is using whatever trial you are facing to show you the tested genuineness of your faith all to the praise of his glory. If you can trust him for this, you can trust him for every promise he has made.

Prayer should be a saturating feature as we engage our emotions with God. Jesus prayed as He engaged His emotions in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39), and some commentators suggest that He followed the model of Psalm 42. He allowed His uncomfortable feelings to drive Him to His Father in desperate, dependent prayer. We must do the same with ours.

Prayer is where we pour out our hearts to God and receive His comfort, wisdom, and strength (Ps. 62:8). As we honestly bring our emotions to God in prayer, He can minister to us, redeem and transform our hearts, and set us free from our yoke of emotional bondage.

BECAUSE children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.

—Mo-HAM-mad was a sexual deviant and his followers don't fall far from the tree!

CHAPTERS:

00:00 The Scandal That Is Ripping Britain Apart

00:43 Survivors Stories

03:21 Institutional Failures & Missed Warnings

06:32 The Debate Over Islam's Role

08:56 The “Islamophobia” Controversy

10:21 Police, Cover-Ups & Unanswered Questions

12:15 The Deeper Cultural & Spiritual Questions

—The truth about the gay lifestyle Heated Rivalry refuses to reveal

In 1989, I walked into the world famous Castro District of San Francisco as a disaffected young man of almost nineteen years of age. I had grown up bullied and lonely, and I was looking to finally belong. Almost since I was a child nearing adolescence, the other boys at school instinctively rejected me. While they made the decisive testosterone fueled jump to more masculine pursuits, such as aggressive schoolyard play and sports, I was timid and unsure. While their voices deepened and sounded increasingly confident, mine remained high-pitched but strangely muted. While they grew taller and filled-out, I just became thinner and ganglier. The pre-macho boys were typically the best at playing kick-ball and inevitably turn out to be recess and PE team captains. Focusing on my embarrassing apparent lack of skill, they were always quick to ridicule and loudly point out my utter worthlessness. No one ever wanted me on their team. After even the smaller girls got picked, I was always the default last man standing...