A few years ago Dr. Zeke Emanuel wrote an article in "The Atlantic" titled, "Why I Hope to Die at 75."
The story was subtitled, "An argument that society and families---and you---will be better off if nature takes its course swiftly and promptly."
We would not care all that much what he thought if Joe Biden wouldn't have announced this week that Dr. Emanuel will be advising him on medical issues---specifically on how the government should handle the COVID 19 virus, and the distribution of vaccines---among other life-saving issues.
Be informed, not misled.
Dr. Emanuel began his article with, "That's how long I want to live: 75 years."
Noting that his beliefs drove some of his family "crazy" because they would miss him, he said this:
But here is a simple truth that many of us seem to resist: living too long is also a loss. It renders many of us, if not disabled, then faltering and declining, a state that may not be worse than death but is none the less deprived. It robs us of our creativity and ability to contribute to work, society, the world. It transforms how people experience us, relate to us, and most important, remember us. We are no longer remembered as vibrant and engaged, but as feeble, ineffectual, even pathetic.
In the mind of this doctor, if you're over 75 because you are not vibrant and engaged, you're "pathetic."
This, of course, is the main "truth" presented by those advocating for assisted suicide. It happened in Washington state a few years ago. And since, in a number of other states.
The other part of that "truth" is that dying by 75 or sooner, it is a blessing to your family and the younger community because you don't use up valuable resources of your family or the younger, vibrant "community."
Dr. Emanuel gets to that part later in his article.
Who is he, and why would Biden choose him as one of his medial advisers---should he become president?
Dr. Emanuel is not an epidemiologist. He is not a virologist. He is an oncologist so his appointment to a virus task force is interesting.
The best answer to why is probably familiarity. "Zeke", as he is known, is the brother of former Obama White House Chief of Staff, and now former Chicago mayor and all-around Democrat activist Rahm Emanuel.
His political connections don't bother me as much as the fact that he doesn't care much for seniors.
None of this can be comforting to seniors, who are most vulnerable to the virus. They need someone who is an advocate for their health and well-being, not someone agitating against distributing vaccines to seniors because were "pathetic."
He is supposedly a noted oncologist, but from what I've seen, he's a regarding epidemiology and virology.
In late March, Emanuel went on cable TV and predicted that "100,000,000 Americans would be infected with the coronavirus within four weeks."
Real Clear Politics observed, four weeks later, that he was off by "99,111,291."
The press repeatedly reported that a majority of seniors would be drawn to Biden with their votes because he cares more about seniors.
However, exit polling shows that the opposite happened. Seniors were drawn to vote for Trump.
The problem is obvious. What's the solution?
Should Biden be honestly and duly elected to the presidency---and that is far more uncertain than the press and Biden are telling you today---people like Dr. Emanuel will be informing his decisions regarding the virus and other medical decisions.
This makes the run-off election in Georgia literally, a life and death matter. If the two Republican senators in the run-off election on January 5, 2021 win, that will continue to give the Republicans control of the Senate. Pray they win.
With control of the Senate, the Republicans could block a lot of decisions that would come as a result of Emanuel's beliefs.
The election in Georgia is not just something on the other side of our country, for those of us out here in the west. It's about every senior in America.
Elections rarely involve questions of life and death, but this one does. Literally.
The great cultural divide in America is based on two very different worldviews.
We live in a world of competing ideas and worldviews.
Barna Survey has found that among Christians who consider their faith important and attend church regularly, only 17% actually hold a biblical worldview.
Barna found that the competing views Christians hold are New Spiritually 61%, postmodern views 54%, Marxism, 36% and secularism, 29%.
Although this survey was taken in 2017, the breakout has not changed in percentages. There is an abundance of information in the complete survey. It gives clarity as to why people who claim to be Christian, make very non-Christian decisions.
I want to mention a couple of them.
New Spirituality
Barna has found that 61% of professing Christians who go to church regularly buy into some forms of New Age beliefs.
Almost 3 in 10 (28%) strongly agree that all people pray to the same god or spirit.
About 27% of "practicing Christians" believe that meaning and purpose come from being one with all that is.
Another Barna study has found that 52% of "practicing Christians agree that the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves and 32% believe the karmic idea of "what goes around comes around."
Secularism
Surprisingly, a number of "practicing Christians" believe, for instance, "a belief must be proven by science to know its true."
And 13% of "practicing Christians" strongly agree that a person's life is valuable only if society sees it as valuable.
That's concerning, but not surprising. There's much information more in the survey.
Takeaway
When the views of people like Dr. Emanuel begin to be part of public policy, they become not only destructive to the individual who holds them, but to society.
As an example: Emanuel served as the key architect of Obamacare (The Affordable Care Act) and that socialist approach reflected Emanuel's secular worldview.
In September he co-authored a paper in which he encouraged officials to follow the "Fair Priority Model" which calls for "fair international distribution of vaccine," rather than what he and his colleagues called "vaccine nationalism."
There are only two worldviews. One begins with God as the Sovereign Creator of the universe and in control of all things. Any other worldview begins with one's self worshiping the created things as a substitute or replacement for the true God.
This is why we are told to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. So we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).
Our response to world conditions? Study your Bible and live accordingly with God's help daily. Ask the Lord how He may be calling you to become involved in your world. Work to change the culture through involvement in local, county, state, and even national politics.
And trust the Lord. He keeps His promises. He has never failed. He will not fail now.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Faithful