How Does One Respond to Deliberate and Malicious Misrepresentation?

How does a person respond to deliberate misrepresentation by an attacker?  How should one respond to one who takes clear facts and twists them into something other than what they demonstrate in order to hurt the presenter and his reputation?

This is what my friend the Canadian Atheist has done to my presentation of my father’s loving actions that is presented in the post below.  He has taken my father’s acts of love, that I clearly presented as acts of love, and has labeled both my father and me as abusive people who should be avoided or even arrested.

His reasons?  Prejudice toward religions and especially toward the God of the Bible and those who fear, love, and trust in Him.  He is an atheist.  As such he wants to eradicate all faith in God.  He wants all people to be turned from faith in God to trust in themselves and their governments, and in his religion of his own version of secular humanism.  He would like to see all other religions annihilated.

He actively pursues this end, while denying that he seeks this.

So how should one whom he has attacked and tried to label as dangerous respond?

Well, the God whom he rejects, while trying to label his rejection as something more innocuous, says to recognize him as one who has made himself an enemy.  He declares that this is necessary so as to know to avoid his attacks, and to recognize him as one who needs forgiveness, love, and prayers on his behalf.  The God whom the Atheist rejects says not to return evil for evil, but to do good to all.  This God teaches and declares this in both the Old and New Testaments.

The Atheist says of the writers of the Biblical texts: “Don't take the word of men who wrote those texts in a time when the wheelbarrow was considered emerging technology.”  Wow!  I wonder whether we should treat Pythagoras and his algebraic and geometric writings with this same contempt.  Perhaps we should disregard that chariots and various gear driven machines were used by the ancient Egyptians of Moses’ era and even long before.

More importantly, however, we should ponder the message of these men moved by the Holy Spirit.  The Atheist says that their message of not seeking vengeance upon those who wrong them is outdated and should be ignored.  He says that the preaching of Jesus that we should “Love our enemies and bless them” is dangerous and should not be taught to our children.  He says this while he takes the loving actions of my father to protect his young son from danger and twists these actions and says that my father should have been arrested.

I shared in very clear terms that my father was very careful in his demonstration regarding the need to fear the hot stove.  My father held his own hand on the burner for two purposes.  The first was to guarantee that it would be safe and that no possible harm, bodily or emotionally, would come to his son.  Secondly, by holding his own hand on the burner he demonstrated that he could be trusted, even when the immediate reflex would seem to teach otherwise.

As I presented in my post, his lesson was very effective in both regards.  I was taught to understand the association of the word “Hot” with heat and with danger.  I also was taught to trust my father’s judgment in such matters and to respond to his loving voice and command of warning.

This enabled my father to save my life on multiple occasions. It enable him to steer me clear of many dangerous situations throughout my life.

From the Burn Foundation web site:

Safety Facts on Scald Burns

Hot Liquids Burn like Fire

Over 500,000 scald burns occur annually in the United States.
The two highest risk populations are children under the age of 5 and adults over 65.

Also at this site is this recommendation:

Consider marking a "NO ZONE" in front of the kitchen stove. Teach children to remain out of this zone. This can be done with colored tape on the floor.

Oh, for sure!  Curious toddlers and children under 5 will surely benefit from this!


The Shriners Hospitals for Children’s site says:

Every day, hundreds of young children with burn injuries are taken to emergency rooms. They were not even near a flame. The children are victims of scalds.

Clearly, this is a real danger. Scald burns (caused by hot liquids, steam or foods) are the most common burn injury among children age 4 and younger. According to Safe Kids USA, an average of 12 children ages 14 and under die from scald burn injuries each year. Children ages 4 and under account for nearly all of these deaths.

While the injuries and the numbers are distressing, even more disturbing is the fact that many of these burns could have been prevented.

O.K.  HUNDREDS of young children with burn injuries are taken to emergency rooms EVERY DAY!

Wow!  Doesn’t that sound like FUN?

My father took action to make certain that anyone in the family could turn his children away from such danger with a single word.  The Atheist says this is child abuse.

The Atheist also says: “Your children have rights and no parent is an overlord.”

Tell this to a child whose parents drag the child kicking and screaming to receive a vaccination or to the dentist’s office.  Tell this to the child who wants to go down the stairs to the basement and the parents block the path with barriers.  Tell this to the child who wants to investigate the kitchen cabinet and the parents have installed protective locks.  Tell that to the child who is throwing a temper tantrum because TV privileges have been taken away.

As a hospital chaplain in a research hospital I witnessed children whose parents gave consent for their children to be strapped in a bed and denied water and told that they could only receive a tiny dampened sponge on which to suck.  I observed young children who cried and screamed every time that a person in a white coat walked past the doorway. I’ve been with children who cried “No.  No!”as they received bronchial drainage treatments for cystic fibrosis.  I’ve been with children who were crying because they were told that they would have their limbs amputated.

For the sakes of the children, let’s be honest.  For the safety of the children, let’s face reality.  For the parents’ sakes, let’s not label their loving lordship over their children as criminal activity.

It is quite frightening to realize that social workers with prejudices like these demonstrated by the Atheist have the power to make criminals of parents.  He says that my father could have been arrested for his actions.  His implication is that he would seek to make this happen today.  He points to laws that empower such injustice, where acts that are not abuse are labeled and punished as abuse.

Indeed, parents today face such fears.  Over the past year people have also been arrested for handing out free bottles of water to thirsty passers by.  People have also been arrested for giving free food to homeless people.  Here in Wichita a group was legally prevented from setting up a free meal center for the poor and for the homeless because of prejudice against the poor and homeless who were not wanted in the area.  And yes, in each of these instances that I mention, it was people professing to be Christians who faced these legal hindrances.

Future comments will not be allowed apart from an apology for the disgraceful twisting of the truth with hurtful intentions.  Any comment other than an apology will be deleted, as these attacks are not helpful, honest, or in any way for the good of others.

What I present on this web site is in the name of the God of Love in accord with what He has revealed in His Holy Scriptures.  Those who desire to hear and read of this God and His self-sacrificing actions on behalf of His children will find this doctrine proclaimed here, along with comments about issues facing us all in this world of corruption and sin.  No one who does not like God and His written declaration of His will and interaction with mankind, and does not want to hear of Christ and His Church, will not find this site at all to one’s liking.

I desire nothing but good for all.  This is what I receive from the Lord my God.  This is what I in turn desire for all.

Regarding my earthly father and his dealings with me, no other human being is in a better position to evaluate the goodness of his fatherly care.  No one else has a right to judge him with a judgment contrary to what I myself testify concerning his relationship with me.  I bear witness to his tireless and self-sacrificing love toward me, love that imitated the love of the Lord to both my father and to me.  Anyone who says otherwise is wrong and is way out of line.

On two occasions, my dear father expressed his concern about failing as a father.  I acknowledged that he had failings, and assured him of both God’s forgiveness as well as ours. I also reminded him of the things of primary importance, all of which he faithfully and consistently fulfilled.  I assured him that the things that I and the rest of the family needed most from him he had given to us.  I assured him that he was a good father for whom I give thanks to God.  I have never declared otherwise to anyone and no one will ever convince me to believe otherwise concerning my father.

For those who did not grow up under such a father, I remind you of the Father of all who loves you more than you can know.  I urge you to receive His love through the means by which He makes His love available without limit.  If you do not know this and would like to hear of it, I will be very happy to explain it to you.

God’s peace to all in Christ Jesus.

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