When I Know Why I Believe

When I was a teenager, way back in the dark ages of the 1950s, two songs rose high in the popular music charts. Both songs were sentimental. Both songs had nice, flowing, rich orchestral accompaniments, which were far more appreciated then in popular music than they are today. Both songs were recorded by artists who enjoyed a wide popularity at the time. One of the songs was called He and was recorded by a blind singer named Al Hibbler. The other was called I Believe and was recorded by many artists, but perhaps was most identified at the time with Elvis Presley.

These songs had much in common, as noted here. And besides these things, there was one more characteristic the two songs shared. They both perpetuated and popularized a false god of human invention.

He can turn the tides and calm the angry sea
He alone decides who writes a symphony
He lights ev’ry star that makes the darkness bright
He keeps watch all through each long and lonely night

He still finds the time to hear a child's first prayer
Saint or sinner calls and always finds him there
Though it makes him sad to see the way we live
He’ll always say “I forgive.”

He can touch a tree and turn the leaves to gold
He knows every lie that you and I have told
Though it makes him sad to see the way we live
He'll always say “I forgive.”

Words by Richard Mullan. Recorded by Al Hibbler and others

I believe for every drop of rain that falls
A flower grows
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night
A candle glows
I believe for everyone who goes astray, someone will come
To show the way
I believe, I believe

I believe above a storm the smallest prayer
Can still be heard
I believe that someone in the great somewhere
Hears every word
Every time I hear a new born baby cry,
Or touch a leaf or see the sky
Then I know why, I believe

Words & music by Erwin Drake - Irvin Graham - Jimmy Shirl - Al Stillman Recorded by Elvis Presley and many others.

The true God is not “someone in the great somewhere.” He is the God of Heaven and earth. The true God is not always ready to say “I forgive.” There is a price to pay for sin, and His righteousness and holiness demand that price be paid. He also, in love, sent His Son, Jesus to pay for the sin with His own blood. God forgives those who come to Him by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.

I Believe does not make reference to God except to say that “someone in the great somewhere” hears prayers. He says that God is “sad” by the way we live, but offers no word on what God has done about our situation. The Bible, of course, says much about what God has done to correct our sin problem.

Neither song makes any direct reference to sin, to judgment, or to the shedding of the blood of God's own Son, Jesus. These are the things the true God is concerned about.

So, why bring up songs that have long ago faded into the history of popular music in North America, and no doubt are unknown to most younger readers of this blog? The songs may be a distant memory, but the concept of the weak, powerless, sentimental god they praised still exists and has actually grown in acceptance today. Perhaps most people today think of God as he is depicted in these songs. He is a vague and distant “someone in the great somewhere.” He is sad. He spends his time turning leaves to gold and listening to a child’s first prayer, but he can’t do anything about the death both leaves and children ultimately face.

The only way to know the true God is to find Him in the pages of the Scriptures. Those who find Him there can establish a faith relationship with His Son Jesus. When I see Jesus, that is when I know why I believe.

Curse Those Side Effects

I have written before on this blog about how I hate those prescription drug commercials on television; you know, the ones with the bright colors and pretty music and paid actors saying what a wonderful drug this is, oh, but it does have some unpleasant side effects, like warts, constipation, and death. Those commercials.

Well, the current Democratic Congress thinks it can wrangle $30+ billion out of those drug companies by altering the Internal Revenue Code to disallow companies deductions for advertising prescription drugs to the general public. As much as I hate those commercials, and I really do, I don't think I can agree with this proposal.

It is not that I have any love for the big drug companies. I know that for years they have been producing drugs in other countries and using creative bookkeeping to shelter the huge profits they make from the IRS. Maybe Congress should deal with that.

But every company is allowed to deduct advertising expenses. Advertising is a cost of doing business. It would not be fair to deny this deduction to one industry, even though that industry seems to be the most obnoxious in its advertising.

There are also potential free speech issues involved in this proposal. Companies do have a basic right to publicize their products. The media does have the basic right to make income from advertising products and services. This proposal may stomp on these rights.

Instead of changing the IRS code to disallow legitimate deductions, maybe Congress should start figuring out how to collect all those tax dollars drug companies have sheltered in overseas production. Some claim that about 60% of all prescription drug sales are in the United States, but the companies pay taxes on a much lower percentage.

Congress is desperate to find ways to fund President Obama's extremely expensive health care reform. But in seeking a prescription to ease their discomfort, they just might find that the side effects are worse than warts or constipation. It just might spell the death of free speech, at least to one industry.

I would rather use my channel flipper to avoid the drug commercials than to have Congress violate any one's right to free speech.